Chapter 8

The news that Qing and Shi successfully entered the kitchen of the Jimo family and shared a meal with Jimo Ling spread like wildfire throughout the Green Tribe. The beastmen who had feelings for Jimo Ling felt both disappointed and hopeful. Disappointed that it was not themselves who had succeeded in dating Jimo Ling (ignoring Wang Xin, Fa, and the two little ones), yet hopeful that with this beginning, there would be follow-up opportunities. They eagerly prepared to show their skills.

So, the next morning, when Jimo Ling opened the door to go fetch water from the river, she was blocked.

One said, "Jimo Ling, let me help you make breakfast today!"

Another chimed in, "You only know how to roast meat; girls should eat something lighter in the morning, so let me do it!"

"Don't cook for lunch either; I'll help you then!"

"I can help too!"

"Dinner is on me!"

"My stewed meat is delicious; I'll make it for you tomorrow!"

BALABALABALA…

Jimo Ling was utterly bewildered. She couldn't figure out why, in just one night, these beastmen had suddenly become so enthusiastic. She could barely withstand their advances; if she hadn't been blocking the door, they probably would have rushed into her home.

"Everyone! I've already had breakfast," she finally regained her senses. Realizing that their eagerness was sparked by Qing, Shi, and Fa cooking at her house yesterday, she was both amused and a little drunk with this unexpected chain reaction. She needed to put a stop to this trend; otherwise, she'd have different beastmen showing up every day wanting to cook for her.

"As for the other meals… uh… I promised Chen Lan that I would go to her house to eat." Spotting Chen Lan approaching in the distance, Jimo Ling quickly thought of an excuse and said, "I have something to attend to, so I'll be leaving now. Everyone, go back to what you were doing. Bye!"

With that, she pushed past the beastmen and hurried away, leaving them in a state of disappointment.

"Ling, why are you in such a hurry?" Chen Lan, who was on her usual patrol of the tribe, looked at Jimo Ling, who was running towards her, and asked.

"I'm making my escape!" Jimo Ling rolled her eyes, gesturing for her to look behind her.

Chen Lan turned her head and saw the beastmen dispersing, a few still looking back hopefully. She instantly understood. "Haha, no wonder! I knew you would be popular after joining the tribe! But is it really necessary to call it an escape? Hahaha!"

Jimo Ling, being teased, could only twitch her lips helplessly. "They all want to come to my house to cook for me; I've never encountered anything like this before."

"Isn't that great? You'll be able to enjoy ready-made meals from now on." Chen Lan continued to tease.

"Oh, if you think so, I can help you promote it. I'm sure it won't be long before beastmen start flocking to your house." Jimo Ling smirked.

Chen Lan was caught off guard. "No, no, no! My two husbands are doing just fine; I'm not planning to marry again." She had promised them that after ten years, if she didn't have a daughter, she would consider adding to the family.

"Hehe. If you want to silence me, it's quite easy. For the next few days, I'll be having dinner at your house."

"Okay, it's a deal."

Jimo Ling chuckled, "Alright, you can get back to your work now. I'm off to fetch water."

"Go ahead!" Chen Lan waved her hand dismissively and turned back to continue her patrol.

As the two parted ways, both were smiling.

Since Jimo Ling's house was on the outskirts of the tribe, she didn't encounter anyone on her way to the river. Yet, she felt as though she was being watched. She looked back but didn't see anything. "How strange." Was she just being overly sensitive? But she didn't feel any danger; the area was close to the mountains, so perhaps it was just small animals. Dismissing the thought, she fetched her water and headed back.

In the morning, she continued helping Kong organize herbs and prepared dozens of packages of commonly used hemostatic medicine. Around eleven o'clock, she heard the sound of a puppy barking outside.

"White is here." Kong looked up, recognizing the sound of his grandson's voice.

Sure enough, not long after, a small white figure dashed in—it was a little white bear dog. The little creature wagged its tail happily as it approached its grandfather before running to Jimo Ling, jumping up against her legs.

"Pfft!" The little fellow was always particularly enthusiastic when it saw her. Jimo Ling bent down to pick it up, rubbing its little head. "Why are you the only one here?"

"Little thing, now that you're feeling better, you can't sit still, huh? Thankfully, you know not to run out of the tribe." Although Kong complained, his affectionate expression showed he cared for his grandson.

"Woof woof woof!" White responded with some gentle nudges against Jimo Ling's hand.

Just as Jimo Ling was about to say she would take White back later, she heard Fa's voice outside.

"Dad! Has White come by?" The boy rushed in, a pink flush on his face from running, looking particularly lively. "Someone said they saw him running this way."

"He's right here," Kong replied, "in Jimo Ling's arms."

"The little guy is so quick! Mom asked me to invite Ling over for dinner, so I washed some vegetables. I turned around and lost track of him," Fa said as he approached, giving the innocent little white bear dog a glare.

"He probably couldn't wait and came to deliver a message," Kong said, understanding his grandson quite well.

Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, White barked in agreement.

"Anyway, we're almost ready to go. Let's head over together." Kong waved his hand, deciding they would eat at home today.

With the chief's order, Jimo Ling nodded. "Just a moment." She turned to grab a leaf-wrapped package hanging on a tree, which contained a piece of smoked meat she had prepared to take to Chen Lan's house. Now she would bring it to the chief's house.

However, Jimo Ling nearly experienced indigestion during the meal at the chief's house because Chen Lan, in an odd twist of fate, kept subtly recommending the three youngest brothers from the Chen family. The family led by Chen Xiao seemed to be quite supportive of this as well, and the other three involved were eagerly showing off their talents.

To speak of it, Chief Chen Xiao was also quite an interesting person. He had named his seven sons: Duo, Lai, Mi, Fa, Suo, La, and Xi. The first two were twins, twenty-one years old, married off to other tribes; the third and fourth were also twins, fifteen years old, with the third marrying into the Green Tribe and the fourth (Fa) engaged to the granddaughter of the chief from the neighboring Tu Tribe. The remaining ones, Suo, La, and Xi, who were fourteen this year, were the three young men Chen Lan wanted to introduce to Jimo Ling.

Faced with Chen Lan, who wanted to become her sister-in-law, Jimo Ling only wished to express, "Sister, please let me go!" She had no interest in underage boys! After quickly finishing her meal and thanking them, she hurriedly slipped away.

The three brothers watched Jimo Ling's departing figure with disappointment.

"Hey, why did she leave so quickly?" Suo pouted, expressing that he hadn't had a proper conversation with her yet.

"Do hermits really talk so little?" La's big eyes sparkled with curiosity. Except for greeting her when she entered, she hadn't spoken more than ten sentences.

"She's really beautiful. And so capable." Xi rested his chin on his hand, looking full of admiration.

Among the three pairs of brothers, the youngest triplets were the most alike. The first two pairs had some distinctions, but the three of them, when they were young, could only be distinguished by their father Kong's sense of smell. Even their mother couldn't tell them apart just by looks. As they grew up, Suo preferred a neat short hairstyle, while La and Xi had slightly longer hair; one styled with bangs to the right and the other to the left.

Although they didn't inherit their mother's beauty, they were all quite good-looking, with lively and charming personalities. They could gather, hunt, and cook, yet they didn't seem to care about their romantic prospects, never having seen them present gifts to any girl. Chen Lan, as the eldest sister, was worried and anxious about this.

A few days ago, she accidentally overheard the triplets discussing the new hermit with great enthusiasm. Coincidentally, Jimo Ling was coming to eat for a few days, so Chen Lan thought to have her brothers go over to her house for dinner. After Chen Xiao heard about it, he became quite interested, so it was decided that they would eat at her house, and the whole Chen family would join in. It would be lively!

Thus, there was a somewhat tedious meal for Jimo Ling at the Chen family, with the excitement of the triplets and Chen Lan's eager matchmaking hanging in the air.