Chapter 15 : The First Cuisine in Gaia 2

The group discussion becomes more lively when the female shows them the seeds the brunette mentioned. "Tangtang gave some to those children who always played with him."

"Can I have a taste? Just a little bit, please." Tin begged. Her eyes were round and watery. She looked extremely pitiful and cute.

The people around laugh and tease her. Tin was known to love eating, but she always complained about the taste of the food.

"You glutton, you will even take food from my child," the female said but still gave her one seed while laughing.

Fruits contain many nutrients that help children's development, but trees bearing fruit are always guarded by strong monsters, making them hard to get. Some beasts would try to gather fruits for their beloved or child, but many would end up wounded and empty-handed. That's why eating fruits becomes precious to everyone.

Lume was the only fruit they could safely access near their tribe. No monsters dared to live in its grove because its trees released a foul smell that repelled predators. However, it is excessively sweet when young and too sour when ripe, so they cannot consume it frequently.

The female also gives seeds to the others for them to taste. She doesn't think twice about sharing since Tangtang, the sub-beast who found and brought them himself, generously shared them with her and her child.

"It's tasty and slightly sweet," Tin honestly commented. She already fell in love with the taste, and the mellow flavor made her palate want more.

"It's delicious!" The people who ate the sunflower seed commented one by one.

"Do you know where Tangtang found this?" Tin asked. She can't help but feel excited. Just the thought of eating this seed every day makes her exhilarated.

In Tin's dismay, the female shakes her head.

"I heard that the young patriarch and Tangtang found it near the nest of several three-horned monsters," Gal, immersed in savoring the taste of the seed, answered when he heard the question.

Beasts preferred to eat meat, but this doesn't mean that they didn't eat fruits and other plants. It's just that their energy could be replenished faster when they are eating meat.

"So precious!" Tin exclaimed.

The five people chatting were surprised to hear what Gal had said. Even Elder Sen, who was going to visit Tangtang and accidentally listened to their conversation, was stunned. She is also one of the lucky people who received the sunflower seeds.

After processing this information, the six people feel a little regret. They should have eaten the seed slowly and savored every bit of it. The female who was carrying a sleeping cub felt fortunate. She didn't expect a precious fruit to be eaten by her child for several days. While Tin feels dejected, she wants to go to the place Tangtang found it and gather more seeds so she can eat it every day, but knowing the place now, she realizes that she doesn't have the ability to do so.

Everyone knows that the stronger the monster nesting in a place, the more precious the fruit that would be found there.

"That child…" Old Sen sighed. Even before she learned that Tangtang was the Beast God Messenger, she already had a favorable impression of the sub-beast, and the more she knew about him, the more she liked him.

"Tangtang is the most beautiful and the kindest sub-beast I've seen," the always silent beast beside Gal suddenly blurted out. His voice was full of admiration. "I envy the young patriarch and Hou. They can always escort and accompany him."

"Why don't you try to talk to him? He will not ignore you," the brunette said.

"Compared to the other sub-beasts, Tangtang is friendly and smiles at everyone. Be courageous and fight to be his husband," Gal said as he patted the shoulder of his good friend.

Gal knew that with Hou and Xue guarding the sub-beast, it was impossible for his friend to be noticed by Tangtang. Still, no one knows what will happen in the future. His friend Dio will not lose anything if he tries. He might only be beaten up by Hou, but it's better than not trying, right?

As their discussion continues, the fragrant smell of food coming out from Tangtang's tent is getting stronger, stimulating everyone's appetite.

Tin, who had been enduring her growling stomach since earlier, couldn't hold back anymore and started walking closer to the tent. The others unconsciously followed.

Xue could hear that the commotion outside was getting louder. He got up and went out to check what was happening, just to be blocked by several people. Their eyes were closed, and they were inhaling deeply as their mouths were agape and watering.

"So delicious!" Someone muttered.

"What are you doing?" The ten or so people were startled awake when they heard a cold and monotonous voice.

"Ahh!" Tin, who was in the front, was surprised by the enlarged, indifferent, handsome face of Xue and screamed.

The brunette immediately covered her mouth. "Y-young patriarch," she greeted with an awkward smile.

"What are you doing?" Xue once again asked, his brows deeply furrowed as he looked at the people blocking the entrance of Tangtang's tent. There are not only females but also several beasts trying to peek inside. These actions make him uncomfortable, and there is something within him boiling and wanting to explode.

He was about to disperse the crowd after not hearing any response when a soft voice sounded behind him. "What's wrong?"

Tangtang was done cooking the sautéed bitter melon when he noticed Xue standing at the entrance and not moving. He peeked from the man's right side and saw several people with a frightened look having a staring contest with the ice block in front of him.

A beautiful smile bloomed on Tangtang's face. "Good evening, do you guys need something?" he asked.

As if the people bathing in cold winter saw the sun once again rise from the east, their faces brightened. The cold and oppressive aura of their young patriarch also subsided, making them sigh in relief.

Taking off the hand covering her mouth, Tin called. "Tangtang!" She strode in front of the sub-beast and affectionately held his hand. "What are you making? It smells delicious."

"I am making dinner using the plants I gathered these past few days." Tangtang's eyes brightened. He couldn't be happier; after staying in this world for almost half a month, he would now be able to eat food other than roast and boiled.

Everyone knew Tangtang was diligently looking for edible plants in the forest with Xue. Not everyone had a good expression about his actions because sub-beasts were known to be innately weak. They don't have any ability to protect themselves and can only rely on beasts. The forest was full of unknown danger, and going there could endanger a beast, not to say a sub-beast.

Many thought that he was showing off and wanted attention. Some suspected that he was trying to seduce Xue, but a few believed in him, like the Trio, and they were also the first people to taste the fruit of Tangtang's labor.

When they heard that the fragrant aroma came from the plants they saw them carrying back to the tribe, the people blocking the tent entrance became more curious and stretched their necks, trying to look inside the tent.

"Can we have a taste?" Tin shamelessly asked.

Tangtang knew Tin, and he had a good impression of her. This bubbly little female loved talking about food. If she were in the modern world, she would be a food enthusiast.

Tangtang nodded and embarrassedly said, "The ingredients were not enough, and I could only give a bowl."

For the beast with a large appetite, a bowl is not enough, but receiving food they didn't put any effort into is already too much, and they already feel grateful.

Elder Sen, who was silently observing them, suddenly said. "You don't need to give anything. You have been working hard to find those ingredients. Keep it for yourself."

Tin felt embarrassed, realizing her shamelessness. She remembered the seed that she had just eaten. With monsters lurking and the risk of being poisoned, it is not easy to find edible plants in the forest. Those ingredients Tangtang was preparing might have the same stories. The others felt the same.

"Ha ha ha, I am just joking, Tangtang." Tin awkwardly laughed, scratching her head.

The others also apologized for disturbing them and were about to leave.

Tangtang hurriedly stopped them. "No, no, I want to share this with everyone, but since the ingredients are limited, it would be embarrassing if I announced this to the entire tribe but would not be enough for everyone to have a taste." His cheeks tinted with a pink hue, making him look more alluring, causing the others to be mesmerized, especially Dio, who just expressed his admiration to Tangtang and was dazed.

"If it's not too troublesome, I would want everyone present to have a taste after we were done preparing. You can just bring your bowl," Tangtang added.

"No trouble at all!" The group answered in unison as if they had practiced it for a long time, making Tangtang laugh. His laugh was so pleasant that it made one's ear itch.

Everyone dispersed with a smile, looking forward to having a taste of the food that was emitting a fragrant aroma.

Elder Sen sighed. She thought Tangtang was already too kind and beautiful, attracting everyone's admiration and jealousy. It would be hard for him in the future.

Old Sen halted her steps and slapped her forehead. "Ah!" She forgot that Tangtang was the Beast God's messenger; with God's protection, she felt silly for worrying.

Unlike what Elder Sen thought, Tangtang believed that he was not a saint for sharing what he gathered over the past few days with others. He calls it an investment.

Once people taste better food, they will thrive for more. They will willingly find and cultivate food to match their demands, making life easier in the future.

After the people left, Tangtang and Xue went inside to continue cooking. Now that more people would eat, he needed to add more dishes. He was about to instruct Xue to cut more meat to fry when he was pulled into a warm embrace and roughly kissed until he felt dizzy.

"What's wrong?" Tangtang asked, panting. The man's kiss was domineering and full of masculine hormones, making him hot all over.

Xue didn't know why, but he felt stuffy and irritated that he wanted to beat someone, and by kissing the sub-beasts, he could only relieve this feeling. He didn't answer and just gently kissed the sub-beast on his eyes and lips until he was satisfied.

Tangtang and Xue continue cooking. Xue cut vegetables and more meat as he continued to fry more while Tangtang half-filled the two cauldrons with water and put some large bones and a lot of meat chunks in it to make a broth for the boiled meat soup. Tangtang also prepared the ingredients for the sweet and sour tofu.

While they were working, they occasionally exchanged a few words, creating a quiet yet warm atmosphere.

Once the broth is boiling, Tangtang scoops the impurities floating on the surface with a ladle. He then checks if the meat chunks are already tender before adding the potatoes. He let it simmer for another five minutes before adding the cabbage and seasoned it with salt.

Xue finished frying and decided to teach him how to make sweet and sour tofu. The beast didn't expect that the lume fruit that was neglected in their tribe for being too sweet when it's young and too sour when it's ripe could produce that perfect combination of flavors.

The sky was completely dark when Tangtang and Xue were done cooking. A beautiful smile bloomed on Tangtang's face as he looked at all the food they made. They have two cauldrons of boiled meat soup, thirty pieces of fried meat, a large pan of sautéed bitter melon with offal, and sour and sweet tofu.

"It should be enough for twenty people," Tangtang said.

"Rest while I call them."

They already talked earlier about who was to be invited to eat this feast. When Xue left, Tangtang snuck some to eat.

'This is what you call food!'