Ryan slowly folded his wings, the draft rustling the grass nearby.
Chen Mian sat on his back for a moment longer before jumping down to the ground.
The evening breeze blew, carrying the unique coolness of the night forest, mingled with the sweet aroma of magical crops and the faint scent of wine wafting from the workshop.
Flora stood beside him, taking a gentle breath, and said with a relaxed look, “Finally back home.”
Loviki jumped down from Ryan's back, glanced at the sunset glow on the horizon, and her lips curled up slightly. “The air smells so much better than in the Royal Capital, and the sky looks nicer too.”
Louise also looked toward the distant orange-red sky. “But it also lacks the bustle of the Royal Capital.”
Loviki turned her head, her gaze sweeping over the apartment in the twilight and the demi-humans busy in the distant fields. Her voice grew a bit lighter. “Besides, Flora's cooking is way better than those restaurants in the Royal Capital.”
More and more people began to gather around them.
“Mr. Chen Mian! Miss Flora!” Luolin ran over quickly with Melo, her eyes sweeping over the group. “You're back!”
“Yes, we brought you some dried fruits and pudding from the Royal Capital. There's enough for everyone.” Flora hopped down from Ryan's back, landing lightly on the ground, and handed her a large paper bag.
“Thank you, Miss Flora!” Luolin took the paper bag, glanced inside, and hugged it to her chest with a smile.
“No, Velyan actually picked all of these out.”
“Then I must thank Miss Velyan properly,” Luolin said with a smile, looking up before asking in confusion, “Where is Miss Velyan?”
“Her? She complained that Ryan was flying too slowly when we got close to the apartment, so she jumped down and headed back first,” Loviki said helplessly, holding her backpack.
“J-Jumped down?” Luolin repeated, her eyes widening slightly.
“Yeah. Don't let her scatterbrained attitude fool you; she's incredibly strong.”
“Right! Miss Velyan is a legendary dragon.” Luolin still looked amazed when she spoke of it. Making friends with a powerful dragon was something completely unimaginable in the past, but in Mr. Chen Mian's apartment, everything seemed so normal.
Then, as if remembering something, she looked at Chen Mian and reported seriously, “Mr. Chen Mian, everyone has completed the tasks you assigned before you left. The workshop has also stored all the brewed wine in the Wine Storage according to the process.”
With that, she pulled Melo over. “And Sister Melo and the others have already made the clothes you wanted, Mr. Chen Mian.”
“Thanks for your hard work,” Chen Mian said with a smile, nodding.
“It was no trouble at all!” Melo quickly waved her hands. “The machine you and Miss Louise made has made things so much more efficient than before. The girls in the village absolutely love the designs of those clothes, so we've been working hard the past few days to finish them. The making process was actually quite refreshing.”
Melo spoke in a cheerful tone, her ears twitching slightly with her movements.
“Good. No need to rush, just take your time,” Chen Mian said, nodding as he smiled at their enthusiastic faces.
“We've already made one of each style,” Melo said seriously, looking up. “Luolin and I have washed them all, so you can try them on tonight.”
“Alright.”
“In that case, Mr. Chen Mian, can I see what you all look like wearing them?” Melo asked expectantly.
“Sure. Why don't you join us for dinner at the apartment tonight?”
Melo's ears perked up instantly, her eyes shining. “Really? Then I'll head over as soon as I finish up!”
Afraid she had sounded a bit too eager, she quickly added, “I just want to see how the clothes fit on you all, so I'll know if we need to adjust the patterns later.”
“Understood.”
“Then I'll go finish up the rest of my work first!” Melo turned and ran back toward the village, her steps light and her long rabbit ears bouncing gently with her stride.
Velyan had been too impatient to wait for Ryan to land, jumping down and running back to the apartment ahead of everyone else.
As soon as they walked through the door, they saw Velyan pulling a bleary-eyed Irena along, excitedly telling her all about the food in the Royal Capital.
Irena's eyes were half-closed as she nodded sleepily from time to time, though it was hard to tell if she was actually listening.
It wasn't until Velyan, slightly annoyed, stuffed a spoonful of pudding into her mouth that she finally woke up a bit.
“Is it good?” Velyan asked expectantly, wagging her tail.
“It's good.” Irena swallowed the pudding, then reached out to take the pudding cup from Velyan's hand, eating it lazily. “An'an, did you find anything fun in the Royal Capital this time?”
“Yes! There were so many delicious things, but the best were the grilled lamb chops, hotpot, and pudding,” Velyan said thoughtfully. “But the other two aren't easy to bring back. Grilled lamb chops don't taste good if they aren't fresh off the grill.”
She looked slightly disappointed as she said this, but her expression was quickly replaced by excitement. “But we can eat hotpot right here in the apartment!”
“What is hotpot?” A hint of curiosity appeared on Irena's lazy face.
“It's when you boil all kinds of delicious ingredients in a savory broth, and then dip them in a sauce made by Flora!” Velyan blurted out without even having to think.
“Do you want to try it, Irena?” Flora asked with a smile as she unpacked the items from their luggage bags.
Irena blinked and looked at Flora. “...Can we?”
“Of course. Having hotpot together is a very relaxed way to eat, and I don't have to cook a ton of different dishes.” Flora turned to Chen Mian. “What do you think, Chen Mian?”
“Sure, let's have hotpot tonight. We have fruits and vegetables in the fridge, but if you want meat, Velyan, you'll have to go catch it,” Chen Mian said with a laugh, looking at Velyan, who was crouching next to Irena eating pudding. “There are fish in the fishery, and you can grab a few chickens from the ranch. Let's leave the cows and sheep alone for now.”
Velyan set her pudding down on the table and grabbed Irena's hand, ready to run outside. Her voice was filled with unrestrained excitement. “I'll go fish in the fishery! Irena, help me catch some chickens! And then we'll head into the forest to catch some delicious wild beasts!”
“I just woke up...”
“If you're awake, you have to work! Flora said so!”
“When did I ever say that?” Flora tilted her head, a teasing smile on her face.
“Just now! You said it in your heart! I felt it!”
Irena was dragged toward the garden by Velyan. After a few steps, she looked back at Chen Mian with a pleading expression, but Chen Mian only gave her a slight nod, signaling for her to look out for herself.
The two of them quickly disappeared out the door, their voices still faintly audible. “Look, Irena! This tomato is huge!”
“...Yeah.”
“Touch it!”
“I'm still holding my pudding.”
“Then eat it first!”
“...Fine.”
“Irena, let's play video games together after dinner tonight!”
“No thanks... I stayed up all night and beat every single game already.”
“Then teach me how to play!”
“An'an, has anyone ever told you that you're a real pest?”
“No! I am not annoying!”
The apartment fell silent for a brief moment. Loviki couldn't help but laugh, and Flora pursed her lips in amusement, lowering her head to fold the last few pieces of clothing from the luggage bag.
Rate on N.U.
