"I'm full, so I'll go upstairs first," Yuna said, rushing off.
"Why did you eat so little today? Did I put too much salt?" Emily tasted a spoonful of the soup she had made.
It had just the right amount of salt and tasted delicious.
With that, she held the bowl of soup to Lin Feng's mouth, intentionally making this intimate gesture to assert her authority over Kandis. "Take a sip and taste the seasoning."
"Didn't I just finish a bowl?" Lin Feng looked at Emily with a strange expression and drank it all in one go.
If he could, he would have eaten the bowl as well.
"It tastes great, right, my husband?"
Hearing those two words, Lin Feng felt extremely embarrassed.
Given their relationship, it wasn't excessive to use that nickname, but it still felt awkward to hear.
"How could anything my wife makes not taste good?"
Emily smiled faintly, nodding in satisfaction.
She had performed exceptionally well, and she deserved a good reward tonight.
While everyone's attention was focused on Lin Feng and the others, Yuna muttered under her breath and planned to slip away. "I ate too much dry rations at lunch today, so I'm not hungry yet."
But she had barely taken a few steps when Lin Feng intercepted her.
"Wait a moment, it's your turn to wash the dishes today!"
This sentence left Yuna at a loss.
She didn't know whether to stay or go.
"Master, let's switch. You wash today, and I'll wash tomorrow," Yuna blinked her eyes and acted spoiled.
She desperately wanted to escape from this place.
But then she realized that Kandis would be staying here today and eating together tomorrow, so it seemed like something she would have to face sooner or later.
Yuna sat back down and served herself another bowl.
As she ate this meal, she felt a mix of emotions and was on edge.
Finally, when she finished eating, Yuna thought that once she washed the dishes, she could go upstairs. In an instant, she felt a bit relieved.
But at that moment, she heard the one voice she least wanted to hear from behind her.
"Yuna, let me help you." Kandis walked into the kitchen, holding a dishcloth for washing.
"No need, I can do it myself," Yuna said with her head down.
Kandis took a plate and started wiping it, ignoring Yuna's protest.
Seeing that the situation was settled, Yuna stopped struggling and silently washed the dishes.
Occasionally, she would steal a glance at Kandis, observing her current appearance.
There weren't any major changes in her features; she could be recognized at a glance.
The only notable difference was probably her figure.
"Yuna." Kandis suddenly spoke.
"Yes?"
Kandis stopped scrubbing the dishes and carefully observed Yuna. "Have we met before?"
Yuna wanted to say yes but couldn't bring herself to say it. She could only look at Kandis, wide-eyed.
"When I was little, I used to play alone in the forest. You look a bit like my playmate back then, a little girl from the Silver Wolf Tribe."
Kandis moved closer to Yuna, openly observing her. "Your eyes are especially similar. Although they may seem serious and fierce, they are actually very gentle."
"At that time, my parents had high expectations of me and hired many teachers for me—magic, etiquette, cooking, swordsmanship... They overwhelmed me."
"Whenever I can't take it anymore, I escape to a small stream in the forest and hide there secretly."
"One time, I saw that little girl from the Silver Wolf Tribe. At first, she was somewhat cautious, but I always went there and always met her, and we became acquainted with each other..."
Upon hearing this, Yuna couldn't hold back anymore and hugged Kandis tightly.
"Oh? What's wrong?" Kandis smiled faintly, now certain of something.
"After so many years, you still remember." Finding a childhood playmate and having them remember every little detail between the two of them truly made Yuna very happy.
Every friend was precious to her.
"It's really you. When you and Lin Feng came back, I recognized you at first sight, but I wasn't completely sure." Kandis gently patted Yuna's shoulder.
After years apart, the two of them talked a lot and stayed together since finishing the dishes.
"When I was caught and confined at home for two months, when I came back to find you, I couldn't find you anymore," Kandis shrugged.
"I thought you never came back, and I thought you hated me," Yuna rubbed her eyes.
Meanwhile, outside the door, three individuals were eavesdropping with their ears pressed against it.
"They recognized each other. Let's go back."
"Let's go back. I thought something happened when I saw Yuna suddenly hugging your ex-girlfriend," Emily scratched her bunny ears.
"So, she's my sister's friend. She shouldn't be a bad person." Yuli perked up her ears warily, still not completely at ease with Kandis.
In her mind, humans were divided into two categories.
The first category was Lin Feng.
The second category was jerks.
"Don't worry, she's a super nice person and has no prejudice against orcs." Lin Feng rubbed Yuli's ears. "Good girl, go back and have a good sleep. If you want to read, don't stay up too late."
After coaxing Yuli back to her room, Lin Feng and Emily also prepared to sleep.
"You're closing your eyes so early?"
"Yeah, it seems like Yuna won't come to me today to touch my ears and pull my tail." Lin Feng sat up and massaged Emily's shoulders.
She was taller, so her shoulders easily got sore.
"You must be tired today, right? The difficulty level of that maze was quite high."
"Yeah, I'm pretty tired." Emily nodded and lay down directly, spreading her legs slightly apart and throwing a seductive look.
Like this, Lin Feng immediately understood what she wanted to do.
"But today, you can't, right?"
During the day, Emily rarely showed restraint, but today was one of the few days she did.
Usually, she would probably be rubbing up against him everywhere.
"This is a reward for you. I'm especially satisfied with your performance today, and you understood with just a hint." Emily kissed Lin Feng on the lips, her eyes full of affection.
"But it will hurt, won't it? So let's reward each other tomorrow."
Emily pouted slightly and lightly kicked Lin Feng.
"You underestimate me. This little pain is nothing I can't bear." Emily supported Lin Feng's shoulder and mischievously raised her eyebrows. "You can do it in your favorite way."
"Wait a moment."
Lin Feng brought Emily's water cup and, without waiting for her reaction, plucked a petal from the Holy Flower and dropped it into the water.
The clear water instantly turned red.
"Holy Flower! What... why did you pluck the petals!" Emily immediately grew anxious and pouted, ready to strike.
"What's there to be afraid of? They'll grow back next year anyway. Besides..."
After listening, Emily looked at Lin Feng with disdain.
"No wonder something felt off the other day. I thought it was because I was reaching a certain age, but I never expected you to meddle with it."
"It was your mother who instructed me to do this." Since his mother-in-law wasn't around, he could easily shift the blame.
In a way, he wasn't lying.
After all, his mother-in-law had subtly implied it...
"And you, acting clueless instead of telling me the real reason while I scratched my head! Instead, you played dumb!" Emily snatched the water cup and drank it all, and her skin became rosy in no time.
The seal was lifted!
"No more rewards for you. Watch how I teach you a lesson!" Emily tackled him directly.
And then the house began to shake.