After dinner, Pearl Su went for a walk in the courtyard.
The round moon cast silver light over the quiet mountains and wilderness, adding a peaceful and beautiful glow to the scene.
While walking, Pearl Su noticed a firefly flying toward her, its movements clear and purposeful as it circled in front of her.
She smiled, finding it playful. She quickly reached out and caught it in her hand. Opening her palm, she saw it calmly resting there, the light on its tiny backside blinking.
Pearl Su gently tapped its head and said, "Is it you again, you little troublemaker? Snuck out to play again? Isn't it fun to stay with the others?"
She poked its tiny rear and flicked it into the air. It tumbled as it fell, and she chuckled when it couldn't steady itself.
Its little tail suddenly lit up again, and it spread its wings, flying into the sky until it vanished from sight.
In a good mood, Pearl Su continued walking. Before long, she saw another glowing firefly appear nearby, then come to hover around her again.
She laughed. It had run off only to return again. This little thing was naughty. She held out her pale finger to tap it, but it dodged and moved aside. No matter how many times she tried, she couldn't touch it.
Suddenly, Pearl Su noticed more and more fireflies gathering around her, circling as they flew. She was a bit surprised.
But seeing so many fireflies at once made her very happy. She started playing with them, teasing this one and then that one.
She played joyfully in the courtyard, surrounded by glowing lights. Meanwhile, someone stood quietly at the kitchen door, watching her with a gentle gaze.
The soft glow of the fireflies lit up her cheerful, lovely face, creating a dreamlike, lively image.
Gradually, the fireflies seemed to tire of playing. One by one, they flew off, and the courtyard returned to its peaceful state. Pearl Su went back to her room.
The figure at the kitchen door disappeared too.
The next morning, Pearl Su woke up feeling happy at the thought that the annoying man was finally leaving today.
She got up, opened the door, and the first thing she saw was Alaric Yun, standing there with his elegant posture and calm, graceful aura. She squinted a little, enjoying the sight.
He finished his breathing practice and walked over to her with a warm smile. "Miss Su, good morning."
Pearl Su replied blandly, "Morning."
She thought to herself: Is this dog-man going to say he's leaving today? She felt cheerful inside.
Alaric Yun smiled. "Miss Su, I'll make breakfast in a bit."
Pearl Su blinked. What was he trying to do? Leave a good impression before leaving? Or maybe poison her?
"Alright," she said calmly.
Alaric Yun smiled again. "Then I'll go make breakfast."
Happy that she didn't have to cook, Pearl Su relaxed. After washing up, she brought a small stool to the courtyard and sat enjoying the beautiful morning light.
When Alaric Yun called her to eat, she walked to the kitchen and sat at the table. On it were two bowls of noodle soup, with meat and vegetables.
The noodles looked like knife-cut noodles. Pearl Su leaned in and sniffed carefully. There was no smell of drugs or anything strange—just the fragrance of fresh noodles.
Once sure he hadn't added anything suspicious, Pearl Su started eating without holding back. The soup was salty and savory, and the noodles had a nice chew. Not bad at all.
After a few bites, she looked up without thinking and saw him watching her with a smile.
When their eyes met, Alaric Yun smiled and said, "Miss Su, how does the noodle soup taste?"
"Mm, it's okay." Pearl Su lowered her eyes and continued eating.
After breakfast, Pearl Su got up to check on the smoked meat. Seeing that the fire was still burning steadily and evenly, she felt reassured.
When she saw Alaric Yun tidying up, she left the kitchen and went to the storage room to get a basket and some tools. Then she headed out to the grassy slope to cut grass. After that, she also picked some wolfberry leaves and chives on the way back.
After feeding the rabbits, she came out and saw Alaric Yun carrying pinewood into the kitchen.
Pearl Su really wanted to ask him, "Why are you still here?" but didn't dare to say it out loud.
So she decided to avoid him and not see him at all. She went back to the storage room, took the basket and tools again, and went up the mountain to gather herbs.
Pearl Su went to a part of the mountain she hadn't visited before. After a round of digging, she collected quite a lot of herbs and felt a bit happy inside.
When she got back to the house, it was almost noon. She saw Alaric Yun standing at the door. Pearl Su calmly walked over and was about to put down her basket.
But then she felt the basket lighten. Sensing something was off, she looked over and saw Alaric Yun had already taken the basket from her and placed it on the ground.
He looked at her and smiled. "Miss Su, I've already made lunch. Let's eat."
Pearl Su responded in a calm voice, "Okay."
She washed her hands first, then went into the kitchen.
Lunch was some kind of roasted meat, along with chive and egg pancakes.
She didn't expect him to learn how to make this dish. Surprised for a moment, Pearl Su began eating.
After the meal, she went to check on the smoked meat again. The fire was just right, the smoke looked good, and the meat looked almost ready. Another day of smoking and it would be done.
The venison and chicken being smoked afterward would need two more days. After checking, Pearl Su returned to her room to rest.
In the afternoon, after she had rested, she came out and didn't see Alaric Yun. So she took over monitoring the fire herself and began sorting and drying the herbs she dug up earlier.
After finishing these tasks, she saw Alaric Yun returning with a small wild boar and two wild chickens. The small boar looked about the same size as the last one, around fifty to sixty pounds.
Seeing he had brought back so much wild game, Pearl Su felt a bit frustrated. There was no way they could eat it all. The leftovers would have to be smoked.
Alaric Yun came up to her with a smile. "Miss Su, I'll go handle this wild game first."
Pearl Su gave a light "mm" and watched him go into the kitchen. Then she turned around and went back to her room.
She only noticed something happening when the smell of roasted meat drifted in from outside. Pearl Su couldn't help but swallow. From the smell, it seemed like roasted pork.
She quickly got up and walked to the kitchen. Inside, she saw that the rest of the wild boar had already been marinated. The internal organs were left for her, and one of the chickens was also marinated.
Looking over, she saw Alaric Yun roasting meat. The delicious smell was coming from there. On the table, there was a plate of chopped white-cut chicken with scallion oil dipping sauce.
Steam was still rising from the pot on the stove. Pearl Su lifted the lid and saw seven or eight steamed buns, all done. She covered the pot again.
"Miss Su, the roast meat still needs a bit more time. Why don't you go rest for a while? I'll call you when it's ready." Alaric Yun looked at her gently.
"Mm." Pearl Su gave a soft response, but picked up the basin with the internal organs and went to wash them. Since they couldn't eat the organs right away, she planned to smoke and dry them too.
After washing the organs but before she could marinate them, Alaric Yun's roast meat was done. He had also made a soup with wolfberry leaves and minced pork.
The two of them sat down to have dinner together. Pearl Su found that not only was Alaric Yun good at cooking, but even his steamed buns tasted amazing. They were fragrant and soft.