Chapter 130: Chapter 130: RIP Mr. Duck
He picked up an uncovered metal pot, filled it with water from the tap, and placed it firmly on the fire. He stood right there, completely still, and watched the pot.
He didn’t move an inch. A few moments later, the water started to bubble and boil, white steam rising up toward the ceiling.
With all seriousness, he waited more, just standing in the heat, until the gas stove automatically clicked off on its own after boiling the water to a scalding steam.
Qin Mo then brought out a big ceramic bowl from the cupboard and tossed it into the sink. He lifted the hot pot carefully and poured the boiling water, at least what was remaining of it, directly into the bowl.
Then, he turned on the cold tap water, watching as the clear stream poured into the hot water, diffusing the heat until it was just right. After the bowl was half filled, he turned off the water and left the kitchen.
Two minutes later, he walked back into the room with a large, fat duck in his hand. His long fingers were gripping the long neck of the duck tightly.
The duck looked completely calm, its wings drooping as if it had absolutely nothing left to live for.
Qin Mo saw this when he raised the duck up to his eye level. He looked into its small eyes and muttered softly, "You don’t need to worry. At least you will be of good use to me today. After all, I fed you for so long."
It turned out that a few weeks ago, while the triplets were being taught how to recognize different animals from a colorful picture book Lin Wan had given them, he and Long Zhan had gone out into the wild to hunt those exact animals alive so the boys could see them in person.
But after a few days, the triplets had grown completely bored of looking at them. Long Zhan had absolutely no patience for taking care of livestock, so the task was left entirely to Qin Mo to take care of them and feed them inside the fenced enclosure in the space.
Well, with Weiwei having set everything up nicely in the storage bays, all Qin Mo really had to do was go there once in a while to check on them. This specific duck was far enough along to be cooked for Wanwan and his cubs.
Three minutes later, the loud, rhythmic sound of a heavy knife chopping against the wooden board echoed through the quiet kitchen.
’Rip, Mr. Duck,’ Qin Mo thought blankly as he quickly cleaned the meat and began preparing the broth.
Qin Mo was so entirely focused on his task that he didn’t even know when Lin Wan walked out of the bedroom.
She stood quietly at the kitchen door, her shoulder leaning against the frame as she watched him work. She had changed into a soft, loose tunic, her dark hair falling messy over her shoulders.
The more she looked at his bare back, the sharp muscles shifting under his skin, and the red scratch marks she had left there herself, the more she felt a sudden warmth return to her belly.
She wanted to walk over and take him down all over again. But even she knew she had to rest. If she didn’t, her body might actually give up on her from the sheer energy strain of the new realm.
Well, with the strong cubs inside her, that wouldn’t truly happen, but she knew she needed to stop testing Qin Mo’s control for the day.
Seeing that Qin Mo still hadn’t noticed her presence because of the sound of the boiling soup, she smiled faintly. She slowly tip-toed across the floor, moving as quietly as a cat until she reached his back.
She leaned her front against his spine and wrapped her slender arms tightly around his waist.
Qin Mo flinched for a split second before recognizing her sweet scent. He quickly washed his hands under the tap and dried them thoroughly on a clean towel before turning around in her embrace.
He lowered his head and kissed her lips instantly. It wasn’t a gentle kiss; he held her body so tightly against his chest, his arms locking around her waist as if he wished to literally tie her up with him forever.
The hidden fear of having to leave her side in the future made him pour a desperate, deep emotion into the touch.
After noticing that Lin Wan was starting to struggle for air, her chest heaving against his, Qin Mo finally let go of her lips. But before he pulled away completely, he nipped at her lower lip gently with his teeth.
"When will Wanwan finally learn to breathe while kissing?" he teased, his voice low and smoky.
Lin Wan, still high in the moment from the intense kiss, blushed furiously. She gave him a sharp, playful glare, her hands resting flat against his bare chest. "It is not my fault you always take my breath away," she said coyly.
The sweet, honest words made Qin Mo laugh out loud, the happy sound echoing through the warm kitchen.
He looked down at her face, his green eyes softening completely. He realized right then that she seemed to have laughed and smiled much more now that they were in the Middle Realm compared to when they were back in the lower world.
Ever since the cubs were born, he realized there had been almost no reason for her to laugh back then. They always had to worry about one thing or another, constantly looking over their shoulders for enemies or hiding from the elements.
He felt a deep pang of guilt in his chest that she had to bear with all those hardships while being with them, when other noble females in the beast capital didn’t even have to walk on the dirt if they didn’t want to.
He lowered his head and kissed her again, but this time he was incredibly gentle, his lips just brushing against hers to comfort her.
After he released her a little, he looked at her eyes and asked, "When did you wake up?"
"I woke up when I started dreaming that someone was chopping me up into pieces," she said, a small smile breaking on her face as she stepped back out of his tight embrace to look at the stove. "What exactly are you cooking over there? It smells good."
"I am making duck soup, to nourish my pregnant wife," he said, smiling a smile that was not quite a smile, his green eyes watching her reaction closely.
Lin Wan’s heart skipped a beat against her ribs. Her fingers went still against her dress. She looked up at him, her voice dropping into a soft, slightly guilty whisper. "When did you find out? I... I was going to tell you."
Qin Mo leaned forward, a wicked, teasing glint entering his eyes as he placed his hands on the counter on either side of her hips. "Well, I found out while I was deep inside you."
Hearing his completely obscene, shameless words, Lin Wan’s face burned brighter than the stove fire. She couldn’t help but raise her hand and hit his bare shoulder lightly with her fist. "Be serious."
Her small reaction made Qin Mo finally laugh happily, the dark clouds in his mind completely clearing away for a moment. He liked this expressive, warm Wanwan much more than the cold leader she usually had to be.
He reached out and hugged her tightly against his chest again, lowering his jaw onto the top of her head, breathing in the clean, sweet fragrance of her hair.
"Wanwan should never keep anything from me again," he said softly, his voice full of a deep, hidden emotion.
"Mmm," Lin Wan replied gently, wrapping her arms back around his neck and hugging him back as the soup continued to bubble quietly beside them.
After a while, they softly released each other from the tight embrace. Lin Wan stepped back slightly, her dark eyes looking at the half-chopped duck on the cutting board and the steaming pot of water.
"What do you need?" she asked, smoothing down her tunic. "I’ll help you out with the chopping."
Qin Mo picked up his heavy knife again, a relaxed smile on his handsome face. "I don’t need your help."
"But I want to do something for you," Lin Wan insisted, crossing her arms and leaning against the counter.
Qin Mo stopped what he was doing and turned his head to look at her. His green eyes darkened as his gaze slowly swept down her face, over her neck, and down her soft frame, literally undressing Lin Wan with his eyes. "You can just sit pretty and wait for me to feed you and the babies. Then, when you’re done eating... I’ll have my fill."
"You!..." Lin Wan said, her voice choking up instantly as a hot wave of blood rushed to her cheeks. She blushed furiously, her heart jumping against her ribs.
