Chapter 143: Chapter 133: But It’s Very Fragrant
Gu Ning could finally take a proper bath.
Soaking in the tub, enveloped by the warm water, she felt so comfortable it was as if she were melting away.
But the weather was too cold, and the water quickly grew chilly, so she couldn’t soak for long.
After giving her hair a good wash, Gu Ning reluctantly climbed out of the tub. She shivered as she dried herself off and shivered again while putting on her clothes.
Bathing in this weather without any heating or warming equipment made her feel like a true warrior.
The bath itself had been comfortable, but getting dressed now with a head of wet hair was a troublesome and difficult ordeal.
After putting on her underclothes, Gu Ning wrapped the prepared blanket around herself, opened the bathroom door, and trotted to the living room. She kicked off her slippers, quickly stamped her feet on the edge of the rug to dry them, and then dove under the blanket covering the heater.
Cook, as usual, had been standing guard outside the bathroom. When she came out, he trotted right behind her, diving under the blanket with her and pulling her into his arms to warm her up.
He sniffed Gu Ning’s scent and lowered his head to lick her.
"Cook, wait..."
Gu Ning pushed Cook’s head away, wriggled out of his embrace, and picked up a hairdryer to dry her wet hair.
After a while, she started to feel stuffy and lifted a corner of the blanket for some air. She caught a glimpse of a pair of furry feet scurrying back and forth in the living room.
The little fox was preparing dinner now.
Gu Ning noticed he hadn’t seemed to rest all day. He was full of energy, a complete change from the listless state he’d been in when she first returned.
Just as she finished drying her hair and was about to put on her head covering, Cook pulled her into his arms. He began licking her face and neck, meticulously covering her with his own scent.
Gu Ning sighed in resignation and flopped into the pup’s arms, letting him have his way.
Barto placed a pot of simmered bone broth on the table, his gaze fixed on the large, slightly stirring lump in the living room.
A person and a dog were buried under the blanket, with only Cook’s large tail sticking out, wagging excitedly.
Barto didn’t need to look to know what they were doing.
A series of complex and strange thoughts surfaced in his mind, along with a sense of bewilderment.
’Where in the world had a female like Gu Ning come from?’
He’d had many theories over the past few days, but none of them conclusive.
After staring at them for a moment, Barto walked over, resisting the urge to rip the blanket off. He smacked Cook hard with a dull THUD. "Dinner’s ready!"
Cook didn’t seem to feel the heavy slap at all, simply continuing to hold Gu Ning and lick her intently.
Gu Ning quickly put on her head covering and threw off the blanket.
Barto’s nose twitched. He caught the dog scent on her and a nameless rage flared up. He kicked Cook.
’Honestly, she bathed for nothing!’
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK... Little Boss!"
The knocking was accompanied by Seth’s voice. Gu Ning got up and ran to open the door for him.
"WOOF!" Cook rushed to the door even faster than her, barking unfriendly at it.
Gu Ning had to shove Cook aside forcefully before she could open the door for Seth and the others.
"Little Boss, we came for dinner."
The moment the door opened, Seth grinned at Gu Ning.
The doorway was completely blocked by several well-built young wolves, who cast a shadow over Gu Ning.
Gu Ning looked up at them. In addition to the three young wolves who had brought her hot water in the afternoon, Jite was there too.
"Smells great," Jite said, leaning halfway in. "What are you guys having for dinner?"
"WOOF!!!" Cook snarled at him, blocking the doorway to prevent them from entering.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Barto had walked over at some point. He counted them and said, "Why’s there an extra dog? I’m only making food for four dogs. I’m not responsible for one more."
Hearing the rude and, for the Wolf Clan, rather insulting term, Jite shot him a look and retorted just as rudely, "We brought our own food, you little redhead."
After he spoke, Seth and the other young wolves revealed the food containers they were carrying.
Barto leaped onto a stool and pointed at Jite, cursing unhappily, "Who are you calling a redhead, you smelly dog! If you brought your own food, what are you doing mooching off us? Get lost!"
Cook: "WOOF WOOF WOOF!"
Gu Ning quickly held back Cook, then went to pull Barto away. ’We’re all canids here,’ she thought, ’there’s no need for discrimination.’
But she couldn’t say that to the little fox, or he’d get his hackles up again.
"Little Boss, we brought you fried fish and taro-filled pastries. They’re still hot."
Seth paid no mind to the little fox’s attitude. He and the other young wolves just boisterously squeezed inside with their food. Cook and Barto couldn’t stop them even if they tried.
These wolves meant no harm, and Gu Ning’s attitude toward them was friendly. Although Cook was a bit hostile, he was mindful of Gu Ning and didn’t attack them, only letting out a low, warning growl from time to time.
Normally, Gu Ning wouldn’t have let them in and risked Cook getting into a fight with them. However, she was thinking about the future. She would be going to Zone 5 with Alex and these Wolf Clan Beastmen, which meant they would probably be spending a lot of time together. She wanted Cook to get more used to them to avoid future conflicts.
Alex and the young wolves he brought with him were all pretty good-natured and would probably tolerate Cook, but Cook also had to be a little friendlier to them.
As for Barto, he just had a sharp tongue. His mind was no different from a normal Beastman’s; for all his cursing, he could still manage his emotions.
She also wanted him to get to know these young wolves better. Perhaps Barto might even go back to Zone 5 with them.
Before long, the small living room was packed tight with Beastmen.
Gu Ning’s dining table was even smaller than the one at Alex’s place and only had three seats, not nearly enough for so many Beastmen. The young wolves simply spread a blanket on the floor and put all the food down on it.
"Don’t touch my soup!"
Barto watched them brazenly sharing his bone broth and had the sudden urge to grab a gun. He had simmered that to help Gu Ning recuperate!
Gu Ning patted the little fox’s back, soothing his ruffled fur, and handed him a note: Weren’t you going to treat them to a meal? They brought their own food too, so it doesn’t matter that there’s one extra wolf. There’s plenty to go around.
The young wolves had brought even more food than Barto had made for dinner.
After reading what she wrote, Barto fumed internally. ’Am I worried about a little food?! And what does she mean, "young wolf"? These big oafs are huge! Each one could probably eat half a cow!’
After giving the little fox the note, Gu Ning pushed him down into a seat and sat beside him.
"Here, Little Boss." Seth ladled a bowl of soup for Gu Ning. "Careful, it’s hot."
Gu Ning saw Barto hugging his paws, sulking, and passed the soup to him.
"If he’s not eating it, give it to me." Jite reached for the soup.
Barto smacked his hand away, immediately took the soup from Gu Ning, and stood up to eat it off to the side.
As soon as he left, Seth scooted over next to Gu Ning, taking his spot.
"Little Boss, you finally don’t smell like the boss anymore." Seth sniffed at Gu Ning, then ladled her another bowl of soup.
Jite also craned his neck to sniff. "She smells like a puppy."
Cook snarled in displeasure. "WOOF!"
Seth added, "But it’s a nice smell."
After he said that, the living room fell silent.
Gu Ning slowly lifted her head to glance at him, then silently scooted a little closer to Cook.
Barto frowned when he heard Seth’s words, eyeing the wolves with suspicion.
He had been observing their attitude toward Gu Ning ever since they arrived. They seemed quite close to her, but their interactions were more like how one would treat a brother.
Seth noticed everyone staring at him. He swallowed the food in his mouth and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Jite asked, "What did you say smells nice?"
