It was not suitable for delicate work like spinning thread.
On top of that, her injuries had not fully healed yet, so she decided not to push herself too hard.
"Let's finish the rest tomorrow. I'll clean up a little, then get ready for bed," she said to the two of them.
Haeun instantly became sleepy and let out a huge yawn. "I'm sleepy too."
Minho, who had been sitting beneath the grass shelter, also stood up and started walking toward the cave.
"Wait, Minho!" Hayoon called out.
The man turned sideways, his wild-looking eyes calmly falling on her.
Hayoon walked over to him and said somewhat awkwardly, "Haeun and I are staying here right now, but we don't really have any supplies to repay you with. Do you think I could use cooking as payment instead? Of course, just cooking alone isn't enough. Once the weather improves, I'll also go gather food to repay you."
Whenever she looked directly into Minho's eyes, she became nervous. She scratching her cheek awkwardly and forced herself to continue praising her own abilities: "You ate the food I made today, so you should know my cooking is pretty decent. And I cook fairly quickly too, so it won't interfere with your hunting or work or anything. It's just that... for now, I'll still need you to provide the ingredients."
Minho lowered his gaze and said, "No need."
Hayoon's heart instantly sank.
She stared blankly at him as her mind went completely empty.
If she could not cook for him, then what else could she possibly use to repay Minho?
He rejected the idea so decisively... did that mean he wanted to drive her and Haeun away?
Fortunately, Minho explained, "What I mean is, you don't need to give me the supplies you gather later. Cooking is enough. Besides the ingredients already in the house, if there's anything else you need, you can tell me."
Hayoon let out a long breath, and color slowly returned to her pale cheeks.
That really had scared her to death just now...
"But how can that be alright? You're the one losing out here."
Minho replied, "It's settled."
After saying that, he did not give Hayoon any further chance to bargain. As he maintaining his usual cold demeanor, he turned around and walked into the cave.
Tonight, instead of hearing the familiar rustling sound of scales slithering, Hayoon heard footsteps descending the stairs.
She and Haeun stayed on the first floor of the cave.
After lying down, she mentally reviewed everything she needed to do tomorrow. Then, almost uncontrollably, she sensed Minho's presence once more before finally closing her eyes and falling asleep.
Rain drizzled steadily throughout the entire night.
The next day, the rainfall became even heavier.
Both inside and outside the cave, the air was thick with damp moisture.
Even the firewood they had gathered yesterday was beginning to mold.
It took Hayoon quite a while before she finally managed to start the fire.
Today breakfast was simple.
She cooked root stem porridge and pan-fried meat patties and bird eggs.
The people of the beast world were all incredibly hardworking. Both Haeun and Minho had gotten up early to help her with preparations.
Haeun even asked eagerly, "Sis, what are we eating for dinner tonight?"
Hayoon replied, "The sun hasn't even risen yet, and you're already thinking about dinner?"
Haeun grinned. "I'm just asking..."
Hayoon calmly flipped the bird eggs that had been fried to a beautiful golden color.
They smelled delicious and looked equally appetizing.
"Then what do you want to eat?" she asked.
Haeun chuckled. "I still want to eat that meat from yesterday! Can we?"
Hayoon turned to Minho. "What about you?"
Minho answered, "I don't mind."
Hayoon smiled. "Alright then. We'll make stir-fried lamb again tonight."
"Tangroot stir-fried with Rockmon's meat" was simply too much of a mouthful, so she changed the name instead. Fortunately, the other two still understood what she meant.
Haeun waved his arms excitedly. "That's great!"
While eating breakfast, he looked just as amazed as he had yesterday.
"Sis, why are these meat patties so tender? They're so easy to bite into, and there's so much juice inside!"
Hayoon explained, "I lightly pounded the meat with a stone and removed the tough tendons and membranes inside. Then I marinated it with egg whites, salt, and scallion bulbs."
Haeun looked at her with complete admiration. "So that's how it is. Sis, your cooking is seriously amazing! If you ask me, you must be the best cook in the tribe. No, the best cook on the entire world!"
Hayoon could not hold back her laughter. "How many people's cooking have you even tasted for you to speak so confidently?"
Haeun took another bite of his meat patty and hummed happily. "I just know~ Brother Minho, you've traveled to more places than me. Tell me, isn't my sister's cooking the best?"
Minho swallowed the fried egg in his mouth and shifted his gaze from Haeun to Hayoon's face.
Hayoon's face instantly flushed bright red. She wished she could cover Haeun's mouth on the spot.
"Just eat already! Stop talking!" she scolded her younger brother.
Afterward, she lowered her head awkwardly and quietly drank her root stem porridge.
She had added wild vegetables into the porridge as well, but she had not cooked them for too long, so they still retained their green color.
The texture was tender and tasted fresh and refreshing.
Just as Hayoon was trying her best to forget the embarrassing moment from earlier, Minho's deep, magnetic voice suddenly sounded beside her.
"I haven't traveled to that many places, but the food you make really is the best I've ever eaten."
Hayoon nearly choked on the porridge in her mouth. Her throat bobbed several times before she forced herself to sound natural.
"Then eat more."
She quickly changed the subject in a stiff manner. "By the way, with the rain this heavy today, is the tribe still going out hunting?"