Chapter 7
Jamie's POV
Once the whole area was thoroughly cleaned, the small, derelict house and the awkward kitchen finally free of the accumulated grime, a wave of exhaustion hit me. I was utterly drained. It wasn't just the physical labor; it was the mental load of starting a new life, a life I absolutely hadn't chosen.
In front of me, stacked on the rough wooden table, lay an assortment of items: packets of instant noodles. There were so many that a sudden fear seized me—we were a massive family now. If we kept eating like this, the noodles, my only link to the familiar, would vanish in days. But despite my reluctance, I brought out enough for everyone, staring at the sight of the big family, six sets of hungry eyes, waiting.
The raw ingredients I'd purchased through the system sat next to the staples: tomatoes, fresh red peppers, onions, oil, eggs, meat, a few carrots, green beans, and a sachet of meat-flavoring ingredients. I looked back to see the kids completely awestruck, wondering where on earth I had conjured these things from. But I was too steeped in grief to feel any pride; I couldn't help but stare longingly at the locked gifts—the rewards I'd yet to unlock. My free items were almost entirely gone.
From Lucien's piercing gaze, I knew he had a mountain of questions to ask me. Please, keep it to yourself, I thought desperately. I have no crafted lie, no plausible excuse.
"Host, try kissing your beast husband. He won't push you away, but I am not certain that he would let you go," the System's saccharine voice suddenly echoed in my mind, a jarring intrusion.
God, I wish I had a switch to lock it or a mute button! I took a deep, shuddering sigh, trying to shove the perverted suggestion aside.
Then, a thought, a truly helpful thought, broke through the panic. I was in a primitive era. This whole world should be teeming with natural foodstuffs! Yam, potato, plantain, melons, and many more! Wow, I'm checking it up right now, and to hell with this System! If I find plenty of edible food, I won't need your stupid gourmet bribes!
I borrowed Val's surprisingly sharp knife and set to business.
My first act was boiling water. I was not going to put any food cooked with contaminated water into my stomach, beast world or not. Once the water was boiling, I allowed the dirt to settle at the bottom before carefully pouring out the clean side and washing the dirty residue away. I seriously wished there was some technology, a water filter, anything to make this clearer.
"You keep drinking that water, and soon you'll see the dirt piling up in your stomach," I couldn't help but nag, noticing all seven pairs of eyes following my every single movement.
I looked at the funny, awkward-looking pot. It was clearly fashioned by hand. I wasn't interested in moulding my own kitchenware. Maybe if I have money to spare, I can buy kettles, pots, and a gas or electric… I stopped myself. Seriously? No gas? No lights? No solar or electricity? "This life is really on my neck," I whispered, overwhelmed.
I set about preparing the meat. Mixing the raw meat with the flavor ingredients without water, I let it steam in a low heat over the crude fire. I like flavorful, soft meat, not dry, chewy meat. As the savory aroma of the steaming meat and spices began to fill the small room, I could see the kids' eyes widen in hungry anticipation, especially Fiona's.
Once the meat was tender and ready to eat, I quickly portioned it out onto clean plates. I'd stocked up on disposable, high-quality utensils from the Millar app—no way was I eating with my hands!
Next, the noodles. I boiled the water, and once it was ready, I filled the pot with the noodles, waiting for them to soften. As they cooked, I went straight to work, swiftly cutting the onions, the leafy vegetable that looked suspiciously like pumpkin leaves, the peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and green beans.
Once the noodles were soft, I drained the water. I added oil to a clean pot and sautéed the onions, peppers, and tomatoes, stirring until the tomatoes were fully smashed and their sour taste was replaced by a sweet, rich, cooked flavor. I dished the sauce out temporarily. Putting a new pot on the low fire, I added oil, then poured in my mixture of egg, onions, pepper, and a bit of salt, slowly flipping it until I got a flat, fried egg. That, too, was dished out.
Then I put the tomato mixture back into the pot, continuing to stir as I added the carrots, green beans, and the noodles' ready-made ingredients. Finally, the noodles themselves went in. I prefer my noodles fried rather than soupy, and in just a few short minutes, the meal was ready.
I took out eight plates—one for each of the six kids, one for Lucien, and one for myself. I dished out the food accordingly, placing a fork beside each plate. But before they could dig in, I had to teach them some table manners, or the food would surely end up on the floor.
Staring at the beautiful plates—the fried noodles topped with chunks of colorful vegetables, a piece of flat-fried egg, and the flavorful meat resting neatly on the side—I felt a surge of genuine accomplishment.
"Hold your fork," I instructed, demonstrating, "then twirl the noodles around. Now, blow off the steam and eat it quietly." I showed them the tutorial, slowly blowing off the heat before eating my first bite. That familiar, comforting taste filled my senses, and I couldn't help but close my eyes, taking in every bit of its sweetness. "Finally, something felt like home."
I looked up to see the kids awkwardly stuffing the hot food into their mouths as if it wasn't scalding, clutching the forks with utter clumsiness.
"Take it easy, hot food burns the tongue!" I immediately started to nag, watching them slowly eat. Even Lucien, eating quietly beside them, was mimicking my style of eating with the fork, carefully swallowing every bit of the food.
"Nagging like a house wife. One point is raised for you," the System's voice echoed in my head, a snide comment I simply ignored. Absolutely nothing was going to spoil this moment.
Still only halfway through my own food, the kids were already done. "Again! Again!" they cried, startling me.
"Someone should just kill me," I muttered inwardly, moving my plate away from their predatory gazes. "I'm not sharing my food. Go to your father."
I turned to see Lucien's plate completely empty. He was staring at my remaining portion with the same intensity as the children. Defiant, I swallowed my food, forcing myself to eat even if it burned. To hell with a burned tongue, I'm eating my whole plate! (─.─||）
But still, I couldn't finish it all. My stomach was that of a human, not a beast male with the appetite of a Siberian tiger. Reluctantly, I held the plate up, resigning myself to my fate. (~_~メ)
"Who is still hungry?" I questioned, watching their tiny hands shoot straight into the air.
"Who wants to eat this?" I asked again, watching them all quickly scurry away, a painful memory of the abuse they must have suffered from the previous Jamie flashing in my mind.
"Then I'll pour it away," I muttered, feigning indifference, and making a show of moving towards the trash.
In a flash, Carlos, Ella, and Daniel rushed closer, each with their own fork ready. I couldn't help but smile. I handed the plate to them, watching them share the last of the food slowly and carefully without fighting.
"That's new. Looks like their father taught them well," I muttered to myself.
Once the last of the food was gone, I heard a satisfying systematic sound. Looking over Ella, Daniel, and Carlos's heads, I noticed a subtle love symbol hovering there. Their stats flashed briefly, their Affection bars each increasing by one point. Still a long way to go, but progress.
The kids, now full and buzzing, carried the plates down to the nearby river to wash them. Once done, they returned with clean, albeit wet, plates, which I stacked neatly inside the clean kitchen.
"Time to bathe!" I shouted, ready to scrub off the grime of the day. I stared at the children, who were now fully fed and had started running around the house, full of energy.
"Bathe? We don't bathe?" Lucien replied, his tone serious. Even the kids stopped their frantic running to stare at me, utterly confused.
"What?!" That was a genuine shock. Who doesn't bathe?!