CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 57: THE QINGLAN I REMEMBER

The group set out not long after.

Several females walked together in a line, chatting quietly, while a few of their beastmen husbands followed behind with their mighty forms, some of them in their beast form and some in human form displaying their hard muscles.

Su Qinglan glanced at them and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

So this is what gathering looks like? It feels more like a stroll in the woods than actually searching for food.

The females laughed at every flower they passed, poked at tree bark curiously, and occasionally picked up a pretty stone before tossing it aside again. None of them seemed to know what was edible, and none of them even tried to look seriously.

In the past, Su Qinglan realized, "gathering" was just an excuse to play outside together.

As for the beastmen, their attention was completely elsewhere.

Their eyes scanned the forest carefully, not for plants or fruits, but for signs of prey or any threat. For them, hunting was everything. To bring back meat was to live well, and meat was the only thing that could make them stronger.

And so, the heavy responsibility of truly finding food... was left to beastmen. And they only tried to bring meat.

Su Qinglan pressed her lips together. No wonder they live like this. No wonder there’s never anything besides meat. If I don’t look, then who will?

So, she began to search seriously.

Every few steps, she would stop and crouch down, pushing aside grass or studying a bush carefully. Sometimes she wandered away from the group without realizing, her eyes scanning the ground and the trees with focus.

Once. Twice. Three times.

She kept straying from the group, ignoring the chatter behind her.

And then... Her eyes widened.

In a patch of soil not far from the roots of a tree, she spotted a cluster of familiar green sprouts pushing up from the earth.

Her heart skipped.

No way... is that... potatoes?!

Without a second thought, she rushed over and dropped to her knees. Her fingers dug into the soil, scraping hard as she tried to loosen the dirt. The ground was stubborn and rough, but she didn’t stop.

Sweat formed on her forehead as she clawed deeper until finally, her hand brushed against something round.

She grabbed it, pulled, and out came a big, dirt-covered potato.

Her chest tightened with excitement.

Yes! It really is! It’s a potato! Mashed potatoes, fries, stews, roasted slices... ohhh, my dear potato, you’re a lifesaver! Her mind was instantly filled with so many delicious foods.

Her hands moved faster, digging more from the soil, each one making her heart beat faster.

She was so focused she didn’t notice when someone crouched down beside her.

A soft, puzzled voice spoke. "Qinglan... why are you digging in the dirt? And why are you taking those out?"

Su Qinglan froze for a second, then turned her head.

A young female was watching her curiously, frowning as if she couldn’t understand at all.

And she realized that she was the same female from last night, the short-haired one who was ruthless to that white lotus bitch.

The girl shook her head and sighed. "These don’t taste good. I’ve seen small beastmen eat them before, so I tried once too... but they’re so bad. Not sweet, not juicy, not tasty at all."

Su Qinglan blinked at her, stunned. Did she simply eat it raw? No wonder it tastes bad.

They really don’t know... they have no idea what to do with potatoes.

Her grip tightened around the dirty tuber in her hand.

Her lips slowly curved into a smile.

"...That’s because," she whispered in her heart, "you never learned how to cook them properly."

Lin Muyu stared at the dirt-covered tuber in Su Qinglan’s hand.

Her lips moved faintly. "...Cook? You mean... this can be cooked too?"

Her eyes widened as she muttered in disbelief. "Just like last night’s meat...? If meat became that delicious after roasting, then... these should taste good too, right?"

Su Qinglan nodded firmly, wiping soil off her fingers. "En. Not just good—delicious. And if you combine them with meat, they’ll be even better. More filling and more satisfying."

Lin Muyu’s brows trembled slightly. For a moment she simply stared at Su Qinglan, impressed. Her heart gave a strange stir.

How much has Qinglan changed?

Memories from long ago rose up in her chest.

Back then, she had been closest to Su Qinglan. They had always been together in childhood. But as they grew older, Qinglan changed. Slowly, painfully, she became distant. She broke their friendship with her own hands, turned mean, until Lin Muyu could hardly recognize her.

She had hated that version of Su Qinglan.

The one who looked down on everyone, who pretended to be better, who always clung to those two bitches Xu Meiyan and Bai Lianhua, isolating herself from the rest. She became everything Lin Muyu despised.

So Lin Muyu had never tried to mend things. She let the distance stay. She told herself the old Qinglan was gone.

But now...

Her chest tightened as her thoughts flashed back to the other day in the forest.

When Xu Meiyan and Bai Lianhua tried to humiliate her, Su Qinglan had stepped forward without hesitation. She had faced them openly, not siding with them, but against them. With Hu Yan at her side, she had forced those two arrogant bitches to lower their heads.

That scene... Lin Muyu could still see it clearly. Su Qinglan’s cold voice and her fearless eyes.

That wasn’t the Qinglan I hated... that was the Qinglan I once admired.

Her heart gave a sudden thump.

Could it be... she really knows their true faces now? Has she finally opened her eyes?

Last night, too, she had helped everyone so sincerely. If it were the old Qinglan, she would never have done that.

Lin Muyu bit her lip, doubt still gnawing at her. Is she truly changing back... or is it just an act? If she really is different, then I have to test her...

And now, here she was, crouching in the dirt with soil on her hands, talking about cooking potatoes as if nothing was beneath her.

Her fingers reached out and began digging beside Su Qinglan. She pulled at the soil, pulling out one potato after another. Her voice was calm, but her eyes flickered.

"So... how will you cook them? Roast them in fire, like meat?"

Su Qinglan smiled faintly, brushing dirt off from potatoes. "That’s one way, but not the best. There are many ways to cook them. The simplest is boiling. Just take a pot of water, drop the potatoes in, and let them boil on fire. When they soften, you peel them and eat. If you sprinkle a little salt, they’ll taste even better."

Lin Muyu blinked, stunned. "Boil... with water?"

Su Qinglan nodded. "En. Or, after boiling, you can cut them and stir them in a pan with some fat. That way, they’ll be soft inside, but fragrant and golden outside. Very delicious."

Her tone was matter-of-fact, but her eyes were bright with certainty.

Lin Muyu didn’t move for a long while. Her hands kept digging absentmindedly, but her gaze stayed fixed on Su Qinglan’s face.

There was something complicated in her chest, half doubt, half hope.

Qinglan... are you really back? Or are you just pretending again?

Her lips pressed together, but she said nothing.

Only her heart whispered silently: If you’ve really changed, then... maybe... I can forgive you one day.