This was the final round.
So she added more water into the shell, put back the chunks of yam, and boiled it again to make it fully edible and not bitter anymore. After the last boil, she removed most of the water, leaving just a little, then brought out the wild amaranth she had picked earlier and began tearing them one by one with her hands.
Doing all these diligently, she looked up every now and then to check if the water was boiling, and it was. But while listening to the rushing rain hitting the upper part of the cave, she suddenly realized she couldn't hear Valen's happy shouting outside anymore and wondered if he was alright.
Was he still brushing?
And did he even know the proper way to brush?
Wouldn't it be better if she went to show him herself?
Maybe when she was done.
Then she rinsed the green leaves and added them into the shell in the last few minutes, letting them wilt down before everything turned into a swamp paste instead of the proper delicacy she was trying to make.
And the shell she was cooking in, which had looked like boiled mud before, ended up looking a little better. Who would have thought the amaranth would help? Because if a normal person saw this earlier, they would definitely throw up.
"At least it's presentable. Definitely not the best, but still edible. Maybe later I will cultivate my own rice and vegetables. Oh, I miss rice and sauce back in the modern world... with turkey and fried egg."
Just thinking about it made her want to cry.
Well, nothing was stopping her from doing all that. All she had to do was get her legs in good condition and fix her eyes, then she could actually start a proper farm and maybe even raise poultry.
But now the question was...
On what land?
Was it this one that was being attacked by rain and storms?
Talk more of winter and harsh weather systems—this place definitely wouldn't help her crops at all.
"Okay, all this planning is taking my energy. Better eat and sleep well before I start making dreams about a proper meal."
Looking back at the food, she saw most of the water had dried off, leaving just a little. Instead of letting everything dry up completely and become too thick, she picked up her spoon and began to mash it until it turned into a thick, proper root mash.
[Congratulations host, you have made a good edible meal and for still not dying, good job. I guess you're not as useless as I thought.]
The system's savage words struck her hard, but she didn't have any fuck to give because her priority was the reward.
[Ding!! Reward Unlocked!]
[1 pinch mineral salt
1 bent iron spoon
+5 Health Recovery]
Her eyes exploded in happiness.
Then right into her hand, the salt dropped, and she quickly sprinkled it around the porridge mash, at least to make it taste better.
So she took the spoon and clinked it against the shell.
"Valen Xuan, the food is ready—"
Before she could complete her words, like a bolt of lightning, he dashed into the cave and stepped in, looking around excitedly.
Tessa, who was about to dish out the meal, looked at him and arched her brow in suspicion.
"Did you brush, Valen? And don't lie to me."
Her face was now strict, like she was facing a stubborn child.
Valen folded his arms behind his back, his blue hair fluttering around his face because of the wind. And not just the wind—but the chiseled chest of his that wasn't covered except for the loincloth around his waist. His V-line and abs were as clear as day.
Distracted by the bulging muscles, she lost sight of what she was about to say and found herself licking her lips.
It wasn't her fault.
Just look at the man.
He was breathtaking.
Those abs weren't helping her life at all, and she could only cough to ward off the awkwardness.
"You didn't complete your sentence," Valen reminded her.
And as she stood there, she looked at him like a love-struck idiot. For a moment, she swore she didn't even remember her own name or her last words. The only thing in her mind was the chest before her.
"Was I saying anything? Don't mind me. Just come here and sit. Let's eat before this unfortunate meal gets cold."
Valen stood frozen there, confused.
Wasn't she just reprimanding him?
What happened?
And Tessa could only hide her face in shame. At this point, she wasn't judging the original host anymore.
Like who wouldn't fall for these men?
And if this was just how Valen looked, how would the others be?
Then, sitting and watching Tessa dish the food, Valen's mouth began watering immediately.
Tessa herself, who had cooked the meal, knew in her heart that it was anything but nice. But as the saying goes, beggars don't choose. This was what she could find, and it was better to manage it than die of starvation.
Bringing another pair of leaves, she dished the food for two—herself and Valen. In the process, she began praising herself for plucking those leaves during their food hunt. Now they were serving them really well.
So with the food pushed to him, Valen didn't bother asking for a spoon—or maybe he didn't even know what it meant. He simply dug into it with his mouth and hands, never looking back at Tessa until he was done eating it all.
Poor Tessa, who had wanted to take a neat spoonful, turned around only to see that the whole food in Valen's leaf-plate had disappeared completely.
Nothing was there anymore.
And his mouth was a total disaster.
Same with his face, which looked like it had taken a trip to the swamp and even dived inside it.
Deciding to see how it tasted, she took a spoonful, chewed, and turned blank.
It was good.
Better than she imagined.
Then just as she was throwing more spoonfuls into her mouth, she kept wanting more.
Seeing that the useless spoon wasn't scooping the way she wanted and was only limiting her from getting more food, she threw it aside and used her hands to pack more into her mouth.
After this, she would go back to table manners.
But for now, she had to save her stomach before she died of hunger.
When the last of the meal was devoured completely, she went to the last leaf where water was left, drank from it, then gave it to Valen before slumping lazily against the closest wall.
Valen, after drinking the water, began belching so loudly that Tessa thought a wild pig had gotten loose.
Her tired and sleepy eyes snapped open, and she sighed in relief seeing it was Valen.
Her heart was already weak enough.
And the food she still doubted was really that good. Maybe it was hunger that made them rush it that fast because hunger could make food taste ten times more delicious.
And she was twenty times starving.
"Tessa Yun, that was the best meal ever. You're amazing. More than I could ever imagine. Like... this isn't the same Tessa I know about."
The compliment hit her so hard that she couldn't help smiling.
Was the previous Tessa really that bad?
Well, she couldn't fully fathom it, and with how terrible her reputation seemed to be in her clan, she might never know.
Because she was definitely not thrilled about going there.
But food hunting could make the impossible possible.
"I want to sleep. Can I hug you while sleeping?"
Valen was already tired from the long day, and even Tessa was exhausted. The sweet weather was too good for sleeping, so she couldn't refuse.
His body was a good heat conductor, and she might freeze her ass off sleeping alone on the cold floor, so she shook her head reluctantly.
"Yes, you can."
Then he came closer, and Tessa let him nestle into her embrace. With his warm hands around her, she felt herself getting pulled into darkness, not even hearing the mechanical sound that rang in the background.
[You have unlocked the full points of the health recovery and your health status grows better and stronger.]
On the other hand, Valen's eyes were fixed on Tessa's butt, so while letting her sleep close to him, he quietly placed his head on the soft spot and drifted into unconsciousness with the sweet scent of nature around her.