Landlord in the Arctic

The moment Hu Zi heard his wife, he hurried over with a huge smile on his face, reaching for the bowl.

"I’ll eat it, I’ll eat it! I love rice porridge!"

But before his hand could even touch the rim of the bowl, he felt a piercing gaze stabbing into him.

Hu Zi instinctively looked up at Feng Mountain. The sight sent a shiver down his spine. He quickly turned his head and declared righteously to Xiaohua.

"Brother Shan is right. Rice porridge is good for you. You have to eat it."

Tch!

After shooting her husband a disdainful look, Xiaohua picked up her spoon and began to gulp down the rice porridge.

Just as Feng Mountain turned and walked into the kitchen, Xiaohua spotted a dazed Jenny. A mischievous glint appeared in her eyes, and her expression immediately shifted into a pitiful pout.

With a slight pout, she said to Jenny.

"You guys were all drunk yesterday, so I was up super late cleaning. I barely got any sleep, and now I really can’t eat all this. Jenny, could you help me with some of it? Please?"

Jenny was still lost in her own thoughts. Caught off guard by Xiaohua’s sudden question, she didn’t have time to think it over and just instinctively nodded.

"Okay!"

The moment the word left her mouth, she realized what she had agreed to. She felt incredibly awkward, and a faint blush crept onto her cheeks.

"You’re the best, Jenny!"

Her words were sweet as honey. As she spoke, she deftly picked up a spoon and quickly ladled the porridge from her bowl into Jenny’s in one smooth motion.

Then, she immediately lowered her head and pretended to be absorbed in her food, as if nothing had just happened.

Hu Zi and Black Hide, watching from the side, wanted to say something but didn’t dare.

After all, if Brother Shan got angry, he’d give them a beating and it would be over. But if Xiaohua threw a fit, there’d be no peace for days.

Just then, Feng Mountain walked out of the kitchen carrying bowls of steaming beef noodle soup. A gentle smile on his face, he beckoned for Hu Zi and Black Hide to come and eat.

Handmade noodles, large chunks of braised beef, a rich red broth, and a garnish of vibrant green cilantro and scallions.

The aroma instantly filled the air.

Xiaohua smelled the tempting aroma, and her mouth began to water.

Her eyes locked onto the beef noodle soup. She pushed her now-empty bowl forward and said in a sweet, wheedling voice.

"Brother Shan, I finished the porridge, but I’m still a little hungry. Can I have some beef noodle soup? With extra beef, please."

’She’s finished already!’

Feng Mountain paused, slightly taken aback. He didn’t seem to expect Xiaohua to have eaten so quickly.

Shaking his head, he turned, picked up the ladle, and refilled her empty bowl with more porridge from the pot. He gently pushed it back in front of Xiaohua and said patiently,

"Beef is hard to digest in the morning. You should have some more porridge; it’s better for you."

Ah!!

Xiaohua was completely dumbfounded. The hopeful look in her eyes froze as she stared in disbelief at the bowl, now full of porridge once again.

’I just got rid of that.’

’How is it full again?’

PFFT!!

Hu Zi had just shoved a mouthful of noodles into his mouth when he caught sight of his wife’s expression. He couldn’t hold it in and sprayed the noodles right out of his mouth.

He immediately turned away, his shoulders shaking violently as he desperately tried to stifle his laughter.

Black Hide just ducked his head, not daring to look at Xiaohua’s face for fear that he’d also burst out laughing and get himself into trouble.

Watching the amusing scene unfold, Jenny’s troubled heart eased considerably, and a smile unconsciously tugged at her lips.

The anxiety she had been hiding in her heart began to dissipate.

’If he knows, he knows. I don’t care anymore!’

’As long as Feng Mountain doesn’t tell me to leave, I’ll stay by his side.’

Having come to this realization, Jenny felt remarkably at ease.

She picked up her spoon and began to eat the porridge in front of her.

Strangely enough, the porridge she usually found bland tasted sweet today, a sweetness that filled her heart.

「A short while later.」

The girls from the bedrooms began to file into the dining room.

Erica and Tammy looked a little unnatural. They avoided eye contact, glancing guiltily at the others with their lips pressed tightly together, not daring to make a sound.

They knew exactly what they had done last night and were secretly terrified that their actions had been exposed.

Maria and Demi were in a different state entirely. Unaware of the potential storm from the night before, they just assumed they had probably made fools of themselves while drunk.

So, they kept their heads down with shy expressions, just as hesitant to speak.

After talking to Eldest Young Master Xu and Su Ziweng the night before, Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide had a rough idea of what Erica was up to, so their initial curiosity about the matter had faded.

The entire dining room was suddenly filled with a strange atmosphere.

Everyone had their own secrets and schemes, which made for an exceptionally awkward breakfast.

Yet, in this somewhat tense atmosphere, only Feng Mountain and Jenny seemed unaffected.

Feng Mountain ate with gusto, occasionally looking up at the others, his gaze as gentle as ever.

Jenny, too, seemed to have cast off her worries. She calmly enjoyed her food, as if this ordinary breakfast had taken on a special flavor.

...

Since tomorrow was Christmas Eve and the day after was Christmas, there were still many related tasks that needed to be done around the camp.

So, after a quick breakfast, everyone dispersed to get on with their work.

Feng Mountain, Hu Zi, and Black Hide hauled the pre-prepared beef out from the kitchen to go feed the tigers.

When they reached the tigers’ resting area, they saw that a row of wooden boxes now stood by the riverbank, which had been empty just the day before.

Each wooden box was over a meter tall and rested on log posts, raising it about 20 centimeters off the ground. This design kept the bottom of the boxes well-ventilated and dry.

Hearing their footsteps, the tigers began to amble out from the wooden boxes.