Chapter 59
“Leah, you’re here again p>
Nina was a little surprised. Leah had come again today—and she had brought along a female Nina didn’t recognize.
“Nina, this is my mother, Teah. She said she wanted to come and see you,” Leah explained.
“Hello, Nina.” Teah smiled gently. “Leah is always telling me what a wonderful female you are. I heard you gave birth the day before yesterday, so I wanted to visit you and see the little ones. I hope you don’t mind p>
“Of course not,” Nina replied with a smile. “Please have a seat in the yard for a moment. I’ll tidy up a bit and come right out p>
She returned inside, settled the egg babies down, and picked one up. Turning to the others, she said softly, “Babies, the hide-and-seek game is starting again. Be good, alright p>
The eggs wobbled obediently.
After giving them a gentle pat, Nina stepped outside.
The moment she appeared, Leah ran over eagerly. “Nina! Can I hold the baby p>
With a smile, Nina handed the egg to her.
Leah cradled it happily, practically glowing with joy. Today, the little one was hers to cuddle.
Then she glanced at Mino and Yanai and frowned. “Nina… what happened to their faces? Why are they so swollen p>
“We went to take down a beehive this afternoon,” Nina replied lightly, suppressing another laugh. Seeing that it was nearly dinner time, she added, “Have you eaten yet? I’m planning to grill meat tonight. Would you like to join us p>
Leah’s eyes lit up. “Yes! I’ll stay for dinner. Can my mother join too p>
“Of course. But should we invite Minnie and Bibi as well? I’m not sure if they’ve eaten yet p>
“I’ll have one of my mates check. At this hour, they probably haven’t started cooking p>
She casually sent one of her mates to fetch them.
Meanwhile, Nina asked Mino to prepare the meat and had Yanai set up a temporary cooking area—two fires, one for stone-pot grilling and one for open-flame roasting.
Soon, Minnie and Bibi arrived, bringing fruit with them.
“Nina, Leah’s mate said you were treating us to grilled meat, so we brought some fruit for you,” Minnie said, handing them over.
“Thank you,” Nina replied warmly. “Go ahead and sit down. We’ll start grilling soon p>
Worried they might be hungry, she began with the stone-pot grill.
She brushed a layer of oil onto the heated stone surface, placed the meat on top, and added minced garlic and other seasonings to enhance the aroma.
The fragrance quickly spread through the air.
Leah and the others stared at the sizzling meat, practically drooling.
“Nina, what did you just add? It smells amazing!” Minnie asked.
“It’s called garlic. It adds fragrance to dishes. You can find it in the forest behind the mountain. Later, I’ll show you what the whole plant looks like so your mates can gather some p>
As she stirred the meat, the rich aroma grew stronger.
Soon, the first batch was ready. Nina served each of them a bowl and handed out chopsticks.
She demonstrated how to use them. Leah and the others learned quickly—and even those who struggled managed to scoop food straight from their bowls.
After the first bite, Leah sighed in delight. “Nina, cooking meat like this in a stone pot is incredible! I’m making my mate do it this way from now on p>
“Nina, what did you brush on the pot earlier?” Bibi asked.
“That was rendered pork fat. Slice fatty pork thinly and cook it in the stone pot until it releases oil. Store the oil in a bamboo container—it keeps for a while. Or you can simply rub a thin slice of fat over the pot before grilling. It prevents sticking and burning p>
“Oh!” Bibi nodded, turning immediately to her mate. “Did you memorize everything Nina said? I want this again tomorrow p>
“Yes, I remember,” her mate answered carefully.
Just as Nina reached to grill another batch, Mino gently took the wooden spatula from her hand. “Nina, I’ve got it. You eat first—I’ll grill p>
After eating a few bites, Nina asked the others, “Would you like to try grilling yourselves? We’ll do open-flame grilling this time. It’s simple p>
“I want to!” Minnie volunteered eagerly. Females usually didn’t cook their own food—this was new and exciting.
Leah and Bibi eagerly agreed.
Nina handed each of them a skewer.
Reluctantly, Leah passed the egg baby to her mate. “Hold it properly. If you drop it, you’re not sleeping beside me for the rest of your life p>
Her mate inhaled sharply and held the egg as if it were the most fragile treasure in the world.
One drop and my happiness is over, he thought grimly.
Nina dipped a small brush into oil and coated the meat. “Start by brushing oil like this p>
They copied her carefully.
“Now place it over the fire. Turn it after a short while. Don’t let it burn p>
She demonstrated, then brushed honey lightly over her skewer. “When it reaches this stage, add a little honey. If it’s drying out before it’s cooked through, brush more oil p>
They followed her movements exactly.
The skewers cooked quickly.
“It’s ready. Try what you made—but be careful, it’s hot p>
Minnie blew on hers and took a bite. Her eyes widened. The flavor was rich and sweet.
“This is amazing! I made this p>
Leah and Bibi tasted theirs and sighed in satisfaction.
“Mine’s better than what my mate makes—so fragrant and tender!” Leah exclaimed.
“Honestly, what have we been eating all this time? These useless mates should kneel on pebbles. This is way better than what they cook,” Bibi declared.
“Exactly. If not for Nina, we’d never taste something this good,” Minnie added.
Nearby, the “useless mates” trembled silently.
Nina chuckled.
Teah, however, stared at Nina while eating, a flicker of struggle crossing her eyes.
But remembering what Tali had told her, she suppressed her guilt.
She picked up a bamboo tube of water and deliberately knocked it over.
“Ah!” she cried, jumping to her feet.
Everyone turned toward her.
“Mother, what happened?” Leah asked.
“I accidentally spilled the water,” Teah said. Then she looked at Nina. “Nina, could I borrow a fur skirt to change into? This one’s wet and uncomfortable p>
“Of course. Wait a moment—I’ll get you a new one p>
Nina hurried inside and returned with three brand-new fur skirts. “See which one you like. They’re all new. You can keep whichever you prefer—no need to return it p>
Teah selected one with tiger-pattern markings. “This one p>
“Alright. You can change in that stone room,” Nina said, pointing to the bathing room.
Teah hesitated slightly. “May I change in your room instead p>