After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 17: That’s a bit cringe

Nina tilted her head and thought for a moment. "Then let’s have gugu beast!"

"Mm." Mino took a gugu beast out of his storage space. Suddenly remembering something, he asked, "Little—no, Nina... do you like eating rice? I have some in my space."

He recalled that he had a sack of rice stored away, a gift from a herbivorous tribe he had once helped fend off rogue beasts. They had given it to him as thanks.

He knew that some females liked rice, especially those living in cities, so he decided to ask if Nina liked it too.

In the beast world, only a few beastfolk grew rice. It was usually cultivated by weaker herbivorous or avian tribes whose strength was lacking. They grew it to sell to wealthier beastfolk in exchange for beast crystals, or sometimes because their female liked it.

Rice yields were low here, and the fields had to be guarded constantly during the growing season to prevent birds and beasts from destroying the crops. Because of that, very few were willing to grow it.

As a result, the annual supply was limited and the price high. Only wealthy, aristocratic females could eat it often. Ordinary females might only taste it occasionally—some had never even seen rice before.

Even so, Mino felt no reluctance at all about sharing it with Nina. In his eyes, she deserved the very best.

Nina’s eyes lit up. She had thought that, in order not to expose her system, she wouldn’t be able to eat rice for quite a while. She hadn’t expected Mino to have some.

She figured that although rice was precious here, her system had plenty of it at a low cost. She could always find a chance to pay him back later.

So she accepted without hesitation, smiling brightly. "I like it. And don’t call me ’little female’ anymore—just call me by my name."

"Then... can I call you Nina?" he asked.

That’s a bit cringe, she frowned to herself.

"No, just call me Nina, please.."

"Alright, Nina. I’ll cook rice for you."

Mino happily took out the rice, washed some, and put it into the pot to cook.

The beastfolk didn’t yet know how to steam rice; they usually just boiled it in water until it was cooked, much like making plain porridge.

But porridge was perfect for breakfast anyway.

Once again, Mino prepared breakfast under Nina’s guidance.

Nina didn’t see Aji all morning and guessed that he had probably gone off to join the tribe’s collective hunt.

As they ate, Nina thought about heading out later to look for more ginger and garlic. She had spotted wild ones in the forest before.

If she could find them naturally, she’d rather not buy them from the system. After all, she still had to raise her baby, and her resources needed to be spent wisely. It also made it less likely that she’d expose the system.

"Mino, I want to go look for some plants later. Do you want to come with me? I can teach you how to recognize some seasoning plants that can be used in cooking."

Mino swallowed the food in his mouth. "I’ll go with you."

After breakfast, they tidied up and set off.

When they reached the open area outside the house, Mino suddenly said, "Nina, the paths in the mountains aren’t easy to walk. Get on my back—I’ll carry you."

Nina was just about to say she didn’t need to, when Mino quickly stepped back and transformed into a huge white cat.

And Nina’s legs went weak.

Before her stood an enormous, unbelievably adorable cat. It had sapphire-blue eyes, a small pink nose beneath them, and a pair of perfectly shaped cat ears perched on its round head. Its snow-white fur was fluffy and soft, like an oversized marshmallow.

After growing larger, the cat gained a hint of fierceness—both intimidating and adorable at the same time.

It held its head high, its posture elegant, like a noble little prince.

Nina was instantly overwhelmed by the cuteness.

Ahhh! Mino’s beast form was actually her favorite— a ragdoll cat.

She really, really wanted to rush over and bury her face in its fur, to pet it like crazy.

Her heart trembled. She swallowed back the refusal that was about to leave her lips, her voice trembling with excitement. "Mi-Mino... I-I can really sit on your back?"

Oh my god, she wanted so badly to climb up and pet the cat.

A male’s back was not something others were allowed to sit on casually. Usually, only a mate or a beast mother was permitted to do so.

But Nina was so completely enchanted that she had lost all rational thought.

Under Nina’s gaze, Mino grew a little shy. He averted his eyes slightly, lowered his body, and said softly, "Mm. Nina, get on."

He was willing to let her ride on his back.

With Mino’s confirmation, Nina didn’t hesitate for a second. She dashed over in a few quick steps and climbed straight onto the cat’s back.

Wow—so soft, so comfortable.

Nina felt so blissful she wanted to roll around right there.

She stroked the fur beneath her hands again and again, cherishing it beyond measure.

Even though his fur was thick, Mino could still feel her gentle touch. Wherever she stroked, it was as if a current ran through him, making his whole body shiver.

He steadied himself and asked softly, "Nina, are you sitting securely?"

"Mm, I’m good," Nina replied, snapping back to her senses.

Hearing that, Mino began to run—light, swift, and steady. They passed through the mountain forest and soon reached their destination.

"Nina, is it here?" he asked.

"Yes."

Mino lowered his body to let Nina get down.

Reluctantly, she gave his fur a couple more strokes before slowly climbing off.

She led Mino through the forest, searching carefully, while he stayed close by her side, guarding her attentively.

"Mino, look—that one there is ginger," Nina said, pointing to a ginger plant. "Go pull it out. Make sure to keep the rhizome intact—the rhizome is the useful part."

Since it wasn’t convenient for Nina to squat down right now, she had Mino do it instead.

Mino walked over and carefully pulled the ginger out whole. "Nina, like this?"

"Yes, that’s right. Remove the leaves and keep the rhizome. Let’s see if there’s more nearby—we can pick some extra."

"Alright."

Mino stripped off the leaves and turned the ginger over in his hands, examining it closely. It really was the same seasoning he had used to cook fish yesterday—the smell was exactly the same.

He hadn’t expected it to grow underground. Normally, when beastmen caught a whiff of this scent, they would immediately run away. Who would have thought it could actually be used for cooking?

He suddenly felt that the plants of nature were truly amazing.

Ginger in the beast world was huge—one piece could last a long time. If they gathered more now and stored it, they wouldn’t have to worry about running out when it was out of season.

As they walked on, Mino spotted clusters of red fruits. Their shape looked somewhat like the green peppers he had eaten yesterday, but much smaller.

Pointing at the red fruits, he asked Nina, "Nina, those red ones look a lot like green peppers. Are they useful too?"

Nina followed the direction of his finger and smiled. "Yes, they are. That’s red chili. It can be used in cooking as well."

"Then I’ll pick them."

In just a few swift moves, Mino pulled out several chili plants, clearing them completely.

They continued exploring.

When they reached a more open area, Nina noticed short sections of white peeking out from the dark brown soil ahead on the right. Not far from them were a few plants wrapped in layers of leaves, tender yellow tinged with green.

Nina’s face lit up in delight. Weren’t those radishes and napa cabbages?

"Mino, go pull out that white plant over there. Be careful not to break it," Nina said, pointing toward the radishes.

Mino went over as instructed. At first, he didn’t use much strength, but when it wouldn’t budge, he had to apply a lot more force before slowly pulling it free.

Once it was out, he realized just how long and thick it was—almost as long as his arm and even thicker than his thigh.

Nina was stunned too. Were radishes in the beast world really this huge?

Holding the radish up, Mino asked curiously, "Nina, is this also a seasoning? Why is it so big?"

"No, this is a radish. It’s a kind of food—you can boil it and eat it directly, or stew it in soup. There are other ways to prepare it too: you can pickle it, or dry it into dried radish strips."

"It’s food? Then let’s pull them all out."

Mino broke into a delighted grin and started yanking out radishes with great enthusiasm. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

After the radishes were done, Nina had him pull up the cabbages as well. "Mino, pull out that chubby-looking plant too. That’s napa cabbage—it’s also delicious."

"Alright."

Hearing that it was food as well, Mino dug in with even more energy.