7: A fragile caregiver, cannot be returned.

The air in Sand City was so hot it felt like it was burning.

Li wore a sleeveless vest, leaving his sturdy shoulders exposed, his bulging arm muscles full of power.

Unlike most men here who wore tight pants, he always wore loose, cuffed trousers. A leather belt tightly cinched his firm, sleek waist, and a scimitar and a small rectangular box—perhaps another weapon—hung at his side.

Easily putting the full bucket of water back in its place, he tossed a paper-wrapped bundle into the pot.

A large piece of translucent white meat hit the bottom of the pot, kicking up dust from the iron surface and immediately coating the meat in a layer of Gray.

“Dinner, Sand Scorpion meat. A welcoming gift from Gaia.”

Could Li mean...?

He wanted her to cook? Tu Nan frowned.

Did all Foster Mothers here know how to do this? If he found out she didn't know anything, how would Li treat her?

“I... I don't know how. They didn't teach this at the Central Breeding Farm...”

Tu Nan felt ashamed. She looked at Li with trepidation, then hurriedly ran to scoop a ladle of water and pour it into the pot.

“I know it needs to be boiled.”

Her attempt to please him was obvious, but she was immediately stumped.

“How do I boil it...”

Tu Nan fumbled with the stove, not daring to look up for fear of being rejected by Li.

Li’s gaze was one of shock.

“I'll do it.” Li pushed her aside.

Then, he simply re-washed the pot and the meat, sliced the meat into several pieces with a few quick strokes, and added a pinch of salt and a ladle of water.

He then pulled a black stone from his backpack and stuffed it into the stove.

“Energy Stone,” he explained simply. “Put it here to heat.”

Ah... a coal briquette. Tu Nan understood.

The cooked meat was no longer transparent, but it smelled quite fragrant. Tu Nan was already dizzy with hunger.

Li used a knife to stab a piece and handed it to Tu Nan.

The meat was still very hot; Tu Nan fumbled with it for a long time, wincing, before she could finally hold it.

Then, she impatiently took a bite.

She couldn't bite through it.

“?”

Tu Nan’s confusion was genuine.

She couldn't be so weak that she couldn't even damage food, could she?

Opening her mouth fiercely once more, she finally... tore off a small strip of meat. But the meat was as tough as plastic, and she still found it difficult to chew through.

Are Foster Mothers all this useless?

Or was it just her, the one without ears and a tail?

Li’s eating slowed as he observed Tu Nan’s behavior, speculating inwardly.

Tu Nan’s gaze turned cold; her host seemed to be regretting his choice... Li remained silent for a long while before taking the piece of meat from her hand. He took out his knife, sliced the meat into thumb-sized pieces on his palm, and sighed, gesturing for her to eat.

“Eat. How can you raise cubs if you can't eat?”

His own piece of meat was tossed back into the pot; Tu Nan glanced at it and saw that half had already been bitten off effortlessly.

“I can swallow it, it’s fine.”

Tu Nan took a few pieces of meat from Li’s hand and swallowed them down fiercely, her throat straining.

She had to eat.

On the trading ship, she had always thought the mush provided to the Foster Mothers was a form of abuse or intimidation. Was it actually just a specially adapted feeding method?

Perhaps Foster Mothers really were creatures that could only be kept in captivity.

“That’s more like it. Eat more.”

Li was satisfied with her attitude.

Tu Nan kept swallowing.

Whatever Li’s reasons, at least their goals at this stage were aligned—to put on some weight.

Her movements slowed; it was truly unbearable. Why did eating have to become such a torture?

The continuous swallowing motion kept irritating her esophagus; waves of nausea hit her, yet there was still quite a bit of meat left in Li’s hand.

She covered her mouth; she really couldn't eat anymore.

Li frowned, confused.

“You’ve only eaten half a fistful. That’s not enough.”

He pulled Tu Nan’s hand away and forced the meat to her lips.

“Don't be a picky eater. Sand Scorpion meat is highly nutritious. Eat one piece a day for three months, and you’ll be about the right size.”

She was forced to eat a few more pieces.

Her stomach churned, and the smell of meat that had tempted her earlier rose up from her gut. Tu Nan retched twice, rubbing her stomach to try and ease the discomfort.

But as soon as she applied a little pressure, she could no longer control her body’s reaction.

Her body slumped, leaning against Li, and she vomited completely.

Li shoved her away.

His hand was stained with vomit, and his expression was very dark.

“...Are you simply impossible to keep alive?”

He stared at Tu Nan, a hint of suspicion in his eyes, along with a rare hesitation.

During his days as a drifter, he had eaten anything edible, even if it was moldy or toxic.

So he truly couldn't imagine a Foster Mother being this fragile.

Tu Nan couldn't even chew Sand Scorpion meat that even cubs could eat? Could she not swallow it, or could she not digest it?

What would happen later?

What was the Nursery thinking? If Foster Mothers were this delicate, could they really survive in a place like Sand City?

Li thought of Gray’s meaningful words from earlier—'delicate things from the Surface City.'

Now this delicate thing was vomiting up precious food, challenging his understanding of reality.

This man was even more indifferent than she had thought.

Tu Nan finally emptied her stomach, only to see her buyer looking like a gambler who had finally calmed down and begun to weigh her value.

She could not let Li give up on her now.

Therefore, she couldn't let him stay calm; she couldn't let him think.

Struggling to crawl to Li’s feet, Tu Nan’s voice was raspy. Her hand gently tugged at Li’s pant leg, as if pleading, yet also as if reminding him.

“I’m sorry... I wasted sixty thousand Karu of yours.”

That phrase, 'sixty thousand Karu,' was like a nail driven deep into Li’s rationality.

He didn't speak.

Nor did he shove Tu Nan away again.

He just looked down at her, and for a long while, he did nothing.

Tu Nan finally managed a pitiful expression, knowing she had been temporarily kept.

“Tell me, what can you eat?”

Li finally remembered that this Foster Mother represented his entire savings. Whether for the money or for future cubs, he had to be a little more patient and try again.

“We always ate mush, all Foster Mothers did...”

It seemed this man’s knowledge of Foster Mothers was also extremely limited. In that case, she first had to prevent him from thinking she was exceptionally weak.

“On the trading ship, they often starved us to make us more obedient.”

“Maybe that’s why I’m not feeling well.”

Li pulled his pant leg out of Tu Nan’s hand.

Without his support, Tu Nan was like a cat about to lose its body heat, falling helplessly to the ground.

“I want to live, and I want to have my own cubs. Lord Li...”

“No need to call me Lord.”

Li left her there and turned to go out the door.

Tu Nan lay on the ground, listening to his retreating footsteps, privately on guard.

She was prepared to sell her body in exchange for the right to survive.

After all, compared to everything she had faced in human society before her Transmigration, this deal was fair. But now, she actually had to worry about basic survival first.

While worrying about her stomach, she almost didn't have time to think about her next move.

This wouldn't do.

Tu Nan endured her throbbing stomach, crawled up, and cleaned up the mess on the floor.

She wondered if there was a way... to make this indifferent man give more?

Like... moving his heart?