Chapter 52: This Woman Can Really Eat

Chapter 52: This Woman Can Really Eat

"What are you looking at? Haven't seen a woman before, move along!" Hai Ge hurriedly shooed the onlookers away.

The seven or eight men reluctantly left, lingering near the fire not far away, roasting clam meat while speculating about Leng Xiyue's background and occasionally stealing glances at her.

Leng Xiyue attempted to stand and leave, but even a slight movement caused her left foot excruciating pain, making it impossible to walk.

"Your foot is seriously injured; let me check it for you. I wanted to earlier, but you were sleeping so soundly I didn’t want to wake you," Hai Ge said, examining Leng Xiyue's injury.

"It’s quite bad..." suspecting domestic violence, Hai Ge cautiously inquired, "How did this happen? It looks like it was caught in a door."

"It was clamped by that clam!" Leng Xiyue pointed to a pile of broken clamshells.

"Oh?" Hai Ge was skeptical, "Clams usually live at the bottom of the water. How did it clamp your foot? Did you go to the bottom?"

"I... I like diving. I accidentally invaded the clam's territory while diving yesterday, so it tried to eat me!"

Leng Xiyue, not wanting to reveal too much to a stranger, offered this explanation.

Hai Ge found it unbelievable, "That clam was demon-possessed to want to eat a person?"

"It must have been, seeing how large it was, it must have lived for many years!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Leng Xiyue regretted it, worried Hai Ge might believe the clam was enchanted and guess the truth about the inner pearl.

"Heh, a clam becoming enchanted, that's a first," Hai Ge shook his head and went into the cabin.

It was a relief he didn't believe it, Leng Xiyue silently rejoiced.

In the sunlight, she unexpectedly noticed the broken clamshells shimmering with a strange glow, like rare gems, exceptionally beautiful.

The clam meat was unbelievably tasty, and the shells were incomparably beautiful; this clam was certainly no ordinary creature!

Considering the pearl could glow, enable night vision, and allow her to breathe and speak underwater, Leng Xiyue seriously suspected the clam was indeed enchanted.

If so, this clam meat could be as miraculous as the flesh of Monk Tang, potentially offering immortality if consumed?

Such a marvelous thing should be shared with her children!

With this thought, Leng Xiyue hurriedly negotiated with the seven or eight men, "Could you gentlemen spare some more clam meat for me?"

"No problem!"

The youngest, Lao Jiu, cheerfully brought over two skewers of meat, asking softly, "Is this enough? Do you want me to get more?"

"Could I have six more skewers, please? Hehe," Leng Xiyue said with an embarrassed smile.

Knowing her request was somewhat excessive, but with six children, plus Jin Yu and her mother, she really needed more.

Mesmerized by her sweet smile, Lao Jiu didn't hesitate and immediately went to get more clam meat.

They used iron forks for roasting, and once done, they'd thread the meat onto bamboo skewers, with one fork's meat perfectly making six skewers.

Thoughtfully, Lao Jiu took a plate to arrange several skewers of clam meat for Leng Xiyue.

The other men murmured among themselves: this woman sure can eat.

Leng Xiyue didn’t eat the clam meat right away but set it aside to cool, a move that puzzled Lao Jiu.

Hai Ge brought many things, first disinfecting Leng Xiyue's wound, then applying medicine and bandaging it, even securing it with two wooden planks, all with skilled and careful motions.

While busy, he asked Leng Xiyue, "What’s your name? How old are you this year? Where do you live? Who else is in your family?"

It felt like a census interrogation; Leng Xiyue instantly became cautious.

"My name is Xiao Yue, and I live in an orphanage."