Chapter 196: Chapter 196: The Zaizais’ Surprise

The second hot drink she prepared was ginger milk custard.

She peeled and juiced some ginger, then boiled milk and sugar together. While it was still hot, she poured it into the ginger juice, covered it, and let it sit for a few minutes until the milk solidified.

The ginger milk custard was like an egg custard—smooth, tender, and it melted in your mouth.

Although the ginger flavor wasn’t strong, the zaizai didn’t really like it. They much preferred the sweet milk tea.

The sweet potatoes were roasted, too. Each one was soft, sticky, and sweet, sizzling as sugary syrup oozed out. The air was filled with their sweet aroma.

Yu An wasn’t planning on setting up her stall today. Instead, she had roasted a lot of sweet potatoes, made two large barrels of milk tea, and several dozen portions of ginger milk custard to share with her clansmen.

Before she could go and call anyone, she heard some noises at the door.

She walked over and pulled the door open to see several Dragon Pups standing there, seemingly debating who should knock.

The door opened from the inside before they could knock, startling the pups so much that they instantly reverted to their beast forms.

One of the bolder pups looked up and said, "Sister An, what are you making? We smelled something really, really good!"

Their Female Mothers had told them not to bother Sister An, but the smell was so fragrant that they couldn’t help themselves.

"I’m roasting sweet potatoes and I’ve made hot milk tea."

Yu An bent down and patted each of their little heads. "Come on in. I made a lot."

She had only just returned to the clan, so she still felt a bit distant from everyone. Yesterday, the clan members had been exceptionally excited and warm. Today, she heard from her older brother, Ao Yi, that many of them were now hesitant to disturb her.

They weren’t sure of her temperament and were afraid she might dislike their excessive enthusiasm.

Yu An thought for a moment. ’The best way to get closer to them is to share food.’

Seeing the Dragon Pups were a little shy, Yu An gave Da Hu a meaningful look. Da Hu understood and, along with his younger brothers and sister, went over to pull them in.

"Little brother, my Female Mother’s food is delicious."

Fuzai went to the only female pup among them. "Little sister, my name is Fuzai. What’s yours? Come with me, I’ll get you the biggest roasted sweet potato."

These pups were all born one after another after Fuzai’s arrival, so they were all younger than Da Hu and the others.

A few of them could shift into human form, the female pup being one of them, but her transformation wasn’t stable yet. She had reverted to her beast form when she got scared earlier.

Fuzai couldn’t shift into human form yet either. She nudged the female pup with her dragon horns and gestured for her own father, Ao Wu, to carry them both over.

The Dragon Pups were a bit reserved at first, but they gradually relaxed, and before long, they were hitting it off with Da Hu and his siblings.

When the Dragon Pups’ Female Mothers and Beast Fathers found out and rushed over, Yu An took the opportunity to invite them to stay as well. Eating roasted sweet potatoes and drinking hot milk tea, they all quickly became familiar with one another.

Once the Dragon Clan members got a sense of Yu An’s personality as their "young miss," they stopped holding back, each trying to outdo the other in their warmth toward her.

By the end, Yu An could barely handle it.

When they learned that Yu An planned to set up a stall in Dragon City to sell these treats, the clan members didn’t understand why the great young miss of the Dragon Clan would go to such trouble. However, they didn’t ask, only saying that they would come to help and support her business.

Mo Yan and the other three husbands spoke very little. They would answer a few questions if asked but spent most of their time looking after the zaizai.

Ao Wu, on the other hand, was like a social butterfly, sticking close to Yu An and always finding something to talk about, whether it was important or not.

Yu An glanced at him from time to time; she couldn’t help but feel he was a little too worked up.

After seeing their clansmen off, Yu An rubbed her cheeks, which were stiff from smiling. "Ao Wu, is everyone in the clan always this enthusiastic?"

"Of course," Ao Wu said, used to it. "There aren’t many of us in the Dragon Clan, so we’re always warm to friends and family. It’s a different story with our enemies, though."

The Dragon Clan hated evil as a personal enemy and their likes and dislikes were clear-cut. Their number one enemy was the Invincible Alliance.

"But don’t worry, An’an. Once they get used to you, they’ll calm down. You just got home, so they were afraid you’d think they were being cold to you. That’s why they were... a little over the top."

’Once you’re familiar, it doesn’t matter if you’re the young miss or the young master. If you mess up, any of the elders can give you a talking-to.’

Thinking back on his own childhood, Ao Wu suddenly grew curious about what would happen if Yu An ever made a mistake. ’How would those nagging old-timers in the clan react?’

Yu An suddenly pinched his cheek. "What are you thinking about with that devious smile? Ao Wu, I’ve noticed you’ve become much more cheerful since coming home."

Being home was different. Ao Wu was getting more and more carried away.

Ao Wu just smiled and said nothing, but when he looked at the other four, there was a clear sense of superiority in his gaze.

’This is my home, a home I share with Yu An. I have countless advantages over the other four...’

Having been with him for so long, Yu An could guess what he was thinking with a single glance.

When she saw the flicker of loneliness on the faces of Mo Yan and the other three, she put on a rare stern expression, grabbed Ao Wu by the ear, and pulled him aside for a lecture.

The men in her family had been getting along peacefully lately, not competing for her attention, which had made her forget their usual daily squabbles for her favor.

’Any budding signs of behavior that could disrupt the harmony of our family must be snuffed out immediately!’

Mo Yan and the other three exchanged a look, each seeing the triumphant glint in the others’ eyes. They didn’t think Yu An would play favorites just because she was closer to Ao Wu, but that guy was infuriatingly smug when he got carried away.

"An’an, Ao Wu didn’t mean it."

Seeing Ao Wu being scolded with his head hanging low, Lan Ying took the initiative to go over and gently tug on Yu An’s arm. "He probably knows he was wrong. It’s been a long day, let’s go back and rest early."

Yu An’s face was still stern, but her expression softened slightly. "This is the only time. Don’t let it happen again."

Ao Wu nodded hurriedly. "An’an, I know I was wrong! It absolutely won’t happen next time!"

Yu An said irritably, "There won’t be a next time. If there is..."

She suddenly smiled. "Fifth Brother, you wouldn’t want me to gain a brother and lose a Beast Husband, would you?"

Ao Wu: "!!!"

"There absolutely will not be a next time!"

This time, Ao Wu spoke with resolute conviction, wishing he could beat his past, cocky self to death.

Watching Yu An and Lan Ying go back into the house, Ao Wu sighed.

’Alright, it seems my secret plan to have her all to myself will never have a chance to be realized.’

Fuzai, who was perched on her father’s head, said lazily, "Beast Father, don’t overthink it. You won’t succeed, and I won’t support you. I like my other Beast Fathers and my older brothers."

Dejected, Ao Wu shoved his sharp-tongued daughter into Da Hu’s arms.

Fuzai settled into a comfortable position in Da Hu’s arms and looked at her brothers. "Brothers, let’s go back and continue our preparations. We’ll give Female Mother a surprise!"

Mo Yan, holding Xiao Yu, asked uncertainly, "Are you sure you don’t need your Beast Fathers’ help?"

"No, no," Xiao Hu said, shaking his head with a serious expression. "We have to do it ourselves."

Little Serpent, holding his younger brother Little Wolf, nodded in sync with him. "Right. It’s only sincere if we do it ourselves. By the way, Beast Fathers, have you decided what to give Female Mother?"

"We’re still thinking," Feng Xuan said with a hint of helplessness. "An’an doesn’t seem to be lacking anything."

Everything in the storage space already belonged to Yu An. They were afraid there was nothing in this world that could be a surprising gift for her.

Thinking of this, the four of them sighed in unison.