chapter 48

Simon glanced at her with some suspicion, cut a small piece of steak, and brought it to his mouth with a fork.

“This…” He widened his eyes in surprise, chewing the steak in disbelief, then closed his eyes to savor it carefully.

“How is it?” Tu Nan asked nervously.

She couldn’t be sure Simon would like this dish.

“It’s simply miraculous.” Simon opened his eyes, looking at the steak before him as if he’d discovered a treasure. “You’ve surprised me again. The person who invented this dish is a genius. Steak with mushroom sauce… Why did I never think of such a combination…”

His gaze burned with excitement as he stared at the dish.

“So, Mr. Simon, shouldn’t you answer my question now?” Tu Nan finally breathed a sigh of relief. So much time had passed, and she asked a bit anxiously.

“Of course,” Simon’s eyes were glued to the steak, not sparing her a glance, “What do you want to know?”

“I want to know, what exactly does ‘Pets’ mean?” She looked at Simon and asked seriously.

Simon finally looked at her and smiled slightly. “What do you think?”

She frowned. “I’m asking you.”

“Miss Lita, would you consider creatures you’ve never touched as pets?” Simon said disdainfully. “I can tell you very clearly, in this Manor, only the Cat in Miss Lilith’s arms can truly be called a pet. Oh…” He paused suddenly, speaking with meaning, “I almost forgot, Miss Lilith is kind-hearted, so the sheep are also her ‘Pets.'”

Simon was hinting at something, and Tu Nan wanted to ask more, but was directly dismissed.

“Miss Lita, for the sake of this dish, I’ve already said enough.”

“Alright.” Tu Nan was not a greedy person; being able to exchange one dish for this information, she was already satisfied. “Thank you for your generous answer.”

“You are the most interesting guest I’ve ever met.” Simon suddenly looked at her and smiled. “I must say, I really like you.”

“In that case, could you tell me, during each meal, which dish is actually made by you?” Tu Nan probed.

Simon shrugged, not giving her a direct answer. “I think you’ll find out today.”

Tu Nan paused, thanked him, and turned to leave the Kitchen.

She had already delayed too long and had no idea how Fu Zhixing was doing.

She hurried to the pasture where the animals were kept, surprised to find that it had completely changed since she left.

Each type of animal was separated; she didn’t know how they’d managed it, but the animals were all obediently staying in their designated areas without running around.

“You’re back?” Jenny glanced at her, tossing the last chicken into the coop, panting from exhaustion. “You really came back at the right time-we just finished sorting all the animals.”

Tu Nan felt a bit apologetic. “I really tried to hurry.”

“Who knows if she did it on purpose,” Jack muttered under his breath.

“What are you talking about?” Rose asked, puzzled. “Jack, why are you saying such strange things today? Aren’t we all trying to finish the task early?”

“What did I say?” Jack retorted angrily. “It’s true-she was gone for so long, only came back after we finished everything. Who knows if it was on purpose?”
Qin clicked her tongue impatiently. “Are you done yet? From what I see, you haven’t put in much effort either.”

“You-!”

“Let’s all say one less word,” Fu Zhixing said coldly.

He rarely showed such a cold expression. Coupled with Jack’s wariness of his identity, although Jack looked a bit dissatisfied, he still shut his mouth.

Fu Zhixing glanced at Tu Nan. “Any findings?”

Tu Nan wiped the sweat from her forehead and nodded. “I went to ask Simon. He told me that only the sheep and the Cat in Lilith’s hands count as Pets.”

Fu Zhixing looked thoughtful.

“Is that reliable?” Qin raised her eyebrows.

“He has no reason to lie to me.” Tu Nan recalled, “Simon is a very complicated yet simple person. He’s only interested in cooking. I traded a dish for this answer.”

Fu Zhixing nodded. “That’s pretty much what I guessed. I think it’s highly credible.”

“Why?” Rose couldn’t help but ask in a low voice. “If we’re wrong, with so many of us…”

Tu Nan understood what she meant. Although George hadn’t explicitly stated what the punishment would be for feeding the wrong Pets, anyone could guess there would definitely be consequences.

“I secretly tested it just now. All these animals reacted normally to the Feed, except for the sheep. When they saw the Feed, they became noticeably agitated. Some were eager to eat, while others showed clear aversion to the Feed,” Fu Zhixing said in a low voice. “Obviously, the sheep have eaten the Feed before.”

“Let’s just feed them and see,” Qin said with a cold face, carrying the Feed into the Sheep Pen. “Worst case, we die. In a place like this, I’ve already had enough of living.”

Fu Zhixing sighed.

Jenny relaxed her shoulders and said boisterously, “Hurry up and feed them. If these sheep ancestors suddenly start bleating, we won’t be able to feed them at all.”

There were dozens of sheep in the Sheep Pen. They divided the work, branding each sheep that had been fed to ensure none were missed.

Just as Fu Zhixing had said, some sheep couldn’t wait and rushed over before they even got close, desperately begging for food. But some of the smaller Lambs resisted fiercely and refused to eat the Feed no matter what.

“This is really strange,” Jenny said, chasing after the Lambs that hadn’t eaten the Feed, panting heavily. “They’re running so fast.”

Tu Nan saw two Lambs circling around Qin, as if they liked her very much. But whenever Qin tried to feed them the Feed, the two Lambs would dart away quickly.

In the end, Fu Zhixing had to catch the sheep himself. One person pried open their mouths while another fed them, trying to get the Feed in.

Qin was about to feed the Lamb in her hand when she suddenly saw two tears roll down from its round, black eyes.

Those dark eyes stared at her intently, and she actually saw deep sorrow within them.

It was as if what stood before her was not a sheep, but… a person.

Her heart trembled. She stared in disbelief at those two tears, suddenly overcome by sadness for no reason, unable to continue her actions.

“They…” Tu Nan saw it too, her heart shaken. “They’re… crying?”