After Giving Birth, All My Beast Ex-Husbands Suddenly Want Me Back-Chapter 16: Two caring males

"What kind of meat do you like? What fruits?" Mino continued.

"It’s hard to say. Sometimes I crave gugubeast meat, sometimes wild boar, sometimes fish..."

Honestly, what she wanted to eat changed every meal. Every hour, even.

Mino silently committed it all to memory. Then he would just hunt something different for her every day.

She even liked fish? The Lynx Cat clan loved fish too. Could the cub be a Lynx Cat?

Images suddenly filled Mino’s mind: Nina giving birth to a little Lynx Cat cub, one that looked exactly like him as a child. The tiny cub would gaze at him with soft, adorable eyes and sweetly call him Father...

Mino stared at Nina’s belly, lost in his thoughts, the corners of his lips lifting unconsciously.

Seeing him grinning foolishly at Nina’s stomach, Aji felt a wave of disdain and couldn’t help smacking him lightly. "What are you smiling like an idiot for?"

Mino snapped back to reality, his handsome face flushing. "N-no, nothing..."

He scolded himself inwardly. Mino, what are you thinking? You’ve only just met her—how can you even think about things like that...

He shook his head hard, forcing those chaotic thoughts away, and went on, "What do you want to eat for lunch?"

By the time he finished asking, Nina’s stomach had already been made hungry.

"I want to eat fish right now."

"Right now?"

"Mm. I’m hungry."

Nina felt a little embarrassed.

"So soon?"

Both Mino and Aji were surprised. This cub had quite the appetite.

Nina nodded. "I’ve been getting hungry more quickly lately."

It was true—recently, she felt hungry every three hours or so. Nights were a bit better; she would eat once about half an hour before going to sleep.

The two males suddenly thought of something, and their expressions darkened.

With the tribe providing so little food, didn’t that mean the little female was often going hungry?

No wonder, aside from her belly, the rest of her body was still so thin.

At that thought, their eyes filled with unmistakable tenderness and concern.

Mino stood up at once. "I’ll go catch some fish for you. Wait here—I’ll be back soon."

Before Nina could even respond, he had already vanished from sight.

She couldn’t help clicking her tongue. That speed was insane.

Aji didn’t go. He chose to stay behind and look after Nina.

The thought that Nina might have often gone hungry before filled him with guilt.

It was his oversight—he had never even asked whether she had enough to eat.

Lost in self-reproach, Aji lowered his head and silently continued helping Nina make the nest, saying nothing.

Nina also worked quietly on the nest base. Inside the stone house, only the soft sound of a bone needle piercing animal hide could be heard.

Mino had said he’d be quick—and he really was. Before long, he returned with a whole haul of fish.

When Mino came back, Aji noticed the water jar was running low and went off to fetch more water for her.

Mino placed the fish he had already stunned to death into a stone basin and asked, "Little female, do you want to eat it raw or cooked?"

Fish meat was tender, and some beastfolk liked to eat it raw, so he asked just in case.

"Cooked."

"Alright."

Mino set the fish aside and put a pot on to boil water. It came to a boil quickly.

Then Nina saw him grab a fish by the tail and move to toss it—completely unprocessed—straight into the pot. She hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, you’re just going to cook it like that?"

"Oh—sorry. I forgot you add seasonings before cooking. Teach me how to do it."

Mino looked a little embarrassed. He stepped back slightly and quickly dropped the fish back into the stone basin, like a child who’d just made a mistake.

He’d been so focused on making food for Nina as soon as possible that he forgot her cooking was different from theirs—and far allowing her was much tastier.

Nina smiled and sighed softly, then explained patiently, "The fish needs to be prepared first. You have to scrape off the scales with a bone knife and remove the innards."

She then guided Mino step by step on how to clean the fish.

He learned quickly. By the time he handled the second fish, he was fast and skillful enough that Nina couldn’t help wondering if he’d been a professional fish butcher in a past life.

Next, Nina taught him how to season it. They first made a fish soup, then she taught him how to braise fish.

Once everything was ready, Mino carried the dishes to the table, handed Nina clean bowls and chopsticks, and looked at her with a mix of nervousness and anticipation.

"Little female... try it. Do you like it?"

Nina picked up a piece of fish, blew on it to cool it down, and took a bite. She nodded in satisfaction.

It wasn’t quite as good as her own cooking, but with her guiding him the whole time, it turned out pretty well.

"Mmm, it’s tasty. For a first try, this is impressive—you’ve got real talent," Nina praised sincerely.

Hearing her compliment, Mino was thrilled, his eyes lighting up and his smile radiant. "Mm! I’ll practice more. I’ll definitely make it even better. From now on, I’ll do all the cooking."

That made Nina a little embarrassed. They had just met and weren’t particularly close—how could she let him cook for her all the time?

"No need. I can cook for myself."

Mino also realized he’d overstepped. After all, they weren’t even really friends yet—and he still had...

His mood dipped slightly, but he forced a small smile. "That’s not what I meant. It’s only right for a male to take care of a female, especially since you’re carrying a child. And you’re teaching me how to cook good food—I should be thanking you. Making a meal or two is nothing. I just wanted to ask... would you be willing to teach me? And to eat together with me?"

Nina thought about it and felt he had a point. She also had a good impression of Mino.

"Sure. I’m happy to teach you. Let’s cook and eat together from now on. As for food, I can pay you in beast crystals."

Having a neighbor to look out for each other wasn’t a bad thing—and it meant she wouldn’t have to expose certain secrets.

"Mmm." Mino pushed the fish toward her. "Eat more."

"Don’t you want some too?" Nina felt a bit awkward being the only one eating.

Mino shook his head. "I’m not hungry. You can eat it all."

She asked Aji as well, but he also said he wasn’t hungry.

Nina stopped holding back. She really was starving. She picked up another piece of fish and ate with clear enjoyment.

Over the course of the day, Mino more or less figured out Nina’s eating habits and appetite.

After dinner and tidying up, Aji finally left, clearly reluctant to go.

The next morning, as soon as Nina woke up, she was greeted by Mino’s exceptionally handsome face, instantly lifting her mood.

Who doesn’t enjoy looking at a good-looking guy?

"Morning, Mino."

"Good morning, little female. What would you like to eat later? We’ve got gugu beast, wild boar, and fish."

After Nina fell asleep the night before, Mino had gone out hunting—just so she could have whatever she wanted for breakfast.