After eating, Hu Jiaojiao washed the dishes and let the little ones play on their own. She took a machete from her storage space and went to the small woods behind the cabin to cut some long wooden sticks to repair the fence.

The small wooden house was already rundown, and the fence had been kicked down by Xiong Hua. Without repairs, it was impossible to live there.

In this world of beastmen, autumn had just begun, but the midday sun was still scorching. Hu Jiaojiao worked diligently, propping up the fence, inserting the new wooden sticks, and securing them with vines.

The original owner had been lazy, which left her physically weak. After patching up the two-meter-long gap in the fence, she was drenched in sweat. Looking at the shabby fenced yard in front of her, Hu Jiaojiao silently vowed that she would build a new house if given the chance.

Otherwise, when the main villain returned, how would a family of seven fit in this place?

Wiping her sweat, Hu Jiaojiao felt grimy after not bathing the day before. She was just about to fetch some water to wash when she turned and saw Long Xiu standing at the door, looking at her.

She was momentarily startled, but then remembered that Long Xiu couldn’t see.

“Xiu Xiu, why aren’t you out playing with Ling’er and the others?” Hu Jiaojiao had to put aside her plans to bathe and walked over to him, asking gently.

Long Xiu’s pale face showed no emotion as he stood shrouded in the shadows of the house. “I can’t see,” he replied faintly.

Hu Jiaojiao recalled that Long Xiu, the second child, was blind and had a reclusive personality. He had little connection with his siblings and was the least noticeable among the children. He rarely played with them.

She realized she had been neglecting him and ruffled his hair, speaking softly, “Then I’ll accompany you. From now on, whenever you want to go somewhere, I’ll take you.”

It seemed she needed to pay more attention to him.

Feeling the warmth on his head, Long Xiu’s thin body stiffened. He bit his pale lips and spoke with certainty, “You’re not her.”

Hu Jiaojiao’s smile froze briefly, but she quickly composed herself and feigned ignorance, “Xiu Xiu, what are you talking about? I’m your mother. Don’t tell me you don’t recognize me just because I used to treat you poorly?”

Long Xiu, the sharpest of the children, had already seen through her after just one day.

But since she was using the original owner’s body, even if Long Xiu sensed something was off, he had no proof.

With that thought, Hu Jiaojiao felt more at ease. No matter how clever this little villain was, he could only torment this body. He certainly couldn’t expel her soul, could he?

“You can fool them, but you can’t fool me,” Long Xiu said coldly, looking directly at Hu Jiaojiao, as if he could see into her very thoughts.

Even though he was blind, his gaze still seemed to lock onto hers with unsettling accuracy. For a moment, Hu Jiaojiao almost believed he could actually see her.

“Xiu Xiu, I…”

“Mother! Brother Xiao Tiao is here!”

Just as Hu Jiaojiao was struggling to find a way to appease this little troublemaker, Long Ling’er’s excited voice called out from outside the yard.

Hearing that someone else had arrived, Long Xiu pursed his lips and lowered his eyes, saying nothing more as he turned and groped his way back into the house.

If there was anything to be resolved, he wanted to handle it himself. He didn’t want outsiders involved.

Watching Long Xiu’s retreating figure, Hu Jiaojiao breathed a sigh of relief and turned to face the yard.

Long Ling’er was skipping back into the yard, followed by a tall, thin male beastman carrying several hunted animals, struggling under their weight. Long Yu and Long Zhong were walking behind him, each carrying a bundle of firewood.

Long Yao, apparently tired from flying, lay limply on Long Yu’s head, his red beastly eyes fixed on the prey the male was carrying.

“Ling’er, who is this?” Hu Jiaojiao asked as she approached, a hint of confusion in her voice. She had read the novel but didn’t recognize this character.

“Mother, Father asked Brother Xiao Tiao to bring the prey back. We were out gathering firewood and ran into him, so we came back together,” Long Ling’er said cheerfully, being the most outgoing of the siblings and the only one who actively spoke to Hu Jiaojiao.

Hearing her explanation, Hu Jiaojiao suddenly understood.

The main villain, Long Mo, lived in the forest but would send prey back to them every ten days or so. Because the original owner despised him, she would usually have the beastmen from the tribe deliver the goods.

This young male beastman must be Monkey Xiao Tiao, the one who often helped Long Mo deliver the prey, which was why the children were familiar with him.

However…

Hu Jiaojiao’s eyes narrowed slightly as she turned to look at the sweaty Monkey Xiao Tiao.

Monkey Xiao Tiao dumped the prey onto the ground with a thud, wiped his brow, and said to Hu Jiaojiao, “Here’s the meat Long Mo sent you. I’ll be off if there’s nothing else.”

“Wait.”

“Hu Jiaojiao, what else do you want?” Monkey Xiao Tiao’s gaze flickered nervously as he glanced at her.

“Don’t you think you’ve forgotten something?” Hu Jiaojiao walked over, casting a glance at the prey on the ground.

The animals weren’t large—two medium-sized sheep-beasts and a skinny, pitifully small spotted bird.

“Forgotten? I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Monkey Xiao Tiao muttered, avoiding her gaze and looking down, clearly guilty.

The children were watching, their sharp eyes fixed on him. They weren’t just hostile to Hu Jiaojiao—anyone who threatened their well-being was considered an enemy.

Hu Jiaojiao let out a cold laugh and pointed to one of the battered sheep-beasts. “This wasn’t hunted by Long Mo. You stole his prey and tried to pass this off as a replacement. Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Monkey Xiao Tiao’s heart skipped a beat.

How did she know?

“You’re talking nonsense! What proof do you have that I stole the prey? I’m doing you a favor by delivering it, and you accuse me? Don’t expect me to help you again!” Monkey Xiao Tiao, his face flushed with anger, pointed at Hu Jiaojiao and tried to turn the tables on her.

“The claw marks on this prey are too small. They’re not from Long Mo’s claws,” Hu Jiaojiao said coldly, standing her ground.

In the novel, Long Mo, despite being labeled as a “waste,” was an excellent hunter. He always sent back at least a dozen animals, but by the time they reached the original owner, only two or three remained.

The original owner, foolish as she was, never suspected Monkey Xiao Tiao.

If it weren’t for him stealing the prey and swapping the intact animal skins, she and the children wouldn’t have suffered from hunger and cold, with barely any complete pelts in the house.

Monkey Xiao Tiao’s face stiffened, and sweat dripped from his forehead.

Perhaps it was Hu Jiaojiao’s piercing gaze, but he became flustered and, in a fit of anger, snapped, “Yes! I swapped the prey! What can you do about it?”

“A woman like you should starve! You never fed those kids properly, never gave them good animal skin to wear. Why should you get the prey? Better to feed it to the dogs!” He spat on the ground in contempt.