“Of course, it won’t break,” Hu Jiaojiao said as she grabbed a knife specifically for cutting bones and placed the prey’s rib on a wooden board.

With a swift motion, she raised the knife, and with a sharp “crack,” the bone snapped in two.

Hu Min stared in shock at the knife, her face full of disbelief. “It really can cut through? My goodness! Jiao Jiao, you’re so lucky to have found something this good!”

Snapping out of her daze, she quickly waved her hand in refusal.

“Jiao Jiao, you keep it for yourself. I don’t need it,” she said. Hu Min had long been used to leaving the best things for her daughter.

Jiao Jiao smiled warmly and held her mother’s hand. “Mom, I have more. This one’s for you. But one thing: don’t let other beastmen see it.”

Hu Min had no reason to doubt her daughter’s words.

Seeing how insistent Jiao Jiao was, she reluctantly accepted the gift.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you. I promise not to tell anyone.”

Her daughter had grown up, and now she even knew how to show her mother some filial piety! Hu Min felt a warm sense of pride.

Before long, the two of them had skinned, cut up, and cleaned the prey.

As the sun set behind the mountains, the sky turned a deep red, and a few large birds flew across the crimson horizon, likely rushing to return home before nightfall.

Hu Qiang and his son, Hu Qingshan, had rushed to finish building the small wooden house for Jiao Jiao, worried she wouldn’t have a place to stay. Jiao Jiao had thought it would take a few days to complete, but to her surprise, it was finished in just one afternoon. The beastmen’s building skills were truly impressive!

With the house finished, the three of them prepared to leave.

“Jiao Jiao, if anything happens in the future, you must come to me. Don’t bottle things up anymore. If it weren’t for your fourth child telling me, I wouldn’t have known you were being bullied today,” Hu Min said, gripping Jiao Jiao’s hand, her voice full of concern.

“Fourth child? Mom, Ling’er went to find you today?” Jiao Jiao asked in surprise. She thought they had heard rumors and come on their own.

“Yes, thanks to your fourth child. Who knew she could be so clever?” Hu Min continued to ramble.

Hu Jiao Jiao felt a surge of emotion. So, Ling’er had been worried about her and had called Hu Min. It seemed that Ling’er still cared about her as a mother after all.

“Mom,” Hu Jiao Jiao suddenly interrupted Hu Min’s rambling.

She recalled that ever since the original owner of this body had been hit on the head, her family had been plagued with problems.

“What’s wrong, Jiao Jiao?”

“Mom, please be careful. You, Dad, and my brothers need to take care of yourselves,” Hu Jiao Jiao said, holding her mother’s arm, her expression serious.

“Alright, alright. I’ll listen to you,” Hu Min replied, her face filled with warmth. Seeing her daughter being so considerate, she couldn’t help but smile brightly.

Hu Jiao jiao sent Hu Min and the other two away.
Hu Jiao Jiao had wanted her mother to take some of the meat, but Hu Min firmly refused, leaving Hu Jiao Jiao with no choice but to give up. She made a mental note to prepare some food and personally deliver it to them later. Even though she wasn’t the original owner of this body, she was now occupying it and receiving Hu Min’s love, so she felt the need to repay them.

---

“Mom, I’m so hungry. This little bit of meat isn’t enough…”

“All you do is eat! Every single day!” Xiong Hua snapped at Xiong Qiu, pointing at him furiously like a shrew.

Her plan had backfired today. She hadn’t been able to teach Hu Jiao Jiao a lesson and had even given away their own prey. Already fuming, the whining from her cub only made her angrier.

“And you’re useless! You couldn’t even handle Hu Jiao Jiao. She asked for prey, and you gave her everything! Do you want to starve us to death?”

After yelling at her son, she turned to scold Xiong Zhuang.

“I-I’m sorry. I was just afraid she’d hurt you,” Xiong Zhuang replied meekly, not daring to talk back.

Xiong Zhuang had caught two animals today, both of which he’d given to Hu Jiao Jiao, leaving his family of three to eat fruit to stave off hunger. The only piece of meat left from the day before had to be saved for Xiong Qiu. Xiong Hua had never experienced such humiliation. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Just as her anger was about to explode, something crossed her mind, and her two eyebrows squished together like two worms. She lowered her voice. “Xiong Zhuang, did you notice? Hu Jiao Jiao seems to know how to make fire!”

She had been so frightened by that crazy vixen, Hu Jiao Jiao, that she had almost forgotten.

Xiong Zhuang quickly nodded. He remembered.

“Yes, yes! I saw it. Long Yu went into the wooden house, and suddenly there was fire inside. There hadn’t been any before.”

In the tribe, only the Tribe Leader had tools for making fire. Every three months, he would distribute fire, and the rest of the time, the beastmen had to preserve their fire or eat raw meat if it went out.

Xiong Hua suddenly felt she had uncovered a significant secret.

“Long Yu knows how to make fire. Hu Jiao Jiao must have taught him. That little vixen must have stolen the Tribe Leader’s fire-making method!”

“I’ll go report her to the Tribe Leader tomorrow!”

Excitement flashed across Xiong Hua’s face. The thought of causing trouble for Hu Jiao Jiao filled her with glee. Why should Hu Jiao Jiao get away with hitting her and taking her prey?

Imagining Hu Jiao Jiao’s embarrassment when exposed tomorrow, Xiong Hua suddenly didn’t feel hungry anymore.

Seeing her in a good mood, Xiong Zhuang quickly chimed in, “Tomorrow, I’ll go catch two big, fat prey for you. You’ll be full for sure.”

“Good,” Xiong Hua replied, feeling quite pleased, letting go of her anger toward Xiong Zhuang.

---

Before dark, the five cubs returned home on time.

The moment Long Ling’er entered the house, she began looking for Hu Jiao Jiao.

In the small yard, the broken wooden house had been repaired, the firewood stacked neatly, and only a few embers remained in the stove. The rich aroma of meat wafted from the pot, but there was no sign of Hu Jiao Jiao.

Ling’er’s face fell, her expression full of disappointment. The Vicious female wasn’t here. She must have gone back with Grandma. Of course, she had abandoned them.

The other cubs also looked sullen when they realized Hu Jiao Jiao wasn’t there.

Just then, a gentle voice called from behind them.

“Cubs, what are you all standing around for? Wash your hands and get ready to eat.”

The cubs froze for a moment.

They turned around to see Hu Jiao Jiao, holding some wet animal skins, smiling warmly at them. It seemed she had just returned from the river, her feet still damp.

“You…you didn’t leave?” Long Yu’s eyes lit up with surprise.

They had overheard the conversation between the Vicious female and Grandma. In the past, she couldn’t wait to leave them behind and go live with Grandma. But today, she hadn’t left…

Long Xiu, tightly gripping a thin stick, had been clenching his fists so hard that his fingers had turned white. Upon hearing Hu Jiao Jiao’s voice, he finally relaxed.

Long Zhong, standing next to Long Xiu, cast a cold glance at Hu Jiao Jiao.

“What’s wrong? Did someone bully you all today?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked, noticing the odd mood of the cubs, her brows furrowing in concern.

As soon as she finished speaking, Long Yao broke free from Long Zhong’s grasp and joyfully pounced into Hu Jiao Jiao’s arms, his tail wagging wildly as he slobbered and licked her face.