“Ah… Xiao Wu!”

Hearing the angry shout, Long Yao flew behind Long Yu, hiding while poking his little head over Long Yu’s shoulder, swaying it smugly.

He stuck out his pink tongue, making a teasing sound, “Bleh~”

His smug expression seemed to say: That’s what you get for bad-mouthing Mother!

Long Zhong, furious, lunged forward to grab Long Yao.

However, Long Yao was quick and agile, darting around the room, too fast for Long Zhong to catch.

The chase immediately lightened the previously tense atmosphere.

At this moment, Long Xiu suddenly spoke, “She wouldn’t give the meat to Ying Yuan.”

His voice was firm and confident.

Long Yao flew to Long Xiu’s cheek, pleased, and planted a kiss on him with a loud “mwah.”

Long Xiu: “…”

Wiping the slobber off his face in disgust, he added, “Old Third, your skills are getting worse. You can’t even catch Xiao Wu.”

Feeling provoked, Long Zhong seized the opportunity when Long Yao wasn’t paying attention and tackled him, pinning him tightly to the ground.

“Ow!”

Murdering his little brother now, is he?

Long Ling’er couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, and even the usually stern Long Yu allowed a slight smile to creep onto his face.

If only things could always be like this…

By the time Hu Jiao Jiao returned to the wooden house with the hide, it wasn’t even noon.

Since there was no clean spot in the yard, she didn’t want to dirty the furs, so she stood at the entrance and called out.

“Kids, Mother is back.”

She then entered the house, laying the hide on the grass bed.

Hearing her voice, the cubs immediately stopped playing. Sitting up straight, they watched the doorway warily yet expectantly.

They saw the graceful female carrying a tall stack of furs, which she set down with a “thud.” She wiped the sweat off her brow with one hand and massaged her slender waist with the other, looking thoroughly exhausted.

The cubs’ breaths hitched as they exchanged glances, shocked.

She really brought back the hide!

She didn’t give the meat to Ying Yuan!

Long Yao was the first to rush over, wagging his tail like a puppy, affectionately nuzzling against Hu Jiao Jiao’s cheek.

Long Ling’er quickly caught on and hopped up, rushing out to fetch a bowl of water.

“Mom, you must be so tired! Have some water!”

Hu Jiao Jiao was pleasantly surprised and took the water, warmth filling her heart. She smiled happily and praised, “Thank you, Ling’er. You’re so thoughtful.”

Beaming from the praise, Long Ling’er’s face lit up.

Though Long Yu and Long Zhong remained silent, their gazes toward Hu Jiao Jiao changed.

Even though Long Xiu couldn’t see, judging by Long Ling’er’s reaction, he knew Hu Jiao Jiao hadn’t done anything foolish. His cold expression also eased a little.

Hu Jiao Jiao was indeed thirsty. She gulped down a large bowl of water and went back for half a bowl more before feeling satisfied.

Seeing this, the cubs felt even more convinced that she had really worked hard, filling them with emotion.

After drinking, Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t insist on keeping the cubs indoors. She told them to go play outside but reminded them not to wander too far.

The cubs didn’t argue and obediently left the yard. However, instead of playing, they gathered firewood in the forest.

Once they had gone, Hu Jiao Jiao rested for a bit before taking out a broom and sweeping the yard clean.

Since the yard was made of dirt and full of dust, she laid out the ruined hide from before, using them as mats to keep things tidy. She then moved the new hide inside, ready to start making clothes.

Hu Jiao Jiao loved handicrafts. Being a homebody, making small outfits for pets to sell online was one of her side job. For her making simple animal skin skirts is no problem at all.

She took out needles, thread, and a pattern from her space and began cutting the hide.

The four cubs all wore animal skin skirts; the male cubs went bare-chested, while the female wore a little vest.

Hu Jiao Jiao thought that when it get colder, she couldn’t let the little ones run around bare-chested. So, she made four simple animal hide skirts and four jackets, sewing one to four small patches on each piece to tell them apart.

Next time, when she tanned the hides herself, she’d make winter clothes for the little ones.

After making the animal skin clothing, Hu Jiao Jiao used some cotton fabric from her space to make eight pairs of boxers for them to wear underneath, and she made two small bellybands for Ling’er.

Since Long Yao didn’t need to wear anything, she used the leftover scraps to make him a little bowtie.

By the time she finished making all the clothes, three hours had passed.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked at the height of the sun, estimating it to be around two in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.

This was the perfect time for a warm bath.

She quickly set up the pot, lit a fire to boil water, and then went out to call the little ones back for a bath.

When the little ones returned to the yard, they saw Hu Jiao Jiao pouring water into a round object.

It was a large basin that Hu Jiao Jiao had taken out from her space.

Seeing the cubs had come back, Hu Jiao Jiao smiled brightly and casually explained, “You’re back? Come here, this is the bath basin that Mother had someone help make today. Today, Mother will give you a bath.”

The little ones froze in place.

A bath?

The vicious female was going to bathe them? Was she out of her mind?

But Hu Jiao Jiao ignored their expressions, tested the water temperature, and waved to the most obedient one, Long Ling’er.

“Ling’er, you come first.”

Unable to resist her gentle and kind mother, Long Ling’er quickly ran over with her little legs.

The bath basin was behind the stove, just out of sight of the other cubs.

Hu Jiao Jiao helped her take off her dirty animal skin skirt and vest.

Although Long Ling’er was cheerful by nature, in front of Hu Jiao Jiao, she behaved like a shy little rabbit, standing awkwardly beside the bath, letting her mother handle everything.

Once her dirty clothes were off, Long Ling’er tested the water with her foot. It was neither too hot nor too cold, so she boldly stepped in, ready to start washing herself.

But Hu Jiao Jiao gently held her little hand.

“Sit down, Mother will wash you.”

Caught off guard, Long Ling’er sat down in the basin. It was the first time in her life that she took a hot bath, and she instantly squinted her eyes in comfort.

It turns out that taking a bath is so comfortable!

She had always washed with her brothers in the cold river, and she hated bathing because of the icy water.

Her little hands began to play with the warm water, her face full of wonder, as if she had discovered a whole new world.

Looking at Long Ling’er’s tiny frame, Hu Jiao Jiao suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. The little girl was all skin and bones, with barely any flesh, and her skin was dark as if coated with a layer of dirt.

She tried scrubbing her gently, and suddenly, a patch of pale skin appeared.

“…”

So the little girl wasn’t actually dark—she was just covered in a layer of dirt that had never been properly washed off.

Hu Jiao Jiao carefully scrubbed her, and before long, the water turned black, and Long Ling’er was transformed from a little mud doll into a white, tender little girl.

Long Ling’er’s hair reached down to her waist, but it was full of knots and split ends. After asking for her permission, Hu Jiao Jiao trimmed it into a cute bob.

After drying her hair and putting on new hide clothes, Long Ling’er spun around in delight, looking down at her outfit.

The clothes felt strange.

But since her mother had made them, they were perfect!

She finally had new clothes to wear!

When Long Ling’er walked outside, the other little ones were dumbfounded. Their jaws dropped as they stared at her in disbelief.

“You… you’re Ling’er?”

Was this fair, delicate cub really their sister?

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