Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help laughing. She’d completely forgotten that beastmen didn’t eat spicy food, and she’d added quite a few chilies while cooking.

“Yao’er, come drink some of this,” she said, taking a bottle of milk from her hidden stash and pouring it into a bowl to ease the spice.

Hearing her, Long Yao zoomed over, dunking his whole head into the bowl and guzzling down the milk until the bowl was empty. He even licked it clean, tongue eagerly wiping away every last drop. Finally, he looked up, relaxed, slumping over the table’s edge with his head on the bowl, his mouth rimmed with a foamy white mustache.

The milk had cooled his mouth, and now he was savoring the creamy flavor, smacking his lips contentedly.

“Ooh~ this white water is sooo good!”

His eyes sparkled as his face shifted from a pained grimace to blissful delight.

Amused, Hu Jiao Jiao picked him up and set him aside. “This meat is too spicy, so no more for you. Next time, I’ll make a mild version just for you.”

Long Yao drooled a bit, eagerly wagging his tail.

After sealing the beef sauce carefully in jars, Hu Jiao Jiao stored them away. She’d made enough to last through winter and planned to make even more later to share with her parents and siblings.

When she finished up, the sky was painted in red dusk. She washed the pots and pans, then started on dinner. Just as she was putting the last touches, Long Mo returned.

As soon as Long Mo came back, he took the wood from Hu Jiaojiao’s hand. His tall figure squatted by the stove and helped her add firewood one by one, which was really inconsistent with his cold and noble temperament.

With all five cubs protesting his cooking, he could only assist Hu Jiao Jiao in the kitchen.

“Where did you go earlier? Monkey Xiaotiao already brought back the prey you caught,” she asked curiously.

She thought she detected a faint smell of blood.

“Saw a couple of pests and got rid of them,” Long Mo replied, his expression calm.

He had washed off any traces of blood before coming back, so Hu Jiao Jiao dismissed it, thinking it was just her imagination.

After dinner, Hu Jiao Jiao bathed the cubs, and they soon lay drowsy and ready for bed. Just as she was about to head to her room, she felt a gentle tug on her robe.

Turning around, she saw Long Yao biting onto her sleeve, staring up at her expectantly.

“What is it?”

“Slurp, slurp,” he replied, sticking out his tongue as if licking something, blinking up at her with hopeful eyes.

Hu Jiao Jiao laughed. “You want more of that drink I gave you, don’t you?”

Long Yao nodded enthusiastically.

Amused, Hu Jiao Jiao pulled another bottle of milk from her stash, pouring it into his bowl. With the other four already asleep, she didn’t wake them. Long Yao finished the milk, then went right back to sleep.

Late that night, Long Yao woke up with a pressing urge.

“Oooh… I gotta pee!”

Still half-asleep, he floated lazily to the yard and relieved himself under a nearby tree. When he finished, he gave his tail a quick shake, ready to head back to bed. But as he turned, he saw a shadowy figure in the tree, startling him.

“Ah! Scared me half to death!”

Long Yao’s sleepiness evaporated as he squinted to get a better look. The figure was lying in the tree, sound asleep, unaware of Long Yao’s presence. Recognizing the face, Long Yao’s big eyes filled with confusion.

“Isn’t that… Dad? Why’s he sleeping here? Did Mom kick him out of bed?”

Puzzled, he zipped back to the wooden house.

“Hey! Wake up, everyone! There’s big news!”

He flitted around, nudging his four sleeping siblings awake, trampling their faces with his tiny claws like he was stepping on pickles.

Long Zhong, growled, “Long Yao, it’s the middle of the night. What are you doing now?”

Long Yao ignored him, sticking his mouth right at Long Zhong’s ear and letting out a loud, “Raaah!”

“Long Yao!” Now fully awake, Long Zhong leaped out of bed, ready to grab him and give him a good smack.

“Hold on, let’s see what he’s trying to say,” Long Yu said, holding Long Zhong back.

“Long Zhong, your voice is even louder than Long Yao’s…” mumbled Long Ling’er sleepily, rubbing her eyes.

Long Xiu sat up as well, yawning and listening quietly.

Turning to Long Yao, Long Yu asked in a calm but steady voice, “Alright, Long Yao, what’s going on?”

Long Yao threw a quick look at Long Zhong, who glared at him in warning.

“Xiao Wu, you’d better say something important, or I’ll stay up all night and turn your backside into flowers.”

Ignoring the threat, Long Yao stuck out his tongue, pointed a claw toward the tree outside, then clasped his tiny paws together, lying down and mimicking loud snoring.

The others blinked at him in confusion.

“What are you talking about, Long Yao?” asked Long Ling’er, scratching her head.

Growing impatient, Long Yao abandoned his dramatic pantomime. He used his tail like a hand, pointing from the door to the bed, occasionally snoring to emphasize his point.

Long Yu seemed to piece it together, asking, “Are you saying… there’s someone sleeping outside?”

Long Yao nodded eagerly.

“Who’d be sleeping outside this late?” Long Ling’er wondered, lying on her stomach and resting her chin on her hands with a sympathetic expression.

Long Yu asked, “Did you see who it is?”

Long Yao’s face drooped, resembling a grumpy melon, then returned to normal as he stretched his claws wide in the air.

The cubs exchanged glances, a suspicion forming in each of their minds. Long Yao’s expression just now… looked oddly familiar.

Long Ling’er finally asked, “Long Yao, you don’t mean… is it Dad sleeping outside?!”