After a long day of trekking, Ye Yunian was utterly exhausted.

He didn’t wake up once throughout the night, not even when Apple Bear got up to head to the bamboo forest for a meal. When Apple Bear returned, it had brought back a bunch of bamboo shoots for Ye Yunian.

The bear tried waking Ye Yunian, gently nudging the little bear sprawled out with his belly up, but Ye Yunian merely turned over and kept on snoring softly, undisturbed.

Apple Bear didn’t attempt to wake him again, but every now and then, it would check Ye Yunian’s breathing to ensure everything was fine. Once reassured that the little bear was just sound asleep, Apple Bear finally felt at ease.

Ye Yunian slept straight through until the sun was high in the sky. They had arrived the previous evening at a gentle slope where a dense bamboo forest grew. Below the slope was a cliff, with a few trees scattered nearby.

When Ye Yunian woke up, still a bit groggy, he looked around and didn’t see Apple Bear but noticed the pile of bamboo shoots it had brought him. After a whole night without eating, he was incredibly hungry. But that hunger was quickly overshadowed by the fact that Apple Bear was nowhere to be seen.

Leaping to his feet, Ye Yunian hurriedly followed the bear’s scent to find him. When he reached the cliffside, he realized it wasn’t very high—just two or three meters, which he could easily jump down from.

At the bottom of the cliff was a stretch of land carved out by flowing water, and there, standing in the river, was Apple Bear.

Wait… a river!

Ye Yunian’s eyes lit up with excitement. Was the reason Apple Bear had traveled so far yesterday to bring him to this river?

The river was broad, even wider than the one where they encountered the black bear, but the current here was much gentler. The abundant aquatic plants along the shore suggested that this river was teeming with fish, and it was much safer than the last one.

Overjoyed, Ye Yunian didn’t even bother to eat. He scrambled down the cliff, his climbing skills honed from following Apple Bear across mountains and rivers for some time. This small height was nothing to him.

Sliding down the cliff, Ye Yunian sprinted toward Apple Bear, calling out to him as he ran. Apple Bear, standing in the slow-moving water, glanced at him but didn’t respond.

Apple Bear had noticed Ye Yunian waking up earlier, but it was too focused on hunting to acknowledge him. The bear returned its attention to the water, patiently watching the fish beneath the surface.

It stood in a deep part of the river, where the water reached up to its limbs, leaving only half of its back exposed. The depth meant that the area was filled with fish.

It was mid-April, the perfect time for fish to spawn.

Apple Bear stood there for a long time, patiently waiting as schools of fish passed by its feet. But none of these fish were what the bear was after, so it didn’t make a move.

Then, a few plump fish with slightly swollen bellies slowly swam past its hind legs.

Seizing the moment, Apple Bear lunged forward.

From where Ye Yunian was standing, he only saw the splash of water. In barely a second, Apple Bear resurfaced, turning around with a still-flopping fish clutched in its mouth.

Ye Yunian jumped up in excitement.

Apple Bear was amazing! The way it pounced and caught the fish was so cool! And what a big, fat fish it had caught—much larger than any fish Ye Yunian had ever caught himself.

His eyes sparkled as he imagined the river teeming with even more of these large fish, and he was eager to try his hand at fishing too.

Apple Bear, now back on the shore, shook off the water before walking over to Ye Yunian, dropping the fish at his feet.

Ye Yunian knew this fish was a gift from Apple Bear. His stomach growled, and without any hesitation, he accepted the fish.

After days of fishing, Ye Yunian had gotten quite good at preparing fish. First, he bit off the head, which he disliked, and then went to remove the innards. As he cut into the fish’s belly, something yellow caught his eye.

Huh?

Curious, Ye Yunan leaned in for a closer look. Fish eggs!

Looking up at Apple Bear, Ye Yunian saw the bear gazing back at him. Understanding dawned on him—Apple Bear had not only caught a fish for him but had also specifically chosen one full of roe.

Overcome with emotion, Ye Yunian felt tears welling up.

Without hesitation, he devoured the fish roe. The fresh eggs burst in his mouth, each bite deliciously sweet and tender!

Ye Yunian fell in love with the taste after just one bite.

Seeing how happy Ye Yunian was while eating, Apple Bear couldn’t help but feel a strange emotion rise within him—something he had felt before.

It was the same feeling he had when he found the first bamboo shoot after the winter passed, and again when he ate his first apple from Ye Yunian.

It was an odd emotion, one Apple Bear didn’t yet fully understand, but it was happiness.

Ye Yunian, who was famished, quickly finished the fish. But one fish wasn’t enough to fill him, and he licked his lips, still wanting more.

Noticing this, Apple Bear turned and headed back toward the river.

Ye Yunian, wanted to follow, but after taking just a few steps, his stomach growled loudly in protest.

No way. He needed to eat something more before he passed out from hunger!

Without hesitation, Ye Yunian headed back up the slope to grab some bamboo shoots.

While Ye Yunian busied himself with eating bamboo, Apple Bear caught fish after fish. Every time Ye Yunian finished five or six shoots, Apple Bear would bring back another fat fish.

At first, Ye Yunian ate all the fish, but eventually, he was too full to continue, so Apple Bear joined him, eating alongside him. While Apple Bear didn’t love fish as much as Ye Yunian, the fish during this season were fatty, and the roe was especially delicious, so it ate quite a bit.

Once they were both full, the two chubby pandas lay on the riverbank, cleaning their paws and faces. Apple Bear, still damp from the river, basked in the warm sun, quickly drying off.

Feeling the warmth, Apple Bear rolled over, exposing its back to the sun for a bit more drying.

At that moment, Ye Yunian suddenly stood up.

Apple Bear watched him head toward the river but didn’t stop him. The river wasn’t dangerous as long as Ye Yunian stayed in the shallow areas.

As Ye Yunian approached the water, he glanced back at Apple Bear, who showed no signs of stopping him, which made him even more excited.

Though his past experience of nearly being swept away by the current had taught him to be cautious, he wasn’t planning on taking any risks. His belly was still full from the fish and bamboo shoots.

Instead, Ye Yunian wanted to see if he could find any small treats along the water’s edge, like river shrimp, clams, or crabs.

He spent some time turning over rocks in the riverbed and was delighted when he found a few river shrimp. But they were small and quick, darting away as soon as he spotted them.

After several failed attempts to catch shrimp, Ye Yunian turned his attention to crabs.

Catching crabs proved much more successful. Although crabs could scuttle quickly, their sideways movements and larger size made them easier to grab.

After two tries, Ye Yunian proudly caught two crabs. Excitedly, he brought his catch back to Apple Bear.

Apple Bear, who had been resting with its eyes closed, lazily opened one eye when it sensed Ye Yunian approaching.

Ye Yunian, eager to share his find, placed the crabs on Apple Bear’s belly like an offering. He had been careful while catching them, but the crabs were small compared to the large panda, and most of their legs had already broken off.

Apple Bear looked down at the small, dark object on its belly, unsure what to make of it.

Ye Yunian picked up one of the crabs and held it near Apple Bear’s mouth, his eyes sparkling with excitement, urging the bear to try it.

Apple Bear hesitated, but seeing Ye Yunian’s eager expression, it opened its mouth.

The crab’s shell was hard, but no match for the panda’s powerful jaws. With a few crunchy bites, Apple Bear had devoured the crab, as easily as if it were an apple.

Seeing that Apple Bear had accepted his offering, Ye Yunian was overjoyed. He quickly tossed the other crab into his own mouth.

Crunch, crunch—

Ye Yunan’s chewing came to an abrupt stop.

A second later, he opened his mouth and spat out the half-chewed crab with a disgusted expression.

What was that?!

Why did it taste like mud—so fishy and awful?!

Of course it tasted bad. The crabs were tiny, with barely any meat, and Ye Yunan had eaten the whole thing, shell and all. Naturally, all he could taste was mud and fishiness.

Realizing this, Ye Yunan felt a pang of guilt. He glanced over at Apple Bear, just in time to meet its gaze.

Apple Bear’s eyes were as beautiful and gentle as always, but at that moment, Ye Yunian thought he saw a different emotion in them—one of quiet resignation.

It was as if Apple Bear was silently asking, Can you please stop catching terrible food for me?

With the taste of mud still lingering in his mouth,
he closed his eyes in shame.
　　No more!
　　Never again!
　　Apple Bear is really wronged.