Hu Jiao Jiao paused, her hands still brushing dust off the fallen clothes.

“But your clothes are already torn and dirty from the journey. Why don’t you let me wash them for you?”

She glanced at the travel-worn beast-skin cloak Long Mo wore, with several holes and scrapes from the road.

“I said no. I didn’t ask you to make clothes for me, and I don’t need them,” he replied, his voice sharp and unyielding.

She could save her clothes for Ying Yuan.

Then, he glanced dismissively at the clothes in her hands and added, “They’re ugly.”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s smile faltered, and a flash of anger stirred within her. She had put so much care into sewing these clothes, stitch by stitch. If he didn’t like them, did he have to be so harsh?

Brows knitted, she shot back, “Fine! Who cares anyway? I just made them for practice. If you don’t want them, I’ll use them as a mat instead.”

With that, she stormed off, clutching the clothes, and tossed them into the house.

Long Mo’s face darkened further at her response.

So this was her true attitude: the clothes were just a leftover afterthought, nothing more than scraps. Face hard, he turned and left the courtyard.

The five cubs stared in stunned silence as he strode away, leaving their mother standing in the yard, clearly frustrated and upset.

“That was too much! How could Dad treat Mom like that? I don’t like him anymore!” Long Ling’er pouted, her little face scrunched up, a miniature version of her mother’s frown.

Long Xiu and Long Yu were quiet, brows furrowed. Long Yu, serious and stern, looked like a little old man, while Long Xiu clenched his slingshot as if it were Long Mo’s neck.

“I think he was right. If he thinks it’s ugly, what’s wrong with not wanting to wear it?” Long Zhong scoffed, rolling his eyes.

“Awoo!” came an outraged yelp. Third Brother had better not call Mom’s clothes ugly! Mom’s clothes were the best in the world!

With an indignant squeal, Long Yao swooped onto Long Zhong’s head, clawing at his hair and slapping his tail across his face.

“Hey! Xiao Wu, you want a beating?!” Long Zhong snarled, reaching up to grab Long Yao’s tail, but his quick tail only flicked away, repeatedly smacking Long Zhong’s face.

Finally, Long Yao spat a little droplet of spit at Long Zhong’s face, then shot off into the air, smirking down from above.

“Long Yao! Come down here if you dare! I’ll give you a good thrashing!” Long Zhong yelled, furious.

Long Yu just sighed, rubbing his temples as he led Long Xiu away from the chaos to a safe distance.

“Mom, don’t be sad. Dad is the one with something wrong in his head—or his eyes. Your clothes are not ugly at all. I love them the most!” Long Ling’er rushed over to Hu Jiao Jiao, hugging her arm and shaking it, her soft voice like a little stream, washing over Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart.

“Yes, Ling’er, you’re the sweetest. Mother’s not angry,” Hu Jiao Jiao smiled, ruffling Ling’er’s hair.

Seeing her daughter’s thoughtful concern eased her frustration, although she felt a bit regretful about her earlier words. Long Mo already disliked her, so her outburst had probably just made it worse.

She let out a deep sigh.

Plans never seemed to go the way she intended; everything always ended up twisted and far off course. Trying to change Long Mo’s opinion of her seemed harder than she had imagined.

Hu Jiao Jiao shook her head, mentally scolding herself for her impulsive words. If she wanted to earn Long Mo’s trust, she had to work on keeping her temper.

To Ling’er, though, her mother’s sigh looked like a sign of being heartbroken by Long Mo’s behavior. Ling’er’s wide eyes sparkled with frustration. This time, Father had gone too far and truly hurt Mother’s feelings!

After sulking for a bit, Hu Jiao Jiao put the matter aside and went to prepare fish for dinner.

But when evening came, Long Mo didn’t return.

Hu Jiao Jiao waited for a while, and when it was clear he wouldn’t come back, she called the cubs for dinner.

The meal was quiet, heavier than usual; an uncomfortable tension filled the silence, even more stifling than the times they’d been scolded. The only exception was Long Yao, who munched away, oblivious to the tension.

Late into the night, as everyone slept, a tall, slightly weary figure appeared outside the yard, casting a lingering look toward the little wooden house before he climbed up into his usual tree.

The next morning, Long Mo rose early and headed to the chief’s home.

When Hu Jiao Jiao woke, she saw the yard just as she had left it, and the meat she’d set out for him hadn’t been touched.

“It looks like he didn’t come back last night… where could he have gone?” she muttered, worry clouding her face. But worries aside, she still had her chores to do.

After finishing breakfast, she gathered up the water bucket, remembering her promise to catch some fish for the cubs.

Just as she reached for it, a cheerful, booming voice sounded from outside.

“Little Sis! Guess what I brought for you!”

Before Hu Jiao Jiao could see who it was, her older brother’s voice rang out like a brass bell. Soon, a figure came bounding into the yard—it was her Fourth Brother, Hu Qingyuan.

“Fourth Brother? What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be out hunting already?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked in surprise.

Unlike how their parents doted on Hu Jiao Jiao, they held her four brothers in strict discipline, believing that the younger a male was, the more he needed to train and build strength to secure a good future partner.

This meant that Hu Qingyuan was usually out hunting every day, rain or shine. For beastmen, hunting skill was synonymous with strength.

He wasn’t the only one; her other three brothers had been through the same training, and all the prey they caught would be given to Hu Jiao Jiao as a gift.

Skidding to a stop in front of her, Hu Qingyuan pulled a thin, polished tool from behind his back and held it out proudly.

“Look what I’ve got for you! I didn’t sleep a wink last night, but I got it done. It’s a special bone needle, crafted just for you by your big brother, Hu Qingyuan!”