Long Mo hurried back to the yard, and seeing no one was there, he rushed into the cabin and started searching through the cubs’ bedding.

“Not here?”

He turned everything upside down, but there was no sign of the new clothes.

Long Mo frowned. He distinctly remembered Hu Jiao Jiao saying she’d use it as extra bedding. Maybe it was in her own room?

He went to Hu Jiao Jiao’s cabin, only to find it empty as well—though he did spot a pile of finely made bone needles on the floor.

Long Mo stopped in his tracks. Those things were so sharp…were they really what she’d used to sew the clothes?

A strange look crossed his golden eyes. He picked up a bone needle and pricked his finger. A sharp pain shot through him, and a bead of blood welled up on his fingertip. He clenched his fist tightly, watching the blood drip, realizing how much pain Hu Jiao Jiao must have endured while using these to make clothing.

After a few moments, he turned and strode out of the cabin, his face set in hard lines.

…

Hu Jiao Jiao carried her empty bucket to the river.

Though there was a small stream near her house, it didn’t have many fish. She decided to go to a larger stream in the tribe where fish were more plentiful. It took her nearly twenty minutes to reach the water. Setting her bucket down, she looked for a good spot to wade in.

Some bare willow-like trees lined the riverbank, their drooping branches touching the water. The river was shallow; the water only reached her knees when she waded to the center.

The water was clear, but as soon as Jiao Jiao stepped in, it muddied. Her keen eyesight, however, allowed her to spot the fish’s movements even in the murky water. She sprinkled some fish food from her space into the water, and soon enough, fish—completely oblivious to the danger—swam eagerly towards the scent.

In the beast world, few beastmen hunted fish aside from some cat beastmen, so the fish here were not wary. It was nothing like the countryside of her childhood, where fish were skittish and quick to dart away at the slightest disturbance.

Hu Jiao Jiao rolled up her sleeves and bent down to start fishing.

However…

Reality was a far cry from her plan.

With no real fishing experience, she found that while these fish weren’t wary, they weren’t exactly stupid either. Every time she touched one’s tail, it darted away. And when she did catch one, it flopped wildly, smacking her in the face with its tail before slipping out of her grasp.

After what felt like an eternity of bending and reaching, her back ached, and she had only managed to catch one small fish.

Barely the length of her finger.

Hu Jiao Jiao stood in the middle of the river, feeling thoroughly defeated. “I can’t believe I’m worse at this than the cubs…”

Finally, she comforted herself, saying, “Fine. Maybe fishing just isn’t for me.”

Releasing the tiny fish back into the water, she quickly scanned the area and, finding it deserted, used the opportunity to pull seven large fish from her space, each weighing over ten pounds. Placing them in her bucket, she gave herself a satisfied nod.

“Today’s haul is… impressive,” she declared.

She said she “caught” it, no one objects, right?

Hu Jiao Jiao lifted the bucket and began heading home, planning to wash the fish in the smaller stream by her house so she wouldn’t disturb the fish in this river, where the cubs enjoyed fishing. But as she turned around, she found herself face-to-face with a woman—Lu Li’s mother.

Seeing her, Hu Jiao Jiao merely turned away and tried to walk past, but Lu’s mother moved to block her path, eyes fixed on the fish.

“Well, well, Jiao Jiao, you’ve got yourself a nice catch! Those fish look plump…”

Lu’s mother stepped closer, her eyes gleaming with greed. Lately, her son Lu Li had been asking her for fish after seeing how well Hu Jiao Jiao cooked it for her cubs. After finding out where Hu Jiao Jiao fished, she decided to try her luck.

She hadn’t expected to find Jiao Hu Jiao with such large fish—each about the size of a small prey.

Salivating at the sight, she reached out to grab one. “Here, Jiao Jiao, these fish must be heavy. Why don’t I help you by taking a few off your hands? You don’t have to thank me—just give me half, and we can call it even for what you did to Lu Li.”

Usually, Lu’s mother was always looking to take advantage, and now, tempted by the sight of so much meat, she even forgot the harsh lesson Hu Jiao Jiao had given her son.

But before she could touch the fish—

Smack!

Her hand was struck sharply away by Hu Jiao Jiao.

“Ow!” Lu’s mother recoiled, blowing on her reddened hand, which was now visibly swollen.

Hu Jiao Jiao remembered all too well how Lu Li had hurt Ling’er, and his mother’s shameless behavior afterward, so she hadn’t held back at all.

“I don’t need your help, and as for what happened between Lu Li and Ling’er, don’t worry—I haven’t forgotten. Even if you have, I’ll remember for the both of us,” Hu Jiao Jiao replied icily.

“You… You wretched girl! You dare hit me?!” Lu’s mother’s eyes widened, her face twisted with rage and shock.

“If you don’t bring those fish to my house right now, I’ll tell the chief you assaulted me! Let’s see if he doesn’t throw you out of the tribe for it!” she shouted, her tone threatening.

But Hu Jiao Jiao merely scoffed, raising a brow and giving her a dispassionate shrug. “Who saw me hit you? You were the one who tried to steal my fish and got bit by it. How can you blame me?”

“You lying little witch!” sputtered Lu’s mother. No one had ever outplayed her before.

Hu Jiao Jiao smiled. “And who could prove otherwise? Frankly, I think it’s you who tried to take my fish.”

Lu’s mother glanced around nervously. There was no one in sight to back her up, and she remembered the chief’s favoritism toward Hu Jiao Jiao.

Hu Jiao Jiao wasted no more time on her, stepping around her and heading home. She had cubs waiting for their meal, after all.

But then Lu’s mother spotted a few passersby in the distance. Suddenly, she threw herself on the ground, flailing and wailing theatrically.

“Help! Somebody help! Hu Jiao Jiao stole the fish I worked so hard to catch! Now she wants to beat me up!”

She rolled across the ground, shouting louder. “Everyone come look! She already put my poor Lu Li in bed for a month, and now she’s out to kill me! How can anyone be so cruel?”