“Xiao Wu, can you see anything? What’s happening in there? Come down and tell us!”

“Hurry up, Xiao Wu! If you didn’t see anything, just come down and let me go up!”

Outside the courtyard, four of the cubs were gathered under a tree. Tiny Long Yao had climbed up, nestling among the leaves with just his large red eyes visible, watching the two figures inside with rapt attention.

The other four cubs waited impatiently below, urging him on, but Long Yao was entirely absorbed in what he was watching, his tail leisurely swishing back and forth. He ignored their calls as if he couldn’t hear them at all.

“Xiao Wu, do you have an itch? Do you want me to scratch it for you?” Long Zhong growled, shaking his fists in mock threat.

If they weren’t too big to climb up without getting spotted by their father, they wouldn’t have let Xiao Wu, that slowpoke, be the one watching.

Only then did Long Yao stick his tongue out, reluctantly pull back his head, and float down from the tree.

As he landed, the four waiting cubs eagerly looked at him, and he, with his tail tip, formed a heart shape in the air and struck a proud pose.

Hmph! He thought. You might grumble about how much I eat, but in the end, you need me when it counts!

“Have Mom and Dad reconciled?” Long Ling’er beamed, her eyes bright with joy, unable to keep from grinning.

“If they still don’t get along after all this, then there’s no hope for Dad,” Long Zhong snorted, rolling his eyes.

Long Yu and Long Xiu, both of whom had looked so tense before, now let the smallest hint of smiles cross their faces. The five cubs had been doing everything they could to help their parents make peace.

“Can we go home now?” Long Zhong asked, already heading back. They had actually set out to visit their fourth uncle Hu Qingyuan and would have been back hours ago if Long Ling’er hadn’t insisted they stay away a little longer, saying it would help their parents bond.

Long Yao quickly nodded, his belly rumbling in agreement.

“Howl! Hungry… going home now for Mom’s roasted meat.” The little dragon cub didn’t understand the situation entirely, but he did know that when his mother was in a good mood, her cooking tasted much better.

Long Ling’er stroked his head and comforted him, “Be good, Xiao Wu. I’ll share some of my meat with you later, but let Mom and Dad have some time alone for now, alright?”

Hearing that, Long Yao perked up, nodding eagerly as his tail wagged furiously like a tiny propeller.

“You little glutton. All you think about is food,” Long Zhong teased, though he turned to follow Long Ling’er’s lead and decided to wait a bit longer.

---

Inside the Courtyard

Long Mo held the clothes in his hands, unsure of what to do next. It was the first new set of clothes he’d ever owned. Hu Jiao Jiao smiled encouragingly, “Go on, try them on.”

He hesitated for a moment. He only had this one set, and what if he wore it out? But seeing her expectant expression, he nodded and went inside to change.

When he stepped back outside, he was wearing a brown vest with five-point shorts. The vest was embroidered with a small, majestic black dragon with vivid golden eyes that seemed almost alive.

The vest covered his well-toned muscles, accentuating his frame in a way that made him look even more powerful. Wearing these clothes, Long Mo looked like a completely different person—the dark aura around him replaced by a dignified, almost noble air.

Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but marvel at how much a change of clothes could transform someone. Now he really looks like a majestic Dragon King, she thought.

While she admired him, Long Mo reached behind him and pulled out a pair of large, light-gray boxers, looking puzzled.

“What is this? Is it also clothing?” he asked, his tone serious.

Hu Jiao Jiao froze, feeling her temples start to throb. Summoning her composure, she said, “Yes, it’s… also clothing.”

Long Mo frowned, clearly confused. “But it’s so small… where am I supposed to wear it?”

Hu Jiao Jiao’s cheeks turned bright red, and she struggled for words. How was she supposed to explain underwear to him? How could she tell him it was meant for… down there?

Under his curious gaze, she finally gritted her teeth and pointed toward his lower half. “There. You wear it… underneath.”

Long Mo followed her gaze, then looked back at the boxers, carefully examining them before nodding in understanding.

“I see,” he said.

Hu Jiao Jiao barely managed to keep a straight face as she urged, “Go put them on then. I need to start making dinner.”

Please, no more questions, she thought, I don’t know how I would even answer them.

Long Mo didn’t question her further. Thinking this was something all females wore, he went inside and put them on.

When he returned, Hu Jiao Jiao was setting up to cook, using two stones to hold up an iron plate for grilling fish. She looked over and noticed Long Mo standing there with a strange expression on his face.

“Is something wrong? Does… does it not fit?” she asked, wondering at his somber expression.

“No, it fits,” he said after a long pause, his voice low and rough.

“This is the first new clothing I’ve ever had,” he admitted quietly. “Growing up, I never had any real clothes, not even proper animal skin.”

Hu Jiao Jiao felt a pang of sympathy as she remembered the old, roughly cut pelt he used to wear. She hadn’t thought much of it before, but now she understood just how little he had been given.

“When I was born, I had a brother who was born from the same egg as me. I was weaker than him and was not loved by my parents. They gave me nothing except food to prevent me from starving to death.”

The only coverings he ever had were old, raw pelts, heavy with dried blood and the stench of death. Even when he was cast out, he wasn’t allowed a proper covering. He had often wished they’d just let him die rather than suffer like that.