Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t want to go into too much detail, in case her description of the salt fruit didn’t perfectly match what they would find in this world and ended up misleading them.

Even so, the beastmen’s eyes lit up, their excitement barely contained.

“This is great! The tribe is saved!”

“Hu Jiao Jiao, you’re truly the blessing of our tribe!”

“Chief, let’s go searching for this fruit tomorrow…”

Hu Jiao Jiao hadn’t expected them to believe her so readily. Still, she had no intention of sharing the salt from her own supplies. She needed to protect herself and, most importantly, her little ones and family before she could help others.

“One more thing,” she added, “these fruits aren’t eaten much by wild animals, so they should still be on the trees, untouched.”

In autumn, forest creatures also stock up for the winter, leaving few fruits behind. By the time the beastmen went to search, they’d hardly find any left.

The beastmen made note of this detail, nodding.

The crowd thanked her repeatedly, but Hu Jiao Jiao felt a strange sensation—almost like someone was watching her. She glanced around but saw nothing unusual, just the grateful faces of the tribe members.

She shook her head, dismissing it as her imagination.

“Ying Yuan,” the chief said, “station a few more beastmen here to guard the cave. Report any changes to me immediately. We can’t afford to lose any more of our supplies.”

“I understand, Chief,” Ying Yuan nodded.

With that, the tribe’s tension eased, and they finally dispersed. Hu Jiao Jiao and Long Mo also headed back home.

But on the way back, Hu Jiao Jiao noticed Long Mo looking at her oddly, and a small pang of worry gnawed at her. Had he seen through her lie?

Just as she lowered her head, racking her brain for an excuse, Long Mo broke the silence.

“From now on, I’ll hunt more. If there’s anything you want to eat, just tell me.”

“Huh?” Hu Jiao Jiao looked up, surprised by his sudden offer, peering up at the tall, serious beastman beside her.

“I might not be very strong,” Long Mo continued, his face solemn, “but I can still provide for you and the cubs. You shouldn’t go hungry.”

“Oh.” Startled by his intensity, Hu Jiao Jiao simply nodded. His expression was so earnest, she found herself instinctively agreeing.

Long Mo’s brow stayed furrowed, his mind racing.

She must be so hungry that she’s willing to go foraging for small fruits.

He felt ashamed, convinced he’d failed her as a mate by not even providing enough food.

As he glanced down at her petite, slender frame, Long Mo resolved that he’d ensure she never went hungry again. He would make sure she became well-fed and healthy.

Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t fully understand why he had said these things but breathed a small sigh of relief. She walked beside him with her head down, not noticing the subtle determination growing in his gaze.

After seeing her home, Long Mo headed out again.

Hu Jiao Jiao assumed he was off to hunt and thought nothing more of it. In the morning rush to visit the salt cave, she hadn’t had time to make breakfast. Her five little cubs had already woken up and, finding the house empty, had cheerfully tidied up the place and run off to play with their slingshots, scaring the birds up in the trees.

While Hu Jiao Jiao was busy cooking, Long Linger came running into the yard, holding a small, lifeless sparrow.

“Mom! I hit a bird!” she called, holding up the sparrow proudly. “I was the first to hit one, Mom! Am I awesome?”

“You’re amazing, Linger! I didn’t expect you to be even better at this than your brothers,” Hu Jiao Jiao praised her with genuine surprise.

When Hu Jiao Jiao had first tried the slingshot herself, she could barely get the stone to go a few feet. These little ones truly were talented, full of potential.

Hearing this, the other cubs sighed, looking at the twelve or so little bird carcasses they’d hidden under the dirt. Long Yu and Long Zhong, who had been the main hunters, exchanged helpless glances.

But she’s our sister, after all, they thought. If it makes her happy, she can have the title.

Long Xiu, meanwhile, was smiling gently. He hadn’t managed to hit any birds but had managed to graze one’s wing. For him, that small success was more than enough.

Long Yao, on the other hand, was a pure troublemaker, missing every single shot. Yet he was blissfully unaware of his failure, and his tail wagged cheerfully behind him.

Without him startling so many birds, they could have caught even more. But as it was, they’d had to bury the extra birds to hide them from Long Linger, who might feel disappointed if she knew.

“Oh…” Long Yu and Long Zhong sighed in unison.

Meanwhile, Long Linger, still clutching her little sparrow as if it were a precious treasure, chirped, “Mom, I want to give you this bird. It’s the first prey I caught, and I want you to have it!”

She beamed with pride. Helping her mother made her feel like a grown-up.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked at the tiny, thin sparrow and, trying not to laugh, nodded, “Alright, thank you, Linger. I’ll clean it up and make it delicious.”

While the task was fiddly, she didn’t want to dampen her daughter’s excitement.

“I can do it, Mom! I’ll prepare it myself!” Long Linger quickly added, worried her mother would turn her down.

“Alright then. Just be careful with the knife, okay?” Hu Jiao Jiao smiled and handed her a small knife.

“Thank you, mom! You’re the best!” Long Linger took the knife excitedly, her eyes crinkling with joy as she bounced her way to the riverbank.

The cubs loved being close to Hu Jiao Jiao. Linger, especially, had often watched her mom clean and prepare game, observing closely. Now, knife in hand, she focused on her tiny catch, completely serious, even though it was just a small bird.

She grasped the bird delicately and, with a steady grip, made precise cuts to drain the blood and pluck the feathers. Her small, soft face was full of concentration, not letting the tiny size of her prey make her careless.

With surprising skill, Dragon Linger removed the sparrow’s tiny bones, leaving the meat clean and ready to eat. One by one, she lined the thin, almost hair-like bones up on the riverbank, having stripped every trace of meat from them.

Soon, a small handful of boneless sparrow meat rested in her hands.

“All done! Now it’s ready to eat!” she cheered, her little face glowing with pride. She carefully washed the knife, then cradled her sparrow meat in her hands as she made her way back to Hu Jiao Jiao.