Long Xiu retracted his hand and shrugged. “Big Brother, how long do you think it would take her to notice if your hands stopped working?”

Thinking of Hu Jiao Jiao’s furrowed brows, Long Yu instinctively hid one hand behind his back. “Let’s go home.”

He supported Long Xiu as they walked silently, each in mutual understanding.

However, just after they left, the tree Long Yu had punched a thousand times began to crack—starting from the topmost branch. The sound was faint, yet two cracks spread like waves down the trunk, creeping several inches before stopping.

---

Evening

After Hu Jiao Jiao sent away the beastmen who were building the stone house, she started making dinner.

The progress of the stone house was faster than expected. In just two days, they’d almost finished the foundation. She suspected that if Long Mo were here, it might have been completed today.

And she’d noticed something else. As she explained the stone house plans, the beastmen picked things up faster and seemed sharper than usual, as if suddenly more focused.

At this rate, the house might even be done in less than a month.

Seeing the cubs looking tired, she decided to cook them their favorite dish: grilled fish. Sure enough, the sight of grilled fish brought a spark to their eyes, and they perked up with eager smiles.

Even Long Xiu, smelling the enticing aroma, couldn’t resist licking his lips.

Watching them, Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but chuckle. It was like she was raising a litter of little foxes—proud, aloof, and obsessed with fish.

The freshly grilled fish was hot, releasing a savory steam that filled the air, making the cubs’ mouths water. Long Yao even pressed his face close to the table, his eyes wide and mouth open, leaving a small puddle of drool on the table’s edge.

Since the cubs couldn’t handle spice, she seasoned their portion lightly, adding a hint of pepper. But she liked her fish spicy, so she added extra heat. As Long Yao breathed in, the scent made him choke, and, tears started streaming down his face.

“Haha! Look at you, Xiao Wu! You’re even crying over it!” Long Ling’er laughed, clutching her stomach, while Long Yu helped Long Yao wipe his “tears” and pulled his chair away from the table. “Don’t sit too close. Mom’s fish has a strong smell.”

Hu Jiao Jiao set down the last dish, noticing Long Yao’s red, watery eyes as he stared, pitifully unable to come closer.

“What happened?” she asked with a chuckle, placing a bowl of steamed eggs in front of each cub. “If it’s too salty, you can eat some of this to cleanse your palate.”

“Xiao Wu got too eager and inhaled the spice,” Long Ling’er explained, swinging her short legs gleefully.

Hu Jiao Jiao moved her own spicy fish farther away, then gently coaxed him, “It’s okay now, Yao’er. Go ahead and eat.”

Long Yao sniffed, catching the aroma of the steamed eggs, and wasted no time in flying over to his bowl. He sat by the edge, waiting eagerly.

“Go ahead, it’s all yours.” Jiao Jiao nodded, giving the green light to start.

Long Yao dug right in, wrapping his tail around the spoon and shoveling in mouthfuls of steamed egg. He loved the soft, delicate texture even more than the grilled fish.

“Awoo, awoo~ so good!”

His red eyes narrowed with bliss, but after a few bites, the spoon felt bothersome. With a determined tug, he separated the egg from the bowl, then dipped his head in directly, slurping noisily.

Meanwhile, Long Xiu ate slowly and carefully, mindful not to spill or soil his clothes, holding each bite with his left hand. Long Yu and Long Zhong shared the tender fish belly with Ling’er, mindful of the bones.

The five cubs savored every bite, feeling content.

The first night without Dad was going great!

After dinner, the cubs washed up and went to bed. As usual, Hu Jiao Jiao took the dishes to the river to wash. When she returned, she noticed a small shadow lying on her bed.

“Yao’er? What are you doing here?”

She approached and saw Long Yao, his belly round from dinner, rolling around uncomfortably.

“Awoo…”

Long Yao let out a faint whimper, curling into a tight ball, tucking his neck under his body and peeking out with watery, red eyes, looking utterly miserable.

Alarmed, Hu Jiao Jiao rushed over.

“What’s wrong? Are you feeling sick?”

Long Yao managed a weak nod, then shook his head, too uncomfortable to speak.

Not expecting an answer, Hu Jiao Jiao reached out to feel his head. It was burning.

“You’re so hot! You seemed fine during dinner,” she muttered, frowning. Quickly, she took out a cooling pad from her space, sticking it gently on his forehead, then wiped him down with alcohol to help bring down his temperature.

Little Long Yao lay there like a limp fish, barely moving as she cleaned him. Every so often, he’d squirm in discomfort before curling back up tightly, as if bracing himself.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s heart ached. He must have felt so awful to come seek her out, yet he hadn’t made a sound about it.

But why was he suddenly running a fever?

“Did you eat something bad?” She felt his round belly but ruled that out. Food poisoning would have had other symptoms.

As she debated taking him to the healer, she suddenly heard the voices of the other cubs.

“Xiao Wu, where did you go?”

“Xiao Wu, come out already, stop hiding!”

“Mom! Something’s wrong! Xiao Wu is missing!”

The cubs’ voices grew nearer, sounding like they’d already searched outside before finally coming to her.

Long Ling’er’s face peeked into the room, her eyes red-rimmed with worry, about to call out again when she spotted Long Yao lying beside Hu Jiao Jiao.

“Xiao Wu?”

Relief washed over her face, and she turned to shout back at her brothers, “Big Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Xiao Wu is here with Mom!”

The next moment, the other three rushed into the room.

“What’s wrong, Xiao Wu?” Long Yu frowned, noticing his little brother’s discomfort.

“What did you do to him?” Long Zhong’s face darkened as he yanked the cooling pad off Long Yao’s head, glaring accusingly at Hu Jiao Jiao.

Seeing Long Yao’s miserable state brought up painful memories of his own injuries. Deep-seated fears made him immediately assume the worst—that Hu Jiao Jiao was hurting them again.

Just then, Long Ling’er leaned in closer, and her eyes went wide with excitement.

“Xiao Wu isn’t sick. He’s about to transform!”