Upon hearing that the meat would be spoiled, Long Yao jolted up, baring his teeth and showing a fierce expression. But when he realized that it was Hu Jiao Jiao who wanted to spoil the meat, he immediately switched to an innocent and cute expression, tilting his head and blinking at her as if to say, “Mother, however you prepare the meat, I’ll eat it. I’m not picky!”

Knowing that the little ones misunderstood, Hu Jiao Jiao chuckled and explained, “The meat won’t spoil. Smoking it will preserve it for a long time. I’m doing this so we can store the meat longer.”

Upon hearing this, Long Ling’er visibly relaxed. “Mother, how long is ‘a long time’? Can it last for ten days?” Long Ling’er asked curiously. “If it can last ten days, we can wait until father brings back more prey, and we won’t go hungry.”

Meat stored in autumn would spoil after ten days. In summer, it would even grow bugs.

Long Mo…

Hu Jiao Jiao’s smile faltered. She suddenly remembered that if Hou Xiaotiao could no longer deliver the prey, she would have to meet Long Mo herself to collect it. The thought of meeting the notorious villain from the book—one who was bloodthirsty and ruthless—made her nervous. To maintain his goodwill, she knew she couldn’t let him live in the forest any longer. He needed to move back to the tribe. While she enjoyed being with the adorable little ones, the idea of living with Long Mo was akin to cohabiting with a complete stranger, and she felt overwhelmed.

“Meat won’t last ten days, you’re being fooled, Ling’er. How can you believe that?” Long Zhong’s sudden, cold remark interrupted Hu Jiao Jiao’s thoughts.

With a gentle tone, Hu Jiao Jiao replied, “It will last much longer than ten days. Smoked meat can be preserved for several months.”

“Wow! Does that mean we can save it until winter and still have meat to eat?” Long Ling’er exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement.

“Exactly,” Hu Jiao Jiao replied with a smile.

For these little ones, not going hungry was the greatest happiness.

Except for Long Yao, who was still confused, the other three were visibly shocked. Meat could last that long? No one in the tribe had ever heard of this. How did she know?

Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t give them a chance to ask more questions. She set up the meal for each child and cut the three roasted deer legs into six portions, reserving one boneless portion, sliced into pieces, for Long Yao.

The delicious aroma filled the air, and the children quickly forgot their doubts, staring eagerly at Hu Jiao Jiao’s every move.

After arranging the food, Hu Jiao Jiao turned off the stove. She noticed the children sitting upright, their dark eyes fixed on her. “What are you waiting for? You can’t get full by just staring,” she said, amused.

Long Yao sniffed the air but held back, knowing he couldn’t eat until his mother said so.

Long Ling’er licked her lips and said sweetly, “Mother, you eat first.”

The other three children nodded in agreement, though they clearly wanted to dive in.

Hu Jiao Jiao knew they weren’t just being polite. They feared that if they ate first, she might get angry. So, she sat down with them on the ground, since they didn’t have chairs or tables, and picked up her own portion.

“Alright, let’s eat together.”

Seeing Hu Jiao Jiao start eating, the children followed suit, devouring their food eagerly.

After the meal, Hu Jiao Jiao headed to the river to wash the dishes and her dirty animal-skin skirt. Under the moonlight, she tidied the yard and went back inside, where the children had already settled down on their straw beds, unlike last time when they had run out of the yard.

Tired from the day, Hu Jiao Jiao lay down on her bed to rest. Just as she closed her eyes, she felt something move in her arms. She opened her eyes to see a little black dragon snuggling against her hand.

Sensing her gaze, the little dragon froze, then quickly curled up, found a comfortable spot, and closed its eyes as if afraid she would shoo it away.

Hu Jiao Jiao was taken aback. These little ones had always been wary of her, but now Long Yao was voluntarily sleeping beside her. Could this mean he had accepted her?

Her heart swelled with joy, and she gently cradled Long Yao, softly patting him to sleep.

She had a peaceful night.

The next morning, Hu Jiao Jiao prepared breakfast and took half a deer from the meat rack. The children woke up to the smell of food, quickly tidying their beds and rushing outside.

Hu Jiao Jiao was about to cut the deer into smaller pieces—it weighed seventy to eighty pounds, and carrying it would be too much. Splitting it in two and using a stick to carry it would make things much easier.

When she saw the children coming out, she greeted them with a smile. “Good morning! Come and have breakfast.”

Long Yao flew over, excitedly circling Hu Jiao Jiao’s head.

The four children glanced warily at the large piece of deer meat on the ground.

Sensing their hesitation, Hu Jiao Jiao explained with a smile, “The animal hides I dried last time became too stiff to wear. I’m going to take this meat to Old Niu Tou and trade it for some hides to make clothes for you.”

Old Niu Tou is the best in tanning animal skins in the tribe, and beastmen often traded meat with him for animal hides. Since they had enough meat, she thought it would be good to exchange some for hides to make new clothes for the children. Once their clothes were made, she could clean them up and raise them to look like the chubby, cute little cubs she adored.

“Mother, we have clothes made from animal skins. We don’t need new ones. Can’t we keep the meat to eat instead?” Long Ling’er asked, looking longingly at the large piece of meat.

Knowing that Ling’er was reluctant to part with the meat, Hu Jiao Jiao lovingly patted her head and reassured her gently.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let you go hungry. We’ll have plenty of meat and new clothes, too.”

The children remained silent.

Sensing their concern, Hu Jiao Jiao added, “I’ll be joining the Picking team from now on. Even in winter, we’ll have food, so you don’t need to worry.”

The children exchanged doubtful glances. Picking team? Was she really going to work to provide for them? They could hardly believe their ears.

Without further explanation, Hu Jiao Jiao served the children some porridge she had prepared. Since Long Yao had an upset stomach yesterday, she avoided oily foods and made porridge mixed with some meat and vegetables for a balanced diet.

She also took six large sweet potatoes from her storage, placing them in the stove’s embers to roast as a snack for later.

The children, unwilling to waste food, finished every last drop of the porridge.

After breakfast, Hu Jiao Jiao reminded the children to stay home and look after the house. She then hoisted the split deer meat onto a makeshift shoulder pole and set off.

According to the book, Old Niu Tou lived in the northern part of the tribe.

Hu Jiao Jiao headed north but hadn’t gone far before a male blocked her path.