“Third Brother, is there something wrong with your eyes? You don’t even recognize me, hmph!”

Long Ling’er felt refreshed, but she was unaware of how much she had changed. She thought they were teasing her on purpose and puffed up her cheeks in annoyance.

Long Zhong rubbed his nose and muttered under his breath, “She looks pretty now, but her temper is still just as bad…”

“Third Brother, what are you saying about me again?”

“Nothing, nothing. I was just saying how pretty you are!” For once, Long Zhong didn’t respond with his usual sharp tongue.

In the past, Long Ling’er used to roll around in the mud with them, just like a scruffy little boy. They never thought of her as any different.

Seeing such a fair, cute little female all of a sudden, they almost thought she had been swapped by the Vicious female.

Long Yu, however, felt guilty. He blamed himself for not being capable enough in the past. While other little girls were pampered, Ling’er had to suffer alongside them.

It seemed the Vicious female had really changed for the better, even helping Ling’er bathe personally. After all, females were different from them. Now Ling’er had a mother to dote on her like other little girls. How wonderful.

“Hmph! I’m not talking to you anymore.” Long Ling’er pouted, then turned to Long Yu, spun around, and asked expectantly, “Big Brother, what do you think about my new clothes?”

A rare, affectionate smile appeared on Long Yu’s face. “Beautiful. Ling’er is the prettiest.”

Long Yao was the most excited, flying in front of Long Ling’er, sniffing here and there, his round little eyes filled with curiosity.

Long Xiu, standing behind the others, looked on with empty eyes, his pale lips pressed together. A hint of yearning flashed across his face.

If only he could see too…

Each cub was lost in their own thoughts.

Hu Jiao Jiao came back with fresh, warm water after pouring out the dirty bathwater, ready to grab another cub for a bath.

“Who’s next?”

The cubs stared at her in shock, unsure of what was happening.

“Do we have to bathe too?” Long Zhong asked, eye-wide in disbelief.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked serious and said matter-of-factly, “Of course you do. You little stinky cubs, how can you wear new clothes if you’re not clean? Do you want to get your new clothes all dirty?”

Before the cubs could answer, she walked forward, grabbed Long Zhong, and pulled him toward the large basin, starting to strip off his dirty clothes.

Long Zhong immediately covered his fur skirt, gripping it tightly with both hands. His eyes widened in anger, making him look like a little girl being violated.

“What are you doing! Don’t touch my clothes!”

His childish voice carried an aggressive tone, like a little lion with its fur standing on end.

“Pfft, is the little guy getting shy?” Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but laugh.

She loved teasing this little one. He would get worked up so easily, making him utterly adorable.

Long Zhong’s expression remained fierce. “Who—who’s shy! Don’t touch me!”

“How can I help you bathe if I don’t touch you?”

“I can bathe myself. I don’t need your fake kindness.”

“Can you really get yourself clean?” Hu Jiao Jiao asked skeptically, looking him up and down.

“I…” Long Zhong, remembering how much cleaner Long Ling’er looked after her bath, suddenly fell silent.

Hu Jiao Jiao chuckled, but then realized that beastmen matured early. At six years old, Long Zhong was already becoming aware, so it was important to respect boundaries.

She let him sit in the tub with his fur skirt on and only helped him wash his hair and back, leaving the rest for him to handle on his own.

Throughout the process, Long Zhong kept his eyes tightly shut, his hands gripping the edge of the basin as if enduring some great torment. He looked utterly miserable.

Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t help but laugh.

Was bathing really that painful?

As she looked at Long Zhong’s tangled, messy hair, she decided to trim it just as she had done with Long Ling’er. But this time, Long Zhong fiercely objected.

“No! If you touch my hair, I swear—I’m not cutting it!” He covered his head with both hands, his wet hair sticking to his cheeks, his dark eyes flashing with a touch of red.

It was as if cutting his hair was worse than death.

Hu Jiao Jiao was taken aback, unable to understand why he was reacting so strongly.

Softening her voice, she tried to coax him, “Zhong’er, your hair is all tangled. Let me trim it a little, it’ll grow back.”

But Long Zhong seemed agitated, yelling as he shoved her away, “No! I know you’re doing this on purpose! You want everyone to see my scars and laugh at me. Go away! Leave me alone!”

Only then did Hu Jiao Jiao realize he didn’t want to cut his hair because he wanted to hide the scars on his face. She quickly reassured him.

“Alright, alright, we won’t cut your hair. I’ll just dry it for you, okay?”

But Long Zhong backed away, refusing to go near her again.

Worried he might catch a cold, Hu Jiao Jiao handed him a towel, letting him dry himself.

As she cleaned up the bathwater, Hu Jiao Jiao noticed that the cubs were looking at her differently—more distant than before, even though their relationship had improved recently.

She couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.

After his bath, Long Zhong silently left the courtyard, and none of the other cubs followed him.

Hu Jiao Jiao knew he wouldn’t go far and that if she approached, he would only get angrier. She had to wait for him to calm down. In the meantime, she continued to bathe the rest of the cubs under the warm sunlight.

Long Yu and Long Xiu were much calmer and cooperated throughout the process. Soon, she had washed two more buckets of black water and given them both neat, handsome haircuts.

Long Yao, who hadn’t had his turn yet, grew anxious, bouncing around and calling out, afraid Hu Jiao Jiao would forget him.

Finally, she bathed the little guy and tied a spotted bow on him. Delighted, he crawled into her lap, making her laugh as he tickled her with his excitement.

Yet, deep down, Hu Jiao Jiao couldn’t shake her worry about Long Zhong’s unusual behavior.

At some point, Long Xiu had quietly approached her. His calm, cool voice suddenly broke the silence.

“When he was five, Third Brother had just learned to take human form but still couldn’t fully control his body. Big Brother had been sent out by you to find food, but before he came back, you made Third Brother start the fire to cook.”

Hearing Long Xiu’s words, Hu Jiao Jiao felt a sinking feeling in her chest, an ominous sense of dread. She quickly asked, “And then what?”

As soon as she spoke, Hu Jiao Jiao realized her reaction had been too intense and softened her tone.

“Xiu Xiu, actually, after I hit my head the other day, I’ve forgotten some things about when you were younger.”

Long Xiu seemed startled, as if this had just occurred to him. He pressed his lips together, a bitter, cold smile appearing on his face, as chilling as winter frost.

“And then?”

“Third Brother did as you asked and started the fire, but while roasting the meat, he accidentally fell into the flames, burning half his face. Instead of helping him, you scolded him for ruining the meat.”

“The beastmen in the tribe said Third Brother used to be the most handsome, always admiring himself by the river. But after that day, he covered his face with his hair and never smiled again. Cutting his hair now would be like taking his life.”

Hu Jiao Jiao was stunned, her chest heavy as if weighed down by a boulder.

No wonder Long Zhong hated her the most…

No wonder he always spoke to her so harshly.

It turned out that her predecessor had been the one to ruin his face!

She couldn’t imagine the pain a five-year-old cub must have felt as fire burned his face, but the emotional scars left by the predecessor’s coldness and cruelty must have been far worse.

Her eyes stung with tears as another thought suddenly struck her. She turned to Long Xiu urgently. “Then your eyes are also…”