“Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t tell you?” The Chief looked surprised.

Long Mo’s expression darkened upon hearing this.

The Chief, recalling the strained relationship between the two, smiled and quickly reassured him, “Don’t worry about it. She probably didn’t have time to tell you.”

He then repeated everything Hu Jiao Jiao had just discussed.

Long Mo said nothing but silently committed the information to memory.

When they returned home, it wasn’t long before Hu Jiao Jiao noticed Long Mo had disappeared. Knowing how much Long Mo disliked her, she wasn’t bothered. In fact, she’d feel more uncomfortable if he stuck around her all the time.

Last time, the beast skin Long Mo had worn was full of holes. Hu Jiao Jiao had planned to mend it but then decided to make him a new one using the fresh beast skins they had at home.

She gathered the untreated hides and went to find Hou Xiang to learn how to properly tan the leather.

To ensure the five cubs grew up healthy and well-rounded, Hu Jiao Jiao took them along. She didn’t want them becoming too withdrawn from spending all their time at home, avoiding the outside world.

Hou Xiang also had two cubs, who, upon seeing Long Yu and the others, immediately ran over excitedly, eager to play with them.

The three older cubs were visibly annoyed but couldn’t bring themselves to push the little ones away for fear of hurting them, so they endured the chaos with stiff expressions.

“It looks like my cubs really like yours!” Hou Xiang said with a wide grin.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked over, surprised.

She had thought the three boys would be annoyed by the monkey cubs, but to her amazement, they were quite gentle with them.

Progress on the road to redemption: promising!

Meanwhile, Long Yao and Long Ling’er were playing happily with the cubs. Growing up, they never had any playmates—their brothers were always brooding and barely spoke. Whenever they did speak, it was usually something that would make anyone want to smack them.

Now, finally having cubs willing to play with them was exhilarating.

The monkey cubs were too young to understand the complexities of relationships among beastmen. They just knew they were having fun with others, and that was enough.

Hu Jiao Jiao, in the meantime, focused on learning how to tan hides from Hou Xiang.

Before she knew it, the day had passed. She had brought three large hides: one from the beast Long Mo had killed yesterday and another fresh kill from today.

“Alright, once you’ve taken them home, hang them to dry in a cool place. When they’re almost dry, soften them by working the leather, and they’ll be ready to use,” Hou Xiang explained as she demonstrated the steps.

“Thanks, Hou Xiang,” Hu Jiao Jiao said with a smile, carefully packing up the hides.

Hou Xiang scratched her head, looking bashful. “There’s no need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you for teaching me how to cook.”

She had been going to Hu Jiao Jiao for cooking lessons regularly, and although her dishes didn’t have the same flavor due to the lack of seasonings, they were still much tastier than before. Even her cubs had put on a bit of weight because of it.

Hu Jiao Jiao chuckled but then noticed something strange.

Was it her imagination, or did Hou Xiang seem thinner? Her belly looked smaller, and her face wasn’t as full as before.

Beastmen didn’t have mirrors, so they weren’t as aware of changes in their appearance.

Just as she was about to mention it, one of the monkey cubs suddenly started crying.

“The little one’s hungry. I’ll go feed him,” Hou Xiang said hurriedly, picking up the cub and taking him inside to prepare some food.

Seeing this, Hu Jiao Jiao didn’t want to disturb her any longer, so she gathered her five cubs and headed home.

Long Yu, Long Xiu, and Long Zhong all looked relieved, their faces tired from the day’s events.

Long Ling’er and Long Yao, however, seemed reluctant to leave.

Hu Jiao Jiao smiled at them. “We’ll come back to play another time. There’s plenty of time for more fun.”

Long Ling’er’s eyes sparkled, her small face lighting up. “Really? Then please bring us next time, Mom.”

She didn’t dare come on her own, afraid that other cubs might reject her. But with her mother there, she felt braver.

Long Zhong huffed and turned his head, saying, “If you want to come, you go. I’m not coming back.”

Long Ling’er stuck out her tongue at him, revealing, “Oh yeah? Then who was it earlier who wouldn’t let go of the monkey cub, saying its fur was so soft and nice to touch?”

“W-Who said that? It wasn’t me!” Long Zhong’s face flushed red as he awkwardly looked away.

Long Yu and Long Xiu, overhearing, couldn’t help but smirk.

Without even realizing it, the cubs had already started seeing Hu Jiao Jiao as the steady anchor of their family.

“Awroo…” Long Yao glanced down at his bare, furless body and sighed dejectedly.

No fur for him…

Fox Jiao Jiao reached out, scooping Long Yao with a bright smile. “Yao’er is cute too, just like the monkey cubs.”

“Awroo?” Really? Yao’er is cute too?

With Hu Jiao Jiao’s reassurance, Long Yao’s spirits lifted, his tail happily twitching at the tip.

Hu Jiao Jiao’s face beamed with joy.

These five cubs were becoming more endearing by the day, completely different from the bloodthirsty, vicious beasts described in the book.

When they got home, Long Mo hadn’t returned yet.

As the sky began to darken, Hu Jiao Jiao set a table full of food, but still, there was no sign of Long Mo.

The cubs started to worry.

Long Ling’er pouted, “Why hasn’t Dad come home yet? It’s so late.”

Long Yu furrowed his brow, looking serious. “Could he have gone back to the forest?”

“I think that’s likely. Dad probably doesn’t want to stay here,” Long Zhong added coldly, his tone filled with bitterness.

Seeing how unsettled the cubs were, Hu Jiao Jiao gently reassured them, “Don’t worry, maybe your Dad is busy with something. If you’re hungry, you can start eating first.”

“Awroo~” Yes, let’s eat first!

Long Yao eagerly climbed onto his little stool.

Using his tail to prop up his upper body, he gazed up at Hu Jiao Jiao with his wide, ruby-red eyes, waiting to be fed.

Long Zhong smacked Long Yao on the head in exasperation. “All you think about is food. As soon as someone mentions eating, you perk right up. Can’t you think of anything else?”

“Awroo…” Long Yao whimpered, rubbing his head with his tail, feeling wronged.

After thinking hard for a moment, he realized, besides eating, he was also really good at sleeping.

Hu Jiao Jiao herself was growing anxious. If Long Mo had truly left, how could she change her fate and stay close enough to win him over? If he returned to the forest, her plan to change the story’s trajectory would fail.

As the last rays of the setting sun disappeared, a long shadow appeared on the horizon.

“Dad is back!” Long Ling’er pointed excitedly at the approaching figure.

Hu Jiao Jiao, who had been feeling a bit down, immediately perked up, her heart filling with joy at the sight of the tall, handsome male in the distance.

He hadn’t left! Thank goodness. Her hopes of changing her fate were still alive!

As the white crescent moon began to rise in the sky, Long Mo assumed that everyone had already gone to bed. He planned to slip back in quietly but was surprised when he entered the courtyard and saw several pairs of eyes staring at him.

Seeing the table full of untouched food, Long Mo was puzzled.

Had she… been waiting for him?

When Hu Jiao Jiao saw how tired and empty-handed Long Mo looked, she assumed he had gone hunting but hadn’t caught anything due to his injuries. Worried he might be feeling down, she quickly ushered him to the table.

“Come eat something. The cubs have been waiting for you and thought you weren’t coming home.”

She even handed him a pair of chopsticks, which caused Long Mo’s previously softened expression to instantly stiffen.

The next morning, Hu Jiao Jiao woke to a commotion in the tribe.

Upon learning that the Chief had called a meeting to announce something important, she and Long Mo decided to head over.

But just as they arrived, a male blocked their path.

Hu Jiao Jiao looked up and immediately frowned.

“You again?”