Feiyan stared at the closed courtyard gate, the corner of his eye twitching.
’Damn that Sunxiao. He’s clearly doing this on purpose.’
He knocked on the gate again.
Qiao Xixi looked at Sunxiao, confused.
"Who is it?"
Sunxiao returned to the stone bench and sat down, his expression unchanging.
"Ignore it. It’s sothing that’ll ruin our appetites."
Feiyan, who heard that loud and clear, was left speechless.
"Sunxiao, open the door! I’m here to bring sothing for my cubs."
Qiao Xixi frowned the mont she heard Feiyan’s voice.
Qiao Qiao and Qiao Ang quickly looked toward Qiao Xixi.
Qiao Xixi tightened her grip on her chopsticks.
’He really does ruin one’s appetite.’
But seeing the expectant looks in the cubs’ eyes, she still got up and opened the gate.
Feiyan hadn’t expected Qiao Xixi to be the one to open the door.
"I brought so food for Qiaoqiao and the others."
Qiao Xixi saw that he was indeed holding a large piece of at and so fruits she had never seen before.
Qiao Xixi looked back at Qiao Qiao and the others.
"Do you want it?"
Qiao Qiao, rembering she had just been punished earlier that day, didn’t dare to make the decision herself.
"If Mother says we can have it, then we’ll take it."
Qiao Ang nodded in agreent.
Feiyan frowned, displeased.
"This is from your father. It has nothing to do with your mother."
Qiao Xixi crossed her arms and snorted.
"Oh, so it has nothing to do with ? In that case, we don’t want it."
Qiao Xixi turned to slam the door shut.
But Feiyan stopped her, taking a deep breath and softening his tone.
"Raising the cubs is my responsibility, so please accept this food."
Qiao Xixi scoffed before finally reaching out to take it.
"Alright. Our family is eating now, so please leave."
Feiyan glanced at the dinner table.
Sunxiao and Jin Ling’s gazes were both fixed on him, showing not the slightest intention of making small talk or inviting him to eat with them.
’What a bunch of stingy beastn!’
Feiyan retreated outside the gate, huffing indignantly.
The mont he was out, Qiao Xixi rcilessly shut the gate.
The door was nearly slamd in Feiyan’s face.
’What a willful female!’
He sniffed the air and caught a scent he had never slled before.
’So fragrant.’
’Just now, I thought I saw so food on the table I didn’t recognize. I wonder what it was. It slled delicious...’
Qiao Xixi put the items away before returning to the table to eat.
Sunxiao picked up a piece of fish, placed it in a bowl, and carefully removed all the bones before setting the bowl in front of Qiao Xixi.
"This fish has bones. Be careful when you eat."
Qiao Xixi bead at him and put a large piece of at in his bowl as well.
"Sunxiao, you worked hard hunting in the forest. You should eat more too."
Qiao Xixi was very happy to finally be eating the braised fish she had been craving.
After they finished eating, Sunxiao took Qiao Lie and Qiao Ang to the stream to bathe, as usual.
Just as they reached the stream, they saw Feiyan standing not far away.
Sunxiao ignored him completely and walked to the bank.
Feiyan looked at Qiao Ang, knowing Sunxiao had brought him here to bathe.
’Originally, these were things he, the father, was supposed to do.’
"Qiao Ang, co. Father will take you."
Qiao Ang instinctively looked at Sunxiao.
’Mother said that when we’re outside, I have to stay close to Qiao Lie’s father. I was just punished, so I can’t dare to cause trouble again.’
Qiao Lie could sense Qiao Ang’s longing for his own father.
He tugged on Sunxiao’s animal-skin clothes and said softly, "Qiao Ang’s father will protect him too."
Sunxiao raised an eyebrow at his own cub.
"For a snake cub, you’re too soft-hearted."
Qiao Lie’s little face tensed, and he stared at Sunxiao without a word.
Sunxiao pinched the bridge of his nose and looked at Feiyan.
"He’s your cub. If you can’t protect him properly, don’t bother coming back in the future."
Seeing Sunxiao relent, Feiyan strode toward Qiao Ang.
"Don’t worry. This is my cub, after all."
Feiyan picked up Qiao Ang, turned and walked to the bank, and took off his animal-skin clothes.
"Father will wash you."
Qiao Ang, resting on Feiyan’s body, shot a goofy grin at Qiao Lie, but then, feeling he shouldn’t, he quickly wiped the smile away.
"I-I just didn’t want to bother Qiao Lie and the others. It’s not like I need you."
Feiyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. ’What a stubborn little cub.’
Qiao Lie frowned with disdain.
’Big Brother is a little dumb,’ he thought. ’It’s better to let his father teach him properly, or else he might get eaten by a wild beast soday.’
Qiao Xixi had nearly fallen asleep by the ti Sunxiao returned with the cubs.
And they were both already fast asleep.
Qiao Xixi got up from the bed drowsily, a little surprised.
"How did they fall asleep just from taking a bath?"
Sunxiao placed the cubs on the bed.
"They played until they were exhausted. They couldn’t even stay awake on the way back."
’Tonight, he and Feiyan had both been in the water, teaching the cubs how to hunt and deal with underwater dangers.’
’The cubs were still small and didn’t have much stamina. They were so tired they collapsed into sleep the mont they got out of the water.’
Qiao Xixi tucked them in, and just as she was about to close her eyes and go back to sleep, Sunxiao scooped her up into his arms.
Startled, Qiao Xixi threw her arms around his neck and looked at him in surprise.
When she saw the dark, simring desire in his eyes, she knew better than to say anything and closed her mouth.
Jin Ling had just locked the courtyard gate when he saw Sunxiao carrying Qiao Xixi out of her stone house.
He averted his gaze, clenched his fists, then leaped out of the courtyard and headed toward the stream.
Sunxiao carried Qiao Xixi into his own stone house and gently placed her on the bed.
Thinking about what might happen next, Qiao Xixi felt a little nervous.
She liked Sunxiao, and they had shared intimate monts before, but they had never taken that final step...
Sunxiao looked down at her, leaned over, and kissed her lips before she even had a chance to speak.
’When he ca back today and slled Jin Ling’s strong scent on her, he had nearly lost control.’
’He just wanted to imdiately leave his own scent on her, and his alone.’
His kisses trailed down her body.
Qiao Xixi shivered lightly.
Qiao Xixi let out a soft gasp as she felt the coolness of his body.
But the sound was quickly swallowed by his kiss.
Her gaze gradually grew hazy, and her fingertips gently traced over his cool skin.
"Xixi."
"Hm?"
Qiao Xixi looked at him.
"Do you like this?"
Qiao Xixi bit her lip, burying her face in his chest out of shyness.
"Don’t ask."
Sunxiao chuckled softly, taking her hand and kissing it.
"I like it."
Right at the crucial mont...
Qiao Xixi felt a sudden cramp in her abdon, followed by a sharp pain in her stomach.
Hearing the change in her voice, Sunxiao imdiately stopped.
"Xixi, what’s wrong?"
Qiao Xixi clutched her stomach, her face pale.
"My... my stomach hurts... I... I need to use the restroom."
Sunxiao got up, grabbed an animal skin to wrap around her, and was about to carry her out when Qiao Xixi quickly stopped him.
"I-I’ll go by myself."
They had built a latrine in the backyard, so there was no need to go outside.
"Alright. Call if you need anything."
"Okay."
Qiao Xixi left the house and rushed to the backyard.
She had been greedy earlier and eaten many of the fruits Feiyan brought, so of which she had never tried before.
Who knew that eating too many at once would upset her stomach.
Just as Qiao Xixi ca out of the latrine, she heard a loud banging sound coming from the front courtyard gate.
Worried about the cubs, she ran back to the front courtyard.
"Sunxiao, I know you’re in there! Open the door!"
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