"Giving it a name?"
Lu Qing wiped his hands.
"Yeah! The little beast is our friend now, and all my friends have names. Like Da Niu, Er Niu, and Xiao Hu Tou—they all have their own names!" Xiao Yan said seriously, counting on her fingers. "So the little beast should have a name of its own too."
"Isn't calling it Little Beast fine?"
"Little Beast doesn't sound nice, and lots of animals are little beasts. We need to give it a special one." The little girl shook her head.
Lu Qing dearly wanted to say that names like Da Niu and Er Niu could be found everywhere outside too.
After thinking for a moment, he saw the Black Little Beast poking its head around outside the kitchen, peering in.
So he asked, "Little one, what do you think? Do you want a name too?"
A trace of contemplation appeared in the Black Little Beast's eyes, and then it nodded.
"Look, Brother, the little beast wants a name of its own too!" Xiao Yan said happily.
"Since that's the case, then let's give it one."
Seeing that the Black Little Beast wanted it too, Lu Qing no longer hesitated.
But what name should he give it? Lu Qing pondered for a while, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
"How about Xiao Li?"
"Xiao Li?" Xiao Yan tilted her head.
Confusion also surfaced in the Black Little Beast's eyes.
Clearly, neither of the little ones understood the meaning behind the name.
"Yes. This little beast looks a lot like an animal called a civet cat, so we'll call it Xiao Li. And the character Li belongs to fire. Look at its fur—doesn't it resemble black flames burning?"
As Lu Qing explained, he picked up a piece of charcoal and wrote the