But he didn't move aside.
"This won't work." Chen Siyao thought for a moment. She rummaged through her Qiankun Bag for a dried fruit and placed it beside the jerky. Then she took out a small piece of peach shortbread and set it closer to the entrance.
The scent of food slowly drifted into the hole.
The male's nose twitched twice.
The mother behind him was sniffing too. The baby squirmed in her arms and let out an even softer squeak.
Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing took two steps back.
They didn't speak. They didn't move.
One minute passed.
Two minutes.
Three minutes.
The male finally lowered one front paw.
He glanced back at his wife and child. The mother's tears hadn't dried yet, but she was looking toward the entrance, her nostrils fluttering and her lips slightly parted... She had smelled the food.
The male turned back.
One step.
He took one step from the bottom of the hole up the slope.
Then another.
His paw pads pressed against the earthen wall, leaving tiny claw marks. He reached the jerky and lowered his head to sniff it. He didn't eat. He raised his head and looked outside the entrance.
Chen Siyao and Yang Wanqing crouched three meters away, perfectly still.
The male Little Mengmeng watched them for five seconds.
Then he picked up the dried fruit in his mouth, turned, and ran back to the bottom of the hole.
He placed the jerky in front of the mother.
Yang Wanqing started crying again.
The whole process took nearly ten minutes.
Three fresh fruits, two dried fruits, and a piece of peach shortbread... The male carried all of it back to feed the mother and baby. He didn't eat a single bite himself.
Chen Siyao moved another two steps back