Dad, It Hurts

"Thank you all, Yuanyuan so hard." Tao Qiu patted the Third Cub's head and gulped down half a bamboo tube of water.

"Chirp, chirp."

--I'm not tired, Dad is.

Tao Qiu smiled and said, "It's worth the hard work for delicious strawberries."

The Third Cub lowered their heads, refusing to look at Tao Qiu, and whispered, "Chirp, chirp chirp."

--Dad, I can actually help.

There were many stones in the field, and the Second Cub Eldest Cub had no shoes to wear. Moreover, they were not very steady on the road, so Tao Qiu naturally wouldn't let them work in the field.

He wouldn't let the Eldest Cub Second Cub come, so he certainly wouldn't let the Third Cub come alone, even though the Third Cub, still in bird form, could help with some small tasks.

"You three are all Daddy's children. If Xuexue and Momo are playing nearby and I only ask you to help with the chores, firstly, I wouldn't have the heart to do it, and secondly, Xuexue and Momo might feel sorry for us. Besides, you did help out at all; didn't you even bring Daddy water? It's just planting some strawberries; Daddy isn't very tired."

Tao Qiu wasn't sure if her words had comforted Third Cub, Third Cub didn't continue talking about it and instead changed the subject.

She asked, "Chirp, chirp?"

--Dad, is it a human-shaped dog? It's good for working, isn't it?

Tao Qiu said, "Humans can stand upright on two legs for extended periods, and their nimble fingers can create and use tools. In terms of work, they are indeed superior to animals."

After she finished speaking, Tao Qiu suddenly realized something.

He looked down at Third Cub, and sure enough, Third Cub's eyes looked somewhat depressed.

Tao Qiu understood. "Is Yuanyuan worried that she won't be able to transform into human form and won't be able to help her father in the future?"

The Third Cub came to confide her troubles to her father, so when Tao Qiu asked, she obediently nodded in response.

"Chirp, chirp."

I want to help my dad; I don't want to be the only little bird.

"Dad understands how you feel. Nobody wants to be an outsider." Tao Qiu gently lifted Third Cub's head to meet her gaze, her tone gentle and patient.

"It's normal to be a little anxious, but I don't think you need to worry too much. You hatched later than your older brothers and sisters, so maybe you'll transform into human form too. Xuexue was also several days later than Momo. Maybe you'll turn into a human while you're sleeping, just like your sister."

After saying this, Tao Qiu bent down and kissed the Third Cub, then said, "To be selfish, if all three of you turned into human form at the same time, I might not be able to take care of you all. So it's better to do it one at a time. Once the previous one has adapted, it will be easier for Dad to take care of them. Next one, you can turn into human form a little later. You've already done Dad a big favor."

When Tao Qiu said those things Third Cub didn't react much because she understood those principles herself. But the sentence that she would help her father by turning into human form later sounded like a flame in the Third Cub of winter, warming her who was almost frozen to death.

She longed to transform into human form, ultimately because she wanted to be like her father. If her father couldn't transform into human form and only her older siblings could, she wouldn't have even considered doing so.

"Chirp chirp?" The Third Cub looked at Tao Qiu with bright eyes.

--Really?

"Of course, why would Daddy lie to you?" Tao Qiu kissed the Third Cub again.

The Third Cub were both happy and shy, unsure of what to do. They could only bury their heads in Tao Qiu and say in a smiling tone, "Chirp chirp."

--Dad is the best.

Tao Qiu hugged her and smiled, "Yuanyuan is also Daddy's good baby."

After resolving her worries, Third Cub was visibly much more lively than before. It seems she must have been under a lot of pressure in the past few days, and pretended not to care so that they wouldn't notice.

Fortunately, Tao Qiu loves his child enough, and the child feels loved and believes that his father is trustworthy and can solve many problems, which is why the child is willing to tell him all his little thoughts.

Otherwise, if you bottle things up for too long, what seems like a small matter could eventually become a major hidden danger affecting your mental health.

As August arrived, the temperature hadn't dropped yet. The round sun hung in the sky, dazzlingly bright, as if it wanted to roast all living things on the ground like sweet potatoes.

Fortunately, the little stream flowing from the mountain crevice at the bottom of the valley was still icy cold, perfect for chilling fruit and quenching thirst.

With the high temperatures making it difficult to preserve meat, Tao Qiu has been catching small prey lately, trying to finish them within a day. Even if there are leftovers, she puts them in a basket and places them in the stream to refrigerate, just in case they spoil.

He also chose to patrol and hunt in the morning, when the prey were grazing and would only seek shelter from the sun in the afternoon. So Tao Qiu caught them every time he went.

This morning, Tao Qiu caught a rabbit. This low-level mutant rabbit is large and its meat is quite tender, which she and her kittens love to eat.

Although the Second Cub Eldest Cub had turned into tiny babies and hadn't even grown all their teeth yet, they still loved meat. Tao Qiu could only try her best to cut the meat into small pieces or shreds to make it easier for them to eat.

As Tao Qiu flew over the edge of the territory with the rabbit in his arms, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine; the feeling of being watched was extremely intense.

He quickly looked around and almost immediately pinpointed the source of the gaze, because the other person made no attempt to hide.

Black Rabbit stood outside Tao Qiu's territory, its large eyes fixed on him, filled with endless, deep resentment. If it weren't for the fact that it was still daytime, Tao Qiu would have suspected he was seeing a ghost.

Tao Qiu looked at the Black Rabbit, then at the rabbit in the rabbit's paws, feeling a little guilty, but mostly confused.

This wasn't the first time he'd caught and eaten rabbits. Black Rabbit were different from Red Fox. He basically didn't treat rabbits that weren't related to him by blood, especially low-level rabbits, as his own kind. He didn't care if they were killed and eaten by other mutated monsters.

But if it wasn't about the rabbit, what was he trying to achieve by causing this scene today?

Black Rabbit's eyes were truly chilling, and Tao Qiu felt it was better to ask him directly.

If you don't like him, you can just have a fight with him openly.

"Chirp, chirp?"

--Bro, what's with that look?

As Tao Qiu spoke, he flew toward the Black Rabbit.

As soon as he got close, Black Rabbit suddenly glared at him, then turned and ran away without looking back.

Tao Qiu: "..."

What are you doing?!

Has Black Rabbit gone mad from the heat?

Tao Qiu grumbled as he carried his prey home, imagining it was Black Rabbit meat as he ate, and only stopped when his stomach was completely full.

Hmm, I feel much better now.

However, things didn't go well for even a day, because the Red Fox arrived in the evening.

His first words were. "Mmm..."

--I originally wanted to trade eggs for radishes, but... I think I smell the fragrance of your new fruit trees. They must taste good too. Can I have some?

When the Fox Clan came to collect the fruit last time, Tao Qiu had already told them the names of the various crops.

Tao Qiu was speechless. "It must be a dog's nose; it can smell it from that far away."

He said, "Chirp, chirp."

--There are few new fruits, so I want to keep them for myself.

Upon hearing this, the Red Fox's expression immediately changed.

Chapter 53 Dad, it hurts so much

He glared at Tao Qiu menacingly, as if he wanted to kill her.

Tao Qiu asked warily, "Chirp, chirp?"

--What, you want to fight?

The Red Fox, looking menacing, whimpered, "Hmm?"

--Even if I beg you, you still won't give it to me?

Tao Qiu: "??"

"Chirp chirp? Chirp chirp?"

Are you kidding me? Is this how you beg me?

The Red Fox is quite docile. "Mmm..."

I was thinking of scaring you, and if you got scared, you'd agree to my request.

Tao Qiu: "..."

Is this the ultimate strategy for dealing with high-level mutated monsters?

He really wanted to roll his eyes.

"Chirp, chirp?"

--If there's no difference in the effects of new and old crops, why bother with new ones?

Seeing that its plan had failed, the Red Fox suppressed its ferocity and said somewhat sadly, "Mmm..."

The old chieftain doesn't have much time left. Although the fruit doesn't work for him, he can still taste it, so I thought I'd let him try some new things before he leaves us.

Tao Qiu was the type of person who responded better to gentle persuasion than force. After hearing what Red Fox said, his resolve immediately wavered.

He whimpered irritably, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--Fine, fine, I'll give you a new crop.

Ten minutes later, Red Fox, carrying a bag of strawberries, ran off excitedly. Tao Qiu watched his retreating figure and sighed silently.

Oh well, consider it an act of kindness and good karma.

In the evening Tao Qiu cooked rice, stir-fried shredded meat, and steamed a large bowl of egg custard. The family of four ate until they were stuffed.

After the meal, the Second Cub Eldest Cub Tao Qiu wash the pots, dishes, and wipe the table. At the age when they could just control their urination, they were already little helpers with housework.

However, the two kids were still young, and by the time they finished working, the pots and pans were clean, but they were covered in grease.

Tao Qiu carried the two of them to the pool and used a special soap for washing their hair and body to scrub them from head to toe, creating so many bubbles that the two little ones almost turned into snowmen.

The Second Cub picked up the foam, pursed his little mouth, and blew hard, sending all the foam flying onto Tao Qiu's face, who was washing the Eldest Cub's hair nearby.

"Papa! This is so much fun!" She kicked her little feet and laughed happily.

Tao Qiu wiped her face, pretending to be angry, "You little Xuexue, Xuexue, you're trying to trick Daddy, aren't you? Daddy's going to spank you later!"

The Second Cub shook his head, not afraid at all.

"Papa loves you, baby, won't you hit me?"

Tao Qiu chuckled, "Tao Xuexue, do you know what this kind of behavior is called? This is called being spoiled and arrogant. It's all Dad's fault for spoiling you too much. Believe me, Dad will establish family rules for you in the future!"

The Second Cub understood; she knew her father was joking with her and didn't really mean to scold her.

However, she was also a clever little one, and knew when to stop. So she quickly crawled over and hugged Tao Qiu's arm, raised her fair and cute little face, and stared at him expectantly with her green eyes that were the same as Tao Qiu's.