Little Fishy Blows Bubbles (continued)

Lou Yu looked up, a fierce glint flashing in his crimson eyes. He pulled Tao Qiu into his arms and held her tightly, his expression somewhat stubborn, but his tone like that of a helpless child.

"I want to lock Qiuqiu in a cage, and I also want to be locked in a cage by Qiuqiu, taking her everywhere I go, never separating for a moment."

Tao Qiu rested her chin on his shoulder, laughing, and said, "Who taught you all this? You naive little Little Yu."

Lou Yu said, "I can learn everything related to you without being taught."

Tao Qiu gently patted Lou Yu's hand, making him loosen his grip a little, then knelt between Lou Yu's legs, looking down at him. "Be good, one last kiss, then we'll go back, okay?"

Lou Yu nodded in agreement, then eagerly took the initiative to kiss her.

Twenty minutes later, Tao Qiu got out of the car, and Lou Yu began to help him unload his belongings.

The baby birds on the mountain also retreated at this time, otherwise they would be in trouble if their father came back and saw them.

After seeing off the clingy Little Fishy, Tao Qiu happily carried the supplies home, expecting a warm welcome from the kids. However, upon entering the valley, she found three dejected children sitting in a row, looking up at the sky with expressions of utter despair.

"Oh, what's going on?" Tao Qiu put down the supplies, transformed into human form, walked over, squatted down beside them, and tilted her head to ask.

The Eldest Cub's eyes were glazed over as he murmured, "I remembered... something sad."

Tao Qiu asked in confusion, "What's bothering you?"

The Second Cub answered, "This world is fake, and so is ours."

The Third Cub's eyes were red-rimmed, and he muttered incoherently, "It's fake, it's fake, it's all an illusion."

Tao Qiu scratched his head. He'd only been gone for an afternoon, and the kids had all become philosophers?

Tao Qiu guessed, "Were you watching TV dramas on your phones and were you stimulated by some strange plot?"

Second Cub turned his head and looked at Tao Qiu with teary eyes. "It's not like a TV drama, it's real."

Tao Qiu was about to ask what was really going on, the Eldest Cub suddenly coughed, drawing Tao Qiu's attention. His previously dejected expression vanished, replaced by a bright smile.

"We're acting, lying to Daddy. Were you scared?"

"Acting?" Tao Qiu was even more puzzled.

The Eldest Cub tugged at the Second Cub and Third Cub, desperately trying to signal them with his eyes, "Sisters, we're all done, right?"

They had to keep it a secret; their father couldn't find out they had spied on each other. If they didn't come up with an excuse for their bad mood, their father would definitely become suspicious, and if the truth came out, they would be finished.

The Second Cub and Third Cub understood what their brother meant. They suppressed their sadness and forced a smile, saying, "That's right, we're acting! We're playing unhappy little birds, Papa, don't we look like it?"

Third Cub also said, "I even cried while acting! Wasn't my acting amazing? It was particularly good!"

Tao Qiu felt that things weren't that simple, but since the kids had all said so, even if there were hidden reasons, they didn't want him to know for the time being.

Tao Qiu herself had secrets, so she didn't pry. Instead, she went along with their words, saying, "You acted really well, even better than the actors in TV dramas. If it were before, you might have been child stars."

Second Cub wiped his eyes and asked, "Is that Zundu?"

"Of course it's true." Tao Qiu ruffled Second Cub's hair, her tone sincere. "My little ones are so cute, they're sure to be loved by many, many people."

Although they admitted they were acting to deceive Tao Qiu, the kids were still very happy to receive such praise from their father, and their anger from that human in the afternoon had dissipated considerably.

Seeing the three kids gradually regain their energy, Tao Qiu pointed to the supplies he had placed beside him, thinking to make them even happier, "There are lots of your favorite snacks inside, how about I open them for you to eat later?"

The kids have always loved good food. In the past, if they heard there was something delicious, their eyes would light up with excitement as they urged him to bring it out.

But when they heard Tao Qiu's words today, the boys' expressions were very calm, and if you looked closely, there was even a hint of resentment in their eyes.

Tao Qiu was unpacking food boxes, and his children gathered around him watching. The Eldest Cub asked, seemingly casually, "Daddy, will we continue to barter with humans for supplies in the future?"

Tao Qiu didn't think too much about it and casually replied, "Sure, look how much our living conditions have improved since we started exchanging with humans. It's a very worthwhile deal."

The kids were desperate.

Keep making those exchanges. If a human dares to ride on their father's back today, they might dare to snatch their father away from them tomorrow!

Despicable humans! Don't they have their own fathers? Why are they fighting with them for them!

Tao Qiu first took out the food box and opened it. It contained the same snacks as before, but the smell was still very attractive to the little gluttons.

"Take whatever you want to eat, just don't waste anything or make a mess. Dad will put the rest of the food in the cave first."

After Tao Qiu finished speaking, he transformed back into bird form, picked up the remaining supplies, and flew to the cave.

The three children circled the food box piled on the grass, silently turning their heads away, but their eyes couldn't help but dart over there.

They won't eat anything given by bad humans, hmph!

Ugh, this wind is so annoying! Why does it keep blowing the fragrance right up to their noses?

It smells so good...

No, no, you can't move it! Shake it!

What's going on? My mouth is watering!

"How about..." the three kids said at the same time.

The Eldest Cub pursed his lips and swallowed hard. "Exchange? Exchange? Here we go, we won't lose out."

Second Cub suspiciously wiped the corner of his mouth. "No, Daddy will, carrying fish."

Third Cub: "That human also eats our fruit, so we also eat his snacks."

The three cubs exchanged glances, seemingly confirming each other's point, then ran to the sink to wash their little hands before running back and dipping their paws into the food box.

Half an hour later, the kids patted their round bellies, clenching their fists in shame and indignation.

Those cunning humans not only tried to steal their father, but also made delicious food to tempt them—they're absolutely wicked!

Tao Qiu had no idea what his children were thinking. He took out all the clothes, sheets, and blankets, intending to wash and dry them while the daytime temperatures were still relatively high.

After finishing all that, while the kids were away, he took out a few photos from a bag.

This was taken by him after he kissed Lou Yu; he even took pictures of the remaining few sheets of film.

In the photo, he has Lou Yu in his arms, and the two of them are smiling brightly at the camera.

Another picture shows him kissing Lou Yu's forehead, while Lou Yu has his eyes closed and the corners of his lips slightly upturned, looking both handsome and obedient.

The remaining photos are all intimate pictures of the two of them, either kissing or hugging. The camera doesn't have any special effects, but the two of them together create an invisible sweet atmosphere.

Lou Yu kept one photo, and gave the rest to Tao Qiu.

After admiring them, Tao Qiu tucked them all into his favorite book.

The next day, Tao Qiu washed clothes and bed sheets and duvet covers, and the three little ones also turned into human form to help.

Although they got completely wet while washing and took a shower themselves, it was all the children's kindness, so Tao Qiu didn't refuse.

On the third day, Lou Yu emerged again.

Black Rabbit arrived early in the morning. At noon, Tao Qiu said she had to go out and asked him to accompany the kids. He didn't suspect anything and nodded in agreement.

As soon as Tao Qiu left, Black Rabbit noticed that the once lively children had suddenly fallen silent, staring blankly and angrily in the direction Tao Qiu had gone from the valley entrance.

The numbness stems from the habit of Dad happily going to see that human, while the anger arises from the possibility that human might "bully" Dad again.

Black Rabbit, confused, roared.

--Want to go out with your dad?

The cubs didn't answer his question. The Eldest Cub transformed back into its bird form and asked him in return, "Chirp, chirp?"

--Uncle Black Rabbit, what do you think of humans?

Black Rabbit roared!

--Humans? Humans taste delicious!

"Chirp?"

"Ah?"

All three kids looked surprised.

Black Rabbit then realized that Snow Bird don't eat humans, so their offspring definitely won't eat them either, and he quickly tried to find a way to compensate.

"Roar..."

--It's just me who thinks it tastes good, that doesn't mean it doesn't apply to you. Your father doesn't eat people, so don't tell him I told you this.

What if the Snow Bird thinks he's corrupting the cubs and won't let him come anymore?

The Eldest Cub chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

--I'm not asking about the taste, I'm asking about the character.

The kids want to hear how humans are perceived by other mutated monsters.

Character? The Black Rabbit thought for a moment before saying, "Roar..."

--Although humans are just food to me, just like different races of mutated monsters, they also have different personalities. My impression of humans is that they are very united, of course, only in general. There are brave and selfish humans. Before, when I captured humans to eat, some humans would desperately protect their injured or lagging companions, while others would abandon their companions or even deliberately harm them to buy themselves time to escape.

Eldest Cub: "Chirp, chirp?"

--Who do you think is smarter, humans or mutated monsters?

The Black Rabbit answered without hesitation, "Roar."

--That must be a mutated monster! Look at us, we're smart and strong, humans can only be food for us.

Eldest Cub: "Chirp chirp?"

--Would you be friends with humans?

Black Rabbit: "Roar?"

Why be friends with food?

The Eldest Cub stopped asking, because he realized that even if he got the answer, it wouldn't make any difference.