Crops Help Stabilize Abilities

Recalling the sweet taste of pumpkin, Tao Qiu sincerely said, "Chirp, chirp."

--Tell the kids I really like this gift, and thank them.

Seeing that the Snow Bird wasn't just being polite, the Red Fox's mood improved somewhat.

After the Fox Clan left, Tao Qiu returned to the cave with a pumpkin in her mouth, excitedly shouting, "My darlings, we have new crops to eat!"

Chapter 70 Crop Effectiveness for Stabilizing Extraordinary Abilities

The children stared at the green ball on the ground, which was about the size of their heads, and asked curiously, "Daddy, what's this? Is it for eating?"

Tao Qiu explained, "This is called a pumpkin. When it first grows, it's green, but it turns yellow when it gets older. The young and mature ones taste different kinds of sweetness, and it's also a crop that stores well."

The kids were getting hungry. "Shall we... make it and eat it now?"

"No, this pumpkin still tastes terrible. I need to take out the seeds and grow a new one before it's edible."

"Is the seed inside?"

"Right?."

After receiving an affirmative answer, the kids eagerly raised their hands to help. "We'll drive it!"

Remembering what Red Fox had said about the melon's hard outer shell, Tao Qiu was also curious to see how her cub would open it. "Alright, it's yours now."

He sat down on the stone bench and saw the three children surrounding the pumpkin. First, they reached out and tapped it, hearing a dull thud, confirming that the outer shell was the hard kind. Then they picked up a knife and tried to cut it, but perhaps they weren't strong enough, as they could only cut off one layer of skin.

Putting the knife aside, the three cubs exchanged glances. The Second Cub and Third Cub stepped back, while the Eldest Cub transformed back into its bird form and flew up, lunging fiercely at the pumpkin.

As a result, the pumpkin wasn't held in place, and with his sudden grab, it not only suffered minor scratches but also rolled all the way to Tao Qiu's feet.

Looking at the pumpkin that resembled a soccer ball, and recalling what the Red Fox had said about the cubs rolling it around like a toy, Tao Qiu smiled and said to the cubs, "Daddy's going to kick it over here, catch it!"

After saying that, Tao Qiu didn't get up. He just sat there and kicked the pumpkin away.

The pumpkin was solid with a hard shell, so it was definitely heavy, but Tao Qiu was strong, so it wasn't a problem for him.

Considering he was playing with the kids, he deliberately held back; otherwise, it wouldn't have been just flying—it would have been much more than that.

When the pumpkin flew to the Eldest Cub's face, it had almost run out of energy and was about to fall vertically when the cub pounced forward, grabbed the pumpkin like it was prey, spun around, and flung it back.

Tao Qiu reached out and caught the pumpkin. When she looked at the Eldest Cub, she noticed that he seemed eager to try again. The Second Cub and Third Cub sons next to him had bright, sparkling eyes, as if they also wanted to participate.

Tao Qiu then suggested, "Do you remember the soccer matches you saw in cartoons? Why don't we play a game of soccer first, and then try to open it, okay?"

"Okay!" the kids all agreed.

So Tao Qiu laid the wicker basket down, with the bottom against the stone wall, to serve as a goal.

He was on one team, and his three kids were on another. They would fight over the ball, and the team that kicked the pumpkin into the basket ten times first would win.

Considering that the chicks' feet were too fragile in human form, Tao Qiu transformed into a bird form about the same size as them to compete with them. Even in bird form, the flesh on their claws is quite tough; otherwise, how could they hunt?

Since it's a simplified version of a soccer game, all the rules can be ignored except for not being able to pick up the pumpkin with your mouth or use your claws to grab it and fly.

The game began, and Tao Qiu was the first to grab the ball, heading straight for the wicker basket.

The three cubs' tacit understanding, honed during their hunting adventures, came in handy at this moment. The Eldest Cub Second Cub distracted Tao Qiu, while the Third Cub seized the opportunity to snatch the ball and immediately kicked it towards the wicker basket.

However, experience counts. As the teacher who taught them hunting skills, Tao Qiu was well aware of his students' personalities and tactics. He dodged the two cubs' obstruction, sped past the Third Cub, and with a hook of his claws, pulled the pumpkin over.

With another kick, the pumpkin went into the basket.

Tao Qiu, completely lacking any sense of parental responsibility to give way to her child, stood with her hands on her hips and laughed loudly, "Back in my school days, I was good at both basketball and soccer. You newbies still need to practice a lot!"

Indeed, the adorable and new kids were ignited with fighting spirit. In the second round, they still chose to send the strongest Eldest Cub, the eldest Second Cub, to sandwich Tao Qiu and push him aside, successfully allowing the Third Cub to score.

To maintain a degree of fairness, Tao Qiu controlled his strength to be roughly the same as the cubs'; otherwise, he could have easily blown the two cubs away with a simple flap of his wings.

"Chirp chirp!"

--We scored!

The three little ones spun around and jumped around in celebration, their feathers ruffled with joy.

Tao Qiu watched from the side, her eyes filled with a gratified smile.

There are no fathers and sons on the field. The three boys were so fiercely competitive that they used both tricks and strength, and almost knocked Tao Qiu down several times.

More than an hour later, the game ended. Because Tao Qiu "accidentally" kicked the ball out of bounds, the kids narrowly won with a score of 10 to 9.

After playing for so long, Tao Qiu was fine, but the kids were drenched in sweat and, in order to cool off, they all turned into human form.

Tao Qiu brought the small fan over to them and turned it on. At the same time, she took out her phone and pointed it at them, assuming the role of a reporter. "First of all, congratulations to the three talented young players on winning the match. Could you share your thoughts?"

Second Cub raised his two chubby little hands, clenched into fists, and shouted, "Zizai Team is the best!"

"It seems Xuexue is quite excited. Thank you for your answer. And what about Yuanyuan? Does she have anything to say to the audience?"

Only a child who is equally skilled at acting can keep up with the performance of Tao Qiu, this veteran actress.

Third Cub wiped his sweat, looked at the camera with a grateful expression, and said, "Thank you everyone for your support. We will continue to work hard and win the championship again next time."

The camera pans to Eldest Cub, and Tao Qiu says, "As you can see, the score was very close throughout today's match. For Tao Qiu, who narrowly lost to you by one point, I wonder if Momo has anything to say to him?"

The Eldest Cub ruffled his hair, his green eyes shining brightly. "Looking forward to seeing you on the field next time, don't lose to us again!"

"Wow, it seems the 'Little Ones' team is quite confident." Tao Qiu finished speaking and switched her phone to selfie mode. "So, what's your opinion on Momo Tao Qiu's boastful remarks?"

Tao Qiu blinked, coughed lightly, and quickly switched roles.

"So arrogant! These little brats dare to provoke their father. I'll give them a good spanking later." He even gestured as if to hit them.

The three little ones cried out and quickly got up, throwing themselves into Tao Qiu's arms and acting cute.

Second Cub: "Daddy, you can't spank my bottom!"

Eldest Cub: "Daddy's naughty! We were clearly... we were... playing along with you!"

Third Cub: "Don't hit me, my bottom will hurt a lot if it gets swollen."

"Hahahaha..." Tao Qiu laughed until tears streamed down her face.

It's really fun to tease the kids.

After being trampled by Tao Qiu and his children, the surface of the pumpkin was already tattered, but it still didn't crack.

The kids were too tired to open the melons, Tao Qiu raised an eyebrow at them and said, "Watch Daddy's."

Then it transformed back into bird form, pressed its claws against the pumpkin, and gave it a very light peck with its pointed beak.

With a "snap," the melon split open.

The kids' eyes widened, and they exclaimed in unison, "Daddy is the best!"

Tao Qiu raised his chin. "Yes, I am such a legendary man."

The inside of the melon looked similar to the pumpkins Tao Qiu had seen in her previous life, the only difference being that there were many more seeds than flesh.

Even though it was still a young melon, it contained a few mature seeds, which was just right for Tao Qiu.

Knowing the children would be curious, Tao Qiu scooped out three pieces of fruit for them to taste.

The three cubs were raised on good food; even the Fox Clan doesn't like this pumpkin, let alone them.

"Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!" Second Cub took a bite, but spat it out before even chewing twice. "It has no taste, it's like eating sawdust."

The Eldest Cub and Third Cub also vomited, saying that if they had to eat this every day, they'd rather die.

Tao Qiu picked out all the usable seeds, then threw the remaining melons onto the ground, thinking that even if they rotted, they could still be used as fertilizer.

It was hot outside, and Tao Qiu didn't want to go out, so she planted her first pumpkin seed in a small patch of land inside the cave.

With smartphones now available, the process of stimulating plant growth is no longer so tedious.

Tao Qiu and her children watched TV dramas and spent several hours forcing a pumpkin seedling to grow and mature. In the end, it produced a total of four pumpkins. Tao Qiu picked one when it was still tender green, and the remaining three grew to the size of millstones, golden yellow, and looked particularly beautiful.

We picked the melons from the vine and placed them on the ground. The three kids each sat on one of them, and there was still room to spare.

Tao Qiu took a picture of the three kids and their pumpkin mounts, then dug out a piece of the old pumpkin and cooked it separately from the young pumpkin in two pots.

Young melons are sweet and refreshing, while older melons have a richer, more mellow sweetness; the kids love both.

Giant pumpkins are not uncommon before major disasters, but by the time they grow to their maximum size, their taste must be sacrificed, and their ornamental value outweighs their edible value.

Tao Qiu's mutated pumpkin was purified using his own supernatural abilities. While maintaining its size, the flesh remained unaffected and was still very delicious.

The next morning, Tao Qiu also made pumpkin pancakes, which were delicious and filling, and the kids all ate them all.

So another pumpkin patch was cleared out at the bottom of the valley.

Tao Qiu let the Green Python Little Snake the Black Rabbit try the pumpkin, and they liked it very much. That same day, they each took one home.

Later, when Red Fox came to change crops, he discovered that Tao Qiu had turned the toys the kids had given him into new crops, and that they tasted and worked just like the other crops. He was shocked.

Because the pumpkin seeds were a gift from the Fox Clan, Tao Qiu gave them a lot more crops as a way of repaying them.