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He assumed it was because the air conditioning was set too low; he never imagined it was his own child complaining about him.

He didn't have time to think too much, because Tao Qiu had arrived.

Lou Yu opened the car door and took the bag from Tao Qiu's mouth.

Tao Qiu transformed into human form and got into the car. Instead of taking the initiative to hug him, she looked at Lou Yu with a haughty expression and said, "I'll give you a chance, kiss me."

Lou Yu put the bag aside, pulled Tao Qiu into his arms, pecked him on the lips, cupped his face, and said, "I've been so obedient, can I be rewarded with a little more kissing?"

"I grant your permission." Tao Qiu raised his chin.

Lou Yu chuckled softly, then gently kissed her.

After some affectionate moments, Lou Yu began eating lunch and told Tao Qiu about how the crop was effective for Zhao Tao.

"That's great! You'll have one more helper in future battles."

As the only "superhuman" at Yong'an Base, a superhero-like figure, Tao Qiu could only imagine how much work Lou Yu had to do, and that he had to be on the front lines whenever there was danger.

One of the reasons he agreed to give Zhao Tao the crops was that there's strength in numbers.

The concern in Tao Qiu's words warmed Lou Yu's heart; Tao Qiu truly loved him wholeheartedly.

After swallowing the food in his mouth, Lou Yu mentioned his encounter with Black Rabbit earlier.

"It seems to dislike me a bit, not out of hatred that a mutated monster harbors towards humans, but simply because it has feelings towards me."

Tao Qiu smiled and looked at him, "Is our Little Yu complaining to me?"

"Yes," Lou Yu admitted with a smile, not feeling at all that asking his partner for protection was a shameful thing. "Lord Snow Bird, you have to back me up, what if it eats me one day?"

Tao Qiu shook her head. "No way. I have a good relationship with him, and he knows I associate with you. He wouldn't hurt you. As for what you said about him disliking you, I'll ask him what's going on when we meet."

"Great!" Lou Yu's eyes narrowed with joy, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of "riding on the coattails of a bird."

After dinner, Tao Qiu and Lou Yu looked at the photos and videos Lou Yu had taken with the kids during the nearly two months he had been away.

There were kids practicing hunting, kids farming together, kids learning to swim, and even an interview video after the "football match"—all very interesting, making Lou Yu's lips curl into a smile.

Lou Yu said, "It seems the bird-shaped form has grown much longer and bigger, and the human-shaped form has also become a bit taller."

Tao Qiu nodded. "The children change almost every day. I spend every day with them, and I can still see the changes very clearly."

"Looks like I made the right choice buying these clothes." Lou Yu explained that when buying clothes for the kids, he took an aunt's advice and deliberately bought several sizes larger.

Tao Qiu said, "Was this the right thing to do? We really should thank that auntie."

Lou Yu said, "Her husband will come to my place to buy mutated monster meat, and I'll give him a discount then."

"Okay." Tao Qiu then asked, "Tell me, what did you buy for the kids?"

Besides the clothes and toys from that day, Lou Yu also went to buy accessories that the kids liked, a whole box of them, which made the shop owner, whose business was originally dismal, grin from ear to ear.

There were also some daily necessities; Tao Qiu had some before, so he prepared a set for the kids as well.

Even the snacks— Lou Yu had Chen Lin increase the quantity and specially made some sweet and soft pastries; the kids would probably prefer those.

After listening to Lou Yu recount everything in detail, Tao Qiu felt that Lou Yu genuinely loved the children and wasn't putting on an act for him.

Lou Yu to the children is no less than his.

"Thank you so much, Little Yu, for preparing so many things." Tao Qiu also relayed the children's thoughts, "I told them you would give them gifts, and they're really looking forward to seeing what they'll get."

Lou Yu's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he excitedly said, "Then let's send the things to the children now, in case they're getting impatient."

"Okay, then wait for me. I'll take the things back to the cave and then come back to take you to the mountain to get the materials."

"It's okay, no rush, take your time."

Lou Yu and Tao Qiu unloaded all the supplies from the truck, and Tao Qiu had to make two more trips to finish transporting them.

The first batch was old supplies; the second batch was gifts for the kids.

Lou Yu sat in the car, looking towards the valley, his eyes clear and expectant, waiting for Tao Qiu to return and give feedback on the children's reactions to receiving the gifts.

Inside the cave, Tao Qiu pointed to the pile of packages of various sizes, helping Lou Yu to take credit. "These are all gifts from Lou Yu. Oh, everything you wanted—food, toys—is inside. Let's open them together."

The first thing I opened was a large bag containing clothes, pants, shoes, and socks, separated into different smaller bags. There were labels on the bags indicating which child they were for.

Tao Qiu took them all out and asked the kids with a smile, "Your names are written on these, can you recognize them?"

The Second Cub said, "We are all smart babies, Daddy, don't underestimate us. I know all the names of our family members."

The kids can speak human language, and after watching so many cartoons and TV dramas, plus Tao Qiu's intentional and unintentional teaching, they have a certain level of literacy.

Not to mention, recognizing one's own name is as simple as that.

After saying that, she pointed to one of the bags and said, "The words on this bag say 'For Xuexue,' this is my portion."

The Second Cub could recognize her own name, her father's name, and her brother's and sister's names, but she only pointed to her own and didn't try to answer before her older siblings.

Then, the Eldest Cub and Third Cub also stepped forward to claim their share.

Opening the small bag, I found two sets of short-sleeved shirts and Eldest Cub suitable for summer, each with a different style and pattern, along with a pair of sandals and a pair of lightweight, breathable cloth shoes.

The Second Cub and Third Cub's shoes are the same as the Eldest Cub's, but they have two sets of clothes. In addition to a set of short-sleeved shirts and shorts that are the same as the Eldest Cub's, there is also a set of floral dresses that are exactly the same for both sisters.

Lou Yu had seen the little dresses Tao Qiu had made for the two sisters in the video, and knew that the dress fabric was cut from bed sheets. After that, he brought Tao Qiu two new sets of bed sheets this time. The style of the sisters' dresses was also fresh and cute, very suitable for them.

Of course, the three kids' little underwear is also indispensable.

As the Second Cub among the three, who loved Huahua things the most, when Tao Qiu helped her unfold her skirt, she immediately widened her eyes and exclaimed "Wow!" after seeing what the skirt looked like.

"That pretty dress looks just like the one in the cartoon!"

The Eldest Cub and Third Cub looked at the clothes in their hands, their expressions not exactly calm either.

Because of Tao Qiu's education, coupled with frequently watching human films and television shows and listening to human stories, their aesthetic sense is more inclined towards that of humans.

Just as they love their beautiful feathers, they are also happy to have nice clothes made by humans.

Seeing their eager expressions, Tao Qiu asked, "Would you like to try them on?"

The children were about to agree, but looking at their slightly dirty little hands and feet, they hesitated.

Tao Qiu saw through their thoughts and said, "I'm going to wash these clothes just like before before, so feel free to try them on. It's okay if you accidentally get them dirty."

The kids immediately cheered.

The Third Cub said, "Dad, we'll wash our own clothes."

The Eldest Cub Second Cub nodded in agreement with the Third Cub's statement.

"Okay, you guys wash, Dad will help you." Tao Qiu didn't refuse his kids' offer to take responsibility; he only offered to help to ensure the task could be completed smoothly.

After changing the kids' clothes, since there wasn't a large full-length mirror, Tao Qiu used her phone to record videos of them so they could see how they looked in the clothes.

The beautiful clothes and the adorable child complemented each other perfectly. This video, which Tao Qiu casually recorded, could have been used as a children's clothing advertisement even before the disaster.

After watching the video, the kids commented, "We all think it's so good!"

Tao Qiu, the father, didn't teach his children humility at all; instead, he exaggerated even further, saying, "Of course! Our three kids are the cutest and most adorable children in the world!"

The kids giggled at his exaggerated expressions and tone, but his words also made them happier and more confident.

The large bag of clothes hadn't been emptied yet. Tao Qiu pulled one out and found it was a very heavy package with a label that read "Matching Family Outfits."

There were also two sets laid out at the very bottom, labeled "Couple Outfits".

Tao Qiu laughed, "You've got a good eye for shopping."

Seeing Tao Qiu take out more clothes, the Eldest Cub asked curiously, "Any more?"

Tao Qiu hasn't told the kids about their family's relationship with Lou Yu yet? What about matching family outfits and couple outfits? They can't see that!

"It's nothing, the rest are all for me. I'll come back and unpack them later."

The kids didn't doubt Tao Qiu's words. After all, Lou Yu most wanted to please his father, and since he had bought things for them, how could he forget about his father?

Next up are toys and accessories.

Wooden swords, wooden knives, and wooden guns—the prototypes of these toys are things that kids have all seen in movies and TV shows on their phones, so they're not unfamiliar to them.

The Second Cub and Third Cub picked up the swords and brandished them a couple of times, seemingly quite fond of them.

Second Cub said, "In TV dramas, the heroes use swords?"

After thinking for a while, Second Cub said, "Then let's be like Little Bird Hero."

The Eldest Cub stroked his wooden weapon, his eyes gleaming.

The kids hadn't seen building blocks before, so Tao Qiu explained how to play with them.

The Eldest Cub asked, "Can you spell out a bird?"

Second Cub: "And a cave, a table, and a basket."