Page 161

Lou Yu helped Tao Qiu back into his seat and asked, "What if I don't have the strength to go back? Can Qiuqiu take me in?"

Tao Qiu wrapped her leg around his waist and laughed, "I'll throw you in the car."

"My Qiuqiu, how cruel you are." Lou Yu bent down and hugged him. "Then I have to hold you tight and make you stay with me."

"Okay, let's see how you do."

Another round of battle has begun.

Although she knew the sound might not reach the valley, Tao Qiu still dared not shout at the top of her lungs. If she couldn't bear it, she would kiss Lou Yu or cover her mouth with her hand.

He thought to himself, "Next time I need to find a safer place, preferably one where I can shout until I'm hoarse and no one else can hear me."

After this round, both sides had lost a lot of energy. Tao Qiu took the fruit she had brought and fed it to Lou Yu herself.

He joked, "You've always served me before, today it's my turn to serve you, my beloved concubine. Are you satisfied with how I feed you?"

Lou Yu swallowed the fruit in his mouth and couldn't help but kiss Tao Qiu's lips. "Satisfied, very satisfied."

Whether it's a fruit or something else.

After eating fruit and resting, Lou Yu looked at the photos and videos documenting the children's recent lives and then told Tao Qiu what supplies he had brought this time.

"This time there's food! Besides rice, flour, and cooking oil, I've also brought plenty of snacks that you and the kids like."

Tao Qiu looked at the packages of various sizes at her feet and asked Lou Yu, "How are the crops growing at your base this season?"

"It's alright for now, no major problems." Lou Yu told him about Lou Quan's promise to the people. "Right now, he's under the most pressure. If the grain production decreases, everyone will vent their anger on him, because he made such a boast."

Lou Yu's expression was somewhat gloomy when he said this. He was on the same side as Lou Quan, and if Lou Quan was in trouble, he wouldn't fare much better. The main threat was still the ever-watchful Lou Family.

Seeing this, Tao Qiu cupped Lou Yu's face in her hands, looked him in the eye, and said earnestly, "If there's anything I can do to help, just come to me. Don't carry all the burdens on your own because of guilt or anything else. Family members should help each other, shouldn't they?"

Upon hearing this, Lou Yu thought for a moment and then told him that Lou Quan already knew Tao Qiu had a human form.

Lou Yu had originally planned to tell Tao Qiu as soon as he arrived, but Tao Qiu's enthusiasm made him get caught up in it and he almost forgot about it.

After explaining the whole story to Tao Qiu, including the results of his discussion with Lou Quan, Lou Yu said guiltily, "I'm sorry, Qiuqiu. It was my fault for not hiding the photos properly, which is why this happened. But don't worry, if Lou Quan dares to use this secret for anything bad, I'll be the first to kill him."

When he said that last sentence, a murderous glint flashed in Lou Yu's eyes, indicating that he wasn't just casually brushing Tao Qiu off, but genuinely thought and would actually do it.

Tao Qiu was initially shocked when he heard the news, but he quickly came to terms with it.

According to his plan, this secret wouldn't have been kept from Lou Quan for long anyway; it was just exposed prematurely due to an accident.

He pinched Lou Yu's cheek, making him look at him, and then comforted him, "Idiot, the thief and the people behind him are the ones in the wrong. What are you, the victim, doing wrong? Besides, you handled the aftermath very well. Even if I were in danger because of this, you would still protect me, wouldn't you?"

Lou Yu nuzzled Tao Qiu's hand, his eyes filled with deep affection as he looked at her. "Yes, I will protect Qiuqiu with my life."

"I believe in you, so don't be sad, smile, okay?"

Lou Yu hummed in agreement and gave Tao Qiu a bright smile.

Tao Qiu was delighted. "That's a good girl!"

The two then engaged in a long and delicate exchange, and after getting tired, they embraced and slept for an hour or so.

Without any other distractions, this was the longest and most enjoyable date the two had had since they started dating.

Lou Yu changed into spare clothes before returning to the base. Tao Qiu carefully examined him, and apart from a slightly swollen lip, there were no obvious marks on the exposed areas.

Tao Qiu knew his limits; when kissing those areas, he deliberately used less force.

After unloading all the supplies from the car, Tao Qiu asked Lou Yu one last time, "Are you sure you can drive back by yourself without me taking you?"

"Really, no need." Lou Yu chuckled and said, "Qiuqiu, I'm not that weak."

"Alright, alright, you're not weak at all, you're quite strong." As a man, Tao Qiu naturally understood what men cared about.

He leaned closer to Lou Yu and whispered, "When you have the chance later, try to make me so tired I can't get out of bed, how about that?"

Lou Yu took a deep breath, put on a pained expression, and pleaded, "Qiuqiu, if you provoke me again, I won't want to leave."

"Okay, I won't say anything more." Tao Qiu raised her hands in surrender and took a few steps back. "You'd better get in the car quickly, or we won't make it back to base before dark."

Lou Yu reluctantly sat in the driver's seat. Just as he fastened his seatbelt, Tao Qiu leaned against the window, giving him a bright smile. "Husband, I'll miss you."

"Qiuqiu..." Lou Yu really wanted to cry this time.

"Hahahaha..." The heartless bird laughed very loudly.

In the end, Lou Yu left. After watching the car disappear from sight, Tao Qiu rubbed her slightly bulging belly, transformed into a bird, picked up the supplies, and flew back into the valley.

I'm so full, time to take a shower.

When Tao Qiu returned, the three boys were playing on the grass. Perhaps because they felt guilty, they didn't dare to look Tao Qiu in the eye.

Tao Qiu's mindset was similar. He placed the supplies in front of the kids, explained to them that Lou Yu wasn't taking any prey back this time, and told them to open the supplies themselves and eat the snacks inside as they pleased. Then he quickly took a shower, ran to the cave, and rummaged through the cave to find his clothes and put them on.

Considering the three children in the family, Lou Yu held back when he bit Lou Yu's neck, but there were countless bruises and teeth marks on his chest, abdomen, buttocks, and thighs. He couldn't let the kids see that; that would be not acting like a parent.

As for Lou Yu, the wind on the way back had mostly dissipated the smell from his car and his body, so he didn't need to worry about anyone finding out what he had been doing outside.

Upon arriving at the main gate, the soldier who had previously checked him was not there; apparently, he had gone to the hospital due to illness. Someone else was assigned to check him and his car.

Lou Yu had already guessed this would happen, so he didn't react and let the newcomer investigate.

The man searched the car thoroughly, inside and out, wishing he could disassemble every part for a detailed inspection, but unfortunately, there was nothing there. No matter how unwilling he was, he could only obediently let Lou Yu in.

"Thank you for your trouble." Lou Yu smiled at the man before leaving, but then he saw the man's face darken.

Lou Yu almost laughed out loud. What should he do? It seems he's been corrupted by Qiuqiu.

Hmm, probably because we kissed so much.

Those people failed to catch Lou Yu in any way, and were even mocked by him. They were furious, so they started spreading rumors that he hadn't brought anything back with him this time, and that he had really been abandoned by Snow Bird.

Some bold people went to ask Lou Yu what had happened. Lou Yu was clearly overjoyed, but he had to pretend to be heartbroken.

Perhaps they've grown tired of it all. Ah, life is unpredictable.

"Oh, what a pity. But I think Snow Bird fell in love with you again last time, so I'm sure she can do it this time too. Don't give up."

"Let's hope so, though the chances are slim."

The rumors were confirmed. Those people, seeing Lou Yu become a laughing stock, finally felt a sense of triumph.

Lou Quan also heard about this, and his thought was, "Heh, the couple is quite the actor."

Lou Yu didn't go up the mountain to collect materials this time, and Tao Qiu, fearing that Red Fox and the others might misunderstand, went to explain in person.

Of course, he didn't mention the intricacies of the human base, only saying that Lou Yu couldn't come to collect the materials this time because of other matters.

Seeing that the Red Fox seemed hesitant to speak, Tao Qiu guessed what he was thinking and said, "Chirp, chirp."

-- He'll just take double the materials next time, so you can still get your crops from me this time.

The Red Fox breathed a huge sigh of relief upon hearing this, "Mmm."

Thank you, Snow Bird.

Tao Qiu shook her head. "Chirp, chirp."

--You're welcome, it's what I should do.

Of the crops harvested this time, half was given to the Fox Clan, and the Green Python and Black Rabbit also came to exchange some.

The Little Snake is getting stronger and stronger, and its appetite is growing too. However, she can now hunt for food on her own and no longer relies on the Green Python every time.

Looking at the Little Snake, which was almost as thick as her own thigh, the Snow Bird couldn't help but exclaim to the Green Python, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--I still remember the first time I saw her, she wasn't much thicker than a sweet potato vine, it feels like it was just yesterday, and now she's grown up so much.

Looking at the Little Snake that had coiled up its three humanoid offspring in the middle, proudly showing off how long it had grown, the Green Python's eyes also gleamed with satisfaction.

From the moment she hatched, my only expectation for her was that she would grow up healthy and strong. Now she has achieved that, and she is even stronger and more outstanding than I imagined.

Tao Qiu looked at her three children, and remembering their carefree and dashing manner while hunting yesterday, she couldn't help but smile.

My little ones are also very strong and excellent; they might even surpass me in the future.

The baby birds, on whom their father had placed high hopes, were currently discussing the issue of laying eggs with the Little Snake.

The Little Snake hissed...

--I've grown up and become stronger, so I don't need my mother to protect me all the time anymore. Next spring, she should go find another male snake to lay eggs.

To facilitate communication, the children all transformed back into bird form.

The Second Cub asked curiously, "Chirp? Chirp?"