Lots and Lots of Love~

Tao Qiu laughed even more happily.

Of course, Tao Qiu hadn't forgotten the other two. He kissed Eldest Cub and Third Cub too, thanked them for their hard work, then carried them toward the artificial pond he had made.

Fish were also part of the diet of birds like Tao Qiu. Since they dove into the water to catch fish, neither he nor the cubs had a natural aversion to it.

Tao Qiu went upstream to wash the fruit, setting the three little birds down beside him and letting them roam freely.

There were a few more plants by the water than elsewhere in the valley, but the ground was still mostly dirt and stones. Curious as ever, Second Cub kicked a few pebbles and pecked at the grass before standing at the edge of the pond, tilting her head to study her reflection.

Eldest Cub also wandered away from Tao Qiu's side, but instead of playing freely like Second Cub, he kept studying his surroundings, as though trying to commit everything to memory.

Only Third Cub stayed close to Tao Qiu. She hopped onto his shoulder and perched there obediently, rubbing against his cheek from time to time.

He only needed to wash the dust off the fruit, so it didn't take long. Tao Qiu was soon finished.

It was a rare occasion for him to bring the cubs out of the cave, and there were no other mutated monsters about. Rather than hurry back, Tao Qiu found a shady spot, and the family of four began their "picnic."

The cubs could feed themselves now, so Tao Qiu held the fruit in his palm and let them peck at it while he picked up a big tomato with his other hand and took a bite.

Sweet and tart juice burst in his mouth, and the fresh fragrance unique to fruits and vegetables rushed straight to his head. It smelled so good it almost made Tao Qiu dizzy.

Before he had time to marvel, he finished the tomato in a few bites. With his craving satisfied, Tao Qiu finally let out a long sigh.

"Refreshing!" Tao Qiu patted his belly.

"Chirp!" Seeing this, Second Cub couldn't even wait to swallow the fruit in her mouth before copying her old father. She puffed out her chest and patted her belly with a wing.

Third Cub looked utterly bewildered, but she followed along.

Only Eldest Cub didn't move. He looked at his father, then at his two younger sisters, before lowering his head and continuing to eat the wild fruit. It was hard to tell whether he thought they were childish or was too embarrassed to do the same.

Tao Qiu laughed inwardly, thinking that his eldest was so young yet already cared so much about his image.

After feeding them the wild fruit, Tao Qiu gave the three cubs a tomato to share.

Although he had said they could eat as much as they wanted after the big harvest, Tao Qiu didn't dare let them eat until they were stuffed. The cubs' stomachs weren't as sturdy as an adult's.

When Tao Qiu stopped them, Eldest Cub and Second Cub obediently stopped eating and lay quietly on his legs to digest their food. Third Cub, however, kept gazing longingly at the fruit left in the wicker basket, reluctant to part with it.

Tao Qiu rubbed her round little belly with a finger and gently coaxed her. "You can have more at the next meal, or you'll feel uncomfortable later."

"Chirp..."

All right...

Third Cub reluctantly nestled into Tao Qiu's arms, doing her best not to look at the wicker basket again.

Apart from the fruit saved for seeds, all the rest ended up in Tao Qiu and the cubs' stomachs. Since meat was still their main food, it took them three days to finish the fruit, with Tao Qiu, the adult, and Third Cub eating the most.

This unusual development surprised Tao Qiu.

Because Third Cub was the youngest and frail, she had previously eaten less than Eldest Cub and Second Cub.

But from the day of the harvest, Third Cub's appetite had grown enormously. It wasn't just fruit; she ate more meat too, even more than her older brother and sister.

Seeing how much their little sister loved to eat, Eldest Cub and Second Cub shared some of their food with her, and Third Cub managed to polish it all off at almost every meal.

At first, Tao Qiu was rather pleased. He thought the fruit he had grown with his special ability had worked, nursing Third Cub back to health and letting her catch up.

Gradually, however, Tao Qiu realized something was wrong. Third Cub was becoming less and less energetic. The little bird was listless and often curled up motionless in the nest, much as she had been when she first hatched.

Yet under his careful care during this time, Third Cub had plainly become much livelier, even playing and roughhousing with Second Cub occasionally.

Tao Qiu asked Third Cub if she felt unwell anywhere, but she said no. He could only try to figure it out by watching her, but he wasn't an ultrasound machine, and this was his first time raising children. He really couldn't tell what was wrong.

Then, one night, as Tao Qiu drifted between sleep and wakefulness, he felt movement where the cubs lay on his belly.

Ever since he'd had the cubs, he hadn't dared sleep too deeply at night. He immediately opened his eyes and sat up.

Only then did he discover that something was wrong with Third Cub. She was whimpering as she crawled outward, as though trying to get off Tao Qiu.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?"

Tao Qiu hurriedly scooped Third Cub up, but before he could ask anything else, she threw up with a retch. Her fluffy little body trembled and spasmed, and she looked truly frightening.

Tao Qiu's heart leaped into his throat.

Chapter 17: Lots and Lots of Love~

The vomit was full of undigested chunks of meat and fruit from dinner, giving off a strong, sour stench. Some had splashed onto Tao Qiu's palm and leg.

Third Cub had been so determined to crawl away because she was afraid this would happen, but it had happened anyway.

"Chirp, chirp..."

I'm sorry, Daddy...

Forcing herself to bear the discomfort, Third Cub weakly apologized to Tao Qiu and reached out a wing, trying to wipe the mess off him.

Tao Qiu stopped her in time. As he set her down somewhere clean, he soothed her. "You didn't do it on purpose. You don't need to apologize to Daddy."

Then he asked, "Does your tummy hurt? Do you still feel like throwing up?"

"Chirp, chirp... chirp, chirp, chirp..."

My tummy's bad... all the yummy food came out...

She meant that because her tummy hurt so much, her tummy was too bad and had made her throw up everything she had eaten.

"Yummy food" was something Tao Qiu often said when feeding them, and Third Cub had remembered it well.

The way children described things was sometimes just that strange, yet true to life.

No sooner had Third Cub finished whimpering than she threw up again, though there was less this time.

Seeing this and recalling how much Third Cub had been overeating these past few days, it wasn't hard to guess why she was throwing up.

Her stomach couldn't handle the sudden increase in food, so naturally it would react. Third Cub's lack of energy these past few days had been a warning sign, until it finally came to a head tonight.

After Third Cub stopped vomiting, Tao Qiu first stroked her little head to comfort her. Then, without hesitation, he bit his finger and held the bleeding fingertip to her mouth.

This was the second time Tao Qiu had fed her his blood, the first being when she hatched.

He hadn't fed it to her again during this time partly because, although Third Cub was frail, she was growing steadily and developing in a healthy direction both physically and mentally. His blood was like a potent tonic with powerful medicinal effects. Leaving aside whether Third Cub's body could withstand taking it continuously, Tao Qiu didn't want to use such a method to force her growth.

The second reason was that Third Cub didn't want to drink his blood.

The cubs were young, but they weren't stupid. They knew injuries hurt and bleeding could kill.

Even if they couldn't yet say clearly what death was, or how severe an injury and how much blood loss it took to die, they already knew fear and worry.

Tao Qiu had tried to feed Third Cub his blood again before, but she had shaken her head like a rattle drum and chirped with tears in her eyes that she didn't want Daddy to hurt.

After seeing that, Tao Qiu hadn't brought it up again.

This time, he had no choice. Third Cub was unwell, and Tao Qiu was a savage—a bird—with no medicine on hand. Only his blood had healing properties. What else could he use?

Third Cub looked at the finger bleeding freely before her and instinctively shrank back, refusing. "Chirp, chirp... chirp..."

Daddy hurts... won't drink blood...

Tao Qiu said gently, "Daddy knows you're worried about me, sweetheart, but you're sick now, and Daddy is very worried about you. Besides, the blood has already come out. If you don't drink it, it'll go to waste. If you want to make it up to Daddy, just help me with a little more work once you're better."

Hearing this, Third Cub understood that Daddy was trying to reassure her. Big tears fell uncontrollably from her eyes like golden beans.

Sobbing, she moved closer to Tao Qiu's finger and opened her mouth of her own accord.

Tao Qiu withdrew his hand after feeding her just two drops of blood. His self-healing ability quickly took effect, and the bleeding stopped before long.

After drinking the blood, Third Cub crouched there in a daze without making a sound. She simply looked up at Tao Qiu and cried, her tears almost enough to form a pool and drown her tiny self.

At last, Tao Qiu held out his hand to her. "Come here and let Daddy take a closer look to see if you're feeling better, okay?"

"Chirp! Chirp, chirp!" Third Cub could no longer hold back. She plunged headfirst into Tao Qiu's palm, her voice thick with tears and full of guilt and grievance.

Daddy! I'm sorry! Boo-hoo-hoo...

Tao Qiu stroked the little fluffball and soothed her softly. "Why are you apologizing again? It's not as though you wanted to get sick, sweetheart. Daddy should take care of you. You don't need to blame yourself so much."

At that moment, Eldest Cub and Second Cub hopped out too. The two little birds had woken when Tao Qiu got up, but things had been urgent just now, and they had kept quiet for fear of getting in Daddy's way.

Eldest Cub rubbed against Tao Qiu's bleeding hand, then went to comfort his little sister. "Chirp, chirp."

There, there. Don't cry.

Second Cub chirped too.

Don't be sad, little sister. I'll give you my favorite pretty stone.

Second Cub loved brightly colored things. She had collected all the colorful pebbles she could find in the valley where they lived and treasured them in her own little nest.

Hearing this, Third Cub hurriedly replied between sobs, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

Thank you, big sister. You don't have to give me the stone. I won't cry anymore.

Tao Qiu wiped away Third Cub's tears, then stroked Eldest Cub and Second Cub on the head, smiling until his eyes narrowed. "You're a good big brother and a good big sister, and you're Daddy's good little darlings too."

Hearing the praise, Eldest Cub modestly wriggled with delight, while Second Cub proudly puffed out her chest. She might as well have had the words "I'm Daddy's good baby" written on her face.