Daddy Stinks~ (continued)

Second Cub was lively and active by nature, so this kind of exercise wasn't very difficult for her. Bouncing around really was just like playing.

Third Cub was making slower progress. She was also very cautious, making sure before every jump that she could land steadily at her destination rather than fall halfway or crash into a rock before she made her move.

Eldest Cub was the strongest of the three. Although he had never trained like this before, he quickly got the hang of it.

But while he practiced, he also kept an eye on his two younger sisters. He wasn't too worried about Third Cub; it was Second Cub he feared might get careless and accidentally hurt herself.

Fortunately, neither he nor his sisters were injured by the time they stopped for a break.

Second Cub pushed the cups of water in front of her brother and sister. After practicing for so long, they were all thirsty.

Eldest Cub and Third Cub thanked her before lowering their heads to drink.

They had only taken a couple of sips when Third Cub suddenly raised her head and looked toward the cave entrance, which was piled high with rocks.

"Chirp?" Eldest Cub asked.

-What is it?

Third Cub kept staring in that direction. "Chirp."

-Something alive is approaching.

Second Cub smacked her lips. "Chirp?"

-Is there? I didn't sense anything.

Eldest Cub shook his head. "Chirp."

-Me neither.

Although Eldest Cub thought his sister might have imagined it, he didn't let his guard down. After all, the three chicks were home alone, and any adult mutated monster could easily eat them like wild berries.

He quietly told his sisters to stay where they were, then ran over and peered through a gap.

Behind him, Second Cub asked softly, "Chirp?"

-What's going on?

Eldest Cub took another careful look and was about to say everything was fine when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in his field of vision.

"Chirp! Chirp!!"

-Daddy! It's Daddy!!

This turn of events was such a pleasant surprise that Second Cub and Third Cub hurried over.

Second Cub: "Chirp? Chirp?"

-Where? Where?

Third Cub: "Chirp, chirp chirp."

-Big brother, I want to see too.

Eldest Cub hurriedly gave up his spot to his sisters.

When they saw Tao Qiu drawing near, the sisters cheered together. "Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!"

-Daddy's back! Daddy's back!

Before Tao Qiu even landed on the cave's platform, he heard the children chirping away. He took human form and answered with a smile, "Babies, Daddy's baaaack!"

Second Cub and Third Cub immediately chirped even more enthusiastically, and a delighted smile appeared in Eldest Cub's eyes too.

"All right, all right, move back a little. Daddy's going to move the rocks. Be careful they don't fall on you."

The cubs wanted to cuddle up to Daddy right away, but they understood he meant well and hurried back to a safe distance together.

Tao Qiu was strong and quick, and soon the rocks at the entrance had been moved aside.

"Chirp!"

-Daddy!

Second Cub was the first to throw herself at him. Tao Qiu caught her and leaned in to kiss and nuzzle her.

Second Cub was panting with excitement. "Chirp chirp... urgh!"

She was only halfway through saying, "Daddy, I missed you so much," when the stench she had breathed in assaulted her nose. Unable to help herself, she threw up with a loud retch. Her breakfast had gone to waste.

Eldest Cub and Third Cub, who had just caught up, were a little farther away from Tao Qiu, but the stench still made them gag.

Tao Qiu: "..."

Wait! The wind blew on me the whole way home! I still stink?

Tao Qiu hurriedly put Second Cub down and backed away, feeling guilty and ashamed. Scratching his head, he gave an awkward laugh. "Daddy got something dirty on him. I'll go down and take a bath before I come back to hug you."

With that, he flew toward the pond at the bottom of the valley as fast as he could.

A kind of wild grass grew by the pond. Although it didn't foam when crushed, it had a strong grassy scent, so Tao Qiu used it as a cleanser and scrubbed himself all over, even brushing his teeth carefully.

After washing himself clean, Tao Qiu waited on the bank for a while and sniffed himself carefully. Only after confirming that the stench really was gone and all he could smell was the fresh scent of wild grass did he hurry back to the cave.

The three little chicks were standing at the edge of the stone platform, waiting for him. As soon as he stopped, Second Cub was once again the first to throw herself at him.

She had already cleaned herself up with water. Now she looked at Tao Qiu with tears in her eyes and explained through her sniffles, "Chirp, chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp!"

-I'm sorry, I wasn't disgusted with you, Daddy. I love you the very, very most!

Tao Qiu picked up the other two as well and carried them back into the cave, where he sat down on a stone stool.

At the same time, he said gently, "Daddy should be the one apologizing. Xuexue wanted a hug from Daddy, but Daddy's stink got to her."

The tears that had been gathering in Second Cub's eyes rolled down her face, and she whimpered, "Chirp chirp."

-Daddy doesn't stink at all.

When Tao Qiu heard that, he deliberately leaned closer to Second Cub and made a face. "Hmm, I really don't stink?"

Second Cub couldn't help breaking into a smile through her tears. "Chirp, chirp chirp."

-Okay, maybe just a little bit.

Tao Qiu pretended to heave a sigh. "I knew it."

At that, Eldest Cub and Third Cub both laughed too.

Having finally made it home, Tao Qiu naturally buried his face in each of his three fluffy little chicks, then coaxed them into kissing and nuzzling him. Only when he smelled of little birds all over did he stop, satisfied.

After resting, Tao Qiu checked the food and water he had left. None of it had spoiled, and there was still a day's supply left. It seemed the three cubs had eaten strictly according to the portions he had divided up for them.

The cubs could tell from Tao Qiu's expression that Daddy was about to praise them, so they all puffed out their chests, their eyes shining brightly.

Seeing this, Tao Qiu smiled even more broadly, and his voice grew so cutesy it was almost frightening.

"Wow, which little babies were so good? They didn't eat too much of the food Daddy portioned out, and they didn't leave too much either. They couldn't have done any better. Daddy could praise them ten thousand times and it still wouldn't be too much~"

The three cubs puffed out their chests even more. Second Cub looked thoroughly proud. "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."

-It's us! We're the good babies Daddy's talking about!

Third Cub praised herself, happy and bashful. "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp, chirp."

-The three of us kept an eye on each other, so we wouldn't overeat or waste anything.

Eldest Cub didn't play modest either. He told Tao Qiu honestly about their daily routine over the past two days. "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

-We took turns keeping watch at night, and none of us slacked off.

They hadn't made Eldest Cub and Second Cub keep watch longer because they were healthier, nor had they stopped Third Cub from keeping watch because she was a little weaker.

There wasn't really any danger inside the cave, and keeping watch was just keeping watch, so they didn't treat anyone differently. That made all three chicks happy and also helped them grow closer.

Tao Qiu hadn't told them to keep watch. The three cubs had learned it from some of the stories he had told them. They were very clever indeed.

Listening to them, Tao Qiu felt both tenderness and heartache. He kissed the children again and said with a gentle expression, "Thank you for your hard work, babies. Daddy's back, so from now on you can all sleep soundly."

That reminded the three cubs that they still didn't know whether Daddy had found any new plant seeds on his trip.

So they all asked, "Chirp, chirp chirp?"

-Daddy, did you bring any seeds back?

Tao Qiu slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot about that. Babies, Daddy found some good stuff this time."

When Tao Qiu had landed on the platform earlier, he had put the pear and radish down to one side. The rocks he moved had blocked them from view afterward, and he had been busy going to take a bath, so he had forgotten them where they were.

The children, meanwhile, had been focused on him and had instinctively overlooked the things he had brought back.

The radish and pear had picked up some of the stink. It wasn't unbearable, but Tao Qiu washed them anyway before bringing them to the children.

The black pear was even rounder and plumper than the fluffy little chicks, and the radish was another matter altogether: it was nearly as long as Tao Qiu's arm.

It was the first time the three chicks had seen either plant, and their eyes were full of delight and curiosity.

Tao Qiu took the initiative to explain. "This round black one is called a pear. It's a fruit, much like a wild berry. This long white one is a radish. It's similar to a tomato: it can be eaten as a vegetable or raw as a fruit. They both taste very good."

Eldest Cub asked, "Chirp chirp?"

-Are we going to grow these from now on?

Tao Qiu nodded. "As you can see, this radish is big, and once the pear grows into a pear tree, it can produce lots of pears. They're more worthwhile to grow than wild fruit and tomatoes. We can keep growing wild fruit and tomatoes too, though just much fewer of them."

Hearing Daddy say that, Second Cub grew excited at once. "Chirp chirp?"

-Then, Daddy, are we planting them now?

Tao Qiu smiled and stroked her head. "There's no hurry. We'll wait a few more days. I still have some preparations to make."

"Chirp." Second Cub was disappointed for a second, but she quickly perked up again. "Chirp chirp."

-Okay, I'll help you plant them when the time comes, Daddy.

Tao Qiu said, "All right! My baby's all grown up and can help Daddy work now."

As he spoke, he saw that Third Cub looked a little anxious and guessed she was probably worried he wouldn't let her help because of her poor health. So he said to her, "Daddy's going to plant a lot of plants this time, and it'll be tiring. Will Yuanyuan come help Daddy too?"

Tao Qiu had guessed right, because after he said that, Third Cub's eyes grew noticeably brighter.

"Chirp!"

-Yes!

Third Cub's voice was cheerful.

Tao Qiu turned to Eldest Cub. "Momo will join us too, won't you?"

The tension in Eldest Cub's heart suddenly eased. He nodded, feigning calm. "Chirp."

-Of course.

"All right, all right, it's settled." Having made the decision, Tao Qiu rubbed his eyes and couldn't hold back a yawn. "I hardly slept last night, so I'm a little sleepy now. I'll take a nap after we eat. You can play by yourselves for a while."