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Eldest Cub added, "Chirp, chirp."

—Dad can fly too.

The cubs showered Tao Qiu with praise, one after another, until he was bursting with joy and grinning from ear to ear.

Never mind that everything the cubs said was true. Just being admired by his own children was enough to fill Tao Qiu with pride.

But as they talked, the cubs couldn't help remembering the terrifying sight of Green Python rampaging through the valley the night before.

Although they all thought their dad was the greatest, Green Python wasn't bad either, in all fairness.

Second Cub ventured a cautious question. "Chirp, chirp chirp chirp?"

—Dad, will the big snake come back?

Tao Qiu instinctively replied, "Yes," but when he saw the cubs' eyes widen, he realized they were scared.

He hurried to explain, "She won't fight Dad again, because with your help last night, sweethearts, we beat her and made her submit."

After hearing Tao Qiu out, the cubs' hearts dropped back into place with a thud.

That scared the feathers off them!

They didn't want Dad to fight Green Python again, and they didn't want him to hurt again.

Eldest Cub remembered what he had seen when he looked down from the cave entrance after Dad sent them back inside last night, and couldn't help asking, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp?"

—If Dad made her submit, why did he give her tomatoes?

Second Cub and Third Cub were curious too.

Second Cub: "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp!"

—I saw them, a whole basketful.

Third Cub: "Chirp chirp chirp."

—Dad let the bad little snake go too.

Little Snake had ambushed Tao Qiu, so in the cubs' eyes, she was just as bad as the big snake.

The cubs' sense of right and wrong was still simple: anyone who bullied Dad or them was a bad guy and their enemy.

So why was Dad being nice to their enemies?

Tao Qiu understood their confusion, so he gently reasoned it through with them. "Do you know why Green Python risked dying to steal the crops we grew?"

Second Cub was the first to answer. "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

—The fruit smells good, and she wanted to eat it.

"Chirp chirp, chirp chirp." Third Cub's answer went a little deeper.

—The fruit makes you feel good when you eat it. The big snake wanted it.

Eldest Cub watched Tao Qiu's expression and thought back over everything that had happened last night, then gave his guess. "Chirp chirp."

—She wasn't stealing it for herself.

Tao Qiu smiled. "You're all right, but you have to put your answers together to get the full answer."

With the cubs watching him, Tao Qiu continued, "Do you remember the little green snake who tried to ambush me? She's Green Python's child."

Third Cub said, "Chirp chirp."

—They're both green.

Tao Qiu nodded. "Green Python said herself that the little green snake is her only child still alive. That means the little green snake might have had many older and younger brothers and sisters, but they all died."

The bird cubs, who had been full of resentment toward Green Python and Little Snake, were stunned. They hadn't expected there to be more to the story.

"That little green snake is very weak, about the same as Yuanyuan was not long after she hatched. If she doesn't eat the fruit, she won't live much longer."

Tao Qiu didn't need to say any more. The bird cubs understood.

Eldest Cub: "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."

—Little sister got healthy after eating the fruit. Little Snake probably can too.

Second Cub: "Chirp chirp chirp!"

—So that's why she came to steal the fruit before?!

Third Cub's feelings were more complicated. "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."

—The big snake stole the fruit to save her child.

After that, all three bird cubs fell silent.

Because Dad treated them so well, they could understand Green Python risking her life to steal crops for her child.

Because the three siblings were healthy and got along well, they felt a little sorry for Little Snake being all alone.

Because they and Dad loved one another, Dad had chosen to spare Green Python and Little Snake and even given them the fragrant fruit.

When others were in a similar situation, and you were happy, you always hoped they wouldn't have to suffer either.

Tao Qiu could tell from the bird cubs' eyes that they were thinking hard about this. Once they came back to themselves a little, he continued, "Dad is telling you this because I want you to know that not every problem can be viewed in black and white. When deciding whether to accept something or forgive someone, you need to weigh the pros and cons as well as follow your heart."

Seeing the cubs looking thoughtful and clearly taking his words to heart, Tao Qiu was happy too.

"Green Python came to steal our things to save her child, and that was definitely wrong. Of course we could have chosen to kill them or drive them away, since they used those same violent methods against us."

"But we won this fight, and our losses were within an acceptable range. We have the initiative, so we have more and better choices."

"As the saying goes, it's better to resolve a feud than keep it going. If we killed them, we'd gain nothing, and other bad guys might still come to steal our crops in the future. If we drove them away, Green Python might still come back to rob or steal from us to save her child.

"So why not use what we already have to trade with her for what we need?"

Tao Qiu deliberately paused after that, giving the cubs time to digest it and think.

Before long, Third Cub was the first to speak. "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."

—Dad gave her tomatoes because he wants to trade with her, right?

Eldest Cub said, "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp, chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

—Only Dad has fruit that makes you feel good when you eat it. For her child's sake, if bad guys bully Dad, she might help fight them off.

Second Cub suddenly understood. "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp!"

—The big snake isn't a bad guy anymore. She's a friend!

Tao Qiu's eyes curved with his smile as he rubbed their heads one by one, overjoyed. "You're all right! Oh, how are my sweethearts all so clever?"

Third Cub nuzzled Tao Qiu's palm and chirped softly.

—Dad is clever, so we're clever too.

Tao Qiu immediately beamed. "What did Yuanyuan eat to make her words so sweet?"

Third Cub: "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp~"

—The fruit Dad grew. It made my words sweet~

"Oh, Dad loves you all so much! Come on, come on, let Dad give you kisses."

Tao Qiu leaned over to kiss them, then buried his face in the bird cubs' down and inhaled for a long while. They smelled wonderful and were so soft. They really were his cubs!

The three cubs also jostled to kiss him back. The scene was chaotic but harmonious, and it took a while for them to settle down.

Eldest Cub tilted his head back, enjoying Dad smoothing his ruffled down, and shared his thoughts. "Chirp chirp chirp."

—Dad wants to trade with the big snake for meat, right?

Tao Qiu had said before that they needed to stockpile food for winter. Now they had crops that would soon be ready to harvest, so all that remained was their staple food, meat.

They could go without the fragrant fruit, but not meat. Dad and the cubs ate a lot every day, and fruit alone wouldn't fill them up, nor would there be anywhere near enough.

If another mutated monster could help them solve that problem, nothing could be better.

"That's right. I was going to focus on growing crops first, and by the time we harvested them, the temperature would be low enough. Then I could hunt and store the meat without it spoiling. But now it looks like I can save myself some effort."

Third Cub chimed in. "Chirp chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."

—If the big snake trades with us, Dad won't have to work so hard.

Although the three of them often said they would help Dad with his work, they were young and could hardly do any physical labor, so Tao Qiu was still the one doing the hard work.

They felt sorry for him, but there wasn't much they could do.

Now that the big snake had appeared, she could help ease Dad's burden a little. But would they grow enough fruit to trade?

Second Cub voiced her question.

Tao Qiu answered, "That snake is so small, and she was originally a pure carnivore. She probably won't need too much fruit, and we can afford to give her that much. But for the same reason, even if we can trade with Green Python for meat, we probably won't get very much. We'll still have to rely on ourselves for most of our meat stockpile."

Second Cub was a little disappointed. "Chirp chirp."

—Dad will still have to work hard.

Eldest Cub lowered his eyes, feeling rather unhappy too.

If only they could grow up faster.

Seeing how dejected the three bird cubs looked, Tao Qiu hurried to comfort them. "Don't be so discouraged. Whoever you are, life in this world is rarely easy all the time. I can grow crops, and I don't have to risk my life hunting for food. I'm already luckier than most mutated monsters."

"Besides, I have you." Tao Qiu smiled and stroked them, his expression gentle. "The happiness I have far outweighs the hardship and pain. What reason do I have to be greedy?"

Third Cub threw herself into Tao Qiu's arms, looked up at him, and chirped earnestly.

—We'll love Dad forever, and Dad has to stay happy forever too.

"Of course. With you by my side, happiness is by my side too."

The autumn wind outside was chilly and bleak, but inside the cave, the affection shared by the family of four made it as warm as a day in early spring.

After their midday rest, Tao Qiu planned to clean up the site of last night's fight.

The cubs clamored to come help, and Tao Qiu didn't dampen their spirits. He cheerfully brought them along.

There was no need to worry about the area outside the valley. The main battlefield had actually been the valley entrance and the area just inside.

Sand and earth had tumbled down the mountain, stones littered the ground, and Green Python had rolled the mashed radishes everywhere. Dried snake blood covered the sharp rock and the area around it, making for a rather frightening sight.

Tao Qiu had thought the cubs would be scared, but unlike last night, seeing the scene today filled them more with admiration and respect for the two powerful mutated monsters.