A Ghost! Dad, Help!

"What you're all saying is so complicated. Isn't it possible the captain simply thought those things were good, so he gave them to Snow Bird?"

The three glanced at him, starting to speak, then stopping, then starting again, but in the end, they let it go.

Huo Lan smiled. "You can understand it that way too."

Liu Qi'an: "..."

Don't think I can't tell. You all think I'm stupid and can't be bothered to explain, don't you!

The three pretended not to see Liu Qi'an's resentful look and turned to gaze outside together.

The night was really dark tonight, haha.

In the kitchen, Lou Yu finished his water and looked down, catching sight of his sleeve. It suddenly reminded him of the clothes he had given Snow Bird that day.

Lou Yu had to admit that when Snow Bird turned and left, he had panicked.

He had realized that he was gradually becoming less important to Snow Bird, and he couldn't accept it.

He had thought he could be content with the beautiful memory of that night, that as long as Snow Bird was safe and sound, it wouldn't matter if he was no longer part of his life.

But only when the moment actually came did Lou Yu understand that those previous thoughts had all been false. He had merely been deceiving himself.

He couldn't, and didn't want to, lose Snow Bird.

Still less could he bear the thought of Snow Bird forgetting him someday and no longer caring about him.

Chapter 31: A Ghost! Dad, Help!

So giving him those things on the spur of the moment had been both a way to ease the awkwardness and a way to create more connections between himself and Snow Bird.

The fact that Snow Bird didn't eat humans and could speak their language made Lou Yu certain that he wasn't simply a mutated monster that had taken human form.

In terms of consciousness, Snow Bird was surely connected to humans somehow; Lou Yu just didn't yet know the details.

If the truth was really what he suspected, perhaps those things could become the key to drawing Snow Bird back into human society.

Even if his guess was wrong, given Snow Bird's personality, he would most likely give him something in return.

With that exchange, he could get a little closer to Snow Bird.

Putting in a change of his own clothes was Lou Yu's most selfish desire.

He secretly loved and admired Snow Bird, and kept his feather to look at every night while he missed him. So he wanted Snow Bird to have something by his side that was full of his scent, too.

It would be best if Snow Bird wore them, but even if he didn't, the clothes would make good nesting material, and they could still lie close against him.

Just as if he were embracing Snow Bird himself.

As soon as the thought surfaced, Lou Yu came to a conclusion.

His thoughts were too twisted, completely abnormal.

He realized it was wrong, but he didn't want to change.

At least when it came to loving Snow Bird, he couldn't be a gentleman.

He just didn't know whether Snow Bird would be so furious upon discovering his sordid thoughts that he would tear him apart like he had the mutated wild wolf.

But if he died at Snow Bird's hands, it would be a fitting death. After all, Snow Bird had saved his life.

If Lou Yu had been looking in a mirror just then, he would have noticed that although his face was still nearly expressionless, his eyes were unnaturally bright, a tranquil madness lurking in their purple depths.

Before long, though, he returned to normal. After leaving the kitchen, he even smiled and chatted with his teammates.

But the thoughts that most often surfaced in his mind were still: What is Snow Bird doing now? Does he ever think of me because of our encounter today?

"Chirp! Chirp!"

—So hot! So yummy!

In the cave, Second Cub swallowed a slice of fried meat and kept opening her mouth to pant from the heat.

Tao Qiu hurriedly gave her water to cool her down.

"Next time, wait until it's cooled a little before eating. It wouldn't be good if you burned your throat."

"Chirp, chirp." Second Cub grinned foolishly. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—Thanks, Dad. I didn't mean to. It's the meat's fault for being too yummy.

"You little glutton." Tao Qiu smiled helplessly.

That afternoon, Tao Qiu had gone out to gather dry firewood, then searched the valley for ages until he found a flat stone slab that wouldn't burst from the heat. He had washed it clean and carried it back to the cave.

In a spot sheltered from the wind at the cave entrance, he built a simple stone stove, lit a fire, and set the slab on it to preheat. He sliced meat and radishes, then, once the slab was hot, rendered fat from the prey and laid the meat and radish slices on it to fry.

The smell of meat mingled with the aroma of radish. Once they were cooked, he sprinkled on a little salt, and the fragrance made mouths water.

The cubs took readily to cooked food, which made Tao Qiu very happy. Good food was meant to be shared; eating it alone was no fun.

Tao Qiu let the meat slices cool until they were warm before passing them to the cubs, so they wouldn't get burned again.

"Chirp, chirp." Third Cub pushed her bamboo plate of meat toward Tao Qiu.

—You eat too, Dad.

Tao Qiu stroked her head. "Yuanyuan, you're so thoughtful. But you don't need to worry about Dad. I'm eating too. This is yours, so go ahead."

Third Cub was very well behaved. Once he said that, she obediently ate all the meat and radish slices on her plate.

After frying all the slices he had cut, Tao Qiu made grilled meat. He didn't make much, just three skewers for each member of the family of four, mainly so they could taste it.

By the time they finished the grilled meat, the braised meat wrapped in layers of green leaves and buried beneath the ashes was also ready. Tao Qiu dug it out and gave each of them a chunk.

He had just finished dividing it up when Eldest Cub informed him, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—Dad, the soup's ready.

Tao Qiu had built two stoves, one for the stone slab and the other for simmering soup.

As before, he used bamboo as a pot, splitting a length in half and using one half as the pot and the other as a lid.

Tao Qiu now depended on bamboo even more than a panda did.

The soup's main ingredients were diced radish, radish leaves, diced dried meat, and diced tomato. Rather than soup, it was more like a stew.

Over the glowing red charcoal, the bottom of the green bamboo pot had been blackened by smoke. Inside, the boiling soup bubbled and churned the ingredients, sending smoke and fragrance drifting out together. The smell alone made mouths water.

Tao Qiu lifted the bamboo pot of soup off the fire and poured it evenly into the bamboo bowls belonging to him and the bird cubs, strictly requiring them to wait for it to cool before drinking.

Second Cub was busy eating meat. Though the meat soup tempted her too, she had no time to drink it. By the time she finished her meat, the soup would surely be warm.

The fried meat was crisp and fragrant, the grilled meat chewy, and the braised meat tender and smooth. As a great food lover, Tao Qiu liked all three.

After eating meat until he was half full, he had a bowl of hot radish and meat soup. The spices in the dried meat had infused the broth, and the diced ingredients mixed together, giving it a rich texture and plenty to chew on.

Under such rudimentary conditions, this pot of soup was already a delicacy.

The cubs copied their dad, eating a few bites of meat before taking a sip of soup.

When the weather had been hot, cold water had helped cool them down. But after the recent drop in temperature, even fruit felt cold to eat, let alone cold water to drink.

When the cubs heard Dad say he would use fire to make food, they had thought he meant only meat. They hadn't expected he could heat water too.

Drinking hot water in cold weather was already very comforting, and with meat and fruit added, the fragrance was enough to make a bird's head spin. The cubs wanted nothing more than to drink it all in one gulp.

Dad was right. Fire was frightening, but if used well, it could bring them many benefits too.

Tao Qiu and the cubs were so absorbed in their meal that none of them had time to talk. Only the sounds of chewing and slurping soup remained in the cave, along with the occasional crackle of splitting firewood.

It was peaceful and quiet, full of warmth.

Half an hour later, Tao Qiu swallowed the last piece of meat and finished his meal.

He rubbed his bulging belly, thinking how long it had been since he had eaten so satisfyingly. Even though he had long since grown used to eating raw food, after regaining his human memories, he still preferred cooked food in his heart.

Tao Qiu had eaten until his belly was round, and the cubs were no better. They were sitting on the table, too stuffed to get up, their eyes vacant, as though their stomachs had borrowed their intelligence to digest the food.

After resting for a while, Tao Qiu heated water in a new bamboo container to wash himself and the cubs.

One drawback of eating cooked meat was that it was easy to get grease on themselves.

Of the cooking methods the four birds had tried that night, every one had produced grease. The bird cubs, who had only been responsible for eating, had gotten oily spots around their mouths and on their feathers, to say nothing of Tao Qiu, the cook.

If they didn't wash it off, being dirty was one thing, but after a while they would start to stink.

Though conditions in the wild were rudimentary, Tao Qiu paid close attention to hygiene. He kept the cave tidy, and he and the cubs bathed often to stay clean.

The only thing he had on hand that could clean was plant ash. When the cubs saw Tao Qiu pour the black ash into the water, they instinctively widened their eyes and watched.

They had already experienced too many "firsts" in their bird lives that day. No matter what Dad did now, they wouldn't be surprised, only curious.

"Chirp, chirp?" Having eaten and drunk their fill, Second Cub even sounded lazy.

—What are you doing, Dad?

Tao Qiu said, "I'm preparing water to wash your faces and claws. You've all got grease on your feathers and claws. Now that the grease has cooled, doesn't it feel sticky and uncomfortable?"

They had been fine until he mentioned it, but then the three cubs looked at one another and realized that some of each other's feathers were clumped together, and their beaks and claws were glistening with grease.

Each bird looked a little messy, no longer pretty.

Third Cub nodded. "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—I don't like it. Wash it off.

"Then shall I wash Yuanyuan first?" Tao Qiu suggested.

Eldest Cub looked at the bamboo container full of black water and asked in confusion, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

—Black water. Wash in it, turn into a black bird.

Tao Qiu smiled. "Momo's right. Washing in black water will turn you into a black bird, but the black water can wash off the grease, and clean water can wash off the black water."

Now the cubs understood. They had to be washed twice.

Tao Qiu gently cleaned the three bird cubs in turn, then scrubbed the stone slab and the bamboo bowls they had used. Only then did he wash himself.

Afterward, Tao Qiu tore off several lengths of medical gauze and folded them up to wipe the bird cubs' feathers and absorb some of the water. Then he took them to sit by the fire, and while they waited for their feathers to dry in its warmth, he also told them that day's bedtime story.

The cubs already had feathers to keep them warm, and with the fire warming them too, they began to doze before Tao Qiu was halfway through his story.