The Little Green Bird: "Daddy, Daddy." (Continued)

Perhaps influenced by what Xiao Cong and his teammates said yesterday, or perhaps because he thought of his mother, he actually dreamed that he had children, and more than one.

Lou Yu smiled helplessly. "Really? What you think about during the day, you dream about at night."

As Lou Yu looked at himself in the mirror while getting up and washing, he suddenly wondered if his child would look a lot like him.

Although he probably wouldn't have the chance to achieve this in his lifetime, he still couldn't help but imagine it.

What a pity, I didn't get to see what those children looked like in Qingmeng.

Lou Yu sighed, feeling endless regret over a dream.

It's windy outside today, and the weather is getting colder and colder. Lou Yu changed into a jacket before going out to work; it was the same style as the one he gave to Snow Bird.

In the wild, in a cave.

Tao Qiu arranged and bundled the hay he had collected earlier and laid it in the bird's nest. He even sat on it and hopped around; it was very soft, just as he had expected.

He even let the kids try it out, and they said it was great.

After laying out the hay and having lunch, Tao Qiu took a handful of radish greens, chopped them into small pieces, put them into a bamboo tube, and then pounded and squeezed them with a clean long stone strip.

Soon, green sap flowed out. Tao Qiu discarded the already dried leaves and repeated this process several times until he finally obtained a small amount of green sap that barely covered the bottom of the bamboo tube.

Good? Although there's not much juice, the color is rich; it's enough for dyeing.

While Tao Qiu was working, the children played nearby, but their attention remained focused on him.

Only after he finished did they squeeze closer together.

"Chirp, chirp chirp?" the Second Cub asked first.

--Dad, what's this?

Tao Qiu showed them the juice and said with a smile, "Xuexue, didn't you used to envy humans for being able to change clothes and want to change your feather color too? Daddy said he would help you dye it. Here, this is the dye."

"Chirp!" The Second Cub flapped its wings in delight and moved even closer to the bamboo tube.

"Chirp chirp." The Third Cub commented.

--Darker than the color of Dad's eyes.

Tao Qiu said, "The coloring power of this juice isn't very strong. After dyeing, it will probably be a light green, which should be similar to my and Second Cub's eye color."

Hearing Tao Qiu say this, Second Cub became even more excited.

"Chirp, chirp!"

I want to get it dyed, right now!

"Okay? Okay? Okay? Come here, Daddy will dye it for you."

Tao Qiu held Second Cub in front of her, carefully examining and gesturing, considering where to dye it.

He thought for a moment and said, "Xuexue, if we dye the whole thing, we won't have enough dye. It won't look good if there are patches here and there. How about we just dye the chest area? It will look like you're wearing a little green dress. The effect will definitely be great."

Second Cub trusted Tao Qiu: "Chirp chirp."

--We'll do whatever Dad says.

"Okay? Alright, I'll start operating it then."

Tao Qiu plucked all the cotton from the medical cotton swabs, crumpled it into a ball, stuffed it into the bamboo tube to soak up the juice, and then took it out and rubbed it back and forth against the downy feathers on Second Cub's chest, first clockwise and then counterclockwise.

He moved very gently so as not to hurt Second Cub, and he also paid attention to the area of the stain, trying to outline a clear shape and contour.

Half an hour later, Tao Qiu used the last bit of juice she squeezed out to dye the tuft of short hair sticking up on Second Cub's head.

"Knock off!"

After grooming Second Cub's ruffled feathers, Tao Qiu clapped her hands and chuckled.

The Eldest Cub and Third Cub immediately tilted their heads to look.

The green color starts from below the Second Cub's neck and spreads to the upper part of its belly, forming a rounded square shape with a darker area in the middle, resembling a fruit shape.

If other humans saw this, they would surely chuckle and say, "Isn't this a bib? There's even a round heart in the middle!"

As for the tuft of green on its head, it looks more like a small hair accessory, echoing the green in its eyes and on its chest, creating a very harmonious look.

The Second Cub puffed out his chest and asked them expectantly, "Chirp chirp?"

--Is it good?

Tao Qiu gave a thumbs up. "So cute! It melts Daddy's heart."

The Eldest Cub nodded. "Chirp, chirp chirp."

--Looks good, it suits you perfectly.

The Third Cub agreed, chirping, "Chirp, chirp."

--Your eyes really do look just like my sister's, so pretty!

The Second Cub believed that her father, brother, and sister wouldn't lie to her, and that she must look extremely beautiful now.

"No matter how much we say, in the end it all depends on whether you like it or not. Come on, Daddy will take you to the pond to look in the mirror."

As Tao Qiu spoke, he picked up the three baby birds and flew to the pond at the bottom of the valley.

The temperature has dropped so low recently that the pond is on the verge of freezing over, so they've stopped swimming in the river.

The Second Cub couldn't wait to jump off its father's hand, hopping and skipping to the water's edge, tilting its head, raising its wings, and puffing out its chest, admiring its own beauty from every angle.

She didn't even need to say a word; her actions alone showed that she was extremely satisfied with the dyeing process.

"Chirp!" Second Cub flew back, and Tao Qiu reached out to catch her.

"Chirp, chirp." The Second Cub bounced around like a spring, his face beaming with joy, his eyes shining brightly, "Chirp!"

--I like it, okay? I like it, Daddy, I love you!

"I'm glad you like it. Daddy loves you too." Tao Qiu smiled and patted her little head.

After being dyed, the Second Cub became quite smug.

He spends all day staring at his chest, and if his down feathers are even slightly ruffled, he immediately bends down to preen them. He often walks around the cave with his wings folded and chest puffed out, humming a tune. He asks Tao Qiu and the others at least three times an hour if he looks good or not.

Tao Qiu and her Third Cub Eldest Cub, had all been trained to be good at it. As soon as she walked over, they instinctively said, "Look! Look!"

The Third Cub saw that the Second Cub had dyed his eyes the same color as his father's, and that it looked pretty good, so he was a little tempted to dye his eyes the same color too.

But she was afraid she would become like her sister, looking foolish, and worried that she would regret it later.

So when Tao Qiu asked her if she wanted to dye her hair, she refused, but not too strongly. She just said she didn't want to dye it now, but maybe she would later.

Tao Qiu probably guessed what she was thinking, and smiled as he pinched her cheek.

Second Cub's symptoms persisted until the first snow of this winter, the day the Little Snake came to their house again with the Green Python that brought prey.

Two parents were talking nearby, saying that it looked like it would snow soon.

"Hiss..."

--This is the last time I'll deliver the prey. After the snow falls, I'll take the Little Snake into hibernation.

Tao Qiu has been hunting and stockpiling meat these days, and with the meat given to him by the Green Python, he has enough to get through the winter.

He looked at the Green Python and said, "Chirp, chirp chirp."

--Okay? Okay? Take a rest, see you next spring.

On the other side, the kids had also gathered in a group.

The Second Cub, still puffing out its chest, started talking about how its father had dyed its feathers. Just as it was about to proudly show off to the Little Snake, the Little Snake spoke first.

"Hiss... hiss..."

--Fat Snow Bird, you're actually quite envious of me, aren't you?

"Chirp?" The pride in Second Cub's eyes turned into confusion. Look? The Little Snake's eyes were like it was looking at a madman.

--What?

The Little Snake raised its head high, exuding confidence that it was absolutely right.

--Last time we met you didn't have green hair, but this time you have so much more. You must have seen that I'm all green while only your eyes are green, and you were very envious. Knowing I would come again, you specially found a way to dye your hair green, right?

Such absurd remarks infuriated Second Cub.

"Chirp! Chirp chirp, chirp chirp!"

--Nonsense! I dyed my eyes green because I like the color, since my dad and I both have green eyes!

The Little Snake hissed.

--Oh~ I'm green, so you like green.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

I like green! I don't like you!

The Little Snake hissed leisurely.

--I was right, otherwise why are you so agitated?

"Chirp!" The Second Cub was so angry that he jumped up and down, and he really did jump up and down.

The Little Snake's words were an absolute humiliation to her!

Seeing her furious expression, the Little Snake happily wagged its tail.

After returning home, she racked her brains, imagining many scenarios and conversations where she would argue with the Xiao Xue snowbirds, all so that she could avenge herself at this moment. How could she not be happy about this?

The Third Cub went to appease the sulking Second Cub, while the Eldest Cub coldly stared at the Little Snake, its mouth as venomous as a knife.

--Look down at yourself! Your scales are so pale they're an insult to green. Where do you get the nerve to say my sister envies you? Envious of your sickly appearance?

The Little Snake's worry was that she wasn't feeling well and couldn't compare to the Snow Bird in anything. Last time, she even lost to the Third Cub in a speed contest. The Eldest Cub's words really hit her sore spot.

"Hiss..."

--You wait, I'll poison you later.

"Chirp chirp."

--I'll peck you in two.

This time, they lost their temper and got louder and louder, attracting the attention of Tao Qiu and Green Python who were nearby.

Second Cub saw Tao Qiu coming over, he flew up and threw himself into his arms, bursting into tears.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

--That Little Snake is wicked! I hate her!

The Little Snake, not to be outdone, hissed...

I hate you too!

Tao Qiu and the Green Python were completely bewildered. What was going on?

The Third Cub stepped forward and explained the whole story. The Green Python became more and more embarrassed as she listened. It was her Little Snake who started it all, and even made the Xiao Xue snowbird cry. They had been acting a bit too arrogantly as guests.

After the Third Cub finished speaking, the Green Python quickly apologized on behalf of the Little Snake.

The children's conflict—why shouldn't Tao Qiu, as an adult, say more? She simply chirped, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp chirp."