Where Did Mom Go?

It's perfectly normal for them to get angry or cry because of this.

The Little Snake didn't understand this principle, but her guess about why Second Cub was angry was similar, except that Second Cub was only concerned about her father.

After hearing what the Little Snake said, Second Cub was certain that she was genuinely remorseful and had truly admitted her mistakes.

Second Cub also shared his thoughts.

"It's good that you understand. What you said was actually insulting to me and my father. If you were in my shoes, and I told you that you have green scales because you envy my green eyes, not because you got them from your mother, would you be happy?"

Tao Qiu and the Green Python were the Achilles' heel of both their offspring. Mentioning this, the Little Snake lowered its head even further.

"Hiss..."

--No? I'm glad.

The Second Cub adopted a lecturing posture, as if he were being taught a lesson.

--Good that you understand. Don't say things like that in the future. We can argue, but we shouldn't say things that make the other person cry.

The Little Snake hissed...

--I've got it.

The Second Cub nodded in satisfaction, chirping, "Chirp, chirp, chirp, chirp."

"Okay, come and eat some pears with us, my dad cut them. Oh, they're so sweet."

The Little Snake already understood what Second Cub meant, but she still subconsciously confirmed it, hissing...

Have you forgiven me?

"Chirp chirp." The Second Cub hummed and chirped, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

--Of course! Otherwise, why would I have asked you to eat pears? We don't have many left at home.

Finally, the Second Cub couldn't resist adding insult to injury, "Chirp chirp."

--Silly Little Snake.

The Little Snake swam over, regaining its vitality, hissing...

--You're the stupid Snow Bird.

Tao Qiu and Green Python's attention had been focused on the children, and seeing them huddle together again, they knew they had made up.

Both parents breathed a huge sigh of relief.

The radishes Tao Qiu gave the Little Snake before the snow last year were long gone, but she also really liked the delicious pears this time.

The little ones shared their winter experiences, one after another. The Little Snake basically slept all winter, listened to the Snow Bird and wondered how they had such a fun winter. I was a little envious.

It sounds like fun.

The Little Snake didn't seem to experience winter, so it started talking about the newly arrived spring.

--After the snow melts and the weather warms up, many mutated animals will be laying eggs. My mom said she'll wait until I'm a little older before she lays eggs. I saw my dad the other day, but he was afraid of my mom and wouldn't come near me. By the way, are your parents laying eggs soon?

"Chirp?" the Second Cub answered subconsciously, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

--Mom? We only have a dad, not a mom.

The Little Snake hissed in shock.

--Impossible, all cubs have parents; both parents need to be together to have cubs.

The Third Cub was also a little confused. "Chirp, chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

--Really? We've only ever seen our father since we were born. We were born from our father?

Chapter 38 Where Did Mom Go?

The baby birds are young, and although they have seen many living prey, the prey doesn't communicate with their father and the Little Snake Green Python like they do.

Furthermore, their access to information about the world is extremely limited; they basically only have Tao Qiu as their source of information.

Tao Qiu taught them a lot, but it seemed like she never talked to them about having children.

So, regarding reproduction, the little birds have pieced together their scattered observations and ideas, which is that every mutated monster, whether male or female, can reproduce, and it's as convenient as eating and drinking.

The female mutated monster is called "Mom" by its cubs, and the male mutated monster is called "Dad" by its cubs.

Therefore, they weren't surprised to see the Green Python alone with the Little Snake, since the Little Snake was born from the Green Python.

But today the Little Snake told them that only when the two mutated monsters, Dad and Mom, are together can they produce offspring.

This truly overturns the worldview of the little birds.

Seeing the bewildered looks on the baby birds' faces, the Little Snake emphasized it again.

--My home? In that forest? There are so many cubs. They were all born to the mother after the father and mother got together. I was one too. The father can't have cubs, so you all must have a mother.

How many? The baby birds looked at each other, unsure what to say.

Seeing that they remained silent, the Little Snake grew anxious and hissed.

--If you don't believe me, we'll go ask my mom and your dad right now. Everything I'm saying is true.

The Little Snake was about to turn and walk towards the two parents when the Eldest Cub stopped her.

"Chirp chirp."

--Wait a minute.

The Eldest Cub looked at the Little Snake with a somewhat serious expression.

"Chirp, chirp? Chirp."

Thank you for telling us this, but could you please not ask now? We want to talk to Dad ourselves.

The Little Snake looked at the Eldest Cub, then at the Second Cub and Third Cub, and asked, "Hiss..."

--Is that what you two mean too?

The Second Cub Third Cub nodded.

They knew the Little Snake wasn't lying; after all, their father had never said they didn't have a mother, and it was all just their imagination.

If they really do have a mother, but the father never mentions her in front of them, there must be a reason.

Dad loves them so much, he wouldn't have any bad intentions towards them.

"Hiss..." the Little Snake agreed, and promised, "Hiss..."

--Okay then. I won't tell my mom what we just talked about.

The Second Cub said, "Chirp chirp."

--Thank you.

Tao Qiu had no idea that his secret was about to be exposed by his kids. After confirming that they had really made up, he asked the Green Python some questions about the mutated sweet potato.

For example, will eating this sweet potato cause any side effects?

The Green Python meant that although she hadn't personally eaten it, based on her years of observation, not a single mutated animal had fainted or died after eating it.

Tao Qiu then asked her how many sweet potatoes were in her territory and how they were growing.

The Green Python said there were about the same amount of radish as two of Tao Qiu's plots, with yellow tubers buried in the soil. They could sprout tender leaves for three springs before finally dying. The tender leaves that managed to escape the jaws of the herbivorous mutant animals would quickly wither and age, taking root close to the ground and growing new tubers.

However, just like tender leaves, the new tubers don't taste very good in the first few days after they grow out, but their advantage is that they are tender. Some mutated monsters will dig them up from the soil and eat them before they mature.

However, since many tubers grow, some will eventually survive, so this plant is far from facing extinction.

After listening, Tao Qiu understood that the mutated sweet potato was still an honest plant. Not only was it non-toxic and without side effects, but the entire plant was still edible. It was only by aging quickly and producing many offspring that it was able to survive.

These are simply the top ten most touching plants in the wasteland world.

Holding the kind sweet potato, Tao Qiu was deeply moved and decided to use her supernatural power to purify it, so that it would no longer be so old and dry, but would return to its soft and delicious state before the great disaster, making people unable to resist eating it again and again, thus fulfilling the sweet potato's noble and selfless character.

To thank the Little Snake for bringing such a wonderful new crop, before she and the Green Python left, Tao Qiu shared some of the remaining radishes, pears, and the smallest amount of tomatoes with them.

The Green Python was very happy, but the Little Snake's gaze at Tao Qiu before leaving was a little strange, as if it were investigating something, just like it was the first day it had met him.

After the mother and daughter left, Tao Qiu went to ask the baby birds, "What happened to you? Did you have any trouble with the Little Snake?"

The Third Cub shook their heads. "Chirp, chirp?"

--No, Dad, what's wrong?

Tao Qiu stroked her chin and said, "I felt like the way she looked at me was weird just now. I thought you two had a fight."

The Eldest Cub remained calm, as if it truly knew nothing. "Chirp chirp."

--We don't know either.

"Alright then." Tao Qiu sighed, not dwelling on it much. "As long as you two didn't fight, that's fine. Come here, Daddy's going to introduce you to a new crop, it tastes amazing!"

Tao Qiu told the baby birds about the advantages of sweet potatoes, such as high yield, edible whole plant, soft texture, and sweet taste. He was so immersed in the joy of eating delicious roasted sweet potatoes that he didn't notice the baby birds' somewhat perfunctory response, which lacked their previous excitement.

In order to have sweet potatoes for dinner, Tao Qiu couldn't wait to get started on the first round of sweet potato planting.

The sweet potatoes that the Little Snake snakes brought were too old; they could only be used to sprout them, and the sprouted green vines could be used for cuttings to grow new sweet potatoes.

The new plot of land hasn't been cleared yet, so Tao Qiu only plans to plant a few cuttings today to grow enough sweet potatoes for a few days.

Tao Qiu buried the sweet potatoes in the soil to encourage the vines to grow. The baby birds obediently stayed by his side, their three pairs of eyes looking at him with complicated expressions.

Tao Qiu's attention was focused on the sweet potatoes, and she didn't notice anything unusual about the children.

The Second Cub looked at the Eldest Cub questioningly. "Brother, should we ask now?"

The Eldest Cub gently shook his head: Let's wait a little longer.

Third Cub rested his head on Tao Qiu's lap, feeling conflicted.

As Tao Qiu had predicted, thanks to his special ability, the sweet potato vines he had nurtured had grown to over a meter long, and unlike what the Green Python had said, they hadn't aged; they remained lush and vibrant.

Tao Qiu cut the vine into several sections of roughly the same length, removing a few leaves from each section, leaving only the top two or three leaves.

Sweet potato vine cuttings should be laid flat to facilitate rooting and the production of more sweet potatoes.

Tao Qiu himself had never grown it, but he had heard his neighbors talk about it. The information was concise and clear, so he still remembers it to this day.

Tao Qiu was digging shallow pits to bury sweet potato vines, and the children eagerly stepped forward to help. They had reached an agreement to continue living as usual and would ask their father for advice when the time was right.

After burying the vines and watering them, Tao Qiu began using her supernatural abilities to accelerate the growth of sweet potatoes.