Where Did Mom Go? (Continued)

They took two breaks and ate two meals in between, and the sweet potatoes in the field were not fully ripe until it got dark.

Tao Qiu planted a total of five sweet potato pods. When he dug them up, each pod had an average of five or six pods, and each one was longer than his forearm and quite heavy.

The sweet potato vines were already old, so Tao Qiu plucked some green leaf tips, intending to take them back and stir-fry them on a stone slab to try.

Tonight's dinner included the usual meat and radish/pear platter, a plate of stir-fried sweet potato leaves, and two sweet potatoes that had been braised.

Raw sweet potatoes can also be eaten; they have a crisp sweetness unlike pears and radishes, and also offer a unique feeling of fullness characteristic of starchy foods.

Before the roasted sweet potatoes were taken out of the stove, the four of them had already shared one raw sweet potato.

Tao Qiu used her ruthless iron hand to lift the scalding hot roasted sweet potato onto the stone table, picked up a feather knife and cut it in half. The sweet potato felt soft and comfortable to the touch.

The sweet potato skins were roasted until they cracked, and in some places they even turned a caramel amber color. The soft and glutinous flesh was oozing sweet juice, showing off its plumpness. The warm, rich, and sweet aroma wafted straight to the faces of the little gluttons.

With delicious food in front of them, the baby birds temporarily forgot their daytime troubles, drooling as they waited for their father to share the hot roasted sweet potatoes with them.

Tao Qiu peeled the sweet potatoes, broke them into pieces, and put them into the children's bamboo bowls, making them easy to eat and helping them cool down quickly.

"Wait a little longer, it's too hot to eat yet." Tao Qiu set an example by keeping an eye on the three baby birds to prevent them from getting burned and feeling unwell.

The kids knew their father was doing it for their own good, so they obediently waited until he nodded in agreement before bowing their heads and starting to eat.

The roasted sweet potatoes lived up to the kids' expectations. They were soft and chewy, with every bit of flesh exuding sweetness. They were also warming and comforting, almost like two different plants compared to eating them raw.

Not to mention Tao Qiu, Second Cub, and Third Cub, even Eldest Cub, especially likes it.

Sweet potatoes are very filling; by the time they swallowed the last bite, their stomachs were already bulging.

After washing up in the evening, I lay down in the grass and listened to Tao Qiu tell a story. Before falling asleep, Third Cub asked if we could eat roasted sweet potatoes again tomorrow.

"Of course." Tao Qiu patted her head and smiled, "Crops are grown to be eaten. Tomorrow, Dad will open a new plot of land and plant more sweet potatoes, so we can eat them every day like radishes."

The Third Cub, with a soft heart, chirped, "Chirp chirp."

--Dad, I love you.

"I love you too."

The Eldest Cub nuzzled against Tao Qiu and chirped.

Goodnight, Dad.

"Good night."

The Second Cub was so sleepy that its consciousness was already fading, but it still managed to hum, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

Goodnight, Dad. Love me tomorrow too.

Tao Qiu gently stroked her bird's feathers. "Of course, my darling, goodnight, sweet dreams."

Under Tao Qiu's gentle lullabies, Second Cub fell into a deep sleep.

Perhaps influenced by what the Little Snake had said during the day, Second Cub had a dream that night, in which she dreamt that she was lying in a stranger's arms, with her father sitting opposite her.

The Second Cub looked down and saw a pair of hands, just like his father's when he was in human form—human claws.

This person is chatting with his father, but the Second Cub can't hear what they're saying.

The Second Cub looked up, trying to see what the person holding her looked like, but there was a layer of mist on their face, and she couldn't see their features clearly.

"Chirp chirp." The Second Cub seemed a little uneasy and instinctively stretched out its wings towards Tao Qiu, wanting a hug.

But the person holding her wouldn't let go? Second Cub got a little anxious, and her cries became more and more excited.

Finally, her father bent down to take her, smiling, and spoke to her.

This time, the Second Cub heard clearly what his father was saying.

"Oh dear, what's wrong? Didn't you just want Mommy to hold you? Why are you suddenly asking for Daddy now?"

"Chirp?"

--Mother?

The Second Cub was still half asleep when suddenly the person holding her lowered their head, whispered in her ear with a smile, and said, "Yes, does Xuexue not like Mommy anymore?"

In the dream, Second Cub was taken away by Tao Qiu; at the same time, in reality, Second Cub was also picked up by Tao Qiu.

Tao Qiu was awakened in the middle of the night by a whimpering sound. When she opened her eyes, she saw that her Second Cub in her arms was flapping its wings incessantly and making indistinct chirping sounds, as if it were having a nightmare.

He sat up, picked up his Second Cub, gently patted her with his palm, and softly coaxed, "Xuexue, be good, don't be afraid, Daddy's here."

The Second Cub squinted, its entire body in a half-awake, half-asleep state, thinking it was still dreaming, and that the person in front of it comforting it was its mother from its dream.

So she gave a soft chirp.

--Mother.

Tao Qiu, who had heard the two words clearly, paused. She was still a little sleepy, but now she was completely awakened by the fright.

Having no idea what he had done, Second Cub drifted off to sleep again, leaving Tao Qiu alone in the darkness, her mind racing with a frantic internal struggle.

He was certain he hadn't misheard; his Second Cub was indeed calling for "Mommy," not "Daddy."

What was the Second Cub dreaming about that made him call out "Mommy"?

It was because he was playing with the Little Snake, and the Little Snake called the Green Python "Mommy," which the cub remembered, leading to tonight's incident.

The reason why a single word like "Mom" could startle Tao Qiu so much that she couldn't sleep is because as children grow up, they hear and see more and more things, their understanding of the world becomes more complete, and they gradually discover some problems in life.

For example, why do they only have a father and no mother?

Tao Qiu wasn't ready for the children to reunite with their husbands. What should he say if the children asked about it?

Tao Qiu was very troubled. He tossed and turned until dawn before finally falling asleep. The next day, after clearing the land, he was so sleepy that he didn't even have time to plant the sweet potatoes before running back to his burrow for a nap.

While Tao Qiu was asleep, the baby birds ran into the valley and whispered among themselves.

The Second Cub looked at the Eldest Cub and said, "Chirp, chirp chirp?"

--Brother, you were the first to hatch. Have you ever seen any other big birds besides Dad?

The Eldest Cub shook its head. "Chirp, chirp chirp."

From the moment I hatched, the only scent I ever smelled in the cave was my father's.

The Third Cub looked worried. "Chirp chirp?"

Did we ever really have a mother?

Both the Eldest Cub and Second Cub shook their heads. "Chirp chirp."

--have no idea.

The three little ones hung their heads dejectedly, their feathers even appearing somewhat duller due to their bad mood.

Since that night, Tao Qiu has been somewhat apprehensive whenever he's with his children, fearing they might ask him about his other partner, who is also their "mother."

But the children's words and actions were no different from before; even after all the sweet potatoes were planted, they still had that innocent and adorable look.

Tao Qiu began to wonder if she was being too paranoid, and perhaps that night was just a misunderstanding.

Tao Qiu dared not reveal her true thoughts and tried her best to pretend to be normal.

They both had the same secret, but they managed to fool each other with their acting skills.

That day, Tao Qiu was helping her children learn to fly when she suddenly sensed the presence of Green Python. She went out to investigate and, sure enough, the Green Python was bringing its Little Snake with it.

Green Python knew it had only been a few days since their last meeting, and she felt a little embarrassed, so she quickly explained to Tao Qiu.

--I didn't come here today to exchange fruit. Little Snake said she misses Xiao Xue Snowbird so much she can't sleep, and she insisted I bring her over to play with your kids.

Tao Qiu was relieved to hear this, and smiled as she tapped the Little Snake's head, "Chirp chirp."

--Make up? They're just sticky now.

The Little Snake wasn't annoyed by being teased, or rather, her mind wasn't on Tao Qiu at all.

"Hiss..."

--Where are Second Cub? I want to find them to play.

There was a hint of anxiety in her tone, but Tao Qiu assumed it was because she missed the baby birds too much and didn't think much of it.

The baby birds were delighted to see the Little Snake appear. They quickly greeted Tao Qiu and the Green Python, then took the Little Snake far away from them and huddled together, whispering something to each other.

This was the first time the chicks had been so "indifferent" to Tao Qiu. He felt a pang of sadness mixed with amusement. He looked at the Green Python and said, "Chirp, chirp."

--The child has grown up, made friends, and forgotten his father.

The Green Python tried to comfort him, "Hiss..."

--They don't see each other every day, so it's normal for them to be more enthusiastic.

Behind the stones by the pond, Second Cub poked his head out to look. Seeing that the two parents hadn't followed, he turned to look at the Little Snake.

"Chirp, chirp?"

--You just got back a few days ago and you're back again? Is there something you want to tell us?

Actually, there's no need to ask. Just look at the Little Snake's eyes and anxious expression, and you'll know that's exactly what the baby birds think.

The Little Snake hissed.

--I was afraid I had said something wrong last time, so when I got back I asked my mother. Of course, I didn't mention you guys; I used the cubs in my forest as an example when I asked my mother.

--My mother said that offspring are born from mating between the parents. Some offspring are born as eggs and need to hatch before they can be born, like me. Others are born as young, like many of the prey we eat.

--The young inherit their parents' appearance and abilities, just like my scales and eye color are the same as my mother's? But my ability to use poison is inherited from my father.

I asked my mom why some of the cubs in our territory only have one father or one mother. My mom said maybe the parents left after giving birth and weren't responsible for raising them, or maybe the parents died...

The Little Snake hissed very softly at the last sentence.

Actually, by the time the Little Snake was halfway through its story, the baby birds had already come to believe that they had a mother.

Because, apart from the Second Cub, the Eldest Cub's feather color and the Third Cub's eye color are different from their father's, they are very likely inherited from their mother.