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"How can you calculate it like that?"

"Who cares how it's calculated? What I say goes." Tao Qiu embodied the domineering spirit of "whatever I say goes."

President

"Okay, help me unload all my things from the car. I'll take you home after I get them back to the cave."

Without waiting for Lou Yu to answer whether he agreed or not, Tao Qiu pushed open the car door, transformed into a bird, and jumped out, giving Lou Yu no chance to persuade her.

Lou Yu didn't feel uncomfortable at all; on the contrary, he felt warm inside, and the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up.

Because he understood that Tao Qiu wanted to be kind to him.

After Tao Qiu got off the bus, he became much larger. Lou Yu helped him pack everything into two large bags. Tao Qiu was incredibly strong, so this weight was no problem for him.

Before leaving, Tao Qiu said seriously, "Wait for me here. If I come back and find that you've secretly run away, then you don't need to come see me again."

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Lou Yu's eyes softened, and his tone was smiling.

Tao Qiu's heart skipped a beat.

Is this what they call a natural talent? Why do I feel like everything a man says sounds like he's whispering sweet nothings?

Tao Qiu was glad he was in bird form right now, otherwise Lou Yu would definitely have noticed him and blushed.

"I'm leaving." Tao Qiu was slightly furious that Lou Yu had so easily charmed her. She deliberately spoke to Lou Yu in a cold tone, then grabbed the bag and flew away without looking back.

But from Lou Yu's perspective, Tao Qiu's actions were incredibly endearing.

The baby birds never imagined that their father would return empty-handed, carrying not prey, but a familiar human creation.

And these two bags are so big! There must be so much good stuff inside!

As soon Tao Qiu landed at the cave entrance, the little ones came running over.

"Chirp chirp!" The Second Cub jumped up and down excitedly.

So many!

The Eldest Cub looked at Tao Qiu: "Chirp chirp?"

--Has that human arrived?

Tao Qiu chuckled, "If I said I found it outside, would you believe me?"

Third Cub: "... Chirp chirp?"

--... Dad, what do you think?

Tao Qiu, now in human form, beamed with a wide smile that narrowed his eyes. "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. These were given to me by the human I made the trade with."

He walked inside carrying two bags as he spoke, "Dad's method worked really well, didn't it? We were just talking about it this morning, and he came this afternoon."

The babies cheered, "Chirp chirp!"

--Dad's the best!

Tao Qiu proudly raised his chin. "What you ministers say is exactly what I want to hear."

After entering the cave, he put down the bag, ran to the dining table, took out two fresh tomatoes that had been forced to ripen the day before, washed them, and then quickly cut them into pieces and put them into a bamboo tube.

At first, the chicks thought Tao Qiu was tired from coming back from outside and wanted to eat tomatoes to quench his thirst. But when they saw that he didn't eat the whole thing, but instead painstakingly cut it into pieces, they sensed that something was wrong.

Third Cub: "Chirp chirp?"

--Dad, what are you doing cutting tomatoes?

Tao Qiu filled the bamboo tube, washed his hands, and said to his children, "That human came so suddenly. Daddy wasn't prepared any meat to trade with. I have to go hunting later. He's been waiting for me outside for a long time. Consider these tomatoes as a thank you."

The kids understood; it was indeed the right thing to do.

"He brought so much stuff this time. Daddy needs to catch a big game to pay it back, but he can't take it back with him, so Daddy has to help him deliver it to the vicinity of the human base. I might be gone for a while, but don't worry about me, my darlings."

Although it would take some time to travel back and forth, it would only be a few hours at most. Tao Qiu believed that his deterrent power was not so weak that a mutated monster would dare to infiltrate his territory after only being away for such a short time.

However, he still told his children, "If you find any mutated monsters that aren't mine entering the valley, don't worry about the crops at the bottom. Just run into the caves and hide. Your safety is the most important thing, understand?"

The kids didn't want Tao Qiu to worry, so they all nodded.

Eldest Cub: "Chirp, chirp."

--Don't worry, Dad, we'll take good care of ourselves.

"Chirp chirp." The Second Cub also puffed out his chest and chirped, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

--We're smart, we won't fight whether we can win or not, we'll wait for Dad to come back.

"That's right, that's how you do it. You guys are the best behaved." Tao Qiu patted the three of them on the head.

The Third Cub chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

--Dad, hurry up and go, don't keep that human waiting.

"Chirp chirp," the Second Cub chimed in, "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

--Yes, yes, what if he gets angry and refuses to make exchanges with us anymore?

Tao Qiu replied decisively, "Him? No way."

After all, he's your other dad, and he's pursuing me.

Despite saying that, Tao Qiu still quickly left the cave with the bamboo tube in her hand. After saying goodbye to the children and telling them to go inside quickly, she transformed into a bird and flew out of the valley.

Tao Qiu returned earlier than Lou Yu had expected; no matter how long it took, he had the patience.

To make it easier to grip the bamboo tube, Tao Qiu specially shrunk the bird shape to a smaller size.

"Here you go." Tao Qiu up to Lou Yu and tossed him the bamboo tube.

Lou Yu reached out and caught it, then froze when he saw the bright red tomatoes inside.

The tomato seeds grown in human-made bases today have undergone many generations of mutations, resulting in numerous problems, such as low germination rates, frequent disease and wilting during the growing season, or failure to bear fruit even after reaching maturity.

Even if it eventually flowers and bears fruit, the yield is rarely satisfactory.

Most of the fruits are small and oddly shaped, often with pits and bumps, looking like they are malnourished. The peel is also dull in color and covered with green and black spots.

The base's planting area typically produces a batch of tomatoes every two or three seasons. With Lou Yu's income, he can easily afford the top-quality batch.

Even the best-looking tomatoes Lou Yu had ever seen couldn't compare to one percent of these in front of him.

Even compared to those tomatoes before the disaster in the video, it's still better.

Even before tasting it, its sweet aroma is enough to prove how delicious it is.

Tao Qiu perched on Lou Yu's shoulder, and unsurprisingly met his gaze with a look of astonishment.

Tao Qiu said, "Don't ask me where the tomatoes came from; I didn't steal them."

Lou Yu smiled and said, "I believe you're not that kind of person."

"Hmph." Tao Qiu reminded him, "I only shared some of my rations with you because I felt sorry for you, so you must finish it all right now. You're not allowed to take a single drop back to the base."

Regardless of where Tao Qiu obtained these high-quality tomatoes, it's one of his secrets.

Tao Qiu told him this because she trusted him, and Lou Yu would naturally continue to help him conceal it as always.

"Okay, I'll finish it."

"No rush, you can eat slowly. I still need to go hunting for you."

Lou Yu: "Hunting?"

"Yes, you gave me so many things, how could I let you go back empty-handed?"

Before Lou Yu could refuse, Tao Qiu continued, "Don't tell me these things aren't worth much. Aren't they enough to repay my life-saving grace and the prey I gave you before? I'm not stupid. In the current state of humanity, even drinking water costs money. So unless you never come to see me again, you're not allowed to refuse the prey I give you."

Tao Qiu's words were indeed domineering, but Lou Yu liked his domineering nature.

If Tao Qiu wasn't truly sincere towards him, why would she consider his needs in such detail?

"Thank you." Lou Yu turned and gazed into Tao Qiu's eyes, every eyelash conveying deep affection.

"Chirp!"

Tao Qiu suddenly pecked Lou Yu on the cheek. It wasn't hard, just enough to leave a small red mark, not even breaking the skin, but it still hurt a little.

"Don't look at me like that again!"

If I lose control of myself, you can forget about going home today.

Lou Yu smiled and touched the spot where he had been pecked, his tone still gentle, "I'll try my best."

Such an ambiguous statement clearly indicates that it cannot be done.

"Go ahead and keep going if you're not afraid of being pecked."

Lou Yu looked at the little bird perched on his shoulder, its head held high, looking proud and spirited. His heart felt as if it had been filled with cotton, warm and gentle.

He reached out and tried to gently stroke Tao Qiu's white feathers.

"Chirp!" Tao Qiu up and spun around, her wings slapping Lou Yu's hand with a "smack".

"Don't touch it!" Tao Qiu said fiercely.

Lou Yu raised his hands in surrender, a slightly foolish smile on his face. "Okay, okay, I won't touch you."

When Tao Qiu was large, Lou Yu was like a kitten or puppy in his eyes, someone who needed to be protected. He was afraid of kicking Lou Yu away if he even raised his paw. Therefore, he was exceptionally gentle with Lou Yu, with a hint of pity.

But after he became even smaller than Lou Yu, he no longer needed to worry about potentially harming Lou Yu, and coupled with Lou Yu's indulgence, his true nature was fully exposed.

"Fool."

Tao Qiu gave a reproachful look, flew into the car, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and tossed them to Lou Yu.

"Use this to eat, don't get your hands dirty."

"You've thought of everything." After praising Tao Qiu, Lou Yu immediately picked up a piece of tomato with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth, showing a keen eye for detail.

After tasting the real flavor of tomatoes, Lou Yu had to admit that his imagination was still too limited. After all, one cannot recreate something one has never had through imagination.

The refreshing, sweet and sour juice, the plump and tender flesh, the soft and smooth seeds—even the thin skin is just as delicious, with a crunchy texture.

The tomatoes Lou Yu had eaten at the base before, which required a lot of sugar to mask their sourness and bitterness and had hard flesh, were completely different from the same plant.

Lou Yu didn't need to say anything; his expression already told Tao Qiu that he was very satisfied with the taste of the tomatoes.