Eldest Cub Turns into a Chubby Baby

--Hopefully the temperature won't rise any further, otherwise I'm afraid my kids won't be able to hold on.

The Green Python looked at Tao Qiu's high-coiled hair and almost naked body, and hissed... hiss...

--Your featherless, scaleless body is more suited to hot weather. You can transform into human form, and the Xiao Xue snowbirds should be able to too, since they are your offspring.

Tao Qiu fanned herself with her hand, making a "chirp, chirp" sound.

--I can transform into human form because I ate that fruit. My offspring might not inherit this ability.

Green Python: "Hiss..."

--Well, you'll have to find more ways to cool down the Xiao Xue. I've seen mutated monster cubs die from the heat before.

"Chirp chirp!"

The kids, having had their fill of playing, ran back, their chatter interrupting the two parents' conversation.

The baby birds' feathers were mostly wet, and the Little Snake had rolled around in the water.

When the children were thirsty, Tao Qiu didn't even need to say anything; they would go to the bamboo tube and pick up fruit to eat.

Afraid the Little Snake would be embarrassed, the baby birds even nudged her over to eat.

After quenching their thirst, the chicks wanted to find Tao Qiu, but Tao Qiu said, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--I'm hot, let's go find your Green Python Auntie, her scales are cool, let her give you a hug.

The Little Snake had already coiled itself around the Green Python, and upon hearing this, it happily beckoned the Xiao Xue snowbirds over.

Because of the Green Python's appearance and the frenzy she displayed when fighting Tao Qiu, the chicks had always harbored a natural fear of her. Hearing what Tao Qiu said, they were all hesitant to move.

The Green Python had originally intended to invite the baby birds over, but remembering how she had almost scared them away with just a flick of her tongue, she could only remain silent.

Tao Qiu encouraged, "Chirp, chirp, chirp."

--The brave little bird is enjoying the cool air first. Otherwise, if it weren't for the rule against males and females touching, I would have wanted to stick close to your Green Python auntie.

After being persuaded by Tao Qiu and enthusiastically invited by the Little Snake, the baby birds finally went over.

Ten minutes later, the baby birds gradually relaxed and lay on the Green Python, chatting and laughing with the Little Snake.

Thirty minutes later, the snake and three baby birds were sprawled together, fast asleep and completely unsuspecting.

The Green Python looked down at the four differently colored "pancakes" on its body, a kind expression appearing in its eyes.

Looking at such a heartwarming scene, Tao Qiu was also thinking about another heartwarming thing.

The kids' birthdays are coming up soon.

He had asked Lou Yu about the dates earlier because he wanted to calculate the babies' birthdays. He remembered how many days it took from conception to birth to hatching, so he could estimate the exact dates.

Chapter 51 The Eldest Cub Turns into a Chubby Baby

For his children's first birthday, Tao Qiu wanted to make it as special as possible. He planned to make a unique birthday cake himself to surprise them.

At first, he considered asking Lou Yu's teammate to make a real cake, but he worried that if Lou Yu asked, he would have to make up an explanation, and if his teammate's cake didn't meet his expectations, or if Lou Yu couldn't make it on his birthday, it would be another problem.

After much thought, I decided to do it myself.

A week before Eldest Cub's birthday, Lou Yu came to deliver new supplies, the most important of which was the strawberry seedlings that Tao Qiu had specially asked him to buy.

Tao Qiu couldn't find any strawberries in the wild, but she was really craving them, so she asked Lou Yu's base if they had any.

Lou Yu couldn't explain it clearly. He said, "Go back and look for him."

In fact, Lou Yu knew perfectly well that the Yong'an Base mainly grew staple foods and vegetables, with fewer fruits, mostly apples and oranges, and the yields were very low, resulting in relatively high prices.

As for strawberries, I've heard they're very difficult to grow and require a lot of time and energy to care for. Even at the central base, they're sold by the piece, which even Lou Yu, a high-income earner, finds outrageously expensive.

Bai Yan loves strawberries, and when strawberries are in season, her father often buys them by the box to make her happy.

Bai Yan couldn't finish it all, so most of it ended up in Lou Yu's mouth.

Upon arriving at the Yong'an Base, Lou Yu discovered that there were no strawberries there.

Compared to the central base, where people have begun to pursue a higher quality of life, the top management and ordinary citizens of the Yong'an Base are still primarily concerned with solving the problem of basic needs like food and clothing.

Instead of wasting time growing fruit that won't fill our stomachs, we should use the land for staple foods and vegetables.

But money makes the world go round. After returning to the base, Lou Yu used black market channels to hire someone to transport several strawberry seedlings from the central base at a high price. He took good care of them for several days, afraid of killing even one of them. Today, he finally handed them over to Tao Qiu.

Looking at the six strawberry plants in the seedling tray, Tao Qiu couldn't help but light up as she recalled the sweet taste of strawberries.

In the wild, there are only wild raspberries. Even after his supernatural purification, the fruits are extremely small, less than half the size of a regular berry, not worth his supernatural cultivation.

Tao Qiu asked, "Little Yu, do you like strawberries?"

Lou Yu met his gaze, his smiling eyes crinkling into a smile as well, "I like it."

"Then next time you come, I'll treat you to lots and lots of strawberries, until you're sick of them."

Tao Qiu was already dreaming of the carefree days of enjoying strawberry freedom.

"Great! I'm really looking forward to that day."

Even if Tao Qiu offered Lou Yu grass instead of strawberries, he would swallow it without hesitation.

"By the way, how's the reagent development going? Are the White Fox's blood and fur useful?" Tao Qiu asked casually, stroking a strawberry leaf.

Lou Yu's expression turned serious, and he shook his head. "The materials are good, but the success of the reagents also requires a certain amount of luck. I see the PhD students are scratching their heads, but it seems there's been no progress."

Tao Qiu frowned. "Luck is something you really can't explain."

To comfort Lou Yu, Tao Qiu not only personally fed him a bamboo tube of crops, but also leaned in to kiss him. Before he left, she even gave him a piece of prey.

The soldier responsible for inspection at the base gate saw Lou Yu "regain favor" and secretly breathed a sigh of relief for him.

Before Lou Yu brought back any prey, many malicious people said that Lou Yu, this pet, had been abandoned by the Snow Bird, and they were all laughing at him behind his back. But Lou Yu acted as if he knew nothing about it and didn't say anything to explain.

As one of the soldiers who got to eat the prey, he was firmly on Lou Yu's side.

Hmph, he'll let out this good news after he gets off work.

Lou Yu hasn't been sidelined by Snow Bird yet!

Besides pens, writing paper, toilet paper, and some bowls, basins, chopsticks, and spoons, the most important supplies Tao Qiu asked Lou Yu to bring this time were four small fans.

There's no electricity in the wild, and the power bank can only power a small handheld fan, but that's about enough.

Before going to bed at night, Tao Qiu would fan the baby birds, but he also needed to sleep, so the little fan freed his hands.

After dinner, Tao Qiu took the kids to cool off on the platform at the cave entrance. The kids watched cartoons while Tao Qiu read a book.

Halfway through the book, Tao Qiu, his eyes still fixed on it, reached for the bamboo tube between him and his children, wanting to grab a piece of fruit, but found nothing.

"Huh?" Tao Qiu turned her head and saw that the bamboo tube was empty.

Although it was after a meal, Tao Qiu still filled the bamboo tube to the brim, enough for the four of them, with occasional leftovers. He hadn't expected it to be finished so quickly today.

Upon hearing Tao Qiu's voice, the three children looked over at the same time.

Seeing the empty bamboo tube and Tao Qiu's surprised expression, Eldest Cub said rather embarrassedly, "Chirp, chirp."

--I finished eating; I got hungry quite quickly today.

Tao Qiu understood. "Oh, I see. Are you still hungry? Dad will go cut some more."

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

--Yes, thank you, Dad.

"It's nothing, don't mention it."

Tao Qiu put down her book and went into the cave to cut fruit. Erzai, watching cartoons, chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

--My brother has such a good appetite; I haven't really felt like eating lately.

The Third Cub chirped, "Chirp, chirp."

It was too hot and I didn't feel like eating, but I forced myself to finish it so my dad wouldn't worry.

Second Cub: "Chirp, chirp."

--I envy my brother; I also want to eat more food.

Erzai loves food, but the weather prevents him from enjoying it, leaving him wanting to but unable to.

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

--I didn't want to eat before either; I only started feeling really hungry the day before yesterday. Maybe your appetites will improve in a few days.

The little one chirped happily, "Chirp, chirp."

--Of course I can! The delicious food is waiting for me.

In the following days, Tao Qiu noticed that the Eldest Cub's appetite far exceeded that of his two younger sisters.

Fearing a repeat of the situation with the Third Cub, Tao Qiu carefully questioned the Eldest Cub to confirm that he was genuinely hungry and wasn't being forced to eat.

And seeing that he was just as energetic as before when he played, Tao Qiu gradually felt relieved.

After taking a bath at noon, Tao Qiu let the kids take a nap. He was the first to wake up, followed by the second and Third Cub.

The Eldest Cub was sleeping soundly. When the second and Third Cub children called him to wake up and play, he only grunted a couple of times and showed no sign of waking up at all.

Tao Qiu thought that everyone has a few days when they want to be lazy, so she took her two Third Cub kids to chat nearby, leaving her Eldest Cub to continue sleeping with the fan blowing.

The Eldest Cub didn't wake up until almost dinnertime. He was still groggy and seemed to be floating when he walked.

As usual, the Eldest Cub of the three ate the most at dinner.

Tao Qiu was initially worried that his Eldest Cub would sleep too much during the day and wouldn't be able to sleep at night. But before he could even finish his bedtime story, while his second and Third Cub were still awake and talking to him, his Eldest Cub had already fallen asleep again.

This situation lasted for several days.

However, aside from being a bit greedy and lazy, Eldest Cub didn't seem to have any other discomfort, otherwise Tao Qiu would have to cut her hand to feed him blood again.