Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
With the prickly fruits wedged between their bodies, the unprepared Parker didnât sense anything. On the contrary, Bai Qingqing, who?was?prepared for it, felt a sharp pain from being pricked.
âAiyah!â Bai Qingqing yelped in pain. She loosened her grip, and the prickly fruits scattered all over the ground.
Upon detecting the smell, the little cubs rushed over. They lowered their heads, and the tip of their noses was pricked by the thorns, causing them to let out continuous roars and shake their heads repeatedly.
Parker hurriedly set her down to check. There was now a tiny red dot on Bai Qingqingâs snow-white chest from being pricked by the fruit.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
He bent over to blow upon her chest with a pained expression.
âDoes it hurt a lot?â
Bai Qingqing gasped and stroked her chest, before saying, âA little. Iâll be fine in a while. Hurry up and peel the chestnuts. I want to eat them.â
âLittle gluttonous beast.â Parker tapped her delicate nose, then bent over to pick up a prickly fruit. He asked doubtfully, âIs this edible? Did that tiger beastman give you this?â
âMm, they can be eatenâBeckyâs eaten several. I have tried something similar to this in the past.â Bai Qingqing rubbed her nose. She pulled Parker to their own tree, where there was a pile of extinguished ashes.
âThey taste even better when cooked. Letâs roast a few as an experiment.â
Parker naturally had no objections. He picked up the flint by the side and efficiently started a fire. He then tossed two prickly fruits into the fire to roast them, before helping Bai Qingqing peel the raw chestnuts.
Although Bai Qingqing wasnât fond of chestnuts in the past, this one seemed particularly sweet, making them taste like fruits. Once she tried one, she couldnât stop eating them.
The prickly balls in the fire had turned black, and smoke was rising from within. Parker added several pieces of firewood and said, âI remember there being many such fruits in the forest. Iâll go and pick some later to return to themâ¦â
âMmmm.â Bai Qingqing nodded. âLetâs return the cooked ones to them. Since Becky is a foodie, delicious food will definitely aid her in recovering from her trauma.â
Parker didnât comment. He looked up at the skies and said, âItâs drier here than in the City of Beastmen. Looks like the heavy rainy season is about to end soon. Iâll take you out for a walk and find your favorite foods to store them.â
âOkay, chestnuts can be stored for a long time.â Bai Qingqing nodded excitedly. She stroked her coarse tube top and chuckled. âIâll finally get to wear fine clothes.â
âWhen that time comes, weâll lay these old animal skins on the floor. It will definitely be very comfortable,â said Bai Qingqing with a look of anticipation.
Parker grinned foolishly as he stared at her. âWeâll do as you say.â
As the two of them visualized their blueprint for the future, they lost track of time, resulting in the few prickly fruits in the fire turning into several balls of fire.
It was Bai Qingqingâwho remembered her foodâwho first realized this. She hurriedly used a wooden rod to dig them out of the fire, before carrying over a brick to smash them.
âOh god!â
Bai Qingqing hurriedly scampered away to avoid getting hit by the ashes dancing about on the floor.
The startled little cubs, who had no idea what was going on, scurried around like little rats on the grass upon hearing their motherâs screams combined with the smashing sound.
Parker reached out to scoop up Third who happened to run by his leg. Putting on the stern expression of a father, Parker ordered, âAll of you, stop where you are.â
Roar! The leopard cubs gazed at their surroundings warily as they ran to their fatherâs feet.
Bai Qingqing sputtered with laughter, then walked to the chestnuts, avoiding the fire. Although the shells were completely burnt, the chestnuts were only slightly charred.
Parker grabbed one chestnut and peeled it, then fed Bai Qingqing.
âDelicious!â Bai Qingqing breathed out hot air as she spoke. Aside from the faint charred smell, one couldnât find any fault with the taste.
âLetâs go out now, I canât wait,â said Bai Qingqing.
Parker cast a helpless glance at her, before sending the cubs into the tree hole. He tossed the cubs onto the asleep Curtis, then set off with Bai Qingqing on his back.