"Don’t just stare at it, this stuff only does you good once it’s in your own stomachs!" Mu Shuangshuang urged everyone to start eating.

Yuanbao was the first to dig in without ceremony.

He picked up the bowl of cold noodles Mu Shuangshuang had mixed for him, and in just a few bites his cheeks were stuffed full.

"So good... it’s so good!" Yuanbao mumbled unclearly.

Mu Shuangshuang laughed. "Yuanbao, I ought to give you a Best Hype-Man Award. Whatever I make, you’re always the most supportive!"

When Little Zhi heard that, he puckered his lips. "Sister, Little Zhi also thinks the food you cook is delicious!"

"Haha, alright, alright, you’re all good babies. Hurry up and eat, I’m going to bring some food to the three little ones in my room."

As soon as Mu Shuangshuang finished speaking, Yuanbao caught the secret hidden in her words.

"Sister Shuangshuang, why three?"

"I’ll tell you after we eat!"

After she spoke, Mu Shuangshuang picked up three bowls and went into her room.

In Mu Shuangshuang’s room, the poses of the three little ones were all hilariously funny.

Little Black was lying on the ground, eyes fixed on the Little Black Mink, and the Little Black Dog was, as always, stuck to Little Black’s side.

The Little Black Mink was copying Little Black’s posture, its eyes never leaving Little Black either.

"Time to eat!"

Mu Shuangshuang called out and set the three bowls in a row in front of the three little fellows.

Little Black and the Little Black Mink were eating fish minced into a paste, while the Little Black Dog had a big bowl of rice mixed with mushroom broth, giving off an especially fragrant smell.

Probably because it was its first time foraging like this, the Little Black Mink looked nervously at Mu Shuangshuang.

"Little Black, this relative of yours is your responsibility. Later we’ll find some time to send it back up the mountain."

Mu Shuangshuang’s casual remark made Little Black practically burst with joy.

It let out a "hiss hiss" sound and hopped back and forth excitedly.

Only then did Mu Shuangshuang suddenly get it.

"So all this time you actually don’t want it staying at our place." Mu Shuangshuang was utterly speechless.

Little Black really might have become refined!

"Alright, alright, stop hopping around. I still have to think this over, think this over!" Mu Shuangshuang cut off Little Black’s self-indulgent celebration.

As soon as she said that, Little Black’s head instantly drooped.

Mu Shuangshuang paid it no mind.

She left her own room and went into Mu Dashan’s.

Everyone had already started eating. Mu Shuangshuang found a spot and happily sat down to eat with them.

After the meal, Yuanbao tugged on Mu Shuangshuang and asked her what exactly she had meant earlier.

Just then Mu Shuangshuang was about to go back to get the bowls anyway, so she simply took Yuanbao and Little Zhi into her room.

The appearance of the Little Black Mink, as expected, shocked the two little ones.

"Sister, there’s another Little Black!" Little Zhi shouted in surprise.

His tender little face was flushed bright red.

Yuanbao also wore a look of astonishment.

"This is Little Black’s family. It only came to our place this morning," Mu Shuangshuang said.

"Wow, Little Black’s family?" Yuanbao yelled.

Their voices were so loud that in the other room, where everyone was resting, they all came over when they heard the commotion.

Seeing the Little Black Mink, their reactions were about the same as Mu Shuangshuang’s had been.

Mu Shuangshuang had no choice but to tell everyone how the Little Black Mink had come about.

After their initial amazement, everyone felt that Mu Shuangshuang and the Little Black Mink must have some kind of fate between them.

But off to the side, Lu Yuanfeng’s face had gone dark.

Because Mu Shuangshuang had accidentally let slip that she had gone into the deep mountains alone.

At first Mu Shuangshuang didn’t notice, but as the chill at her side grew stronger and stronger, she shivered.

She turned her head and saw Lu Yuanfeng’s eyes locked tightly on her.

"Fengzi... I can explain," Mu Shuangshuang swallowed.

Lu Yuanfeng suddenly reached out, grabbed Mu Shuangshuang, and pulled her out of her room.

Inside, everyone’s attention was firmly captured by the newly arrived Little Black Mink, and no one noticed the two who had suddenly left.

Lu Yuanfeng held onto Mu Shuangshuang and walked toward his own house.

It was midday, the sun hanging right overhead. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

The scorching sunlight beat down on Mu Shuangshuang, and she instantly felt the top of her head burning hot.

Lu Yuanfeng must have noticed too; he reached out and placed his broad palm over Mu Shuangshuang’s head.

"Fengzi, I really know I was wrong!" Mu Shuangshuang said weakly to Lu Yuanfeng again.

Lu Yuanfeng simply bent down, slung her over his shoulder, and quickly carried her back to his house.

Mu Shuangshuang was a little scared. All the way there she kept begging Lu Yuanfeng for mercy, but he didn’t react at all.

Was he really angry?

Lu Yuanfeng went into the house and came back out a moment later with a switch in his hand.

"Hold out your hands," Lu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Shuangshuang was stunned. "Fengzi, you... you’re going to hit me..."

Mu Shuangshuang felt very wronged. She knew she shouldn’t have disobeyed Fengzi and gone into the deep mountains alone.

But... it still shouldn’t come to him hitting her like this!

Even so, Mu Shuangshuang still held out her hands.

Her hands were different from Lu Yuanfeng’s—small and white.

There were calluses in her palms, but not very obvious ones.

Lu Yuanfeng’s big hand wrapped around her small one and stretched it forward a bit.

"I really know I was wrong..." Mu Shuangshuang said again, pitifully.

Lu Yuanfeng lifted the switch in his hand and swung it toward Mu Shuangshuang’s hands.

Just before it could touch her, Mu Shuangshuang squeezed her eyes shut in fright.

After a long time, when no pain came to her hands, she opened her eyes and saw Lu Yuanfeng looking at her, his eyes rimmed red.

"Shuangshuang, I don’t want to hit you, I don’t want to lecture you. Hitting you hurts more than hitting myself.

But the deep mountains really are dangerous. I’d rather you hate me for a bit than have you run into some danger because you went there.

If that happened, I wouldn’t be able to go on living either, Shuangshuang..."

Lu Yuanfeng’s face was full of pain; every word he spoke was the truth.

He had long known he wouldn’t be able to bring himself to do it.

All of this was just to make Shuangshuang remember the lesson.

Because he knew he’d be leaving the village soon. When he wasn’t by Shuangshuang’s side, everything she did would be something he didn’t know about.

He had no idea whether she’d still go up the mountain by herself.

He had no idea what would happen if Shuangshuang ran into danger when he wasn’t there...

There were many things Lu Yuanfeng didn’t even dare to think about.

Mu Shuangshuang threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around Lu Yuanfeng.

Her eyes suddenly felt sore for no reason.

She burst into tears...

Mu Shuangshuang could count on her fingers how many times she’d cried in her life. So many things, so many hardships—

She had never shed a single tear, but this time she was truly scared.

She understood Fengzi’s fear, and she understood his worry.

Mu Shuangshuang even felt she had been too selfish, never considering Fengzi’s feelings.

"Woo-woo, I promise I won’t go into the deep mountains alone next time, I swear..." Mu Shuangshuang sobbed as she made her promise.

Lu Yuanfeng’s heart was about to break from the pain.

His firm, handsome face was twisted with anguish.

His big hand held Mu Shuangshuang’s shoulders tightly. "Don’t cry..."