Ying Zhe’s hawk eyes lowered toward Lin Huahua with dry amusement. "Her ears already confessed."

Lin Huahua immediately reached up and covered both ears. "My ears did not confess anything."

Bao Xun finally spoke from the side, his voice low and smooth. "They confessed loudly."

Lin Huahua pouted. "You are all bullying me."

Her mother laughed and pulled her closer. "Good. You used to bully everyone else, so now let us enjoy it for one night."

Lin Huahua opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, noise suddenly came from the path outside.

Running feet.

Laughter.

A loud boyish voice shouting, "Sister is here!"

The next moment, three younger boys burst into the open cooking space like a small pack of half-grown wild beasts.

Lin Huahua barely had time to turn before one of them pounced on her.

"Elder Sister!"

A gray rat boy with round ears, bright black eyes, and a thin tail threw himself at her first, landing half on the fur and half on her lap. He looked around twelve or thirteen, though in this world ages were still a little hard for Lin Huahua to guess. His name jumped into her head from the placeholder’s memory at once.

Lin Xiaojiu.

He was one of her younger brothers, noisy, clingy, and born from the Rat King. His gray rat ears twitched wildly whenever he was excited, which was apparently always.

Before Lin Huahua could push him off, another brother arrived. This one was bigger, with small rounded bear ears, a stockier body, and strong arms even though he was still young.

He had inherited his father Xiong Han’s bear blood, and his name was Xiong Baobao, which immediately made Lin Huahua pause internally because why did such a strong boy have such a soft name? He practically crashed into her side and hugged her waist as if trying to fold her in half.

The third brother did not pounce so directly. He hopped lightly onto the side stone with quick feet, his short dark wings shifting behind him, sharp young eyes bright with excitement. He was Ying Chengyu, a hawk beast boy, and although he was trying to look mature, his wings fluttered once when he saw her, completely ruining his proud act.

Lin Huahua was buried under brothers in less than three breaths.

"Get off me," she cried, but because she was laughing while saying it, nobody took her seriously. "Get off me, you little beasts. I am your elder sister. You cannot treat me like prey."

Lin Xiaojiu hugged her arm. "You ran into the forest and scared everyone, so you deserve it."

Xiong Baobao pressed his face against her shoulder like a bear cub. "Mother cried."

"I did not cry," Bai Ruyue said at once.

Every male around her looked at her.

Bai Ruyue lifted her chin. "I only had wet eyes."

Shui Lang nodded solemnly. "Very wet eyes."

Bai Ruyue threw a small dried fruit at him, and he caught it with his mouth, looking far too proud afterward.

Lin Huahua laughed so hard her tail started swishing, but the brothers were still clinging to her, and because they were beast boys, even the younger ones had too much strength.

Mu Qingyi, who had been standing behind her at a polite distance, smiled warmly when he saw her like this.

Hu Baiyu’s blue eyes softened too, and his lion ears perked forward because watching Lin Huahua play with her younger brothers made her seem even more alive and warm.

She was scolding them, laughing, trying to escape, and failing completely, and the sight made both males feel as if something precious had settled in the middle of the family fire.

Xiong Han finally cleared his throat. "Enough. Do not crush your sister."

Xiong Baobao immediately loosened his arms but did not fully let go. "I did not crush her."

"You are a bear," Xiong Han said. "You crush things by greeting them."

Xiong Baobao looked deeply wronged.

Lin Xiaojiu immediately lifted his head from Lin Huahua’s arm and said, "Elder Sister, why did you run into the forest? Everyone said you hit your head and came back sensible."

Lin Huahua’s smile froze.

Then she slowly looked down at him. "What did you say?"

Lin Xiaojiu blinked innocently, his gray ears twitching. "I said everyone said you came back sensible."

Lin Huahua narrowed her eyes. "Are you insulting me?"

Ying Chengyu, the hawk boy, who had settled on the stone beside them with his wings tucked neatly, answered very seriously. "We are not insulting you. We are only saying what we heard."

Lin Huahua gasped. "Who dares insult their princess like this?"

Xiong Baobao raised one hand slowly. "The whole tribe?"

The cooking space exploded with laughter.

Even Lin Weishan, who had come closer with a stern face because his sons were climbing all over his precious daughter, failed to keep his mouth completely straight. His rat ears twitched once, and Lin Huahua saw it.

She pointed at him immediately. "Pa, even you are laughing."

Lin Weishan coughed. "I am not."

"You are."

"I am your father. I do not laugh at you."

"You are laughing with your ears."

Shui Lang slapped his thigh and laughed again. "She is right. Your ears betrayed you."

Lin Weishan gave him one cold look, and Shui Lang immediately picked up a cup and pretended to drink water.

Lin Huahua felt strangely happy. The teasing was loud and shameless, but it was warm. Nobody here was truly mocking her. They were wrapping her in family the way her males wrapped her in furs, and it made her chest feel too full.

Then Ying Chengyu stared at her a little too long.

His sharp hawk eyes narrowed.

Lin Huahua’s smile faded slightly. "What?"

Ying Chengyu tilted his head. "Elder Sister, why are you prettier?"

Lin Huahua almost groaned. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Not this again.

Lin Xiaojiu immediately lifted his face and stared too. "Ah, she is. Her skin is brighter."