Chapter 78
Chapter 78
[Bonus Chapter from Nutrient Solution]
【So cute! I just want to press it into a bowl of milk (not really...)】
Aside from a few weird-looking ones, Lin Qianyu had basically eaten all the wild fruits in the area.
The fruit the Pallas’s cat had picked was on the sweet side—extremely sweet, like it had been soaked in honey—not quite to Lin Qianyu’s taste. But the tree was quite popular among the other little animals.
Sometimes when she went out, Lin Qianyu could spot small animals nibbling on the fruits up in the branches.
Compared to sour ones, these sweet fruits were easier for the Pallas’s cat to accept.
Lin Qianyu ate slowly, watching the Pallas’s cat munch on the fruit. “Is it good?”
‘Crunch crunch’—the Pallas’s cat was eating with focus but still made time to answer her, “Mrr!”
Probably because it had never eaten them before—climbing trees was always about going after birds on the branches—so it had always avoided these fruits. Now, trying one for the first time, the taste turned out to be pretty good.
It was like a bunny chewing on a carrot—crisp and loud.
Seeing it enjoy the fruit, Lin Qianyu said, “Wait a second, I’ll go get you some jiamo fruits.”
The ones she had picked earlier were almost gone, and the few that remained were in the pouch on Zhuifeng, who had vanished somewhere.
So Lin Qianyu decided to climb up the jiamo tree to pick more. It had been a while, and many of the jiamo fruits hanging on the tree had already softened, though they hadn’t fallen yet. Seeing them, she picked them quickly—better than letting them drop and rot on the ground.
The red-footed falcon returned from hunting and hadn’t even landed before spotting someone in the tree. Its gaze immediately sharpened, and it shot straight toward the fruit picker.
But as it got closer and realized who was in the tree, the falcon abruptly stopped mid-dive, withdrawing its fierce aura and flapping its wings to stabilize. Still, it got snagged by a branch and with a ‘thump’, landed on a branch right beside Lin Qianyu.
Failed emergency brake.
The noise was loud enough to make the branches tremble, and the already wobbly fruit looked like it was about to drop.
“Hunting this late?” Lin Qianyu turned her head, tapping the falcon’s small head with a finger. Normally, red-footed falcons hunted a few times in the morning and again in the afternoon; evening hunts were rare.
Maybe since it lived in the jiamo tree, and jiamo fruit was all it ate, it just wanted a change of flavor today.
The red-footed falcon didn’t want to be patted on the head. It shook its head and took a step back, but then seemed to think of something, hesitated, and stepped forward again, tilting its head up, “Cheep!”
Seeing the insect so close—even though it was dead and unmoving—Lin Qianyu subtly shifted to the side. “W-wait… I appreciate the thought, but this one’s for you, okay? Good bird.”
Even though its protein content was several times that of beef, Lin Qianyu thought her stomach probably couldn’t handle it.
The red-footed falcon hopped forward a bit more, and after confirming she really wasn’t interested, flew back to its nest to enjoy its snack.
【Why, Lin-jie! A little animal giving you food is a sign of trust and affection, and you didn’t eat it!】
【You really broke its little heart! That stuff is super nutritious! If it were me—well, I wouldn't dare eat it either, never mind.】
【Hahaha I only watch Lin-jie’s streams, I don’t want to push her to her limit.】
Lin Qianyu picked a few jiamo fruits, and when she turned around, the falcon had already finished its midnight snack. She waved, “I’m heading out now.”
“Cheep!”
With the falcon’s reply, Lin Qianyu held onto the trunk and leapt down from the tree.
The Pallas’s cat had already finished its fruit, leaving just a bit of the core on the ground. It was now lying beside a pile of small stones, grooming its fur.Fluffy animals tend to get messy when they eat.
Lin Qianyu sat cross-legged in front of it, laying out the jiamo fruits one by one. “These aren’t as sweet as the wild fruit from earlier, but they’re still pretty tasty. Want to try?”
The Pallas’s cat sniffed at them, looking interested, but after a night’s hunt and half a wild fruit, its small appetite was already full, and it couldn’t eat any more.
It didn’t open its mouth. Having just finished grooming itself, the Pallas’s cat shook out its fur and turned to leave.
“Wait a second.” Lin Qianyu pointed at the jiamo fruit. “Why don’t you take them home and eat later?”
It would be easy for a jiamo fruit to fit into the Pallas’s cat’s den without blocking the entrance.
Thinking this, Lin Qianyu went into the house and opened the chest where she stored miscellaneous items. Inside the box that Hang Sisi had given her earlier were a few square cloths—probably intended as compressed towels—but they were too small and less practical than actual towels, so they’d been sitting unused at the bottom of the box. They were all brand new.
Lin Qianyu picked one, turned back outside, and wrapped the jiamo fruits with it.
The Pallas’s cat looked on, confused, watching her busy herself. From its perspective, her hand moved slightly and the fruit was suddenly wrapped inside the square cloth. It could still smell the fruit, but couldn’t see it anymore.
This made it curious.
After wrapping everything up, Lin Qianyu raised her hands around the Pallas’s cat’s head, pulling the two corners forward and tying a loose knot in front of its chest.
“All done. When you get home, just bite this part—it’ll open on its own.”
This kind of wrapping technique had been used in ancient times for travel bundles.
Still very practical.
While the Pallas’s cat was still stunned, it suddenly felt something on its body. A bit heavy, but not unbearable.
Looking down, it saw Lin Qianyu’s hands fiddling with something. Its pupils shrank, and it opened its mouth to bite. The moment it lifted its head, the knot immediately came undone, and the fruit bundle rolled off its back, tumbling onto the grass.
The Pallas’s cat looked at the fruit, then at Lin Qianyu, eyes wide with surprise, still holding a corner of the cloth in its mouth. “Mrr!”
“Yes, the fruit was wrapped inside.” Lin Qianyu took the cloth back and rewrapped the fruit.
As she folded the edges, two small stones fell from the fruit bundle.
Lin Qianyu froze. “What were you doing?”
Looking up, she saw the Pallas’s cat happily placing more stones onto the cloth.
Its raised tail tip swayed lightly. “Ao!”
“Taking them back with you?” Lin Qianyu chuckled helplessly. “Actually, if you ever want to use stones, you can easily find tons just by digging around the ground. These aren’t necessary.”
Carrying stones all that way—it would be exhausting.
But the Pallas’s cat seemed to have taken a liking to those particular stones and kept adding them to the bundle.
Lin Qianyu had no choice but to help shift the stones toward the edge of the cloth, wrapping them along the sides so they wouldn’t damage the jiamo fruit.
Once the stones were barely all packed in, the Pallas’s cat was already sitting obediently in front of her.
Its calm and well-behaved appearance was completely at odds with its usual fiery temper.
Lin Qianyu tied the bundle on again and reminded it, “Remember to bite this part when you get home.”
The Pallas’s cat stared intently, like a diligent, eager-to-learn kitten. Even its ear fur twitched when it nodded.After finishing up, the moment Lin Qianyu let go, the Pallas’s cat suddenly tipped backward uncontrollably.
“???”
The Pallas’s cat looked confused, kicked its legs a couple of times, but with its belly up in midair, it couldn’t exert any force—so it ended up being lifted by the little bundle.
Lin Qianyu: “!!!”
【Pfft—hahaha! Look at Lord Pallas’s confused little eyes, I’m dying from the cuteness.】
【Awww the poor baby got kidnapped by a tiny bundle, Auntie kisses you to death.】
【What are you standing there for? Hurry and rub that little belly while you have the chance!】
Lin Qianyu’s lips curved slightly, but before she could enjoy it, the Pallas’s cat suddenly jerked its head up from where it was air-fighting with the bundle. Its sharp gaze locked straight onto her face. “Awoo!”
Even its tail lashed with force.
“Ahem.” Lin Qianyu’s laughter turned into a light cough, but the amusement in her eyes couldn’t be hidden. She helped undo the loose knot.
With a flip, the Pallas’s cat jumped off the bundle. Once free, it cautiously circled the little package, occasionally crouching low and hissing.
It seemed to mistake the bundle for some kind of living creature.
It had nearly been solo-killed by a bundle.
Lord Pallas was not having it!
When the breeze stirred the cloth and made it rustle, the Pallas’s cat didn’t hesitate—it leapt and pounced, pinning the bundle down with its paws and viciously biting at the corners.
It was fierce, like it was engaged in battle and refusing to lose.
Lin Qianyu stood to the side watching, laughing so hard she nearly choked. “Haha…”
The moment the Pallas’s cat shot her a glare, Lin Qianyu instantly put on a deadpan face, no expression at all. Then, when it resumed its scuffle with the cloth, she went right back to laughing.
She watched as it used a grappling move—four paws kicking in unison.
Worried it would exhaust itself, Lin Qianyu soothed it while stroking its fur, “Alright, alright. The cloth says it surrenders. We’ll spare its life.”
The Pallas’s cat licked its mouth, glanced at the cloth, then at Lin Qianyu, with a look that clearly said: Why didn’t I hear that?
“It’s fine, I heard it.” Lin Qianyu reached out. The Pallas’s cat hesitated for a moment, then didn’t stop her, withdrawing the paw it had on the bundle.
Lin Qianyu tugged at the wrinkles on top. Some areas had been clawed and frayed, pulling out loose threads. She had to yank a bit to get the threads to tuck back inside.
But restoring it perfectly was impossible—she could only try to get it close.
The Pallas’s cat looked chubby, but that was just an illusion caused by its thick and fluffy fur. It actually wasn’t heavy at all—otherwise, it wouldn’t have been lifted by a little bundle just now.
This time, while rewrapping, Lin Qianyu only put two symbolic stones inside. “Alright. Let’s try again.”
The Pallas’s cat stepped up, lowering its gaze as the bundle was tied to its body again. It even bared its teeth at it, as if saying: Try anything, and I’ll rip you to shreds.
Fortunately, the weight was better controlled this time, and the earlier accident didn’t repeat. The Pallas’s cat was finally satisfied. It patted one corner of the cloth with its paw, giving off a “you’d better behave” vibe.
Once everything was settled, Lin Qianyu patted its head. After that scuffle with the cloth, its fur was a mess, so she helped smooth it out and said, “Go on now. Be careful on the way.”
“Awo!” The Pallas’s cat lifted its head and gave her wrist a quick rub, then, before Lin Qianyu could react, darted off into the night.Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow and looked at her wrist. There still seemed to be traces of soft, fluffy fur brushing against it—she couldn’t help but laugh.
【Awo! A tsundere little grump but still lets you pet him, what a good baby!】
【On the surface: “You touch Lord Pallas and I’ll bite you to death.” In reality: got petted again and again.】
The Pallas’s cat left, and everything around her seemed to fall quiet again.
Lin Qianyu sat for a bit, then got up and put away the jiamogu fruits. Since there weren’t any extra containers, she placed them together with the oranges for now.
The lighting at night was poor. Outside there was barely some moonlight, but inside the house, it was pitch black.
The flashlight had been in use since dusk and was already running dangerously low on power.
Lin Qianyu sat at the table. “I have to remember to put the flashlight out to charge tomorrow.”
Her fingertip rubbed over the switch of the flashlight. With her chin propped in one hand, she thought aloud, “Is it too stuffy in here?”
It wasn’t the kind of stuffiness that made it hard to breathe.
But once the door was closed, the place became a completely sealed-off space—not even a window.
“What if I cut a window here?” Lin Qianyu gestured at the wooden wall on the right. It was a little distance from the table, and if she opened a window there, daylight could shine into the house during the day.
If she had the right tools, building a two-room setup with a living area from the start wouldn’t have been a problem.
But unfortunately, all she had was a kitchen knife. The wooden cabin Lin Qianyu was living in looked decent on the surface, but it was actually quite basic.
Compared to a refined log cabin, hers was just the frame of one.
The mud smeared between the wooden planks for the walls had already dried. Lin Qianyu tested it—it felt pretty solid. “So if I cut here, I could pry this section upward when I want it open, and prop it up with a piece of wood. If I want to close it, just remove the stick.”
But even after all her measuring and planning, Lin Qianyu didn’t actually go ahead and start cutting. First, she wasn’t sure the dried mud could hold; second, since the roof was already enclosed, a direct cut might shake the entire roof structure.
If the window didn’t get made but the house turned into a hazard, that would be a real loss.
【What window? I say just build a new shelter altogether.】
【So can the next shelter be built on the white lion’s territory? Great location, peaceful, no other animals to disturb.】
The white lion didn’t live with Lin Qianyu, and many fans were eagerly waiting to see when she would bring the white lion back home.
They wanted her to bring the white lion back, but at the same time couldn’t help but wonder—if she did, where would he live?
There were already too many fluffballs at home.
Lin Qianyu said, “Once the white lion gets a bit more familiar with the fluffballs here at home… A new shelter? That’s not out of the question.”
There was a river over there too. She could even set up a fishing trap.
But for now, it was just an idea. Moving a wooden cabin wasn’t as easy as relocating from a cave. Even if she wanted to move, she’d need to finish building the new cabin over there first before considering relocation.
Hearing the sounds of young wolves outside, Lin Qianyu picked up the flashlight. “Let’s talk about it later. I’ll ask the white lion when I get a chance.”
The wolf pack had returned, and the sleeping cubs in the shallow pit started yipping and howling one after another.
The cheetah cubs, on the other hand, were quiet. Lin Qianyu turned her head and saw that Dou Dou had already curled up next to the two cubs."Welcome home." Lin Qianyu leaned against the doorframe, eyes curving in a smile. "Good work."
"Awoo!" The little wolf jumped out of the shallow pit and rubbed against her.
Lin Qianyu squatted down and picked it up into her arms. Noticing the prey not far away, she asked suspiciously, "You all haven’t eaten yet?"
They’d been out so long that Lin Qianyu thought they must have eaten before returning.
"Woof!"
"You have eaten." Lin Qianyu touched the little wolf's belly and found it indeed full. "So this cow was brought back specially for me? Thank you."
The fallen cow’s body bore many bite marks, likely from being dragged. The fatal wound was at its neck.
Two thylacines squatted next to the cow, eyes gleaming.
Noticing Lin Qianyu approaching, the gray thylacine lifted its head and howled, "Awoo——!"
"Good one." Lin Qianyu hugged the thylacine too. "Had a good time today?"
As soon as she said it, Lin Qianyu felt like the question was unnecessary. Just looking at the thylacine’s expression, it was obvious—compared to its depressed look while sick, it was now in great spirits.
The yellow thylacine also joined in, "Woo!"
When they howled, the grassland wolves beside them, not knowing what was going on, started joining in as well. The pups didn’t even think and began howling in chorus.
For a while, the area outside the shelter echoed with rising and falling howls.
Lin Qianyu’s eyes were full of laughter. She was sincerely happy about their successful hunt. She turned to look at the cheetah, about to say something.
From afar, the cheetah met her gaze. It paused, then—though usually solitary—also lifted its head and gave a very in-sync, "Awoo!"
【Awo awo awo! Count me in, count me in!】
【Even through the screen I’m fired up—let me in, I wanna go hunt buffalo too!】
【Wake up, sis... a wild buffalo would send you flying two miles with one headbutt. Hunt buffalo? Go to bed, in your dreams you won’t feel the pain when it beats you up.】
...
Thylacines usually eat kangaroo species, small mammals, and birds. The pseudo-thylacines were no different.
They wouldn’t hunt large animals. Things like buffalo and wild boars were creatures they wouldn’t even consider chasing—because they couldn't win.
But this time, with the cheetah and the grassland wolf pack around, the pseudo-thylacines helped out and successfully hunted a wild buffalo. Naturally, they were thrilled.
Everyone had already eaten by nighttime. Lin Qianyu only sliced off some meat for the cubs. The rest was dragged into the palm leaf shelter and left there—no rush to process it.
Once everything was taken care of, Lin Qianyu finally covered the courtyard with wooden boards. That way, even if the sun came out during the day, it wouldn’t shine on the still-sleeping wolf pups.
After setting up both sides, the courtyard now looked about half its original size.
Lin Qianyu straightened up, clapped her hands, and turned to call, "Come on, little wolf, let’s go to sleep."
"Woof!"
During their time on the grassland island, they lacked for nothing—except clothes.
As Lin Qianyu held the little wolf and stroked its fur, she began thinking about how to make some clothing.As for wool clothing, there wasn’t much wool to begin with, and the pieces she’d already made had been used for the white lion.
How about this—rather than using animal hides as bedding, she could process them a bit and wear them as fur coats?
That might actually work.
Just as she was thinking this, Lin Qianyu felt a gaze fixed intently on her. She looked down and saw the grassland wolf slightly tilting its head up, staring at her without blinking.
When Lin Qianyu looked down at it, the grassland wolf finally blinked.
Lin Qianyu kissed its forehead. “Not sleeping?”
The grassland wolf let out a soft "woo."
“Woo ah?” Lin Qianyu cuddled the little wolf and said, “Honestly, I’m not sleepy either. Let’s just lie down for a bit—once we lie down, we’ll get sleepy.”
She said this, but she still didn’t feel the slightest bit tired. Maybe she’d gotten too excited earlier, and now, though she appeared calm, her emotions hadn’t fully settled—so she couldn’t sleep.
She snuggled against the little wolf, rubbed her face on its fur, then lifted her leg and draped it over the wolf’s body. “Little wolf, have you grown again?”
She wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but since they spent all day together, it was hard to visually notice changes. Still, now Lin Qianyu felt like the grassland wolf, lying on its side, was nearly as tall as she was.
The grassland wolf licked her cheek.
Lin Qianyu buried her face in the little wolf’s fur and lay across it sideways, curling her legs and bracing them against the wooden wall, using the fluffy grassland wolf as a pillow.
This was much more comfortable than the short fur pelts she’d stacked herself.
Buzz buzz — just as she lay down, her phone vibrated twice.
Lin Qianyu opened it and saw Su Yuxing had @-ed everyone in the group chat.
Su Yuxing: [(link) This is a giveaway post from the program team’s Weibo. Please help repost and spread the word.]
After the first episode aired, many fans wanted merchandise, so Su Yuxing had people work on it. Since the second season began, they’d already given away quite a few items through raffles.
Lin Qianyu clicked into Weibo to repost it. When she came back out, she noticed a trending topic on the hot search list:
#Shi JingyuanTaxEvasion#
Followed by a bold red “爆” (“breaking”).
Lin Qianyu raised her brows and tapped into the topic with a flick of her finger.
Most of the comments were full of contempt and disdain for Shi Jingyuan’s tax evasion.
Back when Guo Yanpeng had his scandal, there were still fans defending him—though it later turned out he'd hired fake commenters himself.
But in this thread, there wasn’t a single voice speaking up for Shi Jingyuan.
Maybe his account had been frozen, and he didn’t even have the money to hire bots.
【Didn’t they say that if you pay up all the owed taxes and fines the first time you’re caught, it won’t be made public? What happened with Shi Jingyuan?】
【After the last scandal, no one hired him anymore. Maybe all the money he had went to cover breach penalties, and now he can’t afford the taxes.】
【No wonder he tried to leech off Director Su. So he really had nowhere else to go.】
【I feel like he originally tried to leech off Sister Lin, but she ignored him, and after being embarrassed, he changed targets to Director Su.】...
Online comments were all over the place.
Many viewers who had watched Lin Qianyu's livestream clipped the footage of Shi Jingyuan and Director Su talking in the hallway.
The issue of Shi Jingyuan’s attempted extortion had already trended during the livestream, but was later forcefully suppressed by Shi Jingyuan’s team, who spent a large sum to bury the topic, even buying up scandals on other celebrities to divert attention.
But that only created a superficial calm. In reality, everyone in the industry knew Shi Jingyuan's time was up.
Still, the suppression had an unintended benefit. For those who didn’t usually follow entertainment news but had seen Shi Jingyuan act before, they clicked into the trending topic and immediately saw the extortion video.
Watching the topic and the video together made it clear why Shi Jingyuan had targeted Director Su.
In no time, Shi Jingyuan—already plagued by scandals—became a complete pariah. Even the pretense of being a senior figure in the industry was no longer tenable.
Although the extortion attempt was real, because Su Yuxing had noticed in time and didn’t actually give him any money, Shi Jingyuan hadn’t succeeded. Legally, it didn’t count as extortion or blackmail.
At most, it could be said that Shi Jingyuan had the intent but failed to act. So there was no way to charge him with a crime like extortion. But judging from how things were developing, it was certain Shi Jingyuan would end up in serious trouble anyway.
As the heat around this topic grew, another trending topic began to rise: Su Yuxing’s misery.
It even included videos of Lin Qianyu leading her “fluffy gang” to rob people on the road, as well as other guests sneaking around stealing supplies.
Unexpectedly, all of this gave the program a huge boost in popularity.
Shi Jingyuan may not have contributed anything to the show, but this wave of traffic was real.
Scrolling further down, Su Yuxing was even using the opportunity to promote the giveaway.
This program could truly be said to have Su Yuxing’s 110% dedication.
Lin Qianyu yawned. “Weibo sure is lively at this hour.”
It was already nearly dawn, and yet the discussion was only getting hotter.
Probably because a new scandal had dropped and everyone was staying up late for the drama.
The grassland wolf nodded. “Woo.”
“What are you wooing about?” Lin Qianyu laughed and patted its fluffy head. “Can you even understand what’s being said up there?”
The grassland wolf tilted its head and licked her in response, avoiding the question.
“Haha.” Lin Qianyu laughed even more happily, took off her watch and placed it to the side, then turned back to lie on the pillow and patted the little wolf’s neck. “Sleep.”
“Woo!”
The sky grew pale.
A few birds chirped faintly, and the sound seemed to grow louder.
Inside the shelter’s wooden hut, Lin Qianyu, curled up under a fur blanket, turned over and pulled the covers over her head, blocking out the noise.
Thankfully, the sound faded not long after.
As the temperature rose, the blanket that had been just right during the night started to feel a bit too warm.
Still half-asleep, Lin Qianyu squinted her eyes and kicked the blanket away, then habitually reached out to her side—only to touch empty space."Mm..." She opened her mouth slightly, as if calling out "Little Wolf," but the sound seemed to exist only in her mind and never made it out. In a daze, she drifted back to sleep.
By the time she woke up again, it was already afternoon.
Lin Qianyu yawned as she sat up in bed. When she passed by the table, she paused and quickly took the flashlight outside to charge it.
“Is it raining?”
The sun was bright outside, but when she held out her hand, she could feel raindrops landing on it.
It felt like a sign that rain was coming. But with such a clear blue sky, and since it wasn’t the rainy season, it probably wouldn’t be much.
The wooden boards over the courtyard hadn’t been taken down yet. Even if it did start to rain, the cubs still had somewhere to hide.
“Good morning, little ones.” Even with the wooden boards, the noise from underneath couldn’t be muffled. One of the more energetic cubs even managed to bump the board above its head.
Looks like all that time practicing jumping in the corner of the shallow pit had paid off.
The fluffballs had probably gone out hunting.
Only one grassland wolf remained at home, left behind to watch over and protect the cubs.
Lin Qianyu cut a strip of wild ox leg. “You eat first. The others won’t be back for a while.”
The grassland wolf pulled its ears back, wagged its tail, and squinted its eyes—a sign of friendliness among them.
Lin Qianyu patted its head and turned to cut meat and mix formula for the cubs.
The baby bottles had already been retired. The cubs could drink on their own now, so there was no need to hold and feed them one by one. As long as there was enough food, they would eat by themselves.
The fire in the pit had long gone out, but the surrounding stones were still warm to the touch.
Lin Qianyu filled a pot with water and set it to heat, absentmindedly poking the fire pit with a stick. “Looks like it’s going to rain today. If it doesn’t start soon, I’ll go work on the yard at the white lions’ place.”
While she was at it, she could scout for a good spot nearby to build a second wooden shelter.
Sleeping until now, she had missed her usual mealtime and didn’t feel hungry. She just drank a few sips of water.
After finishing the strip of wild ox meat, the grassland wolf lay down near the shallow pit and peeked inside. The cubs were gathered around the ox meat and freshly mixed formula, eating happily.
Some of them, unsure how to drink, had formula all over their heads.
Lin Qianyu also noticed the white dots on one of the cub’s heads and pointed inside. “Look, it’s got milk all over its head.”
There were plenty of bowls, so without the competition of snatching food, they each began drinking from their own.
A few bowls were untouched, but Lin Qianyu wasn’t in a hurry. Once the cubs finished their current bowls, they’d follow the scent to the rest. The ones who were full would go find a sunny spot to bask in.
The cub who got milk on its head was a bit different from the others—it drank with its eyes closed. While the others lapped at the milk with curling tongues, this one used its tongue to scoop, plap plap plap, and after all that, ended up giving itself a full-on milk facial.
It was drinking with such intense focus.
【So cute! I want to dunk it into the milk bowl (jk…)】
【Hahaha I just want to know if it actually drank any. What if it finishes the whole bowl without even knowing what the formula tastes like?】
【It even knew to close its eyes while drinking. Clearly a very clever little wolf cub.】
...The clever little wolf cub drank for quite a while. After finishing a whole bowl, it used its paw to wash its face, then turned to eat the beef.
As it passed by the other cubs, they smelled the milk on its fur. While grooming it, they also licked the milk powder clean.
The cubs were eating in an orderly way, the scene warm and adorable.
Lin Qianyu stood at the side watching for quite a while.
The grassland wolf, lying calmly moments ago, suddenly stood up and stared cautiously to the left.
Humans are far less sensitive to impending danger than animals.
Lin Qianyu stood and asked, “Is there danger?”
“Woo…” The grassland wolf responded while stepping protectively in front of Lin Qianyu.
Logically, this area was already part of the wolf pack’s territory. Any animal coming in would clearly be provoking them.
Could it be a powerful predator seizing the opportunity while the pack was away to come snatch the territory?
Just as she thought this, she noticed white markings gradually appearing in the distance.
“It’s the white lion.” Lin Qianyu crouched and patted the grassland wolf’s head. “Remember the lion we met by the river yesterday? He’s not an enemy. Don’t worry.”
As the white lion got closer, the grassland wolf seemed to recognize the familiar scent, though it still didn’t back down, instead sitting right there.
Silently guarding the cubs.
The white lion arrived with a sheep in its mouth. It glanced at the grassland wolf, placed the sheep by the lakeside, then turned and left.
“Eh—?” Lin Qianyu had just started walking over and hurriedly asked, “Where are you going?”
“Roar!” The white lion gave a low roar and ran off into the distance.
“Wait?” Lin Qianyu muttered suspiciously. Wait for what?
But… since the white lion said to wait, it would probably come back soon.
Lin Qianyu smoothed the grassland wolf’s fur and comforted it, “Don’t worry, he’s a very friendly lion.”
The grassland wolf turned its head and nudged her, and Lin Qianyu took the chance to scratch its neck with her fingertips.
【Sheep: Yes yes yes, very friendly indeed.】
【Haha, is no one going to speak up for the sheep?】
【What do you mean no one? I’ve been saying I want roasted whole lamb for ages. If someone else mentions lamb rolls for hot pot, I’m seriously going to lose it!】
...
Under Lin Qianyu’s comfort, the grassland wolf’s bristling fur gradually settled down. It might also have relaxed a little because of the white lion’s temporary departure.
With the pack out hunting, protecting the cubs was its responsibility. If it wasn’t someone it trusted deeply, it would drive them away without hesitation the moment they got close—be it human or animal.
Let alone a beast like a white lion, which posed a serious threat to the cubs.
“Alright, I’ll go see what’s up with the sheep.” Lin Qianyu put down her cup and walked toward the lakeside.
It didn’t look like anything was out of the ordinary.It was just an ordinary sheep—if anything set it apart, it might be... its size?
Lin Qianyu placed her hand on it. It was already cold—not freshly hunted.
That made it all the more strange.
Just then, the white lion, who had left not long ago, ran back—this time with a gazelle in its mouth.
Same as before: dropped it and left.
Lin Qianyu: “???”
Bullet comments: 【!!!】
【Is the white lion seriously that good at hunting? Not even twenty minutes and it caught another one?】
To help viewers keep track of time during the stream, the livestream interface always showed the current time in the upper-right corner.
It was now easy to calculate exactly how long it had taken the white lion to return from dropping the sheep to bringing back the gazelle—down to the second.
It was like it had just picked something up off the road—effortless.
“It was probably caught earlier,” Lin Qianyu examined the gazelle and noticed the blood around the neck wound had already clotted. “Maybe it's been storing prey and brought them over all at once today.”
No sooner had she said that than the white lion returned with a zebra in its mouth.
Lin Qianyu nodded—so her guess had been correct. But then she noticed another problem. “Why did the white lion catch so much prey?”
This was clearly more than a single meal’s worth. Could it be that lions had evolved the habit of stockpiling food?
No, that didn’t make sense. If they had, the specialists studying them would’ve published papers by now.
But there was not a single report about this.
The white lion made several trips back and forth, and finally, after bringing another sheep, it shook its fur and bent down to drink water at the lakeside.
Looking at the pile of prey in front of her, practically forming a small mountain, Lin Qianyu couldn’t help reaching out to poke the lion. “Why did you catch so many animals?”
When she had visited the white lion yesterday morning, none of this was here. Which meant it had hunted all these between the time she left and now.
Judging by the timing… could it be that the lion didn’t rest the entire night, just hunted non-stop?
After drinking its fill, the white lion shook its fur and let out a low roar, “Aw!”
The hide!
“You want the hides?” Lin Qianyu paused, then helped complete its thought. “To lay them on the ground? Or like I did, for the yard?”
The white lion gave a small nod, “Mmm!”
So that was what it meant.
Lin Qianyu burst out laughing. “Alright. I’ll help you collect the hides.”
The white lion was an exceptional hunter, but it seemed to enjoy building and tidying its den even more than hunting.
This was the first time Lin Qianyu had ever seen such a clever and particular white lion. It was genuinely amusing.
Only, the lion didn’t know how to skin the prey or preserve the pelts properly. That’s why it brought them all to Lin Qianyu for help."Did you not eat either?" Lin Qianyu skinned the sheep and casually sliced off half of it. "I won’t cut the meat too small—just eat it like this."
The white lion had just drunk water and wasn’t particularly interested in food, but when meat was tossed over, it instinctively opened its mouth and bit down.
With half a sheep in its mouth, the white lion paused, released the prey, licked the blood from its lips, and then lay down by the lamb's leg to eat.
In the shallow pit, the wolf cubs and cheetah cubs stayed completely silent.
With the wooden planks covering the shallow pit, they couldn’t see outside. They heard the white lion’s roar, but couldn’t connect it with the same lion they had seen yesterday.
When the wolf pack goes out hunting, it’s actually quite dangerous for the cubs left at home.
Some predators deliberately take advantage of such moments to ambush. If they’re lucky, the wolf left to guard the cubs can hold out until the main pack returns. Otherwise...
So when danger is sensed, the cubs instinctively go quiet and try their best to reduce their presence.
Just like hiding in a den, they shrink inward as much as possible. Even the motion of retreating is done carefully, so as not to make noise by disturbing the soil.
The prairie wolf guarding the cubs never took its eyes off the white lion.
Halfway through organizing the hides, Lin Qianyu also noticed how quiet the cubs were. She glanced back at the wooden plank and instantly understood. “Wait a sec, I’ll get something.”
Saying that, she set the cleaver aside and washed her hands by the lake.
Just as she was about to go over, she paused, then turned back to pick up the two chunks of meaty thigh bone she had chopped off earlier—not much meat, but some.
The cubs had just eaten. These two large bones would be perfect for them to gnaw on and play with.
Lifting the wooden plank, the moment the little wolf cub saw Lin Qianyu, it started moving, “Awo!”
“It’s the white lion. You saw it just yesterday, remember?” Lin Qianyu lifted both planks and carried the cubs out.
It had looked like rain earlier, but so far it hadn’t picked up. The two drops from before seemed to have been it.
Feet on the ground, the cubs seemed a bit lost, eyes darting around. When they spotted the white figure by the river, they paused.
White was rare in the cub’s world. Even without Lin Qianyu saying anything, it immediately made the connection to the white lion that had been close to her yesterday.
Still, recognition was one thing.
The little wolf cub didn’t go to play with the white lion.
Looking at how the cub circled around the prairie wolf and the two young cheetahs nearby, Lin Qianyu said, “Maybe since the pack and Doudou aren’t here, they don’t feel secure enough to approach.”
Only when there's backup do they feel bold enough to get close to the white lion.
Lin Qianyu stacked the wooden planks to the side, left the two big bones with them—not just the cubs, the prairie wolf could gnaw on them too.
Once everything was set, she clapped her hands. “Alright, you can play now. Stay close, though—don’t go running off.”
The prairie wolf watching the cubs responded, “Mmm!”
The white lion took slow bites of meat, occasionally glancing this way, chewing leisurely.
Lin Qianyu walked over and, seeing this, patted its head. “No appetite? Why’d you eat so little?”
Just one leg—and even that barely looked touched.
The white lion licked its lips, pressed a paw down, and tore off a large chunk of meat."These hides can’t be used as-is when taken back—they need to be washed and then dried." After skinning, Lin Qianyu would always scrape off the fat as well; otherwise, over time, the hides would rot and go bad, and the whole thing would have to be thrown away.
Luckily, she had wood ash and soap pods on hand—those two worked well together.
Lin Qianyu shook the wet hide and said, "I’ll hang them to dry here first. Once they’re fully dried, I’ll give them to you."
The white lion didn’t react much to her words. From its point of view, if the human liked it, she could keep it—whether it took the hides or not didn’t matter.
Skinning was a skill-intensive task, far more work than just slicing a few chunks of meat with a couple of strokes. Especially when it came to scraping the fat with a kitchen knife—if the back of the blade didn’t work, the sharp edge had to be used carefully to avoid tearing the skin.
There were still a few left to finish. Lin Qianyu flexed her wrist, washed the knife, and then cut off a leg of lamb.
It was a whole large chunk from the upper thigh. She slit the edge with the knife, then pierced a wooden stick through and out the other end.
After skewering the meat, she propped both ends of the stick over the fire pit to roast. By the time she finished the rest of the hides, the meat would likely be done.
Seeing the white lion watching her, Lin Qianyu wiggled the lamb leg in her hand. "Want a bite?"
The white lion turned its head away—its refusal was very clear.
Lin Qianyu wiped the knife and continued skinning. "With this much meat, who knows how long it’ll take to finish it all."
Each type of meat had a different texture. Maybe the reason the white lion had brought so many different animals this time was because it didn’t want to eat just one kind.
Thinking of this, Lin Qianyu chuckled. She was just about to say something, but then stopped mid-sentence, looking suspiciously toward the far side of the lake. "Did you hear footsteps?"
They seemed to be getting closer.
The white lion was still busy fussing with a bloodstain on its mane and completely ignored the footsteps, which didn’t sound threatening at all.
Before long, two people came running past on the far side of the lake, one in front and one behind.
Nie Lingyang was panting heavily, drenched in sweat but didn’t dare stop running. He even reached back to pull the slower Hang Sisi along. "Hurry! Run faster!"
"I’m so done with this!" Hang Sisi complained weakly.
They were so focused on running that they didn’t even have the energy to glance toward the other side of the lake—just heads down, desperately sprinting.
Holding her kitchen knife, Lin Qianyu squinted suspiciously. "What… are they training for a race at noon?"
She looked up at the sky. The blazing sun was out—normally, no one would choose this time of day for running.
Especially not full-speed, non-stop sprinting, like they were fleeing for their lives.
"What’s going on?"
While she was still confused, a golden-brown male lion appeared from where Hang Sisi and Nie Lingyang had just run past and charged in their direction.
Lin Qianyu: "?!"
Author's note: Here it is, here it is. This chapter is a bonus update. The next one will go live at midnight sharp. Pop pop pop~ Send some nutrient solution my way!