Chapter 85
Chapter 85
[Bonus Chapter Sponsored by Nutrient Solution]
What’s the difference between this and a scaled-up white cat?!
That sudden outburst made all the fluffballs nearby fall briefly silent.
But only for a moment—soon after, they all returned to doing their own thing, completely unbothered by the appearance of a new stranger.
The grassland serval paced back and forth in disbelief, clearly unable to accept what it was seeing.
Th-this?!
The serval remained frozen for a long time, its paw resting on the prey in front of it, unsure whether to step forward or not.
When it arrived, having smelled the complex mix of scents from many different animals, the serval had assumed this place didn’t belong to anyone—just a spot where many creatures happened to pass through.
Only now did it realize what was really going on.
Its eyes darted all over the place with nowhere to settle. When it turned its head, it spotted another animal lounging on a rock.
The grassland serval completely froze.
“It’s you?” Lin Qianyu recognized the serval—it was the same one that had chased prey and ended up following it into the den.
“Woo!” The serval licked the blood from its mouth and glanced at the fluffy pile of cubs nearby. Ultimately, it didn’t go over to them and instead nudged the prey in front of it toward Lin Qianyu.
“Are you delivering food for me on purpose?” Lin Qianyu noticed the gesture, smiled gently, and was about to set down the cub on her lap to walk over.
But thinking it through, Lin Qianyu said, “Thanks for the food. But I’ve already eaten today. How about you eat it for me instead?”
The grassland serval was still scanning the field full of cubs, but when it heard that, it suddenly snapped its head around. Its ear tips twitched, and it slapped a paw on the prey. “Awuu!”
A concise and firm cry—it even sounded a bit bossy.
Lin Qianyu raised a brow. “You should keep it and eat it yourself. Over here…”
All the fluffballs at home had already eaten, and even the newly brought-back manul had eaten in its den.
Leaving a fresh kill behind would honestly just be wasteful.
But the serval didn’t give Lin Qianyu a chance to refuse. It dropped the prey and turned tail, dashing off.
With its nimble body and fur that blended into the night, it almost instantly disappeared from the livestream.
“Hey? Don’t go—huh?” Lin Qianyu hadn’t even gotten a few steps closer before the serval was gone. Her unfinished words turned into a soft sigh. “Alright then.”
It was still a heartfelt gesture from the little cat. She would accept it.
As the grassland serval ran off, exclamation marks flooded the livestream chat.
【Holy crap! Who can still tell the difference between this serval and a domineering CEO now?】
【Aaaahhh so cute!! I’m dying of cuteness!】
【Did anyone screenshot that moment when the serval saw Lin-jie surrounded by fluffballs? It’s the first time I’ve so clearly seen shock on an animal’s face.】
【Grassland Serval: I thought I was the only one you rescued, turns out I’m just one of many.】
【We all know Linlin has a lot of fluffballs at home, but every time I see them gathered like this it still blows my mind—especially since the white lion isn’t even here right now.】...
The manul had already stood up when the grassland serval appeared, standing at a high vantage point with all its fur puffed out, making its figure appear larger.
Under the faint light, its shadow stretched long, creating a surprisingly intimidating presence.
Lin Qianyu rubbed the little wolf cub’s scruff, wondering whether she should return the favor to the grassland serval tomorrow.
Before she could decide what to give, the rain began to fall.
“Quick, back inside,” Lin Qianyu urged.
The cubs, still a little dazed, didn’t quite understand what was happening. The steppe wolf and thylacine stepped forward at the same time, each picking up a cub and jumping into the shallow pit.
Since it had rained during the day, the wooden board covering the shallow pit had never been removed. Jumping down and diving under the board kept the rain from reaching them.
The manul on the rock shook out its fur. It didn’t like the feeling of its fur getting wet by rain.
Lin Qianyu walked over and picked it up. “Little Wolf, let’s go!”
“Awoo!”
The steppe wolf followed behind Lin Qianyu, carrying a palm leaf in its mouth and laying it across the middle of the wooden board as it dashed into the cabin.
This rain came and went, lasting on and off for several days.
The weather was unpredictable—rain could start falling at any moment without warning.
Sunny rainshowers during the day had become a common occurrence.
But each time it rained, it was always a gentle drizzle. Occasionally it would rain for a longer stretch, but never heavily—nothing like the torrential downpours over on Rainforest Island.
By Lin Qianyu’s estimation, the dry season was near.
The island’s division between rainy and dry seasons wasn’t as clearly defined as the African savanna’s, but the timing wasn’t too far off.
Judging by the skies, it was only a matter of time before a heavy rain came. After a few more days of lingering drizzle, the true dry season would set in.
The second season of the variety show was now more than halfway through its total runtime.
There was still enough time to work with.
Over at the white lion’s territory, Lin Qianyu occasionally came by to build parts of a wooden wall—maybe a window the next day. The materials were slowly collected bit by bit. Whenever she had enough, she’d start working, and in just a few days, the frame of the new cabin attached to the white lion’s had started to take shape.
After a few more days of fine-tuning, the new wooden shelter was finally completed—just in time, before the bananas in the crate became fully overripe and spoiled.
Luckily, the day after the shelter was finished, the weather was sunny.
Unusually, there was no rain early in the morning.
As she ate the last banana, Lin Qianyu mulled over moving arrangements. The banana was already heavily speckled with black spots, but once peeled, the inside was still fine—though slightly discolored beneath the spots.
“I guess… I don’t actually have that much stuff,” she said, rummaging through the crate. There were still quite a few oranges. As long as they weren’t damaged, they’d just gradually shrivel over time.
Oranges with damaged skins, though, were hard to preserve. If you didn’t eat them quickly, they’d rot in two or three days, then start to grow mold.
Aside from that, there were just some animal pelts and a few miscellaneous small items.
She had no intention of tearing down the old shelter—it was still sturdy, after all—and the new one didn’t need those few extra planks of wood anyway.Unless the old shelter collapses on its own from instability, Lin Qianyu has no plans to tear it down just to salvage materials.
She dragged the two crates outside.
All that was left were the pelts used as flooring and the cubs.
Lin Qianyu sat on the ground, sorting through the pelts while speaking to the now-activated livestream device: “Morning, everyone. Today’s main livestream content is moving. I’m getting ready to head over to the white lion’s place. These things should… only take two or three trips to move.”
She had emptied the crates in advance and now opened them up beside her.
Once she folded a portion of the pelts, she reached into the crate to lift out a cub, then placed the pelts neatly inside. “Why aren’t you playing over there? There’s still room in the basket.”
The banana basket she’d borrowed from the director was super sturdy. The cubs inside were sprawled out on their backs, sound asleep. A few who were awake had started crawling toward the crate.
Apparently, both the crate and the basket held the same allure for them.
And since they hadn’t seen what an open crate looked like before, the crate seemed even more novel compared to the familiar basket, so they all gathered around it.
Even after being picked up and pulled out by Lin Qianyu, they still tried hard to climb back in.
【Suddenly reminded of packing a suitcase—Step 1: open the suitcase. Step 2: pull the cat out of the suitcase. Step 3: put in clothes… then repeat steps 2 and 3.】
【After they crawl in, just close the lid and let the wolf cubs get a taste of how cruel the world is.】
【The audacity, LOL! (Do it quick, I wanna see too!)】
Lin Qianyu tapped the little wolf cubs on the head and put them back into the basket.
The steppe wolf, lying beside the shallow pit, noticed something and jumped down, then sat in front of the basket.
The cubs who had just been put back in still tried to struggle out and climb into the crate again, even stepping on their sleeping siblings in an attempt to jump out.
But the moment the young wolf stood there, its innate presence caused all the cubs to stop moving in unison.
Even the paws hanging over the basket’s edge were withdrawn. They all quietly lay back down, looking perfectly well-behaved.
Lin Qianyu lifted the packed crate and placed it on top. “Chasing Wind, take these two crates over first.”
“Whinny!”
There were semicircular handles on both sides of the crates. Once tied with rope, Chasing Wind could easily drag them along.
With the locks secured, there was no worry about anything falling out mid-trip.
During the days she’d spent building the new house, Chasing Wind had been running back and forth between her place and the white lion’s territory, transporting supplies.
Maybe it got used to going there, but now it no longer felt afraid—even daring to linger for a bit after delivering stuff.
You have to know, in the past, Chasing Wind didn’t dare go near the white lion’s core territory without Lin Qianyu present, fearing it might get bitten without warning.
Lin Qianyu originally thought about loading some items into the side bags on Chasing Wind, but gave up on the idea, realizing it likely wouldn’t take the bags off once it got there.
“Once we get these sent over, there won’t be much left.” Lin Qianyu packed up the tableware into the basket. The three little cheetahs could just go into the backpack later.
As for the little wolf cubs…
She tapped her fingers against the basket’s edge, tied on a rope, and said, “How about I drag you all along later?”
In some scenic areas, grass-gliding was actually a very popular activity.It’s just that, when it comes to pulling the little wolf cubs, the steppe wolf is still a more reliable option. As for Chasing Wind… the speed is there, but that’s all it has—just speed.
To be on the safe side, Lin Qianyu decided to deliver them herself, in case any of the fluffballs ended up dragging the cubs into a full-speed dash they couldn’t stop.
The little wolf cub didn’t understand what was going on and lifted a paw to reach for her fingers. “Awoo!”
Lin Qianyu easily pinned the cub down with one hand, rubbing its fluffy little head in her palm. Then she flicked her fingertip gently, and the dazed little wolf cub plopped right back into the basket with a soft plop.
She picked up the whole basket full of cubs, with one side of the rope loop hanging outside for convenience when it was time to pull it along.
She glanced at her watch—just about time.
“Woo!”
Before Lin Qianyu even lowered her arm, the grassland serval arrived right on cue, carrying prey in its mouth.
For the past few days, rain or shine, the serval had shown up on time—this time generally coincided with when the fluffballs would normally go out hunting.
But since they were preparing to move house today, all the fluffballs stayed home to help.
“Thanks for the hard work.” Lin Qianyu reached out to pat the serval’s head, but it deftly dodged her touch, dropped off the prey, and turned to leave.
Perhaps because there were too many fluffballs around today, the serval seemed even more rushed than usual—didn’t pause at all.
“Don’t leave in such a hurry!” Lin Qianyu called after it. “We’re planning to move. Do you want to come with us?”
The grassland serval paused briefly, lifted its chin proudly, and let out a firm “Mrr!”
No!
A very serious and solemn refusal.
A solitary serval absolutely does not live with a crowd of animals!
“…Alright then,” Lin Qianyu said. “You can come visit me anytime though. Preferably without bringing prey.”
The serval ran off without even looking back—clearly not taking her words to heart.
Lin Qianyu stretched lazily and went back in to check the house one more time.
It was a bit of a shame that the jia-gu fruit couldn’t be taken along, but she had gathered plenty of seeds. Maybe she could try planting them later.
Still, given the jia-gu fruit’s growth cycle and fruiting period, the tree likely wouldn’t sprout before the variety show ended.
She packed up the small miscellaneous items on the table into a basket.
Anything she might not need could just stay here—she could always come back now and then to check out the lake and surroundings.
While she was packing, she suddenly heard Chasing Wind running outside.
“Whinny!”
“Don’t rush—I haven’t packed up the bottom yet—Chasing Wind?!” Lin Qianyu’s tone suddenly shifted. She looked toward the door, only to see Chasing Wind had already bitten the rope tied to the basket containing the steppe wolf cubs.
When she had Chasing Wind deliver items, Lin Qianyu always tied the rope on top—whether it was wood, crates, or whatever, everything was marked this way.
After several days of moving things back and forth, Chasing Wind had apparently developed a subconscious association: if it had a rope tied to it, it must be something to deliver to the white lion’s territory.
So, when it saw the tied basket, it didn’t stop to wonder why Lin Qianyu wasn’t outside—just bit the rope that was tied to the side pouch right next to her.Carrying it off in its mouth—quick and efficient.
Lin Qianyu ran out while shouting, “That one doesn’t need to be moved by you—!”
The steppe wolves lounging nearby in the sun froze in place when they heard her.
They had assumed Lin Qianyu had instructed Chasing Wind to do that. Even though they didn’t know why, if she said so, it must’ve made sense. So none of them had gotten up.
But now realizing something was wrong, they scrambled to their feet and gave chase.
Chasing Wind hadn’t gone far before it heard Lin Qianyu’s shout and came to a stop.
However, the basket it was pulling didn’t stop with it. Instead, it kept surging forward and was about to slam into Chasing Wind’s hind legs. As a zebra with rich experience dealing with chaos, it reflexively prepared to kick out.
The basket seemed to have caught on something and suddenly tilted up at one end, jostling the steppe wolf cubs inside. Some of them were still asleep, kicking with their eyes closed, not even aware they were now airborne.
“Whinny?!” The zebra spooked, leaping and stamping.
“Awoo-wooo!”
“Aa-wooo!” The cubs were having the time of their lives.
Without hesitation, Lin Qianyu stepped forward and scooped a few cubs into her arms.
The steppe wolf leapt up and grabbed one by the scruff, the marsupial wolf tilted its head, adjusting its position until a falling cub could land right into its waiting mouth, and the cheetah darted over and clamped gently onto one.
Chasing Wind reacted fast—kicked the basket precisely and caught one of the tumbling cubs mid-air.
Thanks to the thick layer of animal furs, the cubs that hadn’t been flung too high landed safely on top of them.
Everything happened so fast that by the time the cubs were tossed, Lin Qianyu was already in place. She was cradling one in her arms, another hung from her foot, and just one more cub was left mid-air. She took a quick step forward.
That last cub didn’t miss—plopping directly onto her head. Its hind paws staggered onto her shoulder while its front paws grabbed her head for balance.
The little wolf cub looked down just as Lin Qianyu glanced up.
“Awoo!” The cub barked enthusiastically, eyes wide with glee.
So fun! Love it! Let’s do it again!
【The fluidity of that entire action sequence—10/10.】
【Hahaha I’m gonna die laughing. If that one cub on her foot had gone any farther, Lin-jie would’ve had to break into a full-on split.】
【I told you—humans can’t stay cooped up in a house too long. Look at that, a few days indoors and she’s literally growing steppe wolves.】
The cubs placed back on the ground clearly had no idea how dangerous that whole incident had been. Even the ones who had been asleep were now visibly hyped up, yapping “awoo awooo” and trying to climb back into the basket.
“Awoo-woo!”
Definitely had that let’s do that again energy.
Lin Qianyu: “……”
Let out a deep breath.
At least none of them hit the ground.
There wasn’t much stuff in the shelter, and with the fluffballs helping out, moving everything took barely any effort.The fence that was originally set up for decoration had now really come in handy.
Letting the little wolf cubs and cheetah cubs run around outside, with a wooden plank blocking the entrance, they wouldn’t go too far.
Lin Qianyu went inside to lay down the furs; the wooden bed was the same as the one in the previous shelter.
She also propped open the window in front of the table. “There weren’t enough materials, so this is the best I could do. When opening it, you need to use a wooden stick to hold it up, and when closing it, you have to push it open again to remove the stick.”
A bit troublesome, yes, but at least it was a ventilated window.
Besides, just propping it with a stick was already the best solution she had right now.
Leaning across the table, with her hands folded on the window sill, Lin Qianyu gazed out. The scenery was the same, but looking out from the window inside the house brought a completely different mood.
“Oh right, there are still a few things in the palm-leaf shelter I built earlier.” Lin Qianyu took off her backpack and left it inside the house.
Just as she was about to call Chasing Wind, she caught sight of a little wolf cub sprawled out in a big X shape in the courtyard, and not far away, the previously treasured basket was now forgotten due to the excitement of a new environment.
The rope was still tied to it.
Lin Qianyu raised an eyebrow, smiled, and moved the basket out without touching the wooden board blocking the door. Instead, she stepped over the fence.
After placing the basket properly, she sat inside it.
There was still plenty of space. Sitting like this with her knees slightly bent and feet braced against the edge, her whole body could fit snugly inside.
Chasing Wind noticed her movements and trotted over eagerly. “Whinny!”
It lowered its head, pretending to bite the rope.
“Rooaaar—!” The steppe wolf jumped down from the roof.
Having been chased by the steppe wolf before, the zebra nearly twisted its four legs into knots. Even so, it managed to escape the attack range in time.
“Little Wolf?” Lin Qianyu had originally wanted to call Chasing Wind too. “What’s wrong?”
The steppe wolf lowered its head and slipped into the adjustable loop of the rope at the front. This loop was something Lin Qianyu had made earlier because she couldn’t hold the rope tightly enough on its own.
It stepped through with its right front leg. The rope slanted down across its body but wouldn’t strangle its neck.
Barrage: 【?!!】
【Aaaah?! What’s going on!】
【I’ve seen sled dogs pulling carts, but a steppe wolf pulling one is a first!】
【Haha, because Chasing Wind flipped the basket before, Little Wolf doesn’t trust it and decided to take over, huh?】
【This is way too cool!】
Even cooler—after securing the harness, the steppe wolf turned and nuzzled Lin Qianyu’s cheek. “Whimper…”
In the next instant, it dashed forward.
The rope that had been lying slack on the ground instantly went taut. Lin Qianyu leaned back slightly and, for a moment, actually felt the thrust of acceleration.
“Wah!” Lin Qianyu stretched out her arms, her hair fluttering in the wind. The post-rain air wasn’t particularly warm, and as the wind picked up, the coolness it carried neutralized the stuffy heat of the grassland.
It was a completely different experience from riding a horse.The grassland was vast and open. After bursting out of the small wooded area within the white lion’s territory, the steppe wolf sped up again.
The basket was lined with animal furs, and even leaning back against the rim at her lower back, Lin Qianyu didn’t feel uncomfortable.
The speed was fast but steady.
Lin Qianyu didn’t need to hold on to anything and simply let the steppe wolf carry her as they flew across the grasslands.
A tawny lion resting under the shade of a tree had its eyes half-closed, dozing lightly but still alert. When it sensed something zoom past with a swish, it opened its eyes—only catching a glimpse of Lin Qianyu’s hair streaming behind her.
What was that?
The tawny lion looked confused. It shook out its mane and stood up, then walked over to lie beside a lioness. But its gaze remained fixed in the direction Lin Qianyu had disappeared.
The lioness got up and moved somewhere else.
The tawny lion, unaware, leaned back to rest against her—but leaned into empty air.
…
“Can you feel the freedom?” Lin Qianyu squinted her eyes, shouted cheerfully, and turned to look for the livestream equipment.
But she discovered it had been left far behind.
It was solar-powered, and after basking in the sun for so long, there was no way it hadn’t charged—it simply couldn’t keep up.
Lin Qianyu laughed heartily at the sight: “Haha! It can’t catch up!”
【……】
【Damn it!】
【@Director Su! What’s going on! High-tech can’t even keep up with a steppe wolf?! (grumbling and pointing fingers)】
【Wait a second, Lin-jie, we know you’re having a great time right now, but hold on—have you figured out how you’re going to stop?】
At this speed, stopping at the destination—whether Lin Qianyu jumped out or waited for the basket to stop—would be tricky.
Once the steppe wolf stopped, the basket would slam into it hard due to inertia.
At this speed, the impact would not be light.
At the very least, she’d break a leg.
Lin Qianyu waved her hand dismissively. Since she had gotten into the basket, she had already thought about how to stop safely.
“I’ll just cut the rope by hand when the time comes—or jump out with Little Wolf.”
She had plenty of options and had thought them all through. No matter what method she used, she wouldn’t let Little Wolf get hurt.
Only, as thorough as her planning was, she didn’t get the chance to use any of them.
The steppe wolf gradually began to slow down some distance before reaching the shelter. The deceleration was so subtle it was barely noticeable.
By the time they returned to the shelter, the steppe wolf’s final steps were more like walking than running.
Lin Qianyu stared in surprise at the perfectly controlled pace of the steppe wolf, her face breaking into a wide smile.
Before the wolf could even stand steady after slipping out of the rope loop, Lin Qianyu launched herself forward and tackled it from behind, rolling across the grass with the little wolf in her arms.The little wolf tilted its head up, its ears brushing against Lin Qianyu’s lips, but it couldn’t see her face.
Lin Qianyu tucked it closer into her arms, smiling as she rolled over with the little wolf in her embrace. “How are you so smart, Little Wolf? You even know how to slow down.”
She cupped the steppe wolf’s cheeks and gave them a vigorous rub. “So obedient.”
“Woo…”
“Woo? Heh…” Lin Qianyu buried her face in the wolf’s fur, squeezing its paw pads. “Little Wolf is so good.”
After intense exercise, it’s not good to stop immediately—lying down to rest is especially a bad idea.
The steppe wolf had decelerated midway, switching from running to a half-jog, adjusting itself carefully and stopping precisely in front of the old shelter.
Lin Qianyu lay flat on the ground, hugging the steppe wolf, her grin wide and unrestrained.
They played and tumbled in the grass for quite a while.
Only then did Lin Qianyu get up and head to the shelter to pack.
She picked through things to take, and while tidying, her gaze kept drifting to the jia-gu fruit tree.
The red-footed falcon wasn’t around when they moved in the morning. The magpie was brought over, but it was scared of the white lion’s scent and hadn’t come down from the tree since arriving in its territory.
It was already close to noon, and the red-footed falcon still hadn’t returned.
Lin Qianyu muttered softly, “Where did it go hunting?”
Although she’d told all the fluffballs at home about the move in advance, she hadn’t taken the red-footed falcon to familiarize it with the route yet. If it couldn’t find its way and got lost, that’d be a problem.
Part of her reason for coming back to pack the rest was also to check whether the falcon had returned.
“Looks like it went hunting somewhere far today.” Lin Qianyu mused as she started pulling off the palm leaves.
The palm leaves on the shelter were all dried. They’d be useful back at the new place, and since they were easy to remove, Lin Qianyu simply stripped them all off.
By the time the red-footed falcon returned, Lin Qianyu had nearly dismantled the whole shelter—just a few useless frames were left.
If they weren’t so awkward to carry, they could even be used for firewood.
“Chirp?” The red-footed falcon didn’t return to its nest but landed on a branch not far from Lin Qianyu.
Lin Qianyu turned her head from the bundle of palm leaves in her arms and said, “Did you forget? We’re moving today. I came back to guide you.”
The red-footed falcon lowered its head and preened its feathers. “Chirp…”
“Not coming?” Lin Qianyu thought for a moment. “Because there aren’t any trees you like for nesting?”
Then again, that wasn’t entirely fair. Birds weren’t like phoenixes who only lived in parasol trees—it was more a matter of personal preference.
The jia-gu fruit had an irresistible allure for the red-footed falcon, no less than honey to a black bear or honey badger.
With a mature jia-gu tree here, it clearly preferred this place.
Lin Qianyu said, “That’s fine too. You can keep living here. I’ll come visit you when I have time.”
After a pause, she smiled and added, “I’ve also planted a jia-gu tree over at the new home. If it grows into a big tree, maybe you’ll come nest there too.”
【? With just those few seeds?】【“Outliving a Seed: A Race Against Germination”】【“Will I Die First or Will It Sprout?”】
【Now I’m genuinely curious—can Sister Lin really grow a jia-gu fruit tree?】
【Uh… based on the unreliable info I dug up, no one’s successfully cultivated a jia-gu fruit tree yet. But Sister Lin’s never been ordinary, so maybe she really can do it.】
It wasn’t something to say with absolute certainty, but most fans genuinely believed that Lin Qianyu could pull it off.
That level of blind faith was almost touching.
The red-footed falcon returned to its nest to rest and prepare for its next hunt.
Lin Qianyu, carrying what she planned to take back, sat down in the basket. “Little Wolf, let’s go!”
“Awoo!”
There was no rush to get back, so the steppe wolf took a longer route, running up and down the slopes with Lin Qianyu in tow.
Her excited shouts could be heard from afar, startling the birds in the trees who poked out their heads to look. When the steppe wolf passed beneath, they quickly ducked back, wary.
As they neared the white lion’s territory, Chase Wind also noticed them.
Seeing it was the steppe wolf pulling the basket again, the zebra couldn’t sit still.
“Whinny!”
As the steppe wolf slowed down, the zebra trotted over and began circling around Lin Qianyu and the steppe wolf, snorting repeatedly to express its feelings.
Its mouth hung open, the grass it had been chewing completely forgotten.
Lin Qianyu got up from the basket. The dried palm leaves weren’t easy to preserve, and she’d broken quite a few along the way. Hearing Chase Wind’s protests, she immediately promised, “Next time, next time you can do it.”
【Hahaha Chase Wind’s having a meltdown.】
【If only you were a bit more reliable and hadn’t flung the wolf pups, you’d be the one taking Sister Lin on rides today.】
Lin Qianyu waved a palm leaf in front of Chase Wind. “Go play, I’ve still got things to do.”
Chase Wind opened its mouth, bit it.
Tasted bad—spat it out.
The zebra raised its head and seemed to snort a disdainful “hmph” before the steppe wolf could lunge at it, quickly trotting off to graze.
The steppe wolf didn’t bother with it. It let out a low growl and turned its head—wolves from the pack immediately rose to their feet. It was time to hunt. The cheetahs and thylacines followed along too.
Lin Qianyu reminded them to stay safe. “Come back early.”
“Woooo…”
The wolf pack leapt over the fence, followed by the cheetahs and thylacines, leaving only the pups behind in the courtyard… locked in an epic battle with the fence.
The fence didn’t fight back—it was a one-sided duel.
They bit too hard and hurt their teeth, yelping loudly.
Lin Qianyu had just pulled her kitchen knife from her backpack when she noticed a little wolf pup rolling and shaking its head. She squatted down beside it. “Are you okay?”
“Awoo—!”Ouch!
The little wolf pup rolled over and ended up face-to-face with the gleaming kitchen knife in Lin Qianyu’s hand.
Its pained howl suddenly halted, and even its tone softened a few degrees. “Awoo… awoo…”
【Hahaha, suddenly it doesn’t hurt anymore.】
【Call Sister Lin a miracle doctor—no objections here.】
【I’m dying—before the knife: "This pain is killing me!" After the knife: "Auntie, I still have hope. Don’t give up on me. It doesn’t hurt anymore, really."】
Lin Qianyu laughed and set the knife down. Just to be sure, she pried open the little wolf pup’s mouth and checked—no blood.
It looked like a simple bump, nothing serious.
She gave its fuzzy little head a rub and let it go free again.
Picking up the knife once more, Lin Qianyu flexed her wrist and said, “I’m planning to make a wooden box for the white lion. The wood’s just about dried out.”
She had chopped extra wood back when she built the shelter.
Cardboard wasn’t an option, so a wooden box would do for fun.
“If anyone’s interested, you can learn along and make one for your own cats at home.” Lin Qianyu walked over to the pile of wood.
The white lion lay in the yard, sunlight shining on its snow-white fur. Its gaze had been locked on Lin Qianyu ever since she returned.
Now, seeing her crouch down, its tail swished twice behind it, as if pondering something.
A moment later, the white lion stood up and walked over, curiously watching her make this strange object.
Lin Qianyu took a moment to ruffle its head. “Wait till I make you something fun.”
She trimmed both ends of the log, keeping only the middle part, and stripped the bark before standing the trunk upright.
To make a box big enough for the white lion to lie inside, the trunk had to be tall.
Using plant ash, she marked the spots where she would cut, then measured again and scored it with her knife.
Her kitchen knife couldn’t produce perfectly flat planks.
Splitting down from the top, the further she went, the more the cut would go off track. She split the trunk into three sections and then scraped down the curved surface with the blade, comparing them frequently. They didn’t have to be identical, but close enough.
Having made planks like these many times before, Lin Qianyu was far more skilled now. Smoothing them out wasn’t difficult—no need for excessive precision, just a little fine-tuning.
Once the thickness was right, she cut notches along the edges, knocking the knife into the wood and using the tip to scrape side to side under the cut until it gave way. After scraping both sides, she applied pressure and—snap!—a rough tenon was formed.
She repeated the process to make several more.
Zooming the camera in closer, Lin Qianyu held two boards at the notched edges and said, “Stagger them like this, and then press the edges of both boards together.”
Clack—the joints locked tightly. Though the craftsmanship wasn’t refined and there were small gaps, it didn’t matter as long as it held.
【Mortise and tenon joints?!】
“There’s some inspiration,” Lin Qianyu explained while continuing with the next pieces. “But this is just a rough version. True mortise and tenon structures are intricate and highly complex, with a complete framework built from interlocking joints. Historically, they’ve been used in many famous buildings—like the Forbidden City or the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the Temple of Heaven. If you’re interested, you can look it up.”
【Wait… did I just… learn something???】【Damn it! That knowledge just whooshed into my brain. We were just internet friends, Lin Qianyu—this is crossing a line!】
【My head itches… feels like I’m growing a brain.】
【My mom would never have guessed I’d be learning things in a variety show livestream.】
While the jokes flew in the chat, Lin Qianyu had already slotted the remaining planks together. It was an extra-large cube, with just one side left uncovered.
She turned and used the leftover wood to carve six T-shaped strips, each three fingers wide.
Then she placed the slotted boards together, and at the joints, she used her cleaver to cut openings just slightly smaller than the wooden strips. No need for too much adjusting—once the openings were made, she hammered the strips in, which pushed out the wood shavings inside.
It was meticulous work.
And since she was using a kitchen knife, Lin Qianyu had to keep switching tools, even using rocks to hammer at times.
After working at it for quite a while, the uneven holes were finally done.
Though it didn’t look pretty, once the strips were hammered in, the holes were completely covered. The planks were joined into one large piece, and the protruding part of the wooden strips provided support from underneath.
The strips and joints held the planks together, forming a spacious structure.
One by one, she connected all the sides. When the final board was placed, it connected neatly with the three clips from the front, back, and bottom.
Like assembling a 3D puzzle, the final product turned out great.
The white lion’s eyes visibly lit up when it saw the box.
The wooden box was modeled after a cardboard parcel—basically a big-cat trap in disguise.
“Not yet,” Lin Qianyu said, her arms blocking the lion as she noticed the wood shavings on her hands. “Let me clean out the shavings and splinters first. You don’t want those all over your fur—it’ll be a nightmare to clean off.”
Every piece of wood had been cut by her. So far, she hadn’t seen any splinters, but better safe than sorry.
Using her fingers to press against the knife’s spine, she scraped the whole inside of the box to check for hidden splinters, then began cleaning up the wood shavings.
Standing inside the box, she did most of the detailed work from within—after all, this was where the white lion would be rolling around.
As for the exterior, it just needed to not look too ugly. She planned to wrap it in palm leaves and style it to suit the savanna scenery.
The white lion stood outside, paws resting on the box’s edge, watching Lin Qianyu work intently, but didn’t jump in.
The king of beasts had been stopped in its tracks by a single sentence from Lin Qianyu. Even though its fixed gaze showed it really wanted to go in.
The wood shavings couldn’t be ignored either. If they got into the lion’s fur, the fastidious feline would lick them—straight into its stomach.
So Lin Qianyu swept all the shavings into a corner, flipped the box on its side, and carefully brushed out the pile.
She folded a few palm leaves to use as a broom.
After a good sweep, the small pile of wood shavings was all gathered onto the leaves. To keep them from blowing away, she even folded the leaves up a bit. That bundle would go straight to the firewood pile.
Finally, after inspecting the box thoroughly, Lin Qianyu wiped it down inside and out with a damp towel.
“All done,” she said, running her fingertips along the box edge—this was the best way to feel for any stray splinters.
Since it was just a damp cloth, the little bit of water evaporated quickly.
The marks left by the first wipe disappeared before their eyes.All cleaned up, and the box remained spotless with no sign of moisture.
Lin Qianyu casually wiped her hands, then rubbed the white lion’s ear. “Go in and try it out.”
The white lion had been waiting for those words. As soon as it heard her, it jumped in without hesitation. It landed softly—feline paw pads cushioning the impact and muffling the sound.
It moved carefully, as if afraid a wrong step might tear the box apart.
It didn’t thrash about, just curled itself into a big white fluffy ball.
Its tail hung outside the box—apparently even the white lion hadn’t realized what its tail was doing.
Lin Qianyu tapped the tuft of fur at the tip of the tail, and with a swish, the lion pulled its tail back inside. Its clear pale blue eyes turned toward her, and at the same time, it rolled over to lie on its side, raising a paw slightly in a defensive posture—like a startled big cat preparing to counterattack.
“Roar!”
Its hind paws pressed against the edge of the box, front paws raised like it was about to strike—but no claws were extended, just soft pink pads with zero menace.
How was this any different from an oversized spoiled housecat?!
Author’s note: I’m here~ One more chapter coming, let’s see how fast I can go~ It’ll definitely be up before 9 PM, mwah mwah!