Looking at the little female's bright and radiant smile, he felt truly content!
It was a feeling he had never experienced before—so unfamiliar, yet he really liked it.
He simply stood quietly on the rocky cliff, watching the busy little figure scurrying about below.
And as he watched, he became mesmerized. He only occasionally noticed that the seafood in her hand seemed to vanish in a flash, which he found a bit strange—but he didn't dwell on it too much…
Besides, the little female was still holding a very large animal-hide bag in her other hand.
Cheng Mo and Bai Di were also busy collecting seafood, each carrying a large snakeskin bag. Bai Di had already filled the animal hide he'd been using earlier and set it aside.
The three of them moved quickly, their hands practically leaving afterimages. Si Lu's scissors were snipping faster and faster, her smile growing ever more exaggerated…
Her eyes, too—sparkling and dazzling like a money-loving goblin.
"I've noticed these seafood are all super huge! Not like the usual ones you see. We are seriously lucky to have stumbled on something this big—every single one is massive, hehe!" Si Lu chattered excitedly as she picked up more seafood, her mouth never taking a break.
You didn't even need to ask—her mood right now was pure joy!
And she was completely hyped up!
I mean, come on, anyone would be excited seeing so much of something they love. You'd have to be dead inside not to react!
"Exactly! We're on a roll today. However you want to cook them, I'll make it happen when we get back. This haul could last us a long while," Bai Di chimed in with a smile.
Seeing Si Lu this happy and excited stirred something in his heart too.
Of course, Cheng Mo was no different.
"Eeya eeya ya~" The little guy was helping too, although he didn't have a hide bag. He just picked up some seafood and stacked them together nearby.
And he was tiny—some of the seafood was literally bigger than him!
It looked almost comical watching such a small little creature lug around a massive crab or lobster. But in its clumsy way, it was kind of adorable too.
Since he was still in beast form, he tried his best to stand upright on his two legs. But his stance was wobbly, and his two hooves clumsily tried to scoop and move seafood.
Eventually, he gave up and just started head-butting the seafood into a pile.
What else could he do? He was just too small—some of them he simply couldn't lift. And standing on two legs was an unstable mess; he was on the verge of falling over the whole time.
Si Lu watched, heart aching.
Seeing her little baby working so hard… she was even more—
"Xiao Cheng Yu, stop. Just wait for us on the side, alright? Don't hurt yourself—you're still small. This stuff is too hard for you," Si Lu said gently, hugging the little one.
Ah, her little cub was just too considerate. So tiny, yet already so thoughtful. Even if he couldn't really help, that sentiment meant everything to her as his mom.
"Eeya eeya ya~" The little one kept making noises and gesturing wildly.
"He's saying he wants to help you out. After all, he's your cub—it's only right that he does something for you," Cheng Mo said while still picking up seafood.
What could he do? His little female couldn't understand cub-speak, so he had to translate.
Though every time he thought about this, Cheng Mo couldn't help but laugh a little.
He found it amusing—what kind of female can't understand her own cub's language?
And every time Si Lu gave him that puzzled, pleading look, it filled him with a sense of achievement and pride…
To be needed by his little female—it was his greatest honor, in every way possible.
It was also kind of like… his special role!
"Alright then, just be careful and don't hurt yourself. If you get tired, take a break, okay?" Si Lu said gently, patting the little one's head. The cub nodded, signaling that he understood.
Si Lu finally relaxed and rejoined the seafood-gathering squad!
The three of them picked faster and faster—it was way more efficient now.
They spent nearly a full hour gathering seafood.
Cheng Mo and Bai Di were fine, but Si Lu? Totally different story. Her back was killing her, hands sore, arms like noodles.
Who knew gathering seafood could leave you feeling like you got run over by a truck? Still, despite the pain, she was happy inside.
Just like people always say, Suffer, but make it joyful.
Cheng Mo and Bai Di saw her condition and felt terrible. They both helped her sit down on a nearby rock—one massaging her arms, the other gently working on her waist to make her more comfortable.
Beside them were five or six hide bags full of seafood. Like… a LOT.
Si Lu was seriously touched. Watching Cheng Mo and Bai Di being so thoughtful warmed her heart.
"I thought helping out would make things go faster, but I ended up slowing you down—and now you have to take care of me," Si Lu said a little awkwardly.
Ugh. So embarrassing.
They'd been working just as long as she had and were still fine, but here she was—back wrecked, arms jelly, hands cramping.
She'd thought gathering seafood would be easy-peasy. Turns out she seriously overestimated herself.
Now she just felt kind of useless.
"Don't say that. You did help—we moved way faster with you," Cheng Mo said gently.
"Yeah! You're a little female, and you still pushed through. Other females would've been flat on the ground by now," Bai Di added.
"So, Lulu—you've already done amazingly well!"
Their little female really was awesome!
"Eeya ya ya~" Little Cheng Yu started waving his limbs around.
Yep, yep! His mommy is the best!
His mommy is the strongest!
"Ah Mo, wait—don't tell me; I know what he's saying. He's totally saying I'm amazing and awesome, right?" Si Lu looked at Cheng Mo.
"So smart!" Si Lu laughed.
Little Cheng Yu started twirling in circles from happiness.
Yessss! His mommy guessed it right! She really understood him!
He was thrilled!
"Well, it's not like it was hard—his expressions kinda gave it away," Si Lu said, chuckling.
It wasn't really about being smart—she just noticed his gaze and movements.
"LuLu, you're amazing. Even that you could pick up on!" Bai Di laughed.
Si Lu could only smile helplessly.
Fine, let them keep shamelessly praising her!
It felt kinda like they were trying to coax a little kid or something…