"Slow down, little one, do you want me to carry you?"

Aoki watched as Shengxia strode forward, and followed closely behind, afraid that she might slip and fall.

The woods were covered in moss; she must have been in so much pain if she had fallen.

A gentle breeze brought a touch of coolness.

When Shengxia came to her senses, she looked at Qingmu behind her with a worried expression and felt a sweet feeling well up in her heart.

"I want to walk around by myself. Don't worry, watch your step!"

"Swish swish swish"

Suddenly, Aoki threw a pebble, and a cuckoo bird fluttered down, half of its wing stained with blood, struggling and thrashing on the ground.

Aoki smiled broadly, his deep, pleasant voice carrying obvious amusement.

"Wolf Song, Lion's Cry, Sheep's Distance, Charge!"

Yang Yun placed the basket on the ground, took out an animal skin, laid it out, and arranged the snacks neatly one by one.

"Come here, little one, sit down and watch. They'll be here for a while."

Shengxia sat down with a look of curiosity, her eyes sparkling as she stared at the three little ones.

"Awoo awoo~"

One silver, one gold, and one white—the three fluffy little balls excitedly hummed as they ran forward.

The little ones were very playful and eager to play with the cuckoo bird, which was several times their size.

Yang Yun deftly tore the jerky into thin strips with her long, slender, fair fingers and fed it to Sheng Xia, explaining the process thoughtfully as she did so.

"The little ones are still too young to distinguish friend from foe; they're just playing with the cuckoo bird."

Shengxia looked at the three little ones with gentle eyes and a smile.

The big bird struggled even more fiercely, constantly turning back to peck at them. The little lamb was pecked, and Shengxia stood up nervously.

Yang Yuan originally wanted to bite back, but seeing her mother's worried face, she ran over to Sheng Xia and complained and acted cute.

Summer felt sorry for him, so she picked him up, lifted his legs, and parted his fur to check him over.

It's a little dirty, but there's nothing else wrong with it.

She breathed a sigh of relief, feeling at ease, and gave Aoki a subtle glare.

Aoki shuddered, looking at Yang Yun with a pitiful expression. Yang Yun gave him a helpless look.

When Wolf Song and Lion Qing saw their beast being beaten, they roared and started biting it, getting their mouths full of fur.

It wasn't harmful, but it was extremely insulting. Even a cuckoo bird has its pride, so it struggled, and the scene became chaotic.

midsummer:......

"It's okay, you won't get hurt. You can just wash it when you get back."

Aoki had somehow gotten close to Shengxia, staring at her with almost obsessive eyes, his deep, magnetic voice carrying a hint of flattery.

Sheng Xia's lips twitched.

She's got some nerve! Her kid's getting a beating at home, and this guy's still watching her!

The cuckoo fluttered its wings, scattering ash everywhere. A gust of wind blew by, and Shangxia coughed, choked by the ash.

"Cough cough cough...cough cough..."

In an instant, Aoki's eyes turned cold, and Sheng Xia didn't know how he had made his move.

After she drank a few sips of water, comforted by Yang Yun, the cuckoo bird had become a corpse, and the three little ones excitedly surrounded her.

_____________

The next morning

Sunlight filtered through the leaves, awakening the entire Yafatu forest.

Summer gradually awakens amidst the clear chirping of birds.

She stretched out her arms, spreading them out in a star shape.

"Awake? Time to wash up and eat~"

The blanket slipped off, revealing her smooth shoulders. Yang Yun's ears turned slightly red, and her clear, cool voice was a little hoarse.

"Help me get dressed. I'm going out to pick fruit today. Did I get up late?"

Shengxia sat up, stretched out her hands and hugged Yang Yun's strong arms, rubbing against them softly and affectionately.

For our first fruit-picking activity of the year, we absolutely had to go out and have some fun.

"It's not late. You females haven't been out for a long time, so we set a late departure time this time."

Yang Yun gently helped her put on her clothes and asked softly.

"Should I wear that purple sweater?"

"Yes, either is fine."

In the height of summer, she smiled broadly, appearing very approachable.

"Children, don't disturb your mother's sleep."

Aoki's slightly anxious voice came from outside.

Thinking of her baby in the height of summer, she couldn't help but smile happily.

"I'm awake, come in."

After the baby was born, he slept with Yang Yun and the others every night.

They said they were still young and needed to be fed several times a night, so to avoid disturbing her rest, they slept separately, and she would get up at night to express milk to feed the babies.

Looking at the obvious dark circles under Aoki's eyes, Shengxia couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him.

She lowered her voice and said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work."

In the height of summer, it appeared exceptionally small next to the tall and robust green trees.

Looking down at her, Aoki's heart softened. He walked over and raised his hand to hug Shengxia, not paying attention to his feet.

Shi Qing was halfway there when he was suddenly kicked.

"Awoo~~"

Seeing that Qingmu had kicked the baby without realizing it, Shengxia helplessly pushed him away, quickly jumped off the bed, picked up the bewildered Shiqing, and gently stroked him.

"Did you hurt yourself?"

The little golden lion tilted its head and rubbed against Shengxia's palm, its eyes looking at her with a clear, innocent, and slightly aggrieved expression.

In the height of summer, her caresses became even gentler, and she soothed him softly.

"It's okay, it's okay."

Aoki smiled helplessly, walked over and gently patted Shiki's bottom.

"Male shouldn't be spoiled too much."

In the height of summer, she choked on her words and then, heeding advice, put the baby down.

Okay, I understand.

She also knew that male beastmen shouldn't be spoiled, as spoiling a child is like killing a child, and she didn't want to raise her cub in the wrong way.

After breakfast, Shengxia sat on the back of a white sheep and flew to the square.

Everywhere he looked, there were beautiful beasts. In the height of summer, he saw many new faces and figured they were probably from the original Tao tribe.

It was very noisy and lively.

"Xiaxia, over here!"

Chengguo waved excitedly at Shengxia; she knew Shengxia would come.

"Guoguo, you're here too!"

Shengxia took the small basket from Yangyun's back and walked over with light steps.

"Xiaxia, me, me, I'm here too~~" Xiong Huahua squeezed through from the other side with a face full of surprise.

Two cheerful females happily followed Shengxia, walking out with the main group.

They chattered incessantly the whole way.

Everyone was curious about the new female, and they chatted amongst themselves, quickly becoming familiar with each other.

The forest was lush and green, and the verdant leaves and colorful wildflowers were washed clean by the rain a few days ago, their colors as bright as if they had been filtered.

Sunlight pierced through the thin mist, forming beams of light that dappled the ground, making it appear even more vibrant.

Walking in the woods in the height of summer, you are surrounded by greenery and the air is filled with a fresh scent.

She smiled slightly, took a deep breath, and felt refreshed.

"So beautiful!"

The fallen leaves had all been washed away by the rain, leaving only broken branches and wood exposed on the ground.

The surrounding paths had been prepared in advance, and the large patches of slippery moss had been cleared away, posing no danger.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I've been out. There are so many flowers blooming here. I'm going to pick some to take back to my bedroom later."

La Hua looked around with great interest, picked a few flowers at random, and casually swung them around in his hand.

The outer edge of the Yafatu dense forest during the flowering season