"Pretending to be sick?" Liu Xiaoyu repeated, confused, staring at Mo Qianshang, hoping she could provide some further explanation.
Unfortunately, the time was not yet right, and Mo Qianshang did not intend to tell her more, lest the little girl overthink things and affect her recovery.
"Don't worry about anything else, just take this and eat it." Since there were no other sharp-eyed people around, Mo Qianshang used her clothes as cover to exchange for a nutritional potion from the store and handed it to Liu Xiaoyu.
She actually wanted to make some nourishing soup for the little girl, but this was a barren mountain, all bare, and a bowl of chicken soup would seem inappropriate.
Besides, Liu Xiaoyu isn't close to her. If she goes back and tells Liu's parents, the news will spread like wildfire, and eventually the whole village will think she's a monster, or that her family has a lot of stockpiled goods.
Then their journey will be difficult.
She understood the principle that it's not the theft itself that's scary, but the fact that the thief has his eye on it.
Fortunately, Liu Xiaoyu was already frightened by Mo Qianshang. She took the food, glanced at it, and then poured it into her mouth, afraid that if she was a little slow, she would displease Mo Qianshang again.
Seeing that the little girl was quite well-behaved and obedient, Mo Qianshang was too lazy to scare her any further and continued to fill the water container.
Once all the bamboo tubes were filled with water, Mo Qianshang led the little leopard and Liu Xiaoyu back into the cave.
"It might be a bit cold here at night. I'll go upstairs and get you some things to make do with for a few days."
"Okay, thank you, Aunt Mo."
The moment Mo Qianshang heard the word "Aunt Mo," her face darkened instantly. She wanted to reprimand the person, but when she met Liu Xiaoyu's watery eyes, the fierce words stuck in her throat and wouldn't come out.
Well, to outsiders, she's now just a woman who's married and a stepmother. Liu Xiaoyu is a generation younger than her, so it's only right that she calls her "aunt."
It's because she hasn't fully transitioned from her past life. After all, in her past life, she focused solely on completing missions and had almost no experience with love.
Not to mention that being called "aunt" after getting married is a first for her.
Taking a couple of deep breaths, Mo Qianshang finally calmed down and said with a helpless smile, "I've observed that this little guy doesn't bite things randomly. I won't take it back for the next few days, just to keep you company."
The little leopard seemed to understand Mo Qianshang's words, or perhaps it sensed that she was about to leave. It rubbed against Mo Qianshang's ankle reluctantly and let out two mournful howls.
"Meow...meow..."
Unexpectedly, it was still a clingy little guy. Mo Qianshang was unusually good-tempered. She squatted down, picked it up, and gently stroked it in her arms. Her soft voice was even gentler than when she spoke to Liu Xiaoyu earlier.
"Honey, I'll come back to see you whenever I have time. Just hang in there for a few more days, and I'll take you and her away together."
"Don't worry, you won't be alone anymore." After saying that, Mo Qianshang gently kissed the little guy on the forehead, her smile as beautiful as a flower.
The little guy seemed to be infected by Mo Qianshang's emotions, and grinned as if he was smiling. Finally, he affectionately rubbed his face against Mo Qianshang's, and then obediently jumped back to the ground.
Remembering that the little guy was still injured, Mo Qianshang took advantage of the moment when the person and the leopard were not paying attention, and slipped into the bamboo forest to exchange for some tender bamboo shoots and give them to Liu Xiaoyu.
“The little guy likes to eat this, but I’m worried that he’ll overeat and become uncomfortable, so you can only give him a maximum of three large pieces per meal, and no more than that.”
"You must remember this."
"What if it tries to take it?" Although Mo Qianshang had said that the leopard cub wouldn't bite, Liu Xiaoyu was really timid.
“It won’t.” Mo Qianshang waved her hand confidently, then winked at the little leopard as if she were a different person.
“Our little leopard is the most well-behaved, unlike those wild beasts outside. He would never cause trouble, wouldn’t you say so, little guy?”
The little guy was completely unaware that Mo Qianshang was flattering it. It only felt that it had been praised, and proudly raised its little head, the meaning in its eyes was self-evident.
Of course, I won't do anything reckless!
After giving these instructions, Mo Qianshang nimbly returned to the cliff, but she did not go to find something for Liu Xiaoyu as she had said.
She found a secluded spot, exchanged some supplies from the shop, modified everything, and then bundled it all together before sending it back to the cave.
"Look, you're pretty lucky." Mo Qianshang threw a worn-out quilt and two sets of old clothes onto the stone bed.
"It must have been left behind by the people who fled the famine. I've checked it, and it's still usable and doesn't have a strong strange smell."
"As for clothes, everyone is generally short of food right now, and everyone's body size is about the same. If you think they're too big, just tighten your belt. No one else will come to this cave."
Listening to Mo Qianshang's repeated instructions, Liu Xiaoyu suddenly thought of her parents. If they were here, they would probably talk to her like Mo Qianshang.
However, because she listened to her sister, she almost never saw her wonderful parents again...
Without realizing it, Liu Xiaoyu herself didn't notice that her mindset had changed a little.
Mo Qianshang keenly noticed the dimness in her eyes, and the corners of her mouth involuntarily twitched slightly, but she didn't say anything more. She left some food and then set off to go back.
She hasn't returned all night; the little ones must be getting impatient waiting for her. And the one in white is probably going to make a few sarcastic remarks about her again.
There's just no way to deal with him. What a fine young man he is, how come he has a mouth?
Sure enough, Mo Qianshang had just returned with the wild vegetables and fruits she had redeemed from the mall, and hadn't even had a chance to greet the little ones, when a chilling voice swept over her.
"Ha, you really plan to dump these kids on me? You might as well write a letter severing ties with me. That would be more straightforward and make it easier for you to be the savior of the whole village."
Having known Bai Yi for some time, this was the first time Mo Qianshang had heard him say so much. She wished his words weren't so hurtful.
Thinking this to herself, Mo Qianshang dared not say a word, but instead offered a forced smile and explanation.
"This place is too desolate. I figured since I'm already out, I might as well look around for some food and see if I can find a way out."
"Have you ever thought about what would be the use of finding a way out if something unexpected happened here and the children were in danger?" Qin Baiyi pressed on relentlessly, not being fooled by Mo Qianshang at all. Her deep, ink-black eyes were like a bottomless pool, making them unfathomable.
Mo Qianshang believed she had met countless people, but she just couldn't figure out Qin Baiyi.
Even now, she felt a strange sense of guilt, as if she, the stepmother, was abusing the child and had been caught by the biological parents.
This is absolutely absurd!
Shaking her head slightly, Mo Qianshang ignored Qin Baiyi's questions and laughed it off, bypassing Qin Baiyi to start distributing water and wild fruits to the children.
Fortunately, the children were not as aggressive as Qin Baiyi. They ate quietly when they received food, except for Qin Heming, who stared at what he was holding without saying a word.
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