“Xiao Qiancha is so impressive.” Xun Xue felt her daughter leaning into her arms, and her heart instantly softened into a pool of spring water. She complimented her without hesitation.
Her jade-like hand gently stroked Lu Qiancha’s soft head and her pair of slightly twitching furry wolf ears.
“Hehe~” Lu Qiancha narrowed her eyes comfortably in her mother’s arms, her small face overflowing with the pride and satisfaction that came from being praised.
Then, as if remembering something, she stretched out her fair, tender little claws and gently tugged at the delicate fabric of Xun Xue’s sleeve with her fingertips, shaking it as if acting spoiled.
“Hmm? What is it?” Xun Xue looked down, her gentle eyes filled with indulgence, her voice extremely soft.
Lu Qiancha lifted her small face, her sapphire-like big eyes blinking with a sense of pitiful innocence.
The wolf cub’s blue wolf ears wilted and flattened against her hair. “Respected mother, I’m hungry. My stomach is about to start growling.”
“Pfft, little glutton.” Xun Xue was amused by her daughter’s excuse and couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
She extended a slender, jade-like finger and, with a bit of playfulness, lightly tapped Lu Qiancha’s cute little nose.
“Is it possible our Xiao Qiancha hasn’t reached Bigu yet? Besides, it’s still a while before mealtime. Be careful not to eat too much and turn into a little pig.”
“I’m really hungry!” Lu Qiancha immediately retorted, her small face puffing up like a steamed bun.
To increase the credibility of her evidence, she grabbed Xun Xue’s warm and delicate jade hand and pressed it onto her soft little belly without a word.
She even solemnly puffed out her soft little waist and abdomen, emphasizing with a serious face, “Look, respected mother, I’ve grown thin from hunger. If I don’t eat something soon, I’ll be blown away by the wind.”
The soft sensation in her palm made Xun Xue not know whether to laugh or cry.
Looking at her daughter’s serious expression while talking nonsense, the indulgence in her eyes almost overflowed.
“Fine, fine, fine,” Xun Xue said, helpless against her daughter’s rascality, her eyes full of warmth. “What does Xiao Qiancha want to eat? I’ll go to the Chufang and make it for you right now.”
“Twice-cooked pork,” Lu Qiancha immediately looked up, her big tail wagging even more happily. “And, and, spicy chicken — the kind with lots and lots of chili peppers.”
Her small nose seemed to already smell the charred aroma of chicken mixed with dried chilies after being fried in hot oil.
Taking a bite, the scalding meat juices would explode in her mouth, bringing the ultimate stimulation of spicy, numbing, and fresh flavors. Just imagining it, saliva was almost uncontrollably flowing down the corner of her mouth.
“Alright, everything as you wish.” Seeing the tail behind her daughter wagging so fast it was almost a blur, Xun Xue couldn’t help but laugh again with a *pfft* and led her by the hand toward the Chufang.
“Is Xiao Qiancha back?”
A somewhat cold voice, tinged with expectation, suddenly came from the Moon Gate connecting to the inner courtyard.
Ling Wanbai was leaning out slightly. Between her silver-gray hair, those signature gray ears were standing alert.
She gripped the doorframe with both hands, peering into the small courtyard, just in time to see the back of Xun Xue holding Lu Qiancha’s hand as they walked toward the Chufang.
Without any hesitation, Ling Wanbai quickly locked onto her target and followed silently.
The moment she approached Lu Qiancha, she opened her arms and gently hugged her from behind, wrapping the wolf cub entirely into her slightly cool embrace.
Her chin rested lightly on the furry top of the other’s head.
“Did I scare you?” Ling Wanbai’s flat, cold voice sounded.
“Ugh…” Lu Qiancha didn’t even bother to lift her eyelids, having long since grown accustomed to this kind of attack. Now, no matter what Ling Wanbai did, Lu Qiancha felt she wouldn’t be too surprised.
The wolf cub just symbolically wriggled her body, her small mouth pouting with dissatisfaction. “It’s so hot today and you’re sticking so close. It’s really hot. And…”
She struggled to move her squashed big tail. “Trash fish priestess, you’re pressing on my tail. It feels so uncomfortable.”
“Then…” Hearing this, Ling Wanbai tilted her head, a flash of serious thought appearing in her gray eyes. “Should I let you press on my tail for a bit?”
As she spoke, her own furry, silver-gray tail wagged behind her in coordination.
“No way.” Lu Qiancha gave an annoyed little eye-roll and turned her face away. “Compared to my tail, yours is hard and rough. It’s not nearly as nice to touch as mine.”
Afterward, the wolf cub tried to break free from the overly warm embrace. “Hurry up and let go. It’s boiling.”
Ling Wanbai went silent for a moment, her gray eyes shifting slightly.
She suddenly leaned close to Lu Qiancha’s ear and, in a volume only the two of them could hear, gently tossed out a fatal temptation: “In a little bit, I’ll make Guobaorou for you to eat.”
“Guobaorou…?” Hearing those three words, Lu Qiancha’s blue wolf ears, which had been full of disdain, instantly perked up and twitched sensitively twice.
Sweet and sour sauce coating a crispy crust, making a slight *crunch* when bitten, with tender and juicy tenderloin inside. That tempting flavor seemed to have already exploded on the tip of her tongue.
This black-hearted trash fish priestess was actually using her favorite food to test her willpower!
The wolf cub’s heart struggled fiercely for 0.1 seconds.
Then she resolutely gave up the struggle. Her small shoulders slumped, and with a tone that said “I’ll let you off this time, but don’t let it happen again,” she grumbled, “Trash fish priestess, hug me if you want.”
After speaking, her small head had already uncontrollably turned toward the Chufang. Her mind had completely flown to the meal that hadn’t even been cooked yet.
Behind her, Ling Wanbai’s arms tightened slightly around her. On that small face that always lacked expression, the corner of her mouth rarely curved upward into a shallow arc.
She buried her chin deeper into Lu Qiancha’s soft hair and whispered in a voice that was almost just a breath, “That’s wonderful. I like Xiao Qiancha the best.”
“Hmm?” Lu Qiancha was immersed in her food fantasies when she suddenly felt an extremely slight air current brush past the fur on her head, accompanied by a nearly inaudible sound.
She subconsciously flicked her sensitive blue ears and turned her small face in confusion to look at Ling Wanbai, who was pressed tightly against her. “Trash fish priestess, did you just say something?”
Ling Wanbai’s gray eyes remained calm. She lowered her head slightly, her clear gaze looking directly into Lu Qiancha’s confused blue eyes. Word by word, she repeated honestly, “I like you.”
“Oh.” Lu Qiancha gave a blank response, her small head nodding. Her exquisite face didn’t show any particular change in expression, as if she had just heard the other person say “the food is ready.”
However, her big tail stiffened for a moment the second the other’s voice fell, then began to wag gently again as if nothing had happened.
‘This trash fish priestess is definitely teasing me again.’
Lu Qiancha snorted softly in her heart, her small claws unconsciously tightening around the corner of Xun Xue’s clothes.
‘In the past, she did embarrassing things, but now it’s even worse—she’s starting to say these weird things that make me feel all uncomfortable. She really is getting more and more annoying.’