"Don't worry, they'll probably be back soon," Hei Yao said, comforting her.
To them, as male beastmen, this was very normal.
But the little female would always worry.
Because she cared about every single one of them.
So, no matter if it was day or night, no matter how long it had been, she always worried about them.
"Don't worry, they're really strong. I'm guessing there's just too much seafood, and A'Men wanted to bring back a bit more," Bai Di said with a smile.
"Mhm mhm." Si Lu nodded, then took out three big apples from her space, giving one each to Hei Yao and Bai Di and eating the last one herself.
"A little post-meal fruit," Si Lu said, taking a big bite while keeping her eyes fixed outside.
Even though they told her not to worry, she couldn't help it deep inside.
Just then, they came back.
Si Lu saw each of them carrying a huge beast hide bag on their backs, and the bags were still dripping water.
Si Lu looked at them, her heart filled with emotion.
They knew she liked seafood, so they went and got this much just for her. It couldn't have been easy.
She immediately stood up and ran over to Cheng Mo, Song Zhan, Nans, and the others.
Wait a minute!
Why was Kano here too?!
He was also carrying a huge beast-hide bag, following behind Cheng Mo and the rest.
Si Lu remembered clearly—wasn't Kano supposed to have left with his brother?
Why was he here, even carrying a huge bag of seafood?
"We ran into him at the beach, so we all dove into the sea to gather seafood together," Cheng Mo explained, noticing her confusion.
"Ohh, you guys are amazing. And of course, Kano did great too," Si Lu said with a smile.
She figured this must be something Kano had gathered for his brother.
After all, his sister-in-law—Kai's mate—also loved seafood.
"Mhm, as long as it's something you like, I'll always find a way to get it for you," Cheng Mo said with a gentle smile.
He didn't pat her head, though he wanted to. But he had dirt on him and was afraid of messing up her clean hair. So he stopped himself.
"Lu Lu, we caught a ton of seafood! As long as you like it, we'll make seafood for you every day," Song Zhan said cheerfully.
And it was true.
Honestly, they were benefiting from the little female too.
If it were up to them to cook all this, they wouldn't be able to.
Only with her there to guide them step by step could they do it.
And this whole "seafood feast" thing—they really enjoyed it too.
"Hehe, you guys have to enjoy it too. It's no fun if I'm eating alone every day," Si Lu said, looking at Song Zhan.
This guy was getting better at saying sweet things lately.
Nice! Making progress.
"Hehe, we do like it! And honestly, eating anything with you is great," Song Zhan scratched his head shyly.
He looked a little goofy.
Si Lu chuckled and walked over to him, then pinched his cheek.
The feel of it was really nice.
"Lu Lu, do you like it?" Song Zhan's eyes lit up as he smiled and asked her.
"Of course I do. Feels great," Si Lu grinned.
This guy was getting more and more silly.
She hadn't held back with that pinch either.
Didn't that hurt?
"As long as Lu Lu likes it, you can pinch my face all you want. Anywhere you want to pinch, you can"! Song Zhan said with a grin, even casting a proud look at the others like he was showing off.
But no one responded.
Of course, their little female being affectionate with him made him over-the-moon happy.
"Alright, are you tired? You all carried so much seafood and worked so hard. I feel bad—come back inside and rest!" Si Lu said.
"Mhm."
"We're fine!"
"Yeah, got endless strength!" they replied.
Kano, on the side, remained quiet, but his eyes stayed on Si Lu.
"Kano, is that for your brother? You'd better get going then; it's getting late," Si Lu said.
She didn't think too much about it.
Then followed Cheng Mo and the others back.
But once they reached the cave entrance, everyone put down their bags full of seafood.
And at the very end, Kano did too. He put his bag down on the ground.
Si Lu was stunned.
Kano followed them back too?
He wasn't going home?
She was confused.
Of course, her mates also furrowed their brows a little.
Clearly, they hadn't expected this either, but now… well, it was obvious.
"Lu... Lu... this is... for you..." Kano said nervously, and the moment the words left his mouth—
He ran!
Yep, he ran!
Nobody saw that coming.
Hei Yao's eyes flickered, but he said nothing.
Cheng Mo and the others exchanged glances—they seemed to understand.
Si Lu, though, was still confused.
Forget it, whatever!
Kano said it was for her, so she'd just accept it.
Though, he really was acting odd.
No—he was just too shy!
"Lu Lu, what about this seafood?" Bai Di asked, pointing to the bag Kano left.
"Whatever, keep it," Si Lu replied.
No one said anything else and started tidying things up.
More people really did make things easier—it was all done quickly.
Tomorrow, they could start cooking right away.
Everyone sat around the fire, casting meaningful glances at Si Lu.
Si Lu was munching on sunflower seeds, but she noticed all the looks.
What's going on?
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Is something going on?" she asked, looking at her mates.
So strange.
"We just wanted to ask who you want to sleep with tonight—and maybe you could help us decide the schedule too?" Song Zhan said cheerily.
He was the blunt, honest type—not the scheming kind—so he just came out with it.
Can't help it; he was getting anxious too.
Cheng Mo already had a cub! He figured he should step it up.
After all, Cheng Mo was her first mate, and he was her second!
He also wanted a litter of little tiger cubs!
Every time he saw Cheng Yu, that little white deer, he got so jealous.
"Alright then, let's go with the order—Cheng Mo first, then Song Zhan, third is Bai Di, fourth is Hei Yao, and fifth is Nans. That's it," Si Lu said.
"Yesss! Hehe," Song Zhan grinned from ear to ear.
"By the way, if you guys have time, maybe dig out another room in this cave? That would make things easier," Si Lu added.
After all, with so many mates, she still wanted to maintain some privacy.
And with a little cub now, she had to be careful.
Wouldn't want to set a bad example for her child.
"No problem, we'll start tomorrow," Hei Yao nodded.
"I'll dig it—I'm fast," Song Zhan chimed in.
"Then I'll dry it out," Hei Yao added.
"I'll go get some big barrels and prep water," Nans said after thinking.
...
One after another, everyone made their plans.
Seeing them all so hardworking made Si Lu feel a little embarrassed.
They were all so busy, while she was just... idle.
Ugh (⊙o⊙)…
No helping it, she was the weakest one.
She couldn't help much with anything.
Of course, even if she wanted to help, they wouldn't let her.
"Lu Lu, want some seafood porridge?" Bai Di asked.
"Yes, and you guys should have some too," Si Lu said.