Chapter 203
When Lang Qian saw the ledger of points that Bai Tu had handed over, he was stunned for the first time, and only one thought filled his mind: “This is bad. Lang Ze owes too many points, and I don’t know if the remaining points can pay it off.”
Lang Qian quickly calculated how many points he had left, using his fastest mental speed. Finally, he spoke with difficulty: “Tu, can I pay it back later?”
He could work overtime to pay it off, but it would take some time, especially since the young wolves still needed food.
Lang Qian decided that after he returned, he would prepare a separate ledger for the points. The ledger he currently had was for raising the cubs, raising the young wolves, and daily expenses.
Raising the cubs had the most points allocated, followed by raising the young wolves, though they needed a bit less care than the cubs. The young wolves needed more food, though, so that required extra preparation. As for the daily expenses, Lang Qian calculated it by multiplying his usual spending by three.
Now, with the added debt, it seemed that his current rate of earning points wouldn’t be enough. Lang Qian began to wonder what else he could do.
In his anxiety, Lang Qian completely disregarded the points Lang Ze had earned because he knew that Lang Ze’s earnings wouldn’t be enough to cover expenses. Lang Qian was focused on how many years it would take him to pay back the points Lang Ze owed Bai Tu, and the more he calculated, the more desperate he became. It would take too long; if the cubs’ portion didn’t change, it would likely take years. He wasn’t sure if Bai Tu would agree to that. If not, he might have to wait before having cubs.
Bai Tu noticed that Lang Qian’s expression wasn’t quite right as he received the ledger and was about to ask him about it, but before he could, Lang Qian mentioned the debt. Bai Tu paused for a moment.
This couldn’t really be blamed on Lang Qian. The high expenses of the young wolves were well known. Working patrols, for example, was harder than most other jobs, so they earned more points, but the young wolves almost never saved any points. From Lang Ze to Lang Zuo and Lang You, the impression they gave was that points were spent like flowing water.
To prevent further misunderstanding, Bai Tu reminded Lang Qian, “You should open it and take a look before talking about the debt.”
He wasn’t even talking about any debt ledger. Even if there was one, it wasn’t right to demand repayment just after the two of them had confirmed their relationship. That would be like pushing someone away.
The ledger Bai Tu handed over was for recording the young wolves’ earnings and expenses over the years. It included all the points earned from what he and Lang Qi had given, as well as other incomes and expenditures.
Aside from Lang Ze’s, it also included the entire young wolf team’s records. However, some of those would be given to Lang Qian in a few days, as Bai Tu was worried that showing them all at once would scare him away.
Not having any debt was a good thing, but the points records for the entire Lang Ze team were so extensive that it was comparable to the financial workload of a small tribe.
Since the young wolves were often out and about, they often found useful things. Any useful supplies were shared, and each month, the young wolves received a substantial share. However, Bai Tu usually only gave them enough for daily food and clothing, sometimes deliberately controlling the amount until they ran out of points before giving more.
The young wolves’ personalities were somewhat similar. If they weren’t restricted, they would spend all their points in no time. This was work that Bai Tu had always managed, but now it could be handed over to Lang Qian.
Bai Tu sighed, relieved by the lighter workload. The young wolves often found things, and the share distribution was complex, but it was better that no one else saw it. After all, these were large sums of points, and Bai Tu worried about others feeling resentful if they knew about it. So, he had always calculated and consolidated it himself.
Since Lang Qian and Lang Ze were now partners, it was fine for Lang Qian to take over this work. Moreover, Lang Qian had always been around the young wolves and knew just as much as they did. Bai Tu didn’t need to hide anything from him.
Upon hearing Bai Tu’s words, Lang Qian slowly opened the ledger in his hand, and he froze.
The ledger was filled with detailed records of points, with each entry adding up. Originally, Lang Ze had spent a lot of points each month, but now, when compared to the balance at the back of the ledger, it seemed almost negligible.
Lang Qian was unfamiliar with the points ledger related to the profit-sharing, as he had only arrived after the establishment of the Beast Tribe and hadn’t been involved with more central tasks during the first two years. He didn’t know that resources like coal and salt were linked to Lang Ze’s team, so he was unaware that Lang Ze received far more points each month than he did.
Lang Qian flipped through the first two pages of the ledger and quickly understood the format. He then turned to the last page, where the balance was followed by an astonishingly large number.
After seeing this, Bai Tu explained, “This is a record of the profit-sharing points. From now on, it’ll be your responsibility to manage this.” He didn’t dare leave it with Lang Ze, feeling that if he gave the points today, they might disappear by tomorrow. It wasn’t necessarily that they would be spent; sometimes they got damaged by water, or like today, the cards could simply be forgotten or misplaced.
The young wolves had many ways of spending their points. If it weren’t for the frequent losses, Bai Tu would prefer to give them their share directly each time, but that was clearly not feasible, since he couldn’t always be at home. However, these were issues Lang Qian would have to think about. Bai Tu told Lang Gan, “If the ledger runs out, come to me.” He had prepared extra, and both he and Lang Qi had set aside some for Lang Ze. Lang Qian hadn’t fully realized it yet, but Lang Ze’s points were much more than he had expected. With this many points, they didn’t need to wait two years to have cubs.
Meanwhile, Lang Ze bought even more food at the cafeteria than he had in the morning, only to find that he couldn’t even finish using all his points.
This morning, he had spent over fifty points for meals and snacks. At noon, following Lang Qian’s instructions, he spent sixty-five. The remaining five points, if it had been any other day, would have been quickly spent, but today they felt precious. Lang Ze carefully smoothed out the points card and put it in his pocket.
Though it was a small amount, he still had leftover points! Lang Ze thought with pride. Five points saved from one meal, fifteen points for the day, and four hundred and fifty points in a month — he would be able to spend freely again!
He returned home with his food, about to ask Bai Tu for a new points card, when he saw a very familiar item in Lang Qian’s hands. How familiar? Every time Lang Ze asked Bai Tu for a points card, Bai Tu would always note it down.
Looking at the familiar ledger, Lang Ze glanced at Bai Tu, then at Lang Qian, and a terrifying guess rose in his mind.
But he was so eager for a new points card that he spoke with a small, hopeful voice, “Tu, I don’t have my points card anymore.”
Normally, Bai Tu would hand him a stack of cards, usually five hundred points each. A five-hundred-point card could last for a few days, and Lang Ze decided that if he received points this time, he would try to spend less.
“Points card? It’s with Qian,” Bai Tu pointed to the ledger in Lang Qian’s hands.
Lang Ze’s expression instantly fell.
The ledger was thick, and after Lang Qian exchanged the broken cards, he began reviewing Lang Ze’s spending habits over the years. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Bai Tu; he just wanted to see how Lang Ze spent his points to help with future distributions.
It turned out that Lang Qian’s preparation was necessary, as Lang Ze had lost his points card over ten times in the past few years. This meant that, on average, Lang Ze lost his card once every couple of months.
Bai Tu remembered this and said, “These are the ones that weren’t recovered after being lost. There were two times when others found them but didn’t report them.” The points in the tribe weren’t registered under names, so usually, if they were lost, they were just gone, with no way to recover them unless someone had seen it right after it was lost.
Lang Ze was careless with his points, and no one else in the tribe had as many points cards as he did. So, occasionally, when someone found a lost card, they realized it belonged to Lang Ze. But the chances of that happening were small, as the young wolves lost their cards in all sorts of strange places.
If they lost one on the road, it was like fate had spared it. Most of the time, the cards were lost near rivers, ponds, or other places where they played, and they would return to find their points gone and come to Bai Tu to complain.
In the last two years, the young wolves had gotten wiser and started putting their cards away before going into the water, although they still occasionally forgot where they placed them. Overall, they lost fewer cards than before.
As Bai Tu explained this, Lang Qian could already imagine the scene. He looked up to see Lang Ze staring at the ledger with a pitiful expression, and Lang Qian took out twenty points and handed them to him, saying, “For tonight’s snacks.”
A typical day’s work in the tribe earned ten points, and twenty points would definitely be enough for the young wolf to last the night. After reviewing the ledger, Lang Qian was more convinced that he should give Lang Ze his allowance based on the number of times he needed it, rather than handing out too much at once, as that would be risky.
Lang Ze looked at the lone points card in his hand and comforted himself, telling himself that twenty points was still better than five.
Just thinking about the points Bai Tu usually gives him, Lang Ze waved the points card in front of Bai Tu, hoping he could persuade Lang Qian to restore his points to five hundred.
Bai Tu immediately saw through Lang Ze’s little scheme and thought to himself that it was clever of Lang Ze to try at this moment. But twenty points wasn’t a small amount. The young wolves usually received five hundred points at a time, which could last them three to five days. This meant their daily expenditure ranged from one hundred to one hundred fifty points.
Since dinner hadn’t been served yet, the twenty points Lang Qian had given were for snacks. A snack typically cost twenty points, and when combined with the snacks from the morning and afternoon, as well as the three meals, this was no less than the usual daily expenditure.
In reality, the young wolves had a lot of flexibility in their spending. If they didn’t have points, they could still manage for a few days, because the tribe provided three meals a day that were enough. However, when they had points, the young wolves often chose to ignore the meals and go for more satisfying snacks.
Snacks were generally more expensive than regular meals, but their taste was better, and even after eating several bowls of meals, they wouldn’t feel full. However, if they ate the same amount of snacks, they wouldn’t be full and would crave more.
But seeing Lang Ze’s current expression, Bai Tu guessed that Lang Ze hadn’t calculated this yet. With so few points in hand, he probably thought it wasn’t enough to spend. Bai Tu diverted his gaze, thinking that it would be better if Lang Qian explained this to him.
Lang Qian had already seen the last page of the ledger. His gaze lingered on the final number for a moment, and then he closed the ledger slowly, bringing forward his plan by a few days. Lang Ze, with his keen ears, had heard the sound even though it was quiet. He immediately stopped acting pitiful, shoved the points card into his pocket, and asked, “Qian, are you hungry? I bought a lot of food.” “Are you thirsty? What do you want to drink?” “Are you tired?”
“…”
“Not hungry, not thirsty, not tired, go wash your hands!” Lang Qian quickly stopped Lang Ze, to prevent him from asking more random questions. Even though he hadn’t eaten lunch, so much had happened today that missing a meal felt like the least important thing.
“Okay.” Lang Ze rubbed his stomach; he was indeed hungry. Meanwhile, Lang Qi arrived, having just finished cleaning up a few cubs. The other cubs were fine; they hadn’t gone anywhere in the afternoon, but Lang Chu was different.
He had been under tables and running in animal form. Although his color made it hard to tell if he was dirty, Lang Qi still gave him a quick wash.
Lang Chu didn’t like baths, but today was different. He had just learned that he wouldn’t have to go to school anymore, and that news made him so excited that it overshadowed all his previous dislike of baths. He couldn’t wait to play freely, sleep in late, and show off his new freedom!
Lang Chu wanted to brag, but his two older brothers and younger brother didn’t seem to care, leaving only Lang Ying, who shared his good fortune, excited. His sense of achievement was diminished.
Seeing that his father and father didn’t cooperate, Lang Chu immediately ran to Lang Ze to show off, “Uncle Lang Ze, I don’t have to go to school anymore!!”
As expected, Lang Ze was surprised, “You don’t have to go to school?!” The cubs didn’t have to go to school, but he didn’t have any points left. That felt so sad.
“Yep, yep,” Lang Chu nodded. “Doesn’t Uncle Lang Ze feel happy?”
“I can only spend twenty points today,” Lang Ze muttered softly, glancing at Lang Qian.
He hoped Lang Qian would hear and give him a little more, but he also worried that Lang Qian would think he was dissatisfied and get upset. He was torn inside.
Unlike Lang Ze, who was upset about having only twenty points, the other cubs were shocked when they heard about the twenty points: “Wow! Uncle’s points are so much.” They could only spend so many points after a long time.
“I can only spend five points a day,” Lang Chu said, counting with his fingers. He realized that five and twenty were quite different, and he envied Lang Ze even more.
Seeing his nephews looking at him with envy, Lang Ze sat up straighter. Twenty points didn’t seem too bad?
Listening to Lang Chu, Lang Ze became even happier and proudly said, “Twenty points isn’t just for one day. It’s for my snacks tonight, and I still have more for tomorrow!”
“Wow—!” The cubs were even more amazed.
Amid their surprised exclamations, Lang Ze’s earlier disappointment faded away. He was now feeling much better about his twenty points. Lang Qian, who had been considering whether to give more points, slowly withdrew his hand from his pocket. It was better to wait and see if it would be enough.
Today was definitely the happiest day for Lang Chu. Not only was the food abundant in the morning, but dinner was also just as plentiful, with a large table full of various dishes.
Lang Chu reveled in the feast, holding a chicken leg in one hand and half a pig’s ear in the other. He took a bite of the chicken leg, chewed on the pig’s ear, then lowered his head to sip some beef soup.
He had wanted to grab the pork knuckle, but his hands were too small to hold it. Settling for the chicken leg and pig’s ear, he finished them, and with greasy hands, reached for the pig’s foot. While he couldn’t manage the pork knuckle, the pig’s foot was within reach.
Meanwhile, Lang Ying was quietly gnawing on a piece of beef without looking up.
The food in the cafeteria is divided into two types: one is more finely prepared, all cut or shredded into small pieces, and the other is served directly from the pot in large chunks.
Most of the beasts prefer the latter, as it feels more satisfying to eat. Taking small bites doesn’t really feel like eating, and once finished, it’s as if they haven’t eaten at all. Lang Ying and Lang Chu also prefer to eat this way, but usually, Bai Tu would cut the food for better digestion.
The times they get to eat it whole are rare. This is also why the two cubs like it when Lang Ze comes, as he usually buys the larger pieces.
However, as they were eating, the two cubs secretly glanced at their father. Normally, even if food was bought, their father would cut it again, but today, he didn’t touch it and just served it as is! While they were happy, they also felt that something was off.
Had their father forgotten?
With this thought, Lang Chu ate faster, hoping to take a few more bites before his father remembered.
Soon, the two cubs realized that the strange thing wasn’t just the food.
Bai Tu noticed the cubs staring at him and scooped some canned food for them. “Don’t just eat the meat,” he said.
Even though the cubs didn’t like vegetables, he would usually encourage them to eat some. But today, the food Lang Ze bought had more meat and less vegetables, and if they didn’t eat enough, they could have some fruit. Lang Qi saw that Lang Chu couldn’t reach the food on the other side, so he helped by putting some on Lang Chu’s plate in front of him.
Lang Chu’s pig’s foot almost fell out of his hand.
Lang Yao took out a wet towel and helped his younger brother wipe his hands. “Keep eating.”
Lang Chu looked to the left, where Lang Ying was eating greedily with oil all over his face, then to the right at Lang Cui, and then at their two fathers across from them.
Something wasn’t right. It was all too off.
Little Bai Ye tried to stab a chicken egg bigger than his hand with his chopsticks and asked, “Second Brother, do you want some egg?”
Bai Tu was going to help, but when he saw that Bai Ye had completely secured the egg with his chopsticks and it wasn’t moving, he let Bai Ye do it himself. The egg had been boiled, deep-fried, and then drenched in a sauce, making it much tastier than a boiled egg.
The cubs who didn’t like boiled eggs weren’t as averse to this one. As for the name of this dish, to accommodate the Tiger Clan’s feelings, it wasn’t called “tiger skin eggs” but “flower skin eggs,” similar to how large meatballs are called deep-fried meatballs rather than lion heads.
Lang Chu said, “Eat!” He didn’t want to be disturbed while eating. He wouldn’t let anyone stop him!
His father surely wanted to be nice and would probably urge him to go to school, but no, absolutely not! He wasn’t going! No matter who tried to persuade him, he wouldn’t go to school!
Lang Ze also thought the dining table felt strange today, but couldn’t pinpoint what was odd.
Lang Qian looked at the cubs. He hadn’t eaten at Bai Tu’s place many times, but he clearly remembered it wasn’t like this before. He quietly asked Bai Tu, “Tu, what happened?”
Bai Tu gestured to Lang Chu and Lang Ying, who were sitting two cubs away from him. “These two want to experience the life Lang Ze had when he was a child, and they don’t want to study. I plan to let them experience their old life tomorrow.”
“Lang Ze’s life as a child?” Lang Qian looked at Lang Ze, noting that their ages were similar.
Though he didn’t know much about the old Blood Wolf Tribe, his memories of the West River Tribe were nowhere near the level of life they had now. Not to mention now, when he first came to the Beast Tribe, it was already much better than the West River Tribe.
If he calculated it based on the life in the West River Tribe twenty years ago… Lang Qian sympathetically glanced at the two oblivious cubs.
Bai Tu took a bite of rice. “He keeps complaining that he doesn’t want to go to school, and brings up how Lang Ze and Xiong Liao didn’t have to go when they were young. I want him to experience it for himself.”
If he disagreed now, the cubs would just complain again later, so it might be better to let him experience it. He planned to recreate Lang Ze’s childhood life 100% and let Lang Chu choose for himself.
Lang Qian thought about the cheers of the cubs he had heard in the afternoon and slowly asked, “This afternoon, Chu Baby was especially happy and shouting…” He had heard it clearly from the next room.
Bai Tu nodded. “Yes, he was happy because he doesn’t have to go to school.”
Talking about this made Bai Tu feel a little helpless. Even though they were brothers, Lang Yao and Bai Ye both noticed something was off.
Lang Chu, on the other hand, was so happy that it seemed like he was about to run out of sight. In another pair of siblings, Lang Sui was also puzzled, while Lang Ying just focused on being happy.
Thinking about how Lang Ya and Lang Ze were also from the same batch, Bai Tu had a bad feeling.
Could it be that whenever there are twins or more in one litter, one of them has to be like this?
Lang Qian stayed quiet for a moment, looking at Lang Ze beside him. He then glanced back at Bai Tu, and they exchanged a silent look, communicating everything with their eyes. They both sighed in unison.
The table was round. Bai Tu was sitting next to Bai Ye, and next to Bai Ye was Lang Yao. On Lang Yao’s left side sat Lang Chu, and next to Lang Chu was Lang Ying, who was in the same situation as him.
On the other side of Lang Ying was Lang Sui, and further out was Lang Qi. Then came Lang Ze and Lang Qian. Lang Qian and Bai Tu sat next to each other, and the cubs could only hear bits of their conversation. Lang Chu looked at his father, who was speaking with Uncle Lang Qian, then glanced at his younger brother and silently put more food on his plate.
“Eat more.”
Bai Ye heard the conversation clearly. He had just finished delivering eggs to his older brother and was focused on eating when he heard the voices and looked up.
Lang Yao patted his younger brother. “Eat quickly.”
“Oh, okay.” Bai Ye nodded obediently.
He was the slowest eater among the cubs, so he couldn’t afford to be distracted; otherwise, everyone would finish, and he’d be left alone. With nine people at the table, Lang Ya should have been included, but she had gone out to the Deer Tribe at noon and wouldn’t return until after tomorrow noon.
Among the nine, aside from Lang Ze, the three adults’ gazes lingered on Lang Ying and Lang Chu. The two cubs being watched were fighting for food with Lang Ze. There was actually enough food to go around, and they couldn’t even finish it all, but just like how Lang Ze liked to hold more points than he needed, the cubs also thought the food they fought for tasted better. Coincidentally, Lang Ze thought the same, so the dynamic between the three was completely different from the others.
Bai Tu waited until everyone had finished eating before saying to Lang Ze, “Ze, I have a task for you tomorrow.”
“Alright, what’s the task?” Lang Ze rubbed his hands excitedly. He had no points, but Bai Tu was already giving him a task! That meant the points in his hands would definitely be more than the tiny amount he had now.
Bai Tu slowly said four words: “Recall your childhood.”
“Huh?” Lang Ze stared at Bai Tu in disbelief. “Huh?”
Lang Qi glanced at the two.
Lang Ze’s hair stood on end, terrified.
“What’s wrong?” Bai Tu asked, noticing Lang Ze’s strange reaction. Lang Qian also didn’t know what was going on and looked at Lang Ze with a questioning gaze.
Lang Ze immediately stood up and took a few steps back, moving further from Lang Qi. “No, I don’t want to!”
“Hm?” Bai Tu understood where the problem was and directly asked Lang Qi, “What happened?”
Before Lang Qi could speak, Lang Ze, afraid his older brother would distort the facts, already began to wail. “What childhood? My childhood was all about being beaten!”
Bai Tu: “…”
Lang Qi: “…”
Lang Qian: “…”
Lang Qi slowly said, “He was mischievous when he was little.”
Lang Ze had been very naughty when he was a child. His parents and the other members of the tribe were always busy, and his older brother Lang Yu was about to become an adult.
Lang Ya and Lang Ze were the same age, so the task of disciplining his younger brother fell to Lang Qi, who was only a few years older than Lang Ze.
The Hundred Beasts Tribe’s settlement had a barrier around it, and without an adult beast accompanying them, the cubs couldn’t leave the residential area. However, when Lang Ze was young, the land at the bottom of the mountain was empty, and it wasn’t as safe as it was now. Beyond the mountain was a free world.
Cubs all longed for freedom, and back then, Lang Ze, like the current cubs, wanted to go further down the mountain and play every day.
The beasts in the tribe naturally wouldn’t allow a young cub to leave at will, but this couldn’t stop Lang Ze. If they didn’t let him out, he wouldn’t be Lang Ze. So, he began to think of other ways. As everyone knew, taking unconventional paths was dangerous, but the younger Lang Ze wasn’t afraid at all. Not only did he cause trouble for himself, but he also wanted to drag the other cubs into it.
Lang Qi saw his younger brother tumble down a steep cliff, and after coaxing him back, he took him back to the cave and gave him a beating. He saw the little wolf cubs swimming in the river, pulled them out, and gave them a beating. He saw a group of little wolves digging a hole and collapsing it, burying themselves, and had to dig them out and give them a beating.
This was how Lang Qi’s childhood went—chasing, coaxing, pulling, and beating his younger brother. Lang Ze’s childhood, on the other hand, involved climbing mountains, crossing rivers, digging, and getting beaten by his older brother.
It was through these repeated beatings that Lang Ze learned his lesson. He became more cautious with his adventures, and whenever he encountered life-threatening situations, the first thing that came to mind was the life he had when he was beaten as a child. As a result, he would abandon the more dangerous things.
Lang Ze had played since he was young, and the number of times he went out as a child was similar to now. Therefore, he didn’t really miss his childhood adventures. After all, when he was six, he played in the snow, and now, years later, he was still playing in the snow. The childhood memories he recalled weren’t those fun moments but the times he got beaten.
Lang Ze complained to Bai Tu, “Tu, you’ve learned bad things from my brother!” Now he wasn’t on his side anymore! He even let his brother beat him!
Bai Tu: “…”
Bai Tu: “Not to let you be beaten, but to make you experience your childhood again—eating, living, and after seven days, I’ll give you pocket points!” Hearing that he wouldn’t be beaten, Lang Ze relaxed. Then, hearing that there would be points, he immediately agreed, “Deal!”
Lang Chu looked at Uncle Lang Ze. At first, when he heard there would be beatings, he was worried that his father would make him go through the same thing. But when he heard it wasn’t the case, he instantly felt at ease.
Tomorrow, he would get to experience Uncle Lang Ze’s childhood life—he was so happy!
Too excited to sleep, Lang Chu rolled around in bed, still unable to fall asleep. He wanted to find someone to chat with. He didn’t dare to bother his older brother, Lang Chu, on the right, but Lang Ying on the left was okay.
Lang Ying was also excited—no more homework! Their homework was even more than that of the younger cubs, so what pained Lang Ying the most was the never-ending work. The thought of not having to write homework tomorrow made him want to chat and express his happiness.
The oddities at the dinner table tonight were completely ignored by the two cubs.
The two cubs chattered on, and when they wanted to continue talking, Lang Yao, who was sleeping next to Lang Chu, reminded them, “We’re going out tomorrow.”
Lang Chu immediately closed his mouth. His father had said that, except for not being beaten, they had to fully experience their uncles’ childhood lives. The thought of being able to play freely starting tomorrow made Lang Chu feel uncontrollably excited. But since they would be going out in the morning, it was better to sleep early. What if his father regretted agreeing to it after he woke up? Thinking this, Lang Chu immediately shut his eyes, determined to sleep well and wake up early the next morning.
Before dawn the next day, Lang Chu had already opened his eyes. When he woke up, he saw that the other cubs were still sleeping. He nudged Lang Ying on his side, “Brother! Brother! We’re going out to play!” Starting today, they would be free to play and go wherever they wanted! His excitement made Lang Chu’s voice a little louder, waking not only Lang Ying but also the other three cubs who were still sleeping.
Normally, Lang Yao would quietly watch him at this time, but today, Lang Yao said nothing and even helped his younger brother take out the clothes he was going to wear today.
Usually, it was Lang Chu and Lang Yao who helped Bai Ye with his clothes. Lang Chu was surprised to see his older brother helping him with his clothes.
So, going out to play came with this treatment? If he had known, he would have told his father not to make him study before the break!
“Brother! I’ll definitely bring back fun things for you!” Lang Chu promised.
He wouldn’t forget his brothers and younger siblings even when he went out to play. Although his brothers couldn’t go out, he could still bring back food and toys for them.
Lang Yao looked at Lang Chu’s oblivious eyes without saying a word, then took out another set of clothes.
“Don’t need that many clothes!” Lang Chu shook his head. They were just going out to play, and they would come back afterward. He could change his clothes once they returned.
Lang Yao didn’t respond to this but, with Lang Sui, took the cubs out and handed the clothes to their father.
Bai Tu woke up early today, but the cubs were even faster than him. When he saw the clothes Lang Yao brought out, he reached over and ruffled his head.
Although two of the cubs were a bit clueless, with the help of the others, Bai Tu didn’t have to worry about Lang Ying and Lang Chu being mistreated in places where he and Lang Qi couldn’t see.
“Today, Lang Ying and Lang Chu will go out, and Lang Sui, Lang Yao, and Bai Ye will stay home to do homework,” Bai Tu said as he took the clothes and announced the plan for the day.
“Yay!!” Hearing the confirmation, Lang Chu immediately jumped onto Lang Ying’s back, but after realizing Lang Ying was too slow, he started running on his own.
Bai Tu watched as Lang Chu turned into a little whirlwind again. After a moment of silence, he put the clothes away and, seeing the whirlwind hadn’t stopped yet, he said, “Do you still want to go out?”
With those words, Lang Chu immediately slammed on the brakes, rushing over to Bai Tu. “Yes, yes, Dad, can we go now?” He couldn’t wait even a second longer!
Bai Tu looked at the eager cubs and sighed lightly, “Alright, we’ll go now. Remember, once we go out, there’s no backing out.”
“I definitely won’t back out!” Lang Chu promised.
“I won’t either,” Lang Ying added. Even though his father seemed a little odd, going out to play was still more exciting than doing homework.
“Good.” Bai Tu nodded at the confirmed replies from the cubs and led them toward the front yard.
It was a rare sunny day during the rainy season. Bai Tu looked up at the clouds in the sky, knowing that it was unlikely to rain. He led the cubs to the front yard and handed them over to Lang Qi, who had been waiting for a while. Lang Chu, noticing that the person leading them had changed, grabbed Bai Tu’s clothes and asked, “Dad, aren’t you coming?” He preferred having his dad lead them rather than the strict father.
“I’ll stay home and watch the ones doing homework,” Bai Tu replied.
Since three cubs had to stay home, someone had to watch over each group, so Lang Qi was taking them out. The shift from dad to father made Lang Chu a little quieter, but it only lasted a moment. His excitement about going out quickly drowned out any lingering discomfort. Lang Qi didn’t waste time and immediately led the cubs outside.
When they reached the door and saw Lang Ze, who was nibbling on food, Lang Chu finally realized what was wrong.
“Dad, we haven’t eaten yet!” They had just gotten up, put on clothes, but hadn’t washed up or eaten.
Lang Qi replied, “We’ll eat outside.” He glanced at Lang Ze. “Hurry up.”
Lang Chu became even more excited. “Great!!” Now he could start thinking about what he wanted to eat, things were just so exciting lately.
Lang Ze noticed his brother’s increasingly dangerous look and quickly swallowed the last bite of food. “Let’s go, let’s go,” he urged the cubs. He had originally intended not to eat before going out, but before leaving, Lang Qian had looked at him for a moment and handed him a bunch of food.
Looking at the food, Lang Ze found it hard to resist. But taking all of it would be too troublesome, so he decided to leave it behind. After patting his full stomach and burping, he felt satisfied.
Actually, what he wanted to do the most was find a place to sleep, preferably at home. But it seemed like taking care of the cubs was more important. He would sleep when they came back in the evening.
Lang Qi led the cubs out of the residential area and brought them to a fruit grove that had already been mostly harvested. “Go ahead.”
Lang Chu expected a big meal, but when he looked around, all he saw were trees. There was no food in sight. In fact, not even the food the dining hall would provide was around.
Lang Ying immediately noticed something was wrong. “Huh?”
“When your uncles were young, they had to find food for themselves in the morning.”
Before sunrise, the adult beastmen would go out to gather or hunt, so there was no way they would prepare food for the cubs. Back then, the beastmen in the tribe didn’t take care of the cubs as carefully as they did later on. So, during the day, the cubs had to fend for themselves and find food to fill their bellies.
The areas where prey appeared were off-limits to the cubs, so they could only go to the places where the gathering teams often went, looking for wild fruits that were too small to be picked or fruits that had already fallen to the ground.
“Yes!” Yesterday, he had been focusing on the pain of being beaten by his brother, but now, with Lang Qi’s reminder, Lang Ze began to recall his childhood. He picked an unripe apple from a tree. Since it had just rained, there was no need to wash it. After taking a few bites, he said, “The fruits back then weren’t as abundant as now. We had to climb really high to find them!”
Unlike now, when you could walk just a few steps in the orchard and find fruit everywhere.
Lang Ze finished the apple in a few bites, tossed the core away, and let out a satisfied sigh. After eating a lot of food earlier, the sour apple was just perfect to clear his palate. It was nice.
Lang Chu finally understood. His uncles’ childhood was nothing like what he had imagined!
