Chapter 25: The Cork Oak Tree
The little wolf cub settled down in Ying Kongtu’s home.
Ying Kongtu understood wolves fairly well and knew that the little fellow had been born no more than half a month ago. It was still an extremely fragile young wolf cub.
When the little fellow first arrived at Ying Kongtu’s home, it was always frightened. From time to time, it would whimper and paw about with its tiny claws, wanting to find someone.
Originally, Ying Kongtu did not allow small animals onto his bed.
Seeing this, however, he had no choice but to sleep with this insecure little fellow.
There was no way around it. If it could not find Ying Kongtu, it would keep crying in its young, tender little voice.
With Ying Kongtu’s hearing, that was no different from demonic music piercing his ears.
“It’s just scared,” Ying Kongtu said helplessly to Wen Zhongshan. “This wolf cub is too young. Even if I try to teach it, it won’t understand. I can only wait until it grows a little older before talking sense into it.”
“Does it keep disturbing you at night? Why don’t I take it back and raise it for a while?”
“If you take it back, won’t you still have to get up at night?” Ying Kongtu sighed. “I’m used to it now. Once I prepare the milk for it, it can get up and drink by itself. It’s not especially troublesome.”
“With such a tall bed, can it jump down?”
“That’s when I have to support it with my hand. I just casually support it while half-awake.”
“Hey,” Ying Kongtu lightly touched Wen Zhongshan’s shoe with his own. “Speaking of which, you seem very experienced.”
“I raised stray cats before. I also had to get up from time to time to feed them milk.”
“So patient.” Ying Kongtu looked at him and smiled. “Raising little things isn’t easy. If the wolf cub’s body weren’t still a little weak, and keeping it by my side weren’t better for it, I would have entrusted it to you.”
While the two chatted, the wolf cub was drinking milk nearby.
It lapped with little pattering sounds, a ring of milk foam sticking around its mouth.
Unlike other small animals, the wolf cub was extremely enthusiastic about eating. Every time, it had to eat until its belly was round.
If it was not allowed to eat, it would even fiercely bite onto the milk basin and howl.
Very soon, the wolf cub drank all the milk in the basin, licked its mouth, and walked toward Ying Kongtu and Wen Zhongshan on its little short legs.
The wolf cub was still small, and its tail was short and fleshy, like a tiny antenna.
Because it had not developed properly yet, when it walked, its tail swayed back and forth.
Looking at the little wolf cub, Ying Kongtu could not help smiling.
However, the smile had not stayed on his face for more than a few seconds when he saw the wolf cub make a turn and head straight for Tiaozhu’s food bowl.
Tiaozhu was a generous golden cat and was completely indifferent to the wolf cub stealing its food.
The wolf cub’s nose twitched. Even though the blue film over its eyes had not faded and it still could not see the path clearly, it still accurately plunged its snout straight into Tiaozhu’s food bowl.
“Hey!” Ying Kongtu did not even have time to put on his slippers. He took three steps in two, rushed behind the wolf cub, reached out, and scooped it up by supporting its belly.
“Aowu!” The wolf cub protested at the top of its voice.
Ying Kongtu stroked its milk-plump back. “What are you aowu-ing about? Didn’t you just drink your fill of milk?”
After educating the wolf cub, Ying Kongtu crouched down to educate Tiaozhu as well. “And you too, leaving food again! Why do you always have to leave two bites no matter what cat meal I make?”
Tiaozhu became a little annoyed by his nagging. Its tail swished back and forth, thumping against the floor. It even used the tip of its tail to smack Ying Kongtu’s hand.
Ying Kongtu had no way to deal with Tiaozhu. He could only carry the wolf cub to the reclining chair and sit down.
Perhaps because he was a long-lived species, Ying Kongtu always spoke with an unhurried gentleness. Even when lecturing small animals, he was the same.
Wen Zhongshan watched him educate the two little fellows and did not get involved. A smile remained on his face the whole time.
Ying Kongtu glanced at him. “Fun, isn’t it?”
Wen Zhongshan said, “It’s much livelier than my place.”
Before long, Dart also came over.
Seeing the big fat orange tabby, Ying Kongtu beckoned. “Dart!”
“Meow!” Dart trotted over to Ying Kongtu. It did not mind the wolf cub in his arms and bumped its head against his hand, circling his knees. “Meow-ow.”
“So good.” Ying Kongtu scratched Dart’s chin several times and pointed at Tiaozhu’s food bowl. “Go eat.”
Tiaozhu no longer minded Dart eating its leftovers.
Ying Kongtu suspected that the reason it left two bites of everything it ate was specifically to leave some for Dart.
The cat meals Ying Kongtu prepared for Tiaozhu were carefully balanced with all kinds of fresh meat.
Dart liked them very much.
Today was the same. Seeing that Tiaozhu had no objection, it meowed twice, quickly ate up the meat in Tiaozhu’s bowl, and even licked the bowl clean.
Now there was no need to worry that the wolf cub would eat something it should not.
Ying Kongtu breathed a sigh of relief and put the wolf cub back on the ground.
The days passed in this ordinary, peaceful way.
Recently, Ying Kongtu was busy renewing the forest on Bibai Mountain.
Every day when he patrolled the mountain, he would carry a large satchel and bring all kinds of seeds he had collected to plant on Bibai Mountain.
Artificial planting was rather troublesome, but it allowed for very meticulous planting.
He held a small hoe and chose suitable places for each plant—those that liked sun, those that liked shade, those afraid of drought, those afraid of flooding. He arranged every kind of plant very properly.
There were all kinds of seeds in his satchel, but the most numerous were still masson pine seeds and various Fagaceae seeds.
In addition, there were also the seeds of all kinds of miscellaneous local forest trees, shrubs, and wild grasses.
In a few years, when these plants grew up, Bibai Mountain should change completely and no longer be covered with dense, uniform fast-growing eucalyptus.
That day, he finished planting all the seeds in his satchel.
After planting them, the sun had not yet set, so he sat on the hillside to rest.
Tiaozhu lay beside him, keeping him company. Although it made no sound and did not allow him to touch it, overall, it was a very considerate little fellow.
The autumn wind blew over, carrying a dry coolness.
Ying Kongtu closed his eyes and sensed it for a moment. He was in a very pleasant mood.
When he opened his eyes and looked at the colorful mountain forest in the distance, his mood became even better.
At that moment, his phone gave a soft ding. He took it out and saw that Wen Zhongshan had sent him a message.
Wen Zhongshan asked whether he was home, saying he had received a box of especially delicious pomelos and would bring some over later.
Ying Kongtu replied that he was going down the mountain right away and that they would meet at home soon.
When Ying Kongtu descended to the foot of the mountain, he discovered that Wen Zhongshan was waiting for him there.
“Why did you come over?”
“It’s not far from your home anyway, so I came. We can take a walk together too.”
Ying Kongtu glanced at the large box in his hands.
Wen Zhongshan also looked down. “It’s not heavy. It’s fine.”
As he spoke, Wen Zhongshan looked at Ying Kongtu’s satchel and asked, “Are your seeds almost used up?”
Ying Kongtu had previously stored a large batch of Fagaceae tree seeds at home, buried in sand to let them slowly mature.
Now, these seeds had basically been dug out by him and planted on the mountain.
Ying Kongtu nodded. “In the next couple of days, I need to go farther away to collect seeds. Just now, I was thinking of asking whether you wanted to go with me.”
Ying Kongtu smiled at Wen Zhongshan. “Didn’t you say before that you wanted to eat acorn tofu? I just happened to find a suitable cork oak tree. I’ve maintained it a little, so the acorns on the tree should be pretty good now. We can go pick acorns and make acorn tofu.”
Wen Zhongshan had not expected him to keep this matter in mind all along.
He turned his head and looked at him deeply for a couple of moments.
Ying Kongtu lightly bumped Wen Zhongshan’s shoulder with his own. “Are you going or not?”
“I’m going! Where is it?”
“Gongshen Mountain. Didn’t I tell you before that there are many old trees on Gongshen Mountain? Most of those old trees were cut down, but near the summit, there are still a few old cork oak trees. We can go over there and pick acorns.”
“Old trees from several hundred years ago?”
“Yes. Cork oak trees can live five or six hundred years. Several hundred years ago, I would occasionally go there to pick acorns, and I also nourished the cork oak trees with divine power. Of course, now the divine power has been ineffective for a long time, but they still have a foundation. I nourished them a little again this year, so the acorns on them should taste better than acorns from other trees.”
The two quickly agreed on a time to go pick acorns.
For ordinary people, climbing a mountain of several hundred meters was already very tiring.
If not for Wen Zhongshan, Ying Kongtu really would not have been able to find anyone to go with him.
The next day, as usual, the two set out a little after seven in the morning.
They specifically rode a motorcycle to the foot of Gongshen Mountain before beginning the climb.
In autumn, the sky brightened late. When they left, the sky had only just become light.
Now the sun had not yet risen, and the grass on the mountain was covered in dew.
Perhaps because Ying Kongtu’s divine power had recovered somewhat, the ecology of Gongshen Mountain had improved. There were especially many birds on the mountain.
As they climbed, they heard all kinds of birdsong. The sounds echoed through the empty valley, especially pleasant to the ear.
As Ying Kongtu walked, he told Wen Zhongshan which birds these calls came from, which birds had lived here several hundred years ago, and which birds had migrated here in recent years.
He also introduced Wen Zhongshan to the relationships between the birds, the foods birds often ate, and their natural enemies.
The two chatted as they climbed, and by the time the sun had just risen, they had reached halfway up the mountain.
“It’s over there.” Ying Kongtu stretched out his hand and pointed toward the slope. “Cork oak trees like growing on sunny slopes. That especially tall tree is the one. Do you see it?”
Wen Zhongshan looked into the distance and indeed saw a tree standing out among the others on the slope.
Even from far away, he could see the fruit on the tree.
“Let’s go.” Ying Kongtu led the way. “We’re almost there.”
The two quickened their steps. Before long, they arrived beneath the cork oak tree.
The trees on the mountain varied in height.
This cork oak tree was at least twenty-some meters tall, higher than all the surrounding trees.
The most eye-catching thing was that its branches were covered in heavy acorns.
These acorns were so large and full that when sunlight shone on them, they looked like grains of metal, golden and heavy.
When the wind blew, the acorns knocked against each other, making a thudding sound.
Wen Zhongshan could not help walking beneath the tree and looking up. “It grew really well.”
“Hey!” Ying Kongtu, who was setting down the back basket, hurriedly called out to him.
“What?”
“Da-da-da—” A gust of wind blew past, and the acorns came smashing down like hail.
Wen Zhongshan’s attention had been entirely on Ying Kongtu’s words, and he only had time to dodge the acorns in front.
When he tilted his head backward, several heavy acorns happened to hit his forehead.
Ying Kongtu could not help laughing. He pointed up at the tree. “That was what I wanted to say. When the wind blows, acorns fall easily. Be careful.”
Wen Zhongshan did not mind either. “I forgot.”
There were many acorns beneath the tree, but the freshest, fullest acorns were still on the branches.
The two climbed up the tree and picked the plump, large acorns.
There were many acorns on the tree, and they picked quickly.
The freshly picked acorns were extremely smooth, looking like works of art.
The two picked half a basket from the tree and gathered another half basket from the ground.
The remaining acorns were left on the branches and on the ground. They would become food for all kinds of birds and animals.
Birds and animals would eat and store them, carrying them to various places and helping them spread.
Ying Kongtu glanced at the acorns in the basket. “All right, this is enough. Let’s find a flat place to peel the acorns.”
Wen Zhongshan followed Ying Kongtu.
Very soon, Ying Kongtu brought him to a pine forest.
This rarely visited pine forest was covered everywhere with soft pine needles. Finding a dry spot to sit was like sitting on a huge cushion.
Ying Kongtu took out a cloth bag and selected the best acorns.
They would become high-quality seeds and grow into new young trees.
The remaining acorns could be used to make acorn tofu.
Ying Kongtu gave Wen Zhongshan a small knife, and the two slowly peeled acorns in the forest.
Ying Kongtu deliberately used divine power to drive away snakes and insects.
Even in the forest, there was only a gentle breeze around them and no annoying little creatures.
The sun rose. The dense branches filtered out most of the sunlight, leaving only gentle patches of light on the ground.
When the wind blew, the leaves rustled, and the light spots swayed.
The wind now carried a kind of autumn scent, especially dry and refreshing, making one feel relaxed and happy.
In such an environment, the two slowly peeled acorns without feeling annoyed at all.
When ordinary people peeled acorns, they might need to hit them with a hammer before breaking the thick shells.
They did not need to. With a pinch and a pry, the complete acorn kernels came out.
“I smell a little bitterness.”
“There is bitterness,” Ying Kongtu said. “That’s why later, they need to be soaked in flowing mountain spring water to remove the astringency.”
“We’ll just leave them in the mountain?”
“Yes. The mountain spring water on the mountain is icy-cold and sweet, and it flows more rapidly. It’s better than the mountain spring water below. Soaking them here to remove the astringency can better remove the tannins from the acorns.”
The bitterness in acorns mainly came from tannins.
Only by removing as much tannin as possible could the acorn tofu made from them taste good.
After peeling the acorns, Ying Kongtu stood up and stretched. “All right, let’s go. We can come back for them in a week.”
Ying Kongtu skillfully led Wen Zhongshan toward the place where the mountain spring was.
After soaking the back basket and acorns in the mountain spring water and pressing them down with a large stone, Ying Kongtu took Wen Zhongshan to gather seeds.
Gongshen Mountain was taller than ordinary mountains. Climbing it was not easy, but its germplasm resources were richer than ordinary mountains.
Mainly, the mountains under the mountain god’s name were nourished by divine power. Although the nourishment had only lasted a short while, the quality of the plants and animals on the mountain was still somewhat higher than those on other mountains.
Ying Kongtu often collected seeds on Wuchuan Mountain, Qingfang Mountain, Baogu Mountain, and Xiwu Mountain. The high-quality seeds on those mountains had already been collected almost completely. Gongshen Mountain had only just begun to be harvested, so he especially liked coming here.
After gathering seeds, Ying Kongtu began a new round of forest clearing and planting.
Autumn was the best planting season after spring.
Even if some seeds would not sprout immediately, they would still grow in the soil.
When spring came next year, they would quickly germinate and grow into small plants.
Wen Zhongshan knew he was very busy and came over every day to help.
Because his non-human identity had long been exposed, he no longer hid anything.
A small mountain of withered branches and fallen leaves—when Wen Zhongshan said he would move it, he moved it.
Fertilizer and soil that needed to be hauled by truck could also be dragged up directly by him.
He was practically a humanoid heavy truck.
The kind that only needed to be supplied two meals a day.
Ying Kongtu sighed to Wen Zhongshan. “If I don’t make you some delicious acorn tofu this time, I’ll feel embarrassed.”
Wen Zhongshan said, “I’d be idle anyway. I’ll just treat it as training. Working with you is more interesting than going to the gym run by the Abnormality Management Bureau.”
Looking at his relaxed expression, Ying Kongtu nodded. “That, I believe.”
Ying Kongtu did not know if it was his imagination, but he always felt that Wen Zhongshan’s aura was no longer so gloomy.
Perhaps after coming here, his mood had improved, and his personality had become brighter too.
Under Wen Zhongshan’s anticipation, the acorns on the mountain finally finished losing their astringency.
Ying Kongtu chose an early morning and went with Wen Zhongshan to carry them back.
The acorns that had soaked for seven days in flowing mountain spring water had become lighter in color, and a pinch would leave a mark.
These acorns no longer needed to be soaked.
After rinsing them clean with well water, Ying Kongtu rubbed off as much of the seed coat as possible and directly put them into the high-speed blender to crush them.
The blender in the kitchen whirred as it worked, while the two sat in the courtyard drinking hundred-herb tea Ying Kongtu had roasted.
Wen Zhongshan had noticed it long ago. “You have quite a lot of modern household appliances here.”
“You didn’t expect me to use a high-speed blender?” Ying Kongtu smiled. “A blender is far more useful than a stone mill, and electricity is much cheaper than divine power. Modern technology saves the world.”
Wen Zhongshan clinked cups with him. “Not that. I just think this kind of contrast is quite novel.”
“Your contrast with the mountain forest also often surprises me. When I first met you, I couldn’t tell that you would be interested in things like mountain forests and farm work.”
Wen Zhongshan smiled.
He truly was not particularly interested in things like mountain forests and farm work.
It was just that when he was with Ying Kongtu, no matter what they did, he felt it was interesting. It gave him a very real feeling of living.
Ying Kongtu had brought back quite a lot of acorns this time. The large-capacity blender worked a full five times before all the acorns were blended.
Ying Kongtu found the fine gauze at home and used well water to rinse the acorn paste, filtering out the delicate acorn slurry, then poured it into a large basin to settle.
As for the acorn dregs left after filtering, they would not be wasted either. Tomorrow, he would take them up the mountain to feed the pigs. They were good feed.
“We won’t be able to eat it today. It has to settle at least until tomorrow morning.”
“Eat it tomorrow evening?”
“That works. Come over for dinner tomorrow evening.”
The acorn tofu Wen Zhongshan had been thinking about was finally going to be made. Ying Kongtu specially called familiar mountain villagers and ordered two hind trotters from native pigs.
In the morning, he began stewing the pig trotters—first stewing, then braising them in marinade. By the time they were eaten in the evening, the flavor would be just right.
He also took a large piece of the settled acorn starch, mixed it with water into a paste, put it into the pot, and cooked it over low heat while stirring.
The cooked acorn paste was a beautiful pale yellow.
He poured the paste into wooden molds and carefully smoothed it flat. Once it cooled, it would form a beautiful rectangular block.
Because he wanted to eat acorn tofu, Ying Kongtu went down the mountain early that afternoon and returned home.
Wen Zhongshan followed him and helped out.
“Actually, the main steps were already done in the morning. Now we just need to go back and cook it simply.” Ying Kongtu turned to Wen Zhongshan and said.
“Then I’ll still help you.”
In order to make the acorn tofu well, Ying Kongtu specially picked fresh vegetables from his own vegetable garden.
Over the past half year, the vegetables in his garden had come and gone. The summer and autumn vegetables were now nearly out of season, while the autumn and winter radishes, cabbages, mustards, and the like had only just been planted.
Today, he picked green and red chilies, scallions, garlic, and bird’s eye chilies, specifically to pair with the acorn tofu.
The scallions and bird’s eye chilies were mainly used for cold-dressed acorn tofu.
The acorn tofu chilled in the refrigerator for a day was fragrant, springy, and tender. Once taken out, it was icy-cold.
Ying Kongtu wanted to taste its original flavor, so he used an old-fashioned cold-dressing method. He only cut the acorn tofu into small strips, then added soy sauce, vinegar, chopped scallions, minced garlic, and his homemade chili oil. With a simple toss, it became extremely fragrant.
After mixing it, he put it back into the refrigerator to chill.
As for the acorn tofu stewed with pig trotters, the method was relatively more complicated.
He had started stewing the pig trotters that morning. To avoid making them too soft, he had not stewed them for too long.
Now, the pig trotters had soaked in the sauce for an entire day and were completely flavored. Their skin showed a perfect sauce-red color.
Ying Kongtu put the acorn tofu in to cook.
Then he started another pot and began stir-frying the aromatics.
Unlike ordinary households when stir-frying aromatics, he liked using high heat.
The firewood made from eucalyptus branches ignited instantly. With the help of resin and wind, it burned fiercely.
The large iron wok became scorching hot.
The snow-white lard melted like real snow. A large amount of minced garlic was poured in, and with a sizzle, the garlic fragrance immediately rose.
After frying the minced garlic until it was faintly golden, Ying Kongtu added the chopped green and red chilies.
As soon as the chopped green and red chilies went in, the garlic fragrance in the wok instantly became spicy and fresh. When he added soy sauce, the sauce fragrance quickly surged up too.
Ying Kongtu poured the pig trotters and acorn tofu from the pressure cooker into the large firewood wok.
In an instant, all the sharp aromas were gathered together by the fragrance of the pig trotters, turning into a lingering meat fragrance.
The wolf cub in the courtyard smelled the meat aroma and cried anxiously.
Ying Kongtu had earlier placed it in a deep nest. It could not climb out for a while and could only flail its four little short legs with all its might.
Its still-soft claws scratched at the milk-fleece fabric, making a scratching sound.
Wen Zhongshan asked with his eyes: Should we do something?
Ying Kongtu: No need. Let it be.
The wolf cub was so tiny, yet it could really cry.
There was no use attending to it. It would still howl.
In the wok, the soup was brought to a boil over high heat, bubbling loudly. The pig trotters soon became coated in a glossy, enticing sauce color, while the pale yellow acorn tofu gave off a clean fragrance.
Once the sauce reduced, Ying Kongtu sprinkled in a handful of chopped green garlic, gave it a brief stir-fry, and served it into a preheated clay pot.
“Dinner,” Ying Kongtu announced.
After spending so much time and energy making acorn tofu, even though he had not had any special preference for it before, he could not help looking forward to it now.
Wen Zhongshan had already wiped the table clean.
Pig trotters stewed with acorn tofu, cold-dressed acorn tofu, steamed chicken with pumpkin, and green vegetable meatball soup.
The latter two dishes could be tasted by both Tiaozhu and Dart.
The two took their seats.
Wen Zhongshan eagerly tasted the cold-dressed acorn tofu.
The cold-dressed acorn tofu was fragrant, springy, tender, and delicate, with a unique plant fragrance. Stimulated by the sour-spicy seasoning, it was very refreshing and appetizing.
Ying Kongtu watched his expression. Seeing that he adapted to it well enough, he pushed the clay pot toward him. “The acorn tofu in the pig trotters should have a different flavor. Try it and see if you like it.”
Wen Zhongshan also tried a piece.
The acorn tofu in the pig trotters was soft and glutinous. Even after absorbing the meat juices and fresh spiciness, its clean base flavor could still be tasted.
Both its texture and flavor were very unique.
He then tried a piece of pig trotter.
Ying Kongtu had controlled the heat of the pig trotters very well. The pig trotters had been cooked until tender, but not to the point of having no chew at all.
After soaking in the sauce for a day, they were fully flavored.
Now coated with chopped green and red chilies and minced garlic, they were fragrant, spicy, soft, and glutinous. One bite was full of gelatinous richness, extremely delicious.
Ying Kongtu sat across the table and looked at him, his eyes full of smiles. “How is it? Is it the flavor you imagined?”
Previously, Wen Zhongshan had seen a neighbor make acorn tofu, which was why he had become curious about its taste.
At this moment, Wen Zhongshan nodded. “It’s exactly the flavor I imagined. No, it’s even better than I imagined.”
As the chef, Ying Kongtu was satisfied. “Eat more.”
Wen Zhongshan tried another piece and smiled. “Now that I think about it, it seems I wasn’t really craving acorn tofu. I just saw other people making a home-cooked dish and felt a little envious.”
“I do that too. Sometimes, it clearly isn’t an especially delicious dish, but when I see someone else’s family eating it, it feels so fragrant.” After saying this, Ying Kongtu also smiled. “Next time you want to eat anything else, you can ask me. We’ll be cooking partners.”
The two talked as they ate, looking extremely relaxed.
The wolf cub had smelled the fragrance long ago and had howled for a long while. Finally, it learned to conserve its strength and quieted down.
However, it had not given up.
After trying hard for a long while, it rolled and crawled out of its nest and fell to the ground with a soft plop.
It was light and covered in fluff, so it did not hurt itself.
After getting up, it only roughly identified the direction before stumbling to the table.
“Aowu!” The wolf cub could smell the fragrance but could not eat it, so it cried anxiously.
Ying Kongtu looked down and saw the wolf cub, like a gray rag, turning in circles under the table.
“Ying, ying!” The wolf cub even learned, without being taught, to make whining sounds through its nose and raised its head to act spoiled toward Ying Kongtu.
Looking at the wolf cub, Ying Kongtu coldly refused. “You can’t eat this.”
“Ying, ying, ying!” The wolf cub had also learned to lift its front paw and stomp, its little tail swaying along with it.
Ying Kongtu said, “Acting spoiled won’t work either.”
Wen Zhongshan also lowered his head to look at the wolf cub, his expression somewhat hesitant.
One look, and it was clear Wen Zhongshan had gone softhearted.
Ying Kongtu looked at Wen Zhongshan and emphasized, “It can only drink milk.”
“Otherwise, tonight we’ll be waiting to take it to the hospital and wash its smelly nest too,” Ying Kongtu said.
Wen Zhongshan could only give up.
After the meal, once the dishes were washed, Wen Zhongshan went to prepare goat milk for the wolf cub.
Ying Kongtu lay in the reclining chair, looking at the evening glow and the mountain forest while digesting.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Wen Zhongshan had prepared one-third more goat milk for the wolf cub than usual.
The wolf cub had been greedy ever since they started cooking.
As soon as the warm goat milk was ready, it immediately plunged its whole snout into the milk basin and drank fiercely, until its belly became round.
“Aowu!” The wolf cub licked its snout and lay down on the clean ground beside it.
Ying Kongtu walked over, scooped up the wolf cub, tucked it into his arms, and returned to the reclining chair to lie down.
During this time, the wolf cub had been raised very well by them.
At this moment, its baby fur had not yet shed. It was soft and thick, and its body had also developed soft baby fat.
Most importantly, Wen Zhongshan had just fed it until its belly was round, making it like a hot water bag filled with water.
The feel was truly good.
Thinking this, Ying Kongtu unceremoniously hugged the wolf cub and began petting it.
He had to admit that his fondness for raising fluffy little animals had a lot to do with how good they felt to touch.
And young beasts that had not yet been weaned were almost at their best stage for petting.
Tiaozhu lay on its cushion and glanced at Ying Kongtu, showing no reaction.
It was used to it now. As long as Ying Kongtu did not pet unfamiliar beasts, it could accept it.
Tiaozhu did not like being clingy with people.
Wen Zhongshan looked around, picked up Dart, who had just finished licking Tiaozhu’s food bowl, and like Ying Kongtu, lay on a reclining chair and stroked it from time to time.
Dart had not expected Wen Zhongshan to hold it and froze.
Out of habit, it struggled twice under Wen Zhongshan’s hand. When it truly could not escape, it could only give up and spread its legs. “Meow.”
