Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off-Chapter 293: The Child Who Vanished, The Children Who Remain
When he finally pulled back and wiped his eyes, Su Qinglan looked around the room.
"Where are the others?"
Hu Yan’s expression softened. "Rong Ye has gone to find a lactating animal. We need milk for the cubs, they are hungry. And Han Jue..." He hesitated, his jaw tightening. "Han Jue has gone to chase that... that traitor."
He didn’t want to say Xuan Long’s name. To Hu Yan, the snake was dead to them.
Su Qinglan’s eyes widened. She grabbed Hu Yan’s arm. "Call them back. Both of them. Tell Han Jue to stop. There is no need to chase Xuan Long. Let him go."
She didn’t want them to chase him. She believed that Xuan Long must have a reason, and they were only hindering him. What if it actually cost the life of their child?
Hu Yan felt something pierce his chest. He thought Su Qinglan was saying this because she was so heartbroken that she never wanted to see the snake’s face again, not even to seek revenge.
He nodded, thinking she just wanted to forget the "dead" child and the man who took it.
"Call Rong Ye back, too," Su Qinglan added. "Give the cubs to me. I want to feed them myself."
Hu Yan immediately shook his head. "No, Lan Lan! You are still so weak. You are not allowed to do that. Just lie down. It is the males’ work to handle the chores and the feeding. You have been through enough."
"No," Su Qinglan insisted, her voice gaining strength. "I haven’t even seen them yet. Bring me my children."
Hu Yan looked at her wet eyelashes and her determined face. He couldn’t say no to her. He stood up and carefully picked up the two small, furry bundles from the nest.
He brought them over and placed them in her forearms. The moment the cubs felt the familiar, warm scent of their mother, they began to squirm. Their tiny instincts took over, and they started crying loudly as hunger gripped their small bellies.
Su Qinglan looked down at the tiny, fluffy tiger cubs. Her heart swelled with a fierce, protective love. Even though one was missing, these two were also her life.
She could not bear to neglect them while worrying for her other child. For her, all of them were of equal importance.
Soon the room was filled with the soft, rhythmic sounds of the cubs nursing.
Su Qinglan looked down at the two tiny lives in her arms, her eyes twinkling with a mix of joy and exhaustion. After months of waiting and wondering, she finally held them.
Hu Yan sat beside her, his chest swelling with pride and relief. Seeing his mate awake and his children feeding was the greatest blessing he could ever imagine.
His family was complete. He had a loving mate, he had his offspring, not one but two. What more could be asked for? He was deeply grateful.
He felt a deep urge to thank the Beast God again; his life felt complete in this moment.
But suddenly he became sad again. Was not Xuan Long supposed to be happy like him? Why did he ruin his happy family with his own hands? Why would he swallow his own offspring? He just couldn’t find a valid reason.
Jealous? Because he felt threatened by his own cub? No, Xuan Long was not such a narrow minded person.
But he could only contemplate and do nothing, because the reality was in front of him. Whatever the reason, the truth could not change it... Xuan Long indeed had swallowed his own cub.
Just then, Lin Muyu rushed inside. The moment she saw Su Qinglan sitting up and holding the cubs, her face crumpled from relief and tears.
She had never cried so much in her entire life, but the trauma of the birth and the terrifying day of Su Qinglan’s unconsciousness had been too much for her to bear.
She also carried a heavy secret... the truth about the third child, the jade egg.
It was a burden that would only ever exist in her heart and the hearts of Lan Lan’s family. She knew she would never tell another soul, but the weight of it made her sob even harder.
Hu Yan didn’t stay inside the treehouse, leaving the two friends alone, because after all he had to call Rong Ye and Han Jue back.
So he left silently after kissing the cubs.
On the other hand, seeing her friend so distraught, Su Qinglan reached out a hand. "Muyu, come here. Why are you crying so much?"
Lin Muyu collapsed by the bed, burying her face in the furs near Su Qinglan’s knee. "I was so scared, Lan Lan! I thought I was going to lose you... and after what happened with the egg... I felt so useless!"
Su Qinglan felt a wave of guilt. It seemed Lin Muyu was caught between her family’s distress. Poor girl, she must have been traumatized by the scene, but her heart also swelled with happiness that she had such a person who cared about her so much.
She knew it was Lin Muyu who had taken care of her so much. She had not left her side even once after she fell unconscious.
She gently patted Lin Muyu’s head, her touch soft and steady.
"Don’t cry, Muyu. Look, I’m awake now. I’m fine," Su Qinglan whispered, her voice soothing. "And look at these two. They are so beautiful. You did a great job helping me."
Lin Muyu finally wiped her eyes, feeling a bit embarrassed that the "patient" was consoling the "healer."
She took a shaky breath and tried to calm down. "You’re right... I should be happy. You’re awake, and the tribe leader has been out of his mind with worry."
"My father?" Su Qinglan asked.
"Yes! He dropped everything and stayed here until we forced him to go rest," Lin Muyu pointed to the corner of the room. "Look at that pile. He brought all of that for his grandchildren."
Su Qinglan followed her gaze and was speechless.
In the corner, a massive pile of gifts reached almost to the ceiling. There were baskets of rare fruits, high quality dried meat, and stacks of beautiful, snowy white furs.
"The entire tribe is envious," Lin Muyu said, finally letting out a small laugh.
"He must have started collecting these things the very day you told him you were pregnant. Everyone says they’ve never seen a grandfather so doting."
Su Qinglan’s lips curled into a smile. She could almost see her father running around the forest, picking the best of everything.
She looked at the two cubs, who were busy sucking milk, completely oblivious to their mountain of treasures.
She gently booped the tiger cub’s nose and patted the younger tiger cub’s tiny paw. "Look at all this. Your grandfather loves you so much. You have to be filial to him when you grow up, okay?"
Lin Muyu chuckled, her tears finally drying. "Qinglan, they can’t understand you yet. They’re only a day old!"
But as soon as she said it, both cubs let out a tiny, high-pitched "Meow!" in perfect unison, as if they were agreeing.
Both women froze, stunned. Then, they burst into a bright laugh that filled the treehouse.
"See?" Su Qinglan beamed. "My babies are so intelligent already!"
