TSWPF -Chapter 78 The Unexpected

Li Qingling froze for a moment, immediately putting down the bowl in her hands, picking up her bow and arrow, and rushing outside.

As soon as she stepped out, she saw two tigers below—one of them was Ah Huang.

Her heart skipped a beat. So it was just a tiger. Fortunately, Liu Zhimou had run quickly.

She took a deep breath, tightened her grip on the bow, and fixed her gaze on the other tiger, preparing to shoot it.

“Ah Huang, come up!” She drew the bow tight and called.

Ah Huang looked up at Li Qingling. It let out a call, then stepped in front of the other tiger, letting out another roar toward Li Qingling.

“Ah Huang?”

Li Qingling watched Ah Huang’s actions in surprise. Was it trying to stop her from shooting the other tiger?

Did they know each other?

Seeing Li Qingling lower her bow, Ah Huang let out a triumphant roar and happily ran up, pressing its large head against Li Qingling’s waist.

Li Qingling glanced at the tiger standing in place and reached out to stroke Ah Huang’s head. “Do you know that tiger? Is it your friend?” Was it newly acquainted, or had they known each other for a long time?

If they had known each other for a long time, this had really been a huge misunderstanding, and Liu Zhimou wouldn’t have needed to run so hard.

Ah Huang couldn’t speak, but it kept nudging Li Qingling with its head, its nose twitching, eyes fixed on the cave.

Seeing this, Li Qingling realized it was just being greedy—it wanted food.

She shook her head helplessly and rubbed Ah Huang’s head. “Greedy tiger, tonight’s meal is chicken congee. I’ve saved some for you.”

Still a bit uneasy, she glanced at the other tiger, worried it might come over, then turned to Liu Zhimou. “Brother Zhimou, serve Ah Huang’s portion of congee for him to eat!”

Liu Zhimou nodded and went to scoop the chicken congee into a bowl for Ah Huang.

Ah Huang nudged Liu Zhimou’s leg but didn’t eat; instead, it picked up the bowl and ran over to the other tiger.

Placing the bowl in front of the other tiger, it let out a roar.

The other tiger roared back.

Ah Huang gave the other tiger a steady look, then went silent and began eating.

It clearly had the attitude of “If you don’t eat it, I will.”

The other tiger, feeling dissatisfied, called out to Ah Huang, pushed him aside, and lowered its head to lick the chicken congee.

Apparently, it suited its taste, and it devoured the entire bowl in no time. After finishing, it licked its lips, clearly still craving more.

Ah Huang, having missed out on the delicious congee, wasn’t upset. Happily carrying the empty bowl, it ran back.

Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou watched this in astonishment.

“Ah Huang, is this… looking for a girlfriend?” That tiger must be female, right? Not male?

“Girlfriend?” Liu Zhimou looked at Li Qingling in confusion. He didn’t quite understand what she meant.

Li Qingling, dumbfounded by the scene, patted her head and smiled as she explained, “I mean… could this be Ah Huang’s chosen mate?” She had never seen Ah Huang so happy even without a tasty meal.

Liu Zhimou glanced at Ah Huang, who had placed the bowl down and run off again. He found it amusing and nodded. “Could be.”

Li Qingling felt a pang of nostalgia, like her son had grown up and was going to get married.

She let out a faint sigh, glanced at Ah Huang playing with its companion, bent down to pick up the bowls on the ground, and walked back inside.

As soon as she entered, the children eagerly asked if Ah Huang had returned.

Earlier, fearing danger, Liu Zhimou hadn’t allowed the children out. They stayed in bed, wrapped in quilts.

Now, seeing both adults return, the children couldn’t contain their curiosity.

After putting the bowls down, Li Qingling confirmed, “Yes, Ah Huang is back.”

“Big sister, is Ah Huang alright?” Li Qingfeng asked with concern. Her expression seemed troubled. Was Ah Huang hurt?

Li Qingling looked at him and smiled, noticing the worry in his eyes. “Don’t worry. He’s fine. He even brought back a wife.”

The children gasped in surprise, immediately asking, “Ah Huang found a wife? Is she pretty? Fierce?”

Seeing the children so lively and curious, Li Qingling lightly tapped each of their heads and told them to sleep. “Sleep first. You’ll see tomorrow.”

Even she didn’t dare approach Ah Huang’s mate yet, unsure if it was fierce. At least in their eyes, it seemed harmless.

As dawn approached, Li Qingling woke up, opening her eyes to look at the cave. After a moment, she quietly got up.

Stretching, she walked out. Before reaching the entrance, Ah Huang’s mate stood up, eyes fixed on her like a predator.

Li Qingling froze, meeting the tiger’s gaze. She hadn’t clearly seen it last night.

Now she saw clearly: it was a white tiger, almost juvenile compared to Ah Huang.

But its aura was formidable. Her palms were sweating. Without a bow or tools, if it attacked, she’d be done for.

Ah Huang leisurely stepped up, lifted a front paw, and lightly tapped the white tiger on the head, letting out a hum.

The white tiger, displeased, bit Ah Huang in return.

Ah Huang retaliated, and they began to bite at each other.

Animals were just like that—fights could start over nothing. Li Qingling rubbed her temples in exasperation.

Trapped here, she couldn’t leave.

“Already fighting so early in the morning?” Liu Zhimou frowned, awakened by the tigers’ noise, and asked.

Li Qingling shrugged helplessly. “Exactly as you see.”

When Ah Huang subdued the white tiger, she smiled and called, “Ah Huang, blocking the entrance. How are we supposed to get out? Take him for a walk, then come back for breakfast.”

Ah Huang grunted twice, lightly bit the white tiger’s neck, and ran off.

The white tiger growled, following behind.

Once the tigers left, Li Qingling told Liu Zhimou she would fetch water for breakfast.

Liu Zhimou nodded and accompanied her to the river.

Near the river, they saw the two buckets Liu Zhimou had left there last night.

His face reddened slightly. He quickly picked them up, refilled them with water from the river.

Li Qingling saw his flushed face and smiled quietly, refraining from teasing him. To give him some dignity, she let it slide.

After washing up, on their way back, Liu Zhimou suggested bringing the house’s bucket over to store water.

He was worried about the river’s low water level. Living here, water scarcity would be a serious problem.

Li Qingling agreed. “After breakfast, I’ll go back and bring the bucket.”

“I’ll go with you,” he said firmly.

Seeing his determined expression, she nodded. With Ah Huang protecting the four little ones during the day, she wasn’t too worried.

She also planned to check the town for updates—had King Nanyan attacked yet?

Returning to the cave, Ah Huang and the white tiger came back, each carrying a wild rabbit in their mouths. They dropped them at Li Qingling and Liu Zhimou’s feet.

Ah Huang glanced at Li Qingling, making its intentions clear.

Li Qingling laughed, picking up the rabbits. “Alright, an extra meal for you. But you have to promise me something.” She dug a hole for Ah Huang to jump into.

Ah Huang grunted, seemingly asking what she wanted.

“After breakfast, Liu Zhimou and I will go home. You stay here and protect the children until we return. Can you do that?”

Ah Huang grunted twice, agreeing.

Li Qingling patted Ah Huang’s head. Seeing the white tiger watching her hand jealously, she withdrew it.

Ah Bai’s jealousy was intense. She couldn’t even approach Ah Huang.

Better to wait until they were familiar. For now, she’d stay away from Ah Huang to avoid being seen as a rival.

“Zhimou, you start breakfast. I’ll handle the rabbits.”

“Alright…”

After breakfast, they told the children they were going home briefly, instructing them to stay in the cave. Once the kids nodded, they left.

On the way back, Li Qingling told Liu Zhimou she wanted to visit the town for news.

He insisted on accompanying her.

At the town, they realized the situation was more severe than they had imagined.