Chapter 106: The Joy of Raising a Cub

Chapter 106: Chapter 106: The Joy of Raising a Cub

Killing the White Tiger was certainly possible. But since he was Tiger Flame, the Young Master, the Southern Wilderness would have to face the subsequent wrath of the Northern Wilderness—and their vengeful, fight-to-the-death retaliation.

It wasn’t worth it.

And so, Lip Fei, who had arrived in high spirits, retreated in dejection.

...

Tiger Flame’s party had arrived in Pantian City a day before Feng Si’s and had already signed the truce between the two Empires.

Feng Si had no idea that the tiger from the Northern Wilderness was thinking about her. She and her own little cub slept soundly that night.

When Feng Si woke up the next day, she opened her eyes feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

Lying on the soft bed, Yun Chi was curled into a little ball, snuggled tightly into the crook of her neck like a small, soft hot water bottle. She tilted her head to look at the clock on the nightstand. It read 9:20 AM, twenty minutes past Yun Duo’s feeding time... Feng Si lifted Yun Duo from her neck and sat up in bed.

Yun Chi was still fast asleep.

His golden eyes were closed, and the fine, jet-black scales on his head shimmered faintly. Even when Feng Si moved his round, plump little body into her hands, he didn’t wake.

Yun Duo usually kept a very regular eating and sleeping schedule, and she didn’t want this one long sleep to disrupt his biological clock.

Feng Si reached out, gently stroking Yun Chi’s head with her fingertip. Having slept his fill, Yun Chi felt the light pressure and slowly blinked open his big, drowsy eyes.

"Good morning, Yun Duo," Feng Si cooed, giving him a gentle smile as she stroked his back.

Yun Chi grinned happily in response.

She placed Yun Chi on the bed to let him wake up fully, then got up to dress herself. Once she was ready, she turned back to take off Yun Chi’s pajamas.

Yun Chi hadn’t grown much longer, but he was a whole lot plumper than when he was born. Unlike furry species, whose fluffiness could be a fake sort of fat, everything under Yun Chi’s fine scales was pure, solid chub.

Stripped bare with his little paws pointing down, he looked just like a well-fed, chubby little Black Snake.

Yun Chi was still half-asleep.

Feeling his mother’s warm fingers, he instinctively knew to cooperate, stretching out his little paws. In no time, he was dressed in a one-piece infant outfit that was warm from the sun and carried his mother’s scent.

Feng Si then carried Yun Chi to the bathroom. Standing by the sink and holding Yun Duo in her hands, she got ready to wash him up for the morning.

She turned on the faucet and adjusted the temperature until the water was lukewarm. After testing it with her own hand to be sure, she retrieved a small box from her storage space.

It contained special infant products she had prepared for Yun Chi even before he was born.

She had bought them all from the mall’s snake-infant-supplies section. Yun Chi just happened to have four short, plump paws, and the washcloth, when wet, worked perfectly for wiping down his scales.

Still a little groggy and not yet fully awake, the little Chi stared blankly with his big golden eyes. He tilted his little head back, letting his mama wash his face. When she moved to his paws, Yun Chi cooperated perfectly, opening and closing them.

She gently and meticulously cleaned the little fellow up.

There was drinking water available in the bedroom as well. Feng Si came out of the bathroom with Yun Chi, filled a small baby bottle halfway with warm water, and after testing the temperature, let Yun Duo drink.

Holding the long-necked bottle with his little paws, Yun Chi stared at his mother with his golden eyes, taking small sips of water.

Feng Si watched him tenderly. When Yun Duo had drunk his fill, she took the bottle away and carried Yun Chi out of the bedroom toward the kitchen.

He’d had a serving of Green Milk Fruit at six in the morning, so around this time she would usually feed him some puréed food.

Once in the kitchen, Feng Si washed the baby bottle in the sink and placed it in the sterilizer. Then, from her food storage, she took out a handful of greens and a small piece of lean meat.

’I’ll make congee with greens and lean meat for breakfast today,’ she thought. ’If I blend it into a paste, Yun Chi can eat it, and that takes care of my breakfast as well.’

Feng Si got busy in the kitchen. She rinsed the yellow millet, then put it on the stove to cook with some minced meat and shredded ginger. She used more water than she normally would for rice. The chopped greens would cook quickly, so she planned to add them only after the congee was ready.

Before long, the kitchen was filled with the rich, savory aroma of millet and meat. The scent caused Yun Chi, who was nestled quietly in Feng Si’s pocket, to poke his head out every so often, drool already trickling from his mouth.

Feng Si ladled out a small portion, blended it into a paste in the food processor, and poured it back into the bowl, setting it aside to cool.

Having been hungry for several minutes longer than usual, Yun Chi smacked his pink little mouth and looked at Feng Si with his round eyes, letting out a babyish "HISS~" that clearly meant, *I want to eat~*

Feng Si looked down at the little fellow crying for his food. With a faint smile, she reached into her pocket, using the pad of her finger to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth. She cooed in a soft, affectionate voice:

"Be a good boy, Yun Duo, you have to wait just a little longer. We can’t rush to eat food when it’s too hot, or we’ll burn our mouths, you know~"

At that exact moment, f22’s cold, electronic voice suddenly sounded from outside the kitchen door—the robot butler she’d ordered into sleep mode the moment she arrived and who hadn’t been seen in the suite since. "Master, you have a visitor."

Feng Si frowned and checked her personal terminal. It showed that the visitor outside had activated the butler; the robot and the electronic gate were on the same system.

She raised her voice. "Tell them I’m busy. I’m not seeing anyone."

As far as she was concerned, feeding her cub was the priority. Everything else could wait.

In any case, after she spoke, there was only silence from outside.

Yun Chi unconsciously made suckling motions with his little mouth, his eyes glued greedily to the steaming bowl. His little paws rested on the edge of the pocket, unmoving.

Feng Si smiled to herself. She took a larger bowl, filled it with cool water, and placed the bowl of puréed greens and meat inside. She then stirred the paste slowly with a spoon, using the water bath to speed up the cooling.

After a moment, she tested the temperature and found it was just right. Feng Si placed both bowls on a tray and carried them to the dining room table.

As always, she fed her cub first. She brought half a spoonful of the paste to Yun Chi’s mouth, and a patch of black suddenly split open to reveal a tender pink tongue and mouth, opening so wide that it swallowed the tip of the spoon.

Yun Chi ate with such force that Feng Si had to grip the spoon tightly to avoid dropping it. He ate with gusto, mouth wide, no coaxing required.

Occasionally, when Yun Duo’s mouth was wide open, you could see two little white teeth buds on his upper jaw. This proved he wasn’t just getting fat; the little guy was growing up healthy and strong.

By the time Yun Chi was full, her own bowl of congee had cooled to the perfect temperature.

She placed the full and drowsy Yun Chi back in her pocket, quickly finished her own breakfast, and scheduled f22 to begin cleaning the suite that morning.

She got up and walked toward the living room.

As she did, the robot butler she’d just tasked with cleaning made another announcement: "There is a lady waiting for you in the courtyard pavilion. Shall I ask her to leave?"

Feng Si frowned in confusion.

’Who could that be?’

’Not only showing up to find me first thing in the morning, but a female visitor who actually has the patience to wait?’