Si Lu looked at the rabbit and fox with a bit of confusion.
"You're back! Come eat quickly. I've made some meat stew, roasted meat, and fish soup," Bai Di said gently as he stood up, addressing Si Lu and the others.
"Mhm, you brought Nas out to warm him up by the fire. That's good," Si Lu replied.
"Yeah, I brought him out to keep me company," Bai Di said nonchalantly.
Bring him out? Not really. The only one he wanted to hold was Si Lu. When it came to others, he avoided touching them as much as possible.
Bai Di glanced at the rabbit in the basket, his eyes carrying a silent warning, signaling it to stay quiet.
Si Lu didn't notice, but the others did. However, they all ignored it since they were on Bai Di's side. After all, they were family. Naturally, they would stand by their own and not take the rabbit's side.
Actually, none of them liked the rabbit much. They only kept it around because Si Lu said it was cute. Especially Hei Yao, who wouldn't even spare the rabbit a glance. He really didn't like it.
The fact that it was yet another fluffy creature didn't sit well with him. One fluffy Bai Di, and one fluffy Song Zhan were more than enough. Now, a rabbit? He wasn't pleased.
It wasn't just the fluff. Hei Yao often saw Si Lu cuddle up to Bai Di and Song Zhan in their beast forms, happily smiling as she ran her hands through their fur, and it made him jealous.
Hei Yao had no soft fur, only tough, cool scales. Even though he and Cheng Mo shared the same opinion that they should find a flying beast mate for Si Lu to keep her safer, they both resented the idea of more fluff taking up Si Lu's affection.
So, Hei Yao truly didn't like the rabbit.
Cheng Mo, on the other hand, focused on picking mates based on strength and utility. Of course, Si Lu's preferences mattered the most. If she didn't like someone, it didn't matter how strong or useful they were.
Even though he didn't want anyone else to take Si Lu's love away from him, Cheng Mo was willing to set aside his jealousy for the sake of protecting her better. His love was all about making sacrifices for her.
Each of them expressed their love in their own unique way.
...
After dinner, Si Lu leaned against Cheng Mo, watching Bai Di work on some clothing. Of course, he was making it for himself.
Seeing him so focused filled Si Lu's heart with warmth.
Bai Di occasionally looked up from his work, exchanging soft, loving glances with Si Lu. The affection in his eyes was clear for all to see, but none of the others objected. After all, they were all her mates, one big family.
"Lulu, is there anything you'd like? I could make something for you," Bai Di asked, looking at Si Lu.
"Let me think... Oh, I'd like some scrunchies made from beast skin, the kind I can use to tie my hair," Si Lu's eyes lit up as she spoke.
She often found her hair getting in the way, but the beast-skin ties lacked elasticity and weren't very effective.
This was the beastman world after all—elastic hair ties were nonexistent. She could only make do.
"Scrunchies, got it." Bai Di was smart. He immediately understood what Si Lu meant.
He had a few soft, fluffy beast skins set aside for her. Knowing how much she loved fluffy things, he had specifically kept these for her scrunchies.
"Oh, by the way, Ah Di, do you know if there's any kind of elastic string around? Like, something short but stretchy that can be pulled to make it longer?" Si Lu asked, adding an explanation.
She knew the others wouldn't understand modern terms, so she often had to clarify things for them.
Of course, she didn't have high hopes. It was just a casual question.
"Elastic string?" Bai Di pondered for a moment. He hadn't come across anything like that.
Bai Di knew that if Si Lu asked about it, it must have been something she'd had in the past, and he wanted to find it for her. He didn't want to disappoint her.
"What about animal tendons? They're stretchy," Hei Yao suggested, looking at Si Lu for confirmation.
He hadn't heard of elastic strings, but he knew animal tendons could stretch a bit when pulled.
"Yes! Why didn't I think of that? Tendons would work perfectly," Bai Di said, praising Hei Yao's quick thinking.
Hei Yao's brain really was sharp. He grasped the idea immediately, while Bai Di hadn't even thought of it.
"I'll save the tendons from our next hunt, then," Cheng Mo nodded.
Anything Si Lu needed, he would provide. Previously, he had disposed of everything aside from the meat and the pelts because Si Lu didn't like the sight of bloody scenes. Now, knowing she needed tendons, he'd make sure to keep them.
"That's great! Ah Di, once you get the tendons, you can sew them into the scrunchies and use them for the cuffs of my pants and sleeves too. That way, the wind won't get in, and I'll stay warm," Si Lu said excitedly.
With elastic cuffs, her pants wouldn't let cold air in during the winter.
"You could also sew the tendons into the waistband of my pants so that they stretch as I gain or lose weight," Si Lu added with a grin.
Her fair face glowed with happiness, and her bright, lively eyes sparkled, making her look even more beautiful.
The nearby rabbit was dumbstruck.
It was amazed at Si Lu's ideas—so clever, yet so practical. Truly, she was a remarkable female.
His admiration for Si Lu grew stronger, surging like a never-ending river.