Her ears drooped.

Her tail curled around her own ankle.

She looked so small all of a sudden that Mu Qingyi’s hand moved from the seat to her shoulder without him thinking, warm and steady. Hu Baiyu also leaned closer, his large hand hovering near her back in case she started crying. Feng Yiren, even while still being scolded, looked at her from the corner of his eye and felt his anger weaken slightly because he hated seeing her like that too.

Lin Huahua whispered, "I know I was wrong."

Bai Ruyue’s eyes softened, and she reached over to hold her daughter’s hand. "We are not saying this to scare you, Hua’er. We are scared because we love you. Merpeople almost never come close to the surface unless they want something. If that merman had taken you deeper, and if Baiyu had been slower, none of us would be eating here like this tonight."

The words made the whole cooking space grow quiet again.

Even Xiong Baobao, who had been chewing a piece of the spiced meat with his round bear ears twitching happily, stopped chewing.

Ying Chengyu lowered his gaze, his young hawk wings tightening behind his back.

Lin Xiaojiu, who had been sitting close to Lin Huahua because he wanted more of her attention, reached out and grabbed the edge of her skirt with small anxious fingers. "Elder Sister, do not go near the water again."

Lin Huahua looked down at him. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Her heart softened so badly that her nose almost stung.

Lin Xiaojiu’s gray rat ears drooped, and his round eyes were full of fear he did not know how to hide. He was noisy, naughty, and always ready to say something he should not say, but he loved his elder sister. In this world, she was the only girl in the family, the one everyone spoiled and protected, and even her younger brothers had grown up thinking that their sister was someone precious who should never be hurt.

Lin Huahua placed her hand on his head and rubbed his hair gently. "I will not."

Xiong Baobao immediately leaned closer. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Ying Chengyu, who tried so hard to look mature despite still being young, narrowed his sharp eyes. "If you break the promise, we will tell Mother."

Lin Huahua looked at him. "Are you threatening me?"

Ying Chengyu lifted his chin. "I am protecting you."

Lin Huahua stared.

Then she laughed.

Everyone relaxed a little because of that laugh.

Feng Yiren, however, still stood there looking wronged. He had been blamed, scolded by the king, laughed at by the lion, and now Lin Huahua was smiling across the fire like she had won the whole world.

She looked at him again.

He narrowed his eyes.

She widened her own eyes innocently.

Then, when Lin Weishan turned away to speak to Xiong Han, Lin Huahua quickly made a face at Feng Yiren.

It was not even a big face.

Just a tiny one.

She scrunched her nose, stuck out the tip of her tongue, then immediately returned to her obedient expression when Bai Ruyue looked back.

Feng Yiren almost exploded.

His ears shot up.

His tail puffed.

Lin Huahua looked down at her meat like she had done nothing.

Feng Yiren’s hands clenched at his sides, and the only reason he did not drag her somewhere and teach her not to make faces at a furious fox was because her father was right there, her mother’s males were all around, Mu Qingyi was behind her, Hu Baiyu was beside her, and Feng Yiren still wanted to continue living.

This little rat.

This hateful little rat.

She knew exactly what she was doing.

Mu Qingyi’s eyes curved slightly because he had seen everything.

Hu Baiyu also saw it, and his shoulders shook again.

Feng Yiren glared at both of them.

Xiong Han finally returned everyone’s attention to the food by taking another large bite of the spiced meat, then staring at it like he had to make sure it was real. "I cannot believe these leaves did this."

Shui Lang immediately said, "Do not call them leaves like that. Show respect. These leaves changed my life."

Bai Ruyue laughed softly. "You said that about sweet river fruit last season."

"That was before this meat," Shui Lang said with complete seriousness. "I was younger then. I knew less."

Lin Xiaojiu had already grabbed his third small piece. "Elder Sister, can you teach me? If I learn this, when I go to another tribe to pursue a female in the future, she will definitely like me."

Xiong Baobao raised his hand too, still chewing. "Teach me too. I want to roast meat better than Father."

Xiong Han immediately looked offended. "You are still a cub."

Xiong Baobao swallowed and said, "But one day I will not be."

Ying Chengyu, sitting a little straighter than both of them, said, "If I learn it, I can trade the method."

Lin Huahua turned to look at him. "You are already thinking of trade?"

Ying Chengyu’s hawk eyes stayed calm. "Good things should not be wasted."

Feng Yiren muttered, "At least one young male here has sense."

Lin Huahua threw him a look. "Do not use my brother to insult me."

"I did not say your name."

"You thought it."

"I think many things."

"I know. Most of them are annoying."

Bai Ruyue smiled at them, and Lin Huahua noticed that her mother did not look worried by their arguing. In fact, she looked relieved. Maybe to Bai Ruyue, this kind of bickering meant Lin Huahua was finally close enough to her males to quarrel without cruelty. In the past, her words would have been sharp and punishing, but now even when she fought with Feng Yiren, her face was bright, her tail moved, and Feng Yiren did not look broken by her anger. He looked alive because of it.

The meal continued with more tasting, more teasing, and far too much praise for Lin Huahua’s very basic seasoning method.