Beauty and the Beasts

Parker started panicking. What if Qingqing likes it?

 Shuu sputtered in laughter. “You’re still weaker compared to me.”

 Parker didn’t bother to bicker with him. He stuffed the bunch of grass into the bamboo basket and put on his skirt, then left with his things.

 Upon seeing Parker put his present into the bamboo basket, Shuu panicked for a moment. That’s used for carrying babies! But he also knew that Parker had a nasty temper. So, in the end, he decided to say nothing about it.

 He was lucky enough to succeed in getting Parker to hand the food to Qingqing. If he hadn’t run into Parker, he might not even be able to let Qingqing taste it.

 When Parker got home, it was raining heavily outside. The fierce wind brought with it a cold wave, and there was a murderous aura amidst the howling of the wind.

 Bai Qingqing, firmly wrapped in a piece of animal skin, said upon seeing Parker, “Why are you back only now? Hurry, go in and change your clothes.”

 As he was aware that Parker would be going home in his human form this time, Shuu had the foresight and didn’t punch Parker’s tummy. Hence, Bai Qingqing didn’t realize Parker had gotten into a fight.

 “Mm.” Parker went into the house with the bamboo basket on his back. He had tied the short-winged birds to the shelter before he entered the house. In order not to let Qingqing see the grass in his basket, when he turned a corner, he faced Bai Qingqing with his front, then went into the bedroom walking backward.

 Parker’s strange behavior caught Bai Qingqing’s attention. “Don’t bring food into the bedroom. You’re going to get it all wet.”

 “Oh,” Parker replied sheepishly. He placed the basket by the wall, then started searching for a skirt in a dawdling manner.

 The aroma of rice could be smelled wafting through the house. Curtis was afraid Bai Qingqing would get hungry, so he went into the bedroom and came out with the bamboo basket.

 “What’s this?” Curtis took out a bunch of grass and looked at Bai Qingqing. “You asked Parker to pluck this?”

 Parker instantly turned around. The basket was indeed gone. He stopped dawdling and very swiftly found and put on a dry skirt.

 Bai Qingqing let out a cry of surprise. “It’s spinach. I didn’t ask Parker to pluck it. Parker, did you pluck this?”

 Parker walked out of the bedroom and saw Bai Qingqing beaming at him. “Why did you also stick some flowers into it?” She removed one of the flowers as she spoke, cocking her head and asking with uncertainty, “Is this also edible?”

 “No idea. I wasn’t the one who plucked it,” Parker said with a sullen face.

 Curtis and Bai Qingqing looked towards Parker unanimously.

 “Then who plucked it?” Bai Qingqing realized that this was a gift to her from another male. Suddenly, she felt like the flower she was holding was scalding hot. She quickly stuck the flower back into the spinach.

 Parker said, “It’s from Shuu.”

 “Ssss—” Curtis cast a warning, sideways glance at Parker. Parker instantly assumed a subdued manner. He walked to the bamboo basket, crouched down, and took out the bird’s eggs.

 Bai Qingqing set the vegetables aside and ran into the bedroom barefooted. She plucked some grass from their grass nest and walked to Parker. “Put it on the grass.”

 “Okay.” Parker did as he was told.

 Bai Qingqing had said she wanted to eat birds earlier. Now that Parker had returned, Curtis got up. “I’ll go and kill the birds.”

 “Mm.” Bai Qingqing nodded happily. After taking the bird’s eggs out with Parker, she asked Parker to pour out the mushrooms from the bamboo basket.

 The fungus was still fresh and succulent. However, the pearl oyster mushrooms underneath had blackened and rotted. Only the ones on top were still fresh.

 Parker said right away, “I said it’s poisonous, didn’t I? Look, it’s turned black.”

 Bai Qingqing tossed the rotten pearl oyster mushrooms aside without hesitation, then plucked a few fresh ones into the stone pot of steamed rice. She closed the lid and let it cook. When she felt it was cooked, she scooped those mushrooms out into a bowl.

 “Parker, feed these to a short-winged bird to test if it’s fine.” Bai Qingqing handed Parker the bowl.