Chapter 147: Chapter 147: Your mother once followed a glowing frog because she thought it was pretty

Her big brown eyes widened first in surprise, then slowly curved with a tiny evil joy she tried very hard to hide. She sat on the fur across the fire with her hands folded on her lap, looking soft, pale, harmless, and obedient, but inside her heart she had already started beating a small victory drum.

Serves you right, shameless fox.

Feng Yiren looked at her.

She quickly lowered her head and pretended she was staring at the roasted meat.

Lin Weishan’s voice became even heavier. "Why are you looking at her? I am asking you."

Feng Yiren snapped his gaze back so fast that his fox ears twitched. "My King, I did not mean to let her go that far. She was sitting by the river at first. We were fishing, and she said she would behave."

Lin Huahua immediately lifted her head. "I did behave."

Feng Yiren pointed at her with one finger. "You followed fish."

"They were not normal fish."

"That is the problem."

Lin Weishan’s gaze moved to Lin Huahua for one short moment, and her courage instantly shrank back into her chest like a rat hiding in a grain basket. She quickly pressed her lips together and lowered her head again, but her tail behind her was still swishing very lightly, showing that she was enjoying Feng Yiren’s suffering even if she was pretending not to. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Bai Ruyue noticed.

Her mother’s white rat ears twitched in amusement, but because this was still serious, she pressed her lips together and tried not to laugh. Shui Lang, the otter beastman, was not as disciplined. He had one hand pressed over his mouth, and his shoulders were shaking in a way that made it very obvious he was fighting for his life.

Xiong Han, the bear beastman, folded his huge arms across his bare chest and gave Feng Yiren a stern look. His small bear ears were angled forward, and his voice came out deep and rough. "A male watching a female near water must never let his eyes leave her. Even if she is sitting still, females are curious. They see one strange thing, then they move closer. They see another strange thing, then they touch it. Before you know it, they are inside danger and asking why danger is there."

Lin Huahua slowly looked at him.

Why did that sound like he had experience?

Bai Ruyue cleared her throat and looked away.

Shui Lang immediately grinned. "He speaks from pain. Your mother once followed a glowing frog because she thought it was pretty."

Bai Ruyue turned her head sharply. "Shui Lang."

The otter beastman immediately straightened. "I said nothing."

Bao Xun, the black panther beastman, whose dark tail had been moving slowly near the fire, finally spoke in a calm voice. "He said everything."

Ying Zhe, the hawk beastman, looked at Bai Ruyue with sharp but fond eyes. "And that frog was poisonous."

Bai Ruyue’s face warmed slightly. "It was very pretty."

Lin Huahua stared at her mother.

Then her heart softened at once.

So curiosity really came from the family.

Lin Weishan looked like he wanted to scold everyone at once, but he forced himself back to the more important matter and pointed one finger toward Feng Yiren. "You were not alone. Mu Qingyi and Hu Baiyu were there too, but you are the one standing here proudly telling me about it as if it proves only my daughter was wrong."

Feng Yiren’s mouth opened again.

Nothing came out.

Mu Qingyi, who stood behind Lin Huahua with one hand resting lightly on the back of her fur seat, lowered his head slightly. His deer ears turned sideways, and the corner of his mouth kept twitching, but he was trying his best not to laugh because he knew Feng Yiren had truly been scared. The fox had spoken from fear, not cruelty. But seeing the blame turn back on him so neatly was too funny, and Mu Qingyi was still a male with eyes.

Hu Baiyu was worse.

The huge white lion beastman sat close to Lin Huahua’s side, and because he could not speak, he should have been able to hide his laughter better. Unfortunately, his body betrayed him. His lion ears kept twitching, his shoulders moved once, then again, and when Lin Huahua glanced at him, she saw that his lips were pressed together so tightly that his whole face looked strained from holding back a silent laugh.

Feng Yiren saw that too.

His red eyes narrowed. "You are laughing."

Hu Baiyu immediately looked away.

Feng Yiren’s voice sharpened. "You are. Do not pretend. I can see your shoulders moving."

Hu Baiyu lifted one hand and touched his chest, then pointed toward the fire, then gave a very serious look.

Lin Huahua blinked, then understood and almost burst out laughing.

He was trying to say the smoke made him cough.

Feng Yiren looked at him like he wanted to bite him. "There is barely any smoke."

Hu Baiyu’s eyes remained innocent.

Too innocent.

Lin Huahua finally could not help herself. She leaned slightly toward Hu Baiyu and whispered, "Baiyu, your lie is worse than mine."

Hu Baiyu’s lion ears perked with embarrassment, and his tail swept once behind him.

Lin Weishan looked at them and his stern expression cracked a little, but only a little. "Do not think this is funny."

Everyone immediately straightened.

Even Shui Lang.

Lin Huahua lowered her head obediently, but the corner of her mouth was still betraying her.

Lin Weishan saw that too, because fathers saw everything when they were trying to scold. His stern gaze softened when it landed on her, which was completely unfair to Feng Yiren, because the difference in tone was so clear that even the old aunties at the next fire outside would have understood it.

"And you," Lin Weishan said to Lin Huahua, his voice gentler but still heavy with worry. "You are my only daughter. Do you understand what that means? You cannot see strange things and follow them just because they look interesting. If anything happened to you, what do you expect your mother and I to do?"

Lin Huahua’s victory disappeared immediately.