“OK. OK. You weren’t crying, I was wrong.” If she said she wasn’t crying, then Xiao Yue wasn’t going to argue.

“Actually, if you want to feed your cub, you don’t have to use beast milk. The fruit trees here have milk fruit. They're a delicious favorite amongst the cubs. They’re slightly magical, so they’re very suitable for young ones to eat. If you want, I can help you get some.”

“Really? Thanks Xiao Yue! You’re really nice.” Feng Wu’s face broke out in a smile as the dilemma about milk was resolved. She could stop worrying about her baby’s next meal.

“The little cubs like to play in the center of the forest where the trees are. They'll prey on humans that venture there, so stay here while I go pick some fruits for you.” Feng Wu had made a good impression on Xiao Yue so Xiao Yue was willing to help her.

“Great! Then I’ll wait here for you.” Back when she was on Yuehua mountain with Master, the creatures also had their own territories. They often took the initiative to invite her to play so she was never in any danger, but this was a different place and the animals here weren’t familiar with her. It would be dangerous for her to enter without permission. Therefore regarding the forest, Feng Wu was going to do exactly as Xiao Yue instructed - that was to sit and wait patiently.

She didn’t wait long before she heard a loud roar nearby. Immediately thereafter she spotted Xiao Yue walking over. She dropped a bundle of medium sized fruits in front of her. The fruits had milky white rind and a fruity fragrance. She could faintly smell a hint of magic coming from them.

Feng Wu looked at the fruits with bright eyes. “These are awesome! Xiao Yue you’re amazing!”

“Go on, let your cub try it.”

Feng Wu selected a fruit at the top of the pile and asked, “How do you eat it?”

“It’s easy. Just break the skin with your nails then suck the juice out.”

Feng Wu did so, piercing the skin with her nails before placing it in front of Little Bun’s mouth. Sure enough, Little Bun greedily sucked the milk out of the fruit. Contrary to its small size, the fruit actually contained a lot of milk. So much so in fact that despite Little Bun’s large appetite, he couldn’t finish it.

Once Little Bun was full, she sampled some of the milk herself and quickly slurped up the remaining liquid. Unfortunately there wasn’t much left, only two mouthfuls. After finishing the milk, she looked over at the remaining pile of fruit and saw a new problem in front of her. “How am I going to transport all this fruit back home?”

“That’s no problem. Just use this.” Xiao Yue tossed a black oblong metal ring to her.

“Humans call this a storage ring. We magical beasts are born with an innate dimensional space, so we don’t need it. Take it, you can have it. You’ll need to give it a bit of your blood to register it as yours though,” Xiao Yue generously said.

Xiao Yue's father had picked the ring up some time ago when it was left behind by a grievously injured man. Then later when Xiao Yue was born, her father gave it to her as a toy to play with. Xiao Yue felt she was too mature for such a juvenile plaything, so she didn’t mind giving it away. It was something only humans would care about anyway.

That sounded really interesting to Feng Wu. She had never seen such a novelty before so proceeded to immediately experiment with it. After registering it with her blood she loaded not only the milk fruit, but much of the surrounding stones and flowers as well.

Meanwhile Auntie Lian was anxiously waiting for Feng Wu at the base of the mountain. She nearly went to the village chief to organize a search party after reading the note the young miss left. Just when she couldn’t bear it any longer an unexpected arrival showed up at her doorstep.

“Why are you here Steward Roda?” His sudden appearance surprised Auntie Lian.

The prestige of the Feng family was beyond her comprehension. Roda was a foreign steward of the Feng family. He had many responsibilities, one of which included managing the family’s business overseas. That a Feng family servant of such rank would appear was really strange.

“It was the old master who asked me to come. You have done well taking care of the young miss for such a long time. Her physical condition should be much improved by now. The madam needs you so the old master wants you back at the house immediately.”

“But the young miss is not back yet. I’m worried…” - “We can not wait. Let us leave.” Both Auntie Lian and Steward Roda spoke at the same time.

“This is an order from the old master. As a servant you only need to follow them.” Roda waved his hand as he spoke, not intending to let Auntie Lian continue speaking.

“But.. .” What about the young miss? She just gave birth a month ago and her milk production is too low to satisfy the little master, not to mention the little master is a picky eater with highly refined tastes in milk preferences! How could her heart be at ease if she left now?

“No! You can not stay. Go and pack your things now. The old master is awaiting our return.” Roda was aware of the situation, however as a servant, he was not qualified to have an opinion regarding the exiled young miss.

Roda’s shout scared Auntie Lian back to her senses, reminding her that she was just a servant and should not dare to question the old master. “Let me go pack and tidy up. I’ll leave a note for the young miss. Afterwards we’ll leave.” Auntie Lian couldn’t help but offer a compromise.

Roda stood silently waiting for her.

Taking Roda’s silence as tacit approval, she sighed in relief. At the very least she’d be able to leave a note of explanation. She could only hope that the young miss would be able to take good care of both herself and the little master.

The Feng family had been very emotional and upset with the young miss. Originally Auntie Lian was only supposed to take care of her for a month after her delivery, so she hadn't packed much to begin with. As a result, she finished everything within minutes and was able to write a note. Once satisfied, she followed Roda and the two left the village together.

Feng Wu returned home with a ring full of gifts only to find the place empty and a note waiting for her on the table. In it Auntie Lian not only explained her abrupt departure, she also took care to let Feng Wu know that the madam left a crystal card with a monthly allowance of 20 gold coins for her to use in order to cover her monthly living expenses.

Feng Wu blinked several times with a vacant look in her eyes. Auntie Lian was never coming back? It took a few seconds for her to absorb the shock. A pity. Even if the portions were a little small, she really liked Auntie Lian’s cooking! Young girls needed to eat well. She looked around the kitchen. Good thing the rice was already cooked. After eating and feeding Little Bun some more of the milk fruit, she went to sleep with Little Bun on the cot.

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