The three little cubs froze, their round faces filled with absolute bewilderment.
Earthworms? Those slimy, wriggling little dirt monsters? They looked at each other in hesitation, but because it was their beloved mother’s command, they did not dare to refuse.
They trotted over to the base of a large pine tree, using their small claws to frantically dig through the thawed soil until they proudly found a few fat earthworms, bringing them back to her.
Xuan Long used his fist to carefully crack a small, neat hole in the river ice, just as Su Qinglan instructed.
Su Qinglan baited the hook, cast the line into the dark, freezing water, and sat down on a thick wooden log, holding the rod steady.
Xuan Long and the three cubs watched her with wide, breathless eyes. They had never seen such a strange method of hunting before.
To them, sitting quietly by a hole with a stick seemed completely useless. How could a fish be so foolish as to bite a vine?
But after only a few minutes, the wooden float suddenly bobbed violently and plunged beneath the water.
"Ah! It’s biting!" Su Qinglan gasped. She immediately stood up, planting her feet firmly on the ice, and pulled the rod backwards with a swift motion.
Splash!
A massive, silver-scaled river fish burst out of the water, thrashing wildly in the air before landing heavily onto the white snow. It was easily over two feet long, fat and healthy from the deep winter waters.The three little tiger cubs were completely stunned. Their jaws dropped, and their round eyes shone with absolute worship as they looked at their mother.
"Mama is amazing!" "She caught a giant fish with just a stick!"
Even Xuan Long stood frozen in shock, his emerald eyes wide as he stared at the wiggling fish on the ice and then at his petite, smiling female.
A deep, complex emotion swirled in his chest, and a helpless, doting smile slowly appeared on his face.
His female literally knew everything. She knew how to build warm houses, how to plant crops in the dead of winter, and now she could catch giant fish without even wetting her clothes.
Looking at her, Xuan Long suddenly let out a quiet, internal sigh.
Sometimes, he felt like all of her beast husbands were completely useless.
Everything they knew about farming, cooking, and survival had been taught to them by her.
If she were so capable, what if one day she realised her husbands were completely redundant and decided she didn’t need them anymore?
His eyes darkened slightly as a wave of possessive insecurity washed over him.
No, he could not let that happen. He had to work twice as hard to earn her favour, to show her that he was still a strong, capable male who could protect and provide for her in every single way.
Unaware of her husband’s dramatic internal crisis, Su Qinglan was completely caught up in the excitement of the hunt. It had been so long since she had gone fishing, and the thrill of the pull was incredibly addictive.
"Let’s catch a few more!" she laughed, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling with pure joy.
Over the next hour, she cast her line again and again. She was incredibly lucky today; the winter fish beneath the ice were hungry and took the bait almost instantly.
"No," Xuan Long interrupted immediately, his voice firm and leaving no room for argument.
"You are not carrying anything heavy in this cold. Your hands are already freezing."
Su Qinglan sighed helplessly, knowing how stubborn her husband could be when it came to her physical labour. She looked down at the three little cubs, who were still happily sniffing the fresh fish.
The river was not very far from their house, and they were still safely within the boundaries of the Dragon Beast City.
She knelt down and looked at her eldest son, Xiao Yi. "Xiao Yi, you are the biggest. Can you run back to the house and call your father, Hu Yan? Tell him we need help carrying the fishes back."
Xiao Yi immediately dropped his tiny basket, nodding his fluffy head enthusiastically. "Yes, Mama! I will run very fast!"
Xiao Er and Xiao San also stepped forward, their tiny tails wagging. "Mama, we want to go too! We can run together!"
Su Qinglan smiled warmly and patted their heads.
"Alright. If the three of you go together, you can keep each other safe. Run straight home, don’t stop to play, and bring your father back here."
"Yes, Mama!" the three little cubs chimed in unison.
With a burst of energy, the three little cubs turned around and began sprinting across the snow towards the city paths, their tiny paws kicking up small flurries of white powder as they ran to summon their strong father.
Even Xiao San was slithering incredibly fast, on par with his brothers, albeit of little size.

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