Chapter 668: Chapter 668: Hua’er Has Disappeared
Back in the house, Su Qinglan sat on the soft hide, completely surrounded by her four youngest cubs. The little twin snow wolf girls, the nine-tailed fox cub Ciao Ciao, and the baby lion cub were all crowding tightly around her legs, yipping and tumbling as she played with them.
Right beside her on the bed sat the warm incubator.
Inside, the snake egg was rolling around restlessly, bumping against the sides as if it never wanted to stay still. It had already been more than a month since it was laid, but there was still no sign of it cracking open.
Su Qinglan had asked around and learned that it usually takes about 52 to 55 days for a snake egg to hatch. Since it was only around day 35 or 37, she was patiently waiting for her next baby to arrive.
’She will be the youngest little snake girl,’ Su Qinglan thought to herself with a warm smile.
Just then, the heavy wooden door of the house creaked open, letting in a brief, swirling gust of winter wind before Hu Yan slammed it shut with his broad shoulder.
"Mommy! Mommy, look!"
Xiao Yi’s voice rang out first, filled with excitement. He and his brothers, Xiao Er and Xiao San, practically tumbled over each other’s paws as they rushed into the warm main room.
Their cheeks were flushed a bright, healthy crimson from the biting forest air, their breaths coming out in shallow, enthusiastic puffs.
Behind them, Hu Yan chucked quietly, his massive frame towering over the doorway as he shook the loose snow from his heavy furs.
Stove sauntered in right behind him, a deeply satisfied, smug grin resting on his face. He had clearly enjoyed his time playing the watchful guardian in the woods, his stomach full and his mood light.
With a dramatic flourish, the three eldest boys dragged their small catches across the stone floor, lining them up right in front of the bed like a grand offering.
"Look, Mommy! I caught this one all by myself!" Xiao Er declared, puffing his tiny chest out so far he nearly tipped backward.
"Xiao Yi tried to help, but I didn’t even need it!"
"Did not!" Xiao Yi shot back, giving his brother a nudge. "I practically drove it right into your hands!"
Xiao San didn’t join the bickering; he simply looked up at Su Qinglan with wide, glittering eyes, his tail swishing expectantly against the floor as he waited for his reward.
Su Qinglan’s heart practically melted at the sight. She leaned over the edge of the bed, her face lighting up with a radiant, proud smile as she reached out to pull the breathless boys into a warm embrace.
"Oh, my goodness! Look at my brave little hunters!" she praised, her voice filled with genuine wonder as she rubbed their icy, rosy cheeks to warm them up.
"You three are getting so incredibly strong. Mommy is going to have the biggest feast tonight because of you!"
The boys practically beamed under her praise, their previous bickering instantly forgotten as they preened under her attention.
On the bed, the cozy chaos didn’t stop.
Sensing the excitement, the four youngest cubs all swarmed forward in a tumbling wave of fur and paws.
They crowded around Su Qinglan’s legs, letting out high-pitched yips and tiny growls, desperate to be part of the family huddle.
Right beside the lively pile, nestled safely under the thick blankets, sat the warm incubator.
As if reacting to the loud, happy voices in the room, the smooth snake egg inside suddenly gave a vigorous wobble.
It rolled restlessly from side to side, bumping gently against the interior wall as if it desperately wanted to break out and join the fun.
Su Qinglan rested a gentle, reassuring hand on the outside of the incubator, a soft, maternal warmth washing over her.
’Just a little longer,’ she thought, her eyes softening as she watched the egg settle back down.
’Soon, our littlest snake girl will be here, and our family will be complete.’
Shortly after, Han Jue, An Mo, and Shi Feng returned home after washing the heavy clothes and bedding at the river. The moment they stepped through the door, Su Qinglan felt a shift in the air.
The atmosphere between her husbands was undeniably strange, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was.
Whenever her eyes met theirs, they simply flashed her bright, reassuring smiles as if absolutely nothing was off.
Su Qinglan narrowed her eyes slightly. She knew that look. They were definitely hiding something from her once again.
Before she could press them about it, it became time to prepare a small afternoon snack for the family. As she counted heads to distribute the food, her eyes swept over the crowded room, and a sudden realization hit her.
She looked at Stove and asked, "Stove, where is little Hua?"
Stove, who had been completely distracted and drooling at the sight of a big black fish Shi Feng had brought back, froze instantly.
It was as if a bucket of icy water had been dumped over his head. Only now did he realize he hadn’t seen his little wife all day!
"Where is she?" Stove muttered, his small eyes growing wide with panic as he looked frantically under the table, behind the chairs, and into the corners of the room.
He had left early in the morning with Hu Yan and the three cubs to go hunting, and ever since he returned, he had been so focused on the food that he hadn’t noticed her absence.
"I’ll go look outside for her!" Stove cried out.
Without waiting, his tiny body scrambled across the floor, and he jumped straight out of the open window to search for his little spiritual plant.
However, it wasn’t long before he came bursting back through the window.
His expression was completely cracked with fear, and tears were welling up in his eyes. He rushed over to the bed and clutched his green vines tightly around Su Qinglan’s wrist, whimpering miserably.
"Master! Hua’er is nowhere to be found!" Stove wailed, his voice trembling.
"I tried to use my senses, but I can’t feel her presence anywhere near the city! She... she’s gone!"
