Chapter 641: Lao Er Departs

It had been ages since Xia Qing had seen Broken-Waist Wolf looking like this, so she immediately played along with lavish praise. "Broken-Waist, you look better and better when you smile. Has my lord the Queen had pups yet? How many?"

Broken-Waist Wolf turned its head, signaling Xia Qing to look to the side.

Only then did Xia Qing notice that Broken-Waist Wolf had carried a small wild boar over and placed it under the eaves. The little boar had clearly just been killed—blood was still flowing from it.

No need to ask—this was definitely a piglet born to the wild boars the wolf pack raised in the valley of Section Three, Mountain Forty-Nine.

Xia Qing happily gestured her question. "Broken-Waist, is this for me?"

Broken-Waist Wolf closed its mouth and gazed at Xia Qing thoughtfully.

Xia Qing understood, and gestured another question. "You want me to roast it so you can take it back for my lord the Queen to eat?"

Only then did Broken-Waist Wolf flash its little fang tips again and grin at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing……

……

……

Coming over in the middle of the night to order takeout and have me roast a suckling pig for you? You didn't even bring a host gift—how can you even have the nerve?!

Seeing Xia Qing standing still, Broken-Waist Wolf walked over and signaled her to reach into its side pouch and pull something out. When Xia Qing fished out two black, filthy walnuts, she instantly felt this wolf truly was Yang Jin's non-blood brother from different parents—it grinned in exactly the same way he did!

Two walnuts, and it expects her to roast a whole pig for it?

What could she do?

Roast it, of course!

"Broken-Waist, you've learned to run a household after becoming a dad. Back when you used to come roast meat for my lord the Queen, you at least knew to bring me a rabbit. Now it's just two walnuts…"

Xia Qing picked up the small wild boar and headed back inside. This was the active season for insects—handling meat outdoors was practically suicide.

Broken-Waist Wolf watched the weasel at the sheep pen door for a while longer before walking to the eaves and rinsing the mud off its paws in the basin of water.

In winter, Xia Qing had worried the water in the basin would freeze, so she'd kept the basins for rinsing and disinfecting the animals' feet inside the house. Now that the temperature had long since risen back above zero, the foot-rinsing basins naturally went back outside.

After rinsing its paws clean, Broken-Waist Wolf stepped on the grass mat a few times to shake off the water, then pushed the door and went inside.

By then, Xia Qing had already lit the fireplace, skillfully skinned the small pig, secured it on the roasting rack, and set it inside the fireplace to roast.

The fireplace, unused for over half a month, was lit again, and the warm firelight filled the living room—it was a bit hot.

Sheep Boss and Broken-Waist Wolf sniffed each other briefly, then Sheep Boss ran back to its tatami, keeping well away from the fireplace.

Xia Qing divided the small wild boar's offal into two portions, carried them into the living room, and set them in front of Broken-Waist Wolf and Wolf Lao Er. "Eat up—this is fresh Yellow Lantern wild boar offal, should taste pretty good."

After Broken-Waist Wolf finished the offal in the basin Xia Qing had placed before it, it showed no intention of eating from the other basin, so Wolf Lao Er only then began to eat.

Seeing Lao Er eat raw meat, Broken-Waist Wolf turned to look at Xia Qing.

Xia Qing happily explained to it, "Lao Er's illness is completely cured now. It's a healthy evolved wolf—it can eat raw meat, and it can go back to Mountain Sixty with you."

Broken-Waist Wolf showed no particular reaction, drank a few mouthfuls of the pollution-free spring water from the basin, then nimbly went upstairs and carried its notebook down in its mouth.

Xia Qing first patiently told it about the wall construction, warning it to be careful coming and going, before opening the notebook for it. Broken-Waist Wolf raised a paw and precisely tapped a video on the screen, asking Xia Qing to play it.

This wasn't the science video about microorganisms—it was the very first science video Xia Qing had shown the Alpha and Broken-Waist Wolf, the one introducing the evolved forest after the Harmful Rain. Broken-Waist Wolf had already watched it many times.

"What viewers are seeing now is Huiyi Base Forest Nine, located five kilometers south of the Huiyi Base safe zone. The third Harmful Rain of Year Nine of the Catastrophe ended just two days ago, and Forest Nine is full of deadly danger…"

The familiar voice soon rang out, and Broken-Waist Wolf crouched by the low table, watching with complete concentration.

Xia Qing had originally wanted to tell Broken-Waist Wolf about the double-door refrigerator and microscope upstairs, but seeing how focused it was, she said nothing and began removing Broken-Waist Wolf's protective suit.

Broken-Waist Wolf trusted Xia Qing completely—even while she was running her hands all over its body, its eyes never left the screen.

Xia Qing took off Broken-Waist Wolf's snakeskin protective suit. Sure enough, the inside—especially the legs—was far dirtier than the outside. She scrubbed and disinfected the suit, then treated it with special resin before hanging it nearby to dry.

After finishing all that, Xia Qing added some firewood, turned the suckling pig, and picked up a brush to groom Broken-Waist Wolf's fur. The moment she started brushing, she discovered Broken-Waist Wolf actually had fleas!

Xia Qing immediately took an external parasite drop from the cabinet beside her, parted the fur on the back of its neck, and applied a few drops.

This was a drop formula Xia Qing had asked her idol to prepare for her animal companions—applying a few drops to the back of an animal's neck each week kept them free of external parasites. Previously, when the Alpha and Broken-Waist Wolf visited the territory, Xia Qing would apply it to them too. This time they'd been away too long, and both had parasites.

Once it had parasites, its fur couldn't be brushed either.

After Broken-Waist Wolf finished watching the first video, Xia Qing didn't discuss it with it—she directly opened the science video about external parasites. While Broken-Waist Wolf watched her, Xia Qing showed it the little flea she'd just killed. "Broken-Waist, you've got parasites. Look, this is—a parasite. This video is about parasites."

Broken-Waist Wolf had no objections and turned to seriously watch the science video.

The suckling pig was already packed up, yet it was still watching the science video with grave, intense focus. Only after the video ended did it let Xia Qing put its protective suit back on, strap the roasted suckling pig onto its back, and then look toward Wolf Lao Er.

Lao Er, who had been lying on the tatami with Sheep Boss, stood up, walked over to Broken-Waist Wolf, and the two wolves gazed at Xia Qing together.

Lao Er was going to leave with Broken-Waist Wolf.

Even though she had long prepared herself mentally for this moment, when the parting truly came, Xia Qing still felt very, very reluctant to let go.

She bent down and hugged Lao Er, applied a few drops of external parasite treatment to the back of its neck, put its protective suit on it, and explained to Broken-Waist Wolf with gestures and words: "Broken-Waist, Lao Er can't take off its protective suit by itself. When you get back, take it off for it and store it together with yours and my lord the Queen's suits."

Xia Qing had specifically taught Broken-Waist Wolf how to store protective suits—this wolf was very smart and had certainly learned. Even if it hadn't, it didn't matter; high-grade hardened python skin was very tough, and even if its storage conditions weren't up to standard, there wouldn't be any quality issues for two or three years.

After giving her instructions, Xia Qing stuffed Lao Er's protective suit side pouches full of jerky, felt its belly, and looked into its eyes as she said seriously, "Lao Er, if you're not comfortable here, come back."

Wolf Lao Er nuzzled Xia Qing's face with its head, leaving her face covered in fur. Then, together with Broken-Waist Wolf, it left Territory Three.

Xia Qing stood quietly inside the wire-mesh wall, watching the two strong evolved wolves leap one after the other over the excavated foundation and disappear into the evolved forest. Suddenly she felt tonight's wind was very strong, and her territory very empty.

A few minutes later, Xia Qing, standing at the edge of the territory, suddenly lit up.