Beauty and the Beasts

The moment he said that the original inhabitants of the village broke into excitement as well and started howling with their heads raised.

Bai Qingqing covered her ears and shouted as she pulled at Parker’s arm, “It’s so noisy here! An’an might be woken by the din, let’s go back.”

Fearing she would be duped by his brothers, Parker quickly nodded. “Sure!”

He then lifted her horizontally and squeezed his way out of the crowd.

The leopard cubs merely cast a glance at their parents but didn’t chase after them and continued scurrying in the crowd.

Indeed, An’an was awoken by the noise. Before they reached home, they could already hear An’an’s loud and clear cries.

Curtis, carrying her, instantly turned his head towards Bai Qingqing when he heard her footsteps.

“I didn’t touch her.” As Curtis spoke, he placed An’an on the animal skin right away and said, “I don’t know why she won’t stop crying.”

He had already tried coaxing the baby the way he saw Parker and Winston did it. Clearly, when they did that, An’an would stop crying in no time (of course, other than on full-moon nights). But when he emulated them and did the same thing, it seemed completely useless.

Even though she was so tiny, her cries brought about more panic in his heart than the howls of wild beasts.

3

Bai Qingqing, who certainly wouldn’t think that Curtis would abuse the baby, cast an amused glance at him, before briskly walking to An’an’s side.

“An’an was probably startled during her sleep by the noise. It’s normal for her to cry for a while.”

Bai Qingqing lifted An’an and squatted down beside the stone basin to let the baby pee into it.

Curtis secretly let out a sigh of relief.

“Be good and stop crying, An’an. Mommy’s here.” Under Bai Qingqing’s comforting words, An’an’s cries weakened.

After she relieved herself, An’an stopped crying. Still, she continued sobbing with a dazed expression and widened eyes.

“We have newcomers in the village, forty to fifty young males,” Bai Qingqing said to Curtis as she wiped An’an’s little bottom.

“Mm,” Curtis responded in a bland tone.

Now that An’an was five months old, her arms and legs had grown longer.

Recalling the pile of tiny clothes she made last year, Bai Qingqing quickly said to Parker, “Quick, find me An’an’s little clothes. They’re at the bottom of the wooden case.”

Back then, as An’an was too tiny, they didn’t quite dare to shift her arms and legs, fearing they might twist her limbs accidentally. That was why they didn’t dress her in those clothes made by Bai Qingqing.

Parker walked to the wooden case and retrieved all of An’an’s clothing.

“Let’s try it on her.” With a smile, Bai Qingqing picked her favorite outfit out of them all, then placed An’an on the bed and gently helped her put it on.

Back then, Bai Qingqing had planned on letting An’an wear these clothes right after she was born. But newly born babies were tinier than she had expected, so the clothes were a tad too big back then.

Now that her arms and legs were firmer, it was an appropriate time for her to put them on.

“Done! Our An’an is really adorable!”

Holding An’an up by her waist to make her stand upright, Bai Qingqing suddenly felt that her An’an had grown bigger as she watched the little human before her.

However, An’an remained dispirited-looking. With dark circles underneath her beautifully-shaped eyes, she induced both heartache and amusement in others.

Parker sputtered with laughter as he pointed at An’an’s arm. “Look at her arms. Now that she’s put on those clothes, her arms are spread open, making her resemble a little bird.”

Bai Qingqing cast him a displeased look.

“An’an, you’ve suffered. Do you feel bored? Mommy will take you out to play.” Bai Qingqing held An’an to her chest and planted a kiss on her fair and tender little face.

“Curtis, do you want to come along?” she asked.

If Curtis wouldn’t come with them, they would go look for the little snake. If he wished to come along, then forget it.

“Sure.” Curtis agreed without hesitation.