Chapter 11 Not bad, making progress_1

It would be best to enclose the vegetable patch; in ancient times, fences were used to demarcate territory, and Si Yan felt the same principle applied here. Fresh air, fresh food, a simple environment, and land that could be expanded at will—life couldn’t be any more wonderful. She crossed her arms, surveying her palm-sized domain. The cave needed a fence, and the vegetable patch needed to be enclosed as well. Thinking about it, there was still so much to do. After the meal, Si Yan started weaving with the processed dry grass. The two cubs were captivated by the meticulous work she was doing. They curiously moved closer to watch her, their round, adorable eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Hey, what are you doing?" Xi Qing asked. Si Yan replied lazily, "My name isn’t ’Hey.’ Call me Mom." Xi Qing pouted. "Hmph. What are you doing?" "My name isn’t ’Hmph’ either." Xi Qing couldn’t be bothered with her anymore. Bei Ji, full of curiosity, asked her, "Mother, what are you doing? It looks impressive! Is that the same soft thing that’s on the bed?" Si Yan freed a hand and affectionately touched Bei Ji’s head. "Mother is weaving a grass screen." Bei Ji’s curious eyes, glistening, watched her intently. "Mother, what’s the grass screen for?" Si Yan answered with a grin, "You’ll know in a bit." "It’s nothing impressive," Xi Qing muttered, glancing at Si Yan, then at the grass mat on the bed, and finally at Bei Ji. His complexion suddenly worsened. Did the female not want them to sleep on the bed, so she was making a mat for them to sleep on the floor? The beautiful dream of sleeping with their mother had been fleeting. As expected, snake beastmen were inherently unloved by their mothers; that warmth from the dream was only ever a dream. Xi Qing’s face tightened, his lips pursed into a thin line, and he turned away. He was angry. What was he angry about? Having a thin mat on the floor was already much better than sleeping directly on the ground before. He should be content. The two cubs didn’t speak, silently lost in their thoughts. After a while, Si Yan finished weaving the grass screen and stood up, massaging her sore lower back. So tiring. Si Yan said with a smile, "Could you two give me a hand?" Bei Ji stood up and tugged at Xi Qing, who then got up reluctantly. Si Yan handed a torch to Xi Qing. His expression turned awful in an instant, and he quickly retreated until he was pressed against the cave wall. Si Yan was startled by Xi Qing’s reaction. Bei Ji immediately took the torch. "Mother, what are you going to do?" Si Yan, a bit puzzled by the cubs’ reactions, explained, "I need some light. Just hold the torch for me." After realizing that Si Yan meant no harm, Bei Ji nodded. "Mother, I’ll hold it." Si Yan nodded thoughtfully. She carried the grass screen to the cave entrance. Two small holes had already been chiseled high up on the rock face above it. Si Yan climbed up the side of the cave, hammered two beast teeth into the holes, then tied the grass screen to them with a straw rope and hung it up. Xi Qing was a bit afraid of fire, so he stayed far away. But seeing the grass screen hung up, he and Bei Ji exchanged looks again. The mat this bad female was making didn’t seem to be for sleeping. Was she making something to cover the cave entrance? Si Yan was very pleased with the grass screen. She explained to the two cubs, "From now on, when we need to, we’ll lower the grass screen like this. When we need ventilation, we’ll roll it up like this. Do you understand?" Bei Ji nodded excitedly. "Mother, you’re so smart." "Why didn’t we do this before?" Xi Qing suddenly asked. With his words, the air seemed to grow a few degrees colder. Their previous mother had been somewhat deranged in her behavior. She was terrified of snakes, hated them, and would either beat or scold the cubs. She was dark-hearted, wicked, ugly, and mad—yet, the cubs had been extremely attached to her. Until... she hurt Xi Qing. Until... she sold her own cubs. The hearts of the four cubs had turned completely cold. Gritting their teeth, they had forcibly torn their precious mother from their hearts. From then on, that woman was just a "bad female" to them. Nothing more. Bei Ji, sensing the awkward atmosphere, hastily said, "Xi Qing, what are you talking about?" Wasn’t this warm and soft environment exactly what they had dreamed of? What if their gentle mother disappeared again? What if the crazy mother from before returned?! Si Yan slowly lowered the grass screen. The atmosphere in the cave grew tense. She took a deep breath.