CH 40

Chapter 40: Little Ferret Joins the Kindergarten

All eyes turned towards Yun Zhao in unison, and Wu Mu pretended to casually nudge Yun Zhao's back, silently questioning, "Why didn't you hit it?"

Yun Zhao squatted down and cuddled the snow ferret in his arms, chuckling, "I didn't see it stealing with my own eyes. It was too hasty of me to label it as a thief."

Ao Yu sneered, holding up the snow ferret's little paw from his embrace, which was still smeared with unfinished jam.

In a calm voice, he said, "The ferret is dirty and caught."

The snow ferret's eyes shimmered with watery glints as it squeaked softly.

Yun Zhao pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off the sugar stains from its paw, showing considerable understanding, "Late at night with heavy dew, it's clear that this poor little thing is both hungry and tired. It's understandable for it to eat some jam."

"Understandable?"

Wu Mu looked at Yun Zhao in disbelief and reached out to tug at Sun Yang's long fur, complaining, "Look at Yun Zhao's true face. He clearly used your honey for the jam."

The little dog's ears twitched back, its face turning stern as it stared at Yun Zhao intently.

Yun Zhao felt a shiver in his heart from being scrutinized and could only smile and appease, "I'll buy you another jar, brother. Look at this pitiful snow ferret. Let it have a little taste."

The snow ferret rubbed its head against Yun Zhao's chin, nodding frantically, "Squeak!"

Ao Yu couldn't stand it any longer and pinched a layer of flesh on the ferret's belly with his fingers, saying, "This is considered pitiful?"

Yun Zhao swatted his hand away and turned decisively, taking the snow ferret into the room.

After all, tonight, Lord Yun Zhao was determined to spoil the ferret, and no one could stop him!

Yun Zhao fetched a clean cloth and wiped the little snow ferret all over, removing any grass crumbs or dust, making the whole cub look even more beautiful.

Its fur was pure white, without a single stray hair, and its pink nose gently sniffed against Yun Zhao's chest. Its paws rested on the young man's clavicle as it nuzzled affectionately.

Yun Zhao was overjoyed, grinning from ear to ear as he held it in his arms and rolled on the bed a couple of times before giving it a smooch, resembling a fool who only knew "hehehe."

Wu Mu and Luo Xue leaned against the window, seething with anger. What kind of ferret was this? Its alluring tricks could rival the fox spirits of the Immortal Realm!

At Yun Zhao's strong insistence, the snow ferret was allocated a comfortable small bamboo basket in the inner room, while the other cubs had to begrudgingly sleep in the dormitory.

Ao Yu's only demand was that Yun Zhao wouldn't place the bamboo basket on the bed but instead on the desk.

He looked at the snow ferret with disdain and said coldly, "It has a scent."

The snow ferret became highly excited, squeaking, "Squeak! (No, I don't!)"

Yun Zhao buried his face in the ferret's fur and took a sniff, puzzled, "What scent? I've wiped it clean, and there's nothing."

Ao Yu sneered and hit the nail on the head, "The scent of a thief!"

Yun Zhao: "..."

Snow ferret: "Squeak..."

And so, the snow ferret reluctantly stayed at Yuming Mountain for one night. The next morning, as Yun Zhao woke up, he heard familiar laughter coming from the courtyard.

"Hehehe... little kitty... don't run away! Come here, let big sister give you a kiss!"

"Oh, there's another big kitty! So calm, are you trying to catch your sister's attention? Come here, Kitty~ don't be shy!"

The teasing from the women became increasingly excessive, interspersed with the frightened cries of the cubs. Yun Zhao involuntarily shivered with the snow ferret in his arms.

Yun Zhao placed his hand on the doorframe. Although he knew that it wasn't a ferocious beast outside, he felt that opening the door required some courage.

With a creak, the door opened.

Yun Zhao locked eyes with Immortal Fairy Xiaguang, who was holding Wu Mu and tickling his belly.

Yun Zhao forced a smile, "Good morning, Xiaguang."

Immortal Fairy Xiaguang put down Wu Mu and waved enthusiastically, "Good morning, Yun Zhao!"

Yun Zhao was about to ask her why she suddenly came to Yuming Mountain when he was taken aback by her walking towards him.

"W-what's... what's wrong?" Yun Zhao nervously asked.

"You're really here!" Immortal Fairy Xiaguang reached into Yun Zhao's arms and pulled out the snow ferret. "I've been searching for it in the Rainbow Clouds for ages!"

The snow ferret curled its two little paws against its chest and squeaked a few times. Despite its guilty and fidgety expression, its small appearance could still be considered pitiful and cute.

Yun Zhao scratched his head and asked, "Is this snow ferret yours?"

"Yes."

Immortal Fairy Xiaguang sighed, patted the snow ferret's little bottom, and said, "I wanted to keep it by my side to relieve stress, but it's mischievous and greedy. It can't stay in my arms for a moment before wanting to run away."

Yun Zhao awkwardly smiled. Considering the way she touched it,, being able to stay in her arms for half a moment was already quite an accomplishment, right?

He sat down with Xiaguang in the courtyard. After she took a sip of tea, she sighed and continued, "On that day, when you sent the biscuits over, we weren't paying attention, and the snow ferret managed to steal a few pieces. It's already greedy on regular days, but we didn't expect it to come to you."

The snow ferret guiltily lowered its head and buried it in Xiaguang's neck, shyly making a few squeaks.

Unable to resist, Xiaguang patted its bottom again and scolded, "Now you're feeling shy?"

With an apologetic look in her eyes, she said to Yun Zhao, "I've heard from Wu Mu and the others. I'm really sorry for causing you so much trouble."

The snow ferret turned around and clasped its paws together in a bow, squeaking, "Squeak, squeak, squeak (I'm sorry)..."

Yun Zhao waved his hand and said, "It's not as serious as you think. Ao Yu has already cleaned up the kitchen, and as for the jam it ate, I'll make a new batch as compensation for Wu Mu and the others."

Even though Yun Zhao said that, Immortal Fairy Xiaguang still smiled sheepishly. Then she said, "Actually, I came here with another request for you."

"What is it? Tell me," Yun Zhao replied eagerly.

Immortal Fairy Xiaguang patted the snow ferret's head and explained, "I have a lot of orders to handle, and I might not have time for the snow ferret for a long period. So, I thought of sending it to your kindergarten. I feel reassured if you take care of it. I'll come to pick it up and let it stay with me for a few days every month. How about that?" She pinched the snow ferret's paw and shook it, and the snow ferret immediately tilted its head, staring at Yun Zhao with its watery eyes.

Snow ferret: "Squeak, squeak (Please, please)..."

Yun Zhao naturally nodded, "Of course, that's not a problem."

"But..." Before the snow ferret could rejoice, it heard the gentle and good-looking young man smiling and looking at it, saying, "I will limit you to only eating sweets. It's impossible for you to indulge in food and drink here."

The snow ferret turned into stone on the spot. It seemed that this young man was not as easily fooled as it had imagined...

After everything was discussed, Yun Zhao and Xiaguang signed the contract. When the system announced congratulations on obtaining a new divine beast, the snow ferret, in his mind, Yun Zhao happily lifted the little ferret and spun around.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Wu Mu and the others sitting on the swing. He quickly took the snow ferret over and introduced, "From now on, you'll be classmates!"

Wu Mu sneered. Being classmates was fine, as long as this tea-scented noodle didn't mistake him for a window decoration and stick him on the window!

Yun Zhao probably sensed the subtle atmosphere between the cubs. He rubbed his nose as if he had his own reasons...

So he suggested, "Shall we go to the kitchen?"

Wu Mu glanced at him and said with a strange tone, "What's wrong? Are we going to make something delicious for the cutest little snow ferret of Mount Yuming?"

The pitiful snow ferret sobbed and looked up at Yun Zhao, "Squeak, squeak (Black Cat Brother seems to dislike me)..."

Yun Zhao cleared his throat and touched each of the kittens' heads, saying, "No, let's make a cake together!"

Wu Mu and Luo Xue glanced at each other. They didn't know what this young man meant by a cake, but in order not to let the new tea-scented snow ferret eat alone, they happily followed him into the kitchen.

Sun Yang went to practice in the bamboo forest, and Xuan Ming followed him to catch fish in the mountains. They would come back just in time to enjoy the freshly made small cake.

Yun Zhao spent 500 immortal stones in the system mall to buy cupcake molds and ingredients, then started arranging the tools on the stove.

The kittens and the snow ferret sat in a row by the windowsill, squinting their eyes and watching Yun Zhao's actions with great interest.

The kitchen had an abundance of bird eggs, all dug up by Wu Mu in the mountains. It was unknown whether they had become the number one enemy of all the birds in the entire mountain.

Yun Zhao separated the egg yolks and egg whites into two bowls, adding sugar, oil, and milk to the bowl with the yolks. While stirring, Yun Zhao couldn't help but feel amazed by the calories. When it came time to eat, he would have to restrain everyone's appetite a bit, or one day they might really turn into piglets.

After adding the flour, he began whisking the egg whites until they formed stiff peaks.

As Yun Zhao stirred, his arm began to ache. Just as he was about to use magic to take a shortcut, he saw the three cubs curiously staring at the bubbles in the bowl. He smiled and handed the bamboo brush used for stirring to Wu Mu.

Yun Zhao smiled and said, "Why don't you give it a try?"

The three cubs immediately gathered around the wooden bowl and started playing with the bamboo brush. After some trial and error, they actually mastered the technique. The speed of the snow ferret was so fast that it left afterimages, leaving Wu Mu and Luo Xue dumbfounded.

Seeing that the egg whites in the bowl had formed soft peaks, Yun Zhao gratefully touched their heads and thanked them, saying, "That's enough. Go sit down and rest."

The snow ferret called out a couple of times and sat down next to Wu Mu again. This time, Wu Mu didn't awkwardly avoid it.

Yun Zhao added the whipped egg whites to the egg yolks, stirring gently until well combined. He then carefully divided the mixture into the small paper cups and placed them in the oven.

When the time was about right, Yun Zhao took out the fragrant little cakes.

Wu Mu sniffed lightly and said, "It smells like bread and cookies."

"Because the ingredients are similar, but the taste is different." Yun Zhao smiled, took out the cream he bought directly from the market, and spread it on the surface of the paper cupcake using a bamboo chip. Finally, he decorated each cupcake with a fresh cherry on top.

Yun Zhao looked at the simple little cakes and reassured himself that they turned out this way for the first time, and he could refine them further in the future.

The little cubs couldn't wait any longer. Each of them took one cupcake and squatted on the windowsill, holding the paper molds in their paws and started eating.

"Hahaha, what are you guys eating?"

Bai Ze walked over from nearby and laughed, pointing at Wu Mu's face covered in cream. "Why do you look like an old man with a white beard? So silly."

"Meow!" The black cat let out a warning growl and turned away to eat.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Yun Zhao also handed one to Bai Ze and said, "Make some cupcakes to please them. Have one yourself too."

"Cupcakes?" Bai Ze curiously took a bite. It was delicate, soft, and had a rich flavor. The lingering sweetness was perfectly balanced by the slight sourness of the cherry.

Bai Ze finished it in a few mouthfuls and expressed satisfaction, "It's really delicious, just too small. It would be great if we could have them every day."

Yun Zhao smiled and said, "There is a larger version, but it's meant to be eaten on birthdays."

"Birthday?" Bai Ze tilted his head and thought for a moment before suddenly saying, "In half a month, it will be Sun Yang's birthday!"

Upon hearing these words, along with the three little ones whose faces were covered in cake, they all looked at Yun Zhao together, asking, "Can you make a huge cake?"