Although it wasn’t as luxurious as a proper bath, Yan Qing hadn’t washed properly in the days since she arrived in this world—just wiped herself down briefly. Even this simple wash made her feel an unprecedented sense of lightness.
She dried her hair and applied some skincare products.
The sky had darkened. “The days are getting longer,” she murmured to herself.
The pork bones in the pot had simmered into a milky white broth. She brought out her copper pot, lit a few pieces of charcoal, poured the broth inside, and added the hotpot base.
On a small tea table, she laid out cleaned vegetables, rolled meat, and hotpot balls. She prepared dipping bowls with sesame paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and chive sauce.
Then she began eating. A bite of meat, a bite of vegetables, and a sip of the pork bone marrow—it was exquisite.
Using some of the pork broth, she cooked soft noodles for the cubs’ bowls. At first, the two little bears sniffed curiously, then tentatively licked the food. Once they tasted it, they eagerly buried their heads in the bowls, dripping broth everywhere.
Yan Qing couldn’t help laughing as she picked up the cubs and wiped them clean.
Before this, due to her busy work life, she had never had the chance to raise pets like cats or dogs. Now, with these two bears, she finally got a taste of being a caring “pet owner” in this strange world.
The cubs were growing quickly. From the beginning—eat, sleep, sleep, eat—they were now able to wobble a few steps after eating. Yan Qing finally felt the sensation of being a protective mother.
After playing with the cubs for a while, she took her kitchen and toiletries to the creek for a wash.
“It looks like I need a lamp by the creek; otherwise, it’s too dark at night,” she said, looking at the pitch-black path.
“And I need to redirect the water closer; walking this far every time isn’t practical.”
She moved the fire to the cave entrance, carried the cubs into the bedroom, turned on the camping light, and changed into pajamas.
Lying comfortably on the bed, she stretched. The bed was heavenly after days of sleeping on tents that left her back sore. She ignored the cubs’ soft whimpers and slept the most comfortable sleep since arriving in this world.
But morning came with a surprise:
“Ahhhh! Bear One! Bear Two! You stinky bears! You pooped inside the room—what the hell!”
Yan Qing had just gotten out of bed when she smelled the foul odor. Seeing the piles of bear poop on the floor, she immediately panicked. She scooped up one cub in her arms and tossed it near the cave entrance.
She went straight to clean the room. As a professional “pet owner,” there was no skipping this part.
At this moment, she thought bitterly, “Why didn’t I think to stock up on cat litter when I was gathering supplies?”
Back then, she hadn’t imagined needing anything like this—everything seemed unnecessary. But here, in this world, she realized she needed everything.
However, memories from her childhood gave her hope. At her grandparents’ house, she had been taught to train cats and dogs to go in fixed spots. Maybe she could teach these little bears the same.
She wiped the floors and sprayed air freshener.
When she stepped outside, she saw the cubs sprawled across the grass. In just a few days, they had gained a noticeable amount of weight—they were already about the size of a small Teddy dog.