Although Shen Xiaoming called Wu Yong "brother," Wu Yong did not dare to be presumptuous, still addressing Shen Xiaoming as "young master," albeit in a more affectionate tone.
Shen Xiaoming had already reassured Wu Yong. Wu Yong was not a coward, and had merely been startled by the sudden sight. Now, he felt a bit more at ease.
However, Wu Yong was still apprehensive about being in such close proximity to two spotted leopards.
He placed the wooden box containing various trinkets and snacks on the table and opened it, letting Shen Xiaoming look at each item.
Afterward, he said he was going to check on his young master, because he had already heard from Shen Xiaoming that there was another spotted leopard in the residence. If it were to harm the young master, he would be in serious trouble.
Shen Xiaoming closed the wooden box again, stood up, and put on his thick clothes, then walked out with Wu Yong.
The few animals saw the two of them leave one after another and slowly followed.
The two people and six animals made quite a procession as they walked, but unfortunately, no one was there to see it.
However, as they turned the corner towards the main house, they saw Lu Taobao hurrying back from the side courtyard.
Shen Xiaoming saw him, called out a greeting loudly, and then stopped to wait for Lu Taobao to approach.
Lu Taobao's mind was filled with Shen Xiaoyan's words about the three spotted leopards, and he didn't hear Shen Xiaoming's greeting.
He was walking quickly and didn't react much as he passed Shen Xiaoming. But after a few more steps, he stopped abruptly.
In front of him, two tall and imposing spotted leopards were lying across the ground, completely blocking his path.
"Ah..."
Lu Taobao, almost instinctively, before his mind had even fully processed what was happening, let out a scream that echoed throughout the entire residence.
Zheng Wei, hearing Lu Taobao's cry from the kitchen, dashed towards the main courtyard. Shen Xiaoyan also quickly put down what he was holding and ran after him.
It took them just over ten seconds to reach Shen Xiaoming.
The scene before them left them with a mixture of amusement and distress.
Lu Taobao, having been thoroughly frightened, lost his footing and fell forward, landing directly on the two spotted leopards.
Because of their soft fur and bodies, Lu Taobao was not injured at all, though he was still a little scared.
A few seconds later, when he realized what he was lying on, he felt himself being held.
Lu Taobao looked back and saw that Hua Diandian had run over and was now lying on his back, breathing hot air that sprayed onto his face and neck.
Zheng Wei strode forward, and Wu Yong, walking alongside him, helped Lu Taobao up from either side, asking, "Taobao, are you alright?"
Lu Taobao grinned, his smile looking more like a grimace, "I'm fine."
Seeing that there was no real harm done, Shen Xiaoyan turned and went back to the kitchen. Wu Yong and Shen Xiaoming also followed to help.
Zheng Wei, however, helped Lu Taobao back to the main house. As they entered the study, Lu Taobao collapsed onto the heated bed.
"My dear brother, why did you bring these three creatures into the house?" Lu Taobao closed his eyes, his face full of helplessness.
"What's wrong? Don't you think spotted leopards make excellent guard animals?" Zheng Wei sat on a wooden chair and looked at Lu Taobao.
"Are the two hunting dogs I got you not enough?" Lu Taobao's eyes snapped open upon hearing Zheng Wei's words, and he said indignantly.
Zheng Wei saw his reaction and knew he was just scared, so he recounted the story of how he brought the spotted leopards back.
Indeed, after Lu Taobao heard the story, his eyes lit up, and all his fear was forgotten. "Brother, what about the bear hide?"
Zheng Wei stood up and led him towards the inner room, saying, "Come and see."
Lu Taobao hesitated for a moment, but then followed.
Normally, the inner room was Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoyan's bedroom, and he shouldn't go in. But Shen Xiaoyan wasn't there, and Zheng Wei was leading him, and most importantly, he really wanted to see the hide. So, he didn't care and followed him in.
The last time Lu Taobao had been in this room was when it was first built. At that time, the room was bare, and there wasn't even a window.
But now, not only was there various furniture, but there was also a curtained canopy on the heated bed by the window. The canopy had three layers, all in light purple.
At the top of the heated bed, iron nails were hammered into each corner, connected to ropes, which were then wrapped in cloth.
The four curtains were directly tied to the ropes. The three curtains against the wall were shorter, just reaching the edge of the heated bed.
The last curtain, the one against the ground, hung all the way to the floor.
It was daytime, so the curtains were pulled open from the middle and tied back on both sides.
Lu Taobao didn't want to look around the room too much, but he did notice the canopy on the heated bed with some curiosity. Just as he was about to look away, he saw a black hide spread out on the heated bed.
The surface of the hide was smooth and shiny, and the black fur was very soft, giving a feeling of warmth.
"This is that old bear hide."
Indeed, Zheng Wei walked to the edge of the bed and pointed to the hide, saying to Lu Taobao.
Lu Taobao's eyes gleamed, and he quickly walked forward, reaching out to feel the hide for a moment before withdrawing his hand.
He had been following his father in business since he was young and had traveled extensively, seeing many fine things. However, this hide was something he considered a rare treasure.
Even so, no matter how good something was, if it belonged to Zheng Wei, he would never ask for it. So, he said, "This hide is indeed excellent, and large enough to be very warm to sleep under. Brother, you are very lucky."
Zheng Wei knew what kind of person Lu Taobao was and knew his words were sincere, without any trace of envy. He smiled and said, "This was indeed luck. If I encounter one again in the mountains, I'll get one like this for you too."
Lu Taobao was deeply grateful upon hearing this.
However, as they spoke, both of them knew it wasn't that easy. It wasn't easy to encounter such a large bear, and even if they did, they might not be able to successfully kill it and bring back the hide.
They walked out together and sat on the heated bed in the study, talking.
"Oh, Brother, where did you put the bear paws? And the bear meat?" Lu Taobao suddenly remembered. The hide was not usable, but surely they could eat some of the meat? Such a large bear, and there were only three of them, they couldn't possibly eat it all.
"There are two bear paws left, I can give them to you to take away later. As for the bear meat, you can forget about it. It's for those three spotted leopards, and they've almost eaten it all," Zheng Wei said calmly.
Lu Taobao's spirits immediately sank upon hearing this and he dropped the matter.
A short while later, Wu Yong entered with a small stove and placed it on the heated table, then turned and left.
Zheng Wei and Lu Taobao stood up, ready to go out and help. Before they could leave the room, they saw Shen Xiaoyan entering with a wooden tray. On the tray were several dishes and tofu. Behind him was Shen Xiaoming, also carrying a wooden tray with some dipping sauce, bowls, chopsticks, and spoons.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Zheng Wei and said, "I've already prepared the soup base. You just need to bring it."
Zheng Wei agreed, and he and Lu Taobao walked out together.