Little Family Treasure of the Apocalyptic Boss

Chapter 20: Health

Ye Ze placed the two large white eggs in the storage room and led the little snake sub-beast to the shop recommended by Jiang Yi Chen.

“Welcome to the Fantasy Pet Store~!” A young boy with fox ears and tail swiftly passed by the cat girl ahead and rushed forward, warmly greeting the two.

Then, he flashed a cute smile at the little snake sub-beast. “May I ask, what does this handsome little brother need?”

As the stranger approached, the little snake sub-beast instinctively hid behind Ye Ze. But upon seeing the delicate and polite little boy who greeted him, he grabbed Ye Ze’s clothes and peeked his head out from behind him.

It felt like the little boy’s eyes were not looking at him, but at a pile of chicken wings?

What a strange illusion.

The little snake sub-beast shook his head to clear the inexplicable thought from their mind. He looked up, casting a pleading look at Ye Ze.

Nuo Nuo also didn’t know why Ye Ze brought him here.

There was no way to answer the adorable child’s question.

Ye Ze softened at the sight of the little snake sub-beast’s gaze. “We’re here for a health check-up for him. And then, we want to customize a set of clothes to protect his tail.”

“Sure thing!” The little fox blinked, not correcting the strange term “health check-up,” as if it were the correct way to express a physical health examination.

With great solemnity, he took out a small notebook, recording while introducing, “Please follow me, gentlemen. Let’s go to Sister Bing Can first, record the measurements of the handsome little brother, and confirm the materials and performance desired. You can receive a handmade custom-made outfit in about a day.”

“Of course, if the big brother wants it faster, you can choose machine production. Order now, and it’s immediately available, with quality guaranteed~!”

The little fox led the two into the tailoring room.

“What color does Nuo Nuo want for the clothes?” Ye Ze roughly scanned the room’s samples and nodded in satisfaction.

“Huh? For the tail?” The little snake sub-beast looked down at his tail, wrinkling his face in thought. He tugged at Ye Ze’s clothes and whispered super softly, “Can I, um, not have clothes for the tail?”

Just like no humans would intentionally alter their human forms. The little snake sub-beast, who had a tail, also cherished his tail.

The little snake sub-beast dreamed that if one day, he could truly be with a person who didn’t mind his body, then he had to work hard to show his best side to that person.

Obviously, the tail was also an important part!

Ye Ze was slightly stunned by this unexpected answer.

Although he was always carefree when working and faced discrimination from the tribe because of his tail, Ye Ze could perceive that the little snake sub-beast cherished his tail very much.

Just like how, no matter how hard life gets, the little snake sub-beast still tries to live as best as he can, as refined as possible.

“Is it not good to have clothes to protect your tail from harm?” Ye Ze softened his voice, asking more gently than usual.

This is the first time the little snake sub-beast has expressed opposition to him, which is a very good sign. It shows that the little snake sub-beast is beginning to be willing to express his own thoughts to him, rather than simply passively accepting his arrangements.

Ye Ze attaches great importance to this communication.

When the little snake sub-beast noticed that Ye Ze not only didn’t get angry but also showed a concerned expression, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but also felt a little guilty and embarrassed.

“It’s not bad.” The little snake sub-beast shook his head. “But it will cover up my tail.”

He wouldn’t be able to show himself to the person he liked.

The seemingly naive little snake sub-beast actually had his own cute and pure thoughts.

Ye Ze vaguely sensed the problem. For a moment, he felt like laughing, but also felt a strange sense of relief, like “the child has grown up.”

“We can customize transparent clothes, just like the warm blankets we bought before. This way, it can protect Nuo Nuo’s tail without covering its original color.”

“Yes indeed~.” The little fox timely inserted an introduction. With watery eyes, gentle half-drooped ears, and a soft, white tail swaying along, it was the dedicated form for a cub to act cute. “We have materials that feel like skin. After wearing them, it will fit just like your own skin. If you customize it to be thin, it definitely won’t make the little brother’s tail feel uncomfortable.”

The little snake sub-beast was charmed by the cub’s cuteness. Just because of the cub’s eager gaze, he wanted to nod and buy the clothes to fulfill the cub’s wish.

But no, he was spending Ye Zi’s money. He couldn’t be so willful!

The little voice of conscience in his heart shook its head firmly, resisting the impulse to spoil the cub.

Seeing that the little snake sub-beast clearly showed signs of being moved, Ye Ze seized the opportunity. He bent down, met the little snake sub-beast’s gaze, and smiled as he rubbed his head. “Let’s order one first and let Nuo Nuo try it on when we get back. If Nuo Nuo likes it, we can come back to buy more clothes for changing, okay?”

The little snake sub-beast met those eyes, which were even more beautiful than black gems, and instantly surrendered.

Ye Ze happily placed the order.

Handmade. Ready tomorrow.

The little fox’s ears twitched.

It seemed that recommending practical items for the little brother to the big brother was more effective than selling them directly to the big brother!

The little fox seized the weakness of the new customers and bounced happily as he led the two to the medical room.

“Here we are. If you have any doubts about nutritional care, you can ask Doctor Crane.”

The little fox pushed the door open for the two. After they entered, he considerately closed it behind them and quietly waited outside.

The big brother clearly didn’t want people to know about the little brother’s situation. He’d better not go in.

Ye Ze was very satisfied with the service here.

After reassuring the somewhat nervous little snake sub-beast, he led him through each examination.

While the little snake sub-beast was soaking in the nourishing solution, he approached Doctor Crane. “Thank you for your cooperation.”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t know how to distract the little snake sub-beast to listen to medical advice.

“It’s okay.” Dr. Crane smiled kindly and handed the neatly arranged data booklet to Ye Ze. “This child’s physique is surprisingly excellent, and his body is very healthy. The only downside is perhaps some nutritional deficiencies. But looking at the data, there has been good improvement recently. So, you don’t need to worry, the little one doesn’t have any issues.”

Ye Ze roughly flipped through the report content, feeling somewhat surprised. After pondering for a moment, he asked, “I heard from Nuo Nuo that in his world, at this age, sub-beasts can freely transform into fully humanoid forms. But Nuo Nuo still only has the form of a tail until now. Will it really not affect his body?”

Dr. Crane adjusted his glasses. “If you’re worried about this, I can assure you that, at least up to now, this state is completely normal for him. As for any future changes, it will require regular check-ups. But regardless, from the examination results, none of them will affect his physical health.”

“Of course, if you wish for him to change his legs sooner, there are medications…”

“No need.” Ye Ze firmly refused.

Since it was a normal and healthy state, using medication would imply that there was something wrong with the little snake sub-beast’s tail, wouldn’t it? Ye Ze absolutely wouldn’t do such a thing.

“However, at an appropriate time,” such as when the little snake sub-beast was no longer so sensitive and insecure, “I will ask Nuo Nuo for his own thoughts.” Ye Ze requested solemnly, “During this time, please pay more attention to him.”

It’s hard to imagine a domineering ruler-type character being so humble.

The little one has encountered quite a decent person.

—At least for the little one himself, that’s how it is.

“Don’t worry, this is our duty. I will establish a file for the little one and keep an eye on him at all times.” Dr. Crane smiled and nodded.

With Dr. Crane’s affirmation, Ye Ze was relieved to leave. He took the little snake sub-beast out of the nutrient solution.

“How do you feel? Do you feel comfortable?” Ye Ze pinched the increasingly smooth cheeks of the little snake sub-beast, smiling as he asked.

“Um, it feels like I’ve had a very, very comfortable sleep. When I woke up, my whole body felt energized!” The little snake sub-beast raised his arm, holding a fist to show that he was now full of energy.

Ye Ze chuckled. He lightly touched the little snake sub-beast’s head with the test results in his hand. “You do seem spirited. But Dr. Crane said you have nutritional deficiencies, so you need to eat well in the future, okay?”

Especially you can’t refuse those good things I feed you.

“And what about my, my tail?” Waiting for a while without hearing the continuation, the little snake sub-beast blinked anxiously.

Ye Ze sighed inwardly. He gently rubbed the little snake sub-beast’s head. “Nuo Nuo’s tail is completely normal! It’s not a disease or mutation, Nuo Nuo is very healthy!”

Every word Ye Ze said was unusually firm.

As if invisibly giving some kind of strength.

Hearing this, the little snake sub-beast drooped their little head somewhat dejectedly. But upon hearing those affirmations behind, he felt a bit of indescribable comfort in his heart. His whole body felt warm and cozy, even more so than when soaking in the nutrient solution.

He’s normal.

Just very special.

That’s all.

After returning from Dr. Crane’s place, Ye Ze felt that something had changed in the little snake sub-beast.

He used to be like a warm little sun.

Now he’s become even more radiant and bright.

Together with the little snake sub-beast, Ye Ze turned over the newly arrived goose eggs.

According to the incubator display, there were still about two days left before two new members would be added to the cave.

Ye Ze watched as the little snake sub-beast carefully took care of the goose eggs. Someone who used to never pay attention to such things unexpectedly showed anticipation for the first time about the birth of the two geese they were preparing to eat.

—However, judging by how the little snake sub-beast is now concerned about the goose eggs, those two geese probably won’t be eaten.

Ye Ze thought, unable to help but chuckle.

His gaze followed the departing little snake sub-beast, landing on the bright light at the mouth of the cave, his expression soft.

The cruelty and darkness of the apocalypse, the intrigue and manipulation, they truly were all in the past.

“Huh?” Walking out of the cave under Ye Ze’s gaze, the little snake sub-beast looked at the small mound raised at the edge of the field, tilting his head in confusion.

Then he saw a more conspicuous creature, resembling a groundhog, pop out of the conspicuous mound.

Seeing that it not only didn’t run away but instead stayed in place, was it scared silly?

The little snake sub-beast’s eyes lit up, stealthily approaching. Bending down, they reached out and successfully picked up the “groundhog”. They became ecstatic, radiating with joy.

“Ye Zi, Ye Zi!” The little snake sub-beast exclaimed excitedly, holding the groundhog high in front of them as they returned to the cave. “Look! There’s a silly food delivered right to our door!”

“???”

Ye Ze was dumbfounded by the sight of the little snake sub-beast welcoming the groundhog.