Chapter 29: Time Spent with Dudu

"Briar, is the noodle soup ready yet?" Logger Vick urged, looking at Briar, who was slow to appear.

"Oh, coming, coming!"

Briar, who had been sneaking mouthfuls of noodles, hurriedly shoveled the rest into a bowl and trotted over.

"Bramble, go and check on them."

"Oh, right, okay."

But as soon as Bramble opened the door, he collided head-on with the approaching Briar. The steaming hot noodles flew from the bowl and landed directly on Briar’s head. Feeling the scalding heat, Briar shrieked and scrambled about in a panic before bolting out the door.

Outside, the scuffle between Baboon and Warren was nearing its climax. Baboon kicked Warren to the ground, then leaped into the air and slammed his elbow down onto him.

"Heh, you think you can compete with me?"

Just as Baboon, full of glee, prepared to head inside to find Dudu, the cabin door suddenly burst open. Briar charged out with hot noodles still atop his head, crashing straight into Baboon.

Baboon was sent flying into the car parked in the yard. Nearby, Warren slowly rose to his feet, spat out a blade of grass, and patted his dazed head, only to see the heap of Briar and Baboon lying to the side.

"Ouch, Baboon, what is that over there?"

As Warren leaned in closer to look at Briar, his face instantly twisted in terror. "It's a bear! There's a bear! Help!" He took off as if his feet were greased, not forgetting to drag the unconscious Baboon along with him.

Inside, Su He, who had been caring for Dudu, heard the commotion and realized Baboon and Warren had been scared off by Briar. She called out to Bramble, "Bramble, go check on Briar. Who knows what kind of trouble he’s stirred up now."

"Oh, right." Bramble stepped out into the yard, found a filthy Briar cowering in a corner, shook his head in resignation, and hauled him back by the scruff of his neck.

After a long night of tending to her, Dudu’s fever finally broke, and she fell into a peaceful sleep in Su He’s arms. Bramble, Briar, and Logger Vick, exhausted, slumped against each other to rest.

By early morning, Logger Vick felt something soft and wet rubbing against his face, accompanied by a muffled voice in his ear: "Honey... I want honey..."

Logger Vick snapped awake, looked up, and saw Briar hugging him, licking his bald head with a giant tongue. "Briar, let go of me!"

He kicked Briar aside and began frantically wiping his face and scalp. Briar, having fully woken up, realized what he had done; his expression was as sour as if he’d eaten something foul.

"Hey, what are you two doing? Don't you realize you'll wake Dudu?"

"Wait, where's Dudu?" Logger Vick noticed the bed was empty.

"Brother Vick, Dudu is with me," Su He said, popping her head up from the sofa where she was cradling the toddler.

Seeing Dudu playing happily in Su He’s arms, everyone felt at ease. Briar took Dudu from her, spun around joyfully, and announced, "Since Dudu is better, let's take her out to play!"

Logger Vick was speechless. "I really can't do anything with you. Is Dudu the one who wants to play, or is it just you?"

"Come on, Brother Vick, can't you see how happy she is? Let's go, let's go!" Su He pushed Logger Vick toward the door.

In the yard, Baboon and Warren, battered from the night before, were still lingering by the gate, unwilling to give up.

"Warren, what are you staring at? Go on!"

"Why don't you go yourself? Let's just go together this time." As Warren pulled at Baboon, the door suddenly swung open, slamming them both against the walls.

Briar ran out, beaming as he held Dudu. "Time to play!"

Bramble, Logger Vick, and Su He followed. As Su He stepped out, she gave the two doors a firm shove.

Baboon and Warren weren't having such a good time; especially Warren, who—due to his large head—had his teeth knocked loose by the force of the slamming door.

Deep in the forest, Briar tapped on a drum, Bramble rattled an instrument, and Su He ran wildly, lifting Dudu high into the air. She turned to Logger Vick. "Brother Vick, why are you just standing there? Come play with us!"

Logger Vick was lost in thought, imagining a flying machine that could take Dudu into the clouds to experience the freedom of the sky. Hearing Su He, he snapped back to reality. "Oh, coming!"

And so, they skated over mountains, waded through streams, and when night fell, they rowed a boat in the middle of the lake, admiring the beauty of the night sky.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, Baboon and Warren sat in a police car, speaking respectfully to a figure on a monitor.

"Boss, we failed again."

"What? You can't even handle two people? Were you raised on garbage?"

Warren bared his gap-toothed grin, his face filled with dread. "They aren't ordinary people, boss! They have two bears as pets! Look at my teeth—they hit me so hard I can hold a cigarette in the gap now!"

"Enough! I don't want to hear any more excuses. You can't even handle such a small task."

The boss on the screen took a puff of his cigar and waved at a masked figure in yellow clothing standing behind him. "Move out."

The summer sun blazed. Over the next few days, the group spent every moment by Dudu’s side. Logger Vick spent his spare time tinkering with his flying machine, but every test flight ended in him face-planting into the dirt, much to the mockery of Bramble and Briar.

"Logger Vick, stop messing with that machine! You’d be better off spending time with Dudu."

"Ha! You two simpletons wouldn't understand. My brain is far too advanced for you. As they say, failure is the mother of success! Once I succeed, you'll be looking up at me and Dudu from the ground!" He turned to Su He, who was amusing Dudu. "Xiao He, should I add an extra seat so you can come up and fly with us?"

Su He pondered for a moment before agreeing. "Well, that would be a trouble for you, Brother Vick."

"Small matter, no need to be polite!"

After countless failures and adjustments, Logger Vick finally crafted a flying machine that could seat three. On a clear day, they prepared for the test flight.

They gathered in an open clearing. Bramble and Briar waved small flags. "Logger Vick, ready!"