Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Adding to the Family
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Outside Mountain Sea Village, on a rural dirt road.
A yellow and a gray figure were in the lead, their steps lively, running and walking, occasionally running back a bit, wagging their tails, their joyful demeanor evident.
Behind them, Ling Yi and Zhang Lei walked side by side, their pace light and steady.
Ling Yi was empty-handed, his gaze not fixed on the path ahead but wandering around, surveying the vast expanse of Blue Silver Grass with a sense of satisfaction.
Most of these plants, aside from a few that had been there originally, were the result of the seeds of Blue Silver Grass that Ling Yi and Zhang Lei had scattered over the past two years while playing around Mountain Sea Village.
If one were to look down from the sky, they would see that the entire village was now surrounded by Blue Silver Grass, enveloped in a sea of blue, like an island in the ocean.
Before long, the two returned to the Ling Family's courtyard.
As soon as they entered the gate, they heard a loud cry. They exchanged glances, and Zhang Lei, holding two live rabbits and three dead pheasants, silently headed towards the kitchen.
Ling Yi glanced at Zhang Lei's back, shook his head, and, with Ah Huang and Miaomiao circling around him, walked towards the main house.
Before he even reached the door, another cry joined the first, the two cries overlapping like a duet, making one's head buzz.
With a calm expression, Ling Yi walked in. The interior was slightly darker and more soothing than the outside, and a bit cooler. He squinted his eyes to adjust to the change in light and saw two figures sitting at the center of the room, by a square table.
Or rather, four figures, two large and two small.
"Xiao Yi is back~" Mother Zhang Xiaoyu, who had looked somewhat troubled, immediately relaxed and said, "Come and see, what's wrong with your brother—"
As she spoke, she extended the small infant in her arms towards Ling Yi.
"And this little one~" Aunt Ling He, holding the other infant, stood up, gently rocking him as she spoke.
Ling Shan, born in early spring, was now almost seven months old, Ling Yi's younger brother.
Zhang Xin, born in the depths of winter last year, was about to turn ten months old, Zhang Lei's younger brother.
Without waiting for the two mothers to move, Ling Yi took quick steps to their side and gently reached out to the faces of the two infants.
His movements were gentle, and his demeanor calm and serene.
His index and middle fingers of both hands slightly bent, he lightly scraped the backs of his fingers against the tender cheeks of the two infants.
Miraculously, as Ling Yi touched them, the two infants, who had been crying incessantly, gradually quieted down until they stopped, pouting and looking uncomfortable.
After a close observation for a few moments, Ling Yi's eyes flickered. He tugged at the old thin blanket under Zhang Xin in Aunt Ling He's arms and said, "Aunt, you've tied the blanket too tightly. Little Xin's feet are uncomfortable—"
Ling He realized, "That's why this little guy has been kicking his legs so much today—"
Then, Ling Yi withdrew his left hand, extended both hands, and took his brother Ling Shan from Mother Zhang Xiaoyu. He held Ling Shan horizontally with his left hand, loosened the thin blanket in front of him, and gently placed his palm on the infant's stomach, massaging it lightly.
After a few moments, the infant opened his mouth and let out a burp, his previously wrinkled face relaxing.
"All done~" Ling Yi handed Ling Shan back to Mother Zhang Xiaoyu and said, "Little Shan was bloated from drinking milk. He's fine now~"
"Next time, pay attention to how you hold him while feeding, and make sure his tummy stays warm..."
Ling Yi patiently and meticulously advised the two nursing mothers.
Although the two had sons as old as Ling Yi and Zhang Lei, they were still young village women in their early twenties, and their knowledge of infant care was limited to feeding, bathing, soothing, and changing diapers.
Most of the time, when an infant cried, their first reaction was to feed the child and check if they needed a diaper change. If the child didn't eat and the diaper was dry, they would start to troubleshoot the cause.
Often, before they could figure it out, the child would stop crying on their own.
Living in the countryside, even nursing mothers had little time to care for newborns, focusing their energy on farming to provide for their families.
Zhang Lei's early childhood had been like this.
And compared to infants in other villages, Zhang Lei had received more care.
As for Ling Yi, according to Uncle Zhang Dahé, he was the most obedient and worry-free child in the area, perhaps the only one in recent years.
...
At noon, Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahé returned one after the other. One had a machete at his waist and a bundle of firewood on his back, while the other carried a fish basket.
Ling Yi: "Dad~"
Zhang Lei: "Dad—!"
The two children greeted their fathers, their faces instinctively breaking into smiles.
"Dad~" Ling Yi glanced at the firewood on Ling Xiaoshan's back and said, "You went to the Old Forest?"
"Yeah~" Ling Xiaoshan nodded, picked up Ling Yi, and continued walking towards the courtyard, saying, "I noticed we were running low on firewood yesterday, and there wasn't much to do in the fields this morning, so I went to the Old Forest to get some—"
"Uncle~" Zhang Lei, held in Zhang Dahé's arms, turned his gaze from the fish basket on his father's shoulder to Ling Xiaoshan and said, "You went to the Old Forest too? If I had known, I would have gone with Ah Yi..."
"Oh?"
Hearing this, Zhang Dahé raised an eyebrow and asked, "So, you two little rascals went to the Old Forest this morning?"
Hearing Zhang Dahé's neutral tone, Zhang Lei shrank his neck and muttered, "We... we only went around the edge, we didn't go inside..."
"You two,"
Ling Xiaoshan frowned, shifted his gaze from Zhang Lei to Ling Yi in his arms, and said in a lower voice, "The Old Forest is very dangerous. There are Dirt Dog Snakes, Large Flower Spiders, Black Star Scorpions, and deeper in, there are wolves, wild boars, and leopards..."
"If you encounter those dangerous creatures, even we adults would have a hard time dealing with them, let alone you two little ones!"
"Dad~ Uncle~"
Ling Yi understood his father's and uncle's concern, pursed his lips, and said softly, "We know. We only went around the edge, the outer edge. We didn't go inside."
"Also,"
Ling Yi paused, looked at the cat and dog that had somehow appeared at their feet, and continued, "We have Ah Huang and Miaomiao with us—"
Hearing this, Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahé also looked down at the yellow dog and gray cat at their feet. The words they were about to say to scold the children were swallowed back.
There was no denying that Ah Huang, now two and a half years old, was quite robust, comparable to the wild wolves sold by hunters to wealthy families and taverns in Beikouhe Town years ago.
Miaomiao, the same age as Ah Huang, though smaller in size, had a streamlined body and agile movements, resembling a small leopard.
With these two protectors, their strength and alertness were enough to ensure the safety of Ling Yi and Zhang Lei in the outer few miles of the Old Forest.
"Alright~"
Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahé exchanged glances and nodded helplessly.
There was no denying that Zhang Lei, who was six and about to undergo the Soul Power Awakening Ceremony, would soon have his own martial soul and a certain degree of independence.
Even Ling Yi, though always obedient, had a clear mind and a plethora of imaginative yet convincing ideas.
As the two fathers conversed, the two women of the house had already prepared the meal and were calling everyone to come in and eat.
Life conditions had improved several times over. With Ling Yi and Zhang Lei now able to take care of themselves, and Ling Shan and Zhang Xin approaching their first birthdays, both families were considering having a third child.
It was clear that in the future, the Ling and Zhang families would be prosperous and thriving!
(End of Chapter)