Wanderer of the Zerg

Chapter 82: Egg

Time flies, and three years passed in the blink of an eye.

Their home hadn’t changed much; it was still clean and tidy.

Every May, Xi Tian and Ellis would visit Grandpa Lance’s family on the Wood Tower planet, and this year was no exception.

They had just returned from Lance’s home, and Xi Tian was still fiddling with the small paper boat in his hand.

Svet, who was unmarried back then, was now a dad. His young cub had just turned two this year. Xi Tian had folded a small paper boat for the cub, and in return, the little one gave it back to him, saying in a sweet voice, “Brother is nice, so this is for you.”

This amused all the adults present.

Xi Tian always liked children, and in the past two years, he had matured a lot and was mentally prepared to become a father.

They had not used contraceptives for two years, but there had been no sign of a child.

At first, he wanted a child but feared he couldn’t raise one well.

Now, even though he was ready, the child still hadn’t come.

Sometimes he would joke with his friends about it, saying that having a child was something that couldn’t be forced.

Liang An would laugh at him, saying, “You should learn from me and be mentally prepared for the possibility of not having children.”

Life without children was still fulfilling.

They would come home from work, buy groceries, cook dinner or make desserts, share funny stories from the day, talk about the books they were reading or shows they were watching, sometimes watch movies, invite friends or colleagues over for a meal, or take spontaneous trips whenever they felt like it.

They were free and unrestrained.

Still, occasionally, he would wish for a small child running around, calling him “Father.”

But having a child wasn’t a mandatory part of marriage and family. Having a child would be icing on the cake, and not having one wasn’t a flaw.

Ellis always prioritized his wishes, and Xi Tian knew this.

However, Xi Tian didn’t want this “wish” to become a “must-have standard” in Ellis’s heart.

Love is about careful restraint, not commands and demands.

He liked the natural, relaxed, and charming Ellis he had now.

The sound of vomiting came from the bathroom again.

Xi Tian folded the small paper boat and put it into the drawer.

Ellis had been like this on and off for almost ten days. It started at Lance’s house and continued after they returned to Zerg Star. It couldn’t just be a matter of not adapting to the environment after three years.

Having spent a thousand days and nights together, Xi Tian noticed Ellis’s loss of appetite on the first day, but after living together for so long, if it were a minor issue, Ellis could handle it himself without needing help.

However, this time, Ellis clearly wasn’t doing well. Perhaps his stomach problems had flared up again, and he was trying to tough it out on his own.

Xi Tian pushed open the bathroom door and saw Ellis rinsing his mouth.

“I’ll make an appointment with the doctor. You should get checked out,” Xi Tian said, taking a towel from the rack and handing it to Ellis.

“There’s no need.”

The journey back home had been exhausting, and Ellis looked a bit worn out, but he seemed energized and radiant.

Ellis took the towel but didn’t use it, a smile on his face. “Xi Tian, do you really not know?”

“Know what?”

Xi Tian helped tuck Ellis’s disheveled hair behind his ear. Over time, Ellis’s long, light brown hair had grown out, revealing a natural curl that looked very attractive.

Ellis pulled Xi Tian’s hand and placed it on his stomach. His slow-witted mate!

Xi Tian’s expression shifted from confusion to surprise, and then to sheer joy.

“Is it really what I think it is?!”

His hand, which had been resting on Ellis’s stomach, suddenly withdrew as if he’d touched a hot surface, but he couldn’t resist reaching out again.

Ellis nodded with a laugh.

Xi Tian’s reaction was as if Ellis’s stomach contained a ticking time bomb rather than a growing embryo.

Xi Tian stammered, unable to form words. He stepped closer, wanting to hug Ellis but stopped as he looked at his stomach, his outstretched arms falling dejectedly. It was Ellis who pulled him into a tight embrace.

“We’re going to have a baby,” Xi Tian whispered softly into Ellis’s ear.

“The doctor says it’s been a month and a half already,” Ellis said, unable to hide his joy.

His mate’s anticipation for a child was so evident on his face, yet he had never shown any sign of impatience, not even a word of envy when seeing other people’s children.

He was almost 29 years old, and among his peers who were married, their young ones were already attending kindergarten. Some had even laid their second egg, while he had nothing to show for it. Leif, who had already married, once asked him, “Your mate is 27, right? You’ve been married for so long without children. Aren’t you afraid he’ll lose interest and marry someone else?”

At first, Leif’s words made him cautious for several days. However, he soon realized that his mate was more worried than he was, constantly fearing something might happen to him.

His mate was truly gentle and considerate.

He couldn’t understand the discussions in forums about how married people said their romantic fantasies about love had been shattered and their good impressions of their partners had faded.

He still adored his mate, and his feelings for him deepened day by day.

At the last class reunion, his classmates said, “You’ve become more charming than before. You haven’t lost your youthful sharpness, but family life has added a touch of tenderness.”

How could he not love him?

Xi Tian bent down, and before Ellis could react, he carried him back to the bedroom and placed him on the bed.

“You secretly went for a check-up. When was this? Why didn’t you tell me?”

Xi Tian’s rationality began to return, and he realized he needed to question Ellis.

“It was supposed to be a surprise,” Ellis said, wrapping his arms around Xi Tian’s neck, avoiding his gaze, and speaking softly.

Last month, after a physical exam in the military, the doctor congratulated him. However, Xi Tian was busy preparing to visit his grandfather, so Ellis decided not to delay his trip and kept the news to himself. As a result, he didn’t mention it for a month. If it weren’t for the pregnancy symptoms, he would have almost forgotten.

Admittedly, he was a bit careless.

“Cute gestures won’t work!” Xi Tian stared at Ellis, not allowing his gaze to wander. “You didn’t tell me, and the pregnancy is still early. What if something happened due to bumps or accidents?”

“There won’t be any problems. I know what I’m doing!”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise!” Ellis quickly made a pledge. He had reduced his workload because of the pregnancy and wouldn’t joke around with their child’s safety.

“Most people grow more mature with age. How have you grown three years older and become even more childish?”

Xi Tian tapped his forehead with his fingers.

Ellis pulled Xi Tian down for a kiss. “Maybe it’s because you’ve spoiled me.”

“I haven’t spoiled you!” Xi Tian said, softening his movements as he lay beside Ellis, gently stroking his mate’s belly.

It was their child, a fusion of their bloodlines, and in the future, the little one would call him father—a small, soft little being.

Just thinking about it made his heart swell with emotions, almost overflowing.

“Whatever you say, darling,” Ellis laughed, lying in Xi Tian’s embrace, listening to his heartbeat.

Two and a half months later, Ellis, who wasn’t yet showing, gave birth to an Zerg egg in the hospital’s delivery room.

The pain of childbirth left him feeling as though his hair had been washed with water. Yet, he gritted his teeth and followed the doctor’s instructions, determined not to cry out.

For Zergs, the female pelvis is narrower than that of the sub-females. Although the Zerg egg is smaller, it still brought considerable suffering.

Xi Tian was right by his side during the delivery. When Ellis couldn’t hold back any longer, he hummed softly, turning his face away, not wanting Xi Tian to see his expression.

Xi Tian had done his homework thoroughly beforehand, fully communicating with the doctors and understanding the potential situations during childbirth. Although he was initially a bit flustered, he quickly found his rhythm, encouraging and comforting the exhausted female, guiding him through the birthing breathing techniques.

With the doctor’s declaration of “It’s done,” Ellis finally relaxed, breathing weakly and heavily. He had used up all his strength and didn’t know how he had managed to persevere.

A young nurse announced, “It’s a female,” and brought the egg to Ellis for him to see.

The egg’s shell had intricate patterns, indicating it would be a female hatchling.

The nurse then quickly placed the egg in a prepared cradle and left the delivery room to take it to the incubation room.

Another nurse covered Ellis with a blanket and hooked him up to an IV drip, needing to stay in the delivery room for two hours to monitor bleeding.

Ellis anxiously looked around for Xi Tian’s figure. His mate had disappeared. He felt utterly exhausted. Where had his mate gone?

Could it be that he was dissatisfied that the egg was a female?

No, that couldn’t be. His mate had said long ago that he would love the child regardless of gender.

Just as he was about to succumb to his chaotic thoughts, Xi Tian reappeared, wiping his sweat with a warm, damp cloth.

“Disinfectant wipes are very cold, so I went out and warmed them with hot water,” Xi Tian said.

He carefully wiped away the moisture with a dry towel.

“Did you see the egg?” Ellis slowly asked, speaking as if even a faster pace would drain his energy further.

“The nurse showed it to me, and I signed the necessary papers.”

Signing the papers post-delivery was a double assurance to prevent any mix-up of the Zerg egg.

“It’s a female,” Ellis said in a low, slow voice.

“Then we’ll have a mischievous little female in our family,” Xi Tian said, planting a gentle kiss on Ellis’s cheek. “You’ve worked hard.”

Ellis couldn’t help but shed tears. Despite enduring such intense pain during childbirth without crying, now he couldn’t stop.

“Does it hurt a lot? Should I call the doctor?” Xi Tian asked.

Ellis shook his head lightly.

Understanding, Xi Tian sat back down with a smile, wiping away Ellis’s tears.

Six months later, their family welcomed a new member who emerged from the egg.

They found themselves flustered by the incomprehensible cries of the child, experiencing for the first time the challenges of parenthood.

But watching the little one grow stronger each day, their hearts filled with pride.

This is what family is—both hardships and sweetness.

This is what it means to be family—having you and having love.

Author’s note:

It’s finished!

(T/N: Ending the novel on Christmas Day. Merry Christmas Everyone. Hope you enjoyed the novel.. ~(0~0)/~ )