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墨書 Inktalez
She was on the path to becoming the richest merchant.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed. Xia Muxin's home was now crammed with various goods, so much so that even the clutter from the storage room had been moved out to make space for stockpiling. Every room was filled to the brim, leaving only a narrow path leading upstairs.
After a good night's sleep, Xia Muxin woke up early. During this time, she had been busy stockpiling goods, rising early and going to bed late every day. Although it was exhausting, she found joy in it.
"It's just dawn; maybe... I should lie down a bit longer."
Shen Muhan felt sorry for her and spoke gently before she got up.
She had lost some weight. To allow her to sleep a little longer each night, he had been abstaining for nearly two months. Even when they did have moments together, it was brief, and while he felt unsatisfied, he was even more concerned about her fatigue.
"I can't sleep anymore; there are still many things left to do. I need to push myself harder."
However, Xia Muxin did not heed his suggestion and sat up instead. She quickly changed into a loose robe, but Shen Muhan slipped his shirt over her shoulders and helped her adjust it before swiftly dressing himself.
As they reached the staircase, they heard the voices of her mother and aunt:
"Don't worry; just keep moving around; it'll go faster."
"The first lift is painful, but it gets easier after that."
"......"
Xia Muxin furrowed her brow at what her mother was saying. Did she really think that having more children would make it easier? It was as if she believed childbirth was as simple as that of a sow, where one could just give birth whenever they wanted.
They also realized that Sister-in-law Ermiao was about to give birth. The couple exchanged a glance and hurried downstairs.
Ermiao's belly was like a large ball, moving back and forth with great difficulty. Her brows were tightly knitted, and her face showed signs of distress. She leaned backward because her belly was simply too big. Her brother watched her anxiously as she paced, feeling helpless and only able to fret.
Xia Muxin felt a chill run down her spine; they said childbirth was the most painful experience, and it seemed that saying was true.
"Ah..."
Ermiao suddenly threw her head back and cried out in pain. Xia Muxin's heart nearly leaped out of her throat, but she stood frozen, unsure of how to help.
"Oh no, there's blood! It seems she's in labor. Quickly, get her inside! Er Dan has already gone to fetch the midwife; she should be back soon."
At the same time, a pool of blood had already formed beneath Ermiao's feet. Aunt Xia quickly joined Xia Muxin in helping her inside.
"Wait... childbirth involves bleeding too...?"
Xia Tieshu panicked, his face turning pale as he trembled while speaking, standing there like a wooden statue, his eyes dimming considerably.
"Of course! Did you think she was pulled out from under a rock?"
Seeing that this young man was about to become a father yet didn't even know the basics, Summer Old Man glared at him and scolded.
"Isn't it supposed to come out from the belly button?"
Songzi was at home again today. This kid had grown quite a bit in the past few months. Although he was not yet nine years old, he was already nearly as tall as Xia Muxin. He had just witnessed the earlier scene and, seeing his grandfather speak of his brother in such a way, tilted his head in confusion and asked.
This question left the adults momentarily speechless, and Summer Old Man's face turned an awkward shade of red. His lips moved slightly, but he offered no explanation.
"Ah..."
At that moment, a painful cry from Ermiao echoed through the room, providing a perfect excuse for Summer Old Man to make his exit. He walked outside with his hands clasped behind his back, muttering anxiously to himself:
"Is Er Dan an ant or a snail? Why does it take so long to summon a midwife? He should have crawled over by now."
As soon as he finished speaking, the sound of running footsteps and heavy breathing reached their ears. Moments later, Er Dan appeared, panting heavily as he carried the elderly midwife on his back. Upon reaching the entrance of the courtyard, he greeted Summer Old Man politely before rushing inside.
Once inside the Main Hall, he set the midwife down. It was customary for men to stay out when a woman was giving birth. At that moment, Xia Jihua opened the door and was taken aback by the sight of the sweaty Er Dan. However, Er Dan simply grinned at her foolishly. Xia Jihua's face flushed red as she lowered her head to pull the midwife inside, quickly shutting the door behind them.
Xia Muxin observed their brief interaction with some mischievous thoughts, wondering if things would go well.
"Muxin, what's going on? It looks pretty terrifying," Yan Zhouwan said as she rushed over from the Workshop outside after seeing the midwife arrive.
"It's nothing; every woman has to go through this," Xia Muxin replied, noticing that Yan Zhouwan was covered in flour, even her hair was dusted white. A glimmer of amusement flashed in Xia Muxin's eyes as she patted Yan Zhouwan's shoulder.
Yan Zhouwan immediately blushed and made a silly face at her before returning to her work.
"Ah, Muxin, what's wrong with the Golden Python?"
As soon as Yan Zhouwan left, the surprised voice of her grandfather echoed through the yard. Xia Muxin's heart skipped a beat, and she hurried outside.
Shen Muhan also felt a flicker of concern in his eyes and quickly followed her out.
"Python Brother, what's going on with you?"
The Golden Python was agitated, thrashing its tail and occasionally rolling on the ground. Crimson Plague was coiled around it, trying to stop its movements, but the difference in strength made it impossible; it could only follow along as the python rolled.
During this time, the Golden Python had rarely come out due to its "pregnancy," mostly staying in its nest and sleeping. Crimson Plague had been guarding it closely, while Xia Muxin had been busy stockpiling supplies and had little time for communication, only knowing that they were both fine.
"It seems like it's having an episode," Shen Muhan said as he pulled Xia Muxin away from the Golden Python. He stared at its unchanged belly for a moment before speaking with certainty.
Xia Muxin had always been half-convinced about Python Brother's pregnancy, and Shen Muhan hadn't provided a detailed explanation. But today, she was completely convinced.
"What should we do? Is it going to lay eggs?"
In her memory, most snakes hatched from eggs. The thought of Python Brother laying eggs sent a shiver down her spine.
"Laying eggs? No, wait. Didn't Crimson Plague lay two eggs back then and feed them to it? And this should be a male snake; how could it lay eggs?"
Hearing his sister's words, Songzi couldn't help but correct her.
They had witnessed their brother-in-law feeding those two eggs to Python Brother. Initially, Python Brother was resistant, but after their brother-in-law said something to it, it obediently ate them.
Then their brother-in-law announced that Python Brother was pregnant and that he couldn't take it out for a walk for the next five months, allowing it to rest properly; otherwise, Crimson Plague would come after it.
He didn't seem to be joking because ever since he returned from school, Python Brother had been sleeping. With it sleeping so soundly, he had no reason not to believe his brother-in-law's words.
It had been nearly five months since his sister left home.
His brother-in-law was truly impressive; he even calculated Python Brother's due date so accurately. Why couldn't he figure out his sister-in-law's? Otherwise, they could have invited the midwife home to wait for the delivery.
If Shen Muhan knew that Songzi was thinking this way at that moment, he would have surely pulled down his pants and given him a good spanking.
Why would he need to know about the due date of his sister-in-law's baby...
Suddenly, Python Brother raised its head and let out a roar. The entire Serpent God curled up, seemingly in great pain. Xia Muxin watched in horror, but Shen Muhan refused to let her get close and kept everyone else at a distance. Crimson Plague, however, continued to wrap its small Serpent God around Python Brother, its head pressed against its belly as if trying to comfort it or alleviate its pain.
Ermiao's screams grew louder and louder, chilling Xia Tieshu's heart. He didn't dare move; his body pressed against the door panel, his back soaked with sweat.
The villagers must have heard the commotion and came over to congratulate them. Before long, the entire courtyard was filled with people since there wasn't enough room inside due to the piled-up goods.
The village chief Yang Dadong's family arrived carrying a basket of eggs. Seeing Xia Tieshu so tense, they hurried over to comfort him.
"Wow... Wow..."
An hour later, a loud cry of a baby echoed in everyone's ears, and Xia Jihua emerged holding the infant wrapped in swaddling.
"It's a beautiful girl."
She smiled lightly at Xia Tieshu, who looked anxious.
Xia Tieshu reached out his hands to hold the baby, but just then, another cry startled him, causing him to retract his hands. Xia Jihua shot him a reproachful glare; if she hadn't been careful to place the child in his arms, the baby would have fallen to the ground.
"Goodness, my sweet little one, it's a boy! Iron Tree, what great fortune you have—two children in your lifetime!"
Moments later, Aunt Xia also brought out another baby, laughing as she spoke. This time, Xia Tieshu dared not reach out again and instead rushed into the room to see Ermiao.
"Ah! What happened to Golden Python? Oh..."
Everyone hurried forward to congratulate and take a look at the babies when suddenly a piercing scream rang out from outside the courtyard. When Xia Muxin and others rushed out, they found Python Brother coiled around two shiny golden snakes.
Xia Muxin was astonished and quickly ran over for a closer look, exclaiming in disbelief:
"What the heck, Python Brother, you also had twins!"
- End of Chapter -
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