The members of the Dark Reaper Guild were waiting for good news from Hua Lian, but not a single word reached them even as the sun set. Some of them started to feel discontented, while others felt uneasy.
At this moment, a pale-skinned man rushed in with a bamboo tube in his hand and shouted: “We have received a message, Boss. Take a look.”
Yan Xing sighed in annoyance and picked up the bamboo tube to interpret the message. It was densely packed with writings, but not in the recognizable form of official language used by the Great Yuan Dynasty. Instead, it was coded in a secret encryption method, taught only within their organization. Even if the encrypted message were to fall into the hands of outsiders, no one would be able to decipher its contents.
“Tsk. This incompetent idiot can’t even handle a simple task on her own. Shui Sheng, meet her at the designated location to resupply her with the poison. Make sure to conceal your presence.”
The pale-faced man nodded in acknowledgement, took the powder and departed… for eternity.
……
“Boss, Liao Ping and the guards have apprehended a suspicious man. He is most likely an accomplice of that woman.”
Su Jin received the report indifferently. She had expected them to show up at her doorstep, saving her the time and trouble of hunting them down personally.
“Interrogate him. If he refuses to talk, cripple him on the spot and send him to Uncle Yang to do hard labour. The most gruelling tasks that we have…”
Since free labour had come knocking on her door, she would make the most of him. Having reclaimed several plots of land recently, she needed all the manpower she could get to develop the land. This godsend couldn’t have come at a better time.
“Leave that woman alone for now. She still has her uses as bait for larger fish.” Su Jin ended the meeting after communicating her instructions.
……
The dawn of a new day… The weather was clear, enveloped in the gentle warmth of the sun and the pleasant spring breezes. Three little kids could be seen playing in the courtyard, surrounded by two young wolf cubs.
The adopted cubs, which were once skinny and malnourished, were now noticeably healthier thanks to the attentive care of the owners who adopted them. They circled around the kids constantly, running around and exhibiting unlimited stamina which could only be found in healthy young creatures.
“Big brother, Guaibao wants to show them to brother Xiao Yan and sister Niu Niu.”
Guaibao was eager to boast about her new pet. But it was met with Erbao’s rebuttal.
“Mother said that the cubs are still too young to be brought out. They need to be properly trained first.”
“Alrighty then.” Easily convinced, Guaibao altered her plans and decided to visit her cousin without them instead.
“Brother Xiao Yan, sister Niu Niu, Guaibao has come to see you!” Guaibao rushed towards her uncle’s house without any hesitation. Even before she had physically arrived, her presence was broadcasted in advance through her youthful and tender baby pitched voice.
Lu Shi quickly wiped her hands and cheerfully went to welcome her little guests.
When news of her sister-in-law giving birth to triplets spread, the entire village was surprized. Even her maternal relatives heard about it and wanted to ask her for advice on the secret to giving birth, but she had turned away all of them.
If one could dictate the birth of twins or triplets based on mere secret tips and advices, the world would have been overpopulated a long time ago. Lu Shi had never seen any family with triplets before Su Jin. In fact, she was confident that no similar case had ever happened in the entire history of the Great Yuan Dynasty, as news of such significant event would have spread like wildfire throughout the entire region.
Those who aspired to uncover the secrets of bearing twins or triplets could continue with their daydream. Dreams were called dreams for a reason, because one would have to be dissociated from reality to experience them.
“Oh, my sweet little darlings! Help yourselves to these fruits.”
Lu Shi, with her sturdy physique, tightly embraced the three kids to her heart’s content.
“Thanks aunt!” All three of them were exceptionally well-behaved as they sat on the chairs, dangling their short legs while slowly nibbling on the fruits Lu Shi prepared for them.
“Where is brother Xiao Yan and sister Niu Niu?” Guaibao tilted her head innocently and asked.
“So you only care about them…? I thought that you came to visit me because you missed your aunt.” Lu Shi pretended to be sad.
“No, that’s not true! Our aunt is the best! She always brings us fruits to eat. It’s just… since we are already here, we might as look for them.”
Both Erbao and Guaibao knew that their aunt was teasing them, so they played along and smiled.
The pure and simple Dabao, on the other hand, upon seeing his disheartened aunt, made a determined face. Gathering his courage, he hopped off his seat, causing his baby fat to wiggle a little, and leaned towards Lu Shi to give her a peck on the side of her cheeks.
Immediately after that, he scurried back to his seat and sat down with blushed cheeks.
His mother used to kiss him like that, and it made him happy. So… his aunt should be able to cheer up with this, right?
Lu Shi was stunned on the spot, unable to process her thoughts and find right words to express her feelings. The only thing she knew was that her heart was melting with sweetness.
How on earth did her sister-in-law raise such adorable creatures? She couldn’t resist the urge to pamper and spoil them. They were just that endearing.
“Dabao is such a sweet child. Aunt was just fooling around. Let’s go, I’ll bring you to them. Right now, they are helping with weeding the fields…”
“We can’t impose on you more than we already have! We can go by ourselves.”
Upon hearing that, Erbao stood up from his chair, adjusted his clothes, and continued with a serious expression. “We are familiar with the road here and can make it there on our own. Aunt can go back to work.”
“Alright, have a safe trip. Oh… and remember to tread carefully and pay attention to the road. Be careful not to trip over any stray rocks or potholes.”
Before she could finish her sentence, the silhouettes of the three little kids were already a distance away. She shook her head with a helpless smile. Those short legs were surprisingly quick.
……
It was late in the afternoon. The sun was mild and gentle breeze occasionally blew past. Su Yan and Niu Niu were busy weeding the fields with Su Dalang, diligently following behind him as they extracted the stray plants.
Su Yan was already eight years old by now, and had developed a sturdy physique. When it came to work, he was extremely hardworking and occasionally offered to help his sister.
“Elder brother, I can do it myself. You should hurry to that ridge. Dad has already covered a distance away from us.”
Niu Niu pouted as she refused Su Yan’s offer to help. She was aspiring to become as capable as her grandmother. How could she submit to a mere task of pulling weeds? Hmph.
Guaibao sneaked up from behind.
“Elder sister Niu Niu, Guaibao is here to help chuuu~”
As she spoke, her chubby little hands reached out to grab the weeds on the ground and pulled them out. Due to the lack of experience, she exerted too much force and ended up unearthing the surrounding soil with it, causing her to fall back and land on her butt.
Niu Niu quickly ran over to help, intending to comfort her cousin. However, what she saw was Guaibao patting her little bottom, looking up at the sky as she hummed a small tune, as if nothing had happened. She then throttled away shortly after.
(Sorry to bother. Sayonara. Guaibao’s skin isn’t thick enough to endure this embarassment…)
Erbao watched his sister run through the fields with helpless eyes, as he crouched down to help weed the fields. On the other hand, Dabao felt entertained by this scene as he giggled foolishly. Following Erbao’s initiative, he bent down as well, and started to help.
With a serious expression, he became so absorbed in his task that he unknowingly crossed the boundary of the ridge and ventured into outside territory.
“Oh? These flowers are so beautiful. The pistils are white and fluffy like clouds. Little sister would definitely like them.”
He had frequently seen his sister receiving flowers from the boys in the village. Dabao happily picked up a bunch of those flowers…
……
“Brother Xiao Yan, why have you become so tanned?”
Guaibao tried to change the subject to distract everyone, hoping they would forget her embarrassing moment earlier. Su Yan scratched his head and had a silly smile on his face. Two neat rows of teeth appeared extremely white, contrasting with his dark-toned skin. He was a pure and simple-minded child just like his father was.
In the face of her naive elder cousin who had honest and down-to-earth personality, Guaibao felt slightly conflicted. Crossing her hands behind her back, she continued speaking in a childish voice:
“Brother Xiao Yan, you should take good care of your skin for the sake of your future. Mom said that even boys should also pay attention to their skin condition. Otherwise… it will be difficult for you to get marr… I mean, no girl will want you.”
She patted him on the back and walked away, shaking her head.
(Haa….. Would wrinkles start forming soon with my endless worries…)
Dabao’s hand stiffened when he heard his sister’s words. He immediately touched his chubby face. Fortunately, it was still tender and in good condition~
Erbao: “…”
He rolled his eyes speechlessly and stared up to the sky, For mysterious reasons, his mother had always taught Guaibao strange things. Exhaling a deep sigh, his eyebrows creased the more he tried to figure it out.
TL Corner: I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Do let me know in the comments or discord if there are any errors or mistakes.
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