Birth

Birth

Half a month later, the two returned to that familiar mountain range.

The first time Akes came here, he had been hunted down by Wusenno and Luoye, gravely wounded and on the brink of death. Monica had saved him then, treated his injuries, and stayed with him through the hardest three months.

Now, they had returned once more.

Several children at play saw them, froze for a moment, then ran off cheering. "Sister Monica is back! Sister Monica is back!"

A smile appeared on Monica's face.

The children soon ran back and crowded around her, firing off questions. "Sister Monica, why haven't you come back for so long?" "Who is this brother?" "Why has your belly gotten bigger?" The last question made Monica blush faintly. She bent down and patted each of them on the head, smiling as she said, "Sister went somewhere very far away, so I couldn't come back for a long time. This brother is Sister's husband. You should call him Brother Akes."

The children curiously looked at Akes, their eyes filled with scrutiny and innocent wariness. A little girl with pigtails tilted her head and asked, "Brother Akes, are you a good person?" Akes laughed at the question. Squatting down, he took several candies from his storage ring and handed them to the children. They cheered, accepted the candy, and scattered like a flock of little birds. The girl with pigtails ran several steps away, then turned back and leaned close to Akes's ear. "I think you're a good person," she whispered. Then, blushing, she ran away.

Bingses hurried out of the courtyard.

"Monica! You—you're pregnant?!" Bingses rushed forward, grabbed her daughter's hand, and looked her over from head to toe. Her gaze finally settled on Monica's visibly rounded belly. "How long has it been?