Four in Two Years (13)

When Qiwa returned to Li Household Village with the baby in his arms, Li Jingshu had already returned.

The Single Horn Si at the village entrance hummed lazily amidst the children's playful antics, presenting a picture of tranquility and peace.

"You've brought back another trouble."

After dismissing the children at the village entrance, the Single Horn Si immediately spotted the Qiwa holding a baby.

This is the Qiwa child that Qiwa has brought home in the past two years, and all of them are three-eyed babies that their parents didn't want.

To be honest, if Li Household Village hadn't become much wealthier in recent years...

With the frequency of having four children in the past two years, the Qiwa simply cannot support the whole family.

After all, it was influenced by the couple Li Yu and Chen Yun.

The way Li Household Village raises its new generation of children is no longer the laissez-faire approach of the past.

It may not yet reach the level of affluence expected in the 21st century.

But within its means, whether it's food, education, or anything else, Li Household Village can be said to be the village in the Hundred Lands Mountain Range that values children the most.

Putting aside other things, most villages don't have a deity like the Single Horn Si, who plays and frolics with the village children and takes care of them.

His parents sacrificed him to a mountain god.

"Even if I take him back, his village will never accept him again."

Upon hearing this, the Single Horn Si narrowed its eyes and asked in return.

"And what about yourself? Have you considered the pressure you're under?"

"Do you and Qinghe think you can manage to raise four children who are one or two years old?"

The description of Single Horn Si is not an exaggeration at all.

When four babies start fussing, even a mother with extensive parenting experience will try to avoid them at all costs.

Not to mention Qiwa and Qinghe, who are complete first-time parents.

The Single Horn Si felt that even if they raised the four children to death, it wouldn't seem strange to him.

"So what if the pressure is a bit high?"

"I can't just watch them die, can I?"

After returning to his village, Qiwa was noticeably more relaxed, and his speech was no longer as cold as it had been outside.

"Besides, there are more and more babies with three eyes being born recently, so we need to set an example first."

"Even if other villages really don't want to raise them, they can send them to our village."

Upon hearing what the Qiwa said, the Single Horn Si rolled its eyes decisively.

"That's an easy way of putting it; it still needs to go through the village meeting first."

"For something this big, even if the old clan chief and Li Yu spoke up, it might not be approved in the village."

Raising so many children at once, especially three-eyed babies, is extremely difficult.

Even if Li Household Village could afford to raise them, the villagers might not be willing to do so.

The Single Horn Si, observing from the sidelines, saw this most clearly.

Today, Li Household Village has a population of nearly 10,000, with several thousand households.

With so many people and so many opinions, it's simply unrealistic to reach a consensus in a short period of time.

Let's take it one step at a time!

Slightly taken aback, Qiwa then realized just how difficult this matter was.

"Big Girl? When did you get back?"

As Chen Yun left her house and headed to the textile factory, she immediately spotted Li Jingshu acting suspiciously.

"Sister-in-law! Please don't speak so loudly!"

Startled, Li Jingshu immediately turned around and quickly gestured for the other person to speak softly.

Seeing this, Chen Yun simply smiled knowingly.

"You little brat, what trouble have you gotten yourself into again?"

"Don't worry, your mother isn't home right now; she went to Gao Village Town."

Upon hearing this, Li Jingshu was taken aback at first, and then instinctively asked.

"Her? In Gao Village Town?"

"Is the sun rising in the west?"

Li Jingshu knew her mother's personality very well.

She may seem short-tempered and shrewish, but she is actually surprisingly timid.

Let alone going on a long trip, even just walking around the village would be a real test of her courage.

"Look at what you're saying! Anyone would think your mother hates going out!"

"If it weren't for you, your mother would have gone to find your father long ago."

"She only rushed to Gao Village Town because she heard news of your father from Xiao'e's side."

Upon hearing Chen Yun mention her father, Li Jingshu's face immediately darkened.

Li Jingshu is no longer the naive child she was a decade or so ago, who knew nothing.

Li Jingshu felt a deep-seated disgust for her father, who, despite having read a few books and knowing a few characters, considered himself a "scholar" and fantasized about making a name for himself.

"That bastard dares to come back?"

"My mother scrimped and saved to support him, but he ran away at the drop of a hat."

"Now that things have finally gotten a little better, this old bastard is planning to come back and enjoy his retirement?"

Looking at the angry Li Jingshu with a hesitant expression, Chen Yun sighed deeply.

"Girl, don't say that. After all, your father isn't from the Hundred Lands Mountain Range."

"When your mother took him in and forced him into marriage, she already foresaw this day would come."

Before Li Boyang's birth, literacy seemed to be the privilege of shamans.

But some people, by fortuitous opportunity, learn to read, study, and see the outside world.

These are people who are clearly not shamans, yet they are unwilling to become Mountain Folk.

They often held positions such as scholar, historian, scribe, or noble in states ruled by nobles.

It's obvious that Li Jingshu's father, who abandoned his family and daughter, seems to be just that kind of person.

At least in Li Jingshu's mind, that ungrateful man was not her father at all.

I don't care about any of that, I don't acknowledge him.

As she spoke so stubbornly, Li Jingshu's face revealed the same unyielding determination as her mother's.

Fortunately, Chen Yun knew the personalities of the mother and daughter well, so she didn't argue with Li Jingshu on this issue.

"Alright, alright, look at how you're pouting."

Chen Yun gently tugged at Li Jingshu's cheek and changed the subject with a smile.

"Without realizing it, you've grown so tall..."

"I have to stand on tiptoe to barely reach your face now."

"In my memory, you were just a little kid who couldn't even hold your own food bowl."

As expected, Li Jingshu's attention was successfully diverted by Chen Yun.

"Sister-in-law! That happened so many years ago! Why are you bringing it up again!"

Li Jingshu affectionately clung to Chen Yun's arm, saying something in a coquettish tone.

Let's go!

"Since my mother isn't home, I'll go with you to the textile factory now!"

"It just so happens that Xiao Gui hasn't seen her brothers and sisters in a long time; she actually misses them quite a bit."

"Sometimes ago, it quietly appeared on Li Jingshu's shoulder, "the Human-Faced Spider, Xiao Gui, muttered succinctly.

"If you clearly just want a free meal, why do you have to use my name?"

Monthly Pass/Recommendation Ticket

(End of this chapter)