Life returned to peace after Miao Xiaocui's death. Shu Yue was initially nervous about the children going out to play, but after following them for a few days, she relaxed when she realized that A Yong and the others would not retaliate against their family. At most, they would avoid each other.
Life and death were commonplace for them. They felt sadness and grief, but it wasn't deeply etched in their memories. It wasn't that the males were unfeeling, but rather they received so little love from their partners that it wasn't enough to make them remember for a long time.
Days passed, and Shu Xin and Lei Te truly gave themselves a long vacation. They returned during the hottest part of summer, bringing good news: Lei Te was going to be a father as he had wished.
On the day Shu Xin returned, the whole family held a banquet for them. Balun, happy, drank a few more cups of fruit wine. "Haha! I'm going to be a grandfather again!"
Lei Te finally held his head high in this circle. He was also a fatherly beastman, so let those guys laugh at him again!
Shu Xin always wore a faint smile, sipping her fruit juice in small sips. Being a mother felt pretty good.
During the feast, everyone drank and celebrated joyfully. Shu Yue and her sister whispered secrets, while Hu Sha and Lan Hua Aisha celebrated the joy of becoming grandmothers again.
After finishing her fruit wine, Hu Sha reached for a piece of braised pork. As soon as she put it in her mouth, she felt an unprecedented wave of nausea rush from her stomach to her throat.
"Ugh!" She spat out the braised pork. Hu Sha felt something was wrong and quickly left the table, running to a corner to vomit.
Hu Sha's sudden action brought the conversation to an abrupt halt. Balun, who had reacted, came to her side. "What's wrong?"
Hu Sha, feeling uncomfortable after vomiting, said, "I don't know, I feel a bit nauseous. The braised pork isn't good today."
Balun: "..." He had only made one plate of braised pork, and his mate was being too ungracious!
Lan Hua, also curious, picked up a piece of meat and ate it. "It tastes fine. It's not bad, is it?"
Hearing this, Balun raised his eyebrows again. He knew it, his cooking skills were still good!
"Grandma, let me take your pulse," Shu Xin said.
"Okay." Hu Sha rubbed her chest and walked towards Shu Xin.
Shu Xin's slender fingers rested on her wrist. Even the usually calm Shu Xin showed a flicker of surprise. Seeing this, Hu Sha's heart tightened. She was afraid the doctor's expression would change. Who could understand this tension!
She tentatively asked, "What's wrong with me?"
Shu Xin withdrew her hand and smiled, "Congratulations, Grandma. You are pregnant, about a month along."
"..." It became even quieter.
Hu Sha stood there like a stone statue, unmoving. Balun couldn't believe it. "What? Xin'er, what did you just say!"
Shu Xin chuckled, "Congratulations, Father. You're going to be a father, and Lei Te is going to be an older brother!"
Lei Te: "..." Very good, he was going to have a younger brother who was almost the same age as his own child!
Shu Yue reacted and congratulated her with a beaming smile, "Congratulations, Grandma Hu Sha! You're going to be a mother!"
Shu Yue's words finally woke up the stunned individuals. Hu Sha felt as if she were dreaming, touching her lower abdomen dreamily. "I, I, I have a child too?"
"Hahahaha! That's great, I'm going to be a father again!" Balun laughed to the sky, and in his excitement, he picked up Hu Sha and spun her around a few times. Lan Hua and Xing also smiled and sent their blessings; they were truly envious.
Everyone had a happy meal. After a few rounds of drinks, Balun couldn't sit still and went out to show off. His first stop was Long Ye's house.
"I'm so old and I've had another child, Long Ye, you're not capable!"
Long Ye: "..." Heh heh!
The next day, the entire city knew that the Great City Lord's mate was pregnant, and the whole city celebrated.
At that time, Ya was giving birth, and Shu Yue was helping. She smoothly gave birth to a dragon beast egg, with no surprises or unexpected events.
Before the egg hatched, Ah Man's eager gaze was fixed on Shu An.
Wen Te's face darkened. If they wanted his two daughters, they could forget about it!
A month later, the dragon beast egg hatched. It was a small dragon beast without male reproductive organs. This made Da Bao's gaze even more eager, and Ah Man's face darkened.
Wen Te smiled slyly.
~~~
The rainy season passed, and the city walls were intact, with only a few places needing repairs. Since the advent of the dispelling powder, beast tides no longer posed a threat to them, but danger still existed.
As long as food was needed, danger would always exist.
Every household began collecting mushrooms, but Shu Yue's family was engaged in a special task: getting Big Horn's ears pierced.
It was the last year. If they didn't send Big Horn away now, they truly wouldn't be able to.
Big Horn wasn't afraid of pain and lay on the ground, letting its mother fiddle with its ears. Big Horn was no longer the Big Horn of five years ago. It had long since mastered the "iron head skill." The small goals Wen Te had set back then had long been broken by Big Horn and burned as firewood. It already possessed the skills of a qualified young Triceratops.
After the pearl stud was placed in its left ear, she took out a red-hot iron brand, palm-sized. Shu Yue hesitated for a long time before engraving the character. She had no right to mark Big Horn in any way, but she really didn't want to never see Big Horn again.
So, she finally made up her mind to make a small mark, so that she could recognize her child when they met again.
"It'll hurt a little, Big Horn. You have to endure it," Shu Yue's hand trembled slightly. Wen Te, unable to watch, took the branding iron himself.
Big Horn considered itself a strong male and bravely nodded.
Sizzle...
Shu Bei and Shu An covered their eyes with their hands, peeking through a gap. Da Bao paced anxiously.
Big Horn let out a muffled roar, but its body remained still.
When the branding iron was removed, a bloody character '角' (horn) appeared on Big Horn's right ear.
Big Horn now weighed nearly two tons, already a behemoth. The palm-sized branding iron would not cause it harm; they even worried if it would disappear as Big Horn grew.
Over the past few years, Wen Te had taken Big Horn to see the migrating herbivore herds every year, telling it and guiding it that the herbivore herds were its true kin. At first, Big Horn was resistant, but as it grew older and its intelligence increased, it learned to accept it.
It would also observe with curiosity; there were so many Triceratops exactly like it. Occasionally, when it saw young female Triceratops, it would feel a yearning.
Finally, the migration herd arrived, and it was time for Big Horn to leave. This time, the whole family went to see it off. Although Big Horn was reluctant, under its family's urging, it plunged into the herd. To ensure its smooth integration, Wen Te led the tribe in creating a diversion.
By the time Big Horn mixed in with the young ones, its size was outstanding among Triceratops of the same age. With Da Bao as its sparring partner, it was very aggressive. Within a few days, it had established a firm foothold among the young ones and even gained a few followers.
The migration herd moved further and further away. Da Bao and Wen Te kept following behind. When they could no longer follow, Da Bao roared at Big Horn, "Big Horn, you must become the leader! Your brother is waiting for you!"
Big Horn heard it and roared back with all its might. Its Triceratops journey had just begun.
A few months later, on a winter day, Shu Xin went into labor. Shu Yue, with a mixture of nervousness and excitement, was finally going to help her sister deliver a baby.
However, as if the Beast God didn't think it was lively enough, Hu Sha was also about to give birth at the same time, specifically requesting Shu Yue to deliver her baby. There was no other choice but to do it together; having company made everyone less lonely.
They both exerted themselves, seeing who would come out first. Lei Te and Balun, father and son, waited anxiously outside.
A few hours later, Shu Yue's voice came from inside the house, "She's born! She's born!"
Immediately after, the baby's strong cries were heard.
The father and son clung to the doorway. "Who gave birth? Is it a little female?"
No one answered.
A moment later, Shu Yue emerged, holding a baby in one hand and an egg in the other, smiling. "My sister and Grandma gave birth at the same time. You guess yourselves, and see which one is your child?"
Lei Te and Balun heard this and felt like crying and laughing. Did they need to guess? Were their noses for decoration?
After a thorough sniff, they realized their noses were indeed for decoration. The washed egg and the washed baby had no scent, as if something special had been smeared on them.
Just to tease the father and son, Shu Yue laughed heartily. It was a rare sight to see the father and son both stumped at the same time.
Lei Te said with a wry face, "Yue Yue, don't tease us anymore."
Shu Yue heard this and gave a cunning smile. "Brother-in-law Lei Te, congratulations, you have a new... sister."
Balun's mouth opened in surprise.
...
The following year, as spring arrived and flowers bloomed, with a click, a family photo appeared on the tablet.
(End of main story.)