Chapter 132: Twin Sons
It turned out that the original owner of the ring was an artificer. This ring was made by him. The magical space in the ring was far more than a mobile warehouse, a mobile manor, and a “nourishing decoction”. After dripping blood onto the ring to establish ownership, the space only had these common functions. When the owner of the space had an offspring, the space would upgrade and truly recognize its owner. The person that the artificer loved was also a man – an alchemist. For the sake of having a joint love crystallization, the alchemist worked hard for many years to cultivate a “Union Flower” that could give birth to their offspring. From the moment when Qin Mian and Lei Tie bound their heartstrings together, the Union Flower was able to receive their joint bloodline and truly began to grow. As for why it fell into the hands of “White Spot” in the end, it was unknown.
The former space had very weak spiritual Qi; cultivating in the space could not even compare with cultivating in the deep mountains. But now, the whole space was full of spiritual Qi. Not only that, but the quadrangle courtyard also changed from one section to three sections, and the hidden pill pharmacy, spiritual instrument room, and spiritual grass garden were all revealed. Moreover, the boundless spiritual Qi promoted the cultivation of Qin Mian and Lei Tie to a higher level.
Hearing the cry of a baby, Qin Mian thought of two children and quickly got up from the ground. Lei Tie also woke up at this time.
They flew and landed in front of the flower bed, and looked at the two giant flowers.
As before, the two babies lay on the center of the flowers with their little arms waving and little legs pedaling. Their small mouths pouted as they cried very loudly; their glistening tears rolled down like pearls, causing people’s heart to soften.
Both men subconsciously reached out to hold them.
Qin Mian suddenly thought of one thing and stopped Lei Tie in time, “A-Tie, we have to wash our hands first. I’ll get the clothes.”
He quickly took two bath towels made of pure cotton. It was so soft and very suitable for swaddling clothes.
Seeing him return, Lei Tie said in a rare impatient tone, “Wife, quickly look. They look like us.”
Qin Mian’s heart jolted, “Really? Wait a bit, I’ll wrap them with bath towels first to avoid catching a cold.”
He moved the baby to the side and spread the towel on the center. Then, he picked up the baby and put it on the towel. After wrapping the baby, he put an arm under the baby’s neck while the other arm held the baby’s small butt and gently held the baby up. Strangely, as soon as he held the baby, the baby stopped crying and looked at him with big black eyes opened wide.
Qin Mian carefully looked at the baby’s facial features and inwardly expressed his surprise. The little guy was not like the common yellow monkey-like newborn baby. Instead, he was fair and delicate, like carved pink jade. The little guy’s forehead, eyebrows, and eyes resembled Lei Tie, while his nose, mouth, and chin resembled him (QM). On the baby’s left shoulder was a dark red birthmark the size of a fingernail and in the shape of a five-petaled flower.
“Hehe, they truly look like us!” Qin Mian was overjoyed, “So cute!”
He couldn’t help but kiss the baby on the forehead. Another little baby’s cry suddenly turned loud. He turned his head and looked over. That stupid Lei Tie had his hands under the baby’s armpit and held the baby in the air. The baby’s bones were very soft and the neck was not strong, so the head involuntarily drooped. Of course, he would cry bitterly.
“Wife…” Lei Tie awkwardly turned to him for help.
Qin Mian was both amused and helpless. He quickly said, “Put him down first.”
Lei Tie obediently put the baby back on the center.
Qin Mian said, “Imitate the way I carry him horizontally.”
Lei Tie very cautiously took the baby from his (QM) arms.
The baby was transferred to another person’s arms; his mouth quirked as he curiously looked at Lei Tie.
Qin Mian wrapped the other baby in a towel and held him up. The little baby immediately stopped crying. His big eyes like black grapes stared at Qin Mian and the corners of his mouth slightly tilted as if he was smiling.
Qin Mian remembered that this was the younger brother. After careful examination, he discovered that the only difference between the two brothers was that the birthmark of the older brother was on the left shoulder, while the younger brother’s birthmark was on the right shoulder.
Lei Tie went to Qin Mian, put an arm around him, and printed a kiss on his lips. His voice sounded hoarse, “Wife, thank you!” How lucky he was to have such a caring lover, and now he had such a pair of children. This intense happiness was like a steal. He was happy, but at the same time, he felt a little uneasy on the bottom of his heart; he was worried about gains and losses.
Qin Mian’s cheeks felt hot. He covered up his embarrassment with a loud voice, “What are you thanking me for?! Saying as though the children are… born by me!”
“Haha…” Joyous and magnetic laughter rolled out of Lei Tie’s throat. He raised the corners of his lips in a gentle smile and seriously said, “Wife, they are our sons.”
Qin Mian nodded without hesitation, “Of course!” He was no less excited than Lei Tie. He had never regretted being with Lei Tie, but that didn’t mean his heart was not rueful. Being with Lei Tie meant that they could not have their own children. Unexpectedly, the space made up for his rue. Not only did it send him a child, but even two children!
The two children were born in the care of him and Lei Tie for nearly ten months, just the same as being born by them.
The brothers coincidentally burst into tears, probably hungry.
Lei Tie looked at Qin Mian, at a loss of what to do.
Qin Mian was quick to think, “Look after them. I’ll milk the cow.”
The two huge blooming flowers turned into two natural cribs. He put the baby in his arms back on the center of the flower. Seeing that there was no one outside the space, he flashed out and went home to squeeze a bowl of milk in secret.
With milk and no feeding bottles, the two new fathers had to feed them with little spoons. Owing to being inexperienced, only a little of the spoonful of milk went into the brothers’ mouths and most of it spilled on their faces. Alas, the brothers were unusually well-behaved; they didn’t cry or make a fuss but smacked their lips to suck the milk.
The more Qin Mian and Lei Tie looked at the children, the more they liked the children.
After drinking milk to the last drop, the two little guys fell asleep. The four little hands unconsciously clenched into small fists. So adorable.
Qin Mian and Lei Tie stood by for a long time with feelings of excitement and novelty. From now on, they were people who had sons!
Qin Mian first regained his senses, “A-Tie, do we have to hire two wet nurses?”
Lei Tie was silent for a long time before he said, “Wife, I don’t want outsiders to live in our house.”
Qin Mian scratched his head. To be honest, he didn’t want to either. However, the children had to drink milk. If it was not breast milk, cow’s milk would do. The only problem was that there was no feeding bottle; they couldn’t always be spoon-fed.
At the thought of the large number of materials he had collected in response to the legendary apocalypse, he left the word “wait” and ran away. He searched through many rooms. When he prepared the materials in his previous life, he had entrusted the manager of a shopping mall to help him purchase daily necessities because he had to buy too many things. In the beginning, he thought he was going to have a girlfriend, so he stressed it to the manager to prepare some necessary maternal and infant products. There must be feeding bottles, even milk powder among these products.
Sure enough, after searching for nearly two hours, Qin Mian found six feeding bottles that were not only still well wrapped in the packaging bags, but also stainless steel.
The feeding bottle problem had been solved. What needed to be solved next was the origin of the two babies, as well as the baby crib, clothing, and other articles of daily use.
After discussing with Lei Tie, Qin Mian decided to go to the county to buy some high-quality baby clothes, diapers, and soft fabrics. As for the identity of the babies, the two decided that no matter what other people asked, they just said that the children were their own. The two babies looked so much like them. Who dared to say that the children were not their own? If people asked who and where the children’s mother was, they couldn’t evade from answering others.
The two men came out of the space and left for Zhaoyang County. Qin Mian could see the situation in the space from outside, so there was nothing to worry about leaving the two sleeping babies in the space for the time being.
Only after dark did the two men rush back to the village. Carrying two swaddling clothes, they knocked on the gate of Leisurely Farmhouse.
Uncle Fu opened the gate with a lantern in hand. “Eldest Young Master and Little Young Master, you two are back.”
He was greatly surprised to see the babies in their arms. “These are?”
Qin Mian opened a corner of the swaddling clothes, deliberately let him look at the child’s face, “Mine and your Eldest Young Master’s sons.”
Lei Tie also lifted the swaddling clothes to show the little guy’s sleeping face. For fear that the child was exposed to the wind, he quickly secured the swaddling clothes.
As soon as Uncle Fu looked at the two children’s faces, he did not doubt it. He was so emotional and did not mention the topic related to the children’s mother. “Wonderful, Little Young Master—Right, we have two little young masters, so we can’t address the two masters as ‘Eldest Young Master’ and ‘Little Young Master’ from now on. We should address you two as ‘Eldest Old Master’ and ‘Little Old Master’.”
Qin Mian had black lines on his head. He and Lei Tie were still so young, must they be called ‘Old Master’?
“We came back in a hurry today. Tomorrow, you send people to buy the best crib in the town.”
“Yes.” Uncle Fu asked, “Wet nurse…”
Lei Tie said in a low voice, “The children drink cow’s milk.”
Uncle Fu wanted to say that cow’s milk was no better than breast milk, but he also understood the master’s character, so he didn’t say much. He just showed a worried look in his eyes. He decided to have Aunt Fu go to ask Aunt Quan when he went back. Aunt Quan should know more about this since she had once given birth.
Qin Mian disagreed with it. The several cows at home were nourished by the spiritual spring water; the cow’s milk was better than breast milk. Moreover, these two children had grown by the spiritual Qi’s nourishment, and therefore, their physical quality was much better than ordinary babies.
Lei Tie instructed Uncle Fu, “Steward Fu, squeeze a bucket of clean milk and deliver it as soon as possible.”
“Yes.”
“Also,” Qin Mian added, “the children’s one-month-old birthday ceremony will be held in a month. Spread the news tomorrow.”
“Yes.” Uncle Fu was so excited that he forgot to call someone to light the way for Qin Mian and Lei Tie and ran away with the lantern.
Fortunately, the darkness had little effect on Qin Mian and Lei Tie. Besides, from the big gate to the bridge until the hedge gate, there were lantern posts every two zhang1, brightly lit.
Back at home, the two fathers gently put the two children on the heatable-brick bed and covered them with quilts. Lei Tie washed the two feeding bottles with boiling water. After the milk was delivered, Qin Mian put half a bottle of milk in the two feeding bottles and kept the remaining milk in the space.
They spent the whole day bustled about and hadn’t had dinner yet. Lei Tie looked after the two children, while Qin Mian went to cook two bowls of noodles in the kitchen.
After dinner, they had a rest with their two children. Qin Mian was worried that he would crush the children after he fell asleep. Therefore, he put the two children on the inside and Lei Tie next to them, while he was on the outside.2
In the middle of the night, the two children whimpered twice; the first time was because they were hungry, and the second time was because they urinated. Qin Mian and Lei Tie were very surprised. They both felt that the two children were very easy to raise.
Thank you, Somebody and TucTuc!
Note:
Footnotes
- (memory refresh) One zhang is 3.3m
- The bed is beside the wall, so the inside here meant the position beside the wall and the outside meant the opposite.