Chapter 191: You Lost the Bet
"Xixi, what’s wrong?"
Just as Qiao Xixi stumbled, a strong hand caught and steadied her.
Qiao Xixi composed herself, suddenly feeling ravenously hungry.
"I think I might be a little hungry."
"Let me help you over to the tree to rest for a bit."
Sangze saw that all the color had drained from Qiao Xixi’s face and carefully helped her to the base of the tree.
"Here, have some jerky and fruit first."
Sangze took the food out of his beast-hide bag. Qiao Xixi nodded, took it, and started eating immediately.
She felt her energy return only after she had eaten most of the jerky and fruit.
Sangze’s eyes widened in astonishment at how much Qiao Xixi had eaten. The entire bag of fruit they had brought was almost gone, and she had consumed most of the jerky as well.
"Xixi, are you full?"
Qiao Xixi nodded. She hadn’t realized how much she’d eaten, only that her appetite seemed to be better than before.
"Mhm, I’m full. I’ll rest for a bit, then get back to work."
"No, don’t go. You just rest here. I’ll do it. If you think it’s too slow, I’ll go get more males to help."
"That works. Have them find more people. It would be best if we could get this whole plot leveled in the next day or two."
The little sprite had said that now was the best season for planting purplefruit and Grass Fruit. Once they were planted, she could just add a little water from the Spiritual Spring when watering them, and they would grow very well.
"Okay, I’ll go right now."
Qiao Xixi had been frightened by the dizzy spell. After all, she was pregnant with a cub and didn’t dare to be reckless.
"Little sprite, there’s nothing wrong with my body, is there?"
"Not at all, Host. You are very healthy. The cub just needs more nutrients, so you should eat more."
"Okay."
For the next several days, Qiao Xixi poured all her energy into clearing the land and planting.
She specifically selected a few of the more clever males from the tribe to watch over the purplefruit and Grass Fruit, telling them to monitor the fields daily.
To understand the results of natural cultivation, Qiao Xixi set aside a separate plot of land. This plot was watered daily with ordinary river water, while the rest of the fields were watered with river water mixed with water from the Spiritual Spring.
She wanted to compare and see what the crops would look like when grown without any ’cheats’.
After finishing her work in the fields, Qiao Xixi could finally catch her breath.
Early one morning, Qiao Xixi woke up to the feeling of hunger. She sat up in bed and let out a tired yawn.
Even though she had gone to bed very early last night, she still felt exhausted after a full night’s sleep.
The moment she moved, Qiao Qiao, who was snuggled against her, woke up.
The little one opened her eyes and gazed dazedly at Qiao Xixi.
"Mother."
Looking at her soft and adorable appearance, Qiao Xixi couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her little cheek. "You’re awake. Time to get up and have breakfast. You all have training with your fathers today."
"Okay."
The little one sat up with a quick flip. The moment they made a sound, Qiao Ang and the others woke up too.
"Mother."
The freshly woken cubs were all soft and adorable, instinctively showing their dependence on Qiao Xixi.
"Morning."
Qiao Xixi got out of bed and couldn’t help but kiss each of the cubs. Then, she took beast-hide clothes from the wooden cabinet for them to wear and grabbed a new set for herself.
"Huh? Mother, has your belly gotten chubbier recently?"
From behind the curtain she was using to change, Qiao Qiao stared curiously at Qiao Xixi’s suddenly prominent belly.
Qiao Xixi looked down. Sure enough, her belly really was a bit bigger than before. ’Isn’t this a little too fast?’ she thought. ’It’s only been about half a month. Am I showing already?’
’But the little sprite did say I’d give birth in two months at the latest, so it’s not strange for the cub to be growing quickly.’
"Mother hasn’t gotten fatter. It’s because there’s a little cub in my belly."
CLATTER!
Hearing the noise in the room, Qiao Xixi quickly finished dressing. The moment she pulled back the curtain, she saw the stunned, handsome face of Jin Ling.
"Father Jin Ling, what’s wrong?"
The cubs hurried forward to pick up the fruit that had fallen on the floor. They had never seen Father Jin Ling act so clumsily.
Jin Ling’s gaze was fixed on Qiao Xixi, his eyes occasionally darting to her slightly protruding belly. He was too stunned to react.
They had all been busy these past few days, but it wasn’t as if he hadn’t noticed the changes in Qiao Xixi’s body.
At first, he just thought Xixi was gaining weight, but something felt off. He could always catch a faint, familiar scent on her. He didn’t dare to be sure, and he was afraid to find out for certain.
It wasn’t until just now, when Qiao Xixi said it herself—that she was carrying a cub in her belly—that he dared to entertain the thoughts he had never allowed himself to consider.
"Xixi..."
This was the first time Qiao Xixi had seen such a foolish expression on his face. She simply watched him with a smile.
"Mhm, it’s exactly what you’re thinking. So, Jin Ling, you lost the bet. I’m already pregnant with your cub." She hadn’t brought it up herself because she wanted to wait until the cub was more stable before telling them. She just hadn’t expected it to grow so fast.
Jin Ling strode over to her and took her small hand. In that moment, his heart was trembling.
"My... our... cub?"
"Mhm." Qiao Xixi took his hand and placed it on her slightly swollen belly, saying softly, "Our cub."
Feeling the flutter of life beneath his palm, Jin Ling’s eyes gradually reddened.
In the past, when he saw Qiao Qiao and the others relying on their own fathers, he couldn’t help but harbor a sliver of hope.
But his body had been damaged by something that happened while he was still in his mother’s womb. He had always believed he would never have a child of his own blood.
He hadn’t cared much in the past, not until he met Qiao Xixi.
He would secretly imagine what it would be like if they had a cub together.
Would it be as cute as Qiao Qiao?
Or have a unique personality like Qiao Lie?
But every time he snapped out of his fantasy, he would be overcome with disappointment, because a fantasy was just a fantasy.
But today, Qiao Xixi had told him that they, too, had a cub.
"You haven’t been struck dumb with happiness, have you? Hmm?"
Jin Ling lowered his head as a teardrop hit the ground hard. Unwilling to let Qiao Xixi see him like this, he reached out and pulled her into his embrace.
"Xixi, thank you. You are the most wonderful gift the Beast God has ever given me."
Feiyan leaned against the doorway, watching the emotional Jin Ling. He glanced back at Sunxiao and said, "I just thought Jin Ling was sneaking around being intimate with Xixi, since she always carried his scent. Turns out she was pregnant with his cub."
There was no emotion in Sunxiao’s eyes. He simply waved to Qiao Lie and the others. "Go eat breakfast, then go train."
As Sunxiao turned to leave, he said to Feiyan, "Xixi needs someone to look after her. Starting today, you’ll be doing Jin Ling’s share of the work, too."
"I’ll do it! I’ll do it! I can help."
Feiyan crossed his arms, looking at the eagerly responding Sangze.
’He used to find that lunatic at night annoying. Why was this guy in the daytime suddenly just as irritating to look at?’