Soul Land 0: A Progress For A Better World (Patreon)

Chapter 10: New Additions

On the country road outside Shanhai Village.

Two figures, one yellow and one gray, ran ahead, their steps light and lively. They ran a few steps forward, then doubled back, tails wagging, exuding a sense of joyful energy.

Behind them, Ling Yi and Zhang Lei walked side by side at a leisurely pace, neither hurried nor slow.

Ling Yi’s hands were empty, and his gaze wasn’t fixed on the road ahead or the path beneath his feet. Instead, his eyes wandered, admiring with satisfaction the expansive patches of Blue Silver Grass in his view.

Most of these, aside from a small portion that originally existed, were the fruits of the past two years. During their playful adventures in and around Shanhai Village, Ling Yi and Zhang Lei had scattered Blue Silver Grass seeds here and there, which had now flourished.

Looking down at Shanhai Village from above, one would see that the entire settlement was now surrounded by a sea of Blue Silver Grass. The village seemed like an island in the middle of a vast blue ocean.

Before long, the two returned to Ling’s family courtyard.

As soon as they stepped inside, a loud cry rang out. They exchanged glances, and Zhang Lei raised the two live wild rabbits and three dead pheasants he was carrying before silently heading toward the kitchen.

Watching Zhang Lei’s retreating figure, Ling Yi shook his head and, accompanied by Ah Huang and Miaomiao, headed toward the main house.

Before he even reached the door, another wailing cry joined the first, creating a chorus of cries that made one’s head buzz.

With an impassive expression, Ling Yi stepped inside. Compared to the brightness outside, the interior was slightly dimmer, offering a softer and cooler ambiance. Ling Yi squinted slightly, allowing his eyes to adjust to the change in light, and then spotted two figures seated at the square table in the center of the room.

Or rather, four figures—two adults and two infants.

“Little Yi, you’re back!” his mother, Zhang Xiaoyu, called out. Her initially troubled expression lightened as she saw Ling Yi. She quickly said, “Come and take a look—what’s wrong with your little brother?”

As she spoke, she shifted the small baby in her arms toward Ling Yi.

“And this little one too!” added his aunt, Ling He, as she stood up, gently rocking the baby in her arms.

Ling Shan, born this past spring in March, was now less than seven months old. He was Ling Yi’s younger brother.

Zhang Xin, born last winter in the twelfth lunar month, was about to turn ten months old. He was Zhang Lei’s younger brother.

Before either of the women could move closer, Ling Yi quickly stepped over to them in a few brisk strides. He reached out to the babies’ small faces with both hands.

His movements were gentle, and the serene aura around him grew even more pronounced.

Using the backs of his slightly bent index and middle fingers, he lightly brushed the soft, tofu-like cheeks of the babies.

Amazingly, as Ling Yi touched them, the two babies—who had been crying incessantly—gradually quieted down. Their cries subsided entirely, though their small mouths remained pouted in grievance, their faces still looking a bit uncomfortable.

After observing them up close for a few moments, Ling Yi’s eyes shifted slightly. He reached under the old, thin quilt wrapped around Zhang Xin in Ling He’s arms and gave it a gentle tug. “Aunt, you’ve wrapped the quilt too tightly. Little Xin’s legs are uncomfortable.”

Ling He was taken aback. “So that’s why this little one has been kicking and flailing all day.”

After releasing Zhang Xin’s legs, Ling Yi withdrew his left hand and extended both hands forward. He took his younger brother, Ling Shan, from his mother Zhang Xiaoyu’s arms. Supporting Ling Shan horizontally with his left hand, he used his right hand to loosen the thin quilt in front of him. Then, he slipped his hand inside and pressed his palm gently against the baby’s stomach, rubbing in slow circles.

In just a few moments, Ling Shan opened his mouth wide and let out a loud “hic!” The frown on his tiny face relaxed, and his expression became calm.

“All set!” Ling Yi handed Ling Shan back to his mother. “Little Shan had some gas from drinking milk—he’s fine now.”

“Next time you feed him, pay attention to his posture and make sure his tummy stays warm,” Ling Yi patiently and carefully explained to the two mothers.

Although both women had raised sons like Ling Yi and Zhang Lei, they were, after all, only in their early twenties—young village women with limited knowledge of childcare. Their caregiving mostly involved feeding, bathing, rocking the babies to sleep, and changing diapers.

Most of the time, when a baby cried, their first reaction was to feed it or check for soiled diapers. If the baby wasn’t hungry and the diaper was clean, they’d begin a trial-and-error process to figure out the problem.

Often, before they could pinpoint the cause, the baby would stop crying on its own.

Living in the countryside, survival came first. Even nursing mothers had little time for detailed care of newborns, as most of their energy was spent working in the fields to secure food.

After all, Zhang Lei’s infancy had been spent in much the same way.

And compared to the babies in the same village or even those in nearby villages, Zhang Lei had already received relatively good care.

As for Ling Yi, as his uncle Zhang Dahe often said, “He’s the most well-behaved and worry-free child around. In ten miles, let alone a hundred, you wouldn’t find another like him.”

<+>

At noon, Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahe returned home one after the other. One carried a bundle of firewood strapped to his back with a machete at his waist, while the other held a fish basket.

“Dad!” Ling Yi greeted cheerfully.

“Dad!” Zhang Lei echoed with a grin as both children ran up to their fathers, smiles naturally blooming on their faces.

“Dad,” Ling Yi glanced at the firewood on Ling Xiaoshan’s back and asked, “did you go to the old forest?”

“Mm.” Ling Xiaoshan nodded and bent down to pick Ling Yi up, walking toward their yard without pausing. “I noticed yesterday that we were running low on firewood. Since there wasn’t much to do in the fields this morning, I went to the old forest to gather some.”

“Uncle,” Zhang Lei said from Zhang Dahe’s arms. Retracting his gaze from the fish basket on his father’s shoulder, he turned to Ling Xiaoshan and said, “So you went to the old forest too? If we’d known, Ah Yi and I would’ve gone to look for you.”

“Oh?”

Hearing this, Zhang Dahe raised an eyebrow and asked, “From the sound of it, you two little rascals went to the old forest this morning too?”

At the hint of sternness in Zhang Dahe’s voice, Zhang Lei shrank his neck and mumbled softly, “We…we just wandered around the edge of the old forest. We didn’t go deep inside…”

“You two,” Ling Xiaoshan frowned as he shifted his gaze from Zhang Lei to Ling Yi in his arms. Lowering his voice, he said, “The old forest is dangerous. Forget the venomous creatures like wild Dog-headed Snakes, giant flower spiders, and black star scorpions. There are wolves, wild boars, and leopards deeper in the forest—”

“If you run into something fierce, it wouldn’t just be trouble for you two. Even us adults might not make it out safely!”

“Dad, Uncle.”

Ling Yi understood his father’s and uncle’s concerns. Pressing his lips together, he softly replied, “We know. We only stayed at the very edge—the outskirts of the outskirts. We wouldn’t go deeper.”

“Besides,” Ling Yi paused and glanced at the dog and cat circling their feet. “Ah Huang and Miaomiao were with us.”

Hearing this, Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahe both looked down at the yellow dog and gray cat at their feet. The reprimands they’d prepared to deliver were swallowed back.

There was no helping it. At two and a half years old, Ah Huang looked incredibly robust, comparable to the wolves the two men had seen years ago in Beikouhe Town’s market. Those wolves had been sold by hunters to wealthy families or restaurant merchants.

As for Miaomiao, though not as large as Ah Huang, its streamlined body and agile movements were reminiscent of a miniature leopard.

With these two guardians accompanying them—and given their strength and alertness—it was clear that within the three to five-mile radius of the forest’s outskirts, Ling Yi and Zhang Lei’s safety was well assured.

“Fine, then.” x2

Ling Xiaoshan and Zhang Dahe exchanged a glance and reluctantly nodded.

There wasn’t much else they could do. After all, Zhang Lei was six years old this year and would soon undergo his Martial Spirit Awakening Ceremony, gaining his own martial spirit and a degree of independence.

Even Ling Yi, despite being obedient by nature, had always been resolute in his ideas. He frequently proposed creative yet convincing arguments that persuaded them to see things his way.

As the two pairs of father and son conversed, the two women in the family had already prepared lunch and began calling everyone to come inside and eat.

With life conditions now several times better than before and Ling Yi and Zhang Lei becoming self-sufficient in their daily needs, Ling Shan and Zhang Xin approaching their first birthdays, both families were considering having a third child.

It was clear that the Ling and Zhang families were destined to flourish, with more children and a prosperous future ahead!