Chapter 392: Learning to Walk

Chapter 392: Chapter 392: Learning to Walk

Yan Huoshui had just taken the baby in his arms when Mr. Lu Sr. stared eagerly at the little one. "Can I come over and see the baby next time?"

"Yes, come whenever you like."

"But it’s best to come after two in the afternoon. Lanlan might be napping before then, and we wouldn’t want to wake her," Yan Huoshui added.

Mr. Lu Sr. asked curiously, "Oh? Are you and Lanlan living together now? What about the other Beast Husbands? I thought you all lived separately."

"Well, with the recent incident involving the former Monarch... and Lanlan is pregnant for the second time. It wouldn’t be very convenient for us to protect her if we lived too far away."

’The most important thing was that Shi Lan hadn’t kicked them out, so they had naturally stayed put. Besides, they all had their own rooms in the main building, so it wasn’t inconvenient at all.’

"Ah, that’s true."

As a trusted confidant, Mr. Lu Sr. knew a little about Shi Lan’s special situation—a miraculous being who could conceive children with her spirit body. For now, it seemed she was the only one capable of such a feat.

At the thought that there might be two more little cubs soon, Mr. Lu Sr.’s smile grew even wider. "Wonderful, wonderful. Marrying her was truly the blessing of a lifetime for you."

"It is."

Yan Huoshui nodded without refuting. He thought so, too.

’Speaking of which, he was actually very grateful to Mr. Lu Sr. If the old man hadn’t insisted on dragging him back to Capital Star and forcing him to turn over a new leaf, he never would have had the chance to meet Lanlan on Black Star.’

’Yes, in a way, that made Mr. Lu Sr. the matchmaker between him and Lanlan.’

’Of course, he could never tell the old man that. Otherwise, Mr. Lu Sr. would lord it over him forever.’

Mindful that he still needed to feed the baby, Yan Huoshui didn’t stay any longer and headed back.

When he got home, he first carried the baby in to check on Shi Lan. It was almost two in the afternoon, and Lanlan was taking her nap. On the bed, next to his beloved wife, were two irksome beasts.

Fortunately, with Jiang Xia and Mu Tangfeng keeping an eye on each other, the two beasts were behaving themselves, sleeping peacefully on either side of Lanlan without getting any ideas.

He gently closed the door and headed for the nursery.

...

Shi Lan had thought that once the baby was born, all her troubles would be over. But shortly after the birth, she encountered a new problem: breast engorgement.

Even though she hadn’t personally given birth, it seemed milk production was somewhat related to a woman’s maternal instincts. Being overly fond of a child could easily stimulate a certain hormone. Of course, that was just one factor; emotions and nutritional status also played a part.

Shi Lan was in excellent health. With her Beast Husbands around, her mood never soured—just looking at their faces or beast forms was enough to keep her happy. In short, her milk supply was quite abundant. For the first two weeks, her breasts were often painfully swollen.

At first, she was too embarrassed to say anything. It was only after searching online and discovering that her Beast Husbands could help that she shyly told them about her problem.

Conveniently, after five months, the twins from her pregnancy had been transferred into the "big mushroom." With her permission, her Beast Husbands resumed taking turns attending to her. By then, the other beasts had returned to their own homes, no longer staying in Shi Lan’s main building and interrupting their private time together.

However, Ye Ming and the others didn’t want Shi Lan getting pregnant so frequently. They worried it would take a toll on her body, so they were all diligent about using contraception.

Besides, with children being born at this frequency, it would be difficult to explain to the outside world. They were afraid someone with ill intentions might discover something, so it was better to wait a while before having more.

With the help of her Beast Husbands, the discomfort in Shi Lan’s breasts finally disappeared after two weeks. She was no longer in pain.

But one night, as she drowsily enjoyed the comfortable sensation of being nursed, she thought about the contraceptive liquid they were taking and was struck by a brilliant idea.

’During her time off, she could find out who the fathers of the twins were. Then, for the next pregnancy, she could choose a Beast Husband who hadn’t had a child with her yet. The others could take the contraceptive liquid. Once she had met her own childbirth goals, she could agree to them getting sterilized.’

’Perfect!’

Shi Lan plotted silently in her mind, then quickly lost herself again in their intimate embrace.

「 」

In the Beastman World, Beastmen children grew at a different rate than newborns in an ordinary world. Beastification gave Beastmen more robust physiques, and the stronger a parent’s spiritual power, the better the constitution of their newborn.

Shi Lan and her husbands hadn’t tested their baby’s spiritual power. They were all confident their child wouldn’t be lacking. After all, the little one had been so well-behaved since birth, growing plump and fair, and changing by the day. He looked the very picture of health, aside from the occasional, amusing Beastification of his tiny claws.

Generally, once a cub’s Beastification stabilized, they could begin to move around on their own.

Yi Yi’s Beastification fully stabilized on the fortieth day. The random transformations of single body parts no longer occurred. He could now naturally change into a little fox and was even starting to practice walking, wobbling unsteadily around the house.

After being nurtured for this long, eating and drinking his fill every day, the little fox’s coat had quickly grown smooth and glossy. With his bright red fur and a big, fluffy tail, he easily captured the entire family’s attention whenever he appeared.

Especially Shi Lan. The moment she saw him, she couldn’t resist scooping the little cub into her arms for a satisfying snuggle before setting him down to continue watching him practice walking.

A little cub couldn’t learn to walk easily on his own. Just like in the animal kingdom, the father played a crucial role. Yan Huoshui would transform into his beast form to teach him how to move his legs—this was the purpose of paternity leave, after all.

Having just started walking, Yi Yi would stare intently at his father with his big eyes, mimicking his steps. But he’d quickly get his paws mixed up, moving his front and back legs on the same side, before stumbling and falling over.

The little fellow had a wonderful temperament. He never cried when he fell. He would just lift his small, round, fluffy red head and stare at Yan Huoshui in confusion, as if wondering why he fell when his daddy didn’t.

Yan Huoshui patiently scooped him up with his tail and offered encouragement. "Yi Yi, you’re doing great! Just walk a little more, and you’ll be just like your daddy soon."

Shi Lan clapped from the sidelines. "My baby is the best! You’re Mommy’s precious boy."

Yi Yi couldn’t speak yet, but he was very smart and could already understand simple things the adults were saying.

He looked at his mother, then at the large tail curled around his body, and gave it a curious scratch. The little one didn’t have sharp claws yet, so his scratching felt more like being tickled by a feather; there was no threat in it at all.

Yan Huoshui indulged his playfulness. It was normal for cubs to be curious about everything.

Yi Yi twisted his head to stare at his own little tail. It looked plump and curled up slightly at the end. And there was only one.

He tried to copy his father, attempting to hook his own leg with his tail, but he was too small and his tail was too short. He just ended up tripping himself again. He looked up, a bit dazed, his ears twitching in bewilderment.

Seeing her little cub’s antics, Shi Lan’s heart completely melted. Unable to stay seated on the sofa any longer, she immediately ran over, scooped up the cub, and peppered his little head with loving kisses.

"MWAH, MWAH, MWAH! Yi Yi, Mommy loves you so much! How can you be so adorable?"

Yi Yi was overwhelmed by his mother’s enthusiasm and wanted to lift a paw to cover her mouth. But the moment he looked up at her face, the little guy couldn’t bring himself to do it.

’His sweet-smelling mother was his favorite, after all.’