Chapter 667: Hah’Er Helps Me Incubate the Egg

’Ugh, why do I feel so sleepy the moment I lie down?’ Shen Yibin forced himself through a few episodes of a TV show, but he still couldn’t take it anymore. Even switching to *The Ring* didn’t seem to help. His eyelids felt like they were glued together, and his stomach started to rumble.

"Nnngh..." Just as he was drifting off, he suddenly heard the door open. He turned his head and saw Hah’Er pushing the door open and waddling over to the bedside. The panda rested his front paws on the bed and looked at Shen Yibin pitifully.

"Huh? Are you hungry?" ’Oh, right. It’s dinnertime, and I haven’t cooked for Hah’Er and the others yet today.’

"Mhm! Mhm!" Hah’Er nodded repeatedly, clambering onto the bed and rubbing his own belly. His little eyes curiously sized up Shen Yibin. ’What in the world is he doing? And why is his belly so round and bulging?’

"There are some pastries in the fridge. Why don’t you guys just eat those tonight? Can you go get some for Xiaoliu and Maphario too? I really can’t get up to cook right now." Just carrying the egg to the bathroom had been an ordeal for Shen Yibin; cooking was completely out of the question.

"Nuh-uh, nuh-uh." Hah’Er shook his head repeatedly. The little guy was very picky about his food. Pastries were fine as an occasional snack, but there was no way he’d accept them for a proper meal. Seeing Shen Yibin stay put, Hah’Er crawled over and started tugging on his arm, trying to pull him up.

’He really insists on me cooking, huh? Why can’t you just go grill a fish yourself? Aren’t you pretty good at catching fish and barbecuing? Uh, wait a minute... When we went to the river to barbecue before, I was the one who set up the grill, lit the fire, scaled and gutted the fish, and marinated it. Hah’Er only needed to manage the heat and the amount of seasoning. He can’t handle a barbecue all by himself.’

Besides, barbecuing always involved fire, and Shen Yibin didn’t feel safe letting Hah’Er handle it alone. He’d be heartbroken if anything happened. "Be a good boy. Just bear with it for a day or two. After this egg hatches, I’ll make you something delicious. You can have whatever you want!" Shen Yibin could only continue to coax him.

"Hm?" Hearing this, Hah’Er leaned in curiously. He gently stroked the Snake Egg through the clothes. After a moment, Hah’Er finally gave up and walked out, looking back every few steps. It seemed he was going to listen to Shen Yibin and find some dry food to make do.

A few minutes later, the bedroom door opened again. Hah’Er came in carrying a plate of pastries, walked up to Shen Yibin, picked one up, and held it out to him. "Mhm!"

"Is this for me?" ’Oh, right. I haven’t eaten either.’ Shen Yibin swallowed hard and took the pastry from Hah’Er’s paw. "Did Xiaoliu and the others get any?"

"Mhm! Nnngh..." Hah’Er first nodded, then shook his head, and then gestured wildly. Shen Yibin understood this to mean that he had taken the pastries to the others, but they didn’t seem to want to eat them.

’Sigh, it’s no wonder. I’ve spoiled them all.’ They had been chewing on dry rations for days while searching for this Snake Egg in the tropical forest. When they got back, he had been too exhausted to cook a proper meal. The poor things were starving for something good and had no appetite for store-bought pastries.

’Didn’t they say it would hatch soon? Why isn’t there any sign of it yet?’ Shen Yibin glumly stroked the Snake Egg on his belly. To be honest, after smelling the pastries, he didn’t feel much like eating them either.

"Hah’Er, why don’t you come over and hold this for me under the covers? I’ll go cook for you guys now." ’The Future Pet Shop said it needs body heat to incubate, but they didn’t say it had to be *human* body heat, did they? Hah’Er should be able to do it, right? Maybe I can have him take over for a bit so I can get a break? He’s so lazy anyway, lying still won’t be a problem for him.’

"Hm? Mhm! Mhm!" As soon as he heard there would be good food, Hah’Er’s spirits lifted. Without a second thought, he reached out his paw to take the Snake Egg from Shen Yibin.

"Wait, not so fast. First, get under the covers and warm yourself up!" Hah’Er had just come in from outside, so his belly wasn’t as warm as Shen Yibin’s. Shen Yibin quickly pulled Hah’Er into the blankets, planning to hand over the Snake Egg only after he was warm enough.

Hah’Er obediently followed Shen Yibin’s command. He lifted the covers, lay down next to Shen Yibin, and wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only his big head sticking out.

"Good, just like that. Just hold on for a few more minutes." A few minutes later, Hah’Er’s body temperature was about the same as Shen Yibin’s. Only then did Shen Yibin carefully place the egg on Hah’Er’s belly. "Yes, that’s it. Hold that position and don’t move. I’m going to go cook right now. I’ll come back to relieve you when it’s ready."

’It’s great to have someone to take a shift. If Hah’Er and I take turns, we should be able to manage, right? It’s a shame Xiaoliu is too lively and restless; he’d never be able to sit still. Maphario is too small, and Turtle Immortal’s shell is too hard. Otherwise, if the whole gang could take turns incubating the egg, the pressure would be much less.’

He watched from the bedside for a little while longer. After confirming that Hah’Er was up to the task, Shen Yibin finally left the bedroom for the kitchen and quickly started cooking. While he was at it, he also found Turtle Immortal and asked it for some restorative medicinal herbs to make himself a bowl of porridge, hoping it would relieve the fatigue from incubating.

"Okay, Hah’Er, you can go eat now!" After finishing the cooking, Shen Yibin didn’t even take a bite himself. He rushed back to the bedroom to take over for Hah’Er. Even though he was hungry too, he wanted Hah’Er to eat his fill first.

"Nnngh~" But Hah’Er wasn’t in a hurry now. He seemed to think having a round, bulging egg on his belly was pretty fun and refused to get out of bed.

"Fine, you can keep at it. I’ll bring the food over and feed you." Shen Yibin was at a loss for words. He found a small bed tray, brought the food over, and started eating with Hah’Er.

"Here, I made twice-cooked pork especially for you today. Eat up." The two of them finished their dinner right there on the bed. After eating, Shen Yibin cleared the table and dishes, then went outside to stretch his stiff limbs with Xiaoliu for a bit before returning to the bedroom.

Hah’Er was still lying on the bed, holding the Snake Egg, not looking uncomfortable or lonely in the slightest.

’Heh, who knew being lazy could have its perks! If this were Xiaoliu, he would have gotten impatient long ago. Only a lazybones like Hah’Er wouldn’t find this to be torture.’

’Since you like it, you can hold it a while longer.’ Shen Yibin yawned. "Hah’Er, in that case, I’m going to catch a little shut-eye. If you get sleepy, just wake me up, and I’ll take your shift!"