Chapter 274 - 273: Mother’s Return

Chapter 274: Chapter 273: Mother’s Return

Meanwhile, in Barbaric City.

In the large courtyard where Mu Silin and the others were staying, females had started appearing over the past few days, making a point to stroll past the gate, whether intentionally or "by chance."

Some would steal a shy glance inside.

Others would make a special trip to bring gifts. Right now, for instance, three females were standing in the courtyard.

They carried baskets of fruit and other food items.

"General Mu, these are honeyed fruits I washed by the river. They grow on the mountain behind my house and are quite delicious. Please, accept them!"

"And I have these! They’re salt crystal grass. They’re very flavorful to chew on."

"Me too! This is venison that my Father dried. He just finished it yesterday..."

The three females vied to present their offerings, their eyes darting occasionally toward the two men in the back.

Gu Fangqi and Ye Lüqi were focused on making toys for Si Bao, Dabao, and the others, so they didn’t even glance toward that side of the courtyard.

As Mu Silin listened, he saw Si Muye return from outside, carrying Er Bao and Liu Bao. The sight finally eased the frown from his brow.

Si Muye had been out with the two children for two hours, and Mu Silin had been worrying. He was afraid something might happen if they were gone for too long.

He glanced at the three females standing before him.

"My apologies, ladies, but please return home. We cannot accept your gifts. Food is scarce in Barbaric City; you should keep these for yourselves!"

With that, he started to walk toward Er Bao.

But one of the females said,

"Sirs, you have done so much for Barbaric City. It’s only right that we offer you these things. Please, General Mu, accept them!"

"That’s right. The children can eat my berries as a little treat!"

Mu Silin’s handsome face remained impassive, maintaining an unapproachable distance.

"That won’t be necessary. The children have food, so we won’t trouble you."

He refused them coldly.

The three females looked at each other, a sense of frustration passing between them.

They had spent the last few days observing these men. Not only were these newcomers great figures of incredible status, but they were all exceptionally distinguished.

And even though they were incredibly busy every day working for the people of Barbaric City, they were always hands-on with their own children.

Moreover, the children’s female mother hadn’t been seen this whole time.

That’s why they’d decided to try and strike up a conversation.

Hearing his refusal, the female carrying the dried meat glanced over at Si Muye, who was now approaching with Liu Bao and Er Bao in his arms.

’These children and men... each one is more handsome than the last.’

She squeezed the basket in her hand.

"From what I can see, these children don’t have their female mother around. Where has she gone?"

"That’s right, you’re the ones taking care of them every day. If you gentlemen don’t mind, we could help look after the children. You’re all so busy..."

"Er Bao doesn’t want you to look after him! You’re not Er Bao’s female mother. Er Bao only wants his female mother."

Before the female could finish, Er Bao, nestled in Si Muye’s arms, cut her off.

The little one glared at them, his dark green eyes flashing with an impressively grown-up-looking huff.

The three females immediately fell silent, their faces etched with embarrassment.

Liu Bao’s fox ears twitched as he shot the three of them a disdainful look.

"Hmph! You’re bad women! Liu Bao doesn’t want to see you! Get out of our courtyard, right now! You’re not allowed in here, or else our female mother will be sad when she sees you!"

Liu Bao was already having a trauma response.

Ever since the incident with Jie Ying, Liu Bao instinctively felt that any other woman who got close to them was a bad person who would make his female mother sad.

He refused to let something like that happen again.

And as it happened, his words were overheard by Bai Chaosi, who had just arrived at the gate with Huang Ziyue and Shen Yue.

’How could he not know what those words meant? He was the one who had cast such a large shadow over Liu Bao.’

’Otherwise, how could a child as young as Liu Bao understand such things!’

Hearing this, Mu Silin was about to order the three females to leave.

But just then, he looked up and saw who was walking through the gate.

His pupils contracted. He stared, his eyes fixing on the figure.

"Shen Yue!!"

Si Muye had been about to take Liu Bao inside to soothe him, but at the sound of those two words, he whipped his head around.

He saw a flash of red, a figure walking toward them.

In his arms, Liu Bao and Er Bao cried out at almost the exact same time:

"Female mother!!"

The cry shattered the silence, thick with longing and delight.

The two little ones instantly leaped from Si Muye’s arms and dashed toward Shen Yue.

Meanwhile, Gu Fangqi and Ye Lüqi, who had been crouching on the ground, froze before slowly turning around.

The moment Dabao, Si Bao, and Wubao, who were gathered around the men, saw Shen Yue, their eyes instantly reddened and their little noses twitched with emotion.

"Female mother!!"

"Female mother is back!"

The little ones scrambled toward Shen Yue, half-running, half-crawling.

Shen Yue was already prepared. Crouching down, she opened her arms wide.

"My babies, your female mother is back!"

The thick, nasal tone of her voice couldn’t hide the urge to cry.

In fact, she didn’t hold back at all.

Huang Ziyue’s gaze swept quickly around the courtyard, but he didn’t see Sanbao. He froze for a second. ’Where’s Sanbao?’

Meanwhile, Sanbao, who had been alone in his room clutching the little doll Shen Yue had left him, heard the commotion. Without even putting the toy down, he ran out.

He ran to the doorway and stopped on the threshold, his eyes landing on Shen Yue’s face.

At the sight of him, Huang Ziyue let out a sigh of relief.

’Sanbao was safe. For a moment there, his heart had leaped into his throat.’

When Sanbao’s eyes fell on Shen Yue, his small, icy face finally showed a flicker of emotion.

His tightly controlled expression could no longer hide a child’s longing and affection for his mother.

His dark red eyes seemed to shatter, turning an even deeper shade of red.

He walked toward Shen Yue, his steps quickening with each pace until he broke into a full run.

Even before the last of her children threw himself into her arms, Shen Yue’s tears had already begun to fall.

As she held her little ones tightly, feeling their soft, warm bodies, her tears fell uncontrollably. The heavy weight on her heart finally lifted.

The little ones in her arms wailed right along with her:

"WAAAHHH! Er Bao missed our female mother so much!"

"Dabao too! Dabao... Dabao really, really missed our female mother!"

"Our female mother is finally back! Wubao thought about you coming back every single day!"

"Si Bao couldn’t see our female mother, so Si Bao... Si Bao was sad."

All the little ones burst into tears at once, pouring out all their longing and sorrow.

The entire courtyard filled with the sound of their sobs and plaintive cries.

It was as if all the longing and sorrow from their days apart had been bottled up to its absolute limit, only to finally burst forth.

Without Shen Yue, they acted like brave little men. But the moment they saw her, they were once again just children, not even four months old.