Chapter 440: Oh My God

Chapter 440: Chapter 440: Oh My God

"Wan, come see if the pot needs..."

Ji Mingfang figured enough time had passed, but Ji Huan and Guan Shan were still nowhere in sight. Worried the food would be overcooked if it simmered any longer, he went to the backyard to call them.

Unexpectedly, as he turned the corner, he stumbled upon the young couple locked in an embrace.

Never mind that Ji Mingfang was still a young, unmarried man; even the most forward and playful women in the village were never seen hugging their husbands like that in broad daylight.

One could only imagine how shocking this scene was for him.

He stood there, stunned, and only snapped out of it after Ji Huan and Guan Shan had separated.

"Uh... um, I... I..." He turned beet red, stammering and unable to get a clear sentence out.

Guan Shan’s expression was taut, and if you looked closely, you could see he was slightly uncomfortable too.

Ji Huan, on the other hand, was the least bothered of all.

It was just a hug. If they weren’t married, they might have had to be more discreet, but she and Guan Shan had their certificate. They weren’t afraid of being seen. Besides, it wasn’t a stranger who saw them, nor were they being watched by a crowd in public. ’It would take a lot more than this to make me blush.’

Remembering the incident at West River Gully, her eyes darted around. She shot Guan Shan a glare and said complainingly, "I told you not to hug me, but you insisted. See? You scared my cousin. If you do this again, I’m going to get angry."

Guan Shan: "..."

Fortunately, he was already used to Ji Huan’s unpredictability. Although his expression looked a bit stiff, he remained relatively composed.

Ji Mingfang, however, completely lost his composure.

"You... you two carry on. I’ll... the pot... carry on..."

After sputtering out the incoherent words, he turned and scurried away, his desire to escape all too obvious.

Ji Huan burst out laughing. Guan Shan watched her, shaking his head slightly, and after a moment, his own lips curved into a smile.

By the time all the ingredients were braised, night had fallen.

Dabao was tired out today and went to bed early, but Ji Huan couldn’t sleep.

She sat on the kang, cross-legged with her chin in her hands, unable to figure it out for the life of her.

"What on earth have you all been eating? Don’t tell me you’ve mutated?"

Below the kang, Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding sat in a row. As if they knew they were being interrogated, each of the four furry faces looked more innocent than the last.

Meanwhile, their mother, Dahuang, strolled in, did a quick lap, and then swaggered out, presumably to go back to her den to sleep.

When the pups were just born, she had been fiercely protective. Now that they were bigger, she was so carefree you’d think they weren’t even hers.

Then again, they really didn’t look like her offspring.

Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding’s handsome looks and large frames showed no trace of Dahuang’s genes.

Especially when it came to their fighting prowess.

Dahuang could be quite ferocious herself and rarely lost a fight with the other village dogs. But after personally witnessing the ferocity with which Ding could kill in a single move, Ji Huan felt... ’this goes beyond the student surpassing the master, doesn’t it?’

’But I delivered these four myself...’

CREAK. The door opened, and Guan Shan came in carrying a bowl of steaming liquid.

Ji Huan took it from him. Not daring to drink it right away, she held the hot bowl and blew gently across the rim.

"I let it cool a bit. You can drink it." Guan Shan sat on the edge of the kang and moved the small kang table over for her.

Ji Huan took a small sip to test it. The temperature was indeed just right—not too hot, not too cool. As she drank, a warmth spread through her lower abdomen, making her feel much more comfortable.

This body had probably been too poorly treated, which was why she’d only had her first period this summer.

Most girls started their period between thirteen and fifteen. Some started as early as eleven or twelve, or even younger. Getting it at sixteen was quite late.

Fortunately, she didn’t have any particular symptoms, aside from looking a bit pale and having cold hands and feet on those days. That’s why she liked to drink brown sugar ginger tea.

Guan Shan noticed all this. He asked Widow Xie about some of the details, and once he knew what to do, he would take over as many chores as he could when the time came. He made sure she avoided cold water and would even brew ginger tea for her.

Ji Huan sipped from the bowl, occasionally stealing a glance at Guan Shan, an inopportune thought crossing her mind.

But she quickly pushed those thoughts aside. Setting down the bowl, she went back to pondering the matter of Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding.

"Don’t you think there’s something off about them? It seems like they’ve been eating more and more these past few months..."

A single one of their rations was almost double that of a normal dog. It had once made Ji Huan wonder if she was raising pigs.

Guan Shan nodded. "It’s normal."

Ji Huan’s eyes widened. "How is it normal?"

Guan Shan beckoned with his hand, and Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding swarmed him, wagging their tails.

"Look at them. What’s different about them compared to ordinary dogs?"

Ji Huan propped her chin on her hand and studied them for a long while. "Their looks?"

Guan Shan was speechless for a moment, which also made him realize just how much importance Ji Huan placed on appearances.

’Looks are, indeed, quite important.’

Ji Huan waved a hand in front of his face. "What are you thinking about? Is it their looks?"

"You could say that."

Guan Shan seemed a bit resigned as he began to explain in detail.

"Look at their ears."

"They look fine." They were standing straight up, looking very alert.

"A dog’s ears usually droop. Only a wolf’s ears stand perfectly parallel and erect. Now, look at their tails."

Ji Huan nodded as she looked. "They’re very bushy."

Guan Shan: "...A wolf’s tail is shorter and thicker than a dog’s. The fur is fluffier, and it usually hangs down between the hind legs, unlike a dog’s tail, which often curls upward."

Ji Huan was a little dazed.

"Furthermore, a wolf’s snout is longer and more pointed than a dog’s, its mouth is wider, its teeth are large, and its eyes slant upward..."

"Wait!" Ji Huan cut him off.

’Weren’t we talking about Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding? Why has the conversation shifted to the differences between wolves and dogs?’

’And Jia, Yi, Bing, and Ding are clearly dogs, so why do they sound more and more like wolves the longer I listen?’

’The features Guan Shan was describing weren’t a perfect match, but they were about seventy or eighty percent there...’

"It can’t be, can it?" She looked to Guan Shan, seeking confirmation once more.

"It’s just as you think."

Ji Huan was dumbfounded.

Her shock wasn’t because she disbelieved Guan Shan, nor was it because she doubted the possibility of a wolf and a dog breeding.

In fact, many animals can crossbreed. For example, lions and tigers, which both belong to the cat family, can produce ligers. Horses and donkeys, part of the equine family, produce mules. Even whales and dolphins can crossbreed to produce wholphins...

Wolves and dogs are no exception, and in fact, they have a relative advantage.

Take lions and tigers, for example. Although they belong to the same family and genus, they are not the same species. Their hybrid offspring are sterile. This is called hybrid sterility, a form of reproductive isolation.

Similarly, the mules born from mating horses and donkeys are also highly sterile.

But wolves and dogs are different. In biological classification, aside from being different subspecies, they are identical in every other way, right down to their physiology.

Broadly speaking, wolves and dogs can actually be considered the same animal. They not only belong to the same Canidae family and Canis genus, but they are also the same species.

Therefore, no reproductive isolation exists between them, and their offspring are also fertile.

Wolves and dogs...

Ji Huan had simply never considered it from this angle. Once she accepted this new reality...

’Oh my god!’