Chapter 107

The overwhelming majority of vipers were enormously happy about Yin Xiaoxiao’s pregnancy, wishing him the best. They also wondered to themselves if, since the Clan Husband’s pregnancy was like this, the viper clans’ difficulty with reproduction had been overcome with this situation? From now on, would no one have difficulties having children?

Cough cough, this question would appear again later. But it was very unlikely to be true.

Almost all the snake clans knew about it, so there was no reason that Yin Dabai, Hua Xiaohua and the other snakes wouldn’t know about it. After all, it was their child who was the earliest to have baby snakes. It had only been thirty years since Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua had had their own children, and they both wanted to see Yin Xiaoxiao.

However, by the time Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai wanted to go and visit Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Laoda, they suddenly encountered a problem: they didn’t know where Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Laoda lived!

Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua knew that Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Laoda didn’t reside in the Mo snake lands. They’d heard Yin Xiaoxiao mention this. But then, where were they living? Soon, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua recalled a snake, a snake who surely knew where Yin Xiaoxiao and mo Laoda lived. This snake was Mo Dayi.

But soon, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua remembered a snake. This snake surely knew where Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Laoda lived. This snake was Mo Dayi. Back then, Mo Laoda, Yin Xiaoxiao and Mo Dayi traveled together to see those strange organisms and everything else that resulted from that. Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua didn’t need to find them!

As for Mo Dayi’s residence, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua knew where that was because they’d heard that Mo Dayi was acting as Mo Laoda’s regent. As a result, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua decided to go to the Mo snake lands to look for Mo Dayi.

If this had been in the past, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua surely wouldn’t have gone to the Mo snake lands, even if Yin Xiaoxiao’s partner was a Mo snake, even if this Mo snake was the vipers’ Clan Head. But not long ago, Mo Laoda had issued that order, and that had had a very large effect.

The vipers’ way of thinking wasn’t well suited to the way humans thought. For the vipers, respect for the powerful was a constant truth. They revered and obeyed the strongest, which was now Mo Laoda. Common vipers took pleasure in complying with Mo Laoda’s order. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, in their lives, they were unlikely to enter the Mo snake lands. In the end, the Mo snakes wanted to remain in the Mo snake lands, or at least remain near those lands. Even when bored, common vipers absolutely wouldn’t go there. As for the Mo snakes, they indeed weren’t not dissatisfied, but violent suppression was useful. What was more, the Mo snakes weren’t going to burn off excess energy inappropriately ¹ by provoking common vipers, and Mo snakes that did were a small minority.

However, this also had another beneficial effect. There were Mo snakes and common vipers who loved each other and formed partnerships. The majority of those were ministers in love with interested concubines (有情妾有意: idiom meaning that the couple is fated to be together; it’s a famous poem https://zhidao.baidu.com/question/140266178531477325.html ). When Mo Laoda issued this order, the hidden relationships became public and they impatiently got together. And for the rest, well, it seemed like this was a good opportunity for change, and the treatment of Hei snakes appeared to improve quite a bit.

When Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua came to look for Mo Dayi, Mo Dayi was fortunately in the Mo snake lands. Mo Dayi listened to Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua and, naturally, without raising any objections, immediately left with Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua.

But, before Mo Dayi left with Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua, another couple was already staying with Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao.

Mother Mo stared at Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach for a long time, then said, “It seems that it’s been a while.”

Yin Xiaoxiao giggled twice. “Yes, it’s already been a while. He, hehe.”

To the side, Father Mo stared at Mo Laoda for an even longer time then said, from between teeth clenched in rage, “Laoda, you tell me: did you do this before becoming partners with Xiaoxiao?”

Yin Xiaoxiao: “…”

Mo Laoda: “Dad, what are you saying?! The day Xiaoxiao and I became partners, Xiaoxiao only then became an adult! How could I have touched Xiaoxiao before he became an adult?!”

In the history of the viper clans, there had been cases of underage snakes in love and consumed by passion. But what scared all snakes was that, in having relations with their partners while underage they’d, without exception, lay no eggs in their lifetime. This happened over and over. The vipers didn’t know why this happened, but none would allow this to happen again.

Father Mo listened to Mo Laoda speak then began to mumble, “How can that be?! It hasn’t even been a year. To actually get pregnant so quickly?! That can’t be!”

Well, no matter how strange this was and how unbelievable it was to snakes, after seeing Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach, Father Mo and Mother Mo had to believe that this was true! Father Mo and Mother Mo had three children including Mo Laoda, so they knew what pregnancy looked like.

“But it looks like it’s been many months? Why did you only announce it now?” Mother Mo couldn’t help but ask. Just from looking at Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach, she knew that it had been some time.

Mo Laoda: “Cough, cough, that’s….”

Yin Xiaoxiao grabbed the thread of conversation. “Heitan and I worried that we were wrong, so we didn’t dare say anything until we were sure. Heitan also didn’t want to leave me alone. It was only a little while ago that Mo Dayi came back over, so it was delayed and delayed until that time.”

Mother Mo nodded her head, suddenly understanding.

“Why don’t you come back and live with us,” Father Mo said. “Here it’s only you two snakes. If something happens, that’s too inconvenient. It’d be better to return to the Mo snake lands where everyone can help out.”

“Ah, that’s ah….” Yin Xiaoxiao paused. “It’d be better not to. It won’t be more than a month until the birth. I don’t want to make a fuss, and it’d also be better avoid the hardship of the journey.”

Father Mo and Mother Mo exchanged glances but didn’t insist. Although It was quite unrealistic to say that Father Mo and Mother Mo now adored Yin Xiaoxiao, they also didn’t loathe him like they had previously, and they tried to accept Yin Xiaoxiao’s existence. But also….Father Mo and Mother Mo’s gaze landed on Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach. Although he was pregnant with their Laoda’s child, who knew what the child would look like.

“Then, we’ll return,” Mother Mo said.

“No rush, no rush,” Yin Xiaoxiao hurriedly said. “That’s, you’ve just arrived. It’d be better to stay a few days.” Father Mo and Mother Mo were also Yin Xiaoxiao’s “parents-in-law”. Even if he didn’t like them, Yin Xiaoxiao knew that there was no cause for  his husband’s parents to leave immediately after arriving.

Smiling, Mother Mo said, “No, no. Laoda’s father and I just came to see.” As she spoke, she glanced at Mo Laoda. “Us staying here will trouble you and Laoda. It’s better for us to leave.”

Yin Xiaoxiao smiled but didn’t speak.

Standing next to him, Mo Laoda looked at Yin Xiaoxiao and said, “Mother, Father, since Xiaoxiao is pregnant, I’m afraid that Xiaoxiao and I won’t be able to attend Laosan’s partnership ceremony.”

Father Mo and Mother Mo were stunned. They only now remembered this. Hurriedly they said, “It’s fine, it’s fine. If you can’t go, then don’t go. Xiaoxiao’s body ² is important. We’ll talk to Laosan.”

Mo Laoda nodded his head to show he understood.

Mother Mo and Father Mo didn’t say anything else. They said goodbye to Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao, and then left.

Yin Xiaoxiao stared blankly as the receding silhouettes of the two snakes disappeared from view. Then he turned his head and said, somewhat hesitantly, to Mo Laoda, “Say, do your parents’ attitude towards me seem a lot different?”

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Mo Laoda took the opportunity to kiss Yin Xiaoxiao’s forehead before saying, “It’s fine. Now that you’re pregnant with my child, what else could they do? Naturally, they could only accept it.”

Yin Xiaoxiao bit Mo Laoda. “How could you say something like that, I think your parents….” Yin Xiaoxiao tilted his head as he thought about what to say, “care about you a lot. Didn’t they come to our partnership ceremony?  Perhaps they’d already wanted to reconcile with you but just couldn’t find the opportunity.”

Mo Laoda was silent for a while, his lip curled. Still, he didn’t say anything.

“Say…” Yin Xiaoxiao lowered his head to look at his own stomach. “How many children are we having?”

Mo Laoda followed Yin Xiaoxiao’s gaze, shook his head and stated, “This one doesn’t know. We’ll only know once they’ve come out. Even though the eggshells are hard, the stomach also hardens to protect the eggs, making it impossible to feel out how many there are.” He thought for a bit, then said, “Oh, but there should only be three or four. After all, the stronger a viper is, the more difficult it is to reproduce. Even though you’re not a Mo snake, I’m the strongest viper, so it’s unlikely there will be many.”

Yin Xiaoxiao let out a furtive sigh or relief. Fewer eggs was good. Too many children would be troublesome to feed. That said, Yin Xiaoxiao, you don’t even want to move to catch prey, and it’s Mo Laoda who carries you around to visit other vipers. What qualifications do you have to say that too many children will be troublesome?!

Yin Xiaoxiao spoke again, “Then Heitan, how many do you want?”

Mo Laoda: “That doesn’t matter.” Well, Mo Laoda really felt it didn’t matter as long as they came out quickly and grew up quickly. Then he and the Little Idiot wouldn’t have any family obligations to intrude in their romantic couple’s world!

Yin Xiaoxiao curled his lips, secretly thinking that, if Heitan said he didn’t care, then he hoped there would be fewer! Giving birth to one or two would be good enough!

Hey! I say Yin Xiaoxiao, take a good look at your stomach. How can it possibly be only one or two?!

Just as the two snakes were talking, they heard a rumble from Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach.

Yin Xiaoxiao’s face reddened slightly. “He, hehe, Heitan, it seems like I’m hungry again.”

Mo Laoda silently stared at Yin Xiaoxiao for a moment. He remembered that early this morning, the Little Idiot had eaten two rabbits and two roast birds…forget it, just hunt.

Yin Xiaoxiao rushed to yell after Mo Laoda’s increasingly distant back, “Heitan, I want to eat frogs! Not many. Seven or eight’s enough!”

Without turning around, Mo Laoda paused before continuing to slither off.

In a very good mood, Yin Xiaoxiao hummed a song and slithered into the open land in front of the cave. Ever since he had become pregnant, Yin Xiaoxiao actually enjoyed sunbathing! Even in the noon sunshine! This would have been out of the question for the Yin Xiaoxiao of before, who would only have tolerated the sun in the evening or at daybreak. But now, the hotter, the better.

Lazily rolling on the ground, Yin Xiaoxiao thought that the sunshine today was quite fine. It seemed that pregnancy had even changed his physical constitution!

The breeze lightly brushed Yin Xiaoxiao’s body. Yin Xiaoxiao, basking in the sunshine, felt comfortably warm. Yin Xiaoxiao began to doze. Oh, when Mo Laoda returned, he wanted Mo Laoda to sunbathe together with him. Mo Laoda was black; he’d absorb heat really well. His body would be especially nice and warm….

Right as Yin Xiaoxiao was falling asleep, he heard a familiar voice calling his name. “Xiaoxiao….Xiaoxiao…”

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T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>吃饱: means full; it’s an idiom which means to spend time, energy, or other resources in an unproductive way 身子: means both pregnancy, health and body</ol>