Chapter 108

The sound of his name being called brought Yin Xiaoxiao to alertness, waking him up from his daze. He looked and saw Mo Dayi escorting Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua over.

“Dad? Pops? Why are you here?” Yin Xiaoxiao was excited. He unrolled until his upper body was raised, then animatedly slithered over to them.

Yin Xiaoxiao wasn’t thinking, and he didn’t expect that his movements would actually startle Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai. This Xiaoxiao was going to be a daddy, but he was still so reckless.

However, seeing Yin Xiaoxiao’s excited face, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua didn’t dampen his spirits by saying anything.

“We heard snakes say that you were pregnant. It’s only natural that we came to see you,” Hua Xiaohua said while cuddling Yin Xiaoxiao.

A brilliant smile spread across Yin Xiaoxiao’s face and he smugly stuck out his stomach. “Pops, look! I’m going to have a baby!”

Hua Xiaohua, Yin Dabai and also Mo Dayi all carefully looked at Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach. Hua Xiaohua continued, saying, “Oh, yes, it seems that Mo Laoda has been taking care of you well!”

Hua Xiaohua was aware of the Mo snake’s fertility. Although Yin Xiaoxiao was a Yin snake, this wasn’t a match for Mo Laoda’s power, so he feared that there likely weren’t many eggs in Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach. However, as this was the case and since his stomach had become so big…well, it seemed that he was being fed very well.

Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t hear the implied meaning of Hua Xiaohua’s words and still thought that Hua Xiaohua was praising him. He immediately stuck his stomach out even more. “That’s only natural! How could Heitan treat me harshly?!”

Hua Xiaohua, Yin Dabai and Mo Dayi: “…..”

“Huh?” As he came out of the underbrush, Mo Laoda saw Yin Dabai and three snakes. At first he was suspicious but then he soon realized: “You came to see Xiaoxiao, I assume.”

Yin Dabai nodded while saying in a serious tone, “That’s right. Xiaoxiao is so young and is already with child. Xiaohua and I were worried, so we went to find Mo Dayi and had him bring us here.”

Mo Laoda nodded his head, tossed the frog he’d just caught onto the ground, and left to prepare the fire. Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua didn’t mind Mo Laoda’s aloofness. This wasn’t the first time they’d seen Mo Laoda. Assuming that their Xiaoxiao hadn’t gotten together with Mo Laoda, then Mo Laoda even sparing them a glance would’ve been considered charitable.

Mo Dayi didn’t stay for long, only long enough to escort Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua, mutter a few sentences to Mo Laoda and then hurried to return  to the Mo snake lands that night.

Off to the side, Mo Laoda cooked frogs for Yin Xiaoxiao. Hua Xiaohua immediately, enthusiastically wrapped around Yin Xiaoxiao. Yin Dabai stood quietly to the side.

Hua Xiaohua had, after all, not so long ago also been a pregnant snake and was able to help Yin Xiaoxiao a little, so Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai stayed for a bit. Yin Xiaoxiao was very happy. During this period of time, aside from Mo Laoda, Yin Xiaoxiao wanted other snakes to stay with him and keep him company.

Because there were two more snakes, one of whom was Hua Xiaohua, it became lively inside the cave for a while. Mo Laoda saw that Yin Xiaoxiao felt happy and suddenly became aware that, even though he wanted to be able to live together with Yin Xiaoxiao without any other snakes coming to disturb them, if it was only the two of them, then Yin Xiaoxiao would surely be lonely. The Little Idiot had a child’s temperament. How could he spend his life eating and sleeping, eating and sleeping?

But, when the children were born, the Little Idiot wouldn’t be so lonely, right? Mo Laoda silently watched as Hua Xiaohua animately spoke with Yin Xiaoxiao. When the children left, he would  bring the Little Idiot to the old tomb, go to the bottom of the cliff, and even might go to to that place with those two….

Hua Xiaohua speculated that Yin Xiaoxiao still had about a month before laying those snake eggs, at which time either Yin Xiaoxiao or possibly Mo Laoda would need to stay in the sun, coiled around the eggs. As for Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai, once they felt reassured, they stayed.

The four snakes waited expectantly for that day. However a month passed –

“Pops, didn’t you say that, after a month, the eggs would be laid?” Face full of grief, Yin Xiaoxiao looked at Hua Xiaohua. It had already been a month. He had become even more….fat, but nothing else!

“Cough, cough. This” Hua Xiaohua smiled awkwardly. “Of course this might also be a little later. Yes….half a month! At most another half month, and you will surely lay eggs!”

Seeing Hua Xiaohua’s particularly resolute face, Yin Xiaoxiao decided to believe him. Well, just half a month. It had already been four months, half a month was nothing! Besides, human pregnancies lasted nine months, so another half month was nothing to complain about!

Mo Laoda and Yin Xiaoxiao stood to the side and didn’t speak. This time was for those with experience with pregnancy to speak.

After another half month….

“Pops, it’s been half a month,” said Yin Xiaoxiao, infuriated.

Hua Xiaohua raised his head to look at the cave ceiling. “Eh, another half month, definitely!”

Yin Xiaoxiao was only half-convinced.

Mo Laoda left to hunt for food while Yin Dabai went to sleep.

Another half month passed….

“Pops!!!”

Hua Xiaohua stared fixedly at Yin Xiaoxiao’s stomach. How could this be? It’d been five and a half months. How come Xiaoxiao hadn’t laid the eggs yet? Normally, a viper’s pregnancy lasted four months. Occasionally, there’d be an exception that lasted about five months, but Xiaoxiao’s had lasted five and a half months and there was still no sign that the eggs would be laid.

This time, Hua Xiaohua didn’t dare say the words “another half month”. No matter how plaintive Yin Xiaoxiao’s expression was as he looked at him, Hua Xiaohua didn’t open his mouth.

Cough, cough. Why wasn’t everyone afraid or anxious, only waiting for the eggs to be laid if it’d been five and a half months? Because vipers, when pregnant, developed a link with their eggs. If there was any problem with the eggs, the pregnant snake would surely react. But all along, Yin Xiaoxiao had been eating and sleeping well, with no unusual reaction. This meant that the eggs were developing well but were going to be laid later.

The original plan was for Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua to stay for one month, but this wasn’t to be. During this time, the four snakes continued to live together.

This afternoon, Mo Laoda and Yin Dabai left to catch prey. Yin Xiaoxiao and Hua Xiaohua lay in the open space in front of the cave, sunbathing.

“Xiaoxiao, have you and Mo Laoda thought of names for the children?” Hua Xiaohua suddenly asked.

The formerly drowsing, almost asleep Yin Xiaoxiao was roused by Hua Xiaohua’s question. “No, they haven’t been born yet.”

“Then you better hurry and think of some!” Hua Xiaohua stood with a grunt and a slightly anxious expression. “It’s bad that you’re starting now. It’s more likely to come up with common names.”

Yin Xiaoxiao was now completely awake, and he also stood up. “Pops, you’re right!” Yin Xiaoxiao thought, well, that the vipers had really bad naming skills, using either birth order, color, etc, with really no creativity! As a viper with memories of his past life as a human, how could he allow his children to be burdened with such names?! These circumstances absolutely had to be put to an end!

“Then, Pops, what’s a good name?”

Hua Xiaohua thought for a while. “Well, what about A’Da, A’Er, A’San and so on?”

Yin Xiaoxiao firmly shook his head. “Absolutely not! No names like that! It’s really too common!”

“Then….” Again, Hua Xiaohua thought for a while. “What about something like Lan Sansan? Yiyi, Erer, Sansan, like that? There aren’t many with names like this, and they’re very pleasant sounding!”

Yin Xiaoxiao vetoed this once again. “I don’t like them!”

Hua Xiaohua: “….” Yin Xiaoxiao was very demanding!

“What’s the discussion?” Yin Dabai had returned from hunting. Mo Laoda followed behind him.

“Thinking about names for the babies!” Yin Xiaoxiao was the first to answer.

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“Names?” Mo Laoda didn’t approve. “Just choose whatever. There’s no need to choose so carefully.”

“Mo! Lao! Da!” Yin Xiaoxiao was angry. “Are you unhappy that I’m going to give you baby snakes?!”

Mo Laoda was stunned. Hurriedly he answered, saying, “No, how could that be? You’re reading too much into it!”

Yin Xiaoxiao let out a severe “hmph” and turned so he didn’t have to look at Mo Laoda.

Mo Laoda stepped forward to coax him, fearful that Yin Xiaoxiao was truly angry.

Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai: “…..”

– Well, anyway. In the end, the children’s names still weren’t discussed.

Time passed. Yin Xiaoxiao continued eating and sleeping constantly until, finally, Yin Xiaoxiao’s pregnancy had lasted nine months.

That night, in the very early hours of the morning, everyone was sleeping heavily.

Yin Xiaoxiao had originally been sound asleep, but he needed to use the toilet.

Yin Xiaoxiao rolled over. Oh, unexpectedly, he didn’t move.

Ten minutes later, still, oh, he didn’t move.

After another ten minutes, oh…this wasn’t working.

Yin Xiaoxiao, dazed, began to crawl out, startling the sleeping Mo Laoda beside him.

The awoken Mo Laoda wasn’t even the slightest bit sleepy. He asked, in a serious voice, “What’s happened, Xiaoxiao?”

“I want to use the bathroom.”

Mo Laoda: “I’ll accompany you.”

Yin Xiaoxiao didn’t refuse him. And so, with Yin Xiaoxiao ahead and Mo Laoda behind, they left the cave. En route, they passed Hua Xiaohua, sound asleep, and woke Yin Dabai, who glanced at them and went back to sleep.

Outside, the sky was full of clouds. Not much light managed to penetrate the thick, thick clouds and arrive at the earth. However, for a trip to the bathroom, nothing more was needed and there was no need for bright light…

Yin Xiaoxiao slithered a good distance and squeezed into some dense underbrush. Mo Laoda stopped about seven or eight meters away from this underbrush and didn’t go with him.

If Yin Xiaoxiao had eyelids, his eyelids would have remained closed this entire time, trapping the remainders of sleep behind closed lids so that, when he returned, he’d immediately be able to go back to sleep.

Oh, great, he could go now. Yin Xiaoxiao was just going to go. No, but. Yin Xiaoxiao then proceeded to, well, eh, not done ¹ . Once more. Ahhhh why again…..just how much is coming out?! Finally, Yin Xiaoxiao was finished.

‘Ah, this trip to the toilet left me really worn out,’ Yin Xiaoxiao thought dazedly as, with his eyes still closed, he slithered out from the underbrush. Waiting outside, Mo Laoda heard sounds behind him and led the way back.

Like this, with Mo Laoda in front and Yin Xiaoxiao behind, they returned to the cave, passing by the sleeping Hua Xiaohua and the awake Yin Dabai, who was disinclined to do anything but glance at them. Good. Time to continue sleeping.

The next day, the sun rose as usual.

Yin Xiaoxiao slept in. Mo Laoda was the first to wake, followed by Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua.

Waking up, Mo Laoda simply stared blankly at Yin Xiaoxiao, not leaving as he usually did to go hunting with Yin Dabai. As a result, Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua came in.

Yin Dabai and Hua Xiaohua also stared at Yin Xiaoxiao.

Then Mo Laoda, Hua Xiaohua and Yin Dabai stared blankly at Yin Xiaoxiao.

Yin Xiaoxiao, under the gazes of the three snakes, remained sound asleep as before.

After an unknown amount of time, Hua Xiaohua hesitatingly asked, “That….Xiaoxiao’s stomach…isn’t it flat?”

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T/N:

Footnotes

<ol>没上干净: literally ‘not neat and tidy’ refers to the feeling that there’s still some poop after having a bowel movement</ol>