Chapter 369: A New Baby
Even knowing everyone was watching, Leander could not stop the tears from falling.
The arm around him tightened slightly and Qiong Xing gently stroked his back.
"I did think your stomach seemed a little rounder lately. But I assumed maybe you’d gained weight because you weren’t exercising enough."
Apparently, he genuinely had thought that.
"How does that make any sense? Where would the weight even come from?"
Once the tears finally stopped and everyone calmed down, Qiong Xing suggested having tea.
The family gathered together and took a break.
Joa pointed out that if the change had become noticeable enough to affect his appearance, they probably should have realized sooner.
Qiong Xing only laughed and admitted that he had honestly believed he was gaining weight.
"You spend every morning doing housework, taking care of the kids, and looking after all of us. How exactly would you gain weight? Especially when you’ve been eating less than usual. Getting fat doesn’t even make sense."
"Humans are terrifying creatures. The moment they let their guard down, they gain weight."
Qiong Xing said it as though speaking from experience.
Yet ever since they had met him, they had only ever seen him lose weight, never gain it.
Even during pregnancy, while his stomach had grown, he had never put on weight elsewhere.
After giving birth, the sleepless days had left him so exhausted that even his complexion had suffered.
"And I didn’t have morning sickness either. By this point during Yue and Rui’s pregnancy, I was already dealing with it, wasn’t I?"
They had certainly been happy that the pregnancy period was shorter than normal.
But in exchange, the morning sickness had been severe enough to make Qiong Xing miserable.
No one could count how many times they had rubbed his small back while he cried and vomited.
Because of those memories, none of them had suspected pregnancy this time.
His appetite had decreased, but he had never experienced nausea.
"That’s true. No idea why, though."
"Maybe the reason Qiong Xing kept saying it was hot lately was because he was pregnant."
Unlike beastman, whose body temperatures naturally ran high, Qiong Xing rarely complained about the heat.
They had noticed it was unusual for him to mention it so often.
However, because the weather had genuinely been hot for everyone, no one had thought much of it.
"Hehe, Lingxiao is going to be a big brother now."
"He is. Make sure you’re good friends with the baby, alright?"
"Hm?"
Lingxiao tilted his head, clearly not understanding.
The sight made everyone laugh.
Back when Leander and Qiong Xing had first become mates, they had chosen each other despite knowing there was a possibility they might never have children.
Then Elias had a child.
After that, Joa had one too.
Leander could not even describe how happy he had been.
If Joa could have a child, then surely he would be next.
That hope had grown stronger and stronger.
Then he learned that Iseul was expecting a child instead.
The disappointment had been crushing.
And yet, seeing Qiong Xing cry and beg him not to leave had made him love him even more.
Qiong Xing had promised he would do his best.
And just as he promised, he had made it happen.
"I love you."
"I love you too. Stay with me forever, okay?"
It was the promise they had made that day.
"Yeah. We’ll stay together forever."
Leander promised that he would never let him go.
Then he leaned forward and gently kissed him.
After learning that he was carrying Leander’s child, Qiong Xing continued living much as he always had.
He experienced occasional dizziness, but unlike during the twins’ pregnancy, there was no severe morning sickness.
Nor did he have the problem he had faced with Lingxiao, where his stomach had grown so large that it became difficult to move around.
As a result, he went about his daily life without paying it much special attention.
"Then do whatever you want!"
A frustrated voice rang out, followed by the sound of a child crying.
"...Is something wrong?"
"Qiong Xing!"
Pausing in the middle of hanging laundry, Qiong Xing looked outside to see a familiar face.
Wondering what had happened, he called out to her.
"Ah, it’s just that this child won’t stop insisting on going out to play. I still have housework left to do, so I told him it wasn’t possible, but..."
The woman who lived next door sighed as she looked down at her crying child.
Although he was a man, Qiong Xing was also the parent of six children.
He understood the child’s desire to play.
At the same time, he understood the mother’s frustration as she struggled to finish her chores while dealing with a stubborn child.
The boy was still young enough that letting him wander off alone felt unsafe.
"Then would he like to play with my children? Not for too long, of course, but I can keep an eye on him for a little while."
Qiong Xing certainly had things he needed to do as well.
However, he lived in a very large family, so there was never a shortage of helping hands.
Ever since everyone learned he was carrying Leander’s child, the family had become even more proactive about helping with chores.
As a result, he had more free time than before.
When he offered to watch the boy for a little while, the mother looked hesitant.
"Would that really be alright?"
In contrast, the child immediately lit up with excitement.
Qiong Xing could not help smiling.
A moment ago he had been crying, yet now his eyes sparkled with anticipation.
Once the mother agreed, Qiong Xing took the boy’s hand and led him over to where Lingxiao and the others were playing.
"This is Petra. He lives next door. Please play with him until his mother comes to pick him up."
"Okay~!"
The children accepted him without much hesitation.
Although this was their first time playing with Petra, they were already used to friends occasionally coming over to visit.
Watching the children happily run around the yard together, Qiong Xing returned to hanging the laundry.
