Beauty and the Beasts

Bai Qingqing stroked her stomach and mumbled, “It has already been two months.” Maybe she would be going into labor in these few days.

After giving birth three times, even to one human baby, Bai Qingqing didn’t feel scared at all. She only felt anticipation. Her lips unconsciously curled up into a faint smile.

The moist wind blew onto the face, feeling sharp like blades. Bai Qingqing had only been out for a while and her face already turned a purplish red.

Muir felt both shocked and heartache when he saw this. He immediately carried her up horizontally.

“Let’s go back.” As he said this, he was striding toward the door.

Bai Qingqing covered her frozen face with her hands, feeling dejected. She would be unable to go out for a few months again.

Winston wasn’t at home and Parker was rummaging through the chest, looking for something. Bai Qingqing asked, “What are you looking for?”

“Animal skin.” Parker stuffed his head into the chest and rummaged through it again. He then came out dejectedly, letting out a sigh, and said, “There were floating beasts last year, so we weren’t able to prepare much thick animal skin for you to keep out the cold. This year, there were the behemoths.”

Bai Qingqing smiled and said, “There’s the bed-stove, anyway. I won’t feel cold if I stay in the bedroom.”

It was due to this reason that they had put up with it last year. It hadn’t been easy for them to tide over a cold season, so Parker wasn’t able to bear with it this year.

He closed the wooden chest’s lid and then quickly took off his animal skin skirt.

“What are you doing?” Bai Qingqing looked at him, stunned.

Parker said, “I’ll go somewhere further away to catch a few preys with good fur.”

“No need.” If he were to go, he’d be away for a few days again. Bai Qingqing rejected without even thinking.

Parker was decided. After saying that, he turned into a leopard and was unable to reply. He ran over to Bai Qingqing’s side and rubbed against her waist, before running out.

“Hey.” Bai Qingqing turned her heavy body, but Parker had already disappeared from the room.

The moment he left, the house instantly felt even colder than before. It felt so cold that Bai Qingqing only wanted to nestle under the blankets.

Muir had found out from Winston what “bed-stove” was. After hearing Parker mentioning it, he said, “Should I go heat up the bed-stove now?”

It wasn’t the coldest period yet, so heating the bed-stove seemed a little wasteful. Bai Qingqing hesitated for a while, but still agreed after thinking of how she was going to go into labor very soon.

“Alright. Do you know how?” Bai Qingqing asked.

Muir smiled. “It shouldn’t be too difficult for me.”

With that, he went out as well. There was only Bai Qingqing and Curtis, who was asleep and coiled up in a corner, left in the room. Curtis was going into hibernation soon and was especially lazy of late.

Bai Qingqing felt bored and went a few rounds around the room and played with An’an, who was “reflecting while facing the wall”. Not getting any response from her, Bai Qingqing felt bored and ran out to look for Muir.

She wondered if he had succeeded. She should go and take a look and hope that he wouldn’t chase her back.

Bai Qingqing held onto her stomach and jogged out.

The soil in the courtyard was flat and firm. It had rained last night and the soil was moist, but it had turned into a tough frost this morning, turning the flat and firm soil especially slippery.

Bai Qingqing had just made a turn in the corner when she slipped due to the change in the center of gravity, falling heavily with her butt on the ground.

“Ahh!” Bai Qingqing’s butt felt so painful that she couldn’t move for a moment. Her reddened face instantly scrunched up into a bun.

“Qingqing?” Muir’s perplexed voice rang out from far away.

Bai Qingqing rubbed her butt, bore with the pain, and said, “I’m fine…”

She had just said this when she suddenly felt a strong plunging pain in her stomach. This caused the latter part of Bai Qingqing’s words to disappear in her throat. She held onto her stomach and started moaning.

Her previous three pregnancies had gone on steadily, but an accident happened for this one. She had been too careless.