Chapter 23 end
In the afternoon, Ji Mo Ling took Rui to the home of the Great Elder.
The Great Elder Ning Kang was an efficient person. Upon seeing them, he came out with two elderly gentlemen.
Ji Mo Ling and Rui greeted them politely, and the group first went to Zhou Ying's house.
Ji Mo Ling was the one to check the pulse, with the Great Elder guiding her. Then, they measured the expectant mother's waist and felt the position of the fetus, among other things.
Zhou Ying was in the early stages of pregnancy, so the check-up was relatively simple, and everything turned out normal.
Ji Mo Ling recorded all the data on paper, and the group headed to Chen Lan's house.
Coincidentally, Wang Xin was visiting Chen Lan with her two husbands, and Chen Lan's two husbands were also present. The six of them were chatting over tea in the front hall.
Seeing them come in, everyone got up to welcome them. After exchanging greetings, the Great Elder called the women into the room for check-ups, leaving the two elderly gentlemen and the younger generation to sit outside and enjoy tea.
The two old gentlemen understood that this was the wives' way of considering them, so they readily agreed.
After checking, Chen Lan was also found to be normal, but the fetal movements were少 (few), so the Great Elder assured them that the little one was healthy and there was no need for concern.
Yes, Chen Lan was only having one baby, but it was still uncertain whether it would be a girl. Many women in the tribe also had single fetuses, like the Bai family, so it wouldn't be confirmed until the ten months were over.
Ji Mo Ling also checked Wang Xin's pulse and found that she was in excellent health, which indicated that her husbands were taking very good care of her.
After organizing their things, they all left the room and discovered that the tea gathering in the front hall had turned into a lecture on mothers and infants, with the two elderly gentlemen discussing "how to determine the health status of a baby girl through observation of her feces."
The five young beastmen were sitting up straight, listening attentively, occasionally jotting down notes and discussing questions.
The women, standing aside and overhearing a few snippets, were unsure whether to interrupt: …
A group of beastly gentlemen seriously discussing various aspects of baby feces? Was it really necessary to be so serious? They couldn't help but want to laugh.
Hearing the laughter, the beastmen realized they had been too engrossed, as they hadn't noticed the women coming out.
The two elderly gentlemen stated that if there were any questions in the future, they could come to them, and that was the end of this session. They took their leave, one on the left and one on the right, surrounding the Great Elder.
Ji Mo Ling planned to go back and organize her pulse records, so she left with Rui. Since Wang Xin was free today, she decided to stay and continue visiting.
Back at home, Rui asked Ji Mo Ling for paper and a pen, planning to rewrite the notes he had learned today. Seeing his enthusiasm, Ji Mo Ling happily agreed.
Although she thought it was unnecessary—after all, they weren't married yet, and the prospect of pregnancy and having a daughter was still far away—she was pleased that her fiancé had such intentions, so she let him fuss over it.
She herself was busy rewriting her pulse records, reviewing the points the Great Elder had highlighted, and jotting down her insights. She planned to bring them to the Great Elder for his guidance tomorrow.
In her previous life, Ji Mo Ling wasn't studying medicine; the knowledge left by the original owner of this world was more focused on the uses of herbs and treating external injuries.
The system of observation, questioning, and diagnosis was something she had learned from Kong after arriving at the Green Tribe, and she unexpectedly found she had quite a talent for it. Coupled with her correct use of medicinal materials, she had made significant progress in targeted treatments. The Great Elder appreciated her talents and shared his knowledge freely. Although they had no formal master-apprentice relationship, Ji Mo Ling regarded the elder with respect as her mentor.
Due to the unique nature of this world, people were physically robust, and the most common ailments involved injuries, bleeding, fractures, infections, and parasites. The Great Elder excelled in these areas, and the original owner was very experienced, so Ji Mo Ling had mastered treatment for these ailments the best.
Now, the Great Elder stated that there was nothing more he could teach her.
Thus, Ji Mo Ling's current focus was on maternal and child care. Fortunately, there were two pregnant women in the tribe, providing her with both theoretical and practical experience. Of course, her progress was primarily with the mothers, but she was quickly catching up with the infants as well.
Before she knew it, evening had arrived. Ji Mo Ling got up from her chair, stretched, and realized Rui was already gone, probably preparing dinner. On the table were several neatly arranged sheets of paper.
Ji Mo Ling leaned over to take a look, and the content was indeed "Notes on Caring for Baby Girls."
Most beastmen, due to their differing skill points, could read some characters, but asking them to write a decent piece was harder than getting them to fight fierce beasts.
Rui was among the majority; the words on these sheets were somewhat crooked and not very neat, with some sentences not flowing smoothly.
However, thinking about how he was preparing for their future and wanted to keep a record to avoid forgetting things over time, Ji Mo Ling felt her heart soften.
Flipping through the pages, she found another sheet that only had a title: "Notes on Caring for Pregnant Women"…
She had to admit, her fiancé was really quite a forward-thinking dog! (:з」∠)
This year, due to the severe drought, the autumn market was not held. Originally, the leader planned to organize a team to go to the Salt Tribe for a salt exchange before winter.
However, on this day, just as the sun was rising, a pleasant surprise arrived at the tribe.
The mobile tribe that hadn't come during the summer gathering had brought a large quantity of goods!
The visitors were led by a female chief, and they didn't enter the tribe; instead, they set up tents outside the walls, methodically creating a commercial street in the open space. Both public exchanges and private trades were possible.
Chen Xiao took Ji Mo Ling and Wang Xin to find the other chief to discuss the salt exchange. They met a woman named Tang Xiao outside the largest tent.
She appeared to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a delicate and beautiful appearance. Dressed in a blue dress, she looked like a beauty who had stepped out of an ancient painting rather than a leader of a mobile tribe.
Chen Xiao recognized the previous leader of the tribe, who was Tang Xiao's mother, and had dealt with Tang Xiao before. The atmosphere of their meeting was pleasant.
After introducing Ji Mo Ling and Wang Xin, they exchanged greetings and pleasantries. Tang Xiao then led them into the tent, which was furnished with thick carpets and low tables.
As they sat on the floor, two young beastmen in neat attire approached to serve tea and then stepped aside, clearly well-trained.
The trading went smoothly. In addition to salt, they exchanged other items, and both parties were satisfied.
After finalizing the goods to be exchanged by the tribe, Chen Xiao sent the two younger ones off to explore. The mobile tribe had brought a variety of goods, and they could enjoy browsing for three days, even if they didn't exchange anything.
Ji Mo Ling felt a good rapport with Tang Xiao, who had typical Eastern features with black hair and black eyes, and she was very interested in the cotton dress Tang Xiao was wearing. They chatted quite well together.
The cotton fabric was a product that Tang Xiao's homeland had only developed in the past few years, so its quantity was limited. The batch she brought this time was small, and Ji Mo Ling only managed to exchange for one bolt.
However, she also obtained some other good items that weren't available in the tribe, like chili peppers and cumin. Ji Mo Ling hadn't had spicy food in a long time since she stopped using purple fruit as seasoning, let alone cumin. After eating grilled meat without cumin for so long, it always felt like something was missing, but now, it was finally alright! (^o^)/~
Days passed, and a heavy snow that lasted for two days officially announced the arrival of winter.
After the snow stopped, the world turned white, with the snow piled up to half a person's height.
To clear it away, the beastmen transformed into their strongest beast forms and worked hard to dig out paths.
Rui, noticing that the snow had stopped, volunteered to go out. Out of curiosity, Ji Mo Ling wrapped herself in a fur coat, put on a hat to cover her ears, and planned to go see him shoveling snow.
However, just as she reached the doorway where the hall met the courtyard and opened the door, she was immediately buried under the snow!
Dazed Ji Mo Ling: Huh? (⊙_⊙)
The iron-clad Jin, realizing he had done something wrong: Howl! (°ω°∠)
It turned out that when the Tibetan Mastiff transformed into its beast form and saw the vast expanse of snow, it was eager to frolic in the snowfield. Remembering that it needed to clear a path first, it worked energetically, digging through the snow. Just then, it heard a noise from the door where Ji Mo Ling was, and when it turned to look at her, its legs kept moving. In its distraction, it accidentally flung snow all over Ji Mo Ling. O(╯□╰)o
The Tibetan Mastiff quickly leaned over, feeling guilty and worried as it looked at Ji Mo Ling, instinctively sticking out its large tongue to help lick the snow off her.
Seeing its intentions, Ji Mo Ling hurriedly took a step back. "It's fine, it's fine! I was careless. You continue working, I'll go wipe off the snow."
Seeing that his fiancée was indeed fine, Rui nudged her with his head, indicating for her to hurry inside and change clothes.
Ji Mo Ling nodded and watched him turn to continue clearing the snow in the yard, then closed the door behind her as she went inside to tidy herself up.
The winter on the Dawa Plain often brought heavy snow, making hunting and gathering quite difficult when the snow was too deep. Fortunately, the Green Tribe had stored enough supplies in late autumn, so they could manage with careful rationing.
With a bit of downtime, everyone switched to a "cat winter" mode: on snowy, windy days, they snuggled inside, and on sunny days, they visited each other.
When Ji Mo Ling built her house, she installed a fireplace in the front hall. On sunny winter days, she would light a fire and move the tables and chairs close to it to work, while at night, the bed in her bedroom was covered with thick animal skins, and with Rui, the big Tibetan Mastiff, warming the bed, there was no worry about getting cold.
After enduring the bleak and cold winter, the Dawa Plain welcomed the revival of spring.
Although the Green Tribe had a difficult winter, they had not lost any population to hunger or cold, which was worth celebrating.
After the first large-scale gathering and hunting of the spring, the tribe held its customary spring festival, once again at the sacrificial altar on Huishan Mountain. The ceremony began at eight in the morning, followed by a celebration with singing and dancing, a lively occasion.
Life settled into a routine without any major ups and downs.
Only one piece of good news emerged: Wang Xin was pregnant.
Later, after ten months, Chen Lan gave birth in the morning without complications, confirming she had a baby girl!
This delighted not only the Chen family but the entire Green Tribe, and Zhou Qing and Wang Xin often shamelessly reached out to touch Chen Lan's belly, claiming they were trying to gain some luck for their own future pregnancies. Even if they couldn't give birth to daughters, it was good to cultivate a relationship with their future daughter-in-law!
The onlookers, Ji Mo Ling and the soon-to-be in-laws, were:...
As long as you two are happy.
Two months later, in the early morning, Chen Lan successfully gave birth to a baby girl, naming her Chen Xi.
After deciding on the name, Ji Mo Ling once complained to the new mother about it: "→_→ When the little cutie learns to write her name, she's definitely going to want to hit you!"
Chen Lan replied: "→_→ No matter what you name your little cutie, she'll always want to hit you!"
Ji Mo Ling thought about her own surname: (:з」∠)
On July 7, another joyous day arrived.
Ji Mo Ling and Rui held their wedding at the sacrificial altar on Huishan Mountain.
In the moment the ceremony was completed, Ji Mo Ling once again saw a red glow, feeling her body warm up. She glanced at Rui beside her and vaguely sensed the emotional waves of excitement and shyness emanating from him. It felt a bit magical, but it was also wonderful, wasn't it?
At that same moment, Rui felt that Ling's presence made him feel even more secure and happy.
During the toasting, knowing that Rui had a poor alcohol tolerance, the tribe's people kindly refrained from urging him to drink, especially since there was still… heh heh heh…
In the bedroom that night, Rui, who had bathed and cleaned himself, was nervously pacing back and forth. Hearing Ji Mo Ling open the door, he immediately pretended to be calm and sat on the bed, but his slightly trembling hands betrayed him.
Ji Mo Ling, who was also a bit nervous, felt more relaxed upon seeing Rui, who was even more anxious, and even wanted to laugh.
She stepped forward, boldly sitting on her husband's lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and lightly kissing his cheek. "Darling, I love you!"
"Ling, I love you too! Very much! I will make you happy forever!" Hearing her confession, Rui's eyes glistened with tears as he expressed his heartfelt feelings, holding her tightly and kissing her!
Eighteen years later, the area of the Green Tribe expanded by one-third. The earthen walls had turned into stone walls, and the houses stood in orderly rows, resembling a small city.
The tribal leaders of Chen Xi's generation had retired to the sidelines, and the current chief was Chen Lan. Ji Mo Ling had succeeded to the vacant position, while Wang Xin, Zhou Qing, and Meng Xiang each inherited their mothers' roles. They were all exceptionally capable, and the girls taken in during the great drought had settled down, playing significant roles in tribal affairs.
As the festive day approached, Chen Lan's daughter Chen Xi was about to marry.
So, in mid-June, Ji Mo Shao set out on a hunting trip for red deer with her three suitors and four younger brothers.
Ji Mo Ling and Rui, as parents, stood at the front of the farewell crowd. After giving a few brief instructions, they joined the other well-wishers to see them off as they left the city.
This year, Ji Mo Shao was seventeen years old, resembling her mother but with a hint of youthful charm. Her skin was fairer than Ji Mo Ling's, and she had inherited her mother's natural strength, with a cheerful and generous personality, handling matters with calmness and caution.
The little girl studied medicine under Ji Mo Ling. Although her talent was slightly inferior to her mother's, she worked very hard and had been influenced by her mother since childhood, making her capable of continuing the family legacy.
Ji Mo Shao's three suitors had grown up alongside her as childhood friends and shared a strong bond. One was Bai from the Chen Lan family, another was Meng from the Zhou Ying family, which were the little white dog and little panda that Ji Mo Ling had saved with purple fruit back in the day. The last was Wang Xin's eldest son, Rong, a leopard boy.
In the past, when Ji Mo Shao was just born, these three took a liking to their little sister right away. Due to the close ties between their families, they stuck close to her throughout her growth, providing constant care and protection from other suitors. When they began to have feelings for each other, it was only natural to establish engagement.
Ji Mo Shao's four younger brothers, aged sixteen, were Yan and Chang, while the fourteen-year-olds were Xing and Hui. All four beastmen boys resembled their father and inherited some of Ji Mo Ling's traits. Although they lacked their mother's and sister's strength, they were much stronger than their peers, able to hold their own against adult beastmen.
Yan and Chang were fond of Zhou Qing's little girl, and they had already established an engagement. Her name was Zhou Zhou, and she was fifteen. The three made a pact to marry her when she came of age. This time, they accompanied their elder sister to learn in advance, so they would have experience when they brought their fiancée out to hunt red deer in a couple of years. Yes, they were quite clever.
Xing and Hui currently did not have any crushes, so they joined their elder sister and brothers on the red deer hunt to gain some experience.
Although the group was young, their strength was not weak. During their journey, the beastmen boys only sustained minor injuries and managed to hunt a red deer by the end of the month, returning to the tribe.
On the festive day, Ji Mo Ling and Rui sat hand in hand at the sacrificial platform, surrounded by their beloved children. They watched the first adult girl of the next generation, Chen Xi, and her four beastmen husbands form their own family, their hearts filled with beautiful blessings.
Turning to look at their own children, each youthful face radiated with the passion of youth and hopes for the future.
Ji Mo Ling quietly tightened her grip on Rui's hand, receiving a steady gaze filled with deep affection in return.
She thought that in this life, she and her family would continue to be so happy!
End