The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 374: Preparations

Chapter 374: Preparations

In addition to raiding the mountains for treasure and game, Xu Zeng also raided the mountain for the seasonal fruit he was aware of. He didn’t have the same amount of knowledge as his brother, but he was more of a native of Donghua and knew which local fruits were edible.

Fruits like modern grapes and the sweeter varieties of fruits like apples and certain citrus had been introduced to him in Dongmen. The garden Xu Feng started for him was very diverse but he didn’t have those fruit at his disposal.

The varieties of grapes, citrus, other berries and mountain fare were far more than enough of a variety for the people of Dongzhou who hadn’t tasted fruit wines or jams before.

Unlike his brother, this little brother openly and uprightly made wine and jam according to Xu Feng’s method with Liu, Min, and Xu Hu Zhe as overseers and quality control, putting all the servants of Nanshan Estate to use.

This business would hopefully sustain them in the future, so having them involved made logical sense to Xu Zeng. He had been a villager for most of his life and understood the value of hard work, and working for one’s own survival.

Keeping the servants detached from sustaining their home was likely a standard practice, but most estate owners either had generational wealth or an established source of income.

Nanshan Estate was in new hands and needed to have all its residents involved in its upkeep. This new way of thinking wasn’t immediately welcome by the servants of Nanshan, but they took orders well.

Xu Feng had taken time weeding out those who weren’t there with good intentions. So, while the population wasn’t over a few dozen, they all had a healthy amount of respect for their master, Xu Feng, and Xu Zeng in turn.

He was known as the master’s brother, and fitting into the estate was easy enough. Some of the servants would whisper about him and the two eggs that suddenly appeared with Midwife Lee and his two children.

Even the disappearance of Xu Feng was discussed in hushed whispers. Their master hadn’t been seen outside of Blooming Courtyard in nearly 4 months.

For all they knew Xu Feng was still locked up due to a difficult pregnancy or a lack of pregnancy—only a few trusted people were allowed into Xu Feng’s private courtyard. Even Xu Zeng lived directly in Budding Courtyard, visiting Blooming Courtyard where the eggs lived, daily.

At this point, all the servants were "aware" Xu Feng was pregnant, after this excuse was given to the envoy from the "main house," of the Xuan family in Jinghua.

Xu Zeng took one last glance into the distance pondering his next move. Maybe he should go off into the mountains for a longer period of time, he could tell there were still many treasures and game with energy in there, and it would be good for his nephews...

With a sense of contentment lingering from his recent filling lunch, Xu Zeng gracefully rose from his spot beneath the gazebo. Deciding to take a leisurely tour of the estate, he directed his steps toward the commodities he tirelessly worked to refine.

A light dusting of his robes followed, a ritualistic motion dispelling an imaginary layer of grime from the dark fabric adorned with delicate silver embroidery. Much like his brother, Xu Zeng favored a subtle and unpretentious style.

While Xu Feng leaned towards muted, vibrant colors, Xu Zeng embraced the elegance of dark hues, predominantly dressing in black and shades of grey.

In Sun Village, choices were limited, but life in Nanshan afforded him the freedom to hunt, earn, and support his brother’s estate. It was a good life—one he intended to maintain for the family they were leaving behind while securing additional resources.

Seeing their uncle prepare to leave, the two eggs, sensing potential separation, began rocking frantically in protest. Their silent plea was clear: wherever their uncle went, they wanted to go too. Xu Zeng glanced down at his adorable nephews and a smile played on his lips.

"Such cute little cubs."

With the basket cradled in his left hand and the two eggs gently stroked by his right, Xu Zeng reassured them, "Uncle won’t leave you two for long. I will always come back, for as long as I have breath." The soothing words worked like magic, calming the frantic rocking into a gentle sway as the two cubs contentedly settled into the basket.

Quickening his pace, Xu Zeng strolled along with the two lively cubs.

He had noticed they were taking shorter and shorter naps recently. When they were first born, they were unable to stay awake for too long. Now, despite them getting so much energy from the plants their dad had nurtured, they were still cubs and required regular naps, butt...

But he couldn’t get them to stay asleep long enough, it was like they were scared of what would happen when they slept. They were very insecure eggs, likely due to the lack of their "dad’s energy" or just that they were too smart for their own good.

They were already sentient when he arrived, so they were likely sentient during the birthing process, or shortly after it.

They had seen things they shouldn’t have...

"Sigh," Xu Zeng breathed heavily once again, and in sync, the two eggs began to sway rapidly bringing a smile to the demon beast’s face.

"Your uncle is fine. No, your uncle is very fine." He thought some more about the books he had read in the other world, "This uncle only wishes he spent more time with you while in your dad’s belly...and that I brought you gifts from the far away place I visited."

These were very true claims.

Xu Zeng wished he could bring an entire library back with him. These were his favorite places in Dongmen. There were books for everything, and for every age.

And in the books he had read about children, children should listen to adults reading them books, it was good for their development.

But the books in Dongzhou weren’t nearly as interesting to read or listen to.