The Ger's Contract Marriage [BL]
Chapter 568: Witches Everywhere

Chapter 568: Witches Everywhere

They were.

There was the smaller baby who was wailing, and the bigger looking one in the basket. Both babies were thin, so it was an exaggeration to say one was "big" and the other "little." One was simply sort of taller.

"One was born to a ger, and another to a woman, but you can hardly tell the difference." The sadness in Xu Zeng’s voice was hard to miss. It wasn’t something thing the others were accustomed to.

Xu Feng might see his brother as a little ray of sunshine, and Xu Hu Zhe had experience with the silver haired man, but it wasn’t the same for the rest of their group. Jian and Yang took a few more looks at their husband’s brother, while Xu Si and Xu San seemed surprised he could have this depth of emotion for anyone who wasn’t his nephews or Xiao An and Xiao Momo.

Even San Guo, the puppy got more of a response from Xu Zeng than most could.

Well, there was actually a pattern here. Xu Zeng seemed to have a soft spot for children... and San Guo.

The crying sound wasn’t quite loud, it didn’t seem like the baby had enough energy to really make a ruckus. It was just enough to know it was crying.

Xu Feng was sure the sound could be heard outside the backyard, but even in the most precarious predicament, it would be more of a pitiful sound than an annoying one.

The other baby seemed ready to join the former.

For some reason, Xu Feng walked up to Zhang Hui and the two babies. In a breath, he was in front of her, and before he registered his intentions, the smaller baby was in his arms, and all the noise in the space quieted down. Whether there was no noise, or Xu Feng was in a strange zone was in question.

The air was thick with quiet tension as Xu Feng stood with the small, wailing baby in his arms. The child had gone still the moment he was lifted, blinking up at him with dark, tired eyes that held too much depth for such a small thing.

One blink. Two blinks. Three blinks.

Then, with a strength that seemed to come from nowhere, the baby’s tiny fingers curled around Xu Feng’s hand, gripping as if he had found his last lifeline.

Xu Feng exhaled slowly, his gaze lingering on the fragile little body. The baby was painfully thin, his tiny bones pressing against his papery skin. It was such a contrast to his own sons, who had been well nurtured with the remnants of his own energy since their birth.

The first baby had stopped crying entirely, resting against Xu Feng’s chest as though he had finally found peace. But the second one—the slightly taller, but just as malnourished child in the basket—was beginning to fuss. His little fingers twitched, and a small whimper escaped him.

Xu Feng barely had time to process the moment before Xuan Yang’s voice broke through the silence.

"We’ll be keeping the babies?"

It came out as a question, but there was no real doubt in the snake’s tone. He was merely stating a fact, making his presence known to Xu Feng who seemed caught up in the moment.

"Yes," Xu Feng answered immediately, his gaze lifting to meet Xuan Yang’s.

From beside them, Xuan Jian nodded, his expression unreadable but his stance firm. "We tolerate only loyalty, and if they are willing to be loyal to Nanshan Estate, all its residents, and their new masters, we will welcome them all with open arms."

At the words of acceptance, Zhang Hui dropped to her knees without hesitation, placing the basket beside her as she lowered her head. Her voice was filled with conviction as she swore, "We will serve with our everything!"

Almost instantly, the three boys—Zhang Cai, Ping, and Chun—followed suit, rushing to Zhang Hui’s side and mimicking her movements. Their thin bodies trembled slightly, but their determination was evident as they pressed their foreheads to the ground in a unified pledge of obedience.

Xu Feng’s grip on the baby tightened slightly as he observed them. It was an odd thing, watching people so readily give themselves to another’s service. Selling themselves into servitude as though it were the only path forward.

Before he could dwell too deeply on the thought, Xu Zeng stepped closer, his voice quiet but firm. "Freedom would not be safety for them."

Xu Feng turned his head slightly, listening.

"Their safety was destroyed by bandits," Xu Zeng continued, his gaze fixed on the four kneeling figures. "It would be hard to feel safe without a backer."

Power. It was about power.

Xu Feng absorbed the words, his eyes flickering over the group in front of him. These were people who had once led normal lives, hard enough to survive the daily struggles of existence. But that had changed the moment they had been captured, the moment they had been stripped of their agency and thrown into a world of cruelty they had never imagined.

Some had seen their friends and families slaughtered for nothing more than a bandit’s whim. Others had endured days, weeks, or months of uncertainty, waiting to see if they would be the next to suffer a meaningless fate.

And then, in an instant, their captors were gone. The chains that held them had been broken by another’s hand, and they were free once more.

But what was freedom when it came at the cost of security?

Their rescuers—the ones who had given them this second chance—were the ones standing before them now. And those rescuers were Xu Hu Zhe and Xu Zeng. But, these benefactors called Xu Feng, Xuan Yang, and Xuan Jian masters.

Wouldn’t it be foolish not to call them masters as well?

Following this logic, Xu Feng could see their reasoning. But to put so much trust in another... he was learning to do this too, wasn’t he?

Xu Feng stood with the small, quiet baby in his arms. His own children in his husband’s arms. The silver haired ger turned his gaze, shifting from his right to his left, from Xuan Yang to Xuan Jian.

It was for the best to surround themselves with people who truly understood loyalty. Not servants picked up from who knew where with hidden agendas and ambitions that had nothing to do with Nanshan Estate. Xu Feng wasn’t planning on forcing anyone to stay forever, and it wasn’t as if he mistreated his people.

If anything, he indulged them, pampered them even giving them competitive wages, and handled all their clothing and feeding. He wasn’t stingy with his people at all.

...Or was his kindness a cruelty in disguise?

That thought made him pause.

Xu Feng exhaled softly, his grip on the tiny child still resting against his chest tightening.

He was finally ready to face the mess of his home.

It was his home.

And despite being a man, he was the mistress of Nanshan Estate.

Changes needed to be made, and he wouldn’t leave it all to his men. They were his foundation, his rock—the reason he had returned home in the first place—but he wouldn’t let them handle everything alone.

"You all should pack up to return to Nanshan. Hu Zhe will tell you—"

A shrill voice cut through the courtyard, loud and grating enough to completely drown out Xu Feng’s words.

"How long will such a filthy group, with loud nuisances continue to destroy our business!"

Xu Feng’s lips pressed into a thin line as he turned toward the source of the voice.

A middle aged woman, dressed in a well maintained yet dull colored robe, stomped into the backyard with the air of someone who believed herself to be important. Her sharp eyes swept over the gathered figures with barely concealed contempt.

Behind her, an older woman, slower in step but far more composed, followed closely. Her expression was tight with unease, and her hands fidgeted at her sides as if she wanted to tug the younger woman back but knew it would be futile.

"Son’s wife, they haven’t done anything wrong, and they are paying customers," the elderly woman insisted, her tone pleading. "Strong Arm paid for their accommodation for an entire moon cycle, and they even help with the laundry of the other residents—"

But the younger woman was not the type to listen.

"It is nearly winter! Of course, one should pay for an extended stay ahead of time!" she snapped, cutting off her mother in law entirely.

"Especially when it’s clear they are doing charity work for the homeless. You may be too soft hearted, but my business is not a place for charity! Times are hard, and survival is harder every year! Yet here we are bringing down the image of our business, allowing anyone to stay!"

The woman’s words about how life was getting harder in Donghua rang true, but something about it all just felt like a heap of excuses.

Xu Feng watched her, unimpressed.

Who in their right mind would curse paying customers and call them beggars to their faces? The sheer audacity was enough to make him understand Xu Zeng’s disdain for the inn owners.

His initial impression of the older woman wasn’t terrible—she seemed to have some level of reasoning—but whatever goodwill she might have gained was overshadowed by the younger woman’s attitude.

And then it happened.

The younger woman’s eyes flickered toward Xu Hu Zhe and Xu Zeng, her lips curling into a sneer.