| GB | Give Me a Baby | 80
By this time of year, autumn should have already turned cold.
Yu Bai took a shallow breath of the stagnant air, feeling inexplicably restless. This restlessness made it hard for him to sleep soundly. It felt like he had been asleep for a long time, but when he opened his eyes, the sand in the hourglass had barely fallen.
Huo Duo'er entered the room with a bowl of boiled pear water, noticing Yu Bai sitting on the bed in a daze. He went over to feed him some pear water, his large hand wiping away the fine sweat that had formed on the back of Yu Bai's neck.
Yu Bai's face was tinged with a faint blush. The erratic weather made his face and ears feel hot, and he was prone to night sweats.
The pear water was slightly sweet and refreshing, soothing the discomfort in his stomach.
Huo Duo'er asked, "Want more?"
Yu Bai nodded, "Yes."
After finishing another bowl of pear water, his lips were moist and soft.
Huo Duo'er put the bowl down, took a deep breath, and carefully cupped Yu Bai's face to kiss him.
When he found the petal-soft lips, he couldn't restrain himself, invading the mouth with a rough passion.
Yu Bai let out a soft moan, his lips and tongue turning crimson and wet from the orc's kisses.
He was out of breath when Huo Duo'er finally released him.
Yu Bai took deep breaths, his trembling body leaning against the strong, heaving chest.
His linen collar was loose, and the large hand rested on his back.
The rough hand slid around, kneading his soft back for a while.
Huo Duo'er didn't continue to tease Yu Bai. He had finally gotten some rest recently, and even feeding him took effort. For now, he couldn't bear to tire him out.
After a moment of tenderness, a soft rustling sound came from under the eaves, and a rare light rain fell in late autumn.
Huo Duo'er pushed open the window, and the cool, moist air dispersed the lingering stuffiness in the room. Yu Bai got out of bed and leaned against the window, his eyes curving comfortably.
The rain was fine and cool. The little wolf ran around the yard a few times, then lay on the ground with its tongue out, enjoying the coolness. The leopard cat, usually curled up in the corner, moved to lie under the eaves, glancing back at Yu Bai.
Because of the rain, many orcs came out onto the streets.
The orcs took advantage of the cool weather to speed up their work. The sound of their chatter grew louder, and Yu Bai could hear it from the yard.
After the beast tide attack, the tribe had been rebuilding. Some were responsible for repairing the city walls, others for healing the wounded, and some for processing the meat of the beasts. Regardless of strength, age, or health, everyone was assigned tasks.
Moreover, this year's grain reserves were tight. After repelling a medium-sized beast tide, although the damage was significant, it also solved the problem of food shortage.
The meat of the beasts was mostly sour and pungent, with a taste that was hard to describe, far inferior to the usual pork, yak, or sheep. With winter just around the corner, they couldn't afford to be picky. Having meat to eat was better than going hungry.
So these days, the female orcs and sub-female orcs inside and outside the city have been tirelessly processing wild animal meat, salting it, smoking it, and finding ways to preserve it for the winter.
Huo Duo'er was also processing wild animal meat.
The raised chickens, ducks, fish, and the few cattle and sheep in the pen were more than enough for Yu Bai to eat from autumn until next spring. The wild animal meat was prepared by Huo Duo'er for himself.
The wild animal meat was tough and not pleasant to eat, but he lived a rough life and didn't care much about food. As long as it filled his stomach, it was enough. However, he thought about not letting Yu Bai suffer, so he left all the raised livestock for him.
Yu Bai also picked up a stone knife to help clean the wild animal meat.
He didn't know Huo Duo'er's plan and sat on a low stool, meticulously scraping off the fat and blood. The fur was kept aside to be tanned later.
Someone knocked on the door: "Am I disturbing you?"
Yu Bai looked up, his face lighting up with joy.
"Elder Wu, what brings you here?" he asked, "Were you injured the other day?"
He had originally wanted to visit the old priest, but he had been too busy recently. Last night, he even fell asleep on the road and was carried back by Huo Duo'er, who then kept a close watch on him, not letting him leave the house.
The old priest, Wu, looked calm: "No injuries, but you, you've been busy treating everyone recently. Your body was already weak, and now you look even thinner."
Yu Bai lowered his eyes in embarrassment: "A few more meals of meat will help me recover."
The old priest looked at Huo Duo'er: "Take good care of Bai."
Huo Duo'er: "Mm."
Elder Wu's appearance was somewhat similar to Yu Bai's grandfather, and he had always been kind to Yu Bai, so Huo Duo'er respected him as an elder. He washed his hands and invited him inside.
The old priest waved his hand: "I came to see Bai, and I'll leave after that. I have to discuss some matters with the chief later, so I'll stay longer next time."
Yu Bai looked eager and quickly said, "Elder Wu, next time I'll come to see you."
The old priest had some leg problems due to his age. Many diseases of old orcs at this age couldn't be cured, so Yu Bai had advised him to rest more.
Thus, Wu rarely moved around, only taking appropriate walks in the courtyard daily.
The old priest smiled rarely: "Don't worry, this old bone has lived to this age is already blessing by the Orc God. If I leave someday and return to the Orc God's embrace, it would be a good thing."
Yu Bai talked with the old priest for a while, and after seeing him off, he couldn't hide his disappointment.
Huo Duo'er picked him up and held him in his arms: "Bai."
Yu Bai forced a smile; "I know, aging and death are natural laws at this age..."
Even though he understood this in his heart, seeing the old priest who resembled his family made it hard not to feel sad.
He gathered his spirits, and with Huo Duo'er by his side, he took a nap in the afternoon.
In the evening, as dusk fell and the autumn wind blew incessantly.
Huo Duo'er was smoking wild animal meat in the courtyard, and Yu Bai, still half-asleep, went to look for him, almost tripping over the leopard cat lying in the corner.
He fell to the ground, and Huo Duo'er, hearing the noise, quickly came inside, his hands passing under Yu Bai's armpits to steady him.
"Did you hurt yourself?"
Yu Bai covered his head, subtly shielding the leopard cat from Huo Duo'er's cold gaze.
He smiled softly, his arms naturally wrapping around the orc's neck, whispering gently, "I was so sleepy, I didn't watch where I was going. Don't blame it."
The leopard cat endured the pain without resisting when he accidentally stepped on it. Yu Bai, recalling its lame leg, felt a pang of guilt.
He took the initiative to kiss Huo Duo'er's thin lips, even extending his tongue to give a shy lick.
"Don't throw it away. Let it stay as a companion for the little wolf."
The little wolf, now grown, had always been solitary except when following Yu Bai. It didn't reject the lame leopard cat, and keeping it around for company seemed like a good idea.
Huo Duo'er's breath hitched as he sucked on Yu Bai's soft tongue.
After a while, he looked at his orc mate, who was dazed from the kiss, and agreed in a hoarse voice.
—
The leopard cat stayed successfully. Seeing its spotted yellow fur, Yu Bai gave it a name: Jinjin.
Jinjin was highly cautious but also stubborn. Once it decided on something, it wouldn't change.
Just like how it had decided on Yu Bai. Even with a lame leg and facing a beast tide, it never gave up following this small two-legged creature it had chosen.
After arriving in the tribe, Jinjin remained extremely wary of the unfamiliar environment, never approaching other orcs. But whenever Yu Bai turned around, he could always see it not far away.
The orcs in the tribe, seeing it follow Yu Bai, didn't drive it away or capture it. The leopard cat was skinny, and even if they caught it, there wouldn't be much meat to fill their teeth.
Yu Bai boiled some water and poured it into a basin, waving at Jinjin: "Come here."
The leopard cat had been hearing the unfamiliar name "Jinjin" from the small two-legged creature these past few days. After hearing it enough, it realized it was being called.
Jinjin limped over, rubbing its head against Yu Bai's knee, its raised tail twitching as it pressed closer.
Yu Bai gently wet its fur with warm water.
"I'm going to give you a bath. Don't struggle, okay?"
Jinjin didn't struggle, even though it hated water.
Yu Bai successfully cleaned the leopard cat, wiped the water droplets from its fur, and held it in his arms, carefully examining its lame left hind leg.
The hind leg was bitten by a wild beast some time ago, and it was already beyond treatment.
Yu Bai felt a bit sorry for it. He held the leopard cat and gently stroked its fur. Jinjin slowly started purring in his throat.
The door creaked open, and Huo Duo'er walked into the yard carrying a bundle of firewood.
His silver-gray beastly eyes caught sight of his mate cuddling the leopard cat. After tossing the firewood into a corner, he casually wiped the sweat off his brow, then picked up the leopard cat and threw it toward the corner. Silently, he pressed Yu Bai's hand against his own cheek and rubbed it.
Jinjin tucked its tail between its legs, its movements eerily similar to the little wolf's.
"Why are you picking on a cat?" Yu Bai was both amused and exasperated, but he didn't resist Huo Duo'er's actions.
Huo Duo'er stared at him. "Bai, you can pet me like this."
As he spoke, a hint of anticipation flashed in his eyes.
The way Yu Bai cradled the leopard cat in his arms made Huo Duo'er unconsciously imagine a certain scenario.
If he and Bai had a cub, Bai would surely take care of it just as tenderly.
"Why are you staring at my stomach?" Yu Bai followed Huo Duo'er's gaze and looked down at his own abdomen.
Huo Duo'er shook his head, but that night, he silently found ways to "torment" Yu Bai's belly.
After resting for nearly half a month, Yu Bai hadn't stepped outside, and the flesh on his face and waist had finally filled out a bit.
Now, he clutched his slightly bulging stomach, his arms nearly giving out from exhaustion.
Huo Duo'er took a deep breath, wrapped Yu Bai's arms back around his sweaty neck, and lifted him by the waist. The muscles on his back rippled as he walked, shifting angles as he moved.
Outside the door, the little wolf scratched at the door and licked the back of Jinjin's neck.
Jinjin bared its teeth but didn't struggle.
They were both males—what could this big, dumb wolf possibly do?
Just as Jinjin was thinking this, both it and the little wolf pricked up their ears and continued eavesdropping outside the door.
Inside the room, Huo Duo'er whispered something.
"Bai, have a cub with me, okay?"
Yu Bai let out a few muffled cries and shook his head in disarray.
Huo Duo'er arched his body, lifting Yu Bai even higher in his arms.
He took a few steps, then lowered him, only to lift him again, repeating the motion over and over. Yu Bai's tears streamed down his face as he sobbed.
He pushed against Huo Duo'er's large hand, his stomach unbearably full.
Rubbing his belly, he pleaded pitifully, "I'll have one, I'll have one..."
Whether it was even possible or not, he just wanted to appease Huo Duo'er for now.
"Stop, stop walking..."
Then he added, "Get out..."
Huo Duo'er stared at the exaggeratedly bulging stomach and didn't budge.
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