Chapter 149 · Extra Seven

Song Jin was born in midsummer of May, the hottest time of the year.

The newborn was only the size of two palms, weighing six pounds and eight ounces. He was born with thick lanugo, fair and tender, with chubby cheeks and bright, round phoenix eyes. He was completely different from other newborns, showing a cleverness and recognizing people very well. In his mother's arms, he was a little darling, babbling and cooing, so cute that everyone who saw him wanted to kiss him.

To other people, he's a little devil, always howling, yelling and screaming at the top of his lungs, his voice so loud it's almost ear-piercing. You don't even need to check him to tell he's an extremely healthy and robust kid.

Incidentally, this outsider also includes Song Shang.

"Let's call it Song Jin."

We named her on the day she turned one month old.

By this time, Song Shang's old injuries had long since healed. Under the treatment of Elder Chong, a legitimate elder of the Gu clan, he had improved in every way. He was tall and slender, with skin as white as snow, and exquisitely handsome. Standing there, he resembled a noble young master, but his phoenix eyes were dark, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth, a smile that was not quite a smile. His aura was so strong that one was immediately overwhelmed by his presence, making it difficult to observe his appearance closely.

He skillfully held the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, a smile playing on his lips, and reached out to tease the child.

This little brat has been fierce since birth. When facing someone he doesn't like, he opens his little mouth and bites with great force, even though he doesn't have any teeth yet. Ouch, ouch, ouch, your fingers hurt.

Song Shang raised his drool-covered hand, leaned against the pillar, looked at the person doing her hair and said leisurely, "How about the nickname 'Gou Gou'? It means to live a life of ignominy and cunning, like a dog hiding its tail. A lowly life is easy to raise."

Upon hearing this, Song Jin, who was still spitting in her swaddling clothes, was horrified. She bared her teeth and immediately started howling again.

You bastard, I'll bite you to death, you bastard!

Ruan Jinling felt a headache coming on whenever she heard her child cry. She scolded angrily, "What kind of father are you? The child is crying so hard, and you don't even know how to comfort him."

Instead of comforting them, they're stirring up trouble.

"Is she crying?" Song Shang raised an eyebrow and looked down at the little tiger cub who was glaring and baring her teeth. Hearing her loud howling, he didn't need to do anything. He simply put his hand to her mouth, and she immediately stopped howling. She grabbed his big hand with her little hand and bit it.

He sighed, "I'll go cut her a chew stick tomorrow."

Song Jin glared and continued biting, determined to bite this annoying guy to death.

Ruan Jinling said irritably, "Stop teasing her. Children are easily teased and get upset. Quickly bring her over."

If he didn't often provoke the children, would people be so mean to him?

This person is so annoying.

Song Shang chuckled softly, carrying the child as he walked towards her. He then pulled out his drool-covered hand, wiped it on Song Jin's face, and handed the child over.

As we all know, the difference between one sip and two sips of saliva is huge, just like the difference between a flower and fertilizer, not to mention three sips.

Just one month old, Song Jin's face first stung from being scratched, then became wet, and then a foul stench wafted over.

The little brat could never have imagined that there could be such a wicked, shameless, and petty adult, who was actually her own father. She stared with her big, dark eyes and her little mouth agape. After a while, she finally came to her senses, burst into tears, and cried uncontrollably.

"Waaaaah!" Beat him to death! Beat him to death!

"Waaaaah, I'm dirty, I'm so dirty."

"Don't cry, baby, don't cry..." Ruan Jinling tenderly held her baby in her arms and soothed him softly, not forgetting to glare fiercely at the culprit, angrily saying, "What kind of father are you?"

Song Shang replied leisurely and confidently, "There should be."

This little brat was born to bring him misfortune, including but not limited to peeing on him from birth, grabbing his hair with every lift of his hand, and shoving his foot into his mouth...

He has committed numerous crimes.

He was just getting a little revenge, it's not too much, is it?

Niu Tielan looked at her daughter, who had stopped crying as soon as she was coaxed, and was sobbing while clutching her clothes. Seeing her daughter's red eyes and nose, and her pitiful sobbing, Niu Tielan's heart swayed instantly, and she glared angrily at Song Shang.

"You stingy, unreasonable jerk."

Song Shang raised an eyebrow, bent down, and reached out to lift her chin. Since the red thread poison was cured, she had regained her former radiance at a speed visible to the naked eye. Due to her pregnancy, she had also become a bit plump, and compared to her previous pure and elegant appearance, she had become more graceful and beautiful.

He rubbed his fingertips together, a half-smile playing on his lips: "I've noticed that your temper is getting worse and worse."

Ruan Jinling slapped his hand away, her almond-shaped eyes widening slightly, annoyed: "If you keep making a fuss, I'll really let you experience my temper. Go away, Nannan started crying again as soon as you came in."

Song Shang clicked his tongue, looking down at the little brat who was again grabbing at his hand with her claws. He really didn't think she would cry. Based on her behavior over the past month, he strongly suspected that this girl had been bitten on the head by a jumping worm while she was in his belly, which was why she couldn't keep jumping.

He held Song Jin's soft little hand and gently manipulated it. Then he looked at Ruan Jinling, who had applied rouge and painted her hair with floral patterns. Seeing her flushed cheeks and lively annoyance, he smiled gently and pinched her cheek meaningfully: "How does Madam intend to show me?"

Upon seeing his expression, Ruan Jinling immediately blushed, covered the little brat's ears, and scolded angrily, "Have some shame!"

Song Jin's two round eyes darted around, and she let out a soft "ee-yah."

What did I say? What is there that she can't hear?

The little one's eyes were so bright. Even with Song Shang's thick skin, he coughed lightly and changed the subject: "Is 'nannan' a term used in the Jiangnan region? Are you from there?"

During this period, the two of them were busy treating the illness and practicing Gu poison, and then they were also busy taking care of the child. They tacitly avoided talking about their identities.

Until now.

Ruan Jinling's eyes darkened slightly as she recalled the past. She took a damp handkerchief and wiped the little boy's face, her voice very soft: "I think so, but I don't remember very clearly."

Song Shang had already sent people to find the Nvyuan hidden in the woods. The place was deserted, but judging from the state of affairs, he could guess what was going on. He walked up to her, patted her back gently, and asked her.

"Would you like to go back and take a look?"

Ruan Jinling pursed her lips, shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again, hesitatingly saying, "They're all gone."

Those years were too chaotic, and Song Shang could guess some of it. He gently stroked the man's head and said, "Then let's go back and take a look. I'll also go and offer incense to my father-in-law and mother-in-law."

"Offer incense?" Ruan Jinling murmured, her thoughts drifting, and she didn't even notice that she had unconsciously increased the pressure on her hands.

Song Jin nestled in her soft swaddling clothes, her little face gently wiped by her mother. Her big eyes darted around, she babbled softly, and her little hands tugged at the cloth, all very well-behaved.

She absolutely adores her mother in this life. Her mother is sweet and soft, and she'll coax and kiss her, and gently wash her. Well, even if she's a little rough, it's okay; she's a tough little girl and can handle it.

Hmm, a little harder.

Song Jin started babbling and stretched out her claws to paw at people.

"Ouch, ouch." It hurts a little.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." It got in her eyes.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch." It hurts.

Song Jin never gripped her tightly. Ruan Jinling was lost in thought and didn't notice her slight tugging until a loud cry echoed through the room. She was brought back to her senses and looked at the child, whose face was flushed and tears were streaming down her face. She felt extremely sorry for her.

"Don't cry, don't cry, Mommy was wrong, Mommy didn't mean it, kisses, kisses, baby, don't cry..." Ruan Jinling gently coaxed the child, then glared at Song Shang, "You didn't even remind me, what kind of father are you?"

Song Shang: ...

Let's see if he's been wronged or not.

It's not unfair.

Song Shang raised an eyebrow and said leisurely, "I just want to see how biased this girl can be."

This little brat would want to tear his flesh off when he was with him, but when he was with his mother, look how tightly he held his little hands, as if he was afraid of leaving red marks on his mother's white jade hands.

Even now, when she's hurt and crying, she quickly shuts up, grabs his sleeve, and sobs pitifully, completely unlike her usual aggressive self when facing him.

They can change their tune very quickly.

Song Shang then said, "Since that's the case, how about calling him Bianbian as a nickname?"

What kind of poop? Feces?

With tears welling up in Song Jin's eyes, she opened her small mouth, her throat trembled, and it looked like she was about to cry again.

Ruan Jinling then tried to coax him again: "Dad is talking nonsense, our little girl doesn't have that name."

Song Jin fell silent, looking aggrieved: "Ee-ya?" Really?

Ruan Jinling wiped her face gently, saying, "Of course it's true, Daddy's just teasing you, Daddy's naughty."

Song Jin supported him with both hands and feet: "Waaaaah!" That's right, that's right, bad dad.

Ruan Jinling chuckled and tapped her little nose, then picked her up. Before Song Shang could speak, she scolded, "If you make her cry again, I'll really get angry."

Song Shang laughed: "You make it sound like I'm a stepfather."

Song Jin glared and waved her hand: "Waaah!" Stepfather, stepfather, mother replaced him.

Song Shang couldn't understand what she was saying, but he knew it wasn't anything nice. He curled his lips, leaned down to look at his daughter, who was wrapped in a red swaddling cloth with a hundred flowers and wearing a red full-blessing bib. He picked up a gold dragon and red jade necklace and hung it on her chest, then gently tapped her nose.

Song Jin instinctively opened her mouth and bit down.

Song Shang moved his hand, his voice soft and gentle, with a hint of reproach: "You little rascal."

Song Jin babbled and stuck out her tongue, then picked up the gold and jade necklace that looked quite valuable, her eyes crinkling with laughter.

With gold and jade, her family is rich, so she doesn't need to fight monsters or work anymore.

Song Jin was happy and put the necklace in her mouth.

Let her bite it and see if it's real.

The little money-grubber's appearance amused Song Shang. Afraid that she would swallow the things, he replaced them with a gold medal for her. The little brat's eyes widened, and she ignored the small gold and jade ornaments, snatched the gold medal and started to gnaw on it.

It's really true, it's all true.

Song Shang poked her cheek, turned his head and laughed, "Since you're so greedy, I think your nickname should be Jin Jin, it'll suit you."

Ruan Jinling laughed: "I'm not greedy for money."

This means that they agreed.

Song Shang took the child in his arms, raised an eyebrow, and glanced sideways with his phoenix eyes, speaking meaningfully: "Yes, Madam is not greedy for money, but she is greedy for beauty."

Ruan Jinling was furious and embarrassed. She stepped on the ground, then picked up the child and stormed out.

Song Shang chuckled softly and followed leisurely behind, walking out of the room one after the other.

Song Xingzhi, who had grown another year older, stood in the courtyard. Compared to last year, he looked even more elegant and refined. At such a young age, he already had a remarkable bearing, and one could see his future talent. He bowed respectfully and said, "Father, Mother, the carriages and horses are all ready outside. The items for my little sister's first birthday celebration have been placed. Shall we take them out first, or will we come in the carriage?"

Song Shang looked at Ruan Jinling.

He's been delayed here for a year. Not to mention his previous treatment, even after he recovered, there's been no progress. Qi Ye has urged him countless times, but he's always refused, citing his wife's pregnancy and the difficulty of traveling.

Now that the child has been born and the mother is a month old, Qi Ye, who was so angry with the Qi family that he was almost half dead, gave a death order: either he take his family back, or he leaves the child here and goes back by himself.

Song Shang would naturally not choose the latter.

In response to his question, Ruan Jinling teased the child in her arms, looking at her lively appearance, and said, "Let's go to the car, it'll be fun to catch her."

The journey from here to the capital is only about ten days' travel, with some rest stops along the way. If they hurry, they can even save half the time, so it's not that far.

Song Shang nodded: "Then let's do it that way."

Song Xingzhi: "Yes."

With that, he turned to give instructions to the people outside.

Ruan Jinling called out to him again: "Ah Xing."

Song Xingzhi turned around in confusion: "What are your instructions, Mother?"

Ruan Jinling looked at his youthful face and smiled, "You'll be in the same carriage as us in a little while."

Song Xingzhi was stunned and subconsciously looked at Song Shang.

Song Shang nodded indifferently: "I'll do as my wife says."

Song Xingzhi couldn't hide his joy, and a smile appeared on his face: "Thank you, Father and Mother. I'll go make some arrangements first. You can come out slowly."

As he spoke, he took off running, in a hurry, which made him seem less composed than usual and more like a child.

Song Jin looked at the person, clutching her mother's clothes, and babbled.

Bad guy, bad brother.

When I grow up, Mom, let's run away!

In Song Jin's view, her mother was still so young, so it was impossible for her to give birth to a son as old as Song Xingzhi.

Therefore, her father, this man from ancient times, was a complete scumbag who deceived his beautiful mother, and who knows how many other people in the family might be involved.

They're doing alright here, but once they get back, who knows what kind of mess they'll run into? Her delicate and beautiful daughter might not be able to handle it.

It was discovered from the moment Song Jin was born that she still carried the superpowers from her previous life. Although they weren't many, they were enough to save her life. If anything happened, she and her mother would still have to rely on each other for survival.

Thinking this, she was filled with righteous indignation, clenched her fists, and started wailing at her own father.

Looking at her angry little face, Song Shang flicked her head: "What's wrong now? Who upset you again?"

Song Jin: "Eeya." It means you are you.

Song Shang smirked: "I don't understand. Are you a mute who can't speak?"

Song Jinqi: "Waaaaah!" Scumbag father, scumbag father.

...

Seeing the father and daughter arguing again, Ruan Jinling chuckled and separated them, poking her daughter's forehead: "What, don't you like your brother?"

Song Jin's eyes lit up: "Eeeeeee." I don't like you, I only like you.

Ruan Jinling pinched her cheek gently: "What should we do then? Mother still wants to find you another brother."

Song Jin froze, her eyes welling up with tears, and she stammered, "Eek, eh, eh." Isn't she enough for him?

Ruan Jinling kissed the little girl's face tenderly and coaxed her, "With your brother, there will be someone to protect our Jinjin from now on. Isn't that wonderful?"

Both she and Song Shang were cursed with Gu, which meant they were destined to have only one child.

It's tough being a daughter in this world. The Song family is so large and powerful, is it really going to fall apart like this? She couldn't bear it, but if it were up to him, even if there was a chance of him having children, she wouldn't want to.

After much thought, she decided it would be better to adopt a few more children like Song Xingzhi, who are easier to manage.

This idea didn't come from Song Xingzhi, but from another child from a while ago. That child had a pitiful background; he was the only one left in his family. He was remarkably mature, intelligent, and handsome at such a young age, and she was still observing him.

Adopting only Song Xingzhi would be easier, but it would be troublesome if he turned out to be ungrateful. It would be better to adopt several more; there would always be some that could be relied on, and the Song family could afford to raise them anyway.

It's tough being a girl; she has to think more about her own children.

Ruan Jinling looked at her son with gentle, doting eyes, speaking softly about his good and bad qualities and about the future.

As if enveloped by a spring breeze, Song Jin was instantly overcome with drowsiness. She yawned, grasped her hand, and tried to babble a couple of times, her phoenix eyes round and misty.

I don't need anyone to protect me; I'll protect my mother.

Ruan Jinling couldn't understand either, but looking at her fierce little fists, her heart melted. She bent down and kissed the little hand, then shook the little one and hummed a tune to coax her.

Her voice was clear and bright as she sang a Jiangnan folk song, with a delicate and lingering quality.

Song Jin yawned repeatedly, and soon her eyes were too heavy to open. With her eyelids trembling and her little mouth smacking, she drifted off into a sweet dream.

Ruan Jinling raised her lips and glanced at Song Shang beside her with a hint of smugness.

See? I'm awesome!

Song Shang cupped his hands in agreement: "My wife is truly remarkable; I admire her."

Ruan Jinling smiled, her eyes sparkling: "My husband is no less impressive."

Song Shang chuckled softly, took his daughter from him, then reached out and held her hand, interlocking their index fingers and gently stroking it: "Is Madam ready?"

Get ready.

Go and face those monsters and demons in Yong'an City, both open and covert.

Ruan Jinling did not answer, but simply hummed softly, gripped the grip tightly, her eyes sparkling and the corners of her mouth slightly upturned.

"Let's go."

[Author's Note]

Song Jin: My dad is a scumbag!

Song Shang: ?