Qin Yi cried himself to sleep, and when he woke again, the feeling of being wrapped entirely in water had vanished. Only then did he realize: he had been born.
He tried to open his eyes, exerting all his strength, and managed only a tiny slit.
Yet even through this narrow opening, the blurry world outside sent waves of excitement coursing through him.
Instinctively, he flailed his little fists and kicked his tiny legs, waving his arms and legs wildly, while a soft, uncontrollable giggle escaped his lips: "Hehe hehe hehe."
"Is this Third Brother? He looks so ugly!"
"Yeah, yeah, like a hairless monkey… so ugly, so ugly."
Squinting, Qin Yi took in the two small children with faces like little apes, sweat-drenched, streaming large snot, seemingly only four or five years old.
According to previous information, he was the third child, with two older brothers above him.
It seemed these two kids must be his elder brothers.
"At least they have Asian features," Qin Yi thought, relieved.
"Hehe, you two looked exactly like this when you were born," a gentle, melodious female voice spoke, lifting Qin Yi in her arms.
This familiar voice could only belong to his mother in this life.
Qin Yi squinted, taking in his mother.
Round-faced, slightly dark-skinned, ordinary-looking, but with gentle eyes and a warm, inviting smile.
As he instinctively judged based on his previous life's experience, he suddenly saw his mother lift her shirt, and…
Qin Yi quickly closed his eyes in embarrassment. Fortunately, he had opened them only a tiny amount; if someone wasn't looking closely, they wouldn't have noticed.
A pacifier appeared at his mouth. Qin Yi didn't want it at first, but an overwhelming hunger made resistance impossible. Instinctively, he opened his tiny mouth and latched on.
After a couple of sucks, he drew in a mouthful of milk. The sweet taste flooded his senses, more delicious than anything he'd ever known.
As the milk filled his belly, his hunger subsided almost completely. This primal satisfaction brought Qin Yi immense joy.
Yet, for someone with an adult mind trapped in a baby's body, it was also deeply humiliating.
At that moment, only one dramatic thought echoed in his mind: "Ah… destroy the world!"
Qin Yi felt someone fiddling with his left hand and foot, but he chose to lie still, giving no reaction.
Then, he overheard a strange conversation between his two older brothers.
"Third Brother's hands are so tiny."
"Third Brother's feet are so tiny too."
"They look wrinkly and red… so ugly."
"Ugly and tiny… is this really our brother?"
Amid their chatter, their mother laughed gently.
The door opened from outside.
"Zhenniang, I made you a bowl of fish soup. Drink it quickly."
"Husband, where did you get the fish?"
"Bought it from town."
"Why are you spending money recklessly again?"
"Hehe, I heard fish soup helps with lactation. You said your milk was a bit low yesterday, so I asked around. Oh, and these brown sugar eggs—they replenish vitality. You really need to restore your energy after giving birth."
Thinking of the fish soup for milk production, and knowing her milk was insufficient, Zhenniang didn't fuss about the fish. Instead, she focused on the eggs.
"To restore my vitality, the older two haven't eaten eggs for several days. Let them eat."
"They're fine; a few missed meals won't hurt. Focus on yourself. If your health fails, who will take care of them?"
Though the little ones drooled over the fish soup and eggs, they understood.
"Mother, you should eat first. We're waiting for you to recover so you can care for us."
Zhenniang, seeing her obedient sons, sighed and drank the soup, eating only the yolk and giving the egg whites to the boys.
The two children, who preferred egg whites anyway, smiled brightly, their throats visible as they exclaimed, "Delicious! The brown sugar eggs are so good!"
Qin Yi, having finished his feeding, released the pacifier and turned his head, peeking at his father through a slit of his eye.
The first impression: tall, imposing, like a giant ape, radiating a strong sense of pressure.
Dark-skinned, bearded, alert eyes, wearing a traditional long gown, he looked extremely strong and sturdy.
"Indeed… another world," Qin Yi thought.
Not the blue planet anymore.
Sensing Qin Yi's gaze, his father smiled and pinched his little face.
Calloused hands with no sense of gentleness caused Qin Yi pain. Instinctively, he wailed loudly.
The mighty father panicked, quickly withdrawing his hands.
His mother, rocking him gently, scolded softly: "Third Son was fine. Why provoke him?"
"I didn't squeeze hard!"
"Your hands are so strong. He just came into the world, fragile as can be. Why pinch his face?"
"I was just admiring how cute he is. My own son—what's wrong with a little pinch?"
The older two chimed in, one after the other:
"That's right! Father pinched Third Brother, and he cried. What a crybaby."
"I never cried when Father pinched me!"
Freed from the crushing hands, Qin Yi controlled himself, calming his crying.
Seeing this, Zhenniang felt proud—her third son was well-behaved. She kissed his cheek and gently tousled her older sons' hair.
"Okay, you two, this doesn't concern you. Go play."
The two boys, full of energy and impatient, cheered and ran off.
Once they left, Zhenniang handed the swaddled Qin Yi to her husband.
"Here, Husband. You haven't held our Third Son yet."
The father carefully lifted him, amazed at how quiet and calm the baby was. He gave a silly chuckle.
"Silly little thing," Zhenniang teased softly.
"Third Son is really sensible. When the first two were born, they cried the moment I held them."
"Yes, Third Son has always been well-behaved, even in the womb, rarely causing trouble."
Having eaten and cried, Qin Yi felt drowsy again. He glanced at the game interface; apart from a new message, nothing else had changed. Accepting this, he drifted back into sleep.
(End of Chapter)