Mu Jingzhe didn’t want to do this either, but she couldn’t control herself. She had never seen a real snake before, so she couldn’t control herself when facing so many snakes.

  “Gosh, I was nearly scared to death.” Startled again by the door, which was slammed by the wind, Mu Jingzhe patted her chest in relief.

  Shao Dong frowned as he looked at Mu Jingzhe. He thought for a moment and grabbed her hand. “Mommy, let me help you call your soul.”

  “Mm?”

  “I once suffered a scare before too. The granny in the village helped me call back my soul, and then I recovered.”

  After saying that, Shao Dong squatted down and picked up a small clump of soil from the ground. Then, he circled Mu Jingzhe’s head and earnestly called out her soul for her.

  This was something adults often did when the children in the village were frightened. Looking completely serious, Shao Dong used the same method on Mu Jingzhe.

  “Come back. Never fear again.”

  Mu Jingzhe looked at the serious Shao Dong and felt her heart brimming with warmth. Her heart, which had been beating too fast, slowly calmed down. “Thank you, Little Dong. I feel much better now.”

  “That’s good.” Shao Dong heaved a sigh of relief.

  Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong’s serious expression and couldn’t help but lift him up and spin him around. “Little Dong, why are you so cute?”

  Stunned by her hug, Shao Dong held Mu Jingzhe’s hand tightly. “Mommy?”

  Mu Jingzhe often carried Little Bei and Xiao Wu like this. This was his first time, and he felt uncomfortable all over.

  Mu Jingzhe looked at him and put him down before kissing his forehead.

  “He he.”

  This time, Shao Dong froze completely. His face slowly turned red, and he stuttered even more. “Mom, what are you… doing?”

  \r \r \r

  “I just kissed you once,” Mu Jingzhe confessed. “When we were in the city, I couldn’t help but kiss Shao Xi. Then, it occurred to me. When you and Shao Xi grow up, I won’t have another chance to do this in the future. It’s just this one chance, right? So I…”

  She chuckled contentedly. “Little Dong, you’re not mad that I didn’t discuss it with you beforehand, right?”

  Shao Dong wasn’t angry, but he was taken by surprise.

  He vaguely remembered that his biological mother had kissed him before. She had kissed his face and his forehead. However, the memory was too distant. So distant that it felt like a dream.

  Now, he clearly knew that this wasn’t a dream. When Mu Jingzhe kissed him, he felt warmth envelop his entire body, causing his mind to become a bit muddled.

  Shao Dong organized his words. “I’m not angry, but I’m already a man…”

  “I know. Don’t worry. Sons keep a certain distance from their mothers when they grow up, and so do daughters and fathers. I know you’re older now. It won’t happen again. Just this once.”

  Mu Jingzhe immediately assured him and stroked his head while smoothing down his hair.

  Shao Dong looked at Mu Jingzhe’s warm gaze and felt a bit stuck. He also felt a trace of indescribable regret.

  In the past, he had always hoped that he would grow up quickly so that he could do many things. However, this was the first time he was envious of his younger siblings.

  Today, he suddenly wanted to be younger and stay in his mother’s arms for a bit longer.

  Mu Jingzhe looked at Shao Dong with mixed emotions. “Time flies. Sometimes, I really wish time could slow down so that you guys would grow up more slowly.”

  Observing Shao Nan: “…”

  At that moment, he only had one thought on his mind: So now he was the only one who hadn’t been kissed by Mommy?

  After Shao Dong left, Shao Nan thought for a while and went to wash his forehead. He found Mu Jingzhe and looked at her sternly. “Mommy, you’ve got to treat all five of us equally.”

  Mu Jingzhe was puzzled. “What? Why did you wash your forehead? Did you get dirty?” She had seen Shao Nan’s confusing behavior.

  “No, I was just preparing.” Shao Nan pointed at his forehead. “I’ve already washed it, so it’s time for you to kiss me, Mommy. You’ve already kissed Big Brother and Second Brother, so I’m the only one left out of the five of us. You can’t leave me out.”

  Mu Jingzhe’s mind was a mess. What was going on? Was he waiting for her to kiss him after he washed his forehead?

  In a daze, she granted Shao Nan’s request and kissed him. Only then did Shao Nan give her a satisfied smile. “This is good. It’s fair now.”

  He counted on his fingers and said, “The ancients said that boys and girls shouldn’t sleep together once they turn seven years old. According to what you said to Brother and the rest just now, one should keep a certain distance from the opposite sex after they turn seven or eight. I’m six years old now, and there’s still a year left before I turn seven. Mommy, you can seize the opportunity to kiss me a few more times this year.”

  Mu Jingzhe was in a daze. “Would you like that?”

  “Yes.” Shao Nan nodded. “Actually, there’s less than a year to go until I turn seven, so you have to seize the opportunity, Mommy.”

  Shao Nan coughed and left. When he reached the door, he started running quickly. The corners of his mouth slowly split open, and his laughter became louder and louder.

  He hadn’t known how it felt to be kissed by his mother. No wonder Little Bei and Xiao Wu were so shy and excited every time. No wonder the children in the village used to flaunt in front of him. This was indeed worth flaunting about.

  Shao Nan touched his forehead and, recalling the warm touch, felt his heart brimming with joy. There was still a year left.

  Although he had not experienced this in the first six years of his life, there was still a year left. That was quite good, at least better than the time Big Brother and Second Brother had left. However, it also made him feel quite shy.

  At the thought of this, he couldn’t help but envy Little Bei and Xiao Wu. Being a girl, Little Bei could continue to be close to Mommy in the future, whereas Xiao Wu was still young, so he had more time.

  When Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi came back and found out that Mu Jingzhe had been almost bitten by a venomous snake, they jumped around in the yard and scolded the culprit for half the night. Their general meaning was that regardless of whether this was intentional or not, if anyone dared to strike again, they would definitely tear them apart.

  Mu Teng heard that snake repellent powder had been sprinkled, but he was still worried. He used a flashlight and laid out a circle of thorny vines outside the yard. Shao Qiyang helped him.

  Shao Qiyang hadn’t expected something so major to happen when he was away for one night. Other than guilt, he also felt lingering fear.

  After Mu Teng and Li Zhaodi went back, the problem of where Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei would sleep surfaced.

  The door had been smashed, and a new one had yet to be installed. Even if there was a room door, Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were so traumatized that they still wouldn’t dare to sleep.

  Shao Qiyang offered to let them sleep in his room, but Mu Jingzhe didn’t agree. After all, he was her brother-in-law, so it wouldn’t be appropriate. In the end, Shao Dong suggested that Mu Jingzhe should sleep with them for the time being.

  Shao Dong, Shao Xi, Shao Nan, and Xiao Wu’s room originally had two beds. Since Mu Jingzhe and Little Bei were going to sleep there, they removed the beds and everyone simply slept on the floor.

  As it was summer, one wouldn’t get cold sleeping on a straw mat on the floor.

  Mu Jingzhe would sleep in the innermost corner with Little Bei and Xiao Wu sleeping beside her. It was Xiao Wu’s first time sleeping with Mu Jingzhe, and he was so happy that he kept holding her hand.

  However, Mu Jingzhe wasn’t used to it. Furthermore, she was afraid of having nightmares, so she didn’t sleep. Shao Dong felt that this wouldn’t do and made some adjustments.

  “Mom, you don’t have to be afraid when we sleep around you.”

  Shao Dong got Shao Xi to stand up and dragged the straw mat to Mu Jingzhe’s head and feet. “This way, you’ll be surrounded by us from all sides.” Even if snakes crawled in, they would know first.

  These darlings were so sweet to her. Mu Jingzhe, who was surrounded and protected, finally understood the joy and meaning of being a parent.