Chapter 936

First Volume, Chapter 936: Be a Cheap Dad

He had sunk into darkness for an unknown length of time until a clamor reached his ears; Qin Feng gradually regained consciousness, slowly opening his eyes to find himself lying on a bed, with two maids curled up beside him—Xiao Xiangxiang and Shu Feng.

At this moment, the two maids were sound asleep, clearly having stayed by the bedside for a long time.

Qin Feng rubbed his slightly swollen temples, looked down, and saw numerous bandages wrapped around his body; his memories only stretched back to last night's conscription at the Jiaochang, after which everything was blank.

"This isn't a good omen."

Qin Feng muttered softly; sudden unconsciousness and brief amnesia—could it be due to overwork and some illness? He'd need proper rest in the coming days, or else if he suddenly dropped dead one day, it would be a terrible loss.

Even Qin Feng himself couldn't recall when exactly he'd transformed from a lazy nobleman who merely ate and waited for death into a workaholic who rose at the crow of the rooster.

But then again, being trapped in Changshui County now meant he could rest for three months.

Although he would inevitably face unimaginably intense battles ahead, one eventually grew accustomed to war—after all, one only needed to focus on the war itself, not get distracted by trivial matters.

To avoid waking the two maids, Qin Feng moved with extreme gentleness, tiptoeing out of the room.

At the doorway, he saw Li Xiaolan and Shen Qingci sitting in the courtyard, laughing and chatting, and Li Xiaolan was even holding a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes.

Li Xiaolan, unlike her usual self, had an unprecedented tenderness in her eyes, gently rocking the child in her arms, radiating an indescribable aura—was this what people called… maternal love?

"Sister, look how cute this little one is."

"We're destined to be together."

Shen Qingci's gaze was also unusually soft; she reached out and touched the baby's nose, smiling: "Hehe, not just human children—even kittens and puppies are incredibly adorable. But Mother said, the older the child, the more trouble they become."

"Third sister, you actually brought back a child from outside? How bold of you! What if Feng'er finds out?"

Hearing this, Li Xiaolan shook her head with a smile: "It's fine—Feng'er will understand."

"Besides, when we were trapped in Wanggang Village, I already said that if we escaped death, I'd adopt this child as my godson."

Although Shen Qingci usually appeared aloof and haughty, her heart was deeply gentle, especially when faced with a child's cuteness—it felt as if she might melt entirely. Since Li Xiaolan had a bond with the child, Shen Qingci no longer hesitated and asked softly: "What's the child's name?"

Li Xiaolan replied casually: "Niu Er."

Upon hearing the name, Shen Qingci froze for a moment, then burst out laughing: "That's truly a Common People's name."

"Why not give him a new name?"

"You said this child has no father, right? Then let him take the Qin surname."

At that moment, Qin Feng's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Niu Er? I think that name's fine—lowly names grow well. No need to change it. Besides, I'm not the master of the Qin Family; if you want him to take the Qin surname, you'll need my father's approval first."

The two women, who had just been laughing, turned around simultaneously at the sound of his voice.

Seeing Qin Feng had awakened, Shen Qingci was greatly relieved and immediately rose to greet him.

"Feng'er, you're awake? That's wonderful."

Almost as soon as Shen Qingci reached him, Qin Feng opened his arms and pulled her into a tight embrace.

Caught off guard by this sudden hug, Shen Qingci was extremely uncomfortable; her face instantly flushed crimson. But recalling what had happened between Qin Feng and Li Xiaolan earlier, her heart stirred strangely, and she did not push him away, instead lowering her head in silent acceptance.

Watching the once proud and aloof Elder Sister now blush like a shy girl, Qin Feng suddenly felt his throat dry.

But remembering how exhausted he'd been lately, and with a major battle looming, he suppressed the heat in his chest.

"Elder Sister, what happened last night? I can't remember anything," Qin Feng asked, still holding her shoulder, making small talk.

He spoke without thought, but she took it to heart; the previously blushing Shen Qingci instantly tensed up.

She turned to Qin Feng, worried: "The Physician said it was merely overexertion and nothing serious, but… you collapsed so suddenly last night—it was terrifying."

Qin Feng sighed and said: "After all, I just came out of a Battle. Though I wasn't seriously wounded, I had many minor injuries, lost a lot of blood, and felt utterly drained. Add to that constant travel and exhaustion—even an iron body couldn't hold up. But since the Physician says it's fine, it must be fine."

To reassure Shen Qingci, Qin Feng made his tone sound effortlessly light.

Shen Qingci bit her thin lips, murmuring reproachfully: "You know you're not made of iron, right? Rest properly during this time, understood? Don't take everything on yourself!"

Qin Feng was fundamentally lazy—if he could, he'd rather lie in bed doing nothing than lift a finger. But now was the time to rely on people, and Ning Hu, Liu Ming, and Zhang Zhenhai were all injured; if Qin Feng himself stepped back to Second Line, who else could command?

He had to step up.

Still, to avoid making Shen Qingci overly anxious, he nodded obediently.

At that moment, a baby's cry caught Qin Feng's attention; he immediately led Shen Qingci over to Li Xiaolan's side.

Looking at the infant boy in Li Xiaolan's arms, Qin Feng couldn't help but smile: "Where did this child come from?"

Earlier in Wanggang Village, Qin Feng had been commanding troops in battle and had no idea what had happened in the Ancestral Hall—he knew nothing of Li Xiaolan adopting a godson.

Li Xiaolan didn't hide it; she gently pushed the child toward Qin Feng and said softly: "This child is from Wanggang Village. He lost his father before birth, and his mother struggled alone to raise him. And… this child witnessed our escape from death, so…"

Before Li Xiaolan could finish, Qin Feng waved his hand with a smile: "No need to explain—as long as you like him, that's enough."

A simple, casual remark warmed Li Xiaolan's heart deeply.

Qin Feng crouched down and carefully studied the infant; the little one slept soundly, but due to malnutrition, he showed slight signs of macrocephaly.

The child's condition best reflected the lives of the Common People.