/(ㄒoㄒ)/~~Women are too cruel~!
Chapter 248: A Bunch of Radish-Headed Mothers
With his neck stiff and face dark, Stone stared at the proprietress before him. Although she and Luo Pipi were indeed playing husband and wife, this woman was just too ruthless! I'm only sixteen this year!!!
"Hey blacksmith's wife, come on over and take a look at the cloth we sell. Grab a few bolts to make some clothes for your husband!" The proprietress, unaware of what Shi Tou was thinking, casually pulled over the cloth on the counter and began to enthusiastically introduce it to him.
Stone looked down and suddenly realized, "Oh, this is a fabric shop!" But the problem is, if you're selling fabric, why did you draw a pair of scissors on the curtain? Isn't that deliberately misleading people?
Stone, resentful of the word "woman," never imagined that no one else in the world, besides herself, would be misled. So, illiteracy is truly unacceptable!
Although he was extremely resentful, Stone still remembered the promise he had made to Linda before leaving. He glanced down at the fabrics on the counter and, to be honest, they weren't very good. But then again, this was Kodak City, not the capital, and finding fabrics like these in the artisan district was already quite good.
"Boss lady, is this all the fabric you have left?" Despite trying to convince himself, Shi Tou still felt a pang of regret. Not only was the quality of the fabric poor, but there were only three colors available: black, brown, and gray.
Damn it! Fuck!
"Yes, the fabric here is very sturdy, look!" The proprietress demonstrated by stretching out both hands and pulling hard on the fabric: "See how sturdy it is? It can last for more than ten years!"
More than ten years...
Shi Tou suddenly felt a pain in her chest. Ouch, it was her newly developed breasts, throbbing and throbbing with pain. What kind of clothes can last for over ten years? Even if the fabric is sturdy enough, wearing them for over ten years is just too incredible!
Moreover, most shop owners who recommend their fabrics use fabrics that are... beautiful, pretty, and elegant!
Nobody cares how sturdy their own fabric is! It's not like it's being used to make burlap sacks!
etc!
Suddenly, a brilliant idea struck Stone: "That's it! This sturdy fabric can be used to make burlap sacks!" Having made up his mind, Stone no longer cared about the fabrics and ordered one bolt of each type. [~] Don't underestimate the amount of fabric Stone wanted; it was incredibly heavy!
You know, this is fabric that can be worn for over ten years! It's not some light and airy silk or satin!
"The blacksmith's wife. How about I have my husband deliver it to you?" The proprietress looked at Shi Tou's small arms and legs, quite worried.
"It's okay, I help... um... my husband with chores every day, I can move a whole bunch of iron blocks!" Stone choked for a moment at her own nickname for Luo Pipi. But she quickly picked up where she left off, and with a wave of her little hand, she directly hugged the fabric to her arms.
The fabric was indeed heavy, but it was nothing compared to the spiked club she was used to wielding! Tsk tsk, nothing at all.
As he was about to leave with the fabric, the proprietress stopped him again: "By the way, blacksmith's wife, would you like me to make you a dress? I'm very skilled, and I'll only charge you twenty copper coins for a dress!"
Twenty copper coins really isn't much. Stone had already spent one silver coin on this cloth. But looking at the cloth in his hand, Stone really couldn't imagine what would happen if someone wore it.
Oops~ Won't it rub the flesh raw?
After thinking for a moment, Shi Tou shook his head: "Never mind, we just hired a maid. I'll ask her to do it."
After saying goodbye to the disappointed landlady, Shi Tou carried a large pile of fabric home. At home, Linda was still busy. Although she despised Shi Tou's character, she continued with her chores.
"Linda, my darling, look what I bought for you!" Stone exclaimed happily as soon as he entered the door, successfully earning a roll of his eyes in return.
In a fit of pique, he shoved the entire pile of fabric into Linda's hands: "Here, take it!"
Linda stared wide-eyed at Stone in disbelief: "Why did you buy so many mop cloths?"
Pfft! A mop cloth... That's such a perfect description!
Stone bared his teeth, having to admit that Linda was absolutely right; this kind of fabric was perfect for making mops!
"I..." She bought it to make clothes for you. Stone couldn't bring herself to say it. She was terrified that Linda would lose her temper and kill her. Where would she find such a capable contract maid then? She'd regret it terribly if that happened!
"What? What are you going to use this for? I think this kind of fabric can only be used as a mop cloth, what else can it be used for?"
Stone tried to put on an innocent expression: "It can also be used as a rag."
"You buy your rags by the roll?!" Linda was furious. She suddenly had a bad feeling. "Oh right, I remember now, when you went out just now, didn't you say you were going to buy me clothes?"
Shi Tou suddenly took a big step back: "That's not true, you're mistaken!" This is absolutely unacceptable!
"Really?" Linda narrowed her eyes dangerously, her face full of suspicion.
“Really! Absolutely! I bought these fabrics to use as mop cloths and rags, and also as carpets. You see, the people living around here are all poor, so we can't put too fancy carpets on the floor, right?”
Linda hesitated for a moment, but ultimately believed Stone. Casually setting the fabric aside, she picked up the top piece of black cloth and tore it apart violently with both hands…
"Rip!" In an instant, the fabric was torn in two. Linda didn't stop, continuing her fabric-tearing spree.
Shi Tou stared in disbelief, rubbing his eyes hard. "Damn it! That shopkeeper lied to me! She just said that clothes made from this fabric could last for more than ten years!"
Linda's body stiffened abruptly, her hands stopped moving, and she slowly turned to face the stone, her sinister gaze following her...
"Liuliu's mom! Look what I bought!" Just as the tragedy was about to happen, Luo Pipi's voice suddenly came from outside the door.
Stone jumped to the doorway quickly: "Liuliu's dad! You... holy crap! You're amazing!"
Outside the door, Luo Pipi was holding Liuliu in one arm and leading a little girl about the same age as Liuliu by the other. Behind them was a boy of about ten years old, who was holding a baby in his arms...
Puff puff puff!
Stone's brain instantly went blank. "Hey, Pipi, are you planning to open a kindergarten in the artisan district?!"
“Liuliu’s mom, look, the playmate I found for Liuliu!” Luo Pipi, completely oblivious to the petrified expression on Shitou’s face, cheerfully introduced the person next to her: “This is Niu Niu. She’s a little younger than Liuliu and is five years old this year.”
The little girl whose name was called looked up timidly, but as soon as her eyes met the stone, she immediately lowered her head in fear.
Damn it! Am I that scary?! Why would I be scared?! What's there to be scared of?!
“This is Zhuangzhuang, he’s eleven years old this year. I think he can be responsible for Liuliu’s safety.” Luo Pipi turned slightly to the side, looking at the boy who had been following behind her.
Safety... Stone looked up at the sky speechlessly. Liu Liu wasn't some big shot. He was just staying put, so he was definitely safe!
"And this one, she's Zhuangzhuang's little sister, her name is Dandan." Luo Pipi put Liuliu down on the ground, letting him stand on his own, while she took the baby from Zhuangzhuang's arms: "Come on, Dandan, give your mother a smile!"
Your mom!
Stone felt she'd had enough! She was about to explode! She was about to lose her temper!
Damn it, I'm only sixteen this year! Even if time were sped up, I'm still only sixteen! You've already gone too far by making me Liu Liu's mom (actually, this idea was Shi Tou's own, but she was so angry that she forgot about it), and you even brought in so many kids!
Mom my foot! If I wanted to be a mother, I'd give birth myself!!!
"Shi...cough cough, Liu Liu's mom, what's wrong?" Luo Pipi finally realized that Shi Tou's expression was off, but she couldn't figure out what was wrong with him.
Well, I have to say, sometimes, the thought processes of Luo Pipi, who is a true man at heart, and Shi Tou, who is a true woman at heart, are definitely different.
"Liuliu's dad! You're amazing! You were only gone for a short while, and you've already brought out so many kids. Should I praise you, praise you, or praise you?"
Linda, who was still diligently cleaning the house, initially didn't want to pay attention to the noise outside the door. However, Stone's words were so resentful that even she, inside the house, couldn't bear the overwhelming resentment.
So Linda promptly ran out to see what Luo Pipi had done to make Shi Tou so angry. O(∩_∩)O Haha~~~
However, her grin froze when she saw the child standing next to Luo Pipi: "Ahem, this..."
Seeing Linda's frozen expression, Stone finally felt relieved. Patting his chest to catch his breath, Stone decided to leave this mess to Linda: "You! You, the new maid, these are all my husband's children. You'll be responsible for their daily lives from now on!"
Ignoring Linda's instantly distraught expression, Stone strode back into the house. Linda was surprisingly quick; at least the master bedroom was tidied up. Stone unceremoniously took over the master bedroom, though only temporarily. You see, no matter how clean this run-down house was, it couldn't compare to the cozy little nest Stone had meticulously crafted.
"Hehe, Stone..." Not long after, Luo Pipi shyly opened the bedroom door, closing it with a fawning expression. Judging from her expression, someone who didn't know her gender might think she was about to do something inappropriate for children. Actually, she's very innocent, really!
Stone didn't even bother to roll his eyes and simply ignored the person.
Luo Pipi awkwardly approached, saying, "Honey, will you listen to my explanation?~~~" (Welcome! Your support is my greatest motivation.)
☆, Chapter 249 The Unusual Movements of the Dongfang Family
Shi Tou always believed that explanations were just cover-ups, and cover-ups meant the truth was true. However, seeing Luo Pipi's guilty expression, Shi Tou patiently gave her a chance to explain, after all, they were friends, not a real couple.
However, after Luo Pipi finished explaining, Shi Tou began to wonder if he had been too foolish to give her such a chance!
"You mean they were all slaves?" Recalling Linda's earlier words, Stone felt that those children must be the slave children that Linda had seen.
"Yes, you see, so many years have passed. Even if their ancestors were indeed prisoners of war, it doesn't really matter to them, right?" Luo Pipi smiled obsequiously. In fact, before, she had no good feelings towards those prisoners of war either. Because in the Luo Ming Empire, prisoners of war had another name—orcs!
That's right. Due to the unique geographical location of the Fallen Empire, although they had some friction with neighboring countries, they never engaged in any major wars. In other words, the so-called prisoners of war were orcs!
After learning about her mother's origins, Luo Pipi's perception of orcs changed drastically. Especially her feelings towards the orc children who shared her plight.
“Stone, you have to understand, my biological mother actually has beastman blood, so when I see those children, I…” Remembering what Liu Liu’s mother (my biological mother!) had said before, Luo Pipi’s mood became a little lost: “I know those children may not be recognized by others, so what? I just want them to have a slightly better life.”
Stone stared at Luo Pipi in disbelief. She had never known Luo Pipi could be so saintly. After a moment of hesitation, Stone asked, somewhat doubtfully, "You mean, those children you brought back earlier were actually beastmen?"
Luo Pipi frowned. She now knew that although Shi Tou wasn't stupid, he lacked knowledge about history: "Just like my sister said. Orcs are divided into many races, and some of them actually look quite similar to humans."
"Like the ancestors of those children?"
"Yes, in fact. It was only the orcs who looked very human who were taken prisoner. If they were pure orcs like Xue'er, they would definitely be executed."
Now that you mention it, Stone remembered the children he had just seen. Although they looked like humans, there were subtle differences in their expressions. “But what good would it do to bring them back? Even if I don’t know much about the rules here, I know that slaves can’t be commoners.”
Luo Pipi fell silent. Although the Luo Ming Empire didn't have the strict household registration system of Shi Tou's previous life, a slave was still a slave, no matter what master they followed. They could never escape their status as slaves.
"Luo Pipi, I know you consider them your people, but isn't adopting them a bit too much? Let's not even talk about how we're just playing the role of a commoner family with a small skill right now. Even if you regain your original identity, you can't turn slaves into commoners, can you?"
Faced with Shi Tou's questioning, Luo Pipi felt speechless.
Indeed, it is common for slaves to change masters, but no matter what, they bear the shameful mark of slavery, destined to remain slaves for generations to come.
"Okay, they can stay. We're not short of money anyway, but they can't be adopted. Honestly, I never intended to be the mother of so many children!" That was the last sentence. Stone said with immense resentment. Damn it, I'm still a virgin!
“This…” Luo Pipi hesitated for a moment, but when she saw the extremely threatening look in Shi Tou’s eyes, she decisively surrendered: “Okay, I’ll do whatever you say.”
"Don't worry, I don't have a penchant for abusing children!" Stone rolled his eyes. "But there are still some problems. You know, while raising these kids isn't a big deal for us, other people won't see it that way. Have you thought about how you're going to deal with the neighbors' questions?"
"Huh? But we don't have any neighbors."
Looking at Luo Pipi's innocent expression, Shi Tou felt quite depressed. [ ] In fact, she was unaware of certain common sense about this world, while Luo Pipi completely failed to understand the lives of ordinary people.
"Let me put it this way, we've announced to the outside world that we're just an ordinary blacksmith family. If we only had one child, Liu Liu, that would be understandable. Even including Linda would be fine. But you brought so many children back today; I'm sure you didn't try to hide it from others, did you?"
Luo Pipi's lips twitched involuntarily: "Ahem, I... I just brought them back like this."