Arthur's first night at Grandpa Jack's house passed with a bit of difficulty. Trapped in a highly vulnerable baby's body, the King of Knights had to swallow the bitter pill of reality; his physique was simply too weak. He truly could not control his muscles and could do nothing but lie helplessly inside his basket.
Considering his simple house did not have a proper crib, Grandpa Jack was forced to place the woven basket on the wooden floor, right next to his own bed.
"For tonight, please bear with it for a while, Kid Ah-Long," Grandpa Jack said softly, stroking the baby's forehead with his rough yet warm hand. "This old grandpa's house doesn't have a proper bed for a baby. So, you'll have to sleep inside this basket for now, alright?"
Hearing the guilty tone from the old man, Arthur forced his tiny lips to carve out a reassuring smile.
'It is fine, Rou-dono (Old Master). As a knight, I am already accustomed to sleeping on terrain no matter how hard or cold it is,' Arthur thought sincerely, appreciating the man's kindness.
Seeing the baby's sweet smile, Grandpa Jack's wrinkled face instantly beamed. The burden in his heart felt slightly lifted.
"You truly are a good and resilient child. It's amazing that you aren't crying or fussing, even though you are in a new place and being looked after by a stranger like me."
The old man then got up and sat on the edge of his worn-out mattress. Pulling up a makeshift thin blanket, he looked at Arthur's basket for the last time that night. "Good night, Ah-Long," he said softly.
He then reached out his hand, extinguishing the oil lamp that illuminated the room.
Amidst the quiet darkness of the night, Arthur's eyelids slowly grew heavy. The biological drowsiness of the baby's body began to take over his consciousness, something he could not fight off with willpower alone.
'Good night to you too... Grandpa,' Arthur replied in his thoughts.
.
.
.
.
"Wow! This baby is really so cute!"
A high-pitched burst of sound instantly woke Arthur from his sleep. His tiny eyelids moved slowly, trying to adapt to the morning light entering the room.
"Shhhhh! Quiet! Your voice is too loud, he'll wake up!" whispered another woman's voice in a warning tone.
"Aiya, it seems it's already too late. Look, the baby is already awake!" chimed in a third voice.
Arthur finally managed to open his eyes completely. However, a second later, his pupils widened, filled with the panic of his suddenly awakened combat instincts.
'Giants?!' That was the first thought that crossed the Holy Knight's mind. His still slightly blurry vision detected a group of giant female figures surrounding and looking down at him from all directions. Because he was so startled, in a split second Arthur's mind almost reflexively tried to summon the holy sword Excalibur to protect himself.
"Wooh! It looks like he's scared seeing us," said one of the women, noticing the terrified gaze of the baby in the basket.
"Of course he's scared, idiot! He just opened his eyes and immediately saw all our faces crowding around here. Anyone would have a heart attack!" replied another woman's voice, nudging her friend.
"Eh, look, look! His eyes are truly emerald green, exactly like jade! The news from Tie Zhu and Da Shan wasn't a bluff after all. So beautiful..." praised a woman with an unconcealable cheerful tone.
Arthur was startled. Without him realizing it, his field of vision was suddenly completely blocked by the face of a little girl staring straight into his eyes with massive curiosity.
"Hey! You're too close! Ah-Long is startled, you know!" That stern reprimand diverted the little girl's attention.
At the same time, Arthur felt his tiny body being slowly lifted from the basket. His eyes glanced upwards, staring at the figure of the woman who was holding him. The woman looked like a very beautiful young mother, possessing a pair of pitch-black eyes that matched her long hair. She hugged Arthur very carefully and full of affection, as if she were embracing her own son.
'Warm,' Arthur thought, observing the gentle face of the woman who had just saved him from the crowd.
"Mei Qin! You're cheating! You immediately picked him up, even though I was the first one to come here! I want to hold him too, you know!" protested a village woman in a slightly annoyed tone, looking at the young mother who was hugging Arthur.
"Hehe~ First come, first served, right?" Mei Qin replied with a sweet smile, not feeling guilty at all.
"Auntie Qin is cheating! I want to play with Ah-Long too!" shouted the little girl who had been staring at Arthur earlier, now running toward Mei Qin while trying to reach the young mother's legs.
"I want to, too!"
"Me too!"
Several other village children enthusiastically followed, crowding closer to Arthur.
Arthur, suddenly surrounded, could only panic, unsure of what to do.
Added to his current situation—as a Holy Knight, allowing himself to be carried and pampered by a woman like a weak princess completely shattered his pride. An overwhelming sense of embarrassment began to make the baby's tiny face turn as red as a boiled crab.
"Now, if you want to play with him, make sure you've washed your hands first, okay? We can't let a baby this cute be touched by your dirty hands after playing in the mud at the rice fields earlier," Mei Qin reprimanded in a gentle, motherly tone.
"We already did, Auntie Qin!" the children answered in unison.
Mei Qin then sat down gracefully on the wooden floor. She very carefully placed Arthur on her lap, making her thighs a soft cushion. She then let the village children surround and play with the baby. Feeling the small hands starting to touch his cheeks and arms in turn, the blush on Arthur's face grew even deeper.
The children laughed in delight, gently pinching his chubby cheeks and making various funny expressions. Trapped in a helpless baby's body, Arthur completely lost control over his situation. He could only sigh in resignation as he endured this merciless 'torture', sacrificing the remnants of his dignity to comply with their wishes.
However, amidst his resignation, Arthur's attention was suddenly diverted by a loud shout from the direction of the front room.
"What?! You want to feed porridge to a baby who looks like he's only a month old?! Stop joking, Old Man! Are you trying to kill him?!" snapped a village woman in a furious tone mixed with panic.
Hearing that thunderous shout, Arthur immediately looked up. At the doorway of the front room, he saw Grandpa Jack standing frozen while holding a tray containing a bowl and a wooden spoon.
The frail old man's path seemed to be blocked by a large and heavily muscled middle-aged woman. The woman was wearing a cooking apron, with her brown hair tied in a ponytail.
The rowdy atmosphere around Arthur suddenly fell silent. The children and the mothers turned around in unison to look at the commotion.
"And what kind of porridge is this?!" scolded the muscular woman. She snatched the spoon from Grandpa Jack's tray, scooped up a little of its contents, and tasted it.
Ptooey! She immediately spat the porridge to the side without mercy. "This is too hard! A texture like this is completely unfit to be called baby porridge!"
Grandpa Jack trembled, shrinking under the woman's scolding. "T-then what should I give him? I don't have any other food supplies in this house besides wheat porridge, Mama Mia," the old man squeaked with a pitiful face.
"You fool! What other food is most suitable for a baby who is only a month old if not breast milk?!" Mama Mia spat fiercely, standing with her hands on her hips, glaring at the Village Chief.
Arthur's heart felt like it stopped beating upon hearing that. The baby immediately jolted stiffly, his eyes widening in horror as he stared back and forth between Grandpa Jack and Mama Mia.
Mama Mia then turned toward Arthur, or more precisely, toward the crowd of young mothers surrounding the baby, including Mei Qin. "Besides, it seems we have plenty of women here who are willing to be his wet nurse," the muscular woman smirked meaningfully.
Hearing that solution, Grandpa Jack also turned toward the women with a look full of consideration.
On Mei Qin's lap, Arthur was now truly struck by overwhelming panic. His tiny face paled in fear, imagining the incredibly embarrassing scenario that was about to befall him.
'N-No way... Please don't do this! Grandpa Jack, I beg you, don't betray me!' the King of Knights screamed in his heart.
He stared at Grandpa Jack with an extremely pleading expression, looking almost like a prisoner begging right before execution. Unfortunately, that telepathy of despair was not conveyed. Grandpa Jack did not notice Arthur's gaze at all and instead seemed to be nodding, considering Mama Mia's brilliant suggestion very seriously.
Grandpa Jack looked at the crowd full of hope. "So... who is willing to do it?" he asked, breaking the silence. "I will pay for her services if anyone is willing to be a wet nurse for Ah-Long."
Instantly, as if given a cue, all the women in the room immediately raised their hands high, with no exception to Mei Qin.
'NOOOOOOO!!!' Arthur screamed hysterically in his mind.
The King of Knights began to struggle on Mei Qin's lap, trying to rebel with all his might and letting out babbles of protest. However, his weak crying voice was completely drowned out by the uproar of the women's shouts, which suddenly turned into a battlefield.
"Let me do it, Grandpa Jack! I am already very experienced in breastfeeding my child when he was still a baby!" a woman exclaimed.
"Don't listen to her! Just choose me! I just gave birth, so my breast milk is still very abundant!" chimed in another, not wanting to lose.
"Grandpa Jack, choose me!"
"Wait a minute, Grandpa Jack! Choose me!" exclaimed a slightly plump young woman. She crossed her arms right under her chest, deliberately accentuating her assets with full confidence. "My chest size is quite large, you know. Ah-Long will definitely be much fuller and prefer large breasts, right?"
Instantly, the room fell silent for a moment. The other mothers reflexively looked down, comparing their respective chest sizes with looks of indignation.
"That's not how it works, Grandpa Jack! Size isn't the most important thing, but experience! I have breastfed very often, so I know the most comfortable position for a baby!" a mother argued fiercely.
"Hey, if it's just about experience, I have plenty too!" blurted another woman in a proud, carefree tone. "Let alone my child, even my husband still frequently asks for my milk!"
"That's right! My husband does the same!" several other mothers agreed.
"Wait! What did you mean by that last sentence?!" reprimanded one of the women.
A fierce debate about who was most worthy of being the wet nurse erupted uncontrollably. The small living room was filled with bickering, exchanges of experience, and even comparisons of chest sizes. Amidst that chaos, Arthur, who was still trapped in Mei Qin's embrace, continued trying to defy his fate. He struggled and shouted, but all his efforts were in vain, swallowed by the burning ambition of those village women.
Grandpa Jack massaged his temples, feeling dizzy from hearing the women arguing with each other. Amidst the chaos, his eyes accidentally glanced at Arthur, who kept moving restlessly on Mei Qin's lap.
'Oh, look. Ah-Long seems very enthusiastic in Mei Qin's hands. It looks like the baby really likes her,' Grandpa Jack thought, completely misinterpreting Arthur's panicked struggles as a form of joy.
The old man then cleared his throat loudly to take control of the situation. "Alright, everyone, calm down! I have chosen the person!" he exclaimed, cutting off the debate. "Mei Qin will be Ah-Long's wet nurse from now on. This decision is final and cannot be contested!"
"Yaaaay!" cheered Mei Qin with a face beaming with happiness. The beautiful woman immediately lifted Ah-Long's tiny body into the air, aligning their faces. "Now, from now on, please be good to me, Ah-Long. I will take care of you," she said with a sweet smile.
Arthur started struggling again, trying to defy his fate with all his might. However, seeing those flapping little hands, Mei Qin actually chuckled in amusement.
"Wow, you seem very happy, huh? I am also very glad," she said while pulling Arthur into her warm embrace.
Arthur was about to struggle harder, but his movements suddenly stopped. His sharp hearing caught a soft murmur from the woman's lips.
"This time... I will not fail again..." she whispered, barely audible.
Arthur's instincts immediately responded. Behind the woman's cheerful smile and warm embrace, the King of Knights could suddenly feel an extremely dense aura of sorrow—a sense of guilt, loss, and past trauma hidden tightly away. Arthur's body slowly went limp. He no longer had the heart to rebel.
Hearing Grandpa Jack's firm decision, the other village mothers could only sigh in resignation. They finally gave up, lowered their hands, and the atmosphere in the room gradually calmed down.
"Alright, Grandpa Jack. I will start feeding him now," Mei Qin said as she stood up. "Do you have a proper closed room for that?"
"Of course. You can use the empty room over there," Grandpa Jack answered while pointing to a room with a tightly closed wooden door.
"Thank you. In that case, I will excuse myself first, everyone," Mei Qin took her leave amiably.
With Arthur now completely silent in her arms, the woman walked away from the crowd, entering that room.
Click.
Outside the room, Grandpa Jack and Mama Mia stood side by side, staring at the wooden door that had just closed tightly.
"But, you all were quite fast in finding out the news, huh," Grandpa Jack chuckled, breaking the silence as he turned toward the muscular woman next to him.
"Of course! Never underestimate the speed of the mothers' information network," Mama Mia snorted, crossing her large arms over her chest. "Especially since this is just a small village with a small population. The news that the Village Chief brought home an unknown baby from the forest must have spread as fast as fire blown by the wind. Don't forget, you are the most respected and watched person in this village, Old Man."
"Ah, so it turns out this is partly my fault too," Grandpa Jack replied with a small smile, stroking his beard.
A brief silence enveloped the two of them before Mama Mia's expression turned more serious. She glanced at Grandpa Jack from the corner of her eye.
"But... about your reason for immediately choosing Mei Qin earlier. Are you hoping that by taking care of Ah-Long, she can slowly forget her past?" she asked, her tone of voice softening.
Grandpa Jack nodded slowly, the smile on his face fading, replaced by a look full of sympathy. "Yes. The presence of that baby seems to be fate. Hopefully, taking care of Ah-Long can help her heal her wounds and forget all those painful memories."
Mama Mia could only let out a long and heavy sigh. Her gaze returned to the door of the room where Mei Qin and Arthur were.
"It will be very difficult to make her heart truly heal and forget all those nightmares," Mama Mia muttered with deep pity. "She is truly a poor girl..."