The Zhao Mansion was bustling with excitement.

Everyone kept popping into Su Liyan’s room from time to time to take a look.

They weren’t there for any other reason than to see when the egg in the basket would hatch.

Gu Ziye was the most fascinated of all. Every so often, she’d want to wipe the egg with a towel.

Lu Yuan didn’t let Gu Ziye touch the egg too often, genuinely worried her clumsiness would lead to it getting smashed.

Whenever Lu Yuan stopped her, Gu Ziye would pout and push against him, making him back up. "I’m the grand-aunt! What’s wrong with me touching it?"

Seeing her act like this, Lu Yuan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Their family relations were a bit of a mess. Gu Gaoxu and Lu Yuan considered each other brothers.

Now, their seniority was being calculated from Gu Gaoxu’s side.

Gu Ziye was Gu Gaoxu’s aunt, and since Gu Gaoxu and Lu Yuan were like brothers, it made a certain kind of sense that she was the baby’s grand-aunt.

Gu Ziye’s generational standing was, to say the least, a little chaotic.

Later, when only Su Liyan and Lu Yuan were in the room, the egg would start to tremble whenever Su Liyan got close.

It was as if the baby inside the egg could sense who its mother was.

Su Liyan exclaimed ecstatically, "Look! Our baby moved! It moved!"

Lu Yuan looked at the trembling egg and stepped forward to stroke it.

The egg settled down again.

Two full days passed just like that, and the egg still hadn’t hatched.

Su Liyan was already able to get out of bed and walk around freely.

Su Liyan sat on a stool, resting her chin on her hand as she stared at the egg on the bed.

She sighed and asked her husband in a somber tone, "Darling~ It’s been two whole days. Why hasn’t it hatched yet? I’m getting a little impatient."

Lu Yuan didn’t understand what was going on either.

Su Liyan’s mother had never heard of an egg taking this long to hatch.

Losing her patience, Su Liyan’s mother left Taiping City, recited a Spell to summon her little follower, and sent Xiao Yunyun out to secretly ask around.

She was to find out if any other union between the Half-demon Race and a human had produced an egg that took several days to hatch.

Far away in Changliu Village, Xiao Yunyun felt her mistress’s summons.

Xiao Yunyun was quite surprised. It seemed to be the first time her mistress had ever summoned her. ’Did she run into some kind of trouble?’

「Not long after.」

Xiao Yunyun drifted around Su Liyan’s mother, circling and shouting, "Wow, Big Sister gave birth! Big Sister gave birth!"

Su Liyan’s mother was in no mood for pleasantries. She urged her, "Hurry up and go. Ask around with those contacts of yours."

Hearing her mistress’s words, Xiao Yunyun drifted away.

Su Liyan’s mother stood at the gates of Taiping City, flanked by several soldiers guarding the gatehouse.

At that moment, Su Liyan’s mother thought of her son.

She had originally planned to visit Su Changliang after the egg hatched.

But she thought about it again. His sister giving birth was a huge event, and two days had already passed. It wouldn’t be right not to tell him any longer.

So, instead of heading straight back to the mansion, Su Liyan’s mother went to the County Yamen to find her son.

Su Changliang was in the middle of handling official business at the County Yamen when he saw a subordinate leading his mother in.

Su Changliang quickly rose to greet her. "Mother, what are you doing here? Is something wrong?"

Su Liyan’s mother took her son’s hand and said, "Your sister... she gave birth."

Su Changliang was overjoyed to hear the news. "Mother, come on, let’s go browse the shops and buy something for my sister."

Su Changliang had received his fair share of beatings from his sister. When he was young and mischievous, he would always act up.

Su Liyan would use martial force to teach him a lesson.

Although Su Changliang never thought his sister was particularly beautiful,

as they grew up, the two siblings became the closest.

Ever since Su Liyan married into the Lu Family and moved into the Zhao Mansion,

Su Changliang would visit his sister at Shige Village or the Zhao Mansion every festival and New Year.

Hearing such wonderful news, Su Changliang was naturally ecstatic.

Led by his mother, he entered the Zhao Mansion carrying bags of all sizes.

Before he even saw his sister, Su Changliang was shouting in the courtyard, "Sis, your little brother is here to see you!"

From inside her room, Su Liyan heard her younger brother calling for her.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan went out to greet him together.

Su Changliang also went inside to see his nephew. His mother had already told him the details on the way over.

"You don’t have to bring so many things next time. Your sister doesn’t lack for anything right now," Lu Yuan said to his brother-in-law.

Lu Yuan noted Su Changliang’s transformation over the past year. He had certainly matured a great deal.

’If possible, it’s about time to arrange a marriage for my brother-in-law.’

Su Changliang, however, had no interest in matchmaking.

With Su Changliang’s current status, matchmakers were practically beating a path to his door every other day.

At this point, no one looked down on Su Changliang for being from the Half-demon Race anymore.

People are just so pragmatic.

Su Changliang had lunch at his brother-in-law’s home and stayed for the afternoon.

Seeing that his nephew still hadn’t hatched, he eventually left.

Several more days of watching over the egg passed in a flash.

Aside from trembling when Su Liyan was near, the egg remained quiet the rest of the time.

That night, Su Liyan cuddled up to her husband, looked at the egg, and murmured, "Darling~ If it doesn’t hatch soon, let’s just pry it open."

The egg seemed to have a mind of its own, as if terrified its mother would actually pry open its shell.

The moment Su Liyan finished speaking, a strange sound came from the top of the egg at the foot of the bed. CRACKLE! The shell began to flake off.

Lu Yuan and Su Liyan watched the shell begin to peel away, sitting up in bed and staring intently at the egg.

A moment later, a small head poked out from inside the egg, its little hands still pushing at the shell.

It had a tender face and skin so delicate it looked like it would break at a touch. Its complexion was fair—the face of a true baby.

Astonishingly tender!

Who would have thought a small child would crawl out of an egg?