309: Chapter 309 Half a Year

The second event was the long jump.

Xu Xue didn't participate; she stood to the side as a spectator, holding Qin Xue.

Xia Qiuyan participated. Her legs were even more slender and powerful after her Physique improved; when she jumped, it was as if she sprang off the grass, landing much further than anyone else.

Han Qing glanced at the measurement line and said, "Four point two meters."

No one surpassed her.

The third event drew the most attention: weightlifting. The rule was to see who could stand the longest while holding their own child.

Su Yuran held Qin An, Lin Wanwan held Qin Yuan, Han Yurou held Qin Yue, Li Ying held Qin Xu, Zhou Lingling held Qin Yao, Zhou Yueyue held Qin Xiaoxing, Xia Qiuyan held Qin Xia, Lin Xiaoyue held Qin Yi, Lin Fang held Qin Tian, and Wang Xiulan held Qin Zheng.

Ten mothers and ten babies, ranging in age from six to over eight months, stood on the grass.

The referee was Han Qing.

She announced the start of the timing, and all ten people adjusted the infants in their arms to the most comfortable positions simultaneously.

For the first ten seconds, everyone was very steady.

After twenty seconds, someone started to wobble—Lin Wanwan wobbled first. Qin Yuan moved in her arms, and she quickly adjusted her posture and stabilized.

At thirty seconds, Zhou Lingling switched hands, moving Qin Yao from her left arm to her right. The movement was very light, but her center of gravity shifted, and her body tilted slightly.

At forty seconds, no one had dropped out, but everyone's posture had changed.

Su Yuran changed from a single-arm cradle to a double-arm embrace. Qin An was sleeping soundly in her arms.

Li Ying was still using one hand. Qin Xu was lying on her shoulder, drooling all over her neck.

At the one-minute mark, Han Qing called a halt.

"There's no need to continue the competition; you could all stand until tomorrow morning," she said.

Everyone was unconvinced, but they all knew she was right.

With their current Physiques, standing on the grass for ten minutes or so while holding a child weighing five or six kilograms wouldn't be tiring at all.

Rather than a competition, it was more like an excuse for everyone to stand together and soak up the sun.

Su Yuran said, "Next year, when they've all learned to walk, there will be more events."

Everyone began to look forward to next year.

Qin Lin stood on the Observation Tower, watching the sports meet on the grass.

The The Ark's projection System simulated blue skies and white clouds, with sunlight spilling over everyone.

Su Yuling walked up from behind him, stood next to Qin Lin, leaned against the railing, and watched the people on the grass.

"Brother Qin Lin, look how happily they're laughing."

Qin Lin didn't look at her; his gaze remained on the grass.

Golden light spilled over the silver-white hull of the ship. Today, the The Ark's protective shield was a warm yellow.

Su Yuling waited for a moment without receiving an answer. She turned her head to look at him and followed his gaze to the group of people and children on the grass.

A few days later, the The Ark detected some special resources, which were absorbed one by one.

Qin Lin stood by the flower bed watching Li Ran water the flowers. After thinking for a long time, he made a decision.

...

After living in Peach Blossom Spring for half a year, the children had all grown up.

Qin An could already roll over.

He lay on the bed, kicked his legs, and flipped his body over. Lying on his stomach, he lifted his head, his eyes sparkling as he looked at Su Yuran.

Every time Su Yuran saw this expression, she couldn't help but smile and then flip him back over.

Qin An would flip over again, repeating the process. He wasn't practicing rolling over; he was playing with Su Yuran.

Qin Yuan was much quieter than Qin An. At six months old, she still didn't like to move much, preferring to lie there and look at the ceiling. Occasionally, she would reach for a nearby toy; if she couldn't reach it, she'd just give up, neither crying nor making a fuss.

Lin Wanwan sometimes worried if her development was too slow, but Wang Xiulan said, "Every child is different, don't worry."

The day to leave Peach Blossom Spring was set for next Monday. It wasn't a day chosen by the System, but by Qin Lin.

Qin Yue and Qin Xu were the exact opposite. Qin Yue could roll over at five months, and Qin Xu was even more exaggerated, starting to crawl at six months.

One morning, Li Ying woke up and found that Qin Xu wasn't in his crib. Her heart sank, but looking down, she saw he had crawled to the other end of the bed and was lying there drooling.

Qin Xu could crawl.

Li Ying looked at him with mixed emotions.

Zhou Lingling's Qin Yao and Qin Yang, the twin brothers, already had a great rapport, often crying, laughing, and falling asleep at the same time, with identical schedules.

Zhou Lingling said, "It's a good thing they're in sync, otherwise I'd be exhausted to death."

Zhou Yueyue's Qin Xiaoxing and Qin Xiaoyue, a boy and a girl, had completely different personalities.

Qin Xiaoxing liked to move, while Qin Xiaoyue liked to be still.

While Qin Xiaoxing was rolling around in the crib, Qin Xiaoyue would just lie next to him and watch, without making a sound.

Zhou Yueyue said, "Xiaoyue is like the older sister, and Xiaoxing is like the younger brother." Zhou Lingling replied, "They're Dragon-Phoenix twins, there's no distinction of older or younger, they're the same age."

Zhou Yueyue thought for a moment and said, "Then Xiaoxing is like the older brother and Xiaoyue is like the younger sister, how's that?"

...

Qin Lin visited every child every day.

First to Su Yuran's to see Qin An, then to Lin Wanwan's to see Qin Yuan, then to Han Yurou's to see Qin Yue.

Two hours would pass by the time he finished his rounds.

The children were spending more and more time awake and less time sleeping.

The The Ark's System pushed reports on the changes in the apocalyptic world to Qin Lin every day.

Since the Great Planetary Sweep took away the vast majority of the crystal stone mineral veins, the aura of the apocalypse was receding at an irreversible speed.

...

Monday, the start of a new week; he wanted the children to welcome a new beginning in a new place.

During his last week in Peach Blossom Spring, Qin Lin went to a different place every day.

He went to the flower bed and stood for a long time next to the chinese roses Li Ran had planted.

The chinese roses had grown from just a few plants into a large patch, red, pink, and yellow, blooming in clusters all over the wall.

Li Ran came to water them every morning, and Su Yuling would sometimes follow along to help trim the withered leaves.

Qin Lin stood by the flower bed. He didn't pick any flowers, just watched for a long time.

He went to the creek.

The small creek flowing down from the mountain was still crystal clear, with a slow current and the gurgling sound of water.

He knelt down, scooped up some water with his hands, and took a sip; it was still sweet.

He went to the woods.

The tall trees cast mottled shadows under the simulated sunlight of the projection System.

Qin Lin walked along the path covered in fallen leaves, his footsteps rustling.

Deep in the woods, that large tree that required two people to encircle was still there, with a line of small characters carved into the bark from when he and Su Yuling had last visited.

"Qin Lin and Su Yuling slept here."

The handwriting was crooked but carved deeply, probably out of fear that the words would become distorted as the tree grew.

He stood in front of that tree for a long time, then turned and left.

On the final night, Qin Lin gathered everyone in the living room.

"We set out tomorrow."

The living room went silent for a moment.

Even though they knew this day would come, everyone still fell silent when it actually arrived.

Han Yurou was the first to speak, her voice very soft: "Where are we going?"