Although black bears are wild animals, their intelligence is far higher than that of dogs.
This is clearly evident from the way they mimic humans waving their hands in the mountains, the various legends of "human-bears" and "bear-devils," and the fact that circus bears can understand human speech and perform various acts with human assistance.
As for these two little bear cubs, perhaps because they had spent every day with people since arriving at Wang An's home, they had come to view themselves as human. After being tormented daily by Xingfu and Kuaile, they had actually developed an affection for them.
To put it simply, Xingfu and Kuaile loved "teasing" them, and the two black bears loved "being teased" by the children. For them, strolling around the living room and the yard carrying their little masters was a source of great joy.
Of course, this was primarily because they had never lacked food or drink since coming to Wang An's house. Winter melons, carrots, sweet potatoes, potatoes, as well as radishes and Chinese cabbage, were all their favorites.
Aside from these vegetables, every time Wang An steamed buns, he had to steam two separate pots of "two-combination" buns—mostly cornmeal with a bit of white flour—and the primary purpose of these buns was to feed the black bears.
As for meat, he only gave them cooked meat; he never gave them raw meat, as Wang An worried that raw meat would trigger their bloodlust.
Despite weighing only sixty or seventy catties each, their appetites were certainly not small. Each of them could eat eight to ten buns the size of an adult's fist in a single meal.
Perhaps because of this, they had been fed by Wang An's family to the point where they had completely lost the ferocity a black bear should have.
Even so, they still got their fair share of beatings. For instance, when they pounced on the chicks, when they crawled into the sheep pen trying to grab a lamb, or when they sneaked into the chicken coop to steal eggs, a beating was inevitable.
There was no other way; a bear is a bear after all. From a young age, they had to be taught what they should and should not do. Moreover, in the Northeast, even children got beaten if they didn't listen, let alone bears.
In short, they had to be beaten.
With two bears to play with the two little treasures, Wang An was liberated once again. Mainly, since the bears entered the house, the two little ones had forgotten their father and stopped looking for Wang An altogether.
Thus, Wang An picked up a gun again and began to wipe it down very carefully with a rag dipped in maintenance oil.
Although a gun is just a lump of iron, Wang An always felt that guns had feelings and life. Only if you treat it well will it treat you well; if you don't maintain it carefully or thoroughly, it is very likely to jam at a critical moment.
While Wang An was carefully cleaning the gun, Mu Xueqing, who was picking wild vegetables with Huang Li, suddenly spoke up
"Xiao An, could you make me a fish to eat before noon? I want to eat boiled fish made with sturgeon."
Wang An instinctively replied
"Sturgeon? I might not necessarily catch a sturgeon. Would it be okay if I catch some other fish?"
There were plenty of fish in Wang An's pond, but there was every kind of fish. Whenever Wang An's family ate fish, they would just cast a net once and eat whatever they caught.
Mu Xueqing shook her head and said
"No, I specifically want boiled fish made with sturgeon; I don't want any other fish."
Wang An was stunned for a moment, then said teasingly
"Are you craving something specific? You insist on sturgeon for boiled fish? Boiled fish tastes the same regardless of which fish you use."
In Wang An's view, the seasoning was the main factor in boiled fish. Since the local fish were all cold-water fish with excellent meat quality, boiled fish made from any of them would be delicious.
However, Wang An immediately followed up with a chuckle
"Alright, you can eat whatever you want. After all, you're the head of this household, hahaha... It's just a matter of casting the net a few more times."
After Wang An finished speaking, he saw Mu Xueqing say with a face full of worry
"Xiao An, my period hasn't come this month. Do you think... I might be pregnant?"
Mu Xueqing's cycle had always been very punctual, and her health had been excellent; she hadn't had colds, chills, fevers, or anything else that would affect her timing. Therefore, since she said this, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance she was pregnant.
Hearing this, Wang An's eyes widened instantly. Was he about to have another son or daughter? This was truly a huge surprise for him.
Just as Wang An was about to speak, he heard Mu Xueqing say with a worried expression
"Xiao An, what will we do if I'm pregnant again? The birth control checks are so strict right now. Will we have to go to the hospital to have the baby aborted?"
Hearing this, the excitement that had just risen in Wang An instantly cooled.
The main issue was that "over-quota" births were no joke at this time.
At best, there would be fines and forced sterilization; at worst, it was better not to mention it—anyway, it was very brutal.
After pondering for a moment, Wang An looked calm and said in a very domineering tone
"We definitely cannot abort it. We'll have it; we must have it. It's fine. If they dare come to our house and act arrogant, I'll let them know the consequences of offending me."
Since his rebirth, Wang An only wanted to live according to his own will, free and happy until death. He didn't want to actively offend people or seek out trouble.
But the prerequisite for all this was that others must not provoke him or his family.
If Mu Xueqing was pregnant this time, it was purely an accident, as the two of them had always taken precautions—calculating dates, pulling out, or using the very ineffective rubber condoms of that era.
In short, Wang An had absolutely not intended to get Mu Xueqing pregnant.
But since the child was coming, Wang An could not let him or her miss out on the wonders of this world.
Furthermore, Wang An knew that induced abortions were very bad for a woman's health, especially in an era where medical standards were not yet well-developed.
In his previous life, Wang An had heard of many women who died on the operating table due to artificial abortions.
After Wang An spoke, Mu Xueqing said
"Xiao An, we can't do anything foolish. Is it okay to go against them? Kuaile and Xingfu are already this big. If you go against them and something happens, what will happen to me and the children in this home?"
Rarely, Mu Xueqing revealed a very fragile side.
It wasn't that it was wrong for her to be afraid; it was mainly that the checks for over-quota births were extremely strict, and many people had been taken away.
Wang An's mind raced, but he continued to comfort Mu Xueqing with a smile
"Oh, I've got everything covered. Don't worry."
After a pause, Wang An added
"How about this: I'll take you to the county to get checked now. If you really are pregnant, I can make arrangements in advance. We'll try not to clash with them. As long as the baby is born safely in nine months, we'll just accept and pay the fine. It's just money; it's not that big of a deal!"
As he spoke, Wang An stood up. (End of Chapter)