Chapter 120: Oh! I Forgot to Give Birth

While feeling joyful, his gaze swept over Shen Shi and suddenly, his pupils contracted.

He had become an official too? Since when?

Having lived in the capital for a long time, the old man’s eyes were not necessarily capable of piercing through the affairs of the world, but he could certainly tell that Shen Shi had become an official. He could even discern Shen Shi’s official fortune with reasonable accuracy.

Of course, he could not literally see "official fortune." It was merely an intuition—an instinct regarding those in power.

Filled with suspicion, Shen Wanlin asked, "Has this child become an official as well?"

"Yes. Shen Shi is already a Literary Aide," the old lady introduced her grandson with great pride.

"A Literary Aide? Good! Good!" Shen Wanlin confirmed his suspicions and cheered repeatedly. It was not just because Shen Shi had become an official.

To others, Shen Shi might just look like any other young man, perhaps a bit more handsome than most, but in Shen Wanlin’s eyes, his grandson was different from ordinary people. There was an otherworldly quality to him, as if he had transcended the perspective of a mortal.

"This feeling... it’s somewhat familiar...?" Shen Wanlin’s heart skipped a beat. He recalled visiting a Taoist temple to offer incense, where the gods and Buddha statues emanated a similar aura.

"The child is only eighteen, how could he have such a look of seeing through everything? I am fifty-seven years old, and I am still an immeasurable distance away from seeing through the dusty world," Shen Wanlin thought with astonishment.

"What’s so great about that? If I were a boy, I could be an official too."

Shen Yuejiao noticed her grandfather’s focus on Shen Shi and became even more dissatisfied.

She had always been unhappy with the head branch of the family. In her view, if the head branch hadn't left the capital, their Shen family might have been just as prestigious as the Yang family of Tianbo Mansion.

How famous the Yang family was! Even the Emperor had to seek their help. Without the female warriors of the Yang family, would the Western Xia people have retreated?

Indeed, the Yang family’s reputation was resounding. Especially among women, they were absolute icons. How many girls wished they had been born into the Yang family?

As the head branch arrived, the Shen family members in the village came out to greet them—aunts and uncles of every degree, too many to count.

The Zhao family was quite considerate toward military households that voluntarily surrendered their military power. Over the years, apart from Shen Renfu becoming an official, the branch remaining in the capital, while not holding official posts, had certainly spread its roots and branches.

For instance, Shen Wanlin had seven sons and three daughters in his lifetime; he was certainly fertile. Shen Renfu was the third son, with two older brothers above him and four younger brothers below.

Beyond them, there were other Shen family members. Looking out, within a radius of two or three hundred square meters, the place was packed with heads.

This was quite normal in ancient times. Why did peasant uprisings gather so many people so quickly? This was one of the reasons. How many years had it been since the founding of the Great Song? You give birth to seven or eight, I give birth to seven or eight, and in the blink of an eye, a whole clan is formed.

Of course, the Shen family could not compare to those true noble clans, but they were still a large family—enough to form a village on their own. It must be said, ancient people were truly capable of reproduction.

As Shen Shi pondered, he did not realize that his uncles and cousins were looking at them with equally complex expressions. Their affection was laced with traces of dissatisfaction, jealousy, and envy.

The head branch was inherently an object of jealousy. Years ago, when they moved back to the countryside, the Emperor personally inquired after them and tried to persuade them to stay; when they could not be dissuaded, he bestowed official titles and rewards upon them. They had garnered so much attention that the Shen family members remaining in the capital were consumed with envy.

Later, this branch in the capital was not only ignored by the Emperor but even subtly suppressed by the royal family. They truly did not know why.

Could it be because they were the head branch that the Emperor valued them? For this reason, they were very dissatisfied. Except for major events, such as a birth, they rarely interacted with the head branch—until now.

Alas! Look at them now! The massive Shen family had dwindled to just this few.

Yes. Of the three unfilial acts, having no descendants is the greatest. The head branch did have a successor, but their numbers were pitifully thin.

Their scrutiny of the head branch's lack of heirs made the old lady feel very uneasy. She thought to herself: Have I been too focused on Liang'er's official career over the years and forgotten about the next generation? This won't do! I must ensure he has more children!

Shen’s father seemed to sense something and couldn't help but shudder.

"Good, good, let’s go inside, let’s talk inside." Shen Wanlin was very happy, happy to the point of smugness.

When Shen Shi called him grandfather, it meant acceptance. And since he was accepted, he was the grandfather. So what if he was an official? He was still the grandfather.

Since he was a grandfather, one of his long-standing wishes was fulfilled, and his mindset shifted—I have won.

My son is an official too. Most importantly, I have many children and many blessings.

Yes, that was the reason for his pride—he had many children.

In later generations, many children were a burden, but in this era, many children meant good fortune and prosperity.

Looking around the old man, he had seven or eight children, and among those children, there were twenty or thirty teenagers. They truly put Shen Shi’s family to shame.

Shen Shi’s generation had only Shen Liang, and the third generation, Shen Shi, was also an only child.

In this regard, the head branch had suffered a total defeat. Shen Shi had no solution for this either.

Population growth was not like other things; it could not be increased by a mere thought. It required ten months of pregnancy, birthing them one by one, and raising them one by one.

Looking at the room full of people, with more in the courtyard, both Shen’s father and grandmother were deeply struck by the scene.

Among these many youths, there were some outstanding individuals. The most prominent were one boy and one girl, and everyone surrounded them.

The young man was in his twenties, with a steady temperament and a handsome face, wearing a scholar’s cap and robes. He was a genuine scholar and one of the most distinguished of the third generation in the capital. The boys and girls beside him spoke to him with a hint of flattery and respect.

The girl was elegant and refined, like an orchid standing alone in the world, with outstanding beauty.

These two were the children of Shen Wanlin’s eldest son, Shen Ancai and Shen Yue’e.

Though they were of the third generation, Shen Ancai was not much younger than Shen Shi’s father. As for Shen Yue’e, she was not very old, but still older than Shen Shi. There was no help for it; the Emperor suppressed martial families. With nowhere to exert their energy, aside from staying home and having children, martial men truly had nothing else to do.

And so, as they continued to give birth, they became a clan with countless descendants. Unlike Shen Shi’s family, who were busy chasing official positions and had forgotten the most important thing of the era: having children.

Upon arriving in the capital and seeing the large family, they suddenly realized: Oh! We forgot to have children!

At this moment, a voice suddenly came: "Cousin, you must be the cousin from my uncle’s house, right?"

Shen Shi looked up and saw Shen Ancai smiling at him.

The brothers and sisters around them also cast their gazes over, with expressions of envy, jealousy, mockery, scrutiny, and indifference—a mix of complex emotions.

Shen Shi’s status in this family was too strange and too special.

So special and so strange that everyone did not know how to interact with him.

Because not only was he from the head branch, but they had also heard that he was now an official...