Chapter 1043 – Mo Lan’s Baby-Raising Daily Life 9

Though the four witch babies’ limbs were still rather clumsy—soft and floppy, unable to make any large movements—they were born with an innate understanding of Witch language, possessed a basic awareness of things around them, and could clearly express their thoughts.

Beneath them, drawn upon the enormous soft mat they lay on, was a “Group Xin Yu” magic circle.

All the witch babies lying on the mat could feel each other’s clearest, most direct inner voice fluctuations.

And so, in the witch mothers’ eyes, a most extraordinary “baby symposium” was quietly underway:

“Mama… help! Something soft on my left, something soft on my right too… I—I don’t dare move! I’m scared I’ll bump into them…”

This was Little Tessa, “sandwiched” between Sylvia and Evelyn.

Vasida held back her laughter watching her daughter frozen stiff, not the slightest intention of stepping in to help.

“On my left is Tessa. Her mother should be Senior Vasida. On my right is… Dorella. Her mother is Senior Lilith. To Dorella’s right is Evelyn. Her mother is Senior Sylph.

Senior Vasida, Senior Sylph, Senior Lilith… they’re all Mama Mo Lan’s friends.

Mama Mo Lan said this place is the lakeside cottage, another one of her homes. She held me, turned a dial, opened the door… and we arrived here. I never even knew about this place before!

Next time we play hide-and-seek, I’ll hide here. Zhizhi and the others will never find me!”

This was Sylvia, working hard to analyze the situation.

Sylph, Vasida, and Lilith all turned to look at Mo Lan upon hearing this. “Sylvia is so clever! She’s already memorized all of us?”

Mo Lan smiled meaningfully. “Looks like I’ll need to lock up the magical clock when we get back.”

They hadn’t bothered hiding their conversation from the children. When Sylvia heard this, she stared at her mother and her friends in shock. “You… you heard that?”

Mo Lan nodded gently. “You mustn’t play with the magical clock by yourself!”

Sylvia: “..(ˇˇ)…”

“Flowers… purple ones, in clusters… swaying back and forth… so many, so pretty… I like them~”

This was Dorella, completely immersed in visual delight.

Lilith plucked a cluster of wisteria blossoms and brought them down, but Dorella was displeased instead. “No! Flowers are better when they’re still on the tree!”

“Mm… it’s kind of noisy, so boring… might as well… go to sleep… Zzz…”

This was Evelyn, whose inner voice was hazy and muddled, thick with drowsiness.

The commotion of the outside world seemed far less appealing to her than the land of dreams.

Sylph poked her little nose helplessly. “You’ve slept for so long, and you still haven’t had enough?”

*

Children change by the day, and one year later, Tessa, Evelyn, Dorella, and Sylvia had all transformed into lively little beans who could steady themselves on their tiny feet and go pitter-pattering at full speed through the backyard of the lakeside cottage. Though their speech still carried a thick, milky baby tone—their words a bit slurred and indistinct, as if they were rolling soft candies around in their mouths—they could already clearly articulate short words, and even string a few characters together in bursts, working hard to express their increasingly rich desires through language.

The whimsical ideas that sprouted from their little heads were like wildflowers on a spring meadow—endless and ever-blooming—leaving the witch mothers constantly caught between laughter and tears, yet always pleasantly surprised.

The lively and energetic Tessa and the endlessly curious Sylvia formed the “Exploration Duo.”

In less than a week, they had thoroughly “scouted” every nook and cranny, inside and out, of all four neighboring yards.

Tessa was the charging “trailblazer,” responsible for measuring every inch of ground with her tireless running and discovering every new “continent” that could be climbed or jumped upon. Sylvia, on the other hand, was more like the calm “scout”—she would conduct meticulous “inspections” of every corner of the yard, attempting to construct a detailed map of the grounds in her mind.

Once she had thoroughly familiarized herself with the surrounding environment and her desire for exploration was temporarily satisfied, Sylvia’s attention was drawn to places farther away.

She would often sit quietly on the expanded, spacious fishing platform by the lake, propping up her little cheeks with her hands, her large violet eyes gazing unblinkingly at the faint outline of Witch’s Town visible on the opposite shore, and at the little boat moored at the small dock, gently rocking with the waves. Her eyes were full of longing.

But she never once snuck onto the boat to set sail and explore the “unknown” territory on the other side. She even stopped Tessa whenever she wanted to go play on the little boat.

The inexhaustible Tessa couldn’t sit still for a single moment. After Sylvia was no longer willing to chase around the yard with her, she began developing new “athletic activities.”

Sometimes she would pester Zhizhi, imitating its somersaults on the grass. Sometimes she would grab hold of Sentai’s supple vines and swing back and forth. More often than not, she would dive headfirst into the sandpit near Vasida’s house, inventing various “tumbling” games on her own, or challenging the climbing frame over and over again—climbing up and sliding down, never tiring of it.

Dorella, meanwhile, had become the undisputed little gardener of the backyard “Planting District.” Every day she would carry a miniature vine-woven basket, walking with light, quick steps as she patrolled among the fruit trees and berry bushes.

Not a single piece of fruit could escape her eyes the moment its color began to change and it started giving off the sweet fragrance of ripeness.

Every fruit she picked would go into her little basket, to be shared with her friends and their mothers.

Furthermore, she had made multiple attempts to establish an “experimental flower bed” in the sandpit, secretly burying her most treasured flower seeds in the sand, watering them daily, and watching with eager, hopeful eyes for sprouts to emerge.

Unfortunately, the neighboring sandpit was Tessa’s “wild war zone,” where the daily activity level was enormous and sand flew everywhere. To this day, not a single sprout had managed to grow in her “sand garden,” leaving her quite disheartened.

Evelyn remained the most “laid-back” little one of them all.

Her favorite spot was the lounge chair with its soft cushion beside the swimming pool in Lilith’s backyard.

You could often see her tiny figure curled up on it, a volume of 《Young Witch’s Primer》 draped over her face, or simply squinting in the sunshine—nestled there for an entire lazy afternoon.

She always seemed utterly uninterested in vigorous activity. But whenever her friends called out, “Evelyn, come play!”

She would always crawl up slowly, rub her eyes, and then very “supportively” join in.

It was just that her way of “joining in” was usually “companion napping.”

When Tessa was tumbling around in the sandpit, she would lie at the edge of it, letting Tessa pile sand over her as a “blanket.” When Dorella was earnestly picking fruit or planting flowers, she would lie on the grass nearby, sunbathing while “keeping her company.” When Sylvia was lost in thought on the fishing platform, she would nestle beside her, leaning against the railing and dozing off… truly the “best static play companion.”

(End of Chapter)