It's already 2026, how can we still talk about having many children and having many blessings?

"Come on, Brother Nan, have a drink."

The two men clinked their glasses and each took a sip.

The wife of Zhao Rui, the owner of the barbecue stall, brought over a plate of edamame and a dish of peanuts, saying they were complimentary.

Chen Mo peeled a soybean and looked up at Xiang Nan.

"Brother Nan, how did you get hurt?"

"The winter before last, on Zhongshan Road, a construction site wall collapsed. A little girl was squatting and playing at the base of the wall. Nobody saw her. I happened to be passing by when I heard someone shouting, so I rushed over."

He picked up the cup and took a sip.

"The wall collapsed, I pushed the child away, but I couldn't get out of the way myself."

"Burst fracture of the vertebra, L3 and L4."

Xiang Nan reached for a cigarette, but Chen Mo handed him his first and lit it for him.

"The government recognized my act of bravery, the community helped raise funds, the construction site compensated me a lot, the surgery was successful, and my life was saved."

Xiang Nan took a swig of wine.

"Damn it, that's really something. He's been out of the army for ages, but he still can't change his personality. If only I'd known..."

He didn't go on.

Chen Mo looked at him, and a line of words appeared above Xiang Nan's head.

[Xiang Nan, you're such a huge idiot! You saved someone, but your wife suffered. What did you get in return?]

"Brother Nan," Chen Mo put down his beer glass, "What did the hospital say? Can it be cured?"

"Yes." Xiang Nan nodded, then shook his head. "If you say yes, there's hope if you recover as soon as possible, but damn it, rehabilitation treatment costs 20,000 yuan a week. I'm not going."

"Only 20,000," Chen Mo said, popping a peanut into his mouth. "What a load of rubbish! It's good that you're recovering. I'll figure out the money."

Xiang Nan's hand paused, his chopsticks hovering in mid-air.

"You want to find a solution? Who are you to me?" He slammed his chopsticks on the table, his voice rising. "You don't owe me anything."

"So many years have passed since graduation, and you wouldn't come when I invited you to dinner, you didn't reply to my messages, and you didn't even show up for Chinese New Year. What are you pretending to be so important for now?"

Chen Mo didn't say anything, but picked up his wine glass and took a swig.

"Xiao Mo," Xiang Nan's voice lowered, "I'm happy that you could say that, really happy. It also shows that you're doing well."

He picked up the cup, took a sip, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down.

"When I can't hold on any longer, I'll go first... You, occasionally, take care of Xiaoyu's fruit shop."

After saying that, he pretended that smoke had gotten into his eyes and rubbed them hard.

I rubbed it hard with my fingers, and after that, my eyes were red.

"That stupid woman." Xiang Nan's voice trembled as he forced a laugh. "I told her to get out, but she wouldn't, and she even had my baby."

"When she was pregnant, she was running the shop and taking care of me at the same time... Her belly was so big that she couldn't bend over, and she still had to turn me over. Every time she couldn't turn over, she would cry, and she had to hide and cry so that I wouldn't see her."

He took a deep drag on his cigarette, and smoke billowed from his nostrils.

"Damn, there's too much smoke."

Chen Mo also rubbed his eyes.

"It's really big; it made my eyes water."

He took a tissue out of his pocket, blew his nose, then crumpled the tissue into a ball and threw it on the table.

"Brother Nan, you're talking nonsense." Chen Mo put down the tissue. "Since you can recover, then work hard. Twenty thousand yuan a week isn't two million a week."

"It's just money. I've learned a lot of skills; making money isn't hard."

He picked up a lamb skewer and took a bite.

"I'll give your sister-in-law some advice on how to improve her fruit business. If you recover well, you can pay me back what you owe me slowly. If you don't recover, you'll have to pay me back in your next life."

Xiang Nan stared at him for a long time.

After a while, he stubbed out his cigarette in a disposable cup.

"Okay," he said. "I'll try my best to recover."

Halfway through the barbecue, Chen Mo picked up a new bottle of beer.

"Hey kid, you're settled down now, huh?" Xiang Nan looked at him, his eyes scanning him up and down. "You used to be such a quiet type, but now you're more talkative and energetic."

"A bachelor."

"What? You're way more handsome than before. This image, this aura—you look like a 'successful person' just standing there. Aren't you going to attract all sorts of girls?"

Chen Mo shook his head.

"Really no girlfriend?" Xiang Nan's eyes lit up. "Have you met my sister? Isn't she pretty? Aren't you interested?"

"What?" Chen Mo almost choked on his beer after taking a swig. "You want me to be your brother-in-law? No way, don't waste such a good girl's time."

Good guy.

How can this be? This is his brother's sister, and his daughter's aunt.

"What are you delaying?" Xiang Nan leaned back in his chair, his face finally showing a bit of his college-era irreverence.

"Hey kid, you came to see me the moment you made your fortune. I trust your character. Besides, you're my brother. If I'm really gone, I'll be at ease if you take care of my family."

"Forget it, I won't consider it for now."

Chen Mo was overwhelmed by the thought of all the children arriving one after another.

"You're already thirty, and you still haven't considered it?" Xiang Nan narrowed his eyes, his gaze moving downwards and stopping at a certain spot. "You're not impotent, are you?"

"Damn it." Chen Mo almost slammed his beer mug on the table. "You're the one who's no good."

He only added three centimeters.

He picked up his water glass and took a sip.

Then he raised his eyes and looked at Chen Mo.

"I really can't do it anymore."

The air suddenly became quiet.

The charcoal fire was still crackling, Zhao Rui was flipping the skewers, and his wife was clearing away the dishes from the next table.

"Don't apologize," Xiang Nan interrupted Chen Mo before he could speak.

"The doctor said that even if my back can recover, my sexual function will be permanently damaged. The nerves are severed and cannot be reattached."

"It's nothing, I've accepted reality."

He looked down at his hands, his fingers slowly tracing the rim of the cup.

"I'll divorce her when the child is older and Xiaoyu's career is more stable. If I bring it up now, she'll definitely yell at me."

Chen Mo looked at Xiang Nan but didn't try to persuade him.

These are not needed heading south.

"Whatever you want." Chen Mo opened another bottle of beer, the foam overflowing and dripping onto the table. "Anyway, your daughter is my daughter."

After he finished speaking, Xiang Nan looked up at him.

"How about I become your godfather?"

Chen Mo smiled, but his eyes were serious. "It's not out of pity, it's because I really like you, Xiao Mian'ao."

He looked down and rubbed his eyes.

His eyes were red-rimmed, and his nose was red too.

"Forget about godfather."

Xiang Nan raised his head, a wicked and cheeky smile on his face.

"Becoming my daughter's uncle is the real deal. Don't rush to refuse; what if Xiaotong likes you?"

Chen Mo opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back.

"Just eat your barbecue, stop talking so much."

Xiang Nan took a bite of the grilled meat, looked at him, and said, "Xiao Mo, you...you haven't forgotten Zhao Siman yet, have you?"

Zhao Siman?

Some fond memories flooded Chen Mo's mind.

Even though many years have passed, I still can't forget it.

Because that was his first love, and it was unforgettable.

"Xiao Mo, stop thinking about it. She got married to Wang Sicheng, that effeminate guy."

Chen Mo frowned.

"Wang Sicheng? She hated Wang Sicheng's effeminate manner back then."

During college, he and Wang Sicheng didn't get along and even got into a fight, during which Wang Sicheng almost got his head smashed open.

"Hey, I used to hate him, but I don't hate him anymore once I'm in the workforce. Wang Sicheng's family is in business, he lives in a high-end apartment near Xiangsi Lake, and drives a Porsche. He's not like us anymore."

"Oh, right, he also sent me an e-invitation today, saying that he's holding a baby's one-month celebration at the Xiangsi Lake Hotel tomorrow."

Chen Mo waved his hand, feeling a little depressed.

After finishing his late-night snack, Chen Mo pushed his cart south back, passing a fruit shop along the way.

The lights were still on in the fruit shop, and Xiang Tong was cleaning inside.

"Xiaotong, are you off work? Push Brother Nan back home, it's late, I need to go back."

"Okay, Brother Chen, you can't drive after drinking, right? Where do you live?"

"Xinxiu Village across the street."

Chen Mo took out the durian he had opened in the evening from the freezer and walked towards Xinxiu Village across the street.

He thought to himself, since his daughter lives in this neighborhood and Xiang Nan is in this situation, he should rent a place in Mingxiu neighborhood tomorrow.

"Huh? System, you'll be embarrassed if I rent an apartment, won't you? How about you give me one?"

[Ding dong. 】

Holy crap?

[Congratulations, host! Your third offspring has been born and has survived for a full month in good health.]

[Reward: 10 RMB in cash. Random skill lottery in progress...]

[Congratulations, host, you have acquired: Mastery of Modern Mixed Martial Arts.]

[Given the host's diligent efforts in producing three offspring in a short period, a critical reward is granted: a spacious 337-square-meter apartment in Xiangsi Lake Residence, with 6 bedrooms, 2 living rooms, and 5 bathrooms. All formalities have been completed, and the apartment is ready for immediate move-in.]

[Please keep up the good work, host! Marry a wife and concubines, and have many children and much happiness!]