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Chapter 4 - Generous Rewards

"Really?!"

"How could I lie to you about something like this?"

"That's great!"

Shen Ping was overjoyed, embracing his wife and kissing her.

Li Yuewei pushed Shen Ping away, half-jokingly saying, "Gently, gently, don't bump the baby."

"Right, right."

Shen Ping immediately became cautious. He reached out and placed his hand on his wife's abdomen, pressing his ear tightly against it, as if he could feel the bloodline connected to his own flesh and blood inside. A joyful smile inadvertently appeared on his lips. Having a child not only meant that he now had a new bond in the world of Cthulhu, but also that his family was beginning to prosper.

Seeing Shen Ping like this,

Li Yuewei couldn't help but laugh. "It was just confirmed today. You can't hear anything yet. Alright, you go to the martial arts hall. I'm going back to the room to lie down for a bit. I still have to go to work at the HR Alliance Mall tonight."

Upon hearing this,

Shen Ping immediately said, "Wife, you're pregnant, so don't go to work. What if you trip or bump into something and hurt the baby in your belly? You should just quit your job."

Li Yuewei rolled her eyes. "I'm not that delicate. Besides, I just got pregnant. As long as I don't do strenuous exercise, I'll be fine. I'll apply for maternity leave in a few months."

Seeing that his wife didn't mention quitting her job,

Shen Ping didn't continue the topic. He changed into his training clothes and went to the martial arts hall on the second floor.

After calming his excited emotions,

He began to practice his blade techniques.

During this time, he had already mastered the third level of Ninefold Thunder Blade, and holding the blade with his left hand had also become habitual. Combined with his movement technique, he could perfectly display his body's coordination. After practicing his blade, he then cultivated the Ninefold Primordial Guidance Technique.

Soon, the energy-consuming cells eagerly absorbed the free energy of the universe, nourishing various parts of his body.

By night,

He drove his wife to the HR Alliance Mall building. These past few days, his wife had been on the night shift, and he had also followed his wife's schedule, going to and from work at Pingwei Materials Company.

Upon arriving at the company,

The night shift receptionist hurriedly saluted.

Shen Ping nodded and walked straight to his office. The company currently didn't have many employees, but it was still divided into day and night shifts, because the time warriors returned to the Base City from the Wilderness Area was not fixed, and the company had to remain open twenty-four hours a day.

Sitting at his desk,

He opened his laptop and checked today's sales. There wasn't a single completed order.

Regarding this,

He didn't pay too much attention. Establishing the company was mainly for the family reward. As long as it wasn't a serious loss, it was fine.

"After my wife gives birth, I need to go to the Wilderness Area to temper myself. On one hand, it can accelerate the improvement of my physical fitness, and on the other hand, it can provide an explanation for my sudden surge in strength."

Turning around to look at the night view outside the window, Shen Ping pondered.

In this world of Cthulhu, if one wants to develop a family, strong personal strength is indispensable, and even has to be put first. After all, without sufficient military deterrence, no matter how many industries and resources a family expands, it will only be making wedding dresses for others.

And as a warrior with a severed right arm, if his strength suddenly surged, it would inevitably arouse suspicion and covetousness, so going to the Wilderness Area was very necessary.

In the Wilderness Area, fighting monsters daily, suddenly having an epiphany in blade techniques and a surge in physical fitness, these all had precedents.

...

In early August,

The hot pot restaurant was renovated and officially opened on an auspicious day.

On the opening day, due to discounts and promotions, there were many customers and business was very prosperous. Shen Ping, Li Qi, and his wife's parents were all incredibly busy, and even Li Qi's girlfriend didn't have time to chat with Shen Ping.

It wasn't until the restaurant closed for the night

That they finally had time to rest.

"Brother-in-law, looking at this, the shop needs to recruit more employees."

Li Qi suggested.

Shen Ping pondered for a moment and said, "It's normal for there to be a lot of people when we first open. Once the discount period is over, it will return to normal. However, having only two or three waiters is indeed too few. You can recruit two more."

Li Qi quickly said, "My girlfriend Su Tong has two or three girlfriends who haven't found jobs yet. Why don't we let them come over?"

"Alright, you make the decision."

On such minor matters, Shen Ping wouldn't bother. After returning to the community, he opened his virtual frame, and a line of text appeared on it.

[Your family has gained a new industry, taking a step towards prosperity]

[Reward: Ninefold Thunder Blade Second Level]

Seeing this,

Shen Ping frowned. His blade technique was already at the third level, and now he was rewarded with the second level, which was completely useless.

"Does this mean the rewards for developing family industries are random? Or does the reward depend on the overall profit and growth potential of the industry?"

After careful consideration,

He thought the second possibility was the most likely.

For example, a materials company has much better development prospects than a hot pot restaurant, so the reward is increasing. If this is true, then his idea of developing industries by renting shops has undoubtedly fallen through.

"I still have too little money. If it were a large hot pot chain, or other industries related to people's livelihoods, the rewards should be higher… But once the number of industries increases, it will inevitably lead to competition with the Base City's conglomerates."

Individual warriors making small ventures wouldn't be noticed by the conglomerates led by the Zheng family in Hua Zhong Base City, but if their interests were touched, they would definitely intervene.

Shen Ping was well aware of this, so his original idea was to open a few small shops to continuously obtain rewards to improve himself, but now it seemed that this path was not feasible.

"I can't be anxious. My strength is low, so accumulating step by step is the safest."

He took several deep breaths, and his heart calmed down.

With the family's golden finger,

He didn't need to be anxious.

In the following months, Shen Ping no longer considered opening shops, but instead honestly managed the materials company and accompanied his wife. Life was peaceful and mundane.

Late at night,

Specks of starlight shone through the window onto the bed.

Li Yuewei tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

"Wife, what's wrong?"

Shen Ping asked with concern.

Li Yuewei hesitated, "Husband, you must have been holding back for a long time, right? The doctor said that it's okay during the second trimester. Why don't you be gentle?"

Shen Ping thought it was something serious, but it turned out to be this. He smiled and said, "Wife, I'm fine. Your belly is big now, so you need to be even more careful."

Li Yuewei then said, "Then, if it's really impossible, you can go outside and find someone to resolve it, just don't bring them home."

Shen Ping immediately became alert. His wife was usually not so generous, and sometimes she would even get jealous. How could she actively suggest that he go find other girls to resolve his physiological needs? It must be a test.

"Wife, what are you talking about? You're the only one in my heart. I won't even touch other girls."

Li Yuewei was touched to hear this. "Husband, you're so good to me."

Shen Ping secretly thought that he reacted quickly, otherwise he would have fallen for it. "Go to sleep quickly, don't overthink."

After this small interlude that night,

He took even more meticulous care of his wife. In the blink of an eye, it was mid-April of the following year, and his wife finally gave birth to his bloodline at the hospital.

"Congratulations, Mr. Shen, it's a boy."

Looking at the child the doctor brought over,

Shen Ping's face was filled with excitement. He walked to the bedside and let his wife look at their son.

"He's fair and plump, he'll definitely be a big eater in the future."

"Let's call him Shen Yu."

Several names had been prepared, but Li Yuewei finally chose the name Shen Yu.

While his wife's parents were holding the child and looking at him, Shen Ping opened the virtual frame, and a line of text indeed appeared on it.

[Your family has given birth to its first bloodline, taking a small step towards prosperity]

[Reward: One serving of dragon blood, Ninefold Thunder Blade Fourth Level, Artistic Conception Level Movement Technique.]

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