I Want to Slack Off at the Demon Bureau
Chapter 82

Zhu Mi arrived unexpectedly one year after Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao's marriage.

On an early spring morning near the end of winter, sunlight gently filtered into the room, awakening the sleeping Chu Zhishui. Curled up under the blanket, half-asleep, she reached out only to replace that Xin Yunmao hadn't gotten up yet, and instinctively snuggled closer to him.

The divine lord usually slept lightly. Sometimes he would get up early to bask in the sunlight, sometimes he would lie in bed longer to keep her company, depending on when the sun rose. For plants, perhaps sunrise meant waking up, unlike humans who could often sleep until late morning.

However, today was an exception. Even after Chu Zhishui was fully awake, Xin Yunmao remained in bed, his ink-black long hair scattered and intertwined with her tresses like smooth black silk. He lay motionless, though his eyes blinked occasionally, clearly awake but unwilling to get up, truly like a wooden statue.

Chu Zhishui sat up with a confused expression. At first, she thought he was hinting at something, so she leaned in to kiss the corner of his lips, thinking that should do it.

Surprisingly, Xin Yunmao showed no response, apparently not trying to stir up anything or seek her usual affection.

"What's wrong?" Chu Zhishui poked his forehead, "Want to sleep a bit longer?"

Hearing this, Xin Yunmao slowly shifted his gaze until it landed on her face. His lips parted slightly, but he seemed at a loss for words. After a long while, he finally managed to answer with difficulty: "I think I'm seeding."

Zhu Mi was born in response to spiritual energy, and Xin Yunmao had sensed something unusual since early morning, lying still in bed trying to process his emotions.

Chu Zhishui stared at his dazed expression, equally stunned: "..."

They both fell silent, staring at each other with wide eyes, their bodies rigid as they processed this information.

After a long silence, Chu Zhishui quickly adjusted her composure. Her fingers had unconsciously tightened, and though she tried to maintain a calm demeanor, her voice trembled: "Do you still want to go home for dinner today?"

It was the weekend, and they had planned to return home for a meal and visit the retired Chu Xiaohe and Xie Yan.

"Yes."

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Chu Zhishui asked helplessly, not knowing the precautions for seeding, "Are you feeling alright?"

"Just one thing."

"What?"

He glanced at her: "Kiss me again."

Without hesitation, Chu Zhishui gave him two kisses, doubling the request.

Xin Yunmao had mentioned before that Zhu Mi's birth was a mutual choice, and they had both been anticipating this moment. Therefore, after their initial surprise, both human and spirit remained remarkably calm, only planning for the future.

After getting up, Xin Yunmao drank water and changed clothes as usual, while Chu Zhishui frantically searched online for information, alternating between pregnancy guidelines and bamboo seeding information. Despite her decent academic writing skills in school, she couldn't replace much valuable research material, feeling that Chinese research in this area was lacking.

Xin Yunmao held his teacup and, seeming to see through her anxiety without even looking at her phone, reassured her: "I feel fine now. It's different from human reproduction. At least there's no mortal danger when spiritual energy condenses."

This was why he had refused to let Chu Zhishui get pregnant before. Human childbirth involved blood and pain, and in ancient times, one misstep could lead to death. His seeding only involved a significant decrease in spiritual energy, as nurturing the fruit would absorb the plant's nutrients.

"But we still need to be careful. Besides, you've never experienced this before, how can you know all this?" Chu Zhishui muttered, looking down at her phone. "I'll ask Dad to make the food mild today, without strange spices, and avoid anything pregnant people shouldn't eat."

Xin Yunmao: "?"

Soon after, Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao drove off, taking the familiar main road to her parents' neighborhood.

At home, Xie Yan heard knocking followed by the sound of a key turning, and hurried to welcome the human-spirit couple. As the door opened, Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao entered successively, both dressed warmly as the weather was still slightly cold.

"Yunmao is dressed so warmly today." Xie Yan noticed Xin Yunmao's thick coat with surprise, as he had worn light clothing just last week, and now was adding layers despite the warming weather.

After becoming familiar with their son-in-law, they had learned about his living habits, such as not needing extra clothes in winter. He mainly wore cotton clothes to blend in with people on the street, not because he felt cold.

Hearing this, Xin Yunmao glanced at Chu Zhishui and hesitated before saying: "She insisted I wear it."

Chu Zhishui replied good-naturedly: "We need to be extra careful."

Xie Yan smiled: "Yes, they say there might be a cold snap this spring."

"Where's Dad?"

"He went grocery shopping. He had finished shopping, but after your message, he said he needed to buy more." Xie Yan consoled, "It's fine, he's retired now. The old leader inevitably feels lost with no one to manage, so it's good that he has your errand to keep him busy outside."

After retirement, Chu Xiaohe, like many leaders, had to transition completely from work to daily life, needing time to adjust. Previously, he had daily tasks at his position and often counseled young people. Now, completely removed from the old environment, he also needed to adjust his mindset.

In this aspect, Xie Yan was much more resilient than him. After retirement, she maintained a fulfilling life, playing cards and shopping with friends, occasionally replaceing time to look through her old clothes at home. She had gracefully accepted retirement life, unlike her husband who often felt empty inside.

Chu Xiaohe's current focus in life was cooking, and it was said he had recently rekindled his interest in Chinese chess. On weekends, he would play chess with Xin Yunmao, sharing many common elderly hobbies.

That morning, when Chu Zhishui made her rare request about adjusting the meals, he had happily accepted the mission, enthusiastically returning to the supermarket, determined to complete the task perfectly. Although Chu Xiaohe always said the family couldn't manage without him, in some ways, he couldn't manage without his family.

Chu Zhishui nodded understandingly, planning to announce the news at the dining table so she wouldn't have to repeat it when Chu Xiaohe returned.

At lunch, Chu Xiaohe indeed laid out a large spread of dishes, enthusiastically encouraging: "Yunmao, try this. If you like it, I can teach you how to make it."

Xin Yunmao responded by obediently taking some food.

Chu Zhishui: "He probably won't be cooking for a while."

Hearing this, Xin Yunmao gave her a suspicious look, clearly having never said such a thing.

"Has your interest in cooking waned?" Chu Xiaohe said with a smile, "Well then, shall we play chess later instead?"

Chu Xiaohe wasn't forcing him to learn cooking; since Xin Yunmao usually didn't talk much, cooking or playing chess together was just a way to pass time.

Xin Yunmao: "No..."

Chu Zhishui said seriously: "He's seeding, it's not good to touch cold water too much."

Xie Yan: "What?"

Seeing her parents' confusion, Chu Zhishui switched to human terms to explain: "He's pregnant, we need to be careful."

There was a clang as chopsticks fell against a porcelain bowl.

Both parents stared in astonishment. Although they had heard about this possibility before, the actual news still shocked them immensely.

Chu Xiaohe's head was buzzing. He looked at Xin Yunmao in bewilderment, stammering: "S-seeding? How many months..."

Xin Yunmao admitted frankly: "First day."

"Oh, oh, oh, first day, good news, this is good news." Chu Xiaohe applauded mechanically in celebration, obviously still not having processed the information.

Equally dizzy, Xie Yan immediately grabbed a soup ladle and served Xin Yunmao a bowl: "Right, no cold water, drink more hot soup."

Chu Xiaohe said dazedly: "When I learned I had a daughter, I certainly never expected this day."

He gazed at Xin Yunmao, tall and handsome, trying to process his son-in-law's changing status, as no one could tell he was pregnant on the first day.

Chu Zhishui: "Just treat him like you treated me."

As a woman with childbearing experience, Xie Yan managed to maintain her composure, asking with concern: "Yunmao, do you have any symptoms? Craving sour foods? Spicy foods?"

Xin Yunmao: "..."

After the meal, instead of teaching Xin Yunmao cooking or inviting him to play chess, Chu Xiaohe retreated to the room with his wife, leaving Chu Zhishui and Xin Yunmao to watch television in the living room.

The tableware had already been cleared away. Xin Yunmao had offered to snap his fingers to handle it, but all three family members refused, insisting that what could be done by human effort shouldn't require spiritual energy.

On the television, Chu Zhishui specifically turned on a...

A bamboo documentary - something her parents had originally found to understand Xin Yunmao, now serving a new purpose of reviewing some knowledge about seed formation.

Xin Yunmao sat with her on the sofa when his expression suddenly darkened, followed by two light coughs.

"What's wrong?" Chu Zhishui, who normally might have given him the cold shoulder, immediately turned around with concern, asking, "Don't want to watch this?"

Given Xin Yunmao's current status, he might feel psychological pressure watching these things. Perhaps she should learn about it privately by herself.

After a moment's hesitation, Xin Yunmao struggled to say: "Ask them to come out."

"Mom and Dad?" Chu Zhishui glanced around the room, "They just said they were going to get something, they'll probably be out soon."

Xin Yunmao's face turned frosty as he grumbled through gritted teeth: "I'm not going to a postpartum care center, and I don't need anyone's help with postpartum recovery!"

Chu Xiaohe and Xie Yan were discussing his pregnancy issues inside the room, unaware that supernatural beings could hear their names being spoken. Since few people dared to call Xin Yunmao by name, he hadn't missed a single word!

They first discussed whether to go to a postpartum center or a plant cultivation base, then talked about how his supernatural identity couldn't be casually revealed. Since it wasn't convenient for Xie Yan to care for Xin Yunmao, they planned to send Chu Xiaohe to study at the plant base, so he could return to help his son-in-law with postpartum care and childcare. Now they had moved on to discussing postpartum breastfeeding issues.

The more Xin Yunmao heard, the darker his expression became. He hurriedly reminded Chu Zhishui to interrupt this absurd conversation.

"..." Chu Zhishui was stunned by his angry tone, "So that's what they were hiding in there to discuss?"

Her parents must have mentioned "Yunmao" during their conversation, and every word had reached his ears, probably deeply disturbing him.

Considering his emotional well-being, Chu Zhishui quickly called out loudly: "Dad, Mom, come out - he wants to chat with you!"

They shouldn't secretly discuss details anymore; it would be even harder for the expectant father to bear hearing such whispers behind his back.

"Coming, coming! Let's all chat together, it's good for emotional stability." Chu Xiaohe hurried out, and despite being male, he took on the air of someone with experience, kindly advising, "These first three months are very important. Why don't you talk to your supervisor about taking more time off to rest at home? I'm sure the unit won't make things difficult - they usually turn a blind eye."

"I've seen plenty of cases at work, it's not a big deal. Yunmao, don't worry about work, everyone's understanding," Chu Xiaohe said earnestly.

Xin Yunmao: "..."

To be honest, Xin Yunmao had never taken his work at the Observation Bureau seriously, but seeing this family of three, who were hundreds of times weaker than him, treat him like a fragile ordinary person who couldn't take care of himself, somehow stirred up feelings of stubbornness and pride. As a deified supernatural being, he absolutely couldn't accept this situation and felt it necessary to restore his dignity.

With a stern expression, he addressed them formally as if they were strangers, resolutely declaring: "I'm going to work."

This was probably the most ambitious he'd been since his creation.

However, the family of three had become too familiar with him and weren't deterred by his cold face at all, instead treating it as pregnancy-related mood swings.

Chu Xiaohe: "It's really fine, even if you don't have maternity leave, you can take other types of leave first."

Xin Yunmao insisted: "I'm not taking leave."

Hearing his dedication to work, Xie Yan stepped in to mediate: "Let him go to work then. Staying at home all the time isn't good for his mental state either. As long as he's careful and doesn't overwork himself, being at work might actually be better for his pregnancy."

Xin Yunmao: "?"

Chu Zhishui: "The Bureau isn't very busy lately, it should be quite relaxed, and the courtyard has nice spring scenery."

Chu Xiaohe: "Should I look into some prenatal education courses, then research postpartum recovery, and ask about kindergartens..."

Xin Yunmao: "??"

When Xin Yunmao asked Chu Zhishui to call them out, he had hoped they would end this topic, not continue discussing it face-to-face and thoughtfully asking for his opinion!

For the first time, he experienced the barrier between species, convinced that he needed to spend more time at the Bureau and only return here after producing the bamboo rice. He simply couldn't tolerate Chu Xiaohe and Xie Yan treating him like someone delicate.

When Chu Zhishui learned that Xin Yunmao wanted to stay at the Bureau regularly, she didn't object. Thinking carefully, the Bureau was full of supernatural beings who better understood the condition of bamboo spirits, making it easier to seek help if needed. It was indeed more secure than staying at home.

This year, the family quarters were officially completed, and Hu Chenrui kept his promise by promoting Chu Zhishui to full division chief. Since the property certificate hadn't been processed yet, the old fox naturally refused to move, determined to delay until the last moment before going to Kong Sang.

Although the Huaijiang Bureau was currently discussing housing assignments, the new apartments still needed decoration and ventilation and couldn't be occupied yet. Chu Zhishui got the keys from the logistics department, cleaned up her and Xin Yunmao's dormitory, added some furniture, and for the first time truly used it.

She wasn't going home lately either, staying at the Bureau with Xin Yunmao, since the cafeteria food was equally good.

In the courtyard under the trees, Xin Yunmao sat on a stone round stool sunbathing. He was much more relaxed at the Bureau, having escaped from Chu Xiaohe and Xie Yan's watchful eyes, avoiding many uncomfortable discussions. When they couldn't see him, they wouldn't constantly focus on his pregnancy care, and after being counseled by Chu Zhishui, they mainly discussed childcare matters lately.

After all, humans didn't understand supernatural pregnancy well and could hardly help effectively, so focusing on childcare was more practical.

The supernatural beings at the Huaijiang Bureau were much more sensible. They could judge the Divine Lord's strength and knew that even in his weakened state after seed formation, he was still powerful enough, so they didn't anxiously hover around him.

Of course, there were exceptions to everything, and some supernatural beings couldn't keep quiet, habitually needing to scratch at the bamboo a bit.

Miao Li passed through the courtyard and, sensing the flow of supernatural energy, couldn't help but stop and turn back, looking at Xin Yunmao in surprise: "Weren't you already flowering? Why are you again..."

Why are you releasing so much supernatural energy again?

Could it be that the old tree's flowering comes in waves, and the display of affection isn't over yet?

Xin Yunmao sneered: "What's it to you?"

"No, this doesn't seem like releasing energy outward." Miao Li looked him up and down, his cat eyes widening in amazement as he exclaimed, "You've actually formed a seed!?"

For supernatural beings, they basically had no concept of reproduction, mainly because no one could achieve enlightenment and nurture new supernatural beings like heaven and earth.

All supernatural beings were born from heaven and earth, but it was very difficult for them to do the same as heaven and earth - this was even more impressive than deification.

Yet Xin Yunmao had achieved it, naturally leaving Miao Li dumbfounded and replaceing it incredible.

Xin Yunmao smiled arrogantly: "Is it really that shocking?"

Miao Li was initially stunned, but seeing the other's smugness, he quickly regained his composure and scoffed in disbelief: "How unfair of heaven and earth, I never thought you would form a seed."

Even that perverted dragon couldn't do it! Yet this mere bamboo stick managed to!

"Unfair of heaven and earth?" Xin Yunmao said leisurely, "I've long stood shoulder to shoulder with heaven and earth, equally capable of creating new divine beings."

Miao Li couldn't stand the other's opportunistic attitude and clicked his tongue: "This isn't what I expected. Looks like Chief Chu is thoroughly ensnared and won't be able to break free anytime soon."

Xin Yunmao frowned at the cat's provocative words and coldly mocked: "That's not expectation, that's wishful thinking!"

"That remains to be seen, after all, humans are all the same - promotion, wealth, and changing husbands." Miao Li gave him a sidelong glance and said carelessly, "Now that she's just been promoted to full division chief, it would be perfect timing to replace one of the seven grounds for divorce and replace you with an upgrade. Who would have thought you'd gain status through your child?"

Xin Yunmao: "..."

Seeing the other's face turn ashen, Miao Li unhurriedly twisted the knife, his tone quite sarcastic: "Well, I'll stop talking. Don't want it to be like those human harems where you falsely accuse me of disturbing your pregnancy and replace an excuse to have me killed. Can't mess with the division chief's pregnant wife."

"???"