Chapter 609 This pregnancy must result in a son.

The main characters of the banquet were Cheng Wanwan, Shen Dongming, and Zhao Dashan, who were constantly being pulled aside by the crowd to offer toasts.

Shen Dongming was filled with emotion as he was about to leave. Whenever someone offered him a toast, he would drink it down. If it weren't for Master Yuan helping him out, he would probably have been drunk and unconscious long ago.

Zhao Dashan, an honest man, would never refuse a drink. When villagers came to toast him, he would gulp down the wine. Fortunately, he had his brother Zhao Ergou, who was good with words and could deflect all the drinks he could.

Cheng Wanwan was the most popular person, surrounded by many women and old ladies, and she had a hard time refusing their drinks.

She quickly made up an excuse to leave the main seat and went to a corner table to eat.

This table is for the women who help out in the kitchen. They've been busy since yesterday, and finally they can sit down and have a proper meal.

"Sister-in-law, what do you think of the roast whole lamb?" Mrs. Sun asked, holding her child and coming closer. "Chunhua roasted it all by herself, and she even figured out the seasoning herself. Isn't it delicious?"

Cheng Wanwan took a few bites and gave a thumbs up: "Chunhua's cooking is getting better and better."

“Yes, Chunhua is capable of handling things on her own now. If she goes to the capital, Dahe Banquet will lose a capable assistant.” Madam Sun blinked and said, “Sister-in-law, you can’t let Chunhua go to the capital.”

Cheng Wanwan paused, pointing her finger: "Why does Chunhua want to go to the capital?"

“Lord Shen has been promoted, and Young Master Shen is also in the capital. So, Afu will have to stay there too.” Madam Sun sighed. “A woman follows her husband wherever he goes. I’m afraid that once Chunhua marries someone in the capital, she will never come back.”

Cheng Wanwan laughed: "Don't worry, Afu won't go. He'll stay in Ping'an County and won't leave again after he comes back next time."

The Shen family treats Afu as their godson, so how could they possibly let Afu give up his own life to stay by Shen Zheng's side and serve him? Once Afu returns, they can start preparing for the wedding.

She looked up and saw Wang Damai walking by, busy adding food to the tables that were empty.

She then noticed that Da Mai was pregnant; her belly was just starting to show, probably around five months along. Zhao Dawang was carefully taking care of his wife, and the couple looked very sweet together.

Cheng Wanwan noticed that there seemed to be a lot more young wives getting pregnant in Dahe Village this year. Perhaps it was because living conditions had improved and women were in better health, making it easier for them to conceive. As a result, more and more babies were being born, creating a lively and bustling scene.

She sat in the corner and saw that the Cheng family had also come to drink. However, since the two elders of the Cheng family were not there, the family kept a low profile and did not come to talk to Cheng Wanwan.

She hasn't done what Cheng Zhao asked her to do yet. She wants to wait for Zhao Sidan and the others to return with the gifts before she can bring the special products from the capital that the Cheng family bought for Chengjia Village to Chengjia Village as well.

The Wu family also came with their families. After toasting Magistrate Shen, they pulled Wu Huiniang aside to talk.

“Hui Niang, you have to make us proud,” Aunt Wu sighed. “Your mother-in-law is getting more and more powerful. Now Da Shan is an official too. If you don’t give the Zhao family a son, you’ll be a sinner. This baby has to be a son…”

Wu Huiniang frowned: "Mother, why do you always say such things? Dashan never said he wanted a son, and Mother-in-law has never said that either. It's just you who says it every time you come to Dahe Village..."

“Dashan is honest and would never say such a thing. Your mother-in-law is a fourth-rank official in the imperial court, so she would never say such things, but she must still hope to have a grandson.” Aunt Wu lowered her voice and said, “I heard that rich families have three wives and four concubines. If you don’t have a son, Dashan can rightfully take a concubine. Let’s see what you do then.”

Wu Xiaochui tugged at his mother's arm: "Second sister will be giving birth soon, don't upset her."

Old Wu took out a medicine packet from his pocket and handed it over: "This is talisman water that your mother and I got at the temple. It's said that drinking it will help you have a son. You have to drink it tonight, understand?"

As the Wu family was talking, Zhao Dashan came over and said, "What are you doing here, Mom and Dad? Let's go eat something else, let's go."

The older brother Wu looked at his son-in-law and became more and more satisfied, so he immediately went to drink with him.

Wu Huiniang held the medicine packet in her hand, her heart filled with mixed emotions.

The promotion banquet lasted for three hours, from midday until evening, with lunch and dinner combined.

After the guests left, the villagers began to clean up the mess. The villagers who came to help didn't work for nothing; they could take all the leftover meat and vegetables from the kitchen with them. There was still a lot of chicken, duck, and fish left, and each person could get at least a pound.

As night fell, the village returned to its usual tranquility, especially since the chickens and ducks had all been slaughtered, making it even quieter.

Grandpa Ming sat in the courtyard, teasing a goose and a wolf. After spending the day together and being tempted by various delicacies, the two had become quite close to Grandpa Ming. However, Grandpa Ming was leaving early the next morning, and he didn't know if he could trick the two into getting on the bus and taking them away.

"Come on, Sanbai, have another fish," said Eunuch Ming kindly. "Little Hui, here's another piece of beef for you."

Cheng Wanwan held her forehead with her hand.

Beef is something that ordinary people can never afford in their entire lives. In order to please this wolf, Eunuch Ming specially used his private savings to buy beef jerky.

The main food of the white geese is vegetable leaves and rice, while fish and shrimp are only considered snacks. So, Grandpa Ming had people catch a lot of small fish and shrimp, and let Sanbai eat snacks all day long. Sanbai ate until its belly was round and full, and the other geese were extremely envious.

Grandpa Ming smiled and said, "If you two come to the capital with us, you can eat whatever you want, have people bathe and groom you every day, and have many people to play with. You'll live a carefree life. My two little darlings, just do as we say..."

This ingratiating manner made Cheng Wanwan feel ashamed.

She couldn't stand it any longer, so she got up and went to the backyard, where she smelled a strange odor.

She followed the scent to the entrance of Zhao Dashan and his wife's courtyard, where she saw Wu Huiniang brewing medicine in the small kitchen. She was heavily pregnant and fanning the stove with a fan.

Cheng Wanwan walked over and said, "You're quite far along in your pregnancy, so you can leave these things to the servants. Ye Zi, you can brew the medicine."

"Yes, Lady Gong!"

Ye Zi hurried over and tried to take the palm-leaf fan from Wu Huiniang, but Wu Huiniang wouldn't let go.

She coughed and said, "It'll be ready soon, it's alright."

Cheng Wanwan sniffed: "This medicine smells strange. Is it a pregnancy-preserving medicine or something else?"

“Yes, it’s a hangover cure.” Wu Huiniang looked down at the fire. “Dashan drank too much. I was afraid he would throw up tonight, so I’m making some medicine to help him drink it down. Mother, I’m used to doing these things. It’s no problem. You should go and rest.”

She poured the medicine from the pot into a small bowl, then carried the bowl into the room.

Cheng Wanwan didn't interfere any further. She went to the back and instructed Granny Ma to prepare more food and other things for Eunuch Ming to take with him when he set off.

Back in her courtyard, she had hot water prepared and immersed herself in the bathtub, where her fatigue slowly dissipated.

He Ling should have already returned to the capital. He Xiao is waiting for her there, so she won't be threatened by the He family for the time being, but she can't let her guard down.

The title of "Fourth-Rank Lady" sounds impressive, but in reality, she was nothing special once she arrived in the capital. If she encountered a powerful person, they could easily crush her with a flick of their wrist.

She needs to keep working hard to go further and higher...

As Cheng Wanwan was planning for the future, there was a sudden knock on the bathroom door, and Ye Zi's anxious voice came through: "My lady, something terrible has happened! The First Madam is in trouble..."