Along the way, Shen Qing figured out the principles of how to behave in society on his own, and no one taught him anything systematically. However, in this world, whether in modern times or in ancient times, the resources and monopoly of certain knowledge that families bring to their children, as well as the subtle influence on how to behave in the world, are all very important.
It's just like in the village below, the village chief should have a capable position in the government, but as expected, the reality is that the son inherits his father's business.
Zhao Youdang is not a particularly capable person, so why is he still the village chief? Although he himself was slightly lacking in ability, his father, the village chief, would teach him step by step how to mediate conflicts in the village, how to establish prestige so that the villagers would obey him, how to be fair and impartial so that the subordinates would be speechless, how to receive the officials who came to collect taxes and labor service every year... He even arranged for him to marry a wife whose personality complemented his and who could help him... Even if others were more talented than Zhao Youdang, their farmer fathers were unable to teach them this knowledge. If outsiders asked Zhao Youdang's father, Zhao Youdang's father might not be willing to teach them.
In the end, Zhao Youdang was still the strongest, and the position of village chief was passed down from generation to generation.
Neither Shen Zhigao nor Miao could teach Shen Qing anything. Shen Qing relied on what he had figured out on his own and what he had learned from some novels to get around in the village and the city. But just as Magistrate Lin said, it stops here and it will be difficult to go any further. Even Chen Jiaqian, after reading Shen Qing's memories, said that some things were too immature.
Now that County Magistrate Lin has offered to teach Shen Qing, it is like timely help, and Shen Qing is very grateful.
He took advantage of the fact that his belly was still small and accompanied Lin Ning to visit his family several times. These times, Shen Qing no longer dared to take expensive things. He only picked up a few interesting and cheap small gifts and gave them away. Once, he even took a few very sweet melons and a handful of mulberries, which the county magistrate Zhengjun liked very much.
County Magistrate Lin did not give him a serious lesson as Shen Qing had expected. He just kept Shen Qing at home to eat and chat, and asked Shen Qing about his future plans. Most of the time, Shen Qing spoke and County Magistrate Lin listened. If he felt something was immature, County Magistrate Lin would interrupt him and give some suggestions.
After all, he is much older than me and has been an official for several years. Shen Qing felt that something was wrong, but he was confused and didn't know what was wrong. After County Magistrate Lin pointed it out, it suddenly became clear. After several contacts, County Magistrate Lin also began to like Shen Qing very much.
"A boy with such a background, who couldn't even read before, has made it this far. The key is that as soon as he got a little bit of success, he knew to learn to read! He even planned to open a school in the village, which is really rare." County Magistrate Lin later talked about this with his family, tapping Lin Ning's forehead with a book: "If you were as ambitious as Qing brother - ah."
So what if you are ambitious? If Qing'er were a boy, County Magistrate Lin would not think it was too late even if he started studying now! After studying for eight or ten years, he is only thirty years old. There are a lot of scholars who have not passed the imperial examination at the age of thirty. However, County Magistrate Lin thinks that with Qing'er's intelligence, it is easy for him to pass the imperial examination!
But he still sighed: "If you have half of Qing Ge'er's intelligence and ambition, in the future - your mother and I won't have to worry about you." He and his husband have no children, only Lin Ning. Generally speaking, when a woman reaches this age and already has a boy, it is unlikely that she will have any more children. Magistrate Lin loved Lin Ning very much, but he was also worried that after he was gone, Lin Ning would have no one to rely on and would have a hard time.
Whether he adopts someone from the clan or marries Ning Ge'er in the future, he is ultimately gambling on other people's conscience. If Ning Ge'er had half the ability of Qing Ge'er, no one would be able to do anything to Ning Ge'er even if the old couple passed away.
Lin Ning touched his forehead that was hit, but he was not angry at all. He did not think that Shen Qing was someone else's child at all. He laughed foolishly: "Qing Ge'er is my good friend. If he is well, I am well!"
County Magistrate Lin thought about it and felt that it made sense. As long as the friendship between Ning'er and Qing'er is strong, if anything happens in the future, given Qing'er's character, he will never stand by and ignore Ning'er. From then on, he gave more advice to Shen Qing.
Another month went by like this, and just as the old doctor said, my belly was not noticeable at first, but it would grow rapidly afterwards. Shen Qing's waist became thicker and he couldn't walk as flexibly as before. Now that the weather is getting hotter, without thick clothes to cover his belly, he looks even more exposed, so he dares not visit the Lin family again.
After all...he was pregnant before marriage. This is unacceptable in this era. Shen Qing doesn't care about others, but County Magistrate Lin is a scholar and may attach more importance to rules.
Shen Qing was afraid that Magistrate Lin might finally change his opinion of him, but would start to think that he was a man with poor personal ethics. So I pretended to be going on business and would come back to visit in a few months.
Shen Qing felt a little irritated. This is just a temporary delay. This lie or concealment will be like his brotherhood. No matter how many lies he tells, it will be exposed sooner or later. Shen Qing only hoped that by then he would have a closer relationship with Magistrate Lin's family, so that Magistrate Lin would be more considerate of him and not completely dislike him.
Shen Qing had often said before that he wanted to go on business, and County Magistrate Lin and his family didn't find it strange. Lin Ning felt reluctant to let go, "Why are you going to be gone for so long this time? How far are you going?" Before, Shen Qing said he was going to do business, which would only take a month or two, but this time he said he might be gone for four to five months or even half a year.
Shen Qing had no choice but to continue lying: "I want to visit some faraway place I've never been to. I don't know what the situation is over there. If everything goes well, it may not take that long." He took out a few purses from his arms and handed them to Lin Ning. They were filled with hair accessories and waist ornaments that Ou Ge'er had recently made, suitable for young men and their husbands to wear. It was not worth much, but it was very delicate and cute: "One for you, your mother, and Zao'er, and one for your uncle."
"I haven't seen your uncle recently." Shen Qing said, but every time he gave something as a gift, Lin Xiangcao would always be included.
Shen Qing really wanted to meet Lin Xiangcao. Although Lin Xiangcao knew nothing, he was different for Shen Qing. He just sat there and did nothing, which made Shen Qing feel a different kind of emotion in his heart.
However, he often went in and out of the Lin Mansion this month, but he hardly ever saw Lin Xiangcao. Lin Xiangcao always hid in her room with her son and never came out to eat with everyone. It would be strange if Shen Qing asked to meet him.
Lin Ning's face was slightly stiff. He lowered his head and thought about how Shen Qing looked when he first met Lin Xiangcao. After a long while, as if after a long psychological struggle, he asked Shen Qing in a low voice: "Qing'er, do you... do you like me?"
Shen Qing:?
Shen Qing:? ? ? ? ? ?
Shen Qing widened his eyes in horror.
What nonsense are you talking about? !
The more Lin Ning thought about it, the more he felt that it was true. Qingger's appearance and personality are very much like a man. Many people privately say that Qingger is a man who was born in the wrong body. So, his soul is that of a man? Is it normal to like a little boy? Lin Ning gritted his teeth and said what he was thinking: "Qing Ge'er, do you like my uncle?"
Shen Qing was shocked: "It's not that I didn't do that, don't talk nonsense!" What the hell is going on!
"Then why did you look like that when you first met my uncle? You even said that he could eat for free at the sausage shop. Why did you treat him so specially?" Lin Ning was a little jealous: "...You didn't even tell me to eat for free."
Even if Shen Qing likes Ge'er, Lin Ning doesn't think anything of it. He usually runs around the city. He doesn't like to read serious books, but he likes to listen to storytellers. Some storytellers like to tell some dirty jokes, and Lin Ning also loves to listen to them with a blushing face. Among them are some touching stories about a man falling in love with another man, a boy falling in love with another boy, a woman falling in love with a woman, a boy falling in love with a woman... and so on.
If Qingger likes Geer, he will definitely not discriminate against Qingger!
"It's free. From now on, you can eat whatever you want, and Zao Ge'er can eat whatever he wants, okay?" Shen Qing admired Lin Ning's imagination very much: "I just heard the story of your uncle before... before, and it had some influence on me."
"Story? What story?"
There is nothing wrong with this. He told Lin Ning in detail how Shen Zhigao had seduced Widow Li and insisted on divorcing Miao. When he was most panicked and helpless, he heard a few scholars at the city gate talking about the deeds of the county magistrate's younger brother, and how he came up with a way to leave the Shen family.
Lin Ning's eyes welled up with tears after hearing this: I knew Qing'er's life was hard, but I didn't know it was so difficult!
"I think God is good to me. That day at the city gate, your uncle came back and I saw him." The scene of Lin Xiangcao carrying cartloads of dowry into the city that day seemed to still be in front of him: "Your uncle was sent by God to give me advice and save me."
Lin Ning:……………………
Lin Ning hesitated to speak.
Shen Qing noticed that he looked constipated: "What's wrong?" He touched his face. Was he too sentimental and annoying Lin Ning?
Lin Ning looked at Shen Qing, and then looked at him again. He still couldn't bear to deceive his good friend, so he stammered, "...It's not like that."
"My father made that up and spread it everywhere to save face." Lin Ning gritted his teeth and told Shen Qing the truth. He also didn't expect that the rumors spread by his father would actually work. Before, he and his mother laughed at his father's clumsy pretense at home.
In fact, Lin Xiangcao liked the man she had before very much. After all, that man was very handsome. The Lin family was obsessed with looks. Lin Xiangcao could eat two more bowls of rice just by looking at that face.
At first, Lin Xiangcao was unwilling to divorce...
"It was that guy who, relying on his pretty face, hooked up with the daughter of an official who held a higher rank than my father, and now he looks down on my uncle." Or rather, he looked down on the lowly official position of County Magistrate Lin. "They said that if I didn't agree to a divorce, they would divorce my wife and wouldn't even give my father face." Lin Ning became angrier and angrier as he spoke.
"My nephew... it wasn't because my father was powerful enough that my uncle could take him away. It was because the young lady of the official family didn't want that pretty boy to have an eldest son, and she didn't allow him to keep my nephew, so my uncle took him away. My nephew's name was even crossed out on the family tree, and now he has the surname Lin like my uncle."
"My uncle was forced to divorce and came back. He was very upset. He stayed at home every day and cried a lot at first."
Lin Xiangcao was not the decisive and courageous Lin Xiangcao that Shen Qing had imagined.
Shen Qing: “………………” He opened his mouth slightly in shock and couldn’t speak for a long time.
Lin Ning was still holding the purses Shen Qing had given him: "Then, then are you still going to give these to my uncle?"
It took Shen Qing a long time to come back to his senses. He smiled. At first it was just a smile, but gradually he found it very funny, yet very happy. He laughed so hard that he couldn't straighten his back, and laughed so hard that tears came out, which scared Lin Ning: "Brother Qing, what's wrong with you?"
"It's okay, I'm fine." Shen Qing wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and actually felt very relieved.
He thought back to that day again, and everything about it was still vivid in his mind. Maybe it was indeed God who saved him, but he did not send Lin Ning to save him.
The one who saved him was always himself. It turned out that his power was not borrowed from the county magistrate's younger brother. He was actually imitating a person in his imagination. His power really came from himself.
It turns out that everything I have today is what I deserve.
"Give it to me, why not. Give one to each of the brothers in your family." Shen Qing looked at the purses again and felt they were very dull. From then on, Lin Xiangcao was no longer special in his eyes, but there was nothing to be secretive about either.
Lin Ning watched Shen Qing gradually return to normal after laughing, and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He was frightened when Qing'er laughed wildly just now, and it was a little crazy.
But then, Shen Qing gave him an even bigger shock. Lin Ning was so frank, Shen Qing gently touched her belly: "Actually... I lied to you and your father before."
Lin Ning: “?”
"I'm not going on a business trip. I'm...pregnant."
This time it’s Lin Ning’s turn:? ? ? ? ?
Shen Qing felt relieved, and winked at him playfully: "I don't like brothers, I have a man. I originally planned to hide in the village for a few months and not see you, and secretly give birth to a child to shock all of you."
Lin Ning was like a roaring groundhog: "Who is it! Who is it!!!" Who stole Qing Ge'er's heart without him knowing!
Shen Qing had a smile on his face: "He... is in a very far place."
"He's very good, we've been together for a long time, but he...can't come to Anping County." He looked at Lin Ning with some apology, "I didn't mean to lie to you. After all...I didn't get married with him here. I was afraid you would think I was frivolous." After a pause, Shen Qing still whispered, "Don't tell your father yet, I haven't figured out how to say it yet."
Lin Ning calmed down a little, but his expression was still complicated. Somewhere far away? He remembered what Shen Qing had told him before, that there were other countries besides the neighboring countries. Could it be that Qing Ge'er fell in love with a blond-haired, blue-eyed foreigner? That foreigner couldn't bear to leave his country so he refused to come to Anping County for Qing Ge'er?
I don’t know what kind of man can be so charming to Qing Ge’er… Lin Ning’s tone was a little sour: “Then did you get married with him over there? He wouldn’t want to take responsibility, would he?”
"Ah?" Shen Qing was stunned. Actually, no. But if they want to hold a ceremony at the end of the world, can't they do that at any time? Shen Qing said, "Well...well, we're married."
Lin Ning finally breathed a sigh of relief: "That's nothing, you're just getting married to a stranger in a foreign place, what opinion will my father have?" However, County Magistrate Lin may not be very supportive of Qingge'er finding a blonde and blue-eyed girl. But that person didn't come over, and even if the blond-haired and blue-eyed father couldn't see him, then the problem would not exist.
In this era, merchants often bought houses and took concubines in the places where they did business. It was even normal to buy several houses and take several concubines. It was not necessary for the couple to live together for many years. Some of them might not see each other once a year. Just think of that man as Qing'er's commoner husband from another place... Lin Ning actually didn't know why Shen Qing had to be so shy about lying.
Maybe she really wanted to give birth to the child secretly to shock everyone?
Naughty!
"No wonder you've gained so much weight recently." Lin Ning touched his face: "...I thought it was because you ate fried chicken like me."
The fried chicken steak workshop in Shiqu Village finally officially started production, and set off a craze in Anping County. Even though the weather is hot now and eating too much fried food can easily cause getting a sore throat, Lin Ning still can't stop. He gained ten pounds and his face became rounder.
Shen Qing is not fat, but suffers from edema. Although his belly grew slowly, he had all the normal pregnancy reactions. When he woke up in the morning, his eyes were so swollen that he couldn't open them, and there were white marks on his legs when he pressed them.
Shen Qing was extremely surprised. He didn't expect that the matter that had troubled him for a long time was not a big deal in Lin Ning's eyes. It turned out that it could be solved so easily... Shen Qing scratched the back of his head: "But I still won't go to the city often in the future. I will stay in the village to take care of the baby most of the time."
He and Song Kaiji had also discussed that Shen Qing's belly would only get bigger in the future. Firstly, it would be difficult to explain at the end of the world. Secondly, it would take an hour to walk from Lantang Village to the cave. If Shen Qing went up the mountain when she was already pregnant, something might go wrong. So they could only not meet for the time being and wait until the baby was born.
Although Song Kaiji might never be able to meet or hug his own biological child in his entire life. But Shen Qing and Song Kaiji never hesitated to give birth to their child in ancient times. The safety of the world is one thing, but how will men explain having children in the end times? Who should I ask to deliver the baby? Although Feng Hao is dead, some people in the government and the military knew about his suspicion of Shen Qing. If the news that Shen Qing's man had a child spread, it would inevitably arouse other people's suspicion and cause more trouble.
Fortunately, I have a mobile phone and can record videos. The last time they met, Song Kaiji stuffed Shen Qing with several mobile phones and a bag of fully charged power banks: "When the baby is born, you have to record videos every day. I heard that children change every day. If you blink a few more times, you will miss their growth." He put another mobile phone in Shen Qing's palm, "When you miss me, you can read this, one video a day, don't read too much."
It contained a love diary he recorded for Shen Qing for the next four or five months.
Shen Qing hugged him. Perhaps it was really the progesterone at work. Shen Qing felt that he was much more fragile than usual. He was easily moved and wanted to cry easily. How he hoped that God would have mercy on them and allow their children to pass through the cave like he did, so that their family could be reunited one day.
Song Kaiji kissed him gently on the side of his face. He also has his own plans in the past few months. In addition to doubling his efforts to cultivate his supernatural powers and enhance his strength, he was also tempted by Qu Weiwei's suggestion: should he move to another base, or simply build his own base near the Hongcheng base.
During the days when Shen Qing is away, he needs to grow faster. He is going to be a father, and if the child can come here, he must grow up to be a support for Shen Qing and the child as soon as possible.
So Shen Qing hid in the village for a few months while she was pregnant, relying on the videos on her phone to relieve her homesickness. Song Kaiji was a little uncomfortable and artificial in front of the camera at first, but gradually he became much more natural, as if he was really with Shen Qing or making a video call with Shen Qing.
Lin Ning came here several times to visit Shen Qing in the countryside. Shen Qing was too lazy to move, so he asked Lian Rong and Ou Ge'er to take him up the mountain to pick fruit. With the presence of County Magistrate Lin Ning's brother, and with County Magistrate Lin assigning a number of guards to protect them, the boys in the village no longer dared to occupy the fruit trees. Lin Ning directed the guards to take Lian Rong and Lian Ou to pick a number of wild fruits, and all the sour and sweet fruits went into Shen Qing's stomach.
Once, Lin Ning also brought the Gold Tooth Man and the Jie brothers and sisters. After Shen Qing introduced the Jie siblings to Lin Ning, although Lin Ning did not get along particularly well with them and did not develop a very deep friendship with them, the Jie siblings helped the Lin family a lot and they got along well.
"That time County Magistrate Zhou held a banquet again, and insisted on inviting me and my mother to the banquet, saying that his son's injury had recovered, and he wanted to hold a banquet to apologize to me." Lin Ning curled his lips, looking unhappy: "I think he just wanted to embarrass me!"
As a result, the Xie brothers and sisters gave him and County Magistrate Zhengjun two days of emergency training. On the day of the banquet, Xie Shiyun even dressed up as a little maid and followed behind County Magistrate Zhengjun to give instructions from time to time. She couldn't find any mistakes at all. She was as disciplined as possible: "At that time, Zhou's face was very angry. He wanted to stick his eyes on us and find faults. Hehe, he just couldn't find any!"
The Xie brothers and sisters lived diagonally opposite the back yamen, so they were close and it was convenient for them to play together. "But I still like Qing Ge'er the best. I always feel that Xie Miyun wants to teach me how to read."
He doesn't want to learn even when his father teaches him!
Ning Ge'er was still a child at heart. After complaining to Shen Qing for a while, he ran to the yard to play with the two dogs that were almost grown into adult dogs with Lian Rong. One is pure yellow and is called Dahuang, and the other is yellow with a thin layer of black hair on its back and is called Erhei.
These two dogs are very smart. They are usually closest to Miao and are also nice to Shen Qing. If there were strangers coming to the house, Miao had to bring the people to introduce them to them before they could play with them. Normally, they would rarely wag their tails at anyone else except Miao.
Lin Ning went out to play, and then the Gold Tooth Man and the Jie brothers and sisters came forward and explained their recent work to Shen Qing. The man with gold teeth was in a good mood and ignored Shen Qing's belly. He just honestly reported the tasks assigned to him by Shen Qing.
Previously, the Chief Clerk had sent a message to him, saying that Magistrate Lin was not happy with Shen Qing's frequent contact with him, as he thought Shen Qing was being corrupted by his worldly ways. The Man with Gold Tooth was melancholy for quite a while, thinking that the rich man was going to leave him. Who knew that Shen Qing still treated him the same as before. County Magistrate Lin taught Shen Qing some principles, and Shen Qing would sometimes tell them to the Golden Tooth Man, so that they could make progress together and become bigger and stronger.
Shen Qing treated him sincerely, and the man with the golden tooth was not ungrateful. He doesn’t care what’s going on with Shen Qing’s belly. Even if Shen Qing has a hundred and eight lovers, it’s none of his business. He just wants to make money with Shen Qing!
"The manor on the mountain has been built. I am asking people to fumigate it with fruit wood, pepper and wormwood. The house is dry and insect-free. The road to Lantang Village has also been completed. Now two carriages can pass side by side. There is still half of the road to the county town that has not been repaired, which is the half close to the county town. A few days ago, the county magistrate sent a message saying that such a benefit to the people cannot be paid for by Mr. Shen alone. The government has some funds for this. The government will pay half of the remaining road and we will pay half, so we can build it together."
The man with the golden teeth looked at Shen Qing's belly and suggested from a friend's perspective: "Since the manor on the mountain has been repaired, you might as well move in. Before I came here, Ruyi, Mudan and the others asked me to say hello to you. It seems that you will give birth in a month or two, so you should transfer a few maids and boys to serve you."
He looked around the house and felt deeply moved. Who would have thought that Mr. Shen, who spent a lot of money, would live in such a shabby place?
The Xie brothers and sisters next to them also agreed: "That's right. In our family, when the concubines got pregnant, they would have two maids to serve them. It's troublesome to give birth to a child. They cry and ask for food, which makes the adults unable to sleep well. We have to prepare a wet nurse and a nanny in advance, and take the child to other rooms after it is born, so that the adults can rest well."
The small courtyard at the foot of the mountain where Shen Qing lives now has only three main rooms, and there is no room for even the maids!
Shen Qing didn't want to move. Pregnant women tend to think a lot, and since her man is not around, Shen Qing feels safer living in a familiar place. However, Shen Qing was more in favor of what the Gold Tooth Man and the Jie brothers and sisters suggested about hiring a few servants to serve: "Then let Ruyi help me choose two good ones, a girl and a boy, but no more. After the baby is born, we will move to the farm on the mountain. This yard will be used to open a school," Shen Qing looked at the Jie brothers and sisters, "and then I will have to trouble you to teach the children in the village to read." As for a wet nurse, Shen Qing did not plan to hire one. Miao bought a dozen pregnant ewes in advance so that when Shen Qing's baby was born, there would be goat milk to drink.
The Xie brothers and sisters are now very different from when they were first sent to Shen Qing. After knowing that Shen Qing was a young man, the two of them quickly adjusted their mindsets and concentrated on being teachers. They no longer had any other messy thoughts and were no longer nervous or afraid. Now they all agreed, and he talked about the results of teaching his subordinates: "Now in our family, there are only two who are really not smart, and we can't teach them no matter what. We thought we should just forget it, maybe everyone has their own strengths, and their strengths are really not here."
Shen Qing thought for a while and said, "If you meet Miao Yu on the street, ask him to introduce someone who knows martial arts to you. No matter if your family has boys, boys or girls, you can all learn from him." It is not only to tap into everyone's talents, but also to strengthen and protect their bodies.
"I want to learn too!" Lian Ou ran in from outside, "Brother Qing, please let me learn too. I want to learn to protect my brother and beat that bastard from the Wang family to death!" She looked up at Lian Ou, "Brother, why don't you come and learn too?"
"Ou'er can go. I've always wanted to let Ou'er work in Cuihua Shop in the county town." Although Lian Ou was the victim and the second branch of the Lian family had the upper hand in the division of the family, there were still some gossipers in the village who would gossip about Lian Ou. Seeing that Lian Ou was often unhappy, Shen Qing wanted him to change his environment and mood: "When you go there, you can live in the courtyard behind the shop. Brother Tieshan and Miao Yu also live in that courtyard, as well as my maids. You will be safe."
Lian Rong was eager to try, but Lian Ou twisted the corner of her clothes for a long time and whispered, "I, I won't go... I'm knitting things at home now, and it's good to sell them in Miaoqian Village occasionally."
Since he said so, Shen Qing didn't want to force it, but he looked at Lian Ou a few more times. Lian Rong was very disappointed and kept asking Lian Ou why, but Lian Ou just didn't say anything.
Two days later, Tieshan personally drove a maid and a boy over to look after the children and do some housework. The maid and Miao slept on the kang, and the young man set up a wooden bed in Shen Qing's room so that Shen Qing could be taken care of when he needed to drink water or get up at night.
The people in the village also gradually discovered that something was wrong with Shen Qing's figure. Although it was hard to believe, the belly was getting bigger day by day, especially after eight months, even a blind person could see it!
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