Chapter 51 Regarding the matter of offspring, how did Xi'er…
With the matter in Mozhou settled, Xie Chengyan had a few days of free time to recuperate at his residence.
As for the Duke's mansion, it's unclear what Xie Chengyan said to Xie Yi, but in the end, he relented and stopped interfering in the General's mansion's affairs.
Shen Xi tacitly refrained from inquiring about the details, focusing instead on her own small plot of land, personally preparing medicine every day and ensuring Xie Chengyan recovered well.
The barrier that had imprisoned her also silently disappeared.
Before leaving Beijing, there was no trace left of the days when the two fought each other to the death.
Such a rare two days of peace.
That day, Shen Xi was rushing back to the General's Mansion after getting medicine from Renfeng Hall.
As soon as she stepped inside, the servants rushed to greet her: "Madam, the General's mother has arrived and is waiting for you in the inner hall."
Shen Xi was somewhat puzzled. It had only been a few days since that incident, yet Madam Xue had come to the General's Mansion again: "Where is the General?"
The servant shook his head: "After you went to Renfeng Hall, the general left the mansion shortly after."
Shen Xi sighed.
This person promised last night to stay in the mansion to recover from his injuries, but before anyone could see, he ran out again.
Since things had come to this point, they couldn't leave Madam Xue unattended, so Shen Xi hurriedly rushed to the inner hall.
"Now that Mother has arrived, quickly send someone to tell the General to come back soon."
The servant followed behind her, stammering, "Madam, I thought so too, but Madam Xue said that she came only to see you today, and there is no need to disturb the general."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi glanced into the inner hall, puzzled, not understanding what Madam Xue meant.
Could this daughter-in-law, whom she had always looked down upon, be more important than Xue's own son?
Chen Xi hesitated for a moment.
In the six months since their marriage, she has come to realize that there must be some distance between Xie Chengyan and the Duke's Mansion; she had previously thought they were just not very close.
After being taken to the Duke's mansion by Madam Xue last time, Shen Xi's suspicions grew stronger, and he felt a deep rift between himself and the Duke's mansion.
Shen Xi was unable to find out the specific details.
Therefore, it would be best to consult Xie Chengyan first on how to handle these matters related to the Duke's mansion.
Thinking this through, Shen Xi instructed, "We should send someone to inform the general that Mother has arrived; how can we not see her?"
The servant obeyed and immediately went to find Xie Chengyan as she instructed.
Shen Xi entered the inner hall, greeted Madam Xue with a curtsy, and then prepared to carefully probe her intentions.
But before Shen Xi could speak, Madam Xue glanced at her casually: "Cheng Yan is a man with an official position. It's fine if he doesn't stay in the mansion, but you, a woman confined to the inner quarters, why are you always showing your face in public?"
Shen Xi paused for a moment, then smiled apologetically at Madam Xue: "My husband caught a cold after returning from Mozhou. I was worried, so I went to the clinic and got some medicine."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xue seemed to remember something and asked with concern, "How is Chengyan's injury in Mozhou?"
Shen Xi seemed puzzled: "Mother already knows?"
Madam Xue was stunned for a moment before she composed herself and sighed, "I know he's old and doesn't want to tell us things, but being so badly injured is no small matter. If I hadn't been worried and specifically asked someone to inquire about his affairs in Mozhou, I'm afraid he would still be in the dark."
Shen Xi remained calm and said, "My husband only reported good news and not bad news because he was afraid that my mother would worry."
"He doesn't just report good news and hide the bad; he's even been too lazy to come back to the Duke's mansion these past few years."
Madam Xue complained, a worried look inevitably creeping onto her brow.
After saying that, she sighed helplessly and gave a look to the nanny standing beside her.
The old woman understood immediately and handed the things she was carrying to Shen Xi.
It was a bundle of medicine packets, already bundled and packed.
Shen Xi subconsciously reached out and took it, but still looked at Madam Xue with a puzzled expression: "Mother, what is this?"
Madam Xue said worriedly, "You must have heard about Chengyan before. This child was weak when he was young, and his father and I sent him away to be raised for several years. He was kept alive by herbal medicine and only got better when he grew up. But he has suffered a lot of injuries in the past few years of fighting. I am worried that he has damaged his health, so I asked the doctor to prescribe some tonics for him."
Hearing her say that, a strange feeling suddenly flashed through Shen Xi's heart.
Before she could grasp any clues, Madam Xue raised her eyes and looked at Shen Xi, saying, "Cheng Yan is not young anymore, and you two have been married for some time now. You should hurry up and start thinking about having children."
These words were exceptionally straightforward.
Shen Xi paused for a moment, feeling that the medicine packet was too hot to handle.
She and Xie Chengyan had never cared about having children, so it was Xue Shi who brought it up for the first time, which made Shen Xi somewhat embarrassed.
Her earlobes flushed slightly, but she remained calm and nodded indifferently: "Daughter-in-law understands."
Seeing her like this, Madam Xue smiled and said, "I'm not saying this to urge you two, but just to make you pay more attention to Chengyan's health. Starting today, let Chengyan drink this medicine to help him recover faster from his injuries."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi brought the medicine packet in her hand close to her nose and sniffed it. She could vaguely identify several medicinal herbs, all of which were indeed for nourishing purposes.
So, this is the only purpose for Madam Xue's visit today?
She composed herself and replied, "I understand Mother's good intentions. I will start decocting the medicine shortly."
Madam Xue looked at her with satisfaction, but her gaze paused for a moment, as if she hesitated.
Noticing her reaction, Shen Xi spoke up at the opportune moment: "Does Mother have any other instructions?"
Seeing that she had seen through her thoughts, Madam Xue didn't hide anything further. She simply sighed, her words still hesitant. After a pause, she spoke slowly, "Chengyan, perhaps because of what happened when he was little, isn't very close to us. If he knew that this medicine was sent by me, I'm afraid..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Xi understood her meaning and smiled gently: "Mother, don't worry, this medicine was my idea."
Upon hearing Shen Xi's words, Xue Shi's gloom vanished, and she smiled, saying, "You've had a hard time."
The two exchanged a few more pleasantries, and Madam Xue did not linger. After giving her instructions, she prepared to return to the Duke's mansion.
Unable to persuade him to stay, Shen Xi had no choice but to see him out of the mansion.
When Xie Chengyan returned, Madam Xue had already left. As he listened to the servants report on the conversation between Shen Xi and Madam Xue, he frowned and walked towards the courtyard.
He only stopped abruptly when he heard the servants mention the things that Madam Xue had sent.
His eyes were heavy with suppressed emotion as he turned to ask, "She accepted it?"
The servants were puzzled as to why Xie Chengyan cared about this matter, but they still nodded: "Madam accepted it when she heard it was a tonic."
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Chengyan's face grew even more gloomy. He stopped in his tracks, looked up at the sparse vegetation in the courtyard, and gently rubbed his fingertips together, seemingly lost in thought.
After a long pause, Liang Tuo behind him finally spoke up, "General?"
Xie Chengyan then came to his senses and moved forward again, but this time, his steps slowed down, his expression became slightly restrained, and there was nothing unusual about him.
Shen Xi was in the small kitchen, staring at the medicine soup on the stove.
Actually, this was originally a task that servants should do, but Wen Tingmao knew that the preparation of medicinal herbs required different heat levels and methods, and doctors should be very familiar with this. He took the opportunity to let her practice.
Anyway, the person taking the medicine is her own husband, so even if it causes problems, it won't be a big deal.
Therefore, Shen Xi stood guard in front of the medicine stove without fail, personally overseeing every dose of medicine Xie Chengyan took.
When Xie Chengyan found her, Shen Xi had just finished brewing a dose of medicine, and the small kitchen was filled with a bitter smell.
Through the misty fog, Shen Xi caught sight of the figure at the door. Not surprised, she casually asked, "You're back?"
Xie Chengyan had intended to watch her from outside the door for a few more moments, but seeing that she had noticed him, he stepped inside, nodded, and replied, "Yes, you're back."
After speaking, he paused and asked, "Is today's medicine different from the previous one?"
His deep gaze fell on Shen Xi, as if testing her.
Unaware of what was happening, Shen Xi replied, "That's right, I changed your medicine today."
The herbal decoction was poured out and set aside to let the heat dissipate.
Shen Xi looked up and realized that Xie Chengyan had been staring intently at her. She asked in confusion, "What happened?"
Xie Chengyan's eyelids drooped slightly: "Didn't you send someone to find me, saying that Mother had come to the General's Mansion?"
Shen Xi realized: "It was indeed me who sent them, but my mother only stayed for a short while before leaving."
What did she say to you?
"He expressed concern about your injury and told me to take good care of you while you recover; that's all he said."
Shen Xi recalled and told him everything.
Xie Chengyan narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "Is that all?"
Shen Xi nodded: "Yes, that's all."
Xie Chengyan didn't respond, but his gaze never left her, fixed on her intently, as if trying to see through her thoughts.
Shen Xi felt a little uncomfortable under that gaze, and only lasted a moment before saying, "Okay, actually it's not just these."
Xie Chengyan pondered for a moment: "What else?"
"And..." Shen Xi thought of Xue's words, and couldn't help but look away, clutching her sleeve as she stammered, "Mother told you and me to hurry up with the matter of having offspring."
After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.
Xie Chengyan clearly hadn't expected such an answer, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside him.
He couldn't help but recall those events from his past life, the night Xie Wenlang was seriously injured, and Madam Xue urging the two of them to have a child as soon as possible.
In this life, we are remarkably similar.
It was still the Xue family, and it was still about offspring; only the person had changed.
Xie Chengyan's eyes gradually darkened as he looked at Shen Xi's uneasy expression, and a few thoughts of separation arose within him.
So he slowly approached, his body gradually enveloping her. Xie Chengyan lowered his eyes and gave a light sneer: "What do you think?"
Shen Xi blinked: "What do you think?"
Xie Chengyan's gaze swept over her lower abdomen: "What are your thoughts on having children, Xi'er?"
Unexpectedly, he asked so directly. Shen Xi pursed his lips, but also thought about it seriously. After a long while, he said, "This kind of thing is not something you can figure out just by thinking about it. Everything depends on fate. You can't rush it."
Xie Chengyan gazed intently at her, a smile playing on his lips: "So, Xi'er wants to have a child with me, right?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Xi realized that he had led her astray, glared at him angrily, and did not reply.
He then turned around, tested the temperature through the medicine bowl, and found it to be just right.
Shen Xi handed the medicine bowl to him and uttered two words fiercely.
"Drink your medicine!"
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