Chapter 101
"That's your first child. If you adopt him to me, from now on, he has to call me and Qian Ce daddy, and you aunt. Are you really willing to do that?"
He Chong was a little bit unconvinced. That was their first child, and they were so generous to give it to him?
Although he and Qian Ce were unable to have children and they really wanted a child, he couldn't bear to see Lu Xiaobai trembling and looking reluctant.
And this is their first child, the eldest son!
However, even if He Qin is unwilling to be the emperor, his eldest son will still inherit the throne. But are they really willing to adopt him directly?
It would have been fine if he hadn't said it. As soon as he said it, Lu Xiaobai felt uncomfortable and his nose felt sore involuntarily. But, there were some things he didn't want to do either.
For example, the inexplicable time travel, this child, and his desire to go home.
I'm not sure if I can go back, and I'm not sure if I can take them back with me.
Lu Xiaobai thought he had no feelings for the child, but after listening to He Chong's words, tears soon flowed down his face. He said in panic: "I, I don't know..."
He really didn't know, he didn't know what to do.
He Qin also understood that Lu Xiaobai was simple-minded and often would not think too much about things. Maybe it was to avoid it, or he really could not think of it. But when he really thought about it, he would feel distressed and uncomfortable.
He Qin hugged Lu Xiaobai into his arms and whispered to comfort him: "Don't cry, if you can't bear to let him go, then don't adopt him. Don't cry."
Lu Xiaobai didn't say anything, but just lay in his arms, breathing softly and sobbing silently.
The reason He Chong said this was because he was afraid that they would regret it in the future, and he could also understand their feelings. They all wanted one even though they didn't have a child, not to mention that the child was born after he had been pregnant for ten months.
So he shook his head and said, "Forget it, you can raise him. When he turns five, send him back to the Imperial City and I will teach him personally."
He Qin was stunned after hearing this, and said happily: "Royal brother, you agree!"
He Chong placed the firewood in the incense burner, looked at the flames inside and said, "Hmm."
The He family's family motto has always been good. At least their generation can still be so humble and not fight for that position like in other dynasties. But there is no guarantee that it will be like this in the future.
Moreover, He Qin really didn't want to go back.
Therefore, he tried his best to shoulder this burden while also allowing this generation to be humble and pass on the tradition as much as possible.
Lu Xiaobai sniffed and turned to look at He Chong, feeling a little guilty. He thought that if they were gone next year, he would let them raise the child.
But he couldn't say the words when they came to his lips. His fate was uncertain and he was really scared. He was afraid that things would not go as he had imagined.
Lu Xiaobai didn't say anything in the end. After thanking He Chong, He Qin took him out.
Qian Ce was looking through the herbs, and Lu Xiaobai didn't want to keep thinking about those uncertain things and make himself unhappy.
So, when he saw Qian Ce, he let go of He Qin and ran over.
Qian Ce was the imperial physician. There were several bamboo plaques at the door, filled with herbs.
There is only one bamboo plaque that He Chong just picked today, and it is... gallnut.
They were green, oval, and like fruits, some large and some small. Lu Xiaobai picked up the largest one and took a look. It was very light, and inside it seemed like...
"Empty?"
Lu shook it curiously, put it under his nose and sniffed it.
Qian Ce nodded: "Yes, empty."
He Qin stood beside him, frowned and said, "You can't eat it."
Lu Xiaobai pouted and retorted: "I don't want to eat."
Qian Ce burst out laughing and said, "That's right, not only can't you eat it, you can't even open it and look at it."
Can't open it?
Lu Xiaobai didn't understand: "Why?"
Why can’t it be broken apart?
He was curious, and as soon as he asked the question, he pinched one open and found that it was not empty, but contained a lot of powdery substances.
He took a closer look and found that the powder was not what he imagined, but a pile of small white eggs and a lot of almost transparent little bugs. They were so densely packed and super scary that Lu Xiaobai threw it out instantly, screaming and shaking his hands: "Bugs, so many bugs, He Qin, there are bugs in here!"
Lu Xiaobai subconsciously shook his hands, fearing that there would be bugs on his hands.
After making sure there were no bugs, he turned around and threw himself into He Qin's arms. Goose bumps appeared all over his body, and he cried, "What kind of medicine is this? It's full of bugs..."
He Qin was helpless: "I told you not to listen."
Qian Ce suppressed his laughter and said, "Gallnut is also called the Hundred Insects Warehouse. It contains insects and parasites, but it is also a medicine with a wide range of medicinal effects."
Lu Xiaobai's scalp tingled when he thought of the scene he had just seen. He felt unwell. "I, I want to wash my hands. I want to lie down. I feel dizzy."
Qian Ce also knew that he had scared Lu Xiaobai, so he pointed to the backyard and said, "There's a well in the back, take him there."
He Qin thanked him, then took Lu Xiaobai to wash his hands and go to the bathroom before returning to his room to rest.
Lu Xiaobai was lying on the bed, the quilt kicked to his feet, and his head was covered with sweat. He Qin sat beside the bed, fanning him gently.
He couldn't fall asleep, tossing and turning, and said uncomfortably, "It's so hot!"
"It's not even July yet and you're already making a fuss. What are we going to do in July?"
The hottest month of the year is July. June is still a few days away. If we can’t stand the heat now, what will we do in July?
"I don't know. It's not this hot in my hometown in the summer."
Lu Xiaobai curled his lips. The temperature in his home was mild, not cold in winter and not hot in summer. Even if he went to other places, there was air conditioning, so he didn't have to suffer this at all.
Lu Xiaobai grabbed He Qin's hand and said, "I want to eat ice watermelon. Soft or not is fine."
"I'm afraid there's no watermelon."
He Qin frowned. Watermelon was originally introduced from foreign countries, and the seeds have been lost in recent years. There are no watermelons in Nanhe anymore.
"No?"
Lu Xiaobai was a little overwhelmed, pouted and hugged He Qin's waist, whispering coquettishly: "He Qin, I want to eat, but I don't want to eat."
He wanted to eat snacks, he wanted to eat watermelon, which is a standard summer food, but he didn't expect that there was none in this place.
But there are no other snacks!
Lu Xiaobai felt very uncomfortable and looked at him innocently with big eyes.
He Qin: "It's almost June. Although there are no watermelons, there are still many fruits that are ripe. I'll go ask my brother."
Other fruits?
That’s okay too!
Lu Xiaobai nodded: "Yeah, I'll go too."
He quickly got up and put on his shoes, ready to go with He Qin.
Worried that he might fall down due to his carelessness, He Qin supported him until he got out of bed safely and put on his shoes.
"I'm fine, let's go."
Lu Xiaobai put down the fan. Although it was hot outside, he was not used to fanning himself all the time.
He Qin pulled him out and saw Qian Ce coming out of the kitchen with a basket. Seeing them coming out, he hurriedly said, "You are pregnant and we always want to get you some meat to supplement your diet, but we forgot about fruits. However, there are loquats and peaches in the back mountain. He Qin, go pick some and bring them back. Xiaobai, you stay at home."
The house is not soundproof, and Qian Ce heard Lu Xiaobai want to eat snacks, but the mountain road is difficult to walk on. Qian Ce didn't want to let Lu Xiaobai go there, so he taught him how to cook at home.
Lu Xiaobai wanted to go with He Qin to pick fruits so they could eat and have fun together, but He Qin didn't seem to want him to go either. He touched the top of his head and said, "The mountain road is difficult to walk on. Stay home and I'll be back soon."
"Um."
Lu Xiaobai pouted reluctantly and watched He Qin leave.
He Chong also brought a basin of boiling water to the edge of the yard, put the pheasant in the boiling water, and plucked its feathers.
Qian Ce rolled up his sleeves and said, "It's almost noon, come here and I'll teach you how to cook."
Aren’t we supposed to teach him tomorrow morning?
Lu Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, then quickly followed.
Never mind. Learning it now just allows me to sleep in tomorrow morning.
Qian Ce's family has rice to eat because he and He Chong have been farming in recent years. The two of them don't eat much, and they also often go hunting, so their life is not bad.
What's more, this year they also received high-yield seeds distributed by the court.
Qian Ce washed the pot, put some more water in it over the fire that He Chong was lighting, covered it and said, "Many people like to put rice in before they light the fire when cooking porridge, but in fact, it will be more fragrant if you heat the water before adding the rice."
"Is it, is it that simple?"
Just add water, light the fire, then add rice, and light the fire again, and that's it?
"Yes, the steps are that simple, just pay attention to the amount of water and rice."
Qian Ce added a piece of firewood into the stove as he spoke.
Lu Xiaobai suddenly felt that cooking porridge was so simple that he could do it too.
When he gets home, he will make porridge for He Qin.
After Qian Ce finished speaking, he took a knife and cut the prepared cabbage, intending to stir-fry some more cabbage.
Lu Xiaobai watched from the side and memorized all the steps.
He Qin moved quickly and came back before Qian Ce's cabbage was cooked.
When Lu Xiaobai heard the sound, he ran out quickly and followed him to the backyard to wash the fruit.
Looking at the yellow loquats and red peaches, Lu Xiaobai picked up a peach, washed it roughly and was about to put it in his mouth.
He Qin quickly handed him the cleaned peach in his hand, snatched the unwashed one from him and said, "If you don't wash the peach hairs clean, your mouth will itch if you eat it."
Lu Xiaobai chuckled, took the peach He Qin gave him and took a bite. It was quite sweet.
"It's delicious. Have a bite too."
Lu Xiaobai raised the peach in his hand to He Qin's mouth.
He Qin lowered his head and took a bite, then continued to wash while saying, "Hmm, it's really sweet."
He Qin swallowed the peach and said, "Brother, you have agreed to return to the palace. I will accompany you from now on. However, the status of the emperor has nothing to do with me. Will you be unhappy?"
Lu Xiaobai took another bite of the peach and asked in confusion, "Why are you unhappy?"
He Qin didn't like being an emperor in the first place. Being an emperor was quite tiring. He could just not do it. Why was he unhappy?
After confirming that Lu Xiaobai didn't care about his identity, He Qin raised the corner of his mouth slightly. He didn't answer his question directly, but whispered, "There are five fruit trees in the back mountain, with a lot of fruit. Do you plan to go back in two days, or go back after you finish eating the fruit?"
Go back after eating?
Lu Xiaobai was stunned for a moment, and felt that He Qin was suddenly a little dishonest. Who would go to someone else's house and eat all the food before leaving?
He Qin: "There aren't many of these things in Lujia Village, and we don't have any fruit trees. If you want to eat them, you need to exchange them with other people's houses."
Lu Xiaobai hesitated for a moment, and after struggling for a long time, he asked, "Can we really finish eating before going back?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
