Being a father
Cui Zhijun let go of Taishi Zheng before his senior brother approached, bowed and said, "Senior brother, this is my wife, Taishi Zheng."
Zheng was still reeling from the awkwardness of the moment, but when she looked up and met Cui Zhiyun's gaze, she had no choice but to follow his lead. Zheng waved her hand woodenly, "Brother...Okay."
Seeing this, the senior brother hurriedly bowed and responded, "Hello, sister-in-law. I am Liu Yugeng. Thank you for coming to my humble home with me. Please come in--"
When the host invites you, the guest should follow the host's wishes.
Tai Shi Zheng now had nowhere to escape even if he wanted to.
"Senior brother, please go first."
Cui Zhijun politely gave way to Liu Yugeng, who nodded and smiled before moving on. Looking back, Cui Zhijun saw Zheng beside him, shaking her head with an awkward expression. However, he casually picked up the gift and gestured towards Taishi Zheng with his arm.
"Leave."
Zheng's unhappiness was written all over her face. She tried to put up another futile struggle, "Can you please tell me I have a stomachache?"
Cui Zhijun looked at her without saying anything.
"Okay... I get it."
Zheng then reached out and clasped Cui Zhijun's arm. She pouted, clinging to Cui Zhijun's arm as she walked forward. Cui Zhijun knew he was doing it on purpose, but he didn't mind. After all, he could still bear the weight of Taishi Zheng.
The young couple walked slowly to the front of the yard. Liu Yugeng closed his umbrella, turned around and smiled at them, then raised his hand and knocked on the old door.
When the wooden door opened slightly, the woman inside looked worried after seeing Liu Yugeng.
She said, "Erlang, you are finally back."
Liu Yugeng shook the snow off his umbrella. "The snow was thick on the road, so we were delayed a bit. Bao Nian, is the meal ready?"
After the woman named Bao Nian nodded, he turned around and introduced the people behind him to her, "I won't introduce this Junior Brother Cui in detail. This is Junior Brother's wife, Tai Shi Zheng. You two should greet her properly."
Bao Nian raised his eyes and saw Tai Shi Zheng's face. He was immediately surprised and said, "Eh? Aren't you that lady? So you are Mr. Cui's wife. Blame me for not recognizing you. I was wondering why such a beautiful lady would be hiding in the snow alone in this secluded place."
"Sister-in-law...Okay. I apologize for disturbing you earlier." Taishi Zheng, upon hearing this, felt even more embarrassed and dodged toward Cui Zhijun. If Zheng had known how awkward things would be today, she would have definitely not come with Cui Zhijun.
"No, no. It's cold outside, everyone should go in quickly--" Bao Nian didn't care. She opened the door and invited everyone in.
After entering the yard, Zheng still held Cui Zhijun tightly.
Seeing Cui Zhijun heading east, she followed him. When Cui Zhijun raised his hand to put down the gift, she followed him. The couple, Bao Nian and his wife, stared at Cui Zhijun and sighed, "The relationship between the couple is really good."
Until Cui Zhijun felt embarrassed by being looked at, he moved his arms and whispered to the person clinging to him, "Madam, you can let go now. If I go to the bathroom, do you have to follow me?"
Tai Shi Zheng's face looked more bitter than bitter gourd, and she finally let go of her hand reluctantly.
But she still stayed close to Cui Zhijun and refused to leave.
Liu Yugeng entered the house first. After glancing at the simple meal on the table, his expression suddenly changed and he shouted at Bao Nian, "Junior Brother has helped us so much, and you're just making these few vegetarian dishes to entertain him? And he even brought his wife with him today. How can you be so clueless, woman? Go, kill that old hen you brought from home. Don't let Junior Brother think we're being inhospitable."
Bao Nian looked embarrassed when he heard this, "Er... Erlang, that chicken is for laying eggs."
"Laying eggs? If it's laying eggs, then why don't you take the money and buy some meat on the street?" Liu Yugeng's voice became increasingly high-pitched.
Bao Nian didn't dare to provoke him, but still felt a little aggrieved.
She couldn't help but whisper about the pain she had suppressed in her heart for so many years, "Money, money, money...you are always good at talking. For so many years, you have only focused on studying and never contributed to the family income. Now that I have a child, all the family land has been taken away by your eldest brother and his family. How can I save anything? All that is left is my dowry, which is the life of my mother and me——"
"You say I'm clueless? If it weren't for Mr. Cui's help, my child and I would have frozen to death in this heavy snow. How could I be so ungrateful?"
"I just really have no other choice."
Bao Nian was a little excited.
At that time, she only thought that no matter how difficult life was, as long as the family was together, they could always overcome the difficulties.
But I see that life is a mess and the people around me are bossing me around.
Bao Nian actually began to feel confused.
She didn't know whether it was right or wrong to muster up the courage to leave her hometown and travel hundreds of miles to the capital to find her husband...
Bao Nian vividly reflects the plight of his wife, yet the seemingly honest man seems unconcerned. He doesn't seem to think that all this is his fault. If he has to blame anyone, he can only blame the unfairness of heaven, for allowing him to have such talent for eight years without being recognized.
So, when faced with Bao Nian's complaints, he could only say helplessly, "It's just a woman's opinion. Since there are outsiders here, I won't argue with you. Anyway, you are not allowed to use these things to entertain our distinguished guests today. Since you have come to Bianjing, you must abide by the rules of Bianjing."
The rules of Bianjing? What kind of rules?
Isn't this just for his pitiful little face? He makes others feel embarrassed.
It's complete bullshit.
Tai Shi Zheng and Cui Zhijun were standing outside the yard at this time, murmuring to each other, but they did not step in to interrupt their quarrel.
This is a matter between the couple, and outsiders should not get involved too much.
But Cui Zhijun turned around and noticed the indignant look of his wife, and smiled inexplicably. If it wasn't the first time they met today, his wife who liked to help the weak and suppress the strong would rush up to argue on behalf of Sister-in-law Bao Nian.
But how to resolve the current stalemate? Everyone in the room was in a dilemma, including Cui Zhiyun.
Zheng suddenly cried out, pretending to feel uncomfortable and rubbing her stomach, "Ouch, my dear. I wonder if it's because I ate too much greasy food at the Kuaixue Banquet today. Why do I feel a little nauseous? I think it's good to eat something light tonight - otherwise my stomach really can't take it. Come on, rub it for me."
Cui Zhijun looked at the people around him in confusion, "Madam, the stomach is not there."
Zheng was suddenly stunned.
It would be fine if this person didn't help, but why is he trying to sabotage us?
Unexpectedly, the next second, Cui Zhijun put his hand on her stomach.
The intimate physical contact made Taishi Zheng's waist itch. This was the first time Cui Zhijun took the initiative to put his hand there.
But Cui Zhijun didn't think too much about it. He just hoped to quickly resolve the conflict and stop the gloomy atmosphere. He led Tai Shizheng a few steps into the house and said, "Thank you for your kindness, sister-in-law. Please don't worry about it, brother. This simple meal is enough for you."
Cui Zhijun had said this, and even though Liu Yugeng felt embarrassed, he couldn't say anything more.
"I'm glad Mr. Cui and his wife don't mind. I'll go to the kitchen and serve you some food." Bao Nian lowered her head and walked out of the house. Liu Yugeng didn't even glance at her. He gently invited Cui Zhijun and the others to sit down, "Don't worry about her. Sit down, sit down, junior brothers."
Zheng was worried and couldn't stand her senior brother's look, so she turned her head and exchanged glances with Cui Zhijun and said, "I'll go help."
Cui Zhijun didn't stop him, so Taishi Zheng turned around and left the house.
-
In the kitchen, Bao Nian lifted the lid of the pot, and the aroma of porridge filled the air.
"Wow, the mixed porridge made by Sister Bao Nian smells so good—" Zheng poked her head out of the door, startling Bao Nian. "Why did my wife follow me here?"
Zheng narrowed her eyes and smiled, "Let me see if my sister-in-law needs any help?"
"No, no. How can these women do the rough work? I can do it alone. In the past, I prepared meals for ten people at home. This is nothing now." Bao Nian wiped the water stains on the skirt in front of her body with her hand, and then without any hesitation, she lifted the lid of the steaming pot on the other side of the stove with her bare hands.
Zheng was startled by her actions.
Could it be that the person in front of me has practiced iron sand palm and doesn’t feel the heat at all!
She just said: "Sister-in-law is amazing."
Bao Nian felt embarrassed by her praise and turned away to hide in the rising steam, blushing. Zheng went to the stove and saw the white steamed buns lying quietly in the drawer. She asked curiously, "Did my sister-in-law steam all these?"
"Yeah." Bao Nian nodded.
Zheng looked at the taciturn Bao Nian and suddenly thought of Cang Yi. Fortunately, her sister-in-law had met her elder brother, not a man with lofty ambitions like Liu Yugeng. Out of concern, Zheng asked tentatively, "Sister-in-law, I have something to ask you. Are you planning to stay with my brother in the capital from now on?"
Bao Nian's hand that picked up the steamed bun paused for a moment.
She replied, "Yes, since you asked, I won't be shy... Where else can we go if we don't stay here? We have no land to farm at home, and Erlang doesn't want to ask about family affairs. I have no choice but to come to Beijing with my children. He always says that after graduating from high school, he will enjoy endless wealth and glory, so why should he care about that little piece of land? Since the husband is the head of the wife, what can I argue with him about..."
Bao Nian swallowed her breath as she spoke, too much sorrow surrounding her.
Zheng hurriedly comforted her, "Don't worry, sister-in-law. A family reunion is a happy occasion. Things will get better, but Brother Liu still needs to study, so he can't take care of you and your son for the time being. What plans do you have for yourself?"
Bao Nian raised her confused eyes and said, "Let's take it one step at a time. I hope I can find a job in Bianjing that won't interfere with taking care of the child, and that will be enough for my mother and me to make a living."
Bao Nian doesn't dare to have too many extravagant hopes for the future.
Maybe she once had ideals, but now all her hopes have become raising her child well.
Zheng lowered her eyes. This is the dilemma faced by many women.
Although Zheng was the lucky one, she didn't want to stand by and watch her helpless, but Zheng couldn't make promises easily. She had to think carefully about what she could do for her. "Nothing is difficult in the world. A hardworking and capable person like you will definitely find a place for yourself in Bianjing City."
"Sister-in-law, welcome to Bian Jing." Zheng narrowed her eyes and smiled.
Bao Nian froze in place, holding a hot steamed bun. The snow was still falling outside. She had come all this way, exhausted, having only seen the cold walls of Bianjing. This was the first time she had heard such warm words. Her heart warmed, and a smile finally broke out on her weathered face.
She said, "Hey, I'll listen to my wife, everything will be fine."
-
On the way back in the carriage, Tai Shi Zheng was drowsy.
Cui Zhijun sat across from Zheng, never reaching out to touch her, but his gaze never wandered from the person before him. Perhaps it was from that night when Taishi Zheng said she wanted to be his lifelong friend that Cui Zhijun realized he was no longer as resistant to her as before.
Because she is special enough.
The coachman suddenly reined in his horse at the street corner, and Tai Shi Zheng couldn't help but fall forward as the carriage swayed. It was the same familiar scene.
This time, Cui Zhijun took the person into his arms without any complaints.
But Zheng suddenly opened her eyes, and after remembering something, she shouted, "I've got an idea. Since Sister Bao Nian has the skill to make noodles, why not start a noodle business? I can use my dowry to build her a shop, and ask my eldest sister-in-law for guidance! I can just treat my eldest sister-in-law as a shareholder. At worst, any losses will be mine, and any profits will be split equally among the three of us. That way, she can take care of the children while earning money to support herself. She won't have to live such a hard life~"
Zheng thought of a solution and was overjoyed.
But Cui Zhijun loosened his grip and said, "It turns out that Madam is not sleepy, but is simply too engrossed in her thoughts."
Zheng heard this but leaned on Cui Zhijun's arms, wanting to hear the man's opinion. "My dear, please tell me if this method is feasible. I think it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him fish. My dear, you can help Sister Bao Nian and the others for a while, but can you help them forever? It's better to support yourself with some skills."
Cui Zhijun felt that Taishi Zheng's idea was correct. He said, "That's good, but..."
"But what?" Tai Shi Zheng looked up at him.
Cui Zhijun added, "Don't rush into helping others. Madam, don't act rashly on impulse. You need to think this through first, and understand what you need to understand before you talk about helping others. Otherwise, it might just backfire. Do you understand, Madam?"
"Okay, I understand. As a wife, I will obey my husband's orders." Zheng nodded. Seeing her answer, Cui Zhijun asked, "Are you still sleepy, Madam?"
"I'm not sleepy anymore." Zheng answered honestly without realizing it.
Cui Zhijun made a gesture to invite someone to stand up, "Then get up."
Ke Zheng started to act like a rogue again, "No, I feel sleepy again."
“…”
Cui Zhijun was speechless for a moment. He looked at the courteous wife in his arms and couldn't find any reason to refuse. He couldn't help but narrow his eyes. How could this person's face change so suddenly? He was no longer the same person who was too embarrassed to see him just now...
-
The lights in Yinzhu Yatang were bright, and the courtyard was quiet when the young couple returned.
However, it is only the hour of Xu now.
Pushing open the door to the east room, Cuo Cuo warmly welcomed the two of them, only to see the puppy happily circling around the couple's legs. Tai Shi Zheng looked up at the warm house and sighed, "My dear, it's better to go home——"
She leaned over, picked up Cuo Cuo, stepped over the threshold and walked into the house. Cui Zhijun followed and closed the door to block out the wind and snow.
Zheng came to the couch, smoothed her skirt, and sat down. She placed the puppy on her lap and muttered, "Cuocuo, let me tell you, Daddy and Mommy went to visit someone else's house today and had delicious food and soft steamed buns. Where's our Cuocuo? Have you eaten yet? Come, let me feel your stomach to see if you're full."
Zheng touched Cuo Cuo's bulging belly and saw that he had eaten a lot. She then lifted the puppy up and shared it with Cui Zhijun, saying, "Erlang, look at this..."
Cui Zhijun had just taken off his crane cloak and hung it on the clothesline when he turned around and walked over to meet the request.
But when he came in front of Tai Shi Zheng, he couldn't figure out the reason.
"What are you looking at?"
Zheng curled her lips and lifted Cuo Cuo a few inches higher, but Cui Zhijun remained baffled. Zheng lost interest and moved Cuo Cuo away from him. Unexpectedly, their eyes met the moment they moved away. That casual glance was the most moving.
At this moment, no one was caught off guard, no one was at a loss. Simply because they were staring into each other's eyes, bright for each other. Cui Zhiyun couldn't help but move closer, causing Tai Shizheng to subconsciously panic.
But all she did was to reach out and cover Cuo Cuo's dazed face.
So, what does he want?
Zheng's heart was in turmoil, the sweat on her palms betraying her uneasiness. She wasn't as "indulgent" as she'd appeared to be in front of Choi Shik-jun; it was all just a forced facade. She leaned back shyly, anticipating Choi Shik-jun's approach.
Until, without a trace of perfunctory kiss, Cui Zhijun placed an incredibly passionate kiss. Tai Shizheng's eyes widened, surprised by what was happening. Her head felt dizzy and continued to heat. As Cui Zhijun lingered with her, he felt her implicit response.
The two of them fell on the couch, and Cuo Cuo escaped as soon as possible.
So, they went from being separated from each other to being close together.
Cui Zhijun was surprised by his own impulsiveness. He left Taishi Zheng's presence in a daze, air slowly entering his lungs through his nose. Zheng was speechless. Cui Zhijun was also lost. They could no longer control their swirling thoughts.
The shortness of breath means the distance between two hearts is narrowing.
After a long time, Zheng asked tremblingly in the time when the two of them seemed to be in silence, "Should we...should we continue..." Cui Zhiyunwen tucked the hair away from her ears. He was also embarrassed by the answer, "If...you want..."
But the most embarrassing thing was that someone pushed the door open without knowing the situation.
But the person who dared to intrude, upon seeing Cui Zhijun holding Tai Shizheng, stopped at the door and shouted, "Oh my, this is terrible! My son, stop it! My son, stop it! Your wife is pregnant, why are you still... Come down to me quickly——"
"If you hurt my grandson, I will never forgive you."
"Pregnant?!" The young couple leaned on each other, looked out the door and answered in unison.
But this thing hasn’t been done yet, where is the pregnancy?
Cui Zhijun stood up from his couch and looked at Taishi Zheng in surprise. Zheng also looked back in shock, confused about what was going on.
At that time, Yu Yuelan came in from outside, approached her son and said, "My son, don't blame me for speaking harshly. This is an important time for your daughter-in-law, you have to hold it in. It will pass if you bear it."
The more Yu Yuelan spoke, the more confusing it became.
Zheng stood up from the couch and asked, "Mother-in-law, what's wrong? When did I tell her I was pregnant?"
Seeing Tai Shi Zheng's expression, Yu Yuelan thought she was too embarrassed to admit it. "Hey, wife. Do you think that if you don't tell anyone, no one will know? This matter has spread throughout the courtyard. Don't hide it from me. Being pregnant is not a bad thing. Why are you hiding it? If someone hadn't come to your courtyard to borrow something this morning and happened to hear it, how long would you have kept it a secret from me? Are you going to keep it a secret until your belly is big?"
"What! It spread everywhere?" Zheng felt puzzled.
Didn't she just have a dream when she woke up this morning? Zheng was about to explain when someone else spoke from outside the door, "Yes, sister-in-law—such a big happy event, why didn't you even tell me? I was with you all afternoon."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Mingyue and Cui Zhichou walked in with a doctor. It seemed that the couple just listened to the wind and came to join in the fun.
When Zheng saw Song Mingyue getting involved, she felt something was wrong and immediately waved her hand to deny it: "Mother-in-law, Zhichou's wife. You really misunderstood me. How could I not know whether I was pregnant or not? I really am not pregnant, you got it wrong——"
Yu Yuelan sat at the desk, raised her eyes and replied, "Are you mistaken? Zhijun's wife, how can you be so sure?"
Song Mingyue also stood beside Yu Yuelan and echoed, "Yes, sister-in-law. Are you so sure? Could it be that something happened?"
"Because of me, because of me..." Zheng's face turned red with anxiety.
But she couldn't just say it. She and Cui Zhijun hadn't consummated their marriage yet, right? Wouldn't Yu Yuelan cause a huge uproar in their Yinzhu Yatang? Seeing his wife's embarrassment, Cui Zhijun was about to take the blame, "Mother, this matter...it's all because..."
But Zheng stopped him and rushed to Yu Yuelan, "Oh, mother-in-law, please ask the doctor to take a look. Once the doctor takes a look, everything will be clear."
"I think that's a good idea." Yu Yuelan raised her eyebrows.
The doctor immediately put down his medicine box and stepped forward to examine the patient. He stroked his beard and frowned. He played tricks for a long time but couldn't come up with anything. Song Mingyue, who was watching the excitement from the side, was so anxious that she stretched out her arm curiously.
She said, "Mr. Doctor, what do you mean by this? Why don't you show it to me?"
Song Mingyue actually thought it was amusing and didn't think too much about it. But then the doctor turned around and reached for her wrist again. This time, he let out a "huh" and raised his eyebrows. His expression was truly intriguing, leaving everyone present baffled.
Yu Yuelan was puzzled. "Sir, what exactly do you mean? Is it true or not? Just tell me the truth!"
The doctor said, "Yes."
Yu Yuelan breathed a sigh of relief. Tai Shi Zheng, on the other hand, was completely panicked. She turned back to look at Cui Zhijun, unsure how to explain.
The doctor replied, "No."
"So is there one or not?" This time it was Song Mingyue's turn to be anxious.
The doctor stood up and slowly put away the medicine box, pointing at Song Mingyue, "You have it."
Then he pointed at Taishi Zheng and said, "She didn't."
"Anyway, congratulations to Yu Shuren. Your family is having a new baby."
After the doctor said this, he bowed.
The room fell into a dead silence. Yu Yuelan, her son, and her daughter-in-law exchanged glances. Song Mingyue looked at Cui Zhichou in astonishment. Cui Zhichou pointed at himself in disbelief, "I... am going to be a father?"
Song Mingyue seemed to be irritated by this and cursed: "I, I don't believe it. He is just a quack doctor——"
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