Ling Ba... what's going on?
"Where do you get this idea?" he asked, puzzled.
“On my wedding night, my husband went to war in the north and died on the battlefield.” Xia Minxin said, her heartbroken memories flooding back. “My husband died young, and I didn’t even get a good look at him. My in-laws didn’t want to support me anymore, but thankfully, my family was willing to take me in.”
Her words were extremely calm, as if she were talking about someone else's affairs.
In her view, the pain of losing her husband, or perhaps the injustice of her fate in recent years,
None of that could compare to the pain of losing her mother at this moment, which saddened her.
Upon hearing this, Ling Ba suddenly thought of his years of suppressing rebellions and quelling disturbances.
I never imagined that the little girl's fate would be so tragic.
He couldn't help but feel sorry for the familiar figure in front of him.
I want to offer comfort, but I don't know how to express it.
He simply said, "Don't be sad."
"Yes, I'm not sad, it's just that my mother's death is hard for me to accept." My mother is dead, and my father's health isn't very good either.
His two older brothers treated him very well.
She was afraid that over time, her sister-in-law would dislike her.
Looking at her mother's coffin, Xia Minxin wiped away her tears and tentatively asked,
"Big brother, if you are unmarried, can I follow you?" She wanted to find someone to rely on.
"Are you pitying me?" Ling Ba smiled bitterly, ignoring Xia Minxin's nonsensical remarks, and lay down on the carriage.
“It’s not out of pity,” Xia Minxin said earnestly.
However, Ling Ba took it as a joke and stopped talking.
A few days later, Qiu Yan and Gu Qian, dressed in white, joined the Xia family in sending off their aunt at her funeral.
The funeral procession was filled with sorrow and oppression.
On her way home, Qiu Yan felt empty inside.
She, Gu Qianling, and the other two spent several days at the Xia family's house.
With this matter concluded and they already back home, of course they wanted to return to the village to visit their master and mistress.
Gu Qian, on the other hand, was in no hurry to leave after returning.
He would wait until Yan Yan gave birth before leaving.
Aside from missing her five sons who lived far away in Shanghai, Qiu Yan didn't insist on anything.
Originally, it took her several months to get there, and now her pregnant belly is already quite prominent.
Lingnan Village is right in front of us.
Every time Qiu Yan and Gu Qian returned to the village, their master and mistress would personally cook for them, and this time was no exception.
As for Li Wenqing and Li Wenhan
They neither continued with the imperial examinations nor joined the army.
Instead, he chose to join the Baiyang Escort Agency, specializing in East-West trade.
Now, both of them have become the heads of Baiyang Escort Agency.
At the beginning of this year, they were sent on a mission to the Western Regions. At this moment, they should be on their way to Shangjin City to deliver goods.
Li Zheng had originally planned to have his two sons accompany him to work on the ranch.
But his son preferred to travel west and east.
They enjoyed life at the security escort agency.
Although they had traveled a long and arduous journey, they had a fulfilling life.
Li Zheng did not insist.
Previously, Li Wenqing and Li Wenhan had purchased a courtyard from Qiu Dafu in Huaiyuan so that their parents could live a comfortable life.
But no matter what his parents said, he refused to move in.
They prefer the tranquility of the countryside to the hustle and bustle of the outside world.
At this moment, because Qiu Yan was pregnant, Li Zheng and his wife did not let her do anything and only let her stay at home to rest.
Li Zheng, Gu Qian, and Ling Ba went to the ranch to slaughter chickens and sheep.
Qiu Yan thought to herself, at this rate of eating, she'd become a big fat person sooner or later.
Knowing that Qin Susu's fetus was too large to deliver, she ate in moderation and exercised appropriately every day.
In Lingnan Village, Qiu Yan became a special recipient of care in her family.
Her daily routine consisted of raising chickens, feeding ducks, and strolling around the vegetable garden with her teacher's wife.
Whenever Qiu Yan goes to the vegetable garden, she always thinks about getting more vegetable seeds.
Aside from missing her five children in Shangjin City every day, her mood was relatively pleasant.
The figures of many elderly people in the village are gradually fading away.
Watching familiar people leave her one by one, this feeling is indescribable.
Zhao Yougui passed away seven or eight years ago.
The last time I went back to the village, Grandma Liu had also passed away, and Zhao Juan attended her funeral.
Zhao Juan and Liu Qi have long since built their own brick house in the village, and their lives are thriving. Now that Qiu Yan has returned, she comes to chat with her every day.
Young Liu, whose illness was not good, also passed away. On the day she died, she said she wanted to see Zhao Juan one last time to make up for the many years of mother-son relationship.
She's almost at the end of her life, so she's not afraid of anything about bringing bad luck to her mother.
However, Zhao Juan was still somewhat stubborn, and she did not go to the funeral of Xiao Liu until it was over.
Even when Liu Qi tried to persuade her, she retorted with her words and dared not speak further.
Days passed by, and during that time, Xia Minmin and Xia Minxin came a few times, partly to visit and partly to catch up.
Whenever Xia Minxin visited, she would always find time to talk to Ling Ba for a while.
Things seem to be going against the grain.
Xia Minxin told Ling Ba that since she was a child, she had always thought about her older brother, as long as he didn't dislike her...
She wanted someone to rely on, and coincidentally, that person was an older brother she had a very good impression of since childhood.
Ling Ba, incomprehensible.
He instinctively ran away.
And more than once, he avoided Xia Minxin.
He didn't want to be seen as taking advantage of someone's vulnerability...
...Qiu Yan noticed that her teacher's wife was in a much better mood than usual this time she returned home.
She no longer visits her daughter's grave every day, nor does she secretly wipe away her tears every day.
Most of my time is spent taking care of her, the pregnant woman.
The reason for this was that He Lin no longer visited Li Zheng and his wife whenever he went there.
Qiu Yan has no biological mother. For her first three pregnancies, her aunt took care of her throughout; for her last pregnancy, her teacher's wife took care of her.
She felt that her life was actually quite good.
Although her birth mother died early, she felt a deep maternal love from her aunt and her teacher's wife.
She also prepared many medicinal meals specifically for her master's cough and asthma, as well as her master's wife's poor health.
Thanks to her care over the years, my master and mistress have never experienced any health problems.
In late summer, my second uncle and aunt suddenly returned home with Qiu Luoning and her sister, as well as Li Wenhan and his brother.
Abrupt, yet surprising.
Tonight is another night of reunion.
The two families gathered together in the Li family's kitchen to reminisce about the past.
Qiu Dafu and Jiang Liu brought their daughters home this time for their daughters' marriage.
Originally, they had already been looking for a good match for their daughter in Shangjin.
However, when Li Wenhan and Li Wenqing went on a mission and traveled thousands of miles to Shangjin, they changed their minds about choosing a son-in-law in Shangjin.
In their early years, the four children were childhood sweethearts and grew up together.
I don't know when it happened, but we started to find each other pleasing to the eye.
Li Wenhan and Qiu Luoning, Li Wenqing and Qiu Luoying
This was a combination that Qiu Yan and Gu Qian had never expected.
They were shocked, but at the same time, they found it amazing.
The weddings of two couples were held in Huaiyuan.
Shortly before the wedding, Qiu Yan, Gu Qian, her second uncle's family, and her master's family all moved to Huaiyuan.
They spent two happy months together.
Afterwards, the two young couples went to carry out their missions.
Li Zheng and his wife, along with Qiu Yan and Gu Qian, returned to Lingnan Village.
Qiu Yan and Gu Qian never expected that this return home would be filled with mixed feelings of sorrow and joy.
Going home is not easy, so cherish every opportunity to return.
Unexpectedly, after Qiu Yan and the others returned to the village from the wedding banquet, they saw a woman sitting at the gate of their Qiu family's courtyard, her eyes lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
Qiu Yan looked closely and saw that it was Xia Minxin.
"Xin'er, what brings you here?"
"Cousin, I thought... I thought you had left." Xia Minxin pursed her lips as Qiu Yan immediately took her wrist and led her into the Qiu family courtyard.
Once inside the courtyard, Xia Minxin finally looked up and her gaze fell on Ling Ba, who was following closely behind Gu Qian.
Are you leaving?
"Huh?" Ling Ba was puzzled.
Xia Minxin was somewhat saddened and murmured to herself,
“I don’t mind that you’re older, but you mind that I’ve been married before.”
Ling Ba: "No."
Xia Minxin: "You still say no."
"At my age, I could be your father," Ling Ba said with a smile, seemingly nonchalant, but his gaze couldn't help but fall on Qiu Yan.
Finally, she met Gu Qian's gaze and couldn't help but blink.
It's a luxury, something unattainable.
The conversation between the two left Qiu Yan and Gu Qian slightly stunned.
Their gazes darted back and forth between Ling Ba and Xia Minxin.
They were also shocked.
"Who said that? My dad is much older than you." Xia Minxin is the youngest daughter in her family; her older sisters are old enough to be her mother...
Gu Qian and Qiu Yan exchanged glances, then looked at Ling Ba.
The latter looked utterly embarrassed.
"Cousin, can I go to Shangjin City with you?" Xia Minxin pleaded, while Ling Ba's expression was somewhat unreadable.
"Sure." Qiu Yan naturally wouldn't refuse her lonely and helpless cousin's request to come and rely on her.
But this cousin Xin'er and cousin Ling Ba... this... I never expected it, I never expected it.
"However, I am too far along in my pregnancy now, and I will have to wait until the baby is born and the pregnancy is stable before I can leave, probably around the middle of next month."
Xia Minxin: "Anytime is fine. My cousin needs someone to serve her. Can I stay with her these days?"
Ling Ba was slightly taken aback, thinking to himself, how could he possibly bring himself to harm the little girl from the past?
...More than three months have passed since then.
Since March
Accompanied by her teacher's wife and cousin Xin'er, Qiu Yan took walks in the mountains every day, hoping that the child would be born more easily.
Ling Ba, on the other hand, followed Gu Qian, working tirelessly day and night in the ranch and medicinal fields.
Life is colorful.
Now, more than half a month has passed since Qiu Yan's due date, making her restless.
She made thorough preparations every day, awaiting childbirth.
Even the midwife followed, observing every day.
What can be done?
The child is attached to the belly.
Qiu Yan had no choice.
In the middle of the night, Qiu Yan waited anxiously, and couldn't help but mutter to herself,
Why aren't you out yet?
Looking at Gu Qian, who was already fast asleep beside him,
She tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep, so she got up and, under the oil lamp, began to read the fine medical books her great-grandfather had left her.
Although she had already read these medical books countless times,
But each time she looked at it, she had a different perspective.
The medical books were exquisite and difficult to understand, yet she managed to thoroughly comprehend them all.
From this, I learned a lot of tricky and difficult questions.
Unexpectedly, just as he was engrossed in reading, Gu Qian snatched the medical book away.
"Wife, why aren't you resting? Be careful not to hurt your eyes."
Qiu Yan: Okay, she won't watch it.
Suddenly I felt my body lighten.
Gu Qian carried her to the bed.
Gu Qian gently stroked Qiu Yan's lower abdomen with one hand, and whispered reassuringly.
"Yan Yan, the midwife is in your family's courtyard. Her birth date is fixed, so there's no need to rush."
"I know, there's no rush," Qiu Yan whispered. If being anxious would have helped, her child would have been born long ago.
The couple lay down together, and after tossing and turning several times, Qiu Yan finally fell asleep in Gu Qian's gentle embrace.
Gu Qian also fell asleep after Qiu Yan fell asleep.
In her dream, Qiu Yan experienced intermittent, slight pain in her lower abdomen.
In my dream, I was giving birth in my room with the help of three midwives...
A slight, intermittent pain came in waves from my lower abdomen.
Qiu Yan's brows were tightly furrowed, showing no sign of relaxing.
After the initial pain, waves of sensation followed...
"Gu Qian!"
Awakened by the contractions, Qiu Yan gripped Gu Qian's wrist tightly.
Qiu Yan called out urgently, causing Gu Qian to suddenly stand up.
"Yan Yan, are you about to give birth?!"
Before the question was even finished, Gu Qian had already put on his shoes and socks and gotten out of bed.
As soon as I opened the door, I saw my teacher's wife knocking.
"Gu Qian, quickly call the midwife!" Ye Qiuyun's words pushed Gu Qian out of the house.
"Yes." Gu Qian was about to call the midwife, but his palms were already soaked with sweat.
At first glance, his master was standing next to him, also waiting anxiously.
Because it was late, the servants had already gone to bed.
Therefore, Ye Qiuyun urgently said to Li Zheng, who was following closely behind:
"Brother Li, boil some water!"
Li Zheng nodded, and upon closer inspection, he saw that Xia Minxin was already doing the boiling water.
When 36-year-old Qiu Yan was giving birth, her tension overcame her abdominal pain. As for why...
I'm afraid of having another son.
Even though she had already prepared herself mentally.
In fact, Gu Qian was even more nervous than Yan Yan, because of Yan Yan's desire to have a daughter, even at the risk of her life.
If he has another son, will his Yan Yan be very sad?
"Xiaoyan, don't be nervous, the baby's position is very stable," Ye Qiuyun comforted Qiuyan as she stroked her round pregnant belly.
The kind face of her teacher's wife eased Qiu Yan's tension somewhat.
"Master's wife, has the midwife arrived yet?" She groaned softly as her stomach cramped.
Ye Qiuyun: "Gu Qian has already gone to invite him, it will be soon. Xiaoyan, don't be afraid, your master's wife is here."
"Xiaoyan, don't be afraid." With a sharp, intense pain, Qiu Yan couldn't wait for the midwife to arrive; the baby was already impatient...
Ye Qiuyun, who was standing anxiously to the side, took the initiative to assume the responsibility of being a midwife.
The baby was born crying loudly, startling all the servants in the courtyard.
That's it, it's none of their business anymore.
After a tense period of labor, Qiu Yan finally gave birth.
Exhausted
"Boy or girl?" Qiu Yan asked her teacher's wife softly, then hurriedly shook her head.
"No, don't tell me, let me sleep for a while first."
She was truly terrified of that sentence.
Congratulations, Your Highness, it's a young prince.
"Thank God!" Ye Qiuyun breathed a sigh of relief, immediately wiped the child clean, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and placed him in the cradle. Then, she began to clean the bloodstains from Qiu Yan.
As soon as Qiu Yan lay down, she continued her unfinished dream.
In her dream, she was holding her newborn son, and the expression on her face was even more unpleasant than crying.
"Son? Another son?"
She's really not as lucky as Su Su; even Buddha didn't favor her this time.
Gu Qian: "Wife, there's nothing wrong with having a son."
Her husband, standing nearby, kept comforting her.
Qiu Yan no longer knows what is bad.
"Yes, as long as it's my child, a son, there's nothing wrong with it." Fine, a son it is then, Qiu Yan has completely accepted her fate this time.
...When Gu Qian led the midwife from the neighboring courtyard to the scene, his Yan Yan was already fast asleep.
The tiny infant had already been carefully wrapped up by the master's wife and taken into her room.
He couldn't help but wonder,
"Why so fast this time?"
He only needed to hire a midwife, and the baby was born.
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