"What good news?" Guo Honglei always treated the wet nurse with respect and waited patiently for the old woman.
"Sir, great joy!"
Nanny Pan approached, clutching her apron. Fearing he would rush back to camp, she informed him immediately, "The young lady is pregnant! She's been pregnant for over two months. When the child is born next year, you'll be a father." She smiled as she spoke, and asked cheerfully, "Who are you?"
"How is it? Are you happy to hear this good news?"
Guo Honglei was stunned, completely stunned, almost thinking there was something wrong with his ears. He slowly opened his eyes wide, ecstasy suddenly rushing through his heart. He opened his mouth, but his words faltered. After a long while, he finally managed to squeeze out a word, excitedly asking, "Really?"
"Oh, how can it not be true!"
Nanny Pan was genuinely relieved, but her face wrinkled, and she feigned anger, saying, "Fang Sheng has taken her pulse several times and it's absolutely true. The pregnancy should be apparent in two months. Is the young master so overjoyed that he's actually asking 'is it true?' Don't say that in front of the young lady, or she'll get angry."
Guo Honglei pressed his right hand against the hilt of the knife, his left hand waving hurriedly as he spoke incoherently, explaining, "Mammy, you misunderstood. I had no suspicions! It's just, it's just... We only consummated our marriage at the end of April, and it's the beginning of July now, so it's been over two months. She's been pregnant for over two months, doesn't that mean—hmm?"
Let’s do the math, she got pregnant two days after consummating the marriage?
Nanny Pan understood and was instantly delighted. She clapped her hands crisply, leaned closer, and whispered, "Hey, what's so strange about this? The day you consummated your marriage was an auspicious one, and the young lady was pregnant right away. Of course, the young master's strong body played a significant role. In short, it's truly 'destined' for marriage. Look, you two are such a perfect match, and everything will go smoothly and you'll be pregnant!"
Guo Honglei stood there, his face flushed with the compliment from the Empress, "You're strong and healthy, thanks to your contributions." Amidst the embarrassment, a sense of pride welled up within him. After all, there wasn't a single man in the world who didn't enjoy such compliments... He beamed, extremely delighted, but warned, "Don't say that to her, Madam. She's shy and would be embarrassed."
"Hahaha~" Nanny Pan laughed her ass off. "I may be old, but I'm not senile. I'm definitely not like you, dumbfounded the moment you hear that, just stomping on the ground and laughing. Where's your usual composure and cleverness gone?"
Guo Honglei was dressed neatly in military uniform, looking heroic and high-spirited, with his sword-like brows and bright eyes relaxed. He couldn't stop laughing and let his nanny tease him.
"Are you happy?" Nanny Pan said happily.
Guo Honglei felt refreshed and answered without hesitation, "Happy!"
"Don't just be happy. You should care for your wife even more from now on." Madam Pan patted her apron and urged, "It's noon now. Go and take the young mistress home. It's time for lunch. Alas, young master, you don't know. The last time she went back to the county, Master Pan assigned her an important errand. She worked day and night. I'm really worried she's exhausted."
"Important errand? What did Magistrate Pan ask her to do?"
Nanny Pan sighed, "It's a long story—"
Suddenly, a head popped out of the kitchen. A soldier named Xiaoshu called out, "Madam Pan, the food is almost burnt. Do you want some water?"
"No need to add more, I'll be right back!" Pan Ma said as she returned to the kitchen. "We'll talk more later. I'll cook first. Everyone is hungry. Especially the young lady. She's pregnant and can't go hungry."
Guo Honglei could only nod, his ecstasy somewhat dampened, and he began to worry. He turned around, strode out with great speed, and hurried to pick up his wife.
Inside the wing
Cao Hua heard the noise, turned his head and looked a few times, then asked casually, "That kid Guo Honglei, why is he so happy when he's laughing like that?"
Coincidentally, Xiaoshu, who was in charge of taking care of the wounded, came into the room carrying medicine and replied, "Mrs. Guo is pregnant. He just heard about it and of course he is happy."
"Oh." Cao Hua suddenly understood. He took the medicine, stirred it, and blew on it to cool it down himself. He praised, "As expected of a young man from a noble family, he has an extraordinary heart and bearing. Even though he was reduced to a prisoner and forced to serve as a soldier in a remote village, he never showed any sign of dejection or resentment. He remained neither humble nor arrogant. It's really admirable."
Xiaoshu agreed, "It's indeed rare. The Guo family was exiled and had to walk from the capital to Xicang, a full three thousand miles. It was really hard and painful." He scratched his head, wanting to say something but stopping himself.
"Just say what you want to say. Why are you hesitating?" Cao Hua bent down and fed his son the medicine one mouthful at a time.
Xiaoshu thought for a moment and then told the truth, "There's something I feel I should report to you. Young Master Cao and Cao Da were critically injured two days ago, but were fortunately saved by the Single Ginseng Soup. I heard from a servant from the Guo family that those ginseng roots were originally given to Madam Guo by a relative to nourish her since she was pregnant, but Cao Da ended up using them all."
"Ah?" Cao Da was startled, and instantly felt guilty and grateful. He struggled and said weakly: "Dad——" @Infinite good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Cao Hua raised his hand and interrupted, "Don't worry! I'm grateful for what I've done. How could I use someone else's precious medicinal herbs for nothing? I've already made up my mind. When I return to camp, I'll immediately write a letter asking your mother to find some good ginseng and give it to the Guo family as compensation."
"You must pay me. Otherwise, I won't be able to live with myself." Cao Da finished drinking the medicine and fell into a drowsy state. The two wounded soldiers lay side by side, their faces pale and their lips pale.
Cao Hua consoled him, "Of course, you should be compensated. Take a rest and recuperate. Don't overwork yourself."
Cao Da did not respond and fell asleep quickly.
"Go to sleep." Cao Hua stood up and told Xiaoshu to leave the room. He glanced around and couldn't help asking, "Did the Guo family know in advance that Xiaoda was my son, so they took out the ginseng? Or did they not know in advance?"
Xiaoshu shook his head. "They didn't know. Captain Yan ordered Zhuzi and me to stay behind and take care of the injured brothers. We were unfamiliar with the area and were also very busy. We had no time and were too embarrassed to talk to the Guo family. The night before last, Doctor Fang saw Cao Da in critical condition and ran to ask Madam Guo for permission. They quickly made a ginseng soup for him without consulting us at all."
Cao Hua sighed and nodded, feeling very fortunate. Then he said with fear, "My son is very lucky. Not only is God's blessing bestowed upon a man of good fortune, but he also met a kind and righteous man. Otherwise, his life would have been in jeopardy."
"Thank goodness I met a good person, a capable one at that, otherwise it would have been terrible."
The sun was shining brightly in the sky and it was extremely hot. Thick clouds were slowly floating over the horizon, and it seemed that a heavy rain was about to fall.
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
Guo Honglei couldn't wait and wanted to ride a horse, but then he thought: She loves riding horses, but she is pregnant and can't stand the bumps.
Since they were in the same village and not far from each other, he decided to walk, striding with his head held high. In just a moment, he arrived at Zhuang Song's place.
As it was noon, the crowd that had gathered to watch the fun had dispersed and went home to cook.
But Liu Dong was still lying on the wall, pretending to watch the fun, staring at Jiang Yushu in the yard with his eyes fixed.
He took advantage of the good opportunity and was so engrossed in watching that he didn't notice that his fellow villagers had left one after another.
Martial artists walk lightly. Guo Honglei's robe fluttered as he spotted Liu Dong from a distance. He also noticed the crowd in the yard. He didn't pay attention at first, but after turning a corner, he looked up and suddenly noticed something unusual.
The man was lying on the wall, motionless, with a dazed look on his face, and clearly showing admiration - besides the old woman, there were only two young people in the yard, Yushu and Cuimei, so who was he looking at?
Guo Honglei's footsteps grew increasingly light as he approached with a sharp gaze. After a moment, his face darkened as he scrutinized Liu Dong's profile. His hands involuntarily clenched into fists, and he thought:
How dare you openly covet my wife?
The next moment, Cuimei accidentally glanced at the two men standing outside the wall and immediately shouted, "Young Master!" She hurriedly tugged at Jiang Yushu's sleeve, "Look, young lady, the young master is back."
Jiang Yushu turned around in surprise, then smiled brightly. She immediately walked down the stairs, intending to approach but paused. She asked in surprise, "You're back? How did you find yourself here? Have you had lunch?"
"Second brother!" Guo Hongzhe jumped for joy and ran out through the crowd.
In an instant, the crowd turned around. The head of the village from other villages looked at the young man in military uniform curiously, and acquaintances from the village came closer to greet him, asking about his life, and the atmosphere was lively and lively.
@Unlimited good articles, all in Jinjiang Literature City
In such a situation, Guo Honglei was not in a position to lose his temper in public. He was secretly furious, but he forced himself to suppress it and responded to all the questions as if nothing had happened.
What? Her husband is back? Liu Dong was shocked and turned around hastily, facing Guo Honglei who was a few feet away. She was so scared that her heart almost jumped out of her throat.
Guo Honglei was tall, strong and upright, with bright and fierce eyes; Liu Dong was dark and thin, and shrank back because of his guilty conscience. He was embarrassed and nervous, and subconsciously retreated, bumping into the wall. He then ducked down and slipped away along the wall, fearing that he would be beaten.
Humph, he's so flustered, he really has ulterior motives, not me being overly suspicious. Guo Honglei leaned sideways, his eyes like knives, stabbing Liu Dong in the back.
At the same time, Jiang Yushu hurriedly handed the manuscript to Zhuang Song and said briefly, "This is some of my experience. If you don't mind, feel free to use it!"
Zhuang Song dusted off the manuscript. "I've carefully read it several times and plan to print it into a booklet and distribute it to each village so they can read and study it. This will prevent them from pestering us with questions. We're short-handed, and even if we had three heads and six arms, we wouldn't be able to share enough for them."
"Okay! You decide on this matter." Jiang Yushu had already walked out while she was speaking. Without even looking back, she said, "By the way, I might be late this afternoon. Please help me lead them in learning how to germinate potatoes first."
"I, I'm not very good at it. You are the 'teacher' and you have to be there to keep an eye on them to prevent them from learning the wrong things without realizing it." Zhuang Song waved the manuscript anxiously.
Jiang Yushu had already walked out of the yard. "Don't worry, I'll come to help you as soon as I'm done."
Outside the wall, the two brothers stood side by side, surrounded by their servants, and greeted each other.
Guo Hongzhe vividly recalled the thrilling scene, feeling inexplicably excited and saying with emotion: "Oh, it was extremely dangerous at that time. We didn't even bother to lock the door. As soon as we ran to the foot of the mountain, the enemy cavalry rushed to the gate of the courtyard. They were yelling and yelling, and I don't know what they were shouting. They killed sheep and kicked doors and rummaged through the cabinets. They made a mess of the house. It was extremely hateful!"
"Fortunately, they were eventually wiped out by the Dagan soldiers. They deserved their death."
Guo Honglei patted his brother's arm and praised him, "Very good, you handled it well. In times of danger, life is the most important thing. It doesn't matter if your belongings are destroyed."
Cuimei came over with Jiang Yushu on her arm. "It's so hot, let's talk at home. You're getting dizzy standing here."
"Are you dizzy?"
"No. I've been staying indoors the whole time, out of the sun."
Guo Honglei hurried over to greet her. He raised his hand, and Cuimei tactfully stepped aside. He lowered his head and carefully adjusted his wife's veil, his movements slow and laborious. "Most of those people in the courtyard are strangers. I've never seen them before. Madam said they were the head of a village outside?"
Being so intimate in public, practically embraced by his open arms, Jiang Yushu felt a little embarrassed and whispered, "Yes. The strangers you saw are the village heads of this town and Liangang Town. The government has ordered them to plant new crops. In a few days, they will carry the seeds back to their villages and begin their work."
Afterwards, the young couple took the lead, Guo Hongzhe and his brother walked side by side, and the others followed, talking and laughing, in harmony and joy.
Oh no, he seems to have found out. Will he teach me a lesson? Liu Dong hid behind a pile of firewood in a high place, feeling uneasy and dejected.
A moment later, the group returned to the courtyard gate. As they climbed the steps, Guo Honglei naturally supported his wife and whispered, "Be careful, go slowly."
Jiang Yushu paused, a light bulb went off in her head, and she turned to look: Guo Honglei's eyes were bright and full of smiles, and he whispered, "Mammy told me."
"...Yeah." Jiang Yushu's voice was as soft as a mosquito's. She lowered her head and climbed the stairs. His right hand was held by her, which felt warm and solid.
Hearing the sound, Cao Hua walked out of the main room.
"This is Lord Cao." Guo Honglei held his wife's veil.
Jiang Yushu stopped, bowed, and said with a dignified manner, "Master Cao."
"Thanks to the kindness of the Guo family, several wounded soldiers have recovered from their critical condition." Cao Hua was very pleasant and praised them highly. He promised, "I will report your generosity to the army and see if I can get you some reward."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "It's just that I couldn't bear to see you. I only took you in for a few days and didn't dare to accept the reward. Please sit down and have some tea, sir."
"Please." Guo Honglei cheered up and treated the guests to tea and food. After the meal, they drank tea and chatted for a while. Cao Hua was worried about the child, so he went to the side room and personally took care of his son to take medicine and drink porridge.
In the east room, there is the sound of water.
Jiang Yushu always had the habit of taking a nap during lunch break. She changed into her pajamas, washed her hands and face, and asked curiously, "He went out?"
"What is he looking for Zhuang Zhubu for in the middle of the day?"
"My guess is, he must have gone to ask the village head clerk to look after the young lady!" Nanny Pan smiled, taking it for granted and revealing, "What a pity, you didn't see it. When I told him the good news, the young master was stunned for a moment, almost overjoyed. Hahahaha."
Jiang Yushu blushed, unable to contain her laughter. After hanging up the wet handkerchief, she buried her head in packing up a few porcelain bottles, sighing, "He's not coming home to visit relatives this time. According to Lord Cao, he's busy with military duties and will be back in camp soon. It just so happens that Doctor Fang has just prepared a few bottles of ginger paste, as well as some summer heat relief pills and fire-clearing powder. He was told to take them all with him, just in case."
"Oh, you're so thoughtful!" Madam Pan slapped her forehead. "I was just talking about it before lunch, but I got so busy that I forgot."
Jiang Yushu smiled and said, "I'm afraid I'll forget. When he comes back later, remember to remind him."
At this moment, the main house of the Guo family in Changping County.
"I don't know what's wrong with my aunt recently. She always looks at me in a bad mood and even scolds me in public. It's so infuriating!" Wang Qiaozhen hated weaving and pretended to be sick again, lying on the couch and sulking.
A trusted maidservant was forced to feign illness, serving tea and water, and soothing her, "Calm down. The old lady is both your aunt and your mother-in-law, a perfect match. She loves you dearly. I guess it's because it's hot, and she's always afraid of it, so she's a little irritable. She said a few words to you, but her tone wasn't scolding."
"Aunt is so disrespectful to me." Wang Qiaozhen was filled with resentment and indignation. She sneered, "As a mother-in-law, she compared me with Jiang Yushu in public, complaining that I wasn't as hardworking as my second daughter-in-law. She even praised her pregnancy. Oh, if you didn't know, you would think she had already given birth to a child for the Guo family. She clearly just got pregnant, but she asked my third brother to write a letter to announce the good news. What a show-off!"
"Hmph, if nothing unexpected happens, she will move to Changping at the end of the month. Then I want to see how diligent, capable, and virtuous she is!"
"If you have the ability, serve my aunt filially and make her your aunt!"
The author has something to say:
Jiang Yushu: No, your aunt, absolutely, your aunt! [Shakes head vigorously]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
