Chapter 69 Morning Sickness! Did he really become a father? ...
On a whim, Qingduo pretended to be a fortune teller, but was exposed on the spot. Feeling bad, she took the initiative to invite Huiying and the scholar to a nearby restaurant for dinner as an apology.
When she returned after a hearty meal, she found Zeng Zhengqing was not there. She asked a servant and learned that he was kneeling in the ancestral hall.
ah?
Even you make mistakes?
It was still a big mistake!
In her mind, a minor mistake would be resolved with a lecture; but being taken to the ancestral hall meant she had committed a terrible crime.
So, what did he do that offended his ancestors?
As expected of Qingqing, she either doesn't make mistakes at all, or she makes big ones!
Others are "silent until they speak, then they make a stunning statement," but he is "unperturbed until he commits a serious offense, then he shocks the entire sect!"
Qingduo pondered dejectedly: There must have been something going on between those two today; they're both apologizing profusely!
She waited for a long time, but he still hadn't returned, so she decided to go to the ancestral hall to check. Perfect, she'd never seen an ancestral hall before!
Before Qingduo even approached the ancestral hall, the solemn and imposing atmosphere already overwhelmed her. She subconsciously stopped in her tracks, hesitating whether to go in.
But then she thought about it again. All the Zeng family members she had met had that serious and unsmiling look. She figured that the Zeng family's ancestors must have been just as stern.
The eldest uncle alone possessed such a formidable presence; one can only imagine the sheer power of having a dozen or twenty elders gathered in the ancestral hall. With the passage of time, this power, like the aroma of fine wine, spread far and wide, filling the air with a heavy, oppressive atmosphere—no wonder it's so powerful.
Having figured this out, she took a deep breath, silently prepared herself, quietly clenched her fists, encouraged herself, and then stepped inside again.
Before she could even step through the main gate, she saw two figures kneeling on the ground. Judging from their figures, they were Zeng Zhengqing and his younger brother Zeng Zhengji.
Qingduo deliberately cleared her throat, and seeing the two turn around at the sound, she chuckled and said, "You two have finally met your match!"
*
Although she often angered her father, she never made any serious mistakes that would punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall.
Of course, their family doesn't have an ancestral hall either.
Qingduo lifted her skirt and hopped over the threshold: "I only knew Qingqing was here, how come Zhengji is here too?"
"Speak!" She looked at the older brother on the left, then at the younger brother on the right, "What's wrong with you two brothers?"
Zeng Zhengqing did not answer. Zhengji lowered his head and said, "My brother was punished because of me, so it is only right that I come to accompany him."
Qingduo bent down and patted his shoulder, praising, "Xiao Zhengji, you're so loyal! You're truly a good brother to your brother!"
Zeng Zhengji opened his mouth slightly, unsure how to respond. Before he could answer, Qingduo had already turned to Zeng Zhengqing and asked, "And you? What was the reason you were punished?"
Zeng Zhengqing stared straight ahead, his eyes fixed on the ancestral tablets on the table, saying nothing. Seeing that he ignored her, Qingduo grinned and walked around to him, deliberately blocking his view. She bent down to meet his eyes and asked, "Little Zhengqing, tell your sister, what mistake did you make?"
Who does she think she is as an older sister!
The way she blocked her way made it seem as if she wasn't kneeling before her own ancestor, but rather before her!
How could Zeng Zhengqing not know that Qingduo was taking advantage of him, and in a "double" way?
But what could he do?
He could only say helplessly, "Stop messing around."
If this person in front of me were to listen, the river would probably flow backwards. Qingduo smiled and said, "Sure, sure! Tell me the reason, and I'll move aside right away!"
Zeng Zhengqing simply closed his eyes, hoping to find peace of mind out of sight. The other person stood in front of him for a while, but perhaps finding him uninteresting, they stopped. He heard footsteps moving to his left.
Silence finally returned to the surroundings. Undisturbed, he knelt quietly. After an unknown amount of time, a crisp "crack" suddenly rang out in the ancestral hall.
Zeng Zhengqing couldn't help but open his eyes and look. His wife was sitting cross-legged not far away, holding a red apple bigger than her hand, chewing it constantly. The sound he had just heard was from her biting into the apple.
He stared at her in shock for a long while, then his heart skipped a beat. As if he had thought of something, he quickly looked at the offerings on the table. He saw that the offerings on the plate were stacked like a small pagoda, neat and tidy, just as they were before, with not a single one missing. Only then did his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, settle down.
Qingduo saw his gaze and immediately understood what he was thinking! She protested, "Hey! Zeng Zhengqing! How could you think of me like that? How could I be so outrageous? Who would steal food from their ancestors?"
"Hmph! I was thinking of you! I brought this from the house! I figured you must be hungry after kneeling for so long, so I brought it for you. But seeing how calm you are, I guess you don't need it. Anyway, I've already brought it, so I might as well eat it myself." She said angrily, taking another big bite.
Zeng Zhengqing sighed. Let alone eating the offerings, even if Qingduo took all the utensils here and sold them, it wouldn't be surprising!
If someone were to intrude at this moment, they would see this strange sight: two tall men, looking helplessly to one side, are watching a woman sitting cross-legged on a futon, holding an apple and eating it with relish, oblivious to everyone else. The crisp sound of the fruit being bitten open, mixed with the splashing juice, makes one's mouth water.
Qingduo inadvertently caught the two brothers' gazes and said in surprise, "Hey? You want to eat it too? What a pity!" She took another bite, "It's too late, I've already eaten it."
She turned to Zeng Zhengji and said, "I didn't only take one because I was biased towards Qingqing. I just didn't know you were here. If I had known, I would have taken two! That way, you'll still have food to eat!"
Zeng Zhengqing opened his mouth to say something, but Qingduo suddenly hiccuped, the sound standing out in the quiet space.
He finally shut his mouth and sighed heavily, "Sigh!"
"What's there to sigh about?" Qingduo immediately said, "You made a mistake, and your whole family is here with you. Zeng Zhengqing, you're incredibly lucky!"
“Alas,” Zeng Zhengqing sighed, “I am truly blessed.”
Seeing his expression change from gloomy to helpless, Qingduo couldn't help but chuckle. Zeng Zhengji also couldn't help but smile.
The giggles echoed leisurely throughout the ancestral hall, like sunlight parting the morning mist, gradually dispelling the oppressive atmosphere that made it hard to breathe.
*
After the two returned to the room, Zeng Zhengqing sat on the bed, while Qingduo squatted down and rolled up Zeng Zhengqing's trouser leg. When she saw his knee, she couldn't help but exclaim, "Oh dear, it's all bruised."
She said with concern, "You're too honest! If I tell you to kneel, you kneel properly! No one's watching you, so you just slack off, kneeling for a while, sitting for a while, sitting for a while, kneeling for a while. If no one's around, you just sit there and don't get up!"
She continued to share her experience of slacking off: "You're just too honest! Even though Zhengji is right next to you, he'll kneel down with you, but your knees hurt so much you can't kneel anymore. How could he possibly report you?"
"As the older brother, you should take him along when he's slacking off. It's better than both of you getting injured!"
"What a fool, taking on a little fool—utterly idiotic." She was exasperated.
Qingduo stood up and called out, "Fangqing, Fangqing, bring us one of those ointments for treating bruises!"
Suddenly remembering something, he added, "Take another one to the second young master!"
When she turned around, she saw Zeng Zhengqing smiling directly at her, and she couldn't help but widen her eyes: "Still smiling? Have you really become a big fool?"
Zeng Zhengqing chuckled out loud, which annoyed Qingduo. She was injured from being forced to kneel, so why was Qingqing still laughing like that? Was he too proud and unable to get over the humiliation, or had he gone mad?
She panicked and strode up to him, saying, "Hey! What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"
He suddenly reached out and pulled her over. Qingduo gasped and fell to the ground beside him. Before she could say anything, he pulled her into his arms.
"So cute!" Zeng Zhengqing exclaimed.
"Ah Zhao!" He hugged her even tighter. "You're right! I really am so happy!"
Qingduo breathed a sigh of relief and scolded, "You! I thought you'd suffered some kind of shock and gone crazy!"
Zeng Zhengqing's body tensed instantly. He silently stroked her hair and suddenly asked, "Do you...think I would?"
"It's hard to say," Qingduo shook her head, released him, put her hands on her hips, and looked smug. "Originally, maybe, but now that you know me, even if you lose your mind one day, you'll still be laughing!"
Zeng Zhengqing burst into laughter, and his laughter mingled with Qingduo's, creating a joyful, carefree, and harmonious melody.
Fang Qing brought in the ointment, and Zeng Zhengqing stretched his legs out on the bed. Qing Duo sat opposite him and bent down to carefully apply the ointment: "If I hurt you, please don't bear it."
Zeng Zhengqing smiled slightly: "It hasn't hurt for a long time."
Qingduo smiled and glanced up at him. Her bright eyes seemed to have a shooting star streaking across Zeng Zhengqing's heart, making it beat, tremble, and become chaotic.
He composed himself and changed the subject: "Did you find anything fun to do today?"
Once this was mentioned, she started talking non-stop, her hands never stopping, and Qingduo went on and on: "The restaurants in Luzhou are no worse than those in Wuzhou! We ate lion's head meatballs, roasted mutton, goose and duck skewers, and also drank black chicken soup. They all have their own unique flavors!"
Zeng Zhengqing couldn't help but laugh and said, "You've eaten everything! You've eaten everything on land, why don't you order some that flies in the sky? You've tasted everything that runs on land, why don't you order some that swims in the water?"
"You think I didn't want to try? I was just too full! Eating too much meat is greasy, so I ate some sweet things to cleanse my palate. Qingqing, do you know? They even serve ice cream in winter!"
"I ate too much mutton and was feeling hot and bothered, so I also had a serving of sugar-coated iced dumplings, which were sweet, soft, and chewy," she licked her lips. "If I weren't so full, I would have loved to have another serving!"
Zeng Zhengqing frowned slightly: "Why did you eat something cold again? Be careful, your stomach will hurt, ouch!" He cried out in pain.
He saw Qingduo stop and asked in surprise, "Why, why are you pressing on my injury?"
"Who told you to meddle with me again!" Qingduo rolled her eyes at him.
"You are my wife, I'm just showing you my concern."
"Come on!" Qingduo pouted. "You just love playing the 'dad' for others!"
Zeng Zhengqing stared in disbelief: "I didn't!"
"Of course there is! You're so long-winded, always nagging me or meddling in your own affairs!"
Zeng Zhengqing had no choice but to defend himself: "You used to get stomach aches easily from eating too much ice cream, and now that it's cold, you shouldn't eat cold things. Besides, your period is coming this month, so you should eat more warm and nourishing foods at this time."
Upon hearing this, Qingduo's pupils dilated: "This...this...this is someone's privacy, how...how do you know?"
Just as Zeng Zhengqing was about to speak, Fangqing suddenly announced that Li Mama, who served Huiying, wanted to see him and Qingduo.
Granny Li was Huiying's mother's dowry maid. After Huiying's mother passed away, she devoted herself to taking care of Huiying and her two sisters. To Huiying, she was like a second mother.
"What does she want to see me about?" Zeng Zhengqing asked, puzzled. Although he knew of her existence, he had never interacted with her.
Qingduo, however, remembered encountering Huiying and that scholar. Could she be here to discuss this matter? She called her in repeatedly.
Although Zeng Zhengqing was surprised by Qingduo's agitation, he did not object. The couple quickly tidied themselves up and went to the outer room. When Li Mama saw them, she hurriedly knelt down without bowing and pleaded, "Young Master! Young Madam! Please, both of you, save our Third Miss!"
Qingduo and Zeng Zhengqing exchanged bewildered glances. Qingduo sensed something was amiss. If they wanted Qingqing to help Huiying persuade her father to let her marry that scholar, they wouldn't need to use such a strong word as "save," would they?
Has something terrible happened?
"What happened?" Qingduo asked anxiously, "Tell me quickly!"
Granny Li's voice was trembling with tears: "The master wants to marry our third daughter off to an old man in his forties as his second wife!"
Qingduo and Zeng Zhengqing were taken aback.
Over forty? Qingduo thought vaguely that her father was over forty. If her uncle wanted Huiying to marry a man over forty, it would be like having a young girl the same age as her marrying a man as old as her father.
The thought that her father had married a girl the same age as her, and the thought that she would have to call a woman the same age as her "mother," was unbearable.
A wave of nausea surged from her stomach, churning inside her chest. Thinking of that last point, Qingduo could no longer suppress the nausea and exclaimed, "Ugh!"
Zeng Zhengqing asked with concern, "What's wrong?" He gently patted her back and inquired, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Qingduo ran her hand down her chest, trying to suppress the discomfort, and shook her head, saying, "It's nothing." But as soon as she finished speaking, a wave of nausea rose in her throat: "Ugh—"
Fang Qing hurriedly brought over some tea: "Young Madam, please have some barley tea to soothe your nerves."
Qingduo took the tea and was about to drink it when Granny Li suddenly said, "Wait a minute!" Qingduo paused, looking at her in surprise.
"It's best if the young mistress doesn't drink it," she said briefly.
Zeng Zhengqing was taken aback: "Why?"
Granny Li looked at Qingduo and said, "The young mistress looks like she's experiencing morning sickness, so she might be pregnant. Job's tears tea is cold in nature and not good for the fetus."
A deathly silence fell over the room, followed by Fang Qing's joyful voice: "Congratulations, young mistress! Congratulations, young master!"
Yoho!
No way?
Did he really become a father?
Qingduo sat there blankly, feeling a mix of emotions. She looked up at Zeng Zhengqing, whose gaze was fixed on her, his face deathly pale in contrast to her deep eyes.
Qingduo could see clearly that there was not a trace of joy on his face.
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Author's Note: Update will be at 7 AM next Thursday.
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