Chapter 149
The sunlight fell leisurely on my body. Although the summer sun was scorching, it dissipated some of its scorching heat after passing through the treetops and falling, leaving only warmth.
Xie Shuyu lay on a recliner under a tree, fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan and falling asleep.
Not far away, Jiaojiao was standing on a stool, holding an ink stick in her little hands and grinding ink for her father. When it was almost done, Jiaojiao lay on the desk, supporting her face with her little hands and watching her father write.
As he was looking at it, he picked up the brush beside him, dipped it in ink and started to draw something on the straw paper. Yin Zheng tilted his head to take a look, but saw that it was so dark that he couldn't make out what was drawn.
After finishing the drawing, Jiaojiao looked up and smiled. She pointed at a dark spot and said, "Dad." Then she pointed to a smaller black spot beside it and said, "Uncle."
"What about you?" Yin Zheng asked.
Jiaojiao pointed at the big ink dot with her little hand: "Jiaojiao is here!"
Yin Zheng leaned over to take a closer look and saw that there was indeed a small black dot next to the big ink dot.
Seeing that her painting was very successful, Jiaojiao continued painting with great interest.
Yin Zheng turned his head back and continued writing, occasionally glancing at Jiaojiao who was painting seriously with a brush beside him. In the distance, insects chirped and birds chirped, and when the wind blew, the yard was filled with the fragrance of ink.
After finishing writing a word, Yin Zheng turned his head and saw that Jiaojiao's previously fair and tender face was now covered with ink marks here and there, comparable to the tabby cat that Old Man Li kept at the west end of the village to catch mice.
Noticing that her father's eyes were a little strange, Jiaojiao blinked and raised her hand to wipe her slightly itchy face. This wipe made her face, which was already covered with ink marks, look even more horrible.
Now the tabby cat has turned into a black cat!
Yin Zheng put down the pen in his hand, stood up, carried Jiaojiao to the water tank, scooped a bucket of water and prepared to wash his face.
Jiaojiao looked down at herself in the water and stared in surprise. Before she could say anything, she heard laughter from the side.
Jiaojiao looked back and saw Uncle Huaizhi sitting up from the recliner. He asked seriously, "Whose little black dog is this? Why is he in my house?"
Jiaojiao shook her head and said in a confused yet serious tone, "It's not the little black dog, it's Jiaojiao."
Xie Shuyu frowned, lowered his eyes to hide the mischief in his eyes, and pretended to be puzzled and asked, "No, Jiaojiao's face is white, but yours is black?"
He suddenly looked enlightened, patted the armrest, and said seriously, "Well, he actually dared to pretend to be Jiaojiao. Yin Zheng, throw him out!"
Jiaojiao's eyes widened, and she ran behind her father, reaching out to hug his legs. She shook her head quickly and anxiously, saying, "Jiaojiao's face is white, white, it's really black. It will be white if you wash it with water. Don't lose Jiaojiao!"
Seeing him like this, Xie Shuyu couldn't keep a straight face. Not only did he not suppress the corners of his mouth, but he also couldn't help but curl up the corners of his eyebrows and eyes. That smile diluted the coldness between his eyebrows and eyes. The sunlight fell on his face brightly and dimly, reflecting his cold white skin and was very eye-catching.
Jiaojiao was slow to realize that she had been teased. Her face puffed up immediately, and she ran to the side with her short legs, dragging her small stool over. Then she stood on the stool and climbed up by grabbing Xie Shuyu's clothes. After climbing into Xie Shuyu's arms with great effort, she held Xie Shuyu's face with her little hands and rubbed her dark face against it angrily.
"......?!" Xie Shuyu was about to see what he was going to do, but was caught off guard by having his face covered in ink.
He carried Jiaojiao to the water tank, feeling both angry and amused. He looked down at his face, which was covered in the same black ink as Jiaojiao's. He couldn't help but pinch Jiaojiao's cheeks, forcing his mouth to pout forward, and said with a smile: "It's okay if you're black yourself, but you have to make others black too."
Jiaojiao raised her little head and hummed, then leaned forward and reached out to her father for a hug.
After Yin Zheng held Jiaojiao in his arms, Xie Shuyu looked up at the sky with worry in his eyes. If it didn't rain for another month, there would probably be a severe drought.
In the capital, Qi Yanxiu, the son of the Marquis of Wu'an, was surprised to receive a letter from his good friend Xie Shuyu. Why would Xie Shuyu ask him to send him a parenting guide? Could it be that he already has a child?!
But the timing doesn't match. He has only been on business for over half a year, and he just got out of Liangjiang some time ago. How could he have a child?
But...if she just got pregnant, it is possible!
It's just that this shouldn't be the case. When his aunt urged him to get married in previous years, he was always very cold and even had a hint of resistance and rejection. And with his personality, it's absolutely impossible for him to do such a dirty thing as having a concubine's eldest son or daughter before getting married.
Qi Yanxiu, who couldn't figure it out, simply stopped thinking about it. His good friend's thoughts were always the most difficult to understand. Maybe he had his reasons for doing this!
But what experience does he have in raising children?
Qi Yanxiu thought for a while, and asked the servant beside him to inform the lady, asking Jing'er's wet nurse Mo to share some parenting tips. Of course, he would not ask for the tips for nothing, and there would be a generous reward.
When Grandma Qi heard about this request, she was very confused. Feeling that something was wrong, she asked her personal maid, "Fang'er, why do you think the master wants Madam Mo's experience in raising children?"
Fang'er poured a cup of tea, tested the water temperature, and then served it to the grandmother. She smiled and said, "I guess the master is worried about Jing'er. After all, our Jing'er is the master's first child. How can he not be nervous?"
Grandma Qi took the tea and took a sip. She felt much more at ease after being comforted by Fang'er, but the doubts in her heart lingered for a long time.
This wet nurse's advice is clearly for women with no experience in childbirth. What man would read this? Wouldn't it be a joke if he told others about it? Could it be that the master was asking for it for someone else? If the wife of a good friend wanted this child-rearing advice, she should have come to me. Why would she go around asking the master instead of me?
Besides, none of the families here can't afford a wet nurse.
unless…
Grandma Qi's eyelids jumped, and she sat up from the soft couch she was leaning on. Her face changed immediately. Unless the master asked for this for a woman who had just given birth?!
Thinking back to the dangerous time she gave birth, Grandma Qi, who was still in shock two months later, was so angry that her eyes turned red and her chest heaved violently. Fang'er was so scared that she quickly supported her back and helped her breathe: "Grandma, Grandma, don't be angry. It's not worth it to hurt your body..."
Not long after, Qi Yanxiu was summoned by Grandma Qi. Full of doubt, he saw Grandma Qi's expression and asked hurriedly, "What's wrong with you? Why do you look so bad?"
Grandma Qi, who had been suppressing her bitter anger and grievance, felt extremely aggrieved when he asked her this question. Seeing the anxious look in his eyes, she, who had always been strong-willed, pressed her handkerchief to the corners of her eyes and began to wipe away her tears.
Qi Yanxiu's expression immediately turned cold as he strode forward: "Who bullied you? Tell me, I want to see who is so bold!"
Grandma Qi felt extremely upset. She wiped her tears and gritted her teeth as she said, "Although I don't like you taking a concubine, there's nothing I can do if you insist on taking me. You can bring in whoever you like. How can I kick her out? Why did you keep her outside? Now she has a child right after me. Aren't you planning to embarrass me?"
The cold expression on Qi Yanxiu's face turned into confusion and doubt. Why couldn't he understand what she said today?
Before he could figure out anything, the wife of Marquis Wu'an, who had heard the news and rushed over, started scolding Qi Yanxiu, leaving him dizzy and confused.
When did he start having a mistress? How come he even has a mistress and a child? How come he doesn't know about it?!
After realizing what was going on, Qi Yanxiu sat aside, holding his forehead with his hands, feeling both amused and helpless, gritting his teeth inwardly, "Xie Huaizhi, you've really hurt me so much!"
Let’s not talk about the chaos in the capital for now. In Lijia Village, Wu Yulan dragged her feet and limped towards the village chief’s house.
Passersby fell silent when they saw her like this, and after she passed by, they shook their heads with sympathy. Wu Yulan was a pitiful person. Not only did she have to walk for half an hour after work every day to get pregnant, but she was also treated like this by her husband's family.
The same goes for Chen. She is said to be a close friend in the boudoir, but she never gives out the prescription. She sends people to her house every day to worship the so-called Goddess of Fertility. Isn't this just teasing people?
The village chief's family was also shocked when they saw Wu Yulan. Her black hair was disheveled, and her face, which had only recovered a few days ago, became bruised, red and swollen again. There was blood at the corner of her mouth. When she spoke, it was obvious that one of her lower teeth had fallen out. Her clothes were torn and even bloody in many places. One of her legs was so painful that she could only drag it along without any strength.
Chen quickly pulled her into the house, lifted up her clothes and saw that her body was covered with skin and flesh.
Chen, who was already prone to emotional outbursts due to her pregnancy, felt a pang of pain in her nose, and her eyes instantly reddened. "Why did they beat you like this? This Zhao family is too much. After all, you gave birth to a daughter for them, and you've been married for so many years. How could they be so cruel as to hit you? If you were pregnant and didn't know about it, wouldn't it be a disaster?"
Wu Yulan, who was originally pulling her clothes and laughing awkwardly with her head down in embarrassment, was stunned for a moment when she heard her last sentence. She subconsciously covered her stomach, stammered twice, and a hint of madness flashed in her eyes.
In the past, she accepted being beaten because she really didn't give the Zhao family a son. But now, she couldn't do that. She was praying to the Goddess of Fertility. What if one day the Goddess of Fertility really gave her a son, but he aborted him?
Wu Yulan stared at her belly in a daze and made a decision in her heart.
Chen felt very upset when she saw her appearance. After thinking for a while, she turned around and said something to her mother-in-law.
Old Wang hesitated for a while and then agreed, asking Zhao to turn around and go into the house to get the old clothes and hand them to Chen.
Chen happily took the clothes and turned into the house.
The reason why Old Mrs. Wang agreed to let Chen lend the old dress that Jiaojiao had worn out to Wu Yulan was that she felt that Wu Yulan was really pitiful. Although she was a bit stingy at ordinary times, as a woman, she couldn't bear to see her being abused like this.
Secondly, she was actually still a little hesitant and skeptical about the title of Jiaojiao Fuwa. After all, this thing was still a bit mysterious, so she thought of letting Wu Yulan try it too. If she really got pregnant, they would try to get closer to Yin Xiaozi's family and lend a hand in all aspects.
Chen gave Wu Yulan the small clothes and carefully told her to take them home and put them under her pillow for two nights. When Wu Yulan was about to leave, Chen insisted on seeing her off to the village entrance, saying that she was worried about her leaving like this.
When they were almost at the village entrance, Chen used the excuse that she had forgotten something and took Wu Yulan to the foot of Wushan Mountain. She saw Jiaojiao squatting at the door watching Tiedan and the others playing stone throwing.
Seeing Chen, Jiaojiao raised her little paws and greeted, "Hello, Aunt Chen."
Chen walked over with a smile: "Why doesn't Jiaojiao play with Tiedan and the others?"
Jiaojiao stretched out her slightly dirty little hands to show her, puffing out her cheeks a bit depressedly: "I've played, Shizi and Tangtang have lost everything, Tiedan and the others don't think I'm a good player, so they don't want to play with me anymore."
"It's okay. Our Jiaojiao is still young. When she grows up two years later, she will definitely play better than them." Chen said.
Jiaojiao pursed her lips and nodded vigorously: "Yes, Jiaojiao is still young."
Chen couldn't help but laugh twice and pointed at Wu Yulan standing behind her: "This is my aunt from the next village. You can just call her Aunt Wu."
Jiaojiao looked up at her: "Hello, Aunt Wu."
Wu Yulan responded repeatedly, and was amazed in her heart that there was such a fair and tender child in Lijia Village. She couldn't help but like the pair of clear and bright eyes. She searched her body, but couldn't find anything. She looked around and picked up some cowgrass from the side, and her fingers flew, and she had woven a lifelike grasshopper in a short while.
She handed the grasshopper in her hand to Jiaojiao, who was full of curiosity: "Have it and play with it."
Jiaojiao took it and looked at Wu Yulan with sparkling eyes: "Thank you, auntie."
Her eyes fell on the blood on her clothes. Jiaojiao wrinkled her nose, and suddenly she seemed to remember something and stood up. She said, "Auntie, wait for Jiaojiao," and ran home with her short legs. After asking her father for a piece of malt candy, she ran out again, tiptoed and put the malt candy in Wu Yulan's hand: "Auntie is bleeding, and she needs to take bitter medicine. Eating candy will make it less bitter."
Wu Yulan originally didn't intend to take it, but Chen took it with a smile and put it in her hand. Then she said goodbye to Jiaojiao and took her away.
After Wu Yulan returned home, she did not go home first, but went to her brother's house to talk to them. That night, when Wu Yulan's brothers were having dinner at Zhao's house, they rushed in and not only smashed things, but also beat Zhao Wu up.
Wu Yulan stood aside and watched quietly, letting her mother-in-law's sharp scolding ring in her ears. Every time her brothers made a fuss like this, she could get a month of peace.
Sorry, I lost my temper today and didn't finish writing two chapters. I will try harder tomorrow~
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