☆ Chapter 270, The Finale
On the day of Su Li's funeral, Zhou Mujiao also went to see her off. Originally, she could have not gone, but she always felt that since her grandfather would pass on messages to her through Su Li's mouth, he must also pass on messages to her through other people's mouths. She wanted to chat with her grandfather for a few more minutes and tell him in person how much she missed him.
Unfortunately, when she arrived at Su Li's grave, only Su's eldest son and eldest grandson remained. No one came to speak to her. She placed her hopes on Su's eldest son and eldest grandson, hoping they could say something, but the two looked bewildered and somewhat fearful, afraid that she would order Su Li, who had just been buried, to be dug up.
The November air was already a bit chilly. A gust of wind blew past the grave, and Zhou Mujiao's body swayed, as if another gust of wind could knock her over. Zhao Yunjing felt a pang of pain in his heart and went over to pull her up: "Ajiao, didn't you want to eat sesame mushrooms? We're on the mountain now, let's go and look for some."
That day, they picked a large basket of sesame mushrooms. The cook did his best to make several dishes according to Zhou Mujiao's instructions, but the taste was not the taste Zhou Mujiao remembered.
She gave up, let go of her own feelings, and stopped making things difficult for others. How could there possibly be a grandfather in this time and space?
"Ah Jiao".
A male voice came from outside the door: "Is this my Jiaojiao?"
Zhou Mujiao slowly turned around, looked at Zhao Yunjing standing at the door, and suddenly a thought struck her: "Grandpa?"
"You brat! You haven't come to see your grandpa in so long, and now your grandpa has to come looking for you himself. You're so unfilial!"
Zhou Mujiao felt a lump in her throat, and Zhao Yunjing smiled kindly, extending his hand to her: "Come here."
Zhou Mujiao walked over and consciously placed her head in his palm: "Grandpa, I miss you so much."
"I miss you too. But our bond as grandfather and grandson has come to an end. We each have our own paths to walk. We can't be grandfather and grandson again in this life. In the next life, in the next life, Grandpa will be waiting for you in the old house."
"Um!"
"Lingnan is a wonderful place. My Ajiao is an exceptionally outstanding child. Grandpa is so proud of you."
"Grandpa..."
"Silly girl, just live your life well, and Grandpa won't worry about anything."
"Grandpa, I will."
Seeing that Zhao Yunjing's expression was changing, Zhou Mujiao panicked and hugged him tightly, crying, "Grandpa, don't go! Grandpa!"
He gently patted her head a few times with his large hand, accompanied by a long sigh. Zhou Mujiao could clearly feel the change in Zhao Yunjing's aura. She hugged him, feeling half happy and half sad.
A clear, handsome male voice rang out: "Ah Jiao? What's wrong?"
"Why are you here? Weren't you reading?"
"The aroma of sesame mushrooms is making my mouth water."
"I'm here to eat sesame mushrooms too."
Sitting opposite Zhao Yunjing was a mushroom feast in front of her. Perhaps because she had just seen her 'grandfather', Zhou Mujiao felt that the mushrooms tasted a bit like they did back then.
A few days later, her little mood was washed away by a new round of busyness. One day, she did the math and realized that her period seemed to have been delayed by half a month.
Taking your own pulse, huh?
He quickly called over his closest apprentice: "Xi'er, take my pulse."
Xi'er is already a military doctor in the naval camp, and she has an excellent reputation in the camp. She has researched and developed many effective and inexpensive medicines, which are not only used in the naval camp but also benefit ordinary people. When people talk about Xi'er, they all give her a thumbs up and call her a famous doctor.
However, she remained humble and somewhat apprehensive in front of Zhou Mujiao, wondering if Zhou Mujiao was going to give her some kind of test.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Just take my pulse."
Xi'er became even more uneasy, but as soon as her fingers touched the spot, her expression froze, her eyes narrowed, and then she smiled: "Master, you have a pregnancy pulse!"
It was indeed a pregnancy pulse.
"The Duke will be very happy!" Xi'er took a few more pulses. "Master has a good constitution and a strong foundation. This pulse is very stable. Maybe it's a young prince!"
Zhou Mujiao had mixed feelings.
She didn't really like children, but she got pregnant anyway.
She thought of her grandfather, and of his talk about the next life. Was it possible that the baby in her womb was her grandfather's reincarnation? In her past life, she was his granddaughter and enjoyed all his love, so in this life, it was her turn to love him?
Thinking about it this way, she inexplicably felt more anticipation and closeness to the unborn child in her belly.
Zhao Yunjing heard magpies calling as soon as he went out this morning. Shuisheng muttered in surprise, saying that it was almost cold weather and there were magpies calling. Zhao Yunjing wondered if there was a happy event at home. He calculated that the letters for the sixth and ninth days of this month should have been delivered by now.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Mujiao is pregnant!
He wasn't happy, he was shocked. They had always been using contraception, and the only time was when they had a few drinks and got carried away and forgot... Could it be that time?
"How many months?"
"It hasn't even been two months."
"It was that time we drank together... I'm sorry, Gillian, I didn't mean to get you pregnant, but nothing I said mattered. I truly regret it, I really—"
“I don’t blame you. This child came at this time, perhaps it was fate. Now that the Great Liang is settled and things in Lingnan are stable, and I have no desire to travel the world with a sword, so the child came at just the right time.”
Zhao Yunjing pulled her into his arms, his heart filled with excitement and complex emotions. Like Zhou Mujiao, he had prepared himself not to have children, but things didn't go as planned, and the child still came.
"I will treat you well."
When Zhou Mujiao was five months pregnant, her belly was already as big as a balloon. Normally, a five-month pregnant belly is just starting to show, but her belly was as big as if it had been inflated.
She could feel two heartbeats, but a doctor cannot heal himself, so she called Xi'er over again.
Xi'er took his pulse, exclaimed in surprise, "Master, you might have twins!"
Are you sure?
"I'm not sure yet, it's still early in the pregnancy, we'll have to wait until next month to feel it."
However, as a new mother, Zhou Mujiao knew best that she was having twins.
Sure enough, when Xi'er came again the following month, she was already able to touch the two little ones.
The news that Zhou Mujiao was pregnant with twins was met with celebration throughout the city.
In this lively and festive May, someone slunk away from the capital. He barged into the Duke's mansion, grabbed Zhao Yunjing's leg, and wailed, "Big brother, please save me! My parents are going to beat me to death!"
It's the sixth day of the month.
Zhao Yunjing asked anxiously, "What trouble have you gotten into?"
"I did not cause any trouble on the sixth day; it was because I couldn't help myself."
Zhao Yunjing then noticed the other person, Yu Huaizhi, but he couldn't understand what Yu Huaizhi was saying. What did Yu Huaizhi mean by "unable to control himself"? What did Yu Huaizhi do that he couldn't control himself for? And what did Yu Huaizhi's uncontrollable emotions have to do with Chu Liu?
As soon as Chu Liu finished speaking, Zhao Yunjing's fist came down. Chu Liu and Yu Huaizhi were both beaten up and then thrown to Hong Kong to be used as spices.
Three months later, Zhou Mujiao gave birth to twin boys. On the day of the full moon celebration, Chu Liu and Yu Huaizhi secretly slipped back from Hong Kong, planning to take a quick look at their two nephews and then run away. Little did they know that when they pushed open the door to the nursery, they would be greeted by their own parents!
On the sixth day of the lunar month, Chu Liu grabbed Yu Huaizhi and turned to run, but Uncle Zhao shouted, "Come back!"
The two knelt down together, without uttering a single word of argument, their eyes red.
Aunt Zhao said, "Your eldest brother had two boys, and Chu Jiu also had a boy and a girl. The Zhao family line is complete. Do whatever you want!"
"Mother? You've agreed?"
"Children and grandchildren have their own blessings. If I disagree, do you really mean to beat you two to death? Huaizhi, since you've made up your mind about Chuliu, then live a good life from now on. Come back to see Yun Jing and Ajiao more often when you have time. The children are growing up, and you, as their uncles, should help them out more."
"I understand, Mother." Chu Liu cried tears of joy.
"And you?" Aunt Zhao asked Yu Huaizhi.
Yu Huaizhi paused for a moment, then mustered his courage and said, "I understand, Mother."
"Alright, now that you're back, go and see your elder brother and sister-in-law."
That night, the Duke's mansion was filled with laughter and joy. Zhou Mujiao's relatives and friends gathered together. She and Zhao Yunjing each held a child and said quietly: Grandpa, I am doing very well. How about you?
She looked up and seemed to see her grandfather, who said, "Silly girl, be happy!"
Zhou Mujiao smiled and nodded. With Zhao Yunjing and these friends by her side, she would not only be happy, but would become happier and happier!
The End
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