Chapter 103 Chapter 103 “We are going to be father and mother.
Fang Ying has indeed had a poor appetite in recent days and doesn't like to eat meat as much as usual, but because Ji Yanlang is around, there are always two meat dishes on the table, such as tonight's stir-fried rabbit meat and pan-fried yellow croaker.
Fang Ying always had to review the daily menu. She usually liked these two dishes, but today, as soon as she approached the table, she smelled a pungent fishy smell.
"How's this fish..." Fang Ying asked mid-sentence when she remembered she might be pregnant. She turned to Ji Yanlang and asked, "Does this fried fish smell the same as usual?"
Ji Yanlang nodded and asked, "Does it smell bad to you?"
"Hmm, it seems stale."
Ji Yanlang hurriedly asked Lichun to take the fried yellow croaker away and open the door to dissipate the smell. Then he helped Fang Ying sit down and asked her if there was any other dish that she didn't like or didn't want to eat at first sight.
"No more. Do you want to eat more?" Fang Ying replied with a smile and asked Xingniang to serve her some porridge.
The porridge was vegetable porridge, and there was also some sugar cakes that Fang Ying wanted to eat, which she asked the kitchen to make. They were served with pickled cucumbers and ginger-spicy radishes, which did whet her appetite.
Ji Yanlang watched her finish a sugar cake and drink two bowls of porridge before he finished his meal with peace of mind.
"It's late today, we should ask the imperial physician to come and see us tomorrow." Ji Yanlang said as he helped Fang Ying walk around the room to help digest her food, "We have to report to mother first."
Before Fang Ying could say anything, he continued, "I know what you're worried about. It's okay. Let's just say we're not sure yet and wait for the imperial physician to examine it. Mother actually knows more than we do."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
She didn't let anyone know just now, not only because she was afraid that she might be pregnant and would make Li happy for nothing, but also because she herself was completely unprepared and couldn't believe that she was pregnant.
At this moment, because of that plate of fried yellow croaker, Fang Ying thought carefully about her abnormal behavior in recent days and felt that she was probably pregnant. If so, she would definitely report it to her mother-in-law.
The fetus was unstable in the first three months, so she had to take good care of it. She couldn't work as hard as before. Thinking of this, Fang Ying became worried again: "Who can I leave this huge pile of housework to?"
Second sister-in-law Yue Qing'e is about to give birth, and fifth sister-in-law Gao is already very busy managing household affairs together with Fang Ying.
"Don't worry, mother has those maids by her side who can take care of it."
"You make it sound so easy. The maids are all old and retired. Asking them to come and take on such a big task all of a sudden would be exhausting. How can we feel at ease?"
Ji Yanlang put his arm around Fang Ying's shoulders and soothed her: "There will always be a way. Just relax and don't worry too much. Taking good care of yourself is the most important thing."
Fang Ying understood this logic, but Ji Si Niang was going to get married in a few days, so she couldn't help but wonder why she had to wait until these few days. If she had waited half a month or twenty days, wouldn't everything be delayed?
Ji Yanlang didn't know what she was thinking. He originally thought that Fang Ying was mostly afraid and worried at the moment, but when he saw that she was first worried about who to take charge of the housework, he felt relieved. After all, there was always a way to handle housework, but the fear of pregnancy and childbirth was difficult to eliminate.
As the two of them fell silent, Xing Niang's voice could be heard faintly from outside: "...According to this calculation, the birth should be in late July next year. By then, the weather will be cooler, and your confinement will be more comfortable."
Fang Ying and Ji Yanlang looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.
"They think further than us." Ji Yanlang said with a smile.
Before Fang Ying could reply, Lichun outside said, "After this busy period, it's time to make swaddling clothes, small clothes and shoes, right?"
"This is even more urgent." Fang Ying laughed softly.
Seeing her smile, Ji Yanlang's eyebrows curved. The joy of becoming a father suddenly surged into his heart at this moment. He couldn't help but lower his head and kiss Fang Ying, saying, "Don't laugh at me, I really want to rush out and shout a few times that I'm going to be a father."
Fang Ying looked up and saw that his eyes were indeed filled with joy, which was beyond words. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Even if I don't laugh at you, if you go out and shout, will others stop laughing at you?"
"So I won't go out and shout." Ji Yanlang took her hands, pressed them against his chest, and whispered, "We are going to be a father and a mother."
Fang Ying looked at him and felt that the joy emanating from his body was like a torrent of water, pouring down towards her, instantly washing away all her worries.
"Yes," she agreed softly, "We are going to be a father and a mother."
Neither of them slept well that night. Ji Yanlang didn't dare to move, always afraid of bumping into Fang Ying, so he kept huddled in the side. Fang Ying had a dream all night, and when she woke up in the morning, her head was still dizzy and she wasn't very clear-headed.
"Wait until the imperial physician examines you, then come back and sleep for a while." Ji Yanlang coaxed.
Fang Ying didn't say anything and let Lichun help her put on her clothes and wash her face. Only then did she finally come to her senses.
After the two of them had breakfast, Ji Yanlang sent someone to the camp to ask for leave, saying that he would be there later, and then he helped Fang Ying to go to his mother's room.
Mrs. Li had just finished breakfast and was about to ask her son if her husband would be home until the fourth or fifth day of the Lunar New Year. But she saw him walking in cautiously, supporting Fang Ying. She hurriedly asked, "What's wrong with Ying'er?"
Fang Ying hurriedly said, "It's nothing." Then she said to Ji Yanlang, "I knew you would scare your mother."
Ji Yanlang turned to his mother and smiled, "Don't worry, mother, it's a happy event." He glanced sideways at his wife and said, "Ying'er... seems to be pregnant."
Li was surprised and delighted, and looked at Fang Ying: "Really?"
Fang Ying nodded gently: "My period is more than ten days late, and I have a poor appetite."
"My back still hurts," Ji Yanlang added, "That's why we talked about it yesterday..."
He briefly recounted what had happened, and concluded, "I've already sent someone to ask for leave from the camp. I'll go get the imperial physician right away."
"Go quickly." Mrs. Li urged her son to leave, and asked Fang Ying to sit next to her, and asked her carefully if she had any other discomfort.
As the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law were talking, Ji Yanshou and Ji Yanhui from the fifth room and his wife came to greet them. Fang Ying stood up and stepped aside.
After Li and her two sons had greeted her well-being, they sent them away. Ji Yanshou, however, looked around and asked, "Are we late, son? Has Liu Lang already left?"
"Well, he's got something to do, so he's leaving now." The imperial physician hadn't come to see her yet, so Mrs. Li didn't plan to say much to her sons. "You should go too. I'm busy at home, so I don't have time to greet you here."
Ji Yanshou and Ji Yanhui took their leave.
Mrs. Li asked her daughters-in-law to sit down and told Mrs. Gao that Fang Ying might be pregnant and that she would have to take on more of the housework. "I'll let Fang Gui help you."
Gao quickly agreed and congratulated Fang Ying.
Fang Ying was a little embarrassed: "I haven't seen a doctor yet, so I'm not sure..."
Li took over the conversation and said, "Whether you are pregnant or not, you have been exhausted these days and should rest for two days." She then asked someone to send Fang Ying back to her room to wait for the imperial physician to see her.
Fang Ying returned to her room, expecting the imperial physician to arrive soon. She first called Mai Cao and another young daughter-in-law Bai Sang who worked with her, sorted out what needed to be done today, and then sent them to see Gao. She had just taken two sips of water to moisten her throat when Ji Yanlang brought the imperial physician into the house.
He sent someone in to report first. Fang Ying stood up, tidied her appearance, put on a jacket, and went to wait in the hall.
Soon Ji Yanlang came in with the imperial physician. This imperial physician was over forty years old. He didn't waste any words after entering the room. He directly felt Fang Ying's pulse. After checking both hands, he asked about the last day of her menstrual period and any discomfort she had. He also checked her tongue coating and finally said, "The pulse does show signs of pregnancy."
Ji Yanlang's face lit up with joy. The imperial physician then gave him some instructions on how to protect the fetus, such as not overworked and keeping warm. He also said that he could ask him to come again to check his pulse around the tenth day of next month.
Ji Yanlang agreed repeatedly and personally sent the imperial physician out. He even asked the imperial physician to have tea in the outer courtyard and asked him about dietary taboos. In fact, he had already asked several doctors about these things before and wrote them down on paper, but when the time came, he still felt uneasy and wanted to ask the imperial physician a few more questions.
The imperial physician was knowledgeable and used to it. He explained it to him again and concluded, "As for diet, your family will surely have someone to take care of it. Commander Ji can rest assured. However, there is one thing that Commander Ji must do himself."
Ji Yanlang hurriedly asked what was going on. The imperial physician stood up and said with a faint smile, "No sexual intercourse."
“…”
"Especially in the first three months, you must not have sex." The imperial physician saw that the young couple was very affectionate, so he gave them a few more reminders.
Ji Yanlang quickly agreed, sent the imperial physician away, and returned to his room to quietly tell Fang Ying about the matter. He also said aggrievedly, "Do I look like that ignorant brat?"
Fang Ying laughed: "The imperial physician is just giving you a reminder. Before you leave, remember to report this to mother."
"I know." Ji Yanlang was still unwilling to give in and held her hand. "Tell me the truth, am I that kind of person?"
"Of course you're not." Fang Ying coaxed him with a smile, "You've always cared more about my affairs than yourself, so how could you..."
She didn't finish her words, but gently pushed his arm and said, "It's getting late, go change your clothes."
"How about I just not go to the camp today and stay at home with you?" Ji Yanlang was a little reluctant to leave.
"I'll be off tomorrow, and since I'm hosting a party in the next few days, I'll have to ask for leave again."
Ji Yanlang thought so too, so he could only let go of her hand reluctantly, went into the inner room to change into his official robe, and then went to report the imperial physician's words to his mother.
Li had already arranged two maids. Seeing that there was a positive news, she asked Dingxiang to take her to see Fang Ying and to take care of her during the pregnancy and delivery.
Fang Ying knew that Li would definitely make such arrangements, so she stayed to talk with the two maids for a while, asked Lichun to prepare accommodation for the maids, and then said that she was a little sleepy and went back to her room to sleep for a while.
When I woke up at noon, Yue Qing'e also got the news and sent someone to congratulate me - it was cold today, she was about to give birth, and she had not left the hospital for some time.
Fang Ying felt much better after waking up, and since she didn't have to worry about housework now, she put on her cloak and went to see Yue Qing'e.
The two sisters-in-law talked for a while and were eating snacks together when a servant came to report that the Huang family's gift had arrived. Sanniang had also sent her maid to add some makeup to Si Niang's clothes and was now on her way to pay a visit to the lady.
The Huang family is the husband's family of Ji Yanlang's third sister Ji Minjun, and now the whole family is serving in Fujian.
"The gift from my eldest aunt arrived the day before yesterday, and I said my third aunt would be there soon." Fang Ying said with a smile.
"Yes, Sanniang is not like Erniang."
Of the three married daughters of the Ji family, only the second daughter, Lijun, lives in Beijing. However, her husband's family and her natal family have severed ties. The third daughter, Minjun, and the second daughter are sisters, both born to Aunt Sun, but they have completely different personalities.
The Huang family was not like the Cui family. They had always been on good terms with the Ji family. Even though they were officials in Quanzhou, they would send people to visit them during the holidays. Ji Minjun also wrote letters to the Li family to express her greetings every time.
"It's a pity that the journey is so long that I can't come back." Fang Ying sighed and said goodbye, "I'm going to visit my mother."
Yue Qing'e smiled and said, "I asked you to rest suddenly, but you can't sit still, right?"
Fang Ying nodded: "Yes, the family is so busy, and I always feel uneasy."
"You have to rest even if you feel uneasy. You have to be extra careful this month." After Yue Qing'e said this, she asked Lichun and others to support Fang Ying on the road and walk slowly.
When she finally sent her out, she said, "Actually, even if you go, Mom won't ask you to take care of it."
Fang Ying also knew that Li would only let her rest, but she thought about the gifts sent by her elder sister Ji Wenjun, which she had supervised to be put into the warehouse, and she had left space next to it at that time. Now that the gifts from Quanzhou had arrived, they happened to be placed in one place, so she wanted to remind her.
Seeing her leave, Li smiled and said, "You've come just in time. They just said that the Zhao family's gift arrived the day before yesterday. When it was put into the warehouse, you asked them to leave room for it, right?"
The Zhao family is Ji Wenjun's husband's family. Fang Ying smiled and replied, "Yes, they all know the rules. Just follow them and go in."
Li sighed, "I was worried that you'd suddenly quit today, and the people under you would be so busy and chaotic. I didn't expect you to have already drawn up the rules and regulations and planned everything in advance, so I don't have to worry about it."
"Things that come to mind are fine, but I'm afraid of unexpected things." Fang Ying smiled embarrassedly.
"No one can do anything about the unexpected. We can only wait and see."
Li praised her a few more times and then told her to go back to her room to rest, take good care of herself, and put her health first.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
