Chapter 244 Disliked
According to current customs, it is not advisable to announce a pregnancy before three months of gestation.
The couple didn't mention it, but it wasn't a secret that Xu Jinnian had asked a doctor to examine Sheng An's pulse.
Seeing that Sheng An was in good spirits, and that the kitchen hadn't prepared any medicine for her, Fang Qingzhou and Ye Yunhua, being experienced in similar situations, guessed what was going on and tacitly refrained from asking the couple for confirmation.
Tan Zhenlin was completely unaware of this. When he got tired of reading, he went out for a stroll and personally carried back a whole bunch of candied hawthorns, about a hundred of them.
He had his servants give each person two skewers, and left the remaining thirty or so for Sheng'an: "Fresh fruit is scarce in winter, so this candied hawthorn can barely count as one. Sister-in-law, have more."
Looking at the strings of bright red, glistening candied hawthorns, Sheng An resisted the urge and shook his head to politely decline, saying, "Qingrou likes candied hawthorns, let's save them for when she comes over."
It is best to avoid eating hawthorn in early pregnancy, as it can easily cause uterine contractions and lead to miscarriage.
This is what Sheng An saw in the medicine collection sent by Physician Wang.
Tan Zhenlin was unaware of this and assumed that Sheng An wanted to share with his sister, so he casually said, "Candied hawthorns aren't anything special. I'll bring one back when Xiao Rou comes."
Xu Jinnian couldn't stand it anymore and snatched the straw target away: "I've been craving something sweet lately, so these candied hawthorns are mine."
Tan Zhenlin stared wide-eyed, incredulous: "You're stealing snacks from your sister-in-law? Are you even a man?!"
Xu Jinnian glanced at him, delivering a knowing blow: "What do you know, you're just a single dog?"
Tan Zhenlin: "..."
If he ever speaks out of turn again, he'll take the surname of that dead fox!
Watching Tan Zhenlin storm off in a huff, Sheng An said helplessly to Xu Jinnian, "He meant well, why are you getting angry at him?"
“He’s not really angry.” Xu Jinnian pulled off a candied hawthorn and handed it to Sheng An. Before she could refuse, he said softly, “Eating one or two won’t hurt.”
Sheng An took the candied hawthorn with some skepticism, the tempting sweet and sour aroma filling her nostrils, her mouth watering uncontrollably: "Really, it's okay?"
Seeing how careful she was for the sake of the child in her womb, Xu Jinnian's eyes were filled with heartache:
"I've asked several doctors, and they said that as long as the pregnancy is going well and there are no signs of miscarriage, taking one or two pills occasionally won't cause any problems."
Sheng An suddenly realized, and a warm feeling welled up in her heart: "No wonder I couldn't see you yesterday morning."
Xu Jinnian reached out and smoothed the stray hairs that had fallen across her cheeks. Watching her bite into a candied hawthorn with a beaming smile, his heart softened as well.
Sheng An didn't overindulge; she only ate two small candied hawthorns, while Xu Jinnian ate the rest.
After eating two candied hawthorns, Sheng An felt no discomfort, but he didn't dare to eat any more.
Xu Jinnian disliked sweet and sour flavors, and it would be a waste to leave so many candied hawthorns in the house, so he asked Li Tian to take them and secretly distribute them to the other guards without letting Tan Zhenlin know.
The day before the Lunar New Year, Uncle Fu and the cook were preparing for the New Year's Eve dinner.
With nothing else to do, Sheng An used the excuse of studying to come to the kitchen to watch the cook prepare dishes.
The cook was a taciturn middle-aged woman. Knowing Sheng An's purpose, her gaze lingered on Sheng An's abdomen for a moment before she moved a chair for her next to the burning stove.
"The ground is slippery, my wife, you can just sit and watch."
Sheng An accepted the cook's kindness: "Thank you, Aunt Niu."
Aunt Niu nodded and continued processing the sheep's head in the basin.
Sheng An asked, "Is this sheep's head for making soup?"
Aunt Niu said in a muffled voice, "Braised."
Sheng An humbly asked, "What should I pay attention to when braising a sheep's head?"
In her past life, she had eaten braised sheep's head and knew how to make it, but she had never made it herself.
Aunt Niu wasn't much of a talker, but she didn't hide anything: "The amount of braising spices is precise, the water is added all at once, and you have to pay attention to the heat."
After saying that, she began to explain in detail, afraid that Sheng An would not understand, repeating each detail several times.
Sheng An's mouth watered as he listened, and he looked forward to Aunt Niu's braised sheep's head with great anticipation: "I'm in for a treat!"
Aunt Niu poured cold water on the idea, saying, "My wife can only have one bite to taste it."
Sheng An was somewhat surprised. She looked down at her stomach but couldn't see any difference between herself and before she got pregnant.
Aunt Niu thought she looked a bit silly, and explained succinctly, "Young Master Xu came to the kitchen."
She paused, her expression complex, and said, "You are a blessed person."
Sheng An felt a little embarrassed by what was said and smiled at Aunt Niu.
Seeing this, Aunt Niu couldn't help but add a word of advice: "The New Year is very lively in the capital. Without Young Master Xu to accompany you, you'd better not go out."
They are easily startled, which can make the pregnancy unstable.
Sheng An could distinguish right from wrong and expressed his gratitude for Aunt Niu's advice: "I will listen to Aunt Niu."
Seeing that she didn't mind her talking too much, Aunt Niu's face showed a rare smile.
Perhaps because she doesn't smile often, her smile appears stiff and gives the impression of being fake.
Sheng An guessed that Aunt Niu was a person with a story, but he was not malicious enough to rub salt in her wounds. He didn't even ask what Aunt Niu did before, but only told her to learn the cooking techniques of Northern cuisine.
Uncle Fu passed by the kitchen and was quite surprised to see Aunt Niu answering Sheng An's questions so readily.
After Sheng An left the kitchen, Uncle Fu came in and said to Aunt Niu, "It's rare to see you chatting with someone so easily."
Aunt Niu's expression remained indifferent, even towards Uncle Fu, with whom she had worked for many years: "She's not disliked."
Uncle Fu laughed heartily: "It's really rare to hear you say 'not being disliked'!"
Over the years, he and the other two people who stayed behind to look after the house have been subjected to a lot of disdain from Aunt Niu.
Sometimes, if they upset Aunt Niu, they wouldn't get a hot meal for three days.
Aunt Niu glanced at the noisy old man and quickened her chopping of the large bones, making a loud clapping sound throughout the kitchen.
Uncle Fu immediately shut up and muttered under his breath, "This bad temper, he hasn't changed it in all these years."
Aunt Niu ignored him, treating him as if he were talking nonsense.
Uncle Fu, however, did not rush to leave. He put away his smile and said seriously:
“You are still young and have a long life ahead of you. You can’t just waste your time here. An’an needs someone to take care of her. You are a good person and get along well with her, so why don’t you stay by her side?”
Given An'an and Xiao Xu's character, they will definitely treat you well. You'll have somewhere to go when you get old, so no one will even know when you die.
Aunt Niu is not old; she is only thirty-two years old this year.
She suffered a lot of hardship in her early years and rarely smiled, which is why she looks much older than her actual age.
In Uncle Fu's eyes, Aunt Niu was their junior.
Over the years, Uncle Fu has been advising Aunt Niu to find a way out for herself, and even suggested that she find an honest man to marry and have two children.
As a result, this suggestion angered Aunt Niu, and she didn't cook for Uncle Fu for a whole month.
From then on, Uncle Fu and the others dared not mention it again, but they always thought about finding a good way out for her, not wanting her to stay here and wait to die with them.
After hearing Uncle Fu's suggestion, the sound of chopping bones paused, followed by Aunt Niu's muffled voice:
"Mind your own business, live a few more years and sweep the young master's grave for a few more years. My affairs are none of your concern."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com