Chapter 62 Embarrassment, the embarrassment of your toes digging into the ground!
When Xu Jinnian returned from Master Jiang's house, Xu Cuilian and her husband had already left.
As soon as he entered the kitchen, he keenly sensed that Sheng An's mood was not quite right.
"What's wrong?"
Xu Jinnian asked with some concern, his gaze falling on Sheng An's waist: "Is it hurting again? Sit down and rest, I'll cook."
As he spoke, he reached out and took the spatula, skillfully flipping the half-cooked pancakes in the pan.
Sheng An plopped down on the stool and added two pieces of firewood to the stove.
After a long silence, as the man looked at her for the sixth time, she asked softly, "Do you want children?"
Xu Jinnian's brow twitched, a knowing glint in his eyes: "Someone asked you about your pregnancy?"
Seeing that he immediately guessed the cause, Sheng An snorted: "My aunt is looking forward to holding her grandnephew. She keeps telling me to take good care of my health and have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, or eight children while I'm still young, so she can help take care of them."
Upon hearing these words, Sheng An almost lost his composure and launched into a soul-searching question at Xu Cuilian:
Having so many children, is it just to make fighting more exciting?
Sheng An was indifferent to children; she neither liked nor disliked them, and she felt that she could only have two at most.
However, the family planning measures here are really backward. Whether it is taking abortion pills or taking strong medicine afterward, it is particularly harmful to the body, and one wrong move could cost you your life.
Therefore, she has no control over whether she has more or fewer children.
Women in this era can only give birth until they can no longer give birth.
In some wealthy households, the matriarch would often take the initiative to arrange for her husband to take a concubine in order to avoid the pain of childbirth and have the concubine share the task of carrying on the family line.
well--
Sheng An couldn't help but sigh, her gaze towards Xu Jinnian growing increasingly resentful.
It's better to be a man.
Xu Jinnian felt a chill run down his spine from the stare, and with a strong survival instinct, he promised, "An'an, it's up to you whether to give birth or not. I'll do whatever you say."
Sheng An asked with a hint of doubt, "Really?"
Xu Jinnian even became cautious in his tone when answering: "I would never lie to you."
Sheng Anxin scratched his head in frustration: "You make it sound so easy, but what if I'm the one who couldn't resist?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
Were he and An'an discussing the same thing?
"Forget it, thinking too much is just asking for trouble. Let's just do what we have to do."
Sheng An didn't want to continue the topic. She glared at Xu Jinnian and pointed to the golden-brown pancakes in the pan, saying, "I'm hungry. Serve some out for me to eat."
Whenever she encounters something upsetting, she can't stop eating and always wants to eat something.
Xu Jinnian didn't dare to say anything more, and quickly scooped out the pancakes and handed them to Sheng An: "Be careful, they're hot."
Sheng An took the plate and said irritably, "I'm not a three-year-old child, do you need to say anything?"
Xu Jinnian: "..."
An'an is unusually temperamental today; I'll have to be careful to appease her these next couple of days.
Sheng An's temper had indeed worsened considerably. After taking a shower and lying in bed, she became increasingly irritable and felt a sense of pent-up frustration in her chest, making her particularly eager to do something to vent her anger.
She jumped up and searched the room several times, but couldn't find anything suitable. So she grabbed Xu Jinnian's pillow and smashed it with all her might.
When Xu Jinnian returned to the room, he saw his wife taking her anger out on his pillow.
At that moment, he had no doubt that his wife would rather smash his head in.
Xu Jinnian strode over, caught the pillow that fell on him, tossed it aside, and pulled the person into his arms, holding him tightly: "An'an, what's wrong?"
An'an's emotions were clearly abnormal; she hadn't acted like this even when her grandmother injured her foot last time.
When asked by Xu Jinnian, Sheng An suddenly froze.
No, what is she doing? Why is she suddenly taking her anger out on the pillow?
Could this be a precursor to mental illness?
Sheng An was startled by her own guess, and looked up to explain dryly, "Maybe I just lost my mind. You weren't scared, were you?"
Xu Jinnian shook his head, his eyes filled with worry: "I wasn't scared, I was just very worried about you."
Sheng An scratched his face: "I'm fine. I even ate three pancakes and drank two bowls of chicken soup tonight."
At this point, she touched her stomach and said, "It's probably because I ate too much and had indigestion, which affected my mood."
Xu Jinnian reluctantly accepted this somewhat unreliable explanation and patted his wife's head: "Want to go for a walk with me?"
Sheng An refused outright: "It's too dark outside, I'm afraid of stepping on a snake."
As the weather gets cooler day by day, snakes are racing against time to forage for food and store up fat to increase their chances of surviving hibernation.
A few days ago, a snake got into a family's yard, and the owner accidentally stepped on it and was bitten when he got up in the middle of the night.
Fortunately, the snake's venom wasn't very potent, and the pain subsided after two or three days.
Xu Jinnian did not force her, and went to the study to get a travelogue to read to Sheng An.
Sheng An was very interested in this travelogue, especially Xu Jinnian, whose clear pronunciation and pleasant voice captivated her.
The restlessness and unease that had been building up in my chest seemed to be gradually soothed by this calming voice.
By the end, Sheng An's eyelids were drooping, and she looked at Xu Jinnian with sleepy eyes: "I want to listen again tomorrow."
Xu Jinnian put down his book and kissed her forehead: "I'll read to you as long as you want to hear it."
Sheng An was satisfied and closed her eyes to sleep peacefully.
Half-asleep, Sheng An vaguely felt a stomachache, but it wasn't the kind of pain you get from eating something bad, so she didn't pay much attention to it and drifted back into a sweet sleep.
The next morning, Sheng An was awakened by the sound of the people around her getting up, and she subconsciously opened her eyes.
Suddenly, she realized something was wrong.
After a moment of stunned silence, Sheng An quickly got up and was about to lift the blanket to verify her guess when she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a glaring red on Xu Jinnian's side out of the corner of her eye.
Embarrassing, the embarrassment of my toes digging into the ground!
Xu Jinnian's attention was focused on Sheng An, and he didn't notice anything amiss with the trouser leg.
Just as he was about to speak, Sheng An blushed and covered his mouth with her hand: "Quickly change your pants."
Xu Jinnian belatedly realized what was happening and followed her gaze to her trouser leg. When he saw a bloodstain the size of a coin, he tensed up and pulled Sheng An over to check: "Where are you hurt?"
He was certain that he was not injured, so the only one who could be injured was An'an.
It's impossible to get injured just from sleeping. Xu Jinnian thought it was because of the fight at the graveyard yesterday. Sheng An had concealed his injuries and didn't let him see where he was bleeding.
"It's not an injury, it's...it's..."
Sheng An was a little embarrassed to speak, but seeing Xu Jinnian so eager to take off her clothes, she quickly pressed his hand down and whispered, "I got my period."
Xu Jinnian's hand froze, and his face turned red at a visible speed.
He coughed lightly, then awkwardly straightened Sheng An's clothes: "Then, are you in pain? What should I do?"
Previously, Sheng An was in poor health and worried that having sex would result in pregnancy and endanger her life, so she educated Xu Jinnian on some physiological knowledge.
Sheng An touched her lower abdomen, her brows furrowing slightly: "It hurts a bit here. You can't touch cold water for the next few days, and you'll have to do all the laundry and cooking."
It was probably my first period in over half a year, and I had severe lower abdominal pain, like being hit hard with a stick.
If it weren't for Sheng An's strong willpower, she would already be rolling around on the bed screaming.
Xu Jinnian did not miss the paleness on Sheng An's face and immediately told her to lie down again: "I will do the housework, you should rest well."
Sheng An dared not lie down and peeked out from under the covers.
Sure enough, there were seven or eight bloodstains of varying sizes on the sheets, clearly caused by someone not sleeping properly.
Sheng An's face turned even redder, and she bluntly ordered Xu Jinnian, "Change all of these and soak them in cold water."
Xu Jinnian's blush faded, and she quickly changed all the sheets and blankets, carrying them out along with Sheng An's dirty clothes.
When Sheng An finished getting ready and came to the yard, she saw Xu Jinnian squatting in the corner, washing the bed sheets with great effort.
On the clothesline to the side, several wet quilts were already hanging, but there was not a trace of blood.
Sheng An watched this, and her goodwill towards Xu Jinnian surged again. She found a stool and sat next to him to watch him wash: "Don't you feel unlucky washing these things?"
Men of this era viewed women's menstrual cycles as a monstrous threat, believing that even a glance at them would bring bad luck.
I've heard that some women are sent to the storage room by their husbands when they have their period, and are not allowed to go to bed until their period ends.
Why would An'an think that way?
Xu Jinnian looked at his wife in surprise. Seeing that her expression didn't seem fake, he was afraid she would be brainwashed by this absurd claim and didn't even bother to wash the sheets.
“An’an once said that a woman only menstruates after giving birth. If menstruation is unclean, then what are we, who are born? Are we the result of uncleanness?”
Sheng An's smile widened, and he patted Xu Jinnian's shoulder with pleasure: "Not bad, it's really good that you have such awareness!"
Xu Jinnian pursed his lips, his face showing no joy: "An'an, don't compare your husband to those dull and shallow men."
An'an is good in every way, but she distrusts him too much and always tests him unintentionally.
Sheng An was taken aback. Meeting the man's serious face, she quickly hugged his arm and coaxed him, "You're right. You're the best man in the world. Those dull and shallow guys don't deserve to be compared to you."
This wasn't a test; it was just pure curiosity.
Xu Jinnian couldn't resist his wife's sweet words, and even though he felt helpless, he still ended the topic: "You are the best An'an too."
Sheng An nitpicked: "Shouldn't you say I'm the best woman in the world?"
In business, mutual flattery should be reciprocal; this guy really doesn't understand social etiquette.
Xu Jinnian, however, did not change her mind: "You don't need to be the best woman in the world, as long as she is my An'an, she is the best."
Sheng An: "..."
She drank that bowl of sweet nothings that were way too sugary!
Over the next few days, Xu Jinnian took meticulous care of Sheng An, even preparing warm mouthwash for her.
Grandma Sheng saw this and was happy that her grandson-in-law was so caring, but she was also worried that her father-in-law would disapprove, thinking that her grandson-in-law spoiled his granddaughter too much.
Unexpectedly, Xu Chenglin didn't notice any of this at all. He only kept complaining about how bad his eldest son's cooking was and told him to learn from Sheng An.
When Sheng An's period ended and her body finally felt better, the renovation of Sheng Yuan was nearing completion, and it was time for the final inspection.
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