While Jiang Ling was in confinement, Zhou Jing'an secretly went to Wuliu Street to ask He Zui for a prescription.
He Zui was a little stunned when he heard what he said.
"are you serious?"
Zhou Jing'an smiled faintly and nodded, "I can't bear to see her suffer. If I seek help from the imperial physician or other doctors, the emperor, my parents, and others will know. I beg Doctor He to help me keep this a secret, including Ling'er."
He Zui felt a little complicated.
Seeing his serious look, I finally agreed.
"Let me take your pulse first and prescribe medicine based on your current condition. Take two doses and see how it goes."
It was the first time for him to prepare contraceptive soup for a man, and he was not completely sure. He spent a whole day and night studying in the small room before he finally handed two packets of medicine to Zhou Jing'an.
Without saying anything, he asked Ye Song to make some soup for him and he drank it. Apart from the fact that it tasted a bit bitter, he didn't have any other reaction. Zhou Jing'an went to Wuliu Street again to give feedback to He Zui.
After taking his pulse, He Zui nodded and breathed a sigh of relief. "It's okay, that means the prescription is fine. I'll prepare the medicine for you, but it will only last for about five months at most. When you finish the medicine, come back to me and I'll adjust the prescription."
Zhou Jing'an stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Doctor He."
Before leaving, he took away a dozen packets of medicine and secretly put down a few silver bills.
He warned Ye Song and Ye Bai to keep their mouths shut, and he himself was also extremely cautious.
But after a few days, Jiang Ling discovered something and smelled medicine on him.
"Are you taking medicine? Are you sick?"
Faced with Jiang Ling's concerned eyes, Zhou Jing'an couldn't lie to her, so he had to tell her everything.
Jiang Ling remained silent, her heart aching and bitter.
She never thought that there would be a man who drank contraceptive soup himself for fear that she would suffer from pregnancy again, especially since this was in ancient times.
It goes without saying how important it is for a man to carry on the family line, let alone a man of such power as the Zhou family.
After thinking it over for a few times, the only word left was "rare".
She looked at him without saying anything, and Zhou Jingan was a little panicked, "Are you angry?"
He explained himself, "I didn't discuss it with you because I was afraid you would disagree or blame yourself. I didn't deliberately keep it from you."
Jiang Ling's eyes flushed, her lips slightly parted, and she stammered, "You...actually, you don't have to."
She couldn't say anything else.
Zhou Jing'an chuckled, "That contraceptive soup is bitter and fishy, and it's awful to drink. Naturally, I can't let you drink it."
Looking at Jiang Ling's appearance, he felt distressed, but he also knew what she was thinking.
"If my grandparents or parents knew about this, they would be unhappy, so please keep it a secret for me, Ling'er, okay?"
Jiang Ling choked up, "I know, you're afraid that I'll suffer."
He lowered his eyes, gently held her face, and whispered softly: "We don't want a second child. I won't let you step into such a dangerous situation again. I can't bear to see you hurt."
He didn't want her to cry, so he said jokingly, "I asked Doctor He for help this time and left him several silver bills as bribes, but they will only last for a few months. When the time is up, I will have to give Doctor He a thick red envelope and ask him to prescribe new medicine."
Hearing his deliberately joking tone, Jiang Ling couldn't laugh.
It would be a lie to say that she was not moved. She was touched and her heart was moved.
She buried herself in his arms and hugged his waist. A teardrop stained her eyelashes and fell on his shoulder in the blink of an eye.
"Thank you, Zhou Jing'an." She couldn't help sobbing.
Zhou Jingan chuckled and hugged her tightly, "No need to thank me, this is what I should do."
He said he would protect her for the rest of her life, and no one, not even himself, could hurt her in any way.
How could he bear to let this precious treasure of his heart suffer even the slightest pain?
What's more, he was the one who caused her pain, so it was like he was going to die.
-
When Zhou Xian was three months old, Jiang Ling asked someone to find paint, cut a palm-sized wooden board, and asked Zhou Jingan to work as a laborer, asking him to paint apples, pears, grapes, etc., while she wrote on the side.
Every day when he had nothing to do, he would hold the wooden board and wave it in front of Zhou Xian, teaching him to recognize colors early on. He might not recognize the words, but he could recognize some colors.
When he was four months old, a thick blanket was laid on the floor. Jiang Ling taught little Zhou Xian how to roll over. Zhou Jing'an couldn't help laughing when he saw the two rolling on the floor, and he immediately joined in.
When he was five months old, his first tooth came out. Jiang Ling took it very seriously and was personally responsible for cleaning his teeth every day. Zhou Jing'an held the child to stop him from crying and let Jiang Ling do it.
At six months, Zhou Xian was able to eat something other than breast milk. At seven months, he learned to sit on the bed, sitting upright and obediently, and he would play with a rattle for a long time.
When his baby was eight months old, Jiang Ling was surprised to find that he could crawl one day, so she waited for Zhou Jing'an to come back and let him see it.
"Axian, come find mom." She sat right in front of him and clapped her hands.
Zhou Jing'an watched him slowly crawl towards Jiang Ling, feeling fresh and happy, and followed his example, "Come here, find daddy."
The little guy might be tired, and didn't give any face. He just lay down, kicking his legs and waiting for Jiang Ling to hold him. Zhou Jing'an gritted his teeth and was laughed at by her.
By the time he was nine months old, Zhou Xian was learning to walk.
Zhou Jing'an walked into Qiyun Pavilion in the evening light and saw four women smiling and holding the hands of little ones to learn to walk.
Jiang Lan and Xia Zhixian were so tired that they kept pounding their waists. Zhou Huanan couldn't bear it after walking with him for a while. At this time, Jiang Ling was bending over and guiding him to walk without complaint. He was sweating in the autumn weather.
He felt so distressed watching her and volunteered to take her place. Once he started, he realized how hard it was, but he didn't let Jiang Ling get involved and gritted his teeth to persevere for half an hour.
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