Chapter 67 Near the End, Was He Kicking You?
After everyone finished their dinner in the front yard, Huai Niang and A Yu tidied up the front yard, while Guo Jia and Deng Jie returned to the bedroom and rummaged through the chests and cabinets.
"The astrolabe that my brother gave me, I remember it should be under this box..." Deng Jie dragged out a large wooden box.
Upon seeing this, Guo Jia immediately stepped forward to take over, saying, "Let me do it. Don't move, just tell me."
He found the lacquered wooden box that he hadn't seen for more than ten years. The Twenty-Eight Mansions star map carved on the box was still as exquisite as ever, and the lapis lazuli inlaid at the lock gleamed in the candlelight as before.
Deng Jie looked at the wooden box, and his nose tingled with emotion.
At that time, the two of them sat with their elder brother and sister-in-law in the star-gazing pavilion on the third floor of the Deng residence. Unexpectedly, years have passed in the blink of an eye, things have changed, and their old friends have been gone for so long. Only this object and the endless longing in their hearts remain.
Guo Jia, too, couldn't help but recall his moments with Deng Zhao, and was slightly moved.
He composed himself, gently ran his fingers across the box, and carefully took the astrolabe out of it.
"Say yes," Guo Jia put the empty wooden box back into the trunk, put on a relaxed smile and said softly to Deng Jie, "Jia probably won't have time to rest tonight, you don't need to wait for me."
Deng Jie watched as the box was covered by a wooden crate, lowered his eyes, and nodded gently, "I'll have Huai Niang prepare some ginger soup for you later."
In the front yard, Ayu brought out all the lampstands she could find in the house and lit them up around the table.
Guo Jia placed the astrolabe on a wooden frame and set up the openwork pointer, making it resemble a small armillary sphere.
Zhou Buyi prepared a large piece of plain silk, marked the four directions, and moistened it with ink; Qian Zhao displayed his sheepskin map and bamboo slips recording his observations.
"Let's begin. I'll calibrate it first." Guo Jia knelt below the astrolabe, adjusting the scale with one hand and rotating the pointer with the other, and said to Zhou Buyi, "Ye City is located at the North Pole, 36 degrees and 4 minutes."
Zhou Buyi made a fine mark on the corner of the plain silk where he wrote "Ye City," and then marked the data above, below, left, and right along this direction.
“Based on this, let’s first determine Wuzhong, which is the current seat of Youbeiping County.” Qian Zhao said to Zhou Buyi, holding his map. “From here, heading 600 li in the direction of Chouyin, is Liucheng.”
“I’ve got it. Liucheng is 41 degrees and 6 minutes above the North Pole.” Zhou Buyi calculated and marked the location, then said to Guo Jia, “…it’s 12 degrees east of Yecheng, the exact distance is…”
“One thousand eight hundred li,” Qian Zhao added, referring to another bamboo slip.
Zhou Buyi nodded upon hearing this, measured the position on the silk, and began to record it.
Guo Jia, seeing the two working together seamlessly, nodded: "Very good, Wenzhi. Now, start a new piece of silk cloth, depicting only the section from Wuzhong to Liucheng."
Deng Jie watched the three of them working solemnly from inside the bedroom. He gently closed the lattice door, walked to the back room, lit incense for his relatives and friends, and silently prayed, "May all be well" and "May you be blessed with a smooth filial piety."
When she returned to her bed, she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Cao Chong's condition during the day, coupled with Hua Tuo's concealment, left her unable to let go of it for a long time.
He finally fell asleep, but then had a nightmare where he saw his family, Xu Ta, and even Guo Tu sitting in a sea of fire at the Deng residence.
Deng Jie was in a daze, covered in sweat, and got up in a daze. He heard the sound of the night watchman's gong coming from the street, it was still the first half of the night.
She gently pushed the door open a crack and heard Guo Jia's voice: "...I heard that the county seat used to be in Pinggang. This place can be used for supplies?"
“Then we need to go through Xuwu Mountain and head north to Lulong Pass.” Qian Zhao pointed to the sheepskin map and showed it to him: “Legend has it that there is a small road that leads directly to Liucheng, but it has been in ruins for two hundred years. If you don’t have a local guide, taking a detour is a minor matter, but getting lost is a major taboo.”
“Master, there’s a 500-mile desert to the east of Pinggang City…” Zhou Buyi whispered a reminder.
“That area is indeed difficult to traverse, but it’s not entirely without water,” Qian Zhao immediately added. Deng Jie watched as he unfurled another bamboo scroll and pointed it out to Guo Jia, saying, “I’ve inquired and found that supplies can be obtained here.”
Guo Jia pondered for a moment, then, while checking the astrolabe, said to Zhou Buyi, "Add it first, just in case. I will determine the exact location and let you know..."
Deng Jie watched their focused backs, not daring to make a sound to disturb them. He quietly closed the door and went back to his bed, but his mind was still occupied by the horrifying scene.
She placed her hand on her stomach and softly hummed "No Clothes" to distract herself.
As the distant sound of the clapper echoed in the middle of the night, the three people in the front yard, though their eyes were bloodshot, breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, they had cooperated closely and successfully completed their mission.
Zhou Buyi carefully put away the new map on the silk cloth with its ink and vermilion patterns: "I will make another copy when I go back tomorrow."
Guo Jia patted his hand gently: "No rush, we need to settle this matter first, let's go to the Sikong Mansion first!"
Zhou Buyi nodded with delight, "As long as we pave the way for Sikong, they won't be able to argue with us anymore!"
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. You should all get some rest." Guo Jia led them to their rooms.
Pushing open the door to the side room, one finds it completely furnished by Madam Bian: a soft couch, a small cradle, and even several swaddle blankets for the baby.
Guo Jia then remembered and said apologetically, "Ah, this... the bed is inconvenient, I forgot about it!"
Qian Zhao quickly waved his hand, took up a space, and said, "As long as I have a place to lie down, it's a hundred times more comfortable than camping in the wild! Wenzhi, lie down on the bed!"
Just as Guo Jia was busy searching for straw mats for Qian Zhao, Deng Jie knocked on the door and entered, carrying two thick new quilts.
"What's wrong?!" Guo Jia immediately went to greet him and took the bedding. "Why did you get up? It's cold at night."
As he spoke, he handed the bedding to Zhou Buyi and Qian Zhao.
"Since there's no one in your courtyard, I suppose it's over," Deng Jie said softly. "We can't neglect our guests."
"Thank you, Madam." Qian Zhao felt a little guilty seeing her pregnant and inconvenient appearance, and gestured for Guo Jia and his wife to come out.
“Yes, yes, Master, please go back with your wife. We can manage things here ourselves,” Zhou Buyi added.
Guo Jia closed the door for the two of them, turned around, and saw Deng Jie blowing out the candle while supporting her waist. He quickly stepped forward to support her: "Don't worry about it, it will all burn out in a while, why bother you?"
Deng Jie shook his head and touched his tired face. "I really did sleep, I'm fine, but you..."
The thought that his body was far from fully recovered and that he still had to stay up all night made her think, "Go back and lie down to rest. Would you like something to drink? I'll heat it up for you."
As he was about to head towards the kitchen, Guo Jia grabbed him, saying, "It's the middle of the night, what am I supposed to drink? It would be no good if I made a noise and disturbed A-Yu and the others."
The coolness of the hand reached Guo Jia, who lifted Deng Jie's hand and breathed on it, saying, "Look at you, your hands are cold. Let's hurry up and go to bed to warm up."
He tucked Deng Jie's hand into his sleeve, let out a long sigh, "The drawing is finished, a huge weight has been lifted from my heart, I feel so relieved, there's nothing more satisfying than this!"
Seeing his cheerful expression, Deng Jie smiled and nodded, happy for him. She snuggled up to him, and the two walked back to the bedroom together.
Guo Jia helped her lie down on the bed, then tucked his legs in to her side, and pulled over the thick quilt to wrap them both up tightly, making the bed instantly warm and cozy.
However, Deng Jie was wide awake and tossed and turned in bed.
Guo Jia hugged her tightly, his hand resting on her pregnant belly. "You weren't having another nightmare, were you?" Guo Jia asked, knowing her well. "How long have you been awake?"
"I slept too long, and now I can't fall asleep." Deng Jie avoided the topic of nightmares. On the one hand, she was used to processing such emotions on her own, and on the other hand, she didn't want Guo Jia to worry too much. She knew clearly that the root cause of her unease was that Guo Jia might go on an expedition at any time.
"It hasn't been long... But, can you lull me to sleep now?" Guo Jia was also unwilling to expose her, so he used different excuses.
Just as he finished speaking, a clear and powerful thrusting motion suddenly came from under his palm.
"Huh?!" Guo Jia exclaimed in surprise.
Deng Jie clearly sensed the commotion too. "Was he kicking you?"
"Here it comes again! It must be the feet!" Guo Jia laughed.
"Wait, what is this..." He pulled Deng Jie's hand over to feel it together, "Round and bulging, is it a head or a buttock?"
Deng Jie laughed out loud, "It's so big, is it a head?! Babies all have big heads!" She pushed Guo Jia aside and touched it.
"Is this turning over? Just like you did earlier." Guo Jia continued to feel around.
"Heh, staying up so late at night, just like you."
"Hmm... Now our whole family will go to sleep." Guo Jia gently touched the little one in her belly, leaned her head against Deng Jie's, inhaled her warm fragrance, and closed her eyes.
The little thing in her belly seemed to understand, and it slid its tiny hand across Guo Jia's large hand through Deng Jie's belly before finally stopping.
For the next few days, Deng Jie did not see Hua Tuo again. Finally, unable to bear the loneliness any longer, she took advantage of Guo Jia's afternoon nap at home and pulled him aside to ask, "Master, you haven't come for several days. Where have you been?"
"Oh, that was my oversight." Guo Jia said in a relaxed tone, as if he were talking about a trivial matter. "Actually, it was my master's wife who wrote to say that she was so lovesick that she fell ill and insisted that my master come home."
"Going home?!" Deng Jie exclaimed in surprise. She had never heard Hua Tuo mention it before. "From Ye City to Qiao County... how long would that take? Master clearly promised to deliver my baby..." She pouted, feeling wronged.
Guo Jia patted her head. "Don't worry, there are still two months. There's plenty of time. Besides, there are many breast doctors in Ye City. Even if you can't make it in time, I will definitely find you the most reliable one."
"Then, what about Young Master Cang Shu?" Deng Jie suddenly remembered Cao Chong's illness and looked up with concern. "Should I go into the manor again? Or should I go see him first?"
As she said this, she pushed Guo Jia aside and took a step forward.
"Wait, wait!" Guo Jia hurriedly grabbed her. "No need to trouble you. The lord has already made all the arrangements. There are other medical personnel besides Master. Don't worry! Master naturally gave all the instructions before he left!"
Deng Jie's dissatisfaction was palpable. She turned around and tugged at Guo Jia's sleeve, "That's perfect. He never wanted to tell me the prescription before. Let me take a look while he's not here!"
Although Guo Jia's words seemed meticulous, Deng Jie felt that something was not right. Hua Tuo had previously vowed to deliver her baby, but he went home without saying goodbye. This was not like the usual master-disciple relationship.
She stood on tiptoe and stared at Guo Jia, deliberately slowing her voice: "Fengxiao, tell me the truth, did Master... really go home?"
Guo Jia met her gaze firmly, mimicking her speaking pace, and slowly said, "Really!"
Deng Jie couldn't find any flaws in his plan, so he had no choice but to let him go.
Just then, there was a knock at the courtyard gate; it was Qingwu coming to visit.
When Guo Jia saw Qingwu arrive carrying the wooden box, he touched Deng Jie's face and said, "Alright, I should go to the Sikong Mansion now."
He nodded slightly to Qingwu and then strode away.
She took out several swaddling clothes and even a colorful garment from inside.
"You're thinking way too far ahead!" Deng Jie said with a laugh, holding up the half-sized colorful dress.
"It's alright, it's alright, I just wanted to try it out because the color looked so good!" Qingwu pressed her hand down, then her eyes flashed with envy, and she sighed softly, "It's a good thing that the Chief Priest insisted on not taking me as a concubine... After all that, it turns out I can't have children."
Deng Jie was startled, put away his clothes, and looked seriously into her eyes. "You're just talking nonsense again. Who diagnosed you that you can't have children? We haven't had children for over ten years either. These things are really hard to say. You might get pregnant again and give me a shock!"
Qingwu nodded with a wry smile, then sighed, "I guess it's because I feel guilty... I'm always running back and forth between Sikong and my husband to deliver messages... Oh well, it's easier without that."
Deng Jie was slightly taken aback. She had known about Qing Wu's assignment to monitor Lu Hong for the first few years of their relationship, but she didn't expect that it would still be known to this day.
However, the school administration is always well-informed...
A surge of emotion suddenly welled up in Deng Jie's heart.
“Qingwu…” Deng Jie gently grasped her hand, lowered his eyes and whispered, “I have a favor to ask of you, and I hope you can help me…”
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