Li Zhen held the needle and thread, staring blankly at a bird on the fabric. Ye Su had been gone for twenty days without a word, and even her nephew Lu hadn't been able to find out anything. She felt increasingly uneasy, lost her appetite, and even lost weight.
Seeing this from afar, Granny Qian could only sigh. The newlyweds had lost all contact with their husbands, so it was no wonder that Li Zhen was so distracted. She found an opportunity to stop her and said, "If you're tired, go to the kitchen and have some tea and snacks. Don't worry too much. Since the New Year, no refugees have fled to Linshui County, which means that the situation there is gradually stabilizing. Maybe your husband will be back in a couple of days."
Without refugees coming, there's nowhere to inquire about news. Magistrate Sun has already set off for Wanzhou to take up his post, and Constable Li doesn't know anything about the situation in Linshui County either. Li Zhen lowered her head and said, "Yes, Granny, I'll listen to you."
Suddenly, she vomited uncontrollably, her stomach churning with acid. She felt so nauseous that she almost lost her balance. Granny Qian exclaimed in alarm, "What's wrong? Quick, go and see Miss Lan!"
The female doctor in the embroidered pavilion was surnamed Lan, and everyone called her Miss Lan.
Li Zhen smiled weakly, "It's nothing serious, just a minor stomach problem. It was all better last year, but it might be getting worse again today. I'll just go to the kitchen and have some porridge later."
In years of famine, everyone goes hungry, and being alive is considered lucky. Who would care about something as trivial as an upset stomach? Five years ago, she felt nauseous and uncomfortable for several days, and her period was also late. She thought she was pregnant and was happy for a while, but then things got worse and worse, and her ex-husband took her to see a doctor and found out.
She wasn't pregnant at all; it was just that the brown rice she ate was hard to digest, which caused her stomach discomfort. Without good food to eat, her body wasn't getting enough nutrition, leading to a deficiency of qi and blood, and her period stopped.
When her mother-in-law found out about this, she felt very guilty, saying that the family's poverty made it difficult for her to get pregnant. She felt sad and guilty and wanted to have another child. Otherwise, if her daughter got married in the future, she would not have any brothers or sisters to support her. However, she did not expect to become a widow before she even got pregnant.
Granny Qian carefully instructed, "You are just too thin. Life is better now, so eat more red dates to nourish your blood and qi. You can also eat yams, which are very good for your stomach."
After parting ways with Granny Qian, Li Zhen turned into the corridor and went to a secluded place. She touched her face, took out her purse to look at the copper coins inside, and then turned to go to the clinic in the backyard.
Granny Qian is right. She should take good care of her health and, while she's still not too old, hurry up and have a child for Ye Su. It's his first marriage, and he has no children. His brothers and parents aren't close to him either. Besides herself, that man has no other family in the world.
She didn't want that person to be all alone.
Since the last wave of colds in the county town subsided, the clinic was almost out of medicine. When Li Zhen arrived at the clinic in the backyard, Miss Lan was taking stock of the medicinal herbs. "Manager Li, please have a seat."
Li Zhen bit her lip. "I have an upset stomach and my period is late, so I came to see you."
Miss Lan put down the booklet, reached out to take her pulse, lowered her eyes for a moment, then switched to her other hand, and smiled gently, "Don't worry, Manager Li, you are pregnant, already two months along. It's normal to feel uncomfortable in your stomach. Relax, don't overthink it, and you don't need to take any medicine."
Li Zhen was stunned. Pregnant? "I...I'm pregnant?"
Is she really pregnant?
She tried so hard to conceive but couldn't. After more than ten years of marriage, she only had one daughter, Daya. Her ex-husband and his family were ridiculed by the villagers countless times. If she hadn't given birth to Daya, she would have doubted whether she was infertile.
Unexpectedly, she became two months pregnant less than four months after getting married.
Unable to describe whether it was joy or something else, her feelings were complicated. As she was leaving the clinic to go back to her embroidery, the old woman guarding the gate ran over, her face beaming. "Manager Li, your husband is back! He's at the gate to welcome you home. He's riding a tall horse, looking very impressive."
Li Zhen was stunned, all her emotions replaced by joy. She thanked the steward and ran a few steps before turning back. The gatekeeper stopped her, "Steward Li, hurry up and go. I'll talk to Granny Qian."
Li Zhen thanked him again before running out of the embroidered tower.
Ye Su waited on horseback at the entrance of the embroidered building. After being away for eighteen days, he saw the building again and watched his wife run out. Only then did the chill in his body gradually dissipate. Before his wife could speak, he bent down, picked her up, and rode home.
This was the first time Li Zhen had ridden such a fast horse, and worried about her stomach, she grabbed the rider and asked him to slow down.
Back in the village, everyone was busy tilling the fields to fill their stomachs. Who would ride a horse home like this? Her heart felt like it was soaking in sweet water, as if everything was sweet.
Having been married for over ten years, this was the first time she had ever experienced this feeling.
Ye Su picked the person up and turned them around so they were facing each other. He then spurred his horse into the woods to the west and rode back through the small forest. These places were less crowded, so he wasn't afraid of being seen.
"You've lost weight."
Hearing these words from this man sent a chill down Li Zhen's spine, and she almost burst into tears. "Why did you take so long?"
Ye Su wanted to say that it had only been eighteen days, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. In the past, when he went to war, it had always taken a year or two. This time, even though it had only been eighteen days, he felt like each day was an eternity. Once the war was over and the battlefield was cleared, he couldn't wait to ask his commander for orders to return.
He didn't want to keep people waiting.
"There was a riot in Linshui County, which involved bandits. I returned after the bandits were suppressed."
A simple sentence, yet it foreshadowed more than half a month of bloodshed and violence.
Li Zhen belatedly asked, "Are you injured?"
"none."
That's good. After dismounting and being carried into the house, Li Zhen blushed and struggled to get down. "Did you eat anything today when you rushed back?"
Ye Su shook his head.
He wanted to eat his wife's cooking. Ten years ago, when he first joined the army, he really liked the food in the barracks. At least he could eat his fill. Later, he wasn't picky anymore, as long as he didn't starve. But after getting married and eating two meals cooked by Li Zhen, he never wanted to eat his own slop again.
Li Zhen blushed and went to the kitchen with her head down. "My mother came by yesterday and brought a chicken. I haven't eaten it yet, so it's perfect to cook it now."
She didn't go back on the second day of the Lunar New Year. Wang Lishi came over despite the snow. Knowing that Ye Su had been sent to Linshui, she was afraid that Ye Su would be upset, so she stayed with her for two days. On the Lantern Festival two days ago, Wang Lishi simply brought her daughter, Daya, to stay here. She only returned to Wangjia Village yesterday.
Ye Su simply nodded and rode off again, returning half an hour later with two strings of pork in his hands and a basket of cloth and rice on his back. He gave one string to Li Zhen and placed the other under the eaves, saying, "Tomorrow, go to my mother-in-law's house."
Li Zhen's eyes widened, filled with undisguised joy. "Okay."
She should go and let them know she's safe, and she should also visit them, since she didn't go back to her parents' home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
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