Pregnancy
Tianshu picked up the broom and said, "You are useless. It's not even half a year." After that, without waiting for Yuanli to answer, Tianshu took the broom and quickly walked out of the room.
"What do you mean by half a year? Don't worry about it. People in the heavens speak harshly and are not pleasant to listen to. I told him to go. Ah Li, take good care of yourself."
He Qi walked out of the room. Yuanli wiped the corner of her mouth with blank eyes, looking at her reflection in the teacup. Yuanli covered her lower abdomen and felt the slightly bulging curve, feeling desolate in her heart.
She knew it was still half a year away, but this was the child Wen Yici had been waiting for for six and a half years. Counting the dates, she gave birth the day before Wen Yici died.
She wanted to see what their child looked like and wanted his long-awaited wish to come true, but she didn't want her child to be without a father or mother since childhood, so she was in a dilemma.
Just as he was in a daze, the door was pushed open. Wen Yici, who was standing at the door, was so excited that he was at a loss. He was breathing heavily, and the light in his eyes was shining brightly.
Wen Yici hesitantly approached and squatted down. He wrapped his trembling hands around hers and said, "B-but is it true? I'm going to be a father?"
"Well, it's already three months. I thought I was just gaining weight, but it turns out I'm pregnant. No wonder my period hasn't come yet."
Wen Yici knelt up and hugged her tightly, tears welling up in his eyes and his heart beating violently in his chest. He finally had a child with her.
"Why are you crying? You're so old, about to become a father, but you're still acting like a child, so unruly."
While saying this, Yuanli was secretly wiping away tears.
"I'm just so happy. She's our child."
Wen Yici carefully let go of her, stuttering helplessly, "Are you feeling unwell? What do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? I'll get it for you right away. From now on, you don't have to worry about anything. I'll do it for you."
Ever since he knew she was pregnant, Wen Yici had been extremely careful, fearing she might get hurt. Even though he had stopped taking medication four years ago, he still carried candied fruit with him, but she had recently preferred spicy food to sweet.
When her retching symptoms gradually improved, Yun Zhaowan immediately came to visit her with her bags. Now, while her child is still in her belly, Yun Zhaowan has already given birth to two children, a son and a daughter, making a perfect couple.
"That's wonderful! You and your wife have been waiting for six years, and now your wish has finally come true. Fortunately, I always say that God will not let those who are blessed down suffer."
Yun Zhaowan looked at her bulging belly with a face full of joy. "Yesterday, my husband was still talking about my sister and asking you to take good care of yourself. Since he knew you were pregnant, he has been talking about how he was going to be your uncle. I was jealous every time I saw him."
"Look at you, you're still jealous of your own niece."
Perhaps noticing a hint of worry on her face, Yun Zhao took her hands and said, "It's clearly a happy occasion, so why do I see a frown of worry on my face, sister?"
"Giving birth is like going through the gates of hell for a woman. I'm afraid something bad will happen to me, and my child will be left without a mother to take care of him. Since I'm pregnant, I'm worried and sentimental. Don't tell Ah Ci, he'll be worried."
"Okay, I've been through this myself, so I understand. Don't worry, sister. I'm blessed with great fortune, so nothing will happen to me. If you really... your brother-in-law treats him well, I'll come to see him often. If he doesn't, I'll take your child into the East Palace and take care of him like my own son. I won't let anyone wrong him."
"Thank you very much, Zhao Wan."
"Why would you and I thank each other? I'm telling you, this soup is good for your health..."
Yun Zhaowan kept talking in a stream of witty remarks, as if she had many instructions and warnings. Yuanli listened to her patiently for a long time, and was naturally happy in her heart. With the arrival of this child, all the relatives and friends around her were immersed in joy, except Tianshu.
Tianshu always looked at her worriedly, saying that the child shouldn't have come, but in fact he was worried about her all the time. She knew everything Yu Guangzhong did about her.
People feel sleepy in spring, tired in autumn, and nappy in summer. Now the autumn heat has just gone and the sun is much warmer. She was sitting in the yard sunbathing when Heqi rode on Roubao through the wall. The big cloth bag she sewed for Roubao was now stuffed bulging with stuff.
He took the cloth bag off and placed it on the table. The clinking sound allowed Yuanli to guess that it was really full.
"Picking it up again?"
He Qi took out a large Ganoderma lucidum and said proudly, "No, I asked the elders of the Flower Realm to grow it for me. I exchanged treasures for it. I spent a lot of money to get such a bag of treasures. It has Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng."
Hearing this, Roubao tilted his head and stared at him, then quietly moved away from him.
Glancing at the red spider lilies beside the table, Heqi said helplessly, "You only see the flowers, but not the people?"
"Well, maybe Ah Cha was busy, so he passed by and brought me a red spider lily and placed it beside him, telling me that he came to visit. Ah Cha is thoughtful, and I am satisfied."
Yuanli pushed the plate of osmanthus cakes on the table closer to her, refilled the pot of tea and poured it into the fairness cup①, placed it next to the stack of osmanthus cakes, and put the red spider lily and the cloth bag into Yinling.
"I'm going back to my room to take a short nap. I'll try some of the newly made osmanthus cake." Yuanli turned around and said, "There's some new Biluochun from Dongting. There's still some in the storeroom. Take some back."
After saying that, Yuanli got up and went back into the room, looking at the stone table outside the carved window. Heqi was sitting on a stone bench, pouring tea from two tea cups, while Roubao was taking a nap on the stone bench opposite him.
Lying on the couch, Yuanli fell asleep in a short while. The man she hadn't dreamed of for a long time appeared in her dream again. This time the fog had dissipated a little, but she still couldn't see his face clearly.
He was still crying heart-wrenchingly, and Yuanli just stood there staring at him, unable to take a step, her throat hoarse and silent.
In the netherworld flower sea, the red flowers of the other shore blooming all over the mountains were as eerie as blood. A faint light drifted from the sea of flowers, like stars, lingering around him but quickly dissipating.
The man tried to catch the bright starlight, but his fingers passed through the starlight and he couldn't catch it, just like trying to catch water with a bamboo basket.
Suddenly, without any warning, he spat out a large mouthful of blood and fell to the ground. Yuanli was panicked and tears burst out. She finally raised her hand towards him with difficulty, but what she saw was an ethereal fairy spirit that was about to dissipate like mist.
Yuanli was heartbroken, the pain almost suffocated her.
A subtle and indistinct voice came: "Don't cry, don't cry, I'm here."
Yuanli was about to listen carefully when the man tilted his head slightly to look at her. When she was about to see his face clearly, Yuanli suddenly woke up from her dream, her face covered in tears and her inner clothes were wet with sweat.
"Don't cry, my lady. It's just a nightmare. Your husband is here. Don't be afraid."
Even after changing her clothes, Yuanli was still immersed in that dream. It was too real. The longer she was awake, the fainter the traces of the dream became. In the end, she only vaguely remembered a man in a white robe crying in a sea of red spider lilies. His figure and clothes had disappeared from her mind.
Today is Qixi Festival, and it also happens to be the birthday of my father's recently acquired beauty, Concubine Yu, so a palace banquet has been held. It's rare for a concubine to rise to the rank of concubine in just two weeks, let alone for the Emperor to make an exception and celebrate her birthday.
Since ancient times, men have had three wives and four concubines, not to mention kings with three thousand beauties in their harems. But my father is over fifty years old and now he is addicted to women. Excessive indulgence will inevitably harm his health. Yuanli really doesn't understand.
Although unhappy, Yuanli still kindly picked out a pearl hairpin as a gift. Now that she is in poor health, Yuanli no longer goes to Changxiangsi. Changxiangsi's business is booming. After six years, it has become the leading pearl hairpin shop in Kyoto and is famous in Liangzhu.
After entering the palace, Yuanli saw Concubine Yu. At that moment, tears welled up in her heart. She was very similar to the queen mother in the portrait. She had never seen her mother, but if she had a queen mother when she came, she would have tasted the taste of maternal love in the world, and her mother would have been as radiant as this.
Throughout the entire banquet, she couldn't help but steal glances at Concubine Yu. The hustle and bustle of the palace banquet was now silent in her ears. If her children saw her portrait in the future, would they remember what she looked like, just like she did when she stole glances at the young woman who looked so much like her mother?
The king's eyes followed her all the time, and even the imperial concubine who was usually favored by him was unwilling to say a word to her.
There were sounds of stringed instruments at the banquet, and the dancers danced gracefully. The king waved to her and sat on the high seat with her.
"Your mother has been gone for over twenty-four years and three months. I miss her terribly. Now that He'er has become a mother, your mother must be very happy. I went to see her a few days ago and told her."
The king held a bowl of cloud noodles in front of her, looked at her with loving eyes and said, "He'er, have a bowl of cloud noodles. It's the Qixi Festival. The old people say that the higher the cloud noodles are, the longer you will live."
Cloud noodles aren't a Kyoto custom; they seem to have originated in northern Liangzhu. Picking up cloud noodles symbolizes longevity; the higher the cloud noodles are, the longer the person lives. Some also offer tribute to the Weaver Girl. It's said that eating seven noodles connects family members, and two are thrown outside the bowl as a reward for the magpies that built the Magpie Bridge.
Six years ago, the first half of the life book on the bridal sedan recorded that the queen mother died of complications during childbirth when giving birth to the prince. Now, the king father has found cloud noodles to wish her a long life and a safe delivery.
Yuanli's eyes were moist, and she lifted the end of the noodles high. The higher the noodles were, the more obvious the smile on her father's face became, until the crow's feet at the corners of his eyes were wrinkled.
While eating noodles, the king approached her and whispered, "He'er, your father is not a foolish ruler who is addicted to women. Concubine Yu looks very similar to your mother. Although she is not as beautiful as your mother, your father will always think of your mother when he sees her, and he will be happy in his heart."
"He'er knows that father is a wise ruler."
Yuanli buried her head in stuffing the cloud noodles into her mouth, and the tears that slid down the corners of her eyes gathered and squeezed out of her eye sockets. She could tell that although her father spoke in a relaxed tone, his voice was filled with loneliness and longing.
On the Chinese Valentine's Day, the stars were shining brightly and the flowers and plants were fragrant. Wen Yici and she sat under the peach tree in the mansion. The soft cushions under them made the cold stone bench comfortable and no longer prickly.
The cushion was sewn for her by Wen Yici himself. The stitches were a bit sloppy, but it was stuffed full of Western cotton and was very soft.
"I used to think the king was heartless, but now I know that my father truly loves my mother. He brought me some cloud noodles to celebrate my birthday, fearing I wouldn't survive childbirth like my mother did."
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