Shi Wuxiang cleaned the table and stuffed the leftover piece Yuan Zhao had bitten into his own mouth. Even after swallowing it, he could not taste any fishiness. He had always handled meat dishes carefully, practically adding every spice possible to remove unwanted smells.
Thoughtfully, he glanced at Yuan Zhao before turning to Xia Lian. “Go invite the doctor.”
“Yes!” Xia Lian froze for a moment before immediately hurrying out.
The moment those words were spoken, no one had the mind to keep eating anymore. Yuan Yuan directly squeezed himself beside Yuan Zhao, his eyes reddening as he looked at him. “Gege, are you sick?”
“I’m not. I’m fine eating the sweet potato fries.” Yuan Zhao blinked his watery eyes at him while crunching the crispy fries with great enthusiasm.
Only then did Yuan Yuan silently wipe away his tears and continue eating the meat pieces.
“Eat, all of you eat.” Seeing they were so frightened they did not dare continue eating, Yuan Zhao directly picked up a piece and fed them himself. “I’m perfectly healthy, so hurry and eat. Don’t think about all this random nonsense.”
He truly did not feel anything wrong.
As long as he did not touch the meat chunks and chicken cutlets, he felt no urge to vomit at all. Clearly the sweet potato fries had been fried in the same oil too. Maybe he had simply eaten too much recently.
Sure enough, there was a reason Axiang would not let him overeat.
Only after Yuan Zhao finished all the sweet potato fries did Xia Lian hurriedly return with the doctor. During that time, Yuan Zhao had even leisurely sipped tea to cleanse his palate.
He stretched out his wrist, and the doctor immediately began carefully feeling his pulse, occasionally stroking his beard with one hand.
“Well? Speak quickly.” Shi Wuxiang’s brows and eyes sharpened. It was rare for him to display such dissatisfaction toward outsiders.
“The Zhengjun’s pulse is strong and healthy. His body is perfectly fine.” The old doctor still spoke slowly and unhurriedly. “As for the nausea and vomiting, it should be pregnancy-related morning sickness brought on by conception. Recently, eating less greasy and meaty foods will ease it considerably.”
Shi Wuxiang relaxed. “So that’s the case. Many thanks, Doctor. I was rather offen…ded just now… What did you say?!”
“Eat less greasy and meaty foods.”
“The sentence before that.”
“Pregnancy-related morning sickness brought on by conception.”
“That one exactly!” Shi Wuxiang became somewhat excited, his gaze suddenly turning toward Yuan Zhao, who had already been stunned senseless by hearing that sentence repeatedly confirmed.
“Sao-sao is pregnant?”
“Gege! Gege is going to have a baby!”
“Mother! Mother! Sao-sao’s going to give birth!”
Shi Qingyue and the other two instantly descended into chaos, shouting the moment they opened their mouths. Everyone in the room was so startled they did not know whether they should first be shocked or first tell them to shut up.
And thanks to the efforts of those three, Madam Shi was successfully summoned over.
“All of you, quiet! Listen to the doctor!” Madam Shi twisted Ayue’s ear. He was already so grown, yet still only knew how to shout and make a fuss.
The old doctor remained calm and composed. Only after they all quieted down did he slowly stroke his beard and say, “The Zhengjun has been pregnant for one month already. His body is healthy, and his pulse is likewise strong. There is no need for concern. If there are foods that make him uncomfortable, he simply need not eat them.”
“Good, good, good! Thank you, Doctor!” Madam Shi thanked him joyfully, looking at Yuan Zhao and then at his stomach. For a moment, she was so overwhelmed she did not even know what to say.
Not long ago she had said she was not longing for it, but now that it had truly happened this quickly, it would be a lie to say she was not happy. Even she had not expected it to happen so soon!
And his body was so healthy that there was not even any need to prescribe stabilizing medicine for the pregnancy.
After collecting the consultation fee, the doctor carried his medicine box and slowly left. Snowflakes filled the skies outside, yet he looked as though he had merely come for a leisurely stroll.
Once he left, the room fell into a strange silence for a moment before voices suddenly erupted nonstop.
“Hurry and take all this meat away! If you want to eat it, eat farther away. Zhao-ge’er, what else do you want to eat? Mother will make it for you.”
“Then should we move farther away to eat? Sister Xia Lian, help carry it for us?”
“Mother, he can’t keep eating. He already ate so much just now. Even if he’s pregnant, he can’t stuff himself recklessly!”
“Why won’t you let my gege eat! You’re awful!”
Yuan Zhao only had two ears. For a moment he did not even know who to listen to. He smiled at Madam Shi. “Mother, I’m not hungry right now. There’s no need to make anything.”
Madam Shi nodded repeatedly. Naturally, everything depended on him now.
Meanwhile, Shi Wuxiang patiently explained to Yuan Yuan, “It’s not that he’s not allowed to eat. He already ate a lot just now. If he overeats later, he’ll feel uncomfortable.”
“Mother, I’ll take care of things here. You should go rest, and take all of them with you while you’re at it.” Shi Wuxiang spoke softly, openly嫌弃ing how noisy they were.
Shi Wuxiang’s status in the household had always been supreme.
Now that Yuan Zhao had two people supporting him over Shi Wuxiang’s head, he had naturally replaced him at the top. Shi Wuxiang speaking like this now carried a rather fox-borrowing-the-tiger’s-authority feeling, but no one disobeyed him.
“Alright.” Madam Shi agreed readily, then immediately began shooing everyone else away. “Come on, come on, don’t disturb your sao-sao’s rest anymore. Yuange too, go play in another room.”
Yuan Yuan left unwillingly.
In the blink of an eye, only Yuan Zhao and Shi Wuxiang remained in the room.
Yuan Zhao let out a slight sigh of relief before touching his still-flat stomach and beginning to grin foolishly. Without him even knowing, the child had quietly arrived!
“Earlier I was still envying He-ge’er. I thought it would take another two or three years before I had a child…” Yuan Zhao smiled as he looked up at him. As he smiled, tears overflowed from his eyes. “I didn’t even know, and he already came. He definitely likes me too…”
“He likes you. We all like you very much.” Shi Wuxiang cupped his cheeks with both hands, wiping away the tears on his face with a light stroke of his thumb.
He knew Yuan Zhao was not someone with a crying temperament. These tears were probably due to pregnancy hormones. Although he had never had children himself, he still understood this kind of basic common knowledge.
Yuan Zhao grabbed his hand and placed it on his stomach, asking anxiously and urgently, “What about you then? Do you like him?”
“I do.” Shi Wuxiang immediately gave affirmation. “I like him too.”
Only then did Yuan Zhao stop panicking. He wrapped himself clingingly around him, his voice practically overflowing with honey. “Axiang, I like you sooo much~”
Shi Wuxiang smiled and patted his back, softly asking, “Is it because I said I like him that you like me soooo much?”
“A little bit.” Yuan Zhao giggled.
“Alright then. Since he helped me out a little, I’ll like him even more.” Shi Wuxiang lowered his head and kissed his forehead. “Now that you’ve eaten and drunk your fill, do you want to sleep for a bit? You’ve been napping every noon lately.”
Yuan Zhao shook his head. “But I’m not really sleepy right now. Talk to me, Axiang. I want to hear you talk.”
“Alright, then let me think about what to say…”
“For now, don’t go out anymore, okay? I’ll come home every day to keep you company. If you feel bored, let Miss Xu come chat with you, or I can invite all those madams and young ladies over to the house. Once your pregnancy is fully stable, we’ll go out and play again?”
“During the day while I’m not home, if anything happens, tell Mother. Don’t feel embarrassed. She’s even more willing to take care of you now. Don’t make things hard on yourself. If anything makes you unhappy, you must say it…”
The moment Yuan Zhao heard that, a trace of discomfort suddenly arose in him. He acted spoiled and asked, “Does Mother only like me because I’m pregnant?”
Of course not.
He knew from the very beginning that Mother liked him very much. There could not possibly be a better mother-in-law than her.
“Of course not. Mother has always liked you. Before, when you left, she even hit and scolded me over you. Mother dotes on you very much. Right now she simply knows pregnancy is hard, so naturally she cherishes you even more.” Shi Wuxiang explained with endless patience.
“Am I being too sensitive, always nitpicking?” Yuan Zhao also felt he was acting strangely. It was as though he had suddenly become like this, feeling that everything others said carried some hidden problem.
He clearly knew everyone in the Shi family treated him extremely well, yet he could still pick faults out of even the tiniest details and feel upset.
It was obviously just deliberately making trouble out of nothing.
Shi Wuxiang said, “A lot of the time, if someone’s words make you uncomfortable, it’s probably because you truly were hurt by them. Occasionally Mother or I might accidentally say something careless too, but I guarantee we don’t mean any harm. That’s why I tell you that if something makes you uncomfortable, you absolutely must speak up, understand? Being sensitive isn’t your fault.”
“Got it.” Right after answering, Yuan Zhao began yawning, and before long he fell asleep in Shi Wuxiang’s arms.
The room had already been warm to begin with, and after Yuan Zhao fell asleep, his whole body became even warmer. Shi Wuxiang felt as though he were holding a little stove, all soft warmth against him.
Smiling, he carried Yuan Zhao onto the bed, tucked the blanket around him properly, then stepped outside to relieve himself.
“Zhao-ge’er fell asleep?” Madam Shi came out from her side room. “The cooks are preparing dinner. I told them to stew some chicken soup for Zhao-ge’er. Will he drink it?”
“Let them stew it. He’ll probably drink some after waking up. Tell them to make it light, fresh, and sweet.” Shi Wuxiang replied. Then he thought of something else and looked directly at Madam Shi. “I also have something to say to Mother. Azhao’s emotions have been rather unstable lately. Just treat him as usual. Otherwise he’ll think we only like the child and not him.”
Hearing that, Madam Shi smiled in surprise. “So that’s how it is. I’ll remember it. Go back and stay with him.”
“There are servants in the house. Mother shouldn’t personally handle everything anymore.” Shi Wuxiang also reminded her softly. They had not bought all those servants merely to stand around watching the masters work.
“Alright, alright. Mother will listen to you.” Madam Shi smiled.
Shi Wuxiang returned to the room to keep Yuan Zhao company, reading a book as well to calm his mind.
Outside, the wind and snow continued endlessly. The first snowfall simply would not stop. Thick snow already blanketed the ground, enough to bury one’s ankles when stepped into.
Toward evening, when the wind and snow lessened slightly, the servants hurried to clear narrow paths for walking. Once the storm fully stopped later, they would clear away all the accumulated snow.
Because of the freezing weather, Madam Shi no longer wanted Yuan Yuan and Shi Qingran attending the academy, so she kept them home to stay with Yuan Zhao. Rather than freezing while reading and practicing calligraphy at the academy, it was better to stay home warmly practicing writing and reading.
“What are you all drinking?” Yuan Zhao woke from his nap to find them drinking something. Inside the teacups was a white liquid like milk, yet he could not smell any fishiness at all.
The moment Yuan Yuan heard him ask, he knew he was interested and immediately handed over his own cup. “It’s goat milk! Steward Gou specially bought it back. It was boiled together with tea leaves, and sugar was added too. Gege, try some? It’s sweet and really tasty.”
Yuan Zhao indeed felt somewhat greedy for food lately, so he took the cup and tried a sip. Ever since seeing the doctor that day, he truly had not felt uncomfortable again.
Since it was made for two children, not much tea leaf had been added, so the sweetness suppressed the gamey taste of the goat milk. It tasted almost like sweetened water.
“Tastes good.” Yuan Zhao smacked his lips.
“There’s still more in the kitchen. This servant will fetch another cup.” Xia Lian spoke as she withdrew.
Very quickly, the room filled with a fragrant sweet milky aroma.
Fortunately, Yuan Zhao did not feel nauseous like before. Instead, he had become greedy for meat again, and the usually sensitive him could even eat fish.
“Cough—”
Shi Wuxiang suddenly could not help gagging once. He quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief, frowned, pushed the dishes farther away, and gulped down a cup of tea before feeling slightly better.
Hu Lu hurriedly patted his back. “What’s going on? Feeling unwell?”
“I suddenly feel a bit nauseated.” Shi Wuxiang smiled helplessly.
“Could it be the dishes smell off?” Cheng Du said while sniffing at the food himself. They all thought it tasted perfectly fine, and if anything were spoiled they would definitely be able to smell it.
“There’s no strange odor.” Fu Ying said.
Shi Wuxiang vaguely understood something. He coughed lightly. “Perhaps my stomach is acting up a little. I won’t eat this meal then. I’ve even ruined everyone else’s appetite because of it—???”
Before he could finish speaking, the dishes in front of him had already been divided up and eaten clean.
Cheng Du grinned while holding a piece of braised pork. “Next time if you’re not eating, say so earlier. Otherwise we still have to brave the cold wind to go to the dining hall.”
Shi Wuxiang: “…………………………”
He truly had nothing to say.
“You’ll have to trouble all of you to supervise the evening lesson today.” Shi Wuxiang said. “I’ve already assigned their coursework and essays. As long as they don’t cause trouble, it’s fine. I’ll inspect everything tomorrow.”
“Alright.” Hu Lu answered.
Fu Ying sharply sensed something off. “You’ve been heading home very early every evening lately. We don’t mind, but did something happen at home?”
Hearing that, a smile involuntarily surfaced on Shi Wuxiang’s face.
“There is indeed something going on, though it isn’t bad news. I’ll tell you all once the time is right.” Shi Wuxiang suddenly changed the subject. “Speaking of which, when are you all getting married? Don’t your families urge you?”
They were nearly twenty already. At this age, they were no longer considered children. Just like Yuan Zhao had said, men or young ger this age often already had several children.
If he were told none of their families urged them, Shi Wuxiang would not quite believe it.
Hu Lu thoughtfully said, “My mother did nag me a few times. Matchmakers even came to the house proposing meetings, but I wasn’t thinking about such things and turned them all down.”
“I just don’t have that kind of patience. If I had to coax someone the way you do, I’m afraid I couldn’t manage it.” Cheng Du clicked his tongue and shook his head. Impossible.
Fu Ying fell into an odd silence, staring at Shi Wuxiang.
Shi Wuxiang also silently met his gaze. Raising a brow, he joked teasingly, “What? Have you fallen for me?”
“…You’re getting more and more absurd.” Fu Ying replied helplessly. “I’m just curious why you suddenly brought this up. Could it be someone in your family is discussing marriage?”
Shi Wuxiang raised his brows. “You actually guessed correctly.”
Fu Ying lowered his eyes and sipped tea, smiling faintly. Otherwise, why else would he suddenly speak of such things?
“Who is it, who is it? Don’t tell me it’s Yuange?” Cheng Du immediately asked curiously. Since the topic had already reached this point, not finding out would make him uncomfortable.
Fu Ying instantly choked on his tea. “He’s only thirteen now. Of course it can’t be him. It’s Ayue, right?”
“We discussed it last winter already. The engagement was settled this year. If nothing changes, they’ll marry in another two years.” Shi Wuxiang said.
Those two years also counted as time for both families to reconsider.
If Ayue could pass the provincial examination in two years, then it would not be unfair to the Tao family’s daughter.
“I personally don’t have any thoughts about such things. Just let things happen naturally. If one day I truly meet someone suitable, marrying then wouldn’t be too late.” Hu Lu spoke calmly, but his gaze subtly swept across Shi Wuxiang several times.
Back then, he really had liked Zhao-ge’er a lot. Unfortunately.
Shi Wuxiang helplessly sipped tea. Hu Lu kept secretly glancing at him—did he think Shi Wuxiang could not notice?
“I’m the same.” Cheng Du sighed dramatically. “Why can’t my parents find me a husband I actually like? Zhao-ge’er is so wonderful. You truly have incredible luck!”
That final sentence carried obvious gritted teeth.
Shi Wuxiang truly could not restrain himself anymore and proudly laughed aloud. Yuan Zhao was the one being praised, yet Shi Wuxiang laughed so hard he could barely stop.
“Can someone throw him out already? He’s annoying me to death.” Fu Ying frowned, so jealous he could not even drink his tea anymore. “Let him freeze outside instead.”
“I agree!” Cheng Du immediately chimed in.
Shi Wuxiang quickly surrendered. “I’ll stop laughing already. You’re the ones envying and resenting me while refusing to seriously look for matches yourselves…”
The three of them ignored him completely. He was too irritating like this.
In the afternoon, Shi Wuxiang only lectured for two hours. After informing the three of them, he left.
Ever since he started returning home every day, the family servant would wait outside the academy for him on time. Occasionally others saw him leaving so early, but no one dared say anything.
All four of them were highly capable. The students assigned to their classes had originally been terrible students, yet they had managed to discipline them into obedience and even drastically improve their grades. No one dared casually criticize them.
“Master, before I came out, Zhengjun said he wanted roasted sweet potatoes.” The servant did not forget to remind him.
“Buy several more if you see them on the road.” Shi Wuxiang said. “And roasted chestnuts too.”
“Yes.”
The sweet potatoes and chestnuts were freshly roasted and piping hot. Shi Wuxiang carried them in his hands until even his palms felt warm. The moment he arrived home, he hurried toward the room, only entering fully after the chill had faded from his body somewhat.
“Teacher Shi has returned.” Xu Ling and several young ladies respectfully greeted him. “Then we’ll head back first.”
Shi Wuxiang slightly nodded. His gaze landed on Yuan Zhao’s rosy face, noticing the lingering look of unfinished enjoyment in his eyes. Softly, he said, “When there’s time in a few days, I’d like to invite all of you to visit our home. I hope you’ll honor us by coming.”
The girls’ faces instantly lit up with joy, and they eagerly agreed.
They understood what this meant. It meant their recent efforts chatting and joking around with Shi Zhengjun had produced results.
Relationships between people were fundamentally exchanges of benefit. At most, people like them simply added a few extra parts sincerity into it. And if merely that bit of sincerity could help their families, why would they refuse?
Xu Ling was especially happy. Despite being so close with Yuan Zhao, she still had never officially visited his home as a guest.
“Then we’ll come again next time. Zhao-ge’er, take good care of your health!” Xu Ling repeatedly reminded him before leaving.
“Alright, travel safely.” Yuan Zhao smiled and waved.
After they left, Shi Wuxiang placed what he carried onto the small table before Yuan Zhao. The overbearing sweet fragrance instantly rushed into Yuan Zhao’s nose, making him immediately smile.
The sweet potatoes had cooled slightly along the way, no longer hot enough to burn the mouth, making them perfect to eat. Yuan Zhao impatiently peeled one and began eating it, while Shi Wuxiang used the same hands he used for writing to peel chestnuts for him. Before long, a small plate was filled with plump golden chestnut kernels.
“I’m not eating anymore.” Yuan Zhao set down the half-eaten sweet potato and focused on eating chestnuts instead. “Axiang, you eat too.”
As he spoke, he picked out the largest chestnut and held it to Shi Wuxiang’s mouth, eagerly staring at him.
Shi Wuxiang did not actually like foods with soft sticky textures like chestnuts and sweet potatoes. He felt they coated the throat unpleasantly and made people uncomfortable.
But if Yuan Zhao offered it, even a heaven-facing chili pepper had to at least be tasted.
“Eat slower. Don’t choke.” Shi Wuxiang spoke while wiping crumbs from the corner of his mouth. “What do you want for dinner?”
“I want spicy chicken, with lots and lots of chili peppers. I also want spicy stir-fried pork… and pickled fish soup is delicious too.” Just speaking about it made Yuan Zhao feel a little hungry again, even though his cheeks were still stuffed full of chestnuts.
Shi Wuxiang thought for a moment. “Too much spice isn’t good for the body. How about regular spicy chicken and pickled fish soup instead? What soup do you want to drink?”
Yuan Zhao did not become unhappy over such a small thing, but mentioning soup made him somewhat distressed. He stuffed a chestnut into Shi Wuxiang’s mouth and whispered, “I already don’t want to drink soup anymore. Recently I’ve been drinking chicken soup every single day. All the chickens in Mingqu County are dying because of me.”
“Then no chicken soup. Will you drink dough-drop soup instead? Tiny dough pieces cooked together with vegetables. Even if you don’t eat much else, drinking two bowls of dough-drop soup would still be good.” Shi Wuxiang suggested again. During winter, people still needed hot food to warm their bodies.
Probably because of all the nourishing food lately, combined with Yuan Zhao not overworking himself physically or mentally, he truly had gained quite a bit of weight, becoming adorably soft and round.
“Then I’ll drink it. I also want some little pickled vegetables. The pickled radish strips you made are so delicious—they’re actually sweet and sour too… Scholars really are amazing. Books teach everything. If someone read every book, wouldn’t they know everything in the world?”
“For the sake of eating a few more bites of pickles, your compliments spill out as though words cost no silver.” Shi Wuxiang laughed softly.
Yuan Zhao laughed along with him.
The house had many pickled vegetables—especially lots of pickled mustard greens and yellow pickles—but Axiang would not let them eat them every day. Eating them occasionally to refresh the palate was enough.
Ever since becoming pregnant, Yuan Zhao had grown greedy for food, and Axiang managed him even more strictly.
Shi Wuxiang had originally thought that after hiring cooks he himself would cook less. At first that had indeed been the case, but after he began running between both places every day, dinner generally ended up being made by him again. After Yuan Zhao became pregnant, it became even more so.
He always said Madam Shi handled too much personally, yet in truth, he himself was exactly the same.
The cook braised a pot of white rice. Aside from the layer of scorched rice at the bottom being hard and crispy, the rice itself was soft, sticky, and delicious. Together with a basin of spicy chicken, a basin of pickled fish stew, and a plate of vegetables, it was more than enough for the meal.
After dinner, the whole family sat leisurely inside the room, each occupied with their own matters. Yuan Zhao also followed Yuan-ge’er and the others in practicing calligraphy. Shi Wuxiang, meanwhile, was guiding A’Yue’s essays and policy arguments. Madam Shi quietly sewed shoe soles, waiting for the time when Yuan Zhao’s pregnancy months grew larger and his shoes would start feeling tight.
“Who have you been associating with lately?” Shi Wuxiang looked at the essay in Shi Qingyue’s hands and expressionlessly shook the paper.
Shi Qingyue obediently listed several names, then asked, “What’s wrong?”
“No wonder your essay is flowery nonsense. Compared to before, it’s practically regressed back into your mother’s womb.” Shi Wuxiang pointed out the problem without the slightest politeness.
“The entire piece is piled full of ornate phrases, and you even remembered to use every beautiful word possible to flatter and bootlick. Every single character looks like it’s about to float into the sky. What, are you planning to float up with them too?”
Shi Qingyue immediately wanted to laugh but didn’t dare. He coughed twice to hide it, quickly calmed himself, and confessed, “They said they heard from other teachers that officials like this kind of essay, so I thought I’d try writing one too. I won’t dare again in the future, ge.”
Other teachers.
Who else could they be? Naturally those teachers who were jealous of them. Since their grades repeatedly stood at the top, it was inevitable those people bore grudges.
And those people saying such things was nothing more than slandering Shi Wuxiang and the others, claiming they only knew how to write this kind of article to curry favor with examiners.
A bunch of idiots.
Including the one right in front of him.
“If you dare show me this kind of dogshit nonsense again, just try it. Rewrite two more essays.”
Shi Wuxiang naturally knew this matter was aimed at them.
Those old foxes, already at their age, were still playing tricks right in front of him. If he actually endured it silently, it would simply be giving them face.