Chapter 71: Giving Birth Again, He Had Already Lost Completely Before Even Starting…

After making a mess in the room, Meng Huan finally felt more comfortable. After just a few days of silence, he and Wen Zhaoyin were on good terms again.

Xie Yunjin also knelt in the ancestral hall for three days before being sent to the yamen by Pei Lan. All his crimes were listed in writing, and his sentence was determined directly, receiving the punishment he deserved.

One matter was settled.

This was Meng Huan’s second pregnancy. Although his body had no problems, his reactions were still more intense than normal men.

In the early stages, it was still fine. He could move around flexibly. As the pregnancy progressed and his belly grew bigger and heavier, it put a great burden on his body, making him drowsy all day long.

By the seventh or eighth month, he no longer held Wen You and walked with difficulty in the courtyard with his big belly.

He was tired and exhausted, but he had to walk. If he didn’t exercise, giving birth would become difficult.

Previously, Meng Huan had been avoiding the issue of pregnancy and the pain and various symptoms it brought. By this month, he had nowhere to escape and had to face these problems directly.

He began to cycle back to the state he was in during his last childbirth, feeling anxious every day. He became even more attached to Wen Zhaoyin and had long asked her to take leave from the empress to accompany him during the delivery.

It was unclear what exactly influenced him to be so dependent on this woman.

“Do you… love me?” Finally, one early morning, he asked Wen Zhaoyin the question he had long wanted to ask.

She was stunned by his question. It was rare for a man to ask a question so bluntly, let alone that she hadn’t seen many men. Only Meng Huan had asked her this way. Even Xie Yunhuan had never asked.

Seeing her not responding for a moment, he sat up from beside her and asked again, “Quickly tell me, do you love me? Or do you like me?”

“I like Lingyi.” She thought she had given him a satisfactory answer, but unexpectedly, he became a little unhappy.

“Don’t skip the previous question. I’m asking you, do you love me? Or to put it another way, do you like me more or the prime minister more?”

Since the incident in the ancestral hall ended, Meng Huan had not mentioned it, but he had been keeping his thoughts in his heart. Now, as his pregnancy progressed, his mind became more sensitive.

Today, he finally couldn’t hold back and asked foolishly and recklessly.

“Wen Zhaoyin, can you say you love me?”

Seeing her still smiling without responding, Meng Huan pouted and nearly cried, pleading with a slightly trembling voice.

However, Wen Zhaoyin also sat up, wrapping him in the quilt and carefully embracing him while avoiding his belly, as if with boundless affection.

But she only said, “I like Lingyi the most. Are you hungry? What do you want to eat for breakfast?”

She completely avoided answering the question directly! Meng Huan was too familiar with this tactic because he used to treat others this way before.

It seemed like she thought she had escaped a fatal question, but it would make the asker feel very sad, like him now.

He turned his face away, wiping the tears that involuntarily welled up in the corners of his eyes.

Meng Huan really didn’t understand why he was stubbornly insisting on asking this question. If he didn’t ask, would everyone be happy?

However, he said, “Compared to me, you still love him more, don’t you?”

He could clearly feel the hands on his shoulders tightening. Meng Huan continued saying hurtful words, “He’s gone. I’ve been with you for more than three years. I should at least have a place in your heart.”

“Look at you, still smiling at me like that. You’re not even willing to lie to me. In your heart, am I not even comparable to a dead person?!”

“Enough!” Wen Zhaoyin’s voice was low. With just two words, she successfully shut him up.

Right now, she really couldn’t say the word ‘love’ to Meng Huan, even though she did like him a bit now.

Wen Zhaoyin rubbed her head and frowned, “You are you, and he is he. What is there to compare?”

“Lingyi, don’t always think about these messy things. Taking care of the pregnancy is the most important thing right now.”

Meng Huan was already crying. He felt that Wen Zhaoyin stopped him because he referred to Xie Yunhuan as that dead person.

He was completely clear about his and Xie Yunhuan’s positions in her heart.

Obviously, obviously feelings were the most elusive thing, something he firmly didn’t believe in before. Who knew that the situation would change and karma would finally come back to him…

In Wen Zhaoyin’s heart, he couldn’t even compare to a deceased person. She wasn’t even willing to lie to him.

“I only asked if you love me. Is that considered messy?” Meng Huan wiped his tears with his hand, feeling more and more miserable.

Wen Zhaoyin gently patted his back, “You must be overly anxious about these issues because you’re about to give birth. Don’t you understand my feelings for you?”

She also became stubborn. Obviously, she could coax him if she said it, but the word ‘love’ got stuck at her lips and couldn’t be said.

“Don’t cry, don’t cry. It’s not good to cry early in the morning.”

Meng Huan was immersed in his own emotions and wasn’t comforted at all. Instead, he cried even more sadly.

He held his waist, bypassed her, refusing her support, and walked down from the bed himself. He sat on the small stool beside the bed and took the handkerchief from the table to wipe his tears.

After wiping away the tears, he happened to look up and saw the ginkgo tree rustling in the wind outside the window. He used to quite like the golden yellow leaves, but now they only seemed dazzling to his eyes.

He turned his head to look at Wen Zhaoyin. Not knowing what went wrong, he directly said, “Didn’t you say that I understand your feelings for me? Then I want to cut down that tree in the yard. Are you willing or not?”

Meng Huan thought, it was just a tree. Some time ago, he replaced all the furnishings in the room, and she had no objections.

Now he just wanted to cut down a tree and have her prove her feelings for him. It wasn’t too much, right?

However, this time it was far beyond his expectations. Wen Zhaoyin didn’t nod and agree like before. Instead, she put away the smile on her face. Although she didn’t speak, she clearly showed disapproval.

He suddenly felt deep sorrow and was quite sad. He sat on the stool and cried non-stop. After crying for a while with no one comforting him, he felt awkward and stopped crying.

On the other side, Wen Zhaoyin also got up. Seeing that his emotions had finally calmed down and he no longer mentioned cutting down the tree, she got out of bed and dressed herself. After everything was sorted out, she said,

“I’m going to sit in the small study for a while. When breakfast is served, I’ll come over and eat with you.”

She thought that things couldn’t go on like this. She considered whether they should move to the main courtyard after the child was born. Perhaps if he couldn’t see it, he wouldn’t have wild thoughts.

She used to live in the main courtyard. It was only because she had arranged for him to live in the Bamboo Courtyard that she stayed there to accompany him. In fact, after her father passed away, she should have moved to the main house.

Taking advantage of the time to go to the small study, she began planning the house move with Pei Lan. After all, there were quite a lot of things to be moved, which would require some manpower.

The place over there also needed to be cleaned and renovated according to Meng Huan’s habits before they could move in.

What Wen Zhaoyin didn’t know was that after she left for the study next door, Meng Huan sat on the stool and became angrier the more he thought about it. He felt that she just didn’t like him or love him.

He found that tree in the yard even more unpleasant to look at. He simply called Wen Xi over, got an axe and hammer, tied up his sleeves with his arms, and personally took the tools to cut down the tree.

In his current condition, how could he exercise? Wen Xi couldn’t stop him alone, so he hurriedly rushed to the study to seek help from Wen Zhaoyin.

Wen Zhaoyin had just walked out of the study. Before she could say anything, Meng Huan angrily said, “You must want to stop me today, right? I just can’t cut down this tree, right?”

“But today, I’m determined to cut it down.”

He lifted the axe with some effort, not daring to use too much force, and just chopped at the trunk lightly.

Sparse golden leaves fluttered down. One leaf landed on his shoulder and was blown to the ground by the wind. Wen Zhaoyin stood still, unmoved.

“Young lord, young lord, please don’t cut anymore. Be careful of the child!” Wen Xi wanted to stop him, but not daring to touch his belly, he couldn’t stop him at all.

Under Wen Zhaoyin’s calm gaze, Meng Huan chopped another axe. Seeing her indifferent expression, his heart turned cold.

He threw away the tool in his hand, held his waist, panting and leaning against the tree trunk. It was hard to say whether he was sad or something else. He only said, “I won’t cut anymore.”

“If you want to remember him, then remember him. I’m just something you pamper when you’re happy and ignore when you’re not,” he compromised.

From her attitude, he discovered that this tree had a very special meaning to her.

Meng Huan really couldn’t be sure. If he really cut down this tree, would Wen Zhaoyin still dote on him? He was ultimately timid and didn’t dare to gamble.

It seemed as if he had drawn an invisible cage for himself, imprisoning himself within it.

Whether to cut this tree or not was like a gamble in their relationship. Before he even started, he had already lost completely.

He thought, even if the heavens allowed him to return to modern times now, his mindset might not be able to change back to that of a normal modern man.

“Wen Xi, I’m hungry. I want pumpkin porridge, shredded pork with mustard greens, and spicy stir-fried heart-protecting meat.” Meng Huan wiped his face and walked back to the room holding his belly, feeling a bit tired.

From now on, he wouldn’t think about anything, wouldn’t ask anything, and there wouldn’t be so many issues.

Wen Zhaoyin watched his back, shaking her head imperceptibly, not saying anything for a moment.

Pei Lan opened her mouth on the side, a bit hesitant. She wanted to persuade, but felt that a servant shouldn’t interfere in the master’s affairs. In the end, she couldn’t help it.

She said softly, “Master, Young Lord Meng seems a bit sad…”

“Let’s go back.” Wen Zhaoyin didn’t pick up on her words and walked towards the small study herself.

This man Meng Huan, his thoughts were different from other men. He couldn’t be analyzed with reference to ordinary men.

Perhaps if she rushed to coax and persuade him now, it might not calm him down. It was better to give him some time to be quiet. He would be able to figure it out, after all, he could be much more insightful than others at times.

As for cutting the tree, she was sure he couldn’t cut it down alone. She let him cut to consume some energy and vent his anger.

—

After this incident, the matter of moving to another courtyard was delayed for a while.

Meng Huan only ignored her for two or three days before getting along with her as usual. He also stopped asking those questions about liking and loving. He even never mentioned the prime minister since then, as if he had forgotten there was such a person.

Wen Zhaoyin felt that he had let it go and didn’t bring it up at all.

She thought he should understand. Even if she remembered Xie Yunhuan in her heart, it was in the past. Now, the one sleeping beside her was him, and only him.

For men, giving birth was like going through the gates of hell. Wen Zhaoyin firmly believed in this saying. But when she sat outside the delivery room for the first time and heard the endless screams inside, the shock in her heart was still hard to calm for a long time.

When Prime Minister Xie Yunhuan gave birth, she was not by his side. Last time, when Meng Huan’s child was born, she had just returned. So this time, it should be considered her first time staying with him throughout the delivery from the beginning.

With the experience from last time, this time she had Pei Lan prepare a red silk ribbon. One end was tied to her wrist, and the other end was held in Meng Huan’s hand. When he was in pain, he could pull hard and feel her presence, which would make him feel more at ease.

“After giving birth this time, I’m definitely not doing it again! Ahh!”

The red silk tied to her wrist was constantly being pulled, leaving a red circle around her wrist, but Wen Zhaoyin didn’t even blink.

Instead, she even loudly conversed with the person inside, “Alright! We won’t have any more children!”

She thought, the eldest daughter Wen Shu’s character was beginning to show. She was a child who could be of great use. With more guidance in the future, she would be more than capable of inheriting the family business.

Moreover, with the relationship between Wen Shu and Meng Huan, as the legitimate eldest sister, she would definitely take good care of her younger half-brother Wen You, whom she had raised since childhood, as well as the youngest one being born in the room.

With these three children, this household could be lively and bustling. Although it couldn’t be like other people’s households with a dozen children, it was enough.

“Are you serious?!” Meng Huan’s voice from inside the room suddenly rose an octave, seeming to have much more motivation.

Naturally, Wen Zhaoyin loudly encouraged him, saying it was true and telling him not to get distracted and to work hard to give birth to the child soon.

The old eunuch ran back and forth. Meng Huan was in excruciating pain. She couldn’t sit still and pulled the red silk, pacing in circles in the room outside the delivery room.

“Ah!” Suddenly, a scream came from the room, followed by the sound of servants bustling about.

Wen Zhaoyin abruptly stopped and tentatively called out, “Lingyi? Lingyi?”

But no one responded to her. She inwardly thought it wasn’t good and was about to rush into the inner room.

It seemed that she didn’t have time to grab the red silk. On the other side, Meng Huan sensed it and his somewhat weak voice came from inside, “I’m fine, don’t come in… Don’t scare yourself…”

“What scene haven’t I seen? It’s alright. If you want to see me, just shout immediately.” Wen Zhaoyin held the red silk. The fabric was already soaked with the sweat from her palms. She was also very nervous.

Meng Huan was lying inside. Although he knew she couldn’t see, he still shook his head weakly.

“No need. I feel very reassured with you outside the door.”

Giving birth from there, what a strange and bloody scene it was. When she came in last time, Wen You was already born. That part of him was covered, so she didn’t see it.

This time, he was in the process of giving birth, losing a lot of blood and other filth. If she saw it, what if she was disgusted by him…

He thought, perhaps the only thing that could make her like him and be attached to him was this still relatively young body. If even this was gone, she would probably stop liking him very soon.

“Heh, it’s hopeless,” he laughed at himself. Now, while giving birth to a child and being in so much pain, he was still thinking about these trivial matters.