Chapter 57 Pregnancy

After eating a piece, Shen Yuxue was still unsatisfied. She looked at Su Mu and pouted towards the plate of mung bean cakes on the table, implying she wanted another piece.

Su Mu sighed and picked up another piece to give her: “Don’t you have hands?”

Shen Yuxue took it with her mouth, white crumbs on her lips, and lazily lay down next to her: “When I have someone to serve me, why should I do it myself?”

Su Mu was helpless.

“After you finish your exams, let’s go shopping again, just like we did in Yun City before,” Shen Yuxue suggested.

Su Mu shook her head: “After the exams, I want to hurry back. I’m worried about Xiao Yi at home.”

Shen Yuxue’s eyes flickered: “Didn’t you specifically buy several servants for him? What are you worried about?”

“Servants are still outsiders. He’s a man alone at home. What if those servants are like the Yan family people? I’m worried he can’t handle it alone.”

“Don’t forget your current status. He’s the husband of a successful candidate in the imperial examinations. Who would dare to offend him?” Shen Yuxue saw how Su Mu’s heart was tied to Xie Yi and turned over, not looking at her worried face: “Alright, don’t think too much. Maybe by the time you get back, he’ll already be pregnant.”

Su Mu: “…Maybe not that fast.”

Shen Yuxue pulled a thin blanket over her head, her voice sounding muffled: “You’ve been behind closed doors these days, sweet as honey. It would be strange if he wasn’t. You’ll see, when you go back this time, his belly will definitely be bigger.”

Shen Yuxue’s guess wasn’t wrong. A month after Su Mu left Juancheng, Xie Yi suddenly felt nauseous. The servants Su Mu had specially hired for him quickly ran out to call for a doctor.

As Su Mu was the only successful candidate in Juancheng, and now she had gone to take the higher imperial examinations with a bright future ahead, the doctor was extra careful when examining Xie Yi. After confirming three times, he finally congratulated: “Congratulations, young man, you are with child.”

Xie Yi, who had been lying listlessly on the bed with Su Mu’s old clothes placed by his pillow, had been sleeping with the old clothes every night since she left home, pretending Su Mu’s scent was still beside him, imagining she was still by his side.

Hearing the doctor’s congratulations, Xie Yi was overjoyed: “Really?”

The doctor dared not be negligent and said: “It’s absolutely true. You’re already almost three months pregnant.”

Calculating the time, it was just when he and Su Mu had just gotten married. Perhaps it had happened from that time, but in the short days before, even he himself hadn’t noticed.

Xie Yi was elated, looking forward to telling Su Mu this good news when she returned.

“The young man is truly blessed. You’ve just been newly married and already conceived. In two months when the master returns after passing the examinations, seeing your belly will surely be a double joy,” said Xing Ren, a servant who knew how to flatter and serve by Xie Yi’s side, as he brought in bird’s nest soup sent by the main wife’s family.

Xie Yi tasted a spoonful of bird’s nest soup, his smile dancing at the corners of his mouth: “You have such a sweet mouth.”

Of course it would be good to have double joy, but even if Su Mu didn’t pass the examinations, it wouldn’t matter to him. Before meeting Su Mu, Xie Yi only hoped that his future wife-master would be a great hero who stood out from the crowd, so that he as the husband would also have face and enjoy nobility. But after meeting Su Mu, Xie Yi only wanted to stay by her side, serve her, and be an ordinary husband.

He caressed his slightly protruding belly and said gently: “After some time, when the fetus is stable, we’ll invite the doctor over to check the pulse and see if the child is a girl or a boy.”

Xing Ren quickly said: “People often say sour for boys and spicy for girls. Does the young man want to eat spicy or sour things now?”

It was the first time Xie Yi had heard of this method of predicting boys and girls in the Central Plains. He thought for a moment and scooped up a spoonful of bird’s nest soup: “Sweet.”

Another month passed, and Xie Yi’s originally slightly swollen belly became even more prominent than before. His whole demeanor was also very different from before, as gentle as water, especially when he lowered his head to caress the child in his belly and softly murmured Su Mu’s name, there was an indescribable charm.

“Baby, I don’t know if you’re a boy or a girl. When your mother comes back, let her give you a name, okay?” As he spoke, Xie Yi smiled like warm water: “They say if the belly is pointed, it’s a boy, and if it’s round, it’s a girl. If you’re a girl, your mother will definitely love you even more.”

“Enough, it’s just getting pregnant, is it necessary to talk to the child all day long?” Xie Miaorong’s tone was full of jealousy and envy. Seeing that he had now married a successful candidate, with three to five servants attending to him alone, unlike himself, who had married a butcher, and although he earned quite a bit of money every month, he had to do everything himself and also serve his parents-in-law, Xie Miaorong felt unsettled.

But there was nothing he could do. Who told Su Mu not to like him? If he hadn’t fallen for Xie Yi’s trap and married early, ending up as a second marriage and being despised by others, who knows who would be sitting in this position now.

Xie Yi knew this was Xie Miaorong’s discontented venting, and he couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. A defeated opponent was not worth fearing. His most important task now was to give birth to the child.

“With my wife-master not at home, the servants are worried about my heavy body and won’t let me work. Since I’m idle anyway, I might as well talk to the child. After all, this is the Su family’s eldest daughter.”

“Eldest daughter?” Xie Miaorong sneered: “Even the doctor can’t be sure, and you’re already certain it’s the eldest daughter?”

Xing Ren, standing to the side, showed his quick wit and said: “It must be the eldest daughter. Even if it’s not, given how favored our young master is, giving birth to the eldest daughter is only a matter of time. Speaking of which, you’ve been married for almost two months now, why haven’t we heard any good news?”

Xie Miaorong glared at Xing Ren: “I’m talking to your master, what right do you have to interrupt?”

Xie Yi lowered his head and smiled faintly: “Xing Ren, is the red date and snow frog soup not ready yet?” These tonics were sent by rich families when Su Mu had just passed the imperial examinations.

Xing Ren bowed slightly: “It’s ready. I’ll bring it to you now, young master.”

“Serve a bowl for Miaorong too.”

Xing Ren smiled slightly: “Yes, this red date and snow frog soup is just right for nourishing the body.”

Xie Miaorong was so angry he almost tore the handkerchief in his hand to shreds. He left without even drinking the red date and snow frog soup.

Xie Yi didn’t stop him, quietly drinking the soup to nourish the fetus in his belly. They should have been the last relatives in the world, supporting each other in a foreign land, but Xie Miaorong couldn’t see clearly and kept thinking about Su Mu, wanting to snatch her away. Xie Yi wouldn’t indulge this bad habit of his.

He had already done his best. If it weren’t for not wanting Su Mu to think he was too vicious, he would have even thought about marrying him off to some distant place, so he wouldn’t be an eyesore. Such relatives were not worth having. He only needed Su Mu, and that would be enough for this lifetime.

After finishing a bowl of soup, Xie Yi caressed his belly, touching the books Su Mu had read at her desk, countless tiny bits of happiness filling his entire body.

“Young master, the news of your pregnancy has spread among the neighbors, and gradually it’s gotten out. When I went out shopping today, I happened to meet several neighbors discussing your pregnancy on the street. Guess who overheard it?” Xing Ren said in a low voice.

“Who?”

“Yan Jiyue.” Xing Ren said proudly: “At that time, I don’t know how, but the Yan family’s main wife suddenly had a worsening of her condition and had a second stroke, foaming at the mouth with blood. Yan Ting and her spouse hurriedly took her to the clinic. Seeing that there was no one to watch the stall, Yan Jiyue had to help his sister watch the pancake stall. Just then, several gossipy neighbors gathered around to discuss, from the Yan family’s main wife all the way to the master and then to your pregnancy.”

Xing Ren covered his mouth and giggled: “You should have seen Yan Jiyue’s expression at that time, from indifference to shock, shock to anger, then from anger to disappointment, jealousy, his face looked extremely interesting.”

“Mm.” Xie Yi listened without changing his expression.

Xing Ren was puzzled. Logically speaking, given how dramatically Xie Yi had risen to power, seeing the former official husband reduced to selling pancakes on the street, still harboring thoughts about the master but helpless, Xie Yi should have been very pleased to have Yan Jiyue under his feet.

“Young master, aren’t you happy?”

Xie Yi calmly said: “As long as he doesn’t entangle with my wife-master, I don’t need to care about his emotional reactions.”

Xing Ren continued: “But don’t you remember, on the day the master left Juancheng for the examinations, he specially waited outside the city to see her off? Such a calculating person, constantly thinking about someone else’s wife-master, if it were me, I would have gone up and hit him first, slapping his face before saying anything.”

Xie Yi’s lips curved slightly, knowing well that Yan Jiyue still hadn’t given up. But these days, he had long been accustomed to the endless stream of admirers around Su Mu. If he didn’t even have this level of tolerance and rushed forward to fight just because Yan Jiyue saw Su Mu off outside the city, how would he be any different from Yan Jiyue before?

In fact, Yan Jiyue might even hope for him to hit him, so that he could use the opportunity to fall into Su Mu’s arms and cry, giving him another chance to get close to Su Mu and make her change her mind.

Xie Yi hadn’t forgotten how Yan Jiyue had been detested by Su Mu before. Learning from past mistakes, he knew what Su Mu liked and disliked, and only by catering to her just right could he keep Su Mu’s love for a long time.

However, compared to Yan Jiyue, Xie Yi was more concerned about the Yan family’s main wife’s second stroke: “The Yan family’s main wife had a stroke, has she been saved now?”

Xing Ren nodded: “She has been saved, but she’s more paralyzed than before. Only her head can move now. The Yan family has no money now and can’t afford extra money for her treatment. There’s not much hope for recovery in the future. Speaking of which, Yan Jiyue in the Yan family is not good, but the son-in-law they married is extremely good. Even in this situation, he didn’t complain at all and honestly said he would continue to serve the Yan family’s main wife.”

As Xie Yi listened, the corners of his mouth curved upwards slightly. This Feng’er was hiding it deep, saying he would continue to serve, but he was probably going to serve her into the coffin. Compared to hearing about how Yan Jiyue was jealous of him, the fate of the Yan family’s main wife was what truly made Xie Yi feel relaxed and joyful all over.

This old thing, who had schemed against Su Mu before, deserved to suffer such retribution now, being tortured to a fate worse than death by a vicious son-in-law.