Chapter 263: The Road to High Office 63

Chapter 263: The Road to High Office 63

Cheng Ge Er was well aware of the changes in his body.

His current symptoms were the same as when his sister was pregnant with Little Boat: feeling drowsy and constantly hungry. However, unlike women, men do not exhibit obvious signs of pregnancy. Women's menstrual cycles stop once they are pregnant.

In the early stages of pregnancy, men can only be diagnosed by a doctor.

Cheng Ge Er was also afraid that his hopes would be dashed, so he evasively said, "Pingping, it's late today. Tomorrow, I'll have Xiang'er invite a doctor to take a look."

Cheng Ge Er kept putting it off until the 27th day of the twelfth lunar month when he suddenly fainted while teaching the four children, and only then did they finally call for a doctor.

Local officials' annual leave is the same as that of capital officials, starting from the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month and lasting until the Lantern Festival of the following year, a total of eighteen days.

On the 27th, Xu Zeping was announcing the arrangements for the beginning of the next year when Little Tiger rushed in anxiously to report that the young master had fainted.

Xu Zeping didn't bother with anything else. He handed the booklet to the deputy magistrate, asking him to announce the following matters, apologized, and then ran off.

When Xu Zeping arrived at the east courtyard, he saw the doctor taking Cheng Ge Er's pulse.

He didn't dare to disturb the doctor and could only anxiously watch as the doctor checked the left hand and then the right.

The doctor bowed to congratulate him, "Congratulations, County Magistrate. The young master is pregnant."

Xu Zeping's mind went blank momentarily. He stared dumbfounded at the doctor, "Pregnant with what?"

Xiang'er, seeing Xu Zeping's stunned expression, covered her mouth and chuckled, "Young master, what else could it be? You're going to have a little young master."

Under Xiang'er's teasing, Xu Zeping finally reacted. He waved his hand grandly, "Rewards, rewards, everyone gets a reward!"

Xu Zeping was so happy he couldn't stop smiling. He immediately took out silver from his purse to thank the doctor.

Soon, Xu Zeping snapped out of his joy and asked, "Doctor, why did my husband faint? Is it because of insufficient nutrition? Does he need to take any supplements?"

The doctor, also happy, accepted the more than one tael of consultation fee and reassured him, "The young master's body is very healthy, and the fetus is also very healthy. To be honest, in my many years of practice, this is one of the healthiest pregnant men I've seen."

"Then why did my husband faint?" Xu Zeping asked with concern.

"The fetus competes with the mother's body for nutrients, which may lead to insufficient nutrition for the mother, resulting in a lack of qi and blood. If breathing becomes difficult, fainting can occur," the doctor continued. "Sir, don't worry. I will prescribe some mild tonic foods to help the young master replenish his qi and blood.

And you must remember, a pregnant man should eat small meals frequently. This also helps control the size of the fetus, preventing it from growing too large and complicating the delivery..."

The doctor went into great detail. Afraid he might forget, Xu Zeping immediately had someone bring paper and pen, and he took notes as the doctor spoke.

...

After the doctor finished his instructions, he wrote out the prescription.

Xu Zeping handed the prescription to Little Tiger, asking him to escort the doctor back and fetch the medicine on the way.

After finishing all this, Cheng Ge Er also woke up from his coma.

He vaguely remembered feeling that the room was too stuffy, and then everything went black before he fainted...

Seeing Xu Zeping's joyful face in front of him, he seemed to confirm something and tentatively asked, "Pingping, what happened to me?"

"Xiang'er, we're going to have a baby!" Xu Zeping happily held his hand, sharing the joy.

When the long-awaited moment finally arrived, Cheng Ge Er was momentarily at a loss for words. Hot tears streamed from his eyes as he sat up and wrapped his arms around Xu Zeping's neck, burying his head in Xu Zeping's chest, repeatedly murmuring, "Pingping, we're going to have a baby.

We really are going to have a baby."

After Cheng Ge Er calmed down, he asked, "How many months is it?"

"The doctor said it's two and a half months," Xu Zeping said gently, stroking his abdomen through the quilt. "It will be stable just after the New Year."

The doctor had mentioned that the first three months of pregnancy are the most unstable, and Xu Zeping was relieved that he had been busy summarizing the year-end reports to his superiors during this period, leaving no time for romantic distractions.

Otherwise, if something had gone wrong, he wouldn't have been able to forgive himself.

Hearing Xu Zeping's words, Cheng Ge Er suddenly turned pale, his lips trembling, "Ping, Ping, how does the timing not add up?"

Cheng Ge Er remembered that Pingping had returned from the countryside on the seventh day of the eleventh month, and today was the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month, which only added up to fifty days. How could it be two and a half months?

He tightly grasped Xu Zeping's wrist, "Pingping, I, I swear, I haven't done anything to betray you."

Cheng Ge Er had never given birth before and was indeed clueless about these pregnancy matters.

Although he had seen his sister happy, Xu Zerou wouldn't discuss such private topics with an unmarried man, as it was too embarrassing to bring up.

Xu Zeping held him in his arms, carefully comforting him and patiently explaining the calculation of the pregnancy period: "Normally, a woman's pregnancy is calculated from the first day of her last menstrual period, not from the day of intercourse. The so-called ten-month pregnancy is not entirely accurate, as the precise duration is two hundred and eighty days.

Men don't have menstrual periods like women, but you also have fixed special days each month, which the doctor refers to as an internal cycle.

So when the doctor diagnoses pregnancy, they determine the date of your internal cycle based on the pulse, and then combine this date to accurately calculate the pregnancy period.

Cheng Ge Er, don't overthink it, it worries me."

"Mm, I understand," Cheng Ge Er rested his head on Xu Zeping's chest, feeling deeply fortunate to have met Pingping.

After Cheng Ge Er became pregnant, it happened to be the time for the annual holiday, and Xu Zeping took over the household management.

The next day, guided by Cheng Ge Er, he managed the household expenses: daily expenses, servants' monthly wages, and social interactions in Lingbei County...

After tallying the expenses, Cheng Ge Er had him check the household account books.

First was Cheng Ge Er's private treasury, which was his dowry and colorful clothes. The account book here only went up to May of this year, the time they moved north.

Xu Zeping didn't look closely, just glanced at it briefly. The account showed a balance of one thousand taels.

Hmm, it seems that women's money is indeed easy to earn.

Then, their household's public income mainly came from four sources: the first was Xu Zeping's tax-exempt seventy mu of farmland in Qingshui Town; the second was the writing income Xu Zeping gave to Cheng Ge Er before their marriage and the scattered royalties Xu Zeping had received over the past six months; the third was his salary; and the fourth was the water-powered wheel Xu Zeping had built with the Lu craftsman.

Xu Zeping was already an official of the Great Jing Dynasty, and the farmland under his name could be classified as official land, which could amount to thousands of mu... but the Xu Family was already well-off, and Xu Zeping and his husband didn't lack money, so they didn't pursue this privilege.

Therefore, the farmland under Xu Zeping's name remained seventy mu, and the Xu Family's share of the agricultural produce was always forty percent, while the tenants got sixty percent.

Under Xu Zeping's name were thirty mu of high-quality paddy fields, twenty mu of medium-quality paddy fields, and twenty mu of low-quality paddy fields. After converting the two rice harvests into silver, it amounted to about thirty-five taels.

Xu Linshi, fearing that the young couple might be strapped for cash, converted all the grain into silver and sent it to them.

The second source was the main income for the young couple. After deducting various expenses, there was still four thousand taels of silver left.

It should be noted that the expenses for Xu Zeping's purchase of the estate and Cheng Ge Er and Mrs. Cao Zhou's embroidery workshop were also covered by this income.

The third source was Xu Zeping's salary. The monthly grain distribution was enough for their family's needs with some left over, and after Xu Zeping kept three taels for himself, the rest was handed over to the household fund.

The remaining silver was used by Cheng Ge Er for household expenses: vegetables, fruits, servants' monthly wages, daily tips, and seasonal clothing expenses.

Little Tiger, Autumn, and Xia Tian each got one tael monthly, while the two maids received five hundred wen.

The fourth item has not yet been recorded, so naturally, it hasn't been accounted for.

Cheng Ge Er keeps very detailed accounts. His personal funds remain untouched, and the first item of the public accounts is also unchanged.

The second item of the public accounts covers major expenditures and social obligations, while the third item is for minor expenditures.

Once there is income for the fourth item, Cheng Ge Er plans to move the social obligations to the fourth item.

As for the future embroidery workshop, it will be the fifth source of income for their family, and how they'll handle it will depend on the profits then.

Regarding the toothbrush factory, he has heard Pingping mention the arrangements, so he hasn't included it in the plans yet.

Cheng Ge Er leisurely lies on the couch, reading storybooks, drinking tea, and eating melon seeds and fruits. Watching the busy Xu Zeping, he thinks, "Ah, life is good."

After finishing the accounts, Xu Zeping sees the leisurely Cheng Ge Er and feels quite resentful. He decides to let Cheng Ge Er experience some fatigue as well.

"Xiang'er, I see it hasn't snowed today," Xu Zeping says, picking up the cloak hanging nearby and walking over to Cheng Ge Er. "Let me help you go for a walk."

Lately, Cheng Ge Er hasn't felt like moving much. Upon hearing about the walk, he tilts his head and fakes being asleep.

Xu Zeping doesn't indulge him. He half-carries him up, ties the cloak around his neck, puts on his shoes, and then hands him a hand stove. He then half-carries him outside.

The snow in the courtyard has been cleared by the maids, and the snow outside the east courtyard has been shoveled by four enthusiastic children.

It is for this reason that Xu Zeping dares to take Cheng Ge Er out for a stroll.

The cool breeze chases away Cheng Ge Er's weariness. The wet road makes him extra cautious, and he walks very slowly, holding onto Xu Zeping's hand.

Xu Zeping isn't annoyed and patiently accompanies him on this path they've walked hundreds of times.

The slow-moving figures look like a picture of peaceful times.

The couple walks from the east courtyard to the west courtyard and back, repeating this several times. The backyard has more snow, and the clearing isn't as thorough, so naturally, they don't plan to risk the baby.

After three rounds, they've had enough activity, and Xu Zeping naturally doesn't push the little pregnant man further.

Boom!

The sound of lively fireworks fills the air, and brilliant sparks bloom in the night sky.

"Wow, fireworks!"

Qiao Yun and the other three children, seeing the dazzling fireworks, excitedly run around the small courtyard.

Xu Zeping and Cheng Ge Er exchange a smile. This is the first New Year the couple has spent together after marriage, and next year their baby will join them for the celebration!

"Alright, alright, let's have the New Year's Eve dinner together, or the food will get cold," Autumn peeks out from the main hall, calling them to the reunion dinner.