Chapter 548 The Whole Family Living Together Harmoniously

Chapter 548 A Harmonious Family Reunion

Xingxing returned to the General of the Western Garrison’s estate. Wei Pozi pulled her into her arms, carefully examining her from head to toe before nodding in satisfaction. "Good, good. You haven’t lost any weight staying at the Duke of Xinguo’s place."

Xingxing chuckled.

"Where's Aunt Da Xi? Why don't I see her?" Wei Pozi peered behind Xingxing but didn’t spot anyone.

Xingxing shook her head helplessly. "You know how Grandma Da Xi gets. She was worried about the medicinal herb fields in the mountains. As soon as we left the Duke of Xinguo’s residence, I couldn’t hold her back—she headed straight for the mountains. I originally thought about going with her to stay in the mountains for a few days, but then I realized it’s been a while since I’ve been home, so I came back to see you and Grandpa first. I’ll head to the mountains in a couple of days."

Wei Pozi beamed, holding Xingxing's hand. "Come, we heard earlier you’d be back by noon today, so your aunt went to cook. She’s busy in the kitchen right now."

Mentioning Li Chunhua, Wei Pozi couldn’t help but mutter, "Your aunt’s already showing, and I told her not to go near the stove. But she almost got upset—lately, she’s suddenly been craving the smell of oil heating in the pan… I remembered what Aunt Da Xi said when she checked her pulse before: expecting mothers sometimes get odd cravings. As long as it’s not excessive, it’s fine to let her be, so I didn’t stop her."

"Then I’ll go check Aunt’s pulse," Xingxing said, accompanying Wei Pozi to the main kitchen in the courtyard.

Cen Yueyi was helping Li Chunhua cook.

Li Chunhua, with a kerchief tied around her head, was cheerfully teaching Cen Yueyi how to make stuffed bitter gourd.

Cen Yueyi, as the daughter of a marquis’ household, had no qualms about what others might call ‘menial labor.’ She diligently followed Li Chunhua’s instructions.

Wei Pozi grew even fonder of this eldest grandson’s wife. Despite her noble status, she carried none of the airs of a marquis’ daughter and got along wonderfully with the whole family.

Now this was the kind of granddaughter-in-law to look for!

"Aunt, Sister-in-law~" Xingxing called out with a smile as she entered the kitchen. Catching a whiff, she guessed, "Wow, Aunt, are you making stuffed bitter gourd?"

Li Chunhua grinned. "Xingxing’s back."

Spatula in hand, she added, "I remember you and your eldest brother both love stuffed bitter gourd. Have a few extra pieces later."

Xingxing replied earnestly, "No, I love everything Aunt makes. Aunt’s cooking is the best."

This made Li Chunhua light up with joy.

Cen Yueyi, graceful and poised as she helped, chimed in with a smile, "Mother’s cooking is truly excellent."

Li Chunhua was overjoyed. "Great timing—I picked up a few new Yangzhou recipes from the family’s Yangzhou chef. I’ll make them for you later."

Wei Pozi, standing at the doorway, couldn’t help but smile at the scene.

Living together in harmony like this—it was just wonderful.

Xingxing didn’t rush Li Chunhua. Only after she’d gotten her fill of cooking—preparing three home-style dishes and two Yangzhou specialties—did Xingxing call for a break. "Aunt, you’ve been standing for a while now. Come sit with me inside for a while."

Though she didn’t want to stop, Li Chunhua obediently agreed. After washing her hands, removing the kerchief from her head, and untying her apron, she led Cen Yueyi and Xingxing into the house.

Xingxing checked Li Chunhua’s pulse—everything was steady and strong.

When Xingxing told her, Li Chunhua touched her belly, a blend of shyness and happiness in her expression. "To be pregnant again at my age… maybe this little one is trying not to trouble me too much."

Xingxing stood up. "Grandma, is Auntie at home? I’ll stop by Xianxian Courtyard to check on her."

Ah Wu was nearly four months along, but while her early pregnancy had been smooth, she’d recently started having bad morning sickness, becoming sensitive to many smells. These days, she’d been eating separately in her own courtyard.

Wei Pozi sighed. "Dear, you just got home and haven’t even rested, and already you’re bustling about…"

Wei Pozi understood this was Xingxing's way of showing how much she cared for each family member.

She smiled and shook her head, not stopping her: "Then go ahead. Your fourth aunt's morning sickness has let up a bit lately, though she still gets queasy from certain smells if someone unknowingly carries them. I won’t go with you."

Xingxing agreed and got up to head for Xianxian Courtyard.

Cen Yueyi hesitated for a moment but quietly followed Xingxing out.

Xingxing said 'Huh?' in surprise and asked, "Sister-in-law?"

A light blush spread across Cen Yueyi's cheeks. Seeing no one around, she stepped closer and whispered to Xingxing, "Xingxing, it's been a while since I married into the family, but I still haven't conceived… Would you check my pulse?"

Xingxing looked surprised. "Sister-in-law, has someone said something? You've only been married two months—there's no hurry."

The blush on Cen Yueyi’s face deepened. "No, no one said anything. It's just me..."

Her face turned bright red, and she couldn’t continue.

She couldn't exactly say she was the impatient one!

Xingxing understood. Seeing how flustered her sister-in-law was, she didn’t push the matter and reassured her, "Sister-in-law, you're still new to the family..."

As she spoke, she reached out to check Cen Yueyi’s pulse.

But the moment she did, Xingxing couldn’t help making another surprised sound.

The sound startled Cen Yueyi, who looked at Xingxing nervously.

Xingxing had her switch hands, but the result was the same.

Her eyes widened. "Sister-in-law, you're already a month along!"

Cen Yueyi was both shocked and overjoyed. She hadn’t held much hope, yet she was actually pregnant!

She looked happily dazed as she placed a hand on her abdomen. "...Really?"

Xingxing nodded emphatically and carefully guided Cen Yueyi back. "You're just a month along—you should take it easy."

Cen Yueyi followed her in a daze, step by step.

Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua were in the main courtyard house, chatting while cracking sunflower seeds, when they saw Xingxing and Cen Yueyi return. Wei Pozi blinked in surprise. "Did you forget something?"

Xingxing grinned and glanced at Cen Yueyi, waiting for her to share the good news herself.

But Cen Yueyi was too shy, her face burning bright red as she lowered her head, unable to speak.

Yet Wei Pozi and Li Chunhua kept looking at her expectantly. Not wanting to keep her elders waiting, Cen Yueyi turned to Xingxing for help.

Xingxing had to take over. With a smile, she announced, "Sister-in-law is already a month pregnant!"