Chapter 71 Pregnancy

Chapter 71: Pregnant

Everyone was in high spirits during dinner, and no one mentioned the events in the provincial capital. After the meal, they saw off Second Uncle's eldest son, and Zhao Pin took the two children back to their room to practice calligraphy. The rest gathered in the main hall to drink tea and chat.

Madam Li beckoned Jin He to sit beside her, holding her hand and examining her closely. Her eyes grew moist as she said, "My daughter has suffered so much."

Jin He clasped her mother’s hand in return, tears welling up. "It’s my fault for clinging to the bond with my late husband and misjudging the wickedness of human hearts. I’ve burdened my family with worry—I shouldn’t have."

Sensing something amiss in her words, Madam Li asked, "What exactly did your in-laws do to you?"

Jin He bit her lip, finding it difficult to speak.

Madam Li looked at her youngest son. The Second Young Master frowned and said, "They wanted Third Sister to marry their nephew."

"What?" Madam Li’s face instantly changed color.

There was indeed a folk custom of levirate marriage, primarily to prevent family assets from flowing out when a man died young, by having his widow marry a brother or cousin. However, very few families practiced this, unless they were in dire circumstances in rural areas and had no other choice. Most ordinary families dared not do so, fearing it would be seen as immoral.

*Bang! Clatter!* The teacup in Madam Li’s hand shattered on the table as she slammed it down. Her face flushed with rage as she cursed, "What do they take Jin He for? They’re utterly devoid of morals and conscience!"

"No wonder they refused to let Jin He return home without reason, fearing she’d remarry if she came back to her parents. They were planning this all along," Jin Hui exclaimed, suddenly enlightened. She tugged at Jin He’s sleeve and demanded, "Has that wretched nephew been eyeing you for a long time?"

Jin He nodded, embarrassed. "I sensed something was wrong early on, so whenever he visited my in-laws, I avoided him and never left the house. I never imagined..."

Jin Hui fumed, "He certainly had a good plan—marrying a beautiful woman and getting a fortune for free. How could he be so shameless?"

She looked at Jin He. "Since your in-laws treated you so cruelly, why didn’t you come back with Jin Feng last time? Did you still care for them even after all that?"

Jin He shook her head. "After that incident, I completely gave up on them. I didn’t come back with Eldest Brother last time for two reasons: first, I didn’t want to just leave and let them slander me as they pleased; second, although I don’t covet even a single copper coin from their family, the dowry I brought was painstakingly saved by my parents. I couldn’t let them have it. I had to get back everything I brought."

Hearing this, everyone agreed she had done the right thing.

Wiping her tears, Jin He smiled. "This time, it’s all thanks to Jin Tong. Otherwise, I couldn’t have left or recovered my dowry. My in-laws and that nephew made a fuss, but with Jin Tong and Second Uncle’s eldest son present, they didn’t dare go too far. Later, Jin Tong went to the clan elder to reason with him and threatened to report them to the authorities. Fearing public shame, and coincidentally, the nephew suddenly fell gravely ill and could no longer pursue the matter, their plans collapsed. With no choice, my in-laws released me, and I brought back my dowry completely intact."

Madam Li gritted her teeth. "Indeed, evil deeds meet their just desserts."

Jian Ru’s eyelids twitched at this, and he glanced at the Second Young Master, who simply smiled back.

After chatting a while longer, Madam Li said Jin He and Jin Tong, having just returned, must be tired, and urged everyone to retire. Soon, the family dispersed.

Back in their room, Xiao Ning had already prepared hot water.

The Second Young Master was bathing in the tub, and Jian Ru helped him scrub his back.

Having been away for half a month, Jian Ru hadn't noticed any changes at first. But now, with his clothes off, it was clear—the Second Young Master had grown more muscular. His arms, chest, and abdominal muscles were more defined, and his shoulders seemed broader.

As Jian Ru scrubbed, he felt the room grow warm, and his heartbeat quickened.

Jian Ru coughed lightly, forcing his mind elsewhere. Only when he recalled Third Sister’s words from the afternoon did he calm down. His hands stilled, and he asked suspiciously, "That nephew’s illness—it wasn’t your doing, was it?"

The Second Young Master smiled in return, "What do you think?"

Jian Ru thought for a moment. "Probably not. There was no need."

The Second Young Master nodded. "They were clearly in the wrong. Whether before the clan or the authorities, we would have won. The nephew’s sudden severe illness was just a coincidence, but it saved us a lot of trouble. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have returned so soon."

Jian Ru said, "Serves him right for being so vile!"

The Second Young Master reached out to touch his face. Jian Ru tilted his head, wiping his cheek with his arm, softly complaining, "You’ve made my face wet."

The Second Young Master gazed at him, eyes gleaming. "I want to kiss you."

Jian Ru blushed. "Then kiss me."

The Second Young Master smiled. "What if your clothes get wet too?"

Jian Ru looked at the Second Young Master for a moment, as if making a decision.

He set down the cloth, bit his lip, lowered his eyes, not daring to look at him, and reached up to unbutton his collar.

At once, the Second Young Master’s smile vanished. He felt blood rush to his head, his face turning even redder than Jian Ru’s. As Jian Ru lifted his leg to step into the tub, he swiftly wrapped an arm around his soft waist, seating him facing himself on his bent knees. Then, unable to wait, he tilted his head and kissed Jian Ru deeply.

Jian Ru sat sideways, arms around the Second Young Master’s neck, softly humming as he was kissed. In a brief pause, he whispered, "My tongue hurts."

The Second Young Master murmured, "I’ll be gentler," and kissed him again.

After a while, Jian Ru pushed him away. "We haven’t finished bathing yet."

Suppressing his inner turmoil, the Second Young Master finally finished washing and carried Jian Ru to bed. But Jian Ru, still mindful of the messy tub, tried to rise and clean it.

"You lie down," the Second Young Master said. "I’ll clean it."

After quickly tidying up, he returned to find Jian Ru already asleep, curled on his side beneath the covers.

The Second Young Master sighed softly. He sat on the edge of the bed, leaning gently on his elbows on either side of Jian Ru, careful not to press down, gazing at his sleeping face from close by.

After so many days apart, he had missed his little husband terribly, longing for him intensely. Yet he had dared not write of it in letters, afraid of making him cry again.

Now, Jian Ru breathed evenly, fast asleep. His face and chin were small, looking both vulnerable and adorable. He had indeed lost a lot of weight.

The Second Young Master’s heart ached with tenderness, resolving to help him regain his health in the coming days. Afraid of waking him, he gently stroked his hair. In the quiet night, simply watching him filled his heart with warmth and contentment. Even though the intimacy he had yearned for during the journey remained unfulfilled, he felt no regret.

As he watched, drowsiness crept over him, and he prepared to lie down.

Just as he moved to blow out the candle, a sudden thought struck him, and he returned to the bed.

He lightly placed his fingers on Jian Ru’s wrist. Jian Ru, perhaps not yet deeply asleep, murmured softly. The Second Young Master quickly soothed him, "Sleep, sleep. It’ll be over soon. I won’t disturb you long."

Jian Ru settled, his breathing steadying once more.

Only then did the Second Young Master focus on taking his pulse. After a moment, his calm expression froze, replaced by unmistakable astonishment.

He looked at his own fingers, disbelieving, then placed them once more on Jian Ru’s wrist. This time, the pulse confirmed it—identical to the first reading.

Withdrawing his hand, his fingertips trembling slightly, the Second Young Master gently lifted a corner of the quilt and looked down at Jian Ru’s lower abdomen.

It was dark under the covers, but it didn't affect his vision.

Unlike women, male bearers (ge’er)—men capable of bearing children—did not menstruate, so pregnancy couldn’t be determined by cycles.

But after conception, as the fetus developed, a faint red mark gradually appeared on the lower abdomen, just above the pubic area. Its size roughly indicated how far along the pregnancy was.

Looking closely, the Second Young Master spotted a tiny red patch on Jian Ru—so small it could easily be missed.

Though not an expert in this specific area, he understood the basics.

He closed his eyes, struggling to contain his joy, silently calculating the timing. It likely dated back to that night when, consumed by intense jealousy, he had been most unrestrained.

There was no doubt now. Joy spread across the Second Young Master’s face. He longed to touch the sleeping figure beside him, but hesitated, afraid of waking him. Instead, he lay down gently beside him, kissed his hair, and whispered over and over, "My Xiao Ru, my Xiao Ru..."

After the initial ecstasy, the Second Young Master's mind slowly cleared. At this moment, seeing how much thinner Jian Ru had become, he understood what was happening and felt an even deeper ache in his heart.

He was immensely grateful that Jian Ru had fallen asleep early, that their earlier intimate moment hadn't happened, as he feared it might have harmed him.

After extinguishing the candle, the Second Young Master lay down on the bed, carefully tucking the blanket around Jian Ru. His mind raced with thoughts of what tonics and supplements to prepare for him starting the next day, and he also considered asking his mother and eldest sister about what else needed to be arranged in advance.

The more he thought, the more awake he became, and he didn't know how long it took before he finally fell asleep.

He had only been asleep for a short while when he heard Jian Ru tossing and turning fitfully beside him.

Instantly alert, he opened his eyes and sat up to check on him.

"What’s wrong, Xiao Ru? Are you feeling unwell?"

Jian Ru, eyes still closed and brows furrowed, mumbled indistinctly, "My stomach feels awful."

Thinking he needed to use the chamber pot, the Second Young Master quickly said, "Wait a moment, I’ll fetch the chamber pot."

As soon as he stepped out to the outer room to retrieve the bucket and placed it by the bed, the Second Young Master helped Jian Ru sit up. But instead, Jian Ru bent over and vomited into the bucket with a retch.

The Second Young Master immediately held him with one hand while gently patting his back with the other, wishing he could take his place.

After Jian Ru finished vomiting, the Second Young Master took the bucket away, then brought back a cup of warm water. He held Jian Ru in his arms, helping him rinse his mouth and wiping the corners of his lips clean.

Jian Ru was still only half-awake, only half-conscious, his voice hoarse as he murmured, "It hurts."

The Second Young Master’s heart clenched with worry. He laid Jian Ru back down, cradling him in his arms while softly comforting him and rubbing his stomach. He asked if he wanted water or something to eat, but Jian Ru only shook his head.

After a while of gentle rubbing, Jian Ru finally settled down and gradually fell back asleep.

Holding his thin wrist and noticing the shadows under his eyes, the Second Young Master realized that during the days he had been away, Jian Ru must have suffered like this every night, with no one to care for him. He deeply regretted not having poisoned that bastard from Third Sister's husband's family, as it would have allowed him to return home sooner.

…

The next morning, Jian Ru drifted awake to find the sky outside already bright. He had slept later than usual.

The space beside him was empty—the Second Young Master had already risen.

As Jian Ru sat up and prepared to go to the kitchen, he heard footsteps approaching the door, followed by the sound of it being pushed open.

Looking over, he saw the Second Young Master entering with a tray. Noticing that Jian Ru was awake, he quickly walked over, placed the tray on the table, and said, "No need to rush. I’ll bring the bed table over. You can have breakfast in bed."

Jian Ru let out a surprised "Ah," but the Second Young Master had already approached with a smile, wrapping his arms around his waist to move him to a more comfortable spot against the headboard. He then drew the blanket up to cover him properly.

Only then did he turn back to fetch the bed table from the corner, carefully placing it over Jian Ru’s legs on the bed, and setting the tray on top of it.

Jian Ru’s eyes followed his movements, but when the Second Young Master picked up a spoon as if to feed him, he finally couldn’t hold back and said, "What are you doing? I’m not sick."

Looking at his bewildered expression, the Second Young Master felt both tenderness and affection. He put down the spoon and gently stroked Jian Ru’s cheek, as if afraid of hurting him, and said softly, "Xiao Ru, you’re pregnant."

Jian Ru blinked, not comprehending at first. When the meaning finally sank in, his mouth fell open, and he looked down at his belly, too stunned to speak for a long moment.