Chapter 72 Old Dr. Li

Chapter 72 Old Dr. Li

Jian Ru had just woken up; it was the best night's sleep he had gotten in a long while. Even now, his mind felt a light, hazy drift from being well-rested.

So, when the Second Young Master told him he was expecting, it took him a good while to process it.

When he finally understood what was happening, the Second Young Master saw his mouth curl into a big smile, his eyes shining, his expression as if dreaming, his cheeks slightly flushed with delight and a touch of shyness.

The Second Young Master was delighted and asked softly, "What are you shy about?"

Jian Ru blinked, "Will my belly get big?"

The Second Young Master nodded, "As the fetus grows, your belly will get bigger."

Jian Ru’s face turned even redder. He seemed to want to burrow into the bedding, whispering, "Then everyone who sees will know what we’ve been doing!"

Hearing this, the Second Young Master was first stunned, then burst out laughing. Jian Ru, teased by his laughter, grew even more embarrassed.

The Second Young Master leaned in closer to look at him, kissed his cheek, and said in a husky voice, "Intimacy between husbands is natural, and having children is our duty to carry on the family line. When others see Xiao Ru’s belly grow big, they’ll know I’ve worked hard and haven’t disappointed my little husband…"

At first, Jian Ru thought he was being serious and listened intently, but as he went on, he realized the Second Young Master was actually making a ribald joke. His face flushed as if about to catch fire, and he quickly reached out to cover his mouth.

The Second Young Master’s eyes curved into smiles. He took Jian Ru’s hand, planted a kiss on his palm, then kissed Jian Ru’s forehead, the tip of his nose, and his lips.

After kissing him, he said, "Xiao Ru, I’m so happy."

Jian Ru’s eyelashes fluttered, "So am I."

During the meal, the Second Young Master still wanted to feed Jian Ru, but Jian Ru refused no matter what, so he had to give up. The two sat facing each other across the bed table, eating. The Second Young Master occasionally served him food, smoothed his stray strands of hair, or wiped the corners of his mouth.

Seeing that Jian Ru’s appetite wasn’t very good, he thought about going to the clinic later to get some herbs to stimulate his appetite and aid digestion.

After finishing the meal and cleaning up, the two went to the main house to give their morning greetings. Jian Ru knew the Second Young Master was going to break the good news to Madam Li, but he still found it hard to believe. Grabbing his hand, he asked, "Could it be a mistake?"

The Second Young Master smiled, had him sit on the edge of the bed, and knelt down beside it. He lifted Jian Ru’s clothes and loosened his waistband, letting him look down himself. "Later, as it grows bigger, your belly will block your view, and you won’t be able to see it yourself."

He gently rubbed the swelling with his fingertips a few times. Jian Ru’s eyes widened in disbelief as he watched the Second Young Master look up at him with a smile, then lean down and kiss it.

One kiss wasn’t enough; he kept kissing it, until Jian Ru couldn’t take it anymore and quickly grabbed a strand of his hair, urging, "Don’t miss the time for morning greetings…" Only then did the Second Young Master reluctantly help him straighten his clothes.

When they arrived at the main house, the entire family was present. As soon as the Second Young Master announced that Jian Ru was pregnant, Madam Li was so happy she nearly cried. The older siblings and sister-in-law were also overjoyed.

Jin Hui took Jian Ru’s hand and quietly asked him about the exact date. After calculating, she found it was even earlier than the one in Qing Lan’s belly.

Jin Hui said to her mother with a laugh, "Qing Lan and Xiao Ru are both pregnant, and Jin He is back too. Our family has three reasons to celebrate! Mom, aren’t you going to do something?"

Madam Li laughed heartily, "Tonight, tell Old Lady Wang to add dishes—eight more dishes this time!"

Jin Hui asked, "What else?"

This time, Madam Li was not stingy at all and said boldly, "Jin Hui, go hire an opera troupe. Next month, I want them to perform a full day of opera!"

This was an unprecedented splurge in the Li family. Jin Hui happily agreed, "Alright!"

The opera was scheduled for the following month to avoid Old Dr. Li’s memorial day.

After giving their greetings, Madam Li held Jian Ru’s hand and gave the young couple a long list of instructions before letting them go.

These past two days, the family had been busy preparing for the memorial ceremony, and the Second Young Master had just returned from outside. Madam Li was still worried about his health and told the couple not to come to the main house but to stay quietly in their own courtyard.

She told Jin Hui that if they were short on hands, they could hire day laborers. Today, Madam Li was incredibly generous, astonishing all her children.

Back in their small courtyard, the Second Young Master began thinking about how to build up Jian Ru’s health. Jian Ru leaned against the headboard reading a book, and whenever he stretched his legs or straightened his back, the Second Young Master would come over to ask if he was uncomfortable anywhere.

He still threw up once in the morning. Although it was unpleasant, having someone carefully looking after him made it less uncomfortable. After he finished vomiting and everything was cleaned up, the Second Young Master worried that Jian Ru had nothing left in his stomach and wanted him to drink another bowl of congee. Jian Ru refused to eat no matter what. After some thought, the Second Young Master had Xiao Ning take some coins and go to Shengxiang Zhai to buy hawthorn cakes.

After eating a piece of hawthorn cake, Jian Ru’s appetite improved a bit, and he was coaxed into drinking half a bowl of pork liver congee.

After just two days of such careful nurturing, he had some color back in Jian Ru’s face, unlike the pale complexion he had before.

...

On the day of Old Dr. Li’s memorial day, early in the morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten, Jin Hui arranged two carriages. Except for Madam Li, who was too old to go up the mountain, the two pregnant spouses who were unsuitable for attending the memorial, Qiao Zhi and Xian Yu who had gone to study with their teacher, and Granny Jin and Old Lady Wang who stayed home to look after things, everyone else went up the mountain.

Madam Li, still worried, had Qing Lan and Jian Ru stay in the main house the entire day. She specifically had Granny Jin bring another soft couch into her bedroom. With the original couch, there was enough space for everyone in the room to lie down and rest when tired.

At the moment, sister-in-law Qing Lan was doing embroidery with a hoop, stitch by stitch. Jian Ru had originally intended to practice calligraphy, but bringing out the ink and brushes was too troublesome, so he simply borrowed sister-in-law’s needle and thread, found a piece of cloth from Madam Li, and began sewing a handkerchief.

Madam Li sat to the side, cracking melon seeds, drinking tea, and casually flipping through a storybook.

Sister-in-law looked at the sky outside and said, "It was quite clear this morning, but now there are clouds. It won’t rain this afternoon, will it?"

Jian Ru also glanced at the sky outside, somewhat worried, "It’s hard to say with this weather."

Madam Li said, "Don’t worry, there won’t be heavy rain. They should be on their way down the mountain by now. It’ll be fine."

Seeing this, sister-in-law Qing Lan smiled at Jian Ru and said, "Mom has always been accurate about the weather. It’s something she honed from her escort days back then."

Hearing this, Madam Li chuckled and said, "Hmph, you haven’t seen me back in my escort agency days. With a spear on my back, I traveled the world. There wasn’t a type of person or strange situation I hadn’t encountered!"

Jian Ru listened with admiration but also curiosity, "Then, since you were doing so well as an escort, how did you end up marrying into the Li family?"

Madam Li, brought up about the past, immediately became enthusiastic and began telling them, "It was all because I sprained my foot when passing through Hexi Town back then and had to recuperate here. I visited the clinic so often that I ended up catching your father-in-law’s eye, and we got together."

The old lady spoke boldly, without any embarrassment, but sister-in-law blushed upon hearing it. Jian Ru, however, was unfazed and listened delightedly, leaning forward to ask, "What was father-in-law like back then? Who resembles him more, Big Brother or Jin Tong?"

Madam Li pondered, "Jin Feng looks more like me. The youngest resembles him a bit, but the one who looks most like him in the family is Jin He. Their eyes and eyebrows are cut from the same mold."

Jian Ru tried to imagine it and thought that father-in-law must have been a dashingly handsome gentleman back in the day. No wonder someone as free-spirited and unrestrained as mother-in-law was captivated by him—giving up escorting, laying down her spear, and staying here wholeheartedly to marry him, raise a family, and expand their lineage.

As they spoke, Madam Li’s expression dimmed, "He had a good temper and put up with me all his life. It’s just a pity his life was short. He didn’t get to see the Li family as it is today, let alone the two little ones in your bellies."

Sister-in-law also sighed, "Father-in-law was a good man. No one around had a bad word to say about him. The rule of free medical clinics was established by him back then. The poor villagers in Hexi Town and the nearby areas are all very grateful to him."

Madam Li recalled, "If he hadn’t been so kind-hearted, maybe he’d still be alive and well today. That summer, he heard an old man in the east of town was seriously ill because he couldn’t afford treatment, so he took his medical kit to see him. On his way back, he got caught in a storm, fell ill as soon as he got home, and never recovered. It was all fate."

Jian Ru listened, his heart aching. He held onto Madam Li’s arm, leaning his head against her shoulder to comfort her silently. Qing Lan also held her mother-in-law’s hand.

Madam Li stroked Jian Ru’s cheek, held Qing Lan’s hand in return, and sighed, "Fortunately, the seriously ill old man in the east of town eventually recovered. At least the old man didn’t lose his life in vain. The youngest couldn’t bear the thought of his father’s last patient not having a good outcome and insisted on begging me to let him go to the east of town several times. In the end, he cured that person. I heard he’s still healthy and strong to this day."

Jian Ru listened quietly. The ache in his heart spread even more upon hearing about the Second Young Master’s actions back then. He faintly sensed that his father’s death might have affected the Second Young Master more deeply than he had let on when mentioning it in the past.

Outside, there was a faint rumble of thunder. Soon, a drizzle started up, but as Madam Li had predicted, it was intermittent, and the rain wasn’t heavy.

The three of them were still somewhat worried. Just as they were looking outside, they heard carriages approaching. Shortly after, Granny Jin pushed the door open and said happily, "They’re back."

Only then did everyone finally relax completely.

There had been scattered rain over the past two days, and the mountain paths were muddy. The hems of the returning family’s clothes were splattered with mud, not to mention their shoes, which were a mess.

Madam Li told everyone they didn't need to come report; they should all go straight to their rooms to freshen up, rest well, and talk about what happened on the mountain during dinner that evening.

Jian Ru followed the Second Young Master back to their room. On the way, the Second Young Master held an umbrella, holding it mostly over Jian Ru as they walked slowly.

The rain had soaked half of his shoulder. Jian Ru pushed his umbrella-holding arm toward that side, but soon after, it tilted back over him again.

Jian Ru glanced at his profile and noticed water droplets on his eyelashes, damp strands of hair, and a faint layer of moisture on his fair skin. His expression was calm and neutral, only softening into a slight smile when he looked at Jian Ru.

Jian Ru wrapped an arm around his waist, leaned in closer so both were fully under the umbrella.

"What's wrong?" the Second Young Master asked softly, looking down at him.

Jian Ru shook his head, nuzzling his cheek against the other’s shoulder, and said, "I want to eat hawthorn flakes."

The Second Young Master gently touched his soft cheek and replied, "Alright, I’ll get it for you as soon as we’re back in the room."