Chapter 152

Chapter 152

The doctor's single sentence, "You're with child,"

had Shen Qinglan and Qiao Dong over the moon.

As for Han Zhang, he stood there frozen, totally lost.

Although he knew that young lads in this world could bear children, he'd transmigrated here and didn't really get it on a gut level.

Combined with his sexual orientation, whether he had kids or not didn't really matter to him, so he held no particular expectations—he even often forgot about the possibility altogether.

Now, suddenly learning that his husband was pregnant, his emotions were all over the place.

There was surprise, excitement, bewilderment, unease, apprehension... and above all, sheer bewilderment—he had no idea how he should react.

It wasn't until Shen Qinglan noticed he hadn't responded for a long while and asked, sounding a little hurt, "Husband, I'm pregnant—are you not happy?"

Only then did Han Zhang snap out of it. His voice trembled, and even his grip on his husband's hand was shaking hard:

"No, no, that's not it, husband... I—I'm so happy... You're pregnant? I'm really gonna be a dad? A kid that's mine and yours, our blood mixed together..."

He was rambling, pulling his beloved into his arms, yet as if afraid of breaking him, his arms hung there, afraid to squeeze too tight, his voice shaking with excitement he could barely hold back:

"Qinglan, you know, I never thought... Now—now I'm just so damn happy."

Hearing this, Shen Qinglan quickly remembered where he came from and suddenly understood.

Oh right—in his husband's world, there were no guys like him, and his husband was an orphan who'd never had blood relatives. No wonder he was freaking out—finding out he was gonna be a dad out of nowhere.

Realizing this, Shen Qinglan immediately hugged Han Zhang tightly and comforted him, feeling for him:

"Husband, don't be afraid. From now on, the child and I will be with you—you're not alone anymore."

"This is just the first one. In the future, I'll give you a second, a third, a fourth... Soon enough, eight or ten kids will be crowding around you, yapping away at you."

By then, his husband would never be lonely again—they'd have a full, happy family.

To be honest, this wasn't the smoothest pep talk, kinda clumsy even, but it warmed Han Zhang's heart nonetheless.

Warmth flooded his chest, along with a chuckle. He ruffled the hair of the person in his arms and chuckled, "Talking nonsense again. Eight or ten? You planning to pop out a litter of piglets?"

"What piglets! Husband! I'm trying to comfort you, and you're making fun of me..."

Shen Qinglan's ears went red at that, and he gave him a playful little punch.

Han Zhang grabbed his hand while he had the chance and pressed it to his cheek, smiling: "I'm not joking. Babe, I'm thrilled you're having my kid, but I only feel whole when you're with me."

Without his husband, even a house full of kids would mean nothing to him.

He wasn't happy about the kid—he was happy that his husband was carrying his kid.

Back then, there was a saying—"a father's worth comes from his kid"—but for him, it was the kid who got lucky because of the dad.

Though the rest went unspoken, Shen Qinglan could see it in his eyes.

The young lad beamed, all happy and content, throwing himself into his arms again, his voice all sweet and soft: "Husband, me too..."

He loved the idea of kids with his husband, but he loved his husband way more!

They held each other, all warm and mushy.

Qiao Dong and the others didn't really get what they were saying, but they could tell the two bosses were head over heels. They couldn't help hiding their smiles and giggling, the whole room felt warm and cozy.

Once the excitement died down, Han Zhang asked the doctor why his husband had no pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness—just a bigger appetite.

If anything had been off, he'd have used his Power to check more thoroughly when regulating his husband's body. He also fretted about whether their nightly fun had hurt the baby.

"The young master has no pregnancy issues—probably because of his special body and being super healthy..." Doctor Li explained slowly while stroking his beard, inwardly clicking his tongue in disbelief.

Their young master's body was, plain and simple, as tough as an ox! In all his years, he'd never seen a young lad this healthy.

But looking at the interlocked fingers of Han Zhang and Shen Qinglan, Doctor Li added a stern warning, speaking seriously:

"Though the young master is in good health and marital relations pose no harm to the fetus at present, you must exercise restraint going forward."

"In the bedroom, no more than four times every ten days. You two go at it day and night—keep this up, and you'll drain your kidneys and wreck your health."

He knew the son-in-law and young master were crazy about each other, always all over each other.

Sure, they were both full of energy now, but going at it every day wasn't exactly good for you.

Kids these days just don't take care of themselves—what a headache!

Han Zhang and Shen Qinglan blushed to the tips of their ears: "..."

Though physicians spoke frankly, couldn't he have been a bit more tactful?

No wonder Doctor Li couldn't survive in the capital and chose to follow them to the remote countryside—that mouth of his really was too blunt!

However, Doctor Li's words weren't wrong.

Shen Qinglan's body was indeed several times healthier than the average young lad, and consequently, the fetus in his womb was exceptionally strong, absorbing nutrients faster than ordinary infants, which ultimately led to Shen Qinglan's greatly increased appetite.

Once they confirmed that Shen Qinglan was merely eating more and was otherwise fine, Qiao Dong and the others stopped trying to curb his portions. Instead, they had the kitchen prepare dishes in every conceivable way, afraid that Shen Qinglan might not eat well or go hungry.

Han Zhang also set aside his affairs for the time being, changing from regulating his husband's body every few days to running his Power over him daily before he could rest easy.

He had never been married in his previous life and knew little about pregnancy, but he did know a thing or two about prenatal education.

So, for the sake of their child's future intelligence, Han Zhang resorted to coaxing, cajoling, and outright insistence, forcibly cutting off the melodramatic romance novels and theatrical performances Shen Qinglan loved.

After all, their family truly had a Throne to inherit!

Han Zhang didn't want to raise a child who'd be a "woman/man, you've caught my attention" type, a "yin-damp villain obsessed with forced love," a "chuunibyou dragon-conquering hero," or a "sweet little fool with red eyes and hands on hips"...

But this made Shen Qinglan unhappy. He immediately hugged him, rolling around, fake-crying, and begging:

"Husband, you're so cruel... Life on this boat is already so dull, and now you won't even let me listen to storytellers or songs. How am I supposed to get through the days ahead?"

"Waaah... Little cabbage~ growing yellow in the field~ just got pregnant~ and husband doesn't love me anymore~~"

He covered his face and sobbed pitifully.

All the while, he kept peeking through his fingers.

Han Zhang couldn't resist reaching out to poke his husband's dry cheek, smiling as he said:

"Alright, my dear, I'm not keeping you from those stories for any reason other than the well-being of our child. As they say, children learn from what they see and hear—now that the little one is in your belly, he sees what you see and hears what you hear every day."

"Do you really want to raise a son who corners young ladies and lads against walls over nothing, dropping lines like 'You've caught my attention'? Or a foolish lad who would tear his heart out for a faithless lover, using his own death to 'punish' the other party?"

Shen Qinglan imagined the scene: ...

Alright, that image was too vivid—he dared not dwell on it!

Though he enjoyed those melodramatic tales, he still knew right from wrong.

Not wanting to harm the child in his womb, yet utterly bored, Shen Qinglan could only pout and whine: "But husband, the boat is so boring—I'm dying of boredom. What am I to do?"

"Then let me tell you stories from my world..."

Han Zhang knew his young husband's temperament well, so he resigned himself to the extra effort, turning wise historical and political lessons into funny, engaging stories to entertain him.

This way, he could both provide prenatal education for the baby and teach his silly husband a thing or two.

His husband was destined for a high position, and Han Zhang didn't need him to become exceptionally clever—just sharp enough politically not to be fooled by his underlings.

Han Zhang's wit and simple storytelling made the tales easy to grasp, and since the world was a big, makeshift stage, anyone who had studied history knew that some real events were far more absurd than any online drama.

So, Shen Qinglan quickly grew intrigued, setting aside his beloved trashy romance novels to learn with enthusiasm.

Beyond prenatal education, Han Zhang also frequently called for Doctor Li to inquire about pregnancy care and childbirth preparation.

He even planned to seek out midwives and male midwives upon arriving at Yunyang Prefecture to learn delivery techniques, so he could be present in the delivery room when the time came.

After all, with the poor medical conditions of this era, he couldn't bear to leave his husband's life in anyone else's hands.

Conventions be damned—his word was law, and no one would make him back down when it came to his husband.

Han Zhang's devotion touched the hearts of Shen Qinglan's dowry matron and wet nurse, who couldn't help but confide privately:

"Life is so unpredictable! When the young master's marriage faced so many twists and turns before finally uniting with the young lord, no one in the household said a word, but inwardly, who didn't mock our young master for marrying down?"

"Yet who could have guessed the young lord would treat our master with such sincerity? Now, though demoted to Yanzhou, he's still a fourth-rank Lord Prefect governing a region—a rank many chase their whole lives and never attain."

"Indeed, and now the young master is with child—there's more good fortune ahead..."

Seeing the deep affection between the two masters, all the Shen family's accompanying servants rejoiced sincerely.

After all, a servant's fate was tied to their master's—only when the master prospered could they enjoy good days, especially those who had accompanied the young master and miss as part of their dowries.

Everyone was immersed in the joy of the new life's arrival, and before they knew it, the two-week boat journey passed quickly.

Han Zhang and his party finally reached the borders of Yanzhou.

Ahead, only a half-month's journey by carriage remained to reach their destination—Yunyang Prefecture.