Chapter 164

Chapter 164

After sending off his shy and awkward younger brother, Han Zhang returned to the bedroom.

Shen Qinglan was leaning against the headboard, embroidering a tiny garment for the baby. Seeing him enter, he looked up with a smile:

"Husband, what did you say to Second Brother? Look how happy he is—I could hear his jumping footsteps from in here."

"Gave him a talking-to." Han Zhang removed his outer robe and sat down beside him, shaking his head with a chuckle. "That lad is rash—he'd only just met the young man for the first time, and already he's clamoring to marry him. Really rude. If I hadn't set him straight, he might have made Zhou Geer uncomfortable later on."

Shen Qinglan bit back a smile: "I don't think we can blame Second Brother. Husband, weren't you just the same when you first met me? Second Brother is just being himself—he takes after you."

"That's true—the first time I saw my husband, I fell for you too..."

Though his love at first sight in the study had been put on, when he'd snuck over beforehand to sneak a peek at his husband, he truly had been hooked from that first look.

But Han Zhang smiled again: "Still, at the end of the day, love at first sight is really just attraction to looks. The feelings my husband and I share now grew from getting to know each other afterward."

"Second Brother has only met Zhou Geer once. How deep can such feelings run? I wouldn't dare set them up—if something went wrong later, how could I face you and Old General Shao?"

"For now, Zhou Geer is staying at our place. If the two of them are destined to be together, Second Brother will naturally have a head start; if not, I won't mess with that young man's life for his sake. We'll just see what happens..."

"Husband, you've really thought this out. But I can see that Zhou Geer isn't exactly uninterested in our Second Brother either. If the two of them could end up together, that would be wonderful."

Shen Qinglan said with eager anticipation: "Zhou Geer has a good temperament and gets along well with me. If we could be sisters-in-law, that'd be a blast."

"You're about to be a dad, and you're still thinking about fun..." Han Zhang shook his head, half amused, half annoyed, picking up the embroidery hoop out of his hands and chuckling: "Husband, what is this you're embroidering? Some kind of evil-warding monster?"

"What evil-warding monster—this is a tiger, a big, fierce tiger!"

Shen Qinglan went red in the face at his laughter and pouted, all huffy: "If your eyesight is poor, husband, you should go see a doctor about it!"

Though his embroidery skills weren't all that good, they couldn't be that bad, could they? He thought the tiger he'd embroidered looked pretty good—how could it look like some evil-warding beast?

Han Zhang looked at him and suppressed a laugh: "Husband, it's not that my eyesight is poor—it's that your embroidery is something I simply cannot praise in good conscience. Besides, our baby isn't a Tiger baby—why embroider a tiger?"

"Nanny said that young kids have weak energy. Embroidering a fierce auspicious beast on the clothing can ward off evil and keep them safe. I thought tigers were the fiercest, so I embroidered one... Other babies all have little garments made by their mothers and fathers—ours should have one too."

Shen Qinglan stroked his belly lovingly, then couldn't help looking hurt: "Husband, is my embroidery really that bad?"

"It's not bad, but it should do a great job scaring off evil spirits."

Han Zhang said this with a completely straight face, talking nonsense.

Shen Qinglan: "..."

Shen Qinglan huffed and tossed the embroidery hoop at him: "Han Zhang, you're sleeping in the study tonight!"

"No way—I can't sleep without my husband."

Han Zhang laughed and pulled him into his arms, dropping the joke. Taking his husband's fingers, red and swollen from needle pricks, he said, his voice full of concern:

"Okay, okay, don't get mad. I know you care about the child, but the baby doesn't need this little garment. The thought is what matters—you don't need to push yourself to do stuff you're not good at."

"Aren't you good with a whip? When the baby grows up, you can teach him whip-cracking... Look what's happened to your fingers."

His husband was willing to put up with the pain, but he couldn't bear to see it—it hurt him to watch.

These gentle words dissolved all of Shen Qinglan's indignation. He turned back into a docile little lamb, leaning into Han Zhang's arms with a sweet smile:

"I know you care about me, husband, but I just want to make something for the baby. This is our child, mine and yours—I love him."

The moment he finished speaking.

The little one in his belly seemed to understand its father's words, hurriedly kicking its tiny feet in response.

Shen Qinglan's smile grew even brighter. He took Han Zhang's hand and placed it on his belly, his voice joyful: "Husband, look! The baby heard us! He's greeting us!"

"I see it, I see it... This little one knows how to make his father happy even before he's born—quite clever."

Han Zhang's eyes crinkled with tenderness, his voice full of doting affection.

Love for the child came from love for the father—this child was the fruit of his and his husband's love, so of course he cherished it too.

...

After a good night's rest.

Early the next morning, Han Zhang personally led Grandfather Han and the others to inspect the village he'd chosen for their settlement, handling the arrangements for the clan members.

Grandma Han, meanwhile, sorted through the gifts sent by the Shen family in the capital, the Pan family, the Wu family... as well as the things An Ge'er had sent along upon hearing the news of Shen Qinglan's pregnancy.

"When your mother-in-law heard you were with child, she was overjoyed—she nearly packed her bags and came along with us. But the Shen residence can't spare her, so these are just the things she hastily gathered. More are still on the way..."

Grandma Han chattered about the events before leaving the capital, sighing with emotion. Shen's mother truly doted on Lan Ge'er, and her family was wealthy—she sent gifts as if she were moving house.

Shen Qinglan's eyes reddened slightly at the news of his mother: "Mother has doted on me most since I was little. It's a pity I can't be by her side to fulfill my filial duty now."

"Don't cry, Lan Ge'er—crying too much during pregnancy is bad for your health. As long as you live well, that's the greatest filial piety you can show your mother. There's a long road ahead, and Big Brother is capable—he'll surely bring you back to the capital to see your mother-in-law."

Han's mother set a cup of milk before him with loving kindness:

"Try this milk—the kitchen says it was just milked from the cow, fresh as can be. Big Brother gave strict instructions before he left that you must drink plenty."

To be honest, as a mother-in-law, at first seeing her hard-raised son put Shen Qinglan at the very center of his heart, and having to humble herself before her son's husband for the sake of her son's future—Han's mother couldn't deny she'd had some reservations.

But after spending time together, Han's mother discovered that this son-in-law truly had a pure heart. Aside from being a bit awkward with words and somewhat pampered, he was genuinely filial to the elders and caring toward the younger siblings.

Most importantly, Han Zhang was very skilled at harmonizing the relationship between his mother and his husband.

Han's mother wasn't the type to be harsh or fond of tormenting her daughter-in-law, and as time passed, she came to genuinely cherish Shen Qinglan.

And Shen Qinglan was obedient too. He accepted the milk and drank it, nodding with a sniffle:

"I understand, Mother. Don't worry, I won't cry anymore. I'll take good care of myself and give my husband a big, healthy son! When my mother hears about it, she'll be happy too."

Though he knew neither he nor his husband would mind if the baby were a boy or a young lad, he also knew that his in-laws and grandparents all hoped for a boy. Saying this would make his mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law happy.

Sure enough, the smiles on both elders' faces grew even warmer at his words.

Han's mother stroked his belly with deep affection: "You're not skilled with needlework, so from now on, let Mother make the baby's little clothes and bibs. You rest well, eat and drink well, and build up your strength—that's the most important thing for you right now. Don't worry about anything else."

"Mm, I'll listen to Mother..."

Shen Qinglan nodded obediently.

The three generations—mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, and grandmother—got along harmoniously.

Shao Langzhou sat nearby, watching Han's mother's loving demeanor, and felt great fondness for her as well.

Grandma Han was equally gentle and kind to Lan Geer, unlike Hong Qianhu's mother, who was crude in manner and sharp-tongued.

He had once accidentally witnessed Hong Qianhu's mother secretly striking her daughter-in-law, which was truly frightening!

That was one of the reasons he took a dislike to Hong Qianhu.

By the time the gifts from the capital were roughly sorted, the sun was already dipping toward the west, and evening had fallen.

Han Zhang and the others, who had gone to inspect villages for their relocation, finally returned, dusty and weary.

The village Han Zhang had chosen for the clan was called "Yunxiang Village." Not only was it close to the prefectural city, but the farmland was also fertile, and Clan Chief Han and the others were all very pleased.

They had already settled on it in the morning, but Han Qinnian, that peacock of a young man trying to court someone, had insisted on showing off. He had secretly led a few of the clan's young men up the mountain with a hunter from Yunxiang Village and bagged a wild deer, which delayed them!

Han Zhang hadn't planned to give his younger brother too much advice in his pursuit of a spouse, lest he mess things up, but he could still create opportunities for them to spend time together.

So, under Han Qinnian's earnest, expectant eyes, Han Zhang took the opportunity to suggest:

"Deer meat is best enjoyed fresh. As it happens, a few days ago, the kitchen experimented with some local spices unique to Yunyang Prefecture and came up with several distinctive dipping sauces. How about we set up a bonfire in the courtyard tonight and roast the deer with great fanfare?"

"Great! Let's have roast meat!" Han Qinnian was the first to eagerly shout in agreement, showing off: "I learned my roasting skills from an old hunter in the village. I guarantee it'll be crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, so delicious you'll eat your own tongues!"

As he spoke, his gaze subtly drifted toward Shao Langzhou sitting nearby, afraid Shao Langzhou might not notice him.

"..."

But Shao Langzhou's eyes had actually been on him the whole time. Catching his furtive glance, he couldn't help but feel his cheeks burn.

He wasn't even a particularly handsome lad—why did Second Brother Han keep sneaking looks at him?

Shen Qinglan, sitting right next to Shao Langzhou, couldn't help but notice the silent exchange between him and Han Qinnian. His eyes crinkled into a smile as he chimed in:

"That's a great idea. It's been a while since we've had some fun. I'll go tell the kitchen to prepare some light side dishes and fruits to cut the richness."

"Meat and vegetables alone aren't enough—let's also bring out a few jugs of wine. No wine with meat, and life's a wasted treat!"

Grandpa Han added cheerfully from the side.

His and Grandma Han's bodies had also been secretly nurtured by Han Zhang's power, so they were in good health now, fully capable of enjoying roast meat and gnawing on bones.

"Alright, roast deer it is."

The rest of the Han family nodded in agreement, all quite eager for the roast deer.

After all, the Han family had only recently become well-off, and their good days hadn't lasted long. Deer meat was a rare delicacy—even if they had hunted one before, they would have sold it rather than keep it for themselves to enjoy.