Chapter 229: Happy News

Sang Luo’s words were accurate.

Da Qi was indeed poor at the moment. Apart from prominent local families like the Zheng family of Lin, even the Zeng family, who had recently moved from Taiyuan to Shezhou, wasn’t much better off than other officials. The distance was too great, and their influence hadn’t reached this far yet.

So Shen Lie, who had brought forty to fifty pounds of meat, sought out someone close to Master Zeng. Even though he couldn’t recall that person’s name, he mentioned that he had previously sent books and asked for help in making inquiries. The old gatekeeper at the back door of the governor’s office actually helped him get in touch.

The attendant had a good impression of Shen Lie and knew that Master Zeng had a favorable view of the Shen family. When he heard it was a thank-you gift, he asked Shen Lie to wait a moment and went ahead to inform the front office.

Master Zeng was extremely busy, wishing he could be in two places at once. After inspecting the sweet potatoes at Daxing Village, he had casually mentioned sending books and then promptly forgot about it. Hearing now that a gift of dozens of pounds of wild boar meat had arrived, he raised his eyebrows.

He didn’t refuse the gift, letting the attendant take it and distribute it among the lower-ranking officials. The officials lived relatively well, but the minor clerks depended solely on their meager monthly rations from the court to support their families. They had no way of getting meat, so this was a welcome boon as the New Year approached.

As for meeting Shen Lie, that was out of the question. Master Zeng was too busy, and Shen Lie didn’t have such expectations. He only wanted to complete the formalities, so after handing over the gift to the attendant, he took his leave.

Sang Luo was relieved to know that the gift had been delivered smoothly. With this favor returned, she no longer had to worry about it.

After a snowfall, icicles had formed under the eaves. The children, including Shen Tie, had a new snack. On cold days, they broke off the icicles and enjoyed the refreshing taste.

Seeing this made Sang Luo shiver, and she remembered the four bundles of tree bark she had forgotten in the mountain stream.

Considering the time, the bark had been soaking for two months. She wasn’t sure if the stream had frozen over, so she hurried into the mountains to retrieve the bark.

The bark, soaked for two months in running water, was much lighter in color compared to the one that had soaked for only one month. Sang Luo felt hopeful.

Of course, making paper was not possible at the moment. After the incident with Chu Qichang, she was wary of experimenting at home before the yard was properly built. However, she remembered that for the ramie used in weaving, the color of the silk needed to be bright, and the process involved crucial steps. Proper sun-drying and watering were essential, and the balance between wet and dry needed to be carefully controlled. Too much or too little of either would affect the color.

Sang Luo looked at the four bundles of tree bark in her hands and decided to test them in pairs. Two bundles would be processed using the method for making ramie fiber—soaking and sun-drying—while the other two would be crushed and hung in a basket to be exposed to the elements behind the house for comparison.

On the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month, Sang Luo focused all her attention on this task. It wasn’t until the 29th that she began preparing rice cakes and steamed date cakes for the New Year.

…

The New Year at Daxing Village wasn’t a family reunion. The Lu family’s brothers had yet to return from picking up the eldest son, and Chen Dashan and his group were still away in the mountains. However, on the second day of the New Year, the village did have some new arrivals.

Feng Liuniang went into labor in the afternoon of the second day of the lunar New Year. Sang Luo received the news and hurried to the Lu family home. Before she even entered the door, she heard Feng Liuniang’s labor sounds, though they were brief and soon subsided.

Mrs. Chen was in the kitchen boiling water and came out to see Sang Luo. She quickly grabbed Sang Luo’s arm and led her away, saying, “Young women shouldn’t come to see this. Go back, go back. We have plenty of help here. This isn’t Feng Liuniang’s first child; she’ll be fine. We’ll send news once the baby is born.”

Sang Luo didn’t understand the custom that young women should avoid witnessing childbirth, but she listened to Mrs. Chen. Instead of staying, she took her needlework and went to Chen’s house to wait for news.

Mrs. Chen said everything went smoothly, and it truly did. By evening, Ah Xu came out with the good news: his mother had given birth to a baby girl. The little guy was overjoyed, running around to share the news before finally staying home.

Sang Luo was pleased to hear that both mother and daughter were safe. She also noticed that Zhou Ge, while happy for Feng Liuniang, instinctively placed her hand on her own flat abdomen.

Three months had passed since she left the mountain, and she hadn’t avoided anything since then. There was still no news.

Thinking of Sang Luo being the same age as her, Zhou Ge asked quietly, “A Luo, you’re not avoiding anything anymore, right?”

Sang Luo noticed Zhou Ge’s hand resting on her abdomen and understood the meaning of her words. She shook her head, “No, I’m not avoiding anything.”

Zhou Ge asked in return, “Are you anxious?”

Zhou Ge sighed, “I’m nineteen, and Dashan is twenty-four. Of course, I’m anxious. My mother even asked me about it when we went home to pay New Year’s greetings.”

Nineteen and twenty-four were ages when children should be running around.

“Has Grandma or Aunt Youtian pressured you?”

“No, they haven’t.”

“That’s right. If Grandma and Aunt Youtian aren’t rushing you, why are you anxious? Children come with fate. Besides, it’s only been a short while since we moved out. Most of the time, you’re alone at home. It’s normal not to be pregnant yet. Nineteen isn’t too late. There are benefits to waiting.”

Since Chen Dashan and Shen Lie came down from the mountains, they were frequently running into the hills, with barely ten days at home combined.

Seeing Zhou Ge relax a bit, Sang Luo recalled how she had once quietly taught her about contraception and chuckled, “You know everything and dare to ask anything.”

Sang Luo smiled lightly, “I only told you.”

They chatted and laughed for a bit. Sang Luo looked at the sky and guessed that Shen Lie should be returning soon, so she bade Zhou Ge goodbye and headed home.

At that moment, she had no idea that her casual mention of fate would come to pass so quickly. Within a few days, it would be confirmed, and both she and Zhou Ge would find themselves expecting at the same time.

The cause was Shen Lie’s decision to expand the family’s rabbit breeding and collect more game to exchange for money in the eastern market before the school term began. Starting from the second day of the New Year, he frequently took Shen An and Shen Jin to the mountains, and on the fifth day, he happened to get some fish from a mountain stream.

With Chen Dashan away, Shen Lie took care of Chen’s family, giving a portion to them, another to the Jin brothers, and keeping some for his own family.

He returned late, during the evening meal time. Shen Lie did the fish preparation himself, but Sang Luo was the one cooking.

While preparing fish for New Year’s Eve had been fine, on the third day, when Shen Lie’s apprentices came to pay New Year’s greetings and Feng Erlang brought fish, there was no reaction. However, on this day, when Shen Lie brought the prepared fish closer, Sang Luo smelled the fishy odor and immediately felt nauseous.

The fish smell on Shen Lie’s hands made things worse. He tried to comfort her by patting her back, but it only made her more nauseous. She waved her hand to keep him away.

It was the first time Shen Lie had been rejected so intensely by Sang Luo. Unsure of the cause, he didn’t dare approach and waited until Sang Luo calmed down a bit before urgently asking, “Are you feeling better? It’s still early. Let’s go see a doctor in the city now.”

Having lived together for several years, Sang Luo had rarely fallen ill due to her martial arts practice. When she did get sick, it was usually mild, and she recovered with a little medicine. She had never experienced such severe vomiting before.

Seeing her pale face, Shen Lie didn’t wait for her response. He quickly went back to their room, grabbed some money, and instructed Shen Ning to cook, saying, “There’s no need to cook immediately. Ah Ning, help your sister-in-law.”

Shen An and Shen Ning were also startled and quickly agreed.

Once Sang Luo’s nausea subsided, she realized something. She had no experience with pregnancy, but from novels and TV shows, she knew about morning sickness.

Upon reflection, she realized her period had been delayed for several days. Shocked, she remained silent, afraid she might be wrong and that Shen Lie would be disappointed. She nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go see the doctor.”

At Chen’s house, they encountered Zhou Ge, who was also being helped out by Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang.

Seeing both women with slightly pale faces, Mrs. Chen noticed Shen Ning carefully supporting Sang Luo and saw Shen Lie accompanying them. She widened her eyes and exclaimed, “What’s going on?”

Shen Ning explained, “We’re going to the clinic. My sister-in-law’s stomach isn’t feeling well.”

Mrs. Chen and Zhou Ge both showed signs of surprise, especially Mrs. Chen and Qin Fangniang, who were exceptionally happy. Mrs. Chen said repeatedly, “Good, good. Let’s go together.”

Shen Ning was puzzled about why everyone seemed so happy about going to the clinic.

Shen Lie suddenly realized something.

It was a distant memory from his childhood. When his mother was pregnant with Shen An and Shen Ning, there had been similar circumstances. And yes, his Aunt had also experienced this when she was pregnant with Xiao Jin and Xiao Tie.

He stood frozen, looking at Sang Luo, his chest heaving and his throat tight with nervousness. He realized now why Sang Luo had been vomiting and was hesitant to approach her, remembering the fish smell on his hands from earlier.

…

At Yiyuan Hall.

The old doctor placed his fingertips on Zhou Ge’s wrist, listened closely to her pulse, and then smiled, “It’s definitely a pregnancy pulse. Morning sickness is normal. Just take care to rest. No need for medicine.”

Hearing that it was indeed a pregnancy pulse, Mrs. Chen, Qin Fangniang, and Zhou Ge didn’t know how to contain their joy.

She was really pregnant!

Mrs. Chen was so overjoyed she nearly clasped her hands in thanks, then thought of Sang Luo and hurriedly guided her to sit on the stool Zhou Ge had just vacated. “Doctor, please check this girl too. She’s also experiencing morning sickness.”

The old doctor was surprised that two women in one family were both expecting.

Nevertheless, he gestured for Sang Luo to extend her hand.

This time, the pulse-taking took noticeably longer. After a moment of light pressing, the doctor applied a bit more pressure, checking both hands and asking Sang Luo to switch to her other hand.

Shen Lie and Shen Ning, who had been anxiously waiting, were both tense, their eyes fixed on the old doctor’s expression.

After examining both hands several times, the old doctor finally felt confident and said with a smile, “It seems like a pregnancy pulse. The pregnancy might be recent, so it’s not very certain. If you’re still worried, you can come back in ten days for another check.”

Shen Lie could no longer contain his joy. He instinctively took a step towards Sang Luo, then, remembering the fish smell on his hands, quickly stepped back. His happiness was so apparent that he couldn’t hide it, his smile bright and uncontainable.

Unable to approach Sang Luo, he regained a bit of composure and asked the doctor if there was anything to pay attention to or any food to eat.

The old doctor, with decades of experience, had seen many couples in similar situations. He provided some advice, emphasizing not to be disturbed or overworked, and reassured them that both of them were in good health, so there was no need for excessive worry.

After paying the consultation fee and leaving the clinic, Shen Lie carefully protected Sang Luo as they walked, fearing she might be bumped into by someone. He frequently looked back at her, smiling with an almost silly degree of happiness.

Mrs. Chen found his reaction amusing and said, “You and Dashan have always been close. Now, you’re becoming a father around the same time.”

She added, “It’s good that Dashan is at home now. I wonder how happy he must be. He’s been gone for more than twenty days. Why hasn’t he returned yet?”

Shen Lie detected the concern in Mrs. Chen’s words and replied, “It’s normal. Our area has mostly been explored. Dashan has to search in other places. Unlike before, where everyone knew and trusted us, persuading people out there takes a lot of effort and time. Finding people and convincing them requires patience.”

Sometimes, leading someone out for a preliminary look might be necessary before they make a decision. After all, didn’t they also investigate repeatedly before coming down from the mountains?

Mrs. Chen nodded, “I thought so too. It’s fortunate that the government still provides monthly allowances; otherwise, this would be too time-consuming.”

As they talked, they heard the sound of horses’ hooves behind them. Shen Lie quickly positioned himself to shield Sang Luo and Zhou Ge, and turned to see three riders coming towards them. Fortunately, although the riders were on horseback, they were mindful of pedestrians, and the wide streets of Shezhou City ensured there was no issue.

When the riders passed by, Sang Luo asked Shen Lie, “Is that Governor Zeng ahead?”

Shen Lie nodded. Among the three riders, one was indeed the long-time attendant he had seen before.

The world of governors felt distant to them. Although Shen Lie was grateful, he wasn’t concerned about a brief encounter. His focus was entirely on Sang Luo, so he said, “The city has carriages and horses. Be careful not to be jostled. Let’s head out of the city first.”

Sang Luo, aware that early pregnancy could be unstable, did not dare to be careless. She avoided lingering in the city and directed the group towards the city gate.

When they reached the gate, they found the soldiers guarding it were distracted, craning their necks to look outside the city. The usual traffic in and out of the city had stopped, with everyone gathered near the gate, watching something.

This was unusual, and Sang Luo was curious. It wasn’t until they left the city that she discovered the reason.

In the distance on the official road was a long and massive convoy, stretching as far as the eye could see.