Chapter 104: Stung by Giant Hornets

With a loud bang, Liu Shengyuan’s forehead collided with the tree, and he fell to the ground.

Blood streamed from the wound. Not long after, he gradually regained consciousness, lying on the ground and looking up at the tree.

At the top of the tree was an enormous hornet’s nest.

The nest, shaken by his collision, swayed dangerously before it fell directly onto his chest.

Liu Shengyuan was stunned, his eyes wide, his mouth agape, unable to move for a moment in sheer shock.

Then, one by one, the hornets started to poke their heads out.

“Ah!”

Liu Shengyuan pushed the hornet’s nest off his chest, screaming as he scrambled to his feet and started running wildly forward.

This time, he didn’t end up back at the tree but continued running towards Cheng’an County.

However, a swarm of hundreds of giant hornets followed him.

The hornets surrounded him, stinging his head, his backside, and his neck.

The pain was so intense that Liu Shengyuan stomped his feet, his agonizing screams filling the quiet path.

Anyone who heard it would be horrified.

The hornets tormented him all the way.

By the time he reached the Mo residence, his face had swollen into a grotesque mess, resembling a pig’s head. He collapsed, writhing in pain, on the doorstep.

—

The next morning, Du Wanchun, along with Zhou Feng and Zhang Qiuhe, returned to the shop.

Zhang Qiuhe opened the shop door and checked the incense inside before preparing to start business for the day.

Many women in Cheng’an County ran their own businesses. The teahouse next door was owned by Madam Xu, and Shopkeeper Li from the jewelry store on the street was also a woman.

Perhaps because they were all women, they felt a sense of camaraderie and often took care of one another. They also felt deep sympathy for Zhang Qiuhe, whose life was so full of hardship.

As soon as Madam Xu saw that the Zhou family’s incense shop had opened, she walked over, carrying two large meat buns, and handed them to Zhang Qiuhe.

“Sister Qiuhe, here, these are for little Yao’er to eat.”

Zhang Qiuhe quickly declined. “Thank you, Shopkeeper Xu, but my son and I have already had breakfast.”

Madam Xu, knowing she was being polite, insisted and pressed the buns into her hands, smiling. “Even if you’ve eaten, you should eat a little more. Look at you two—you’re nothing but skin and bones!”

Then, she turned to greet Du Wanchun, who was inside the shop. “Sister Wanchun, are you still feeling sick?”

Du Wanchun walked over and replied, “No, I can eat anything now.”

Madam Xu looked at her flat stomach, her eyes filled with hope. “That’s great! You must take good care of yourself. Shopkeeper Li and I made a bet, you know.”

“A Bet? What Kind of Bet?” Zhang Qiuhe quickly asked.

Madam Xu, dressed in a vibrant orange-red outfit, smiled radiantly. “I placed a bet of ten taels of silver, wagering that the baby in Wanchun’s belly is a boy.”

As she spoke, she glanced toward the jewelry shop nearby. “Shopkeeper Li bet twenty taels that it’s a girl! If it turns out to be a girl, I’ll have to pay forty taels to Shopkeeper Li. But if it’s a boy, she’ll owe me twenty taels.”

Zhang Qiuhe finally understood. “Shopkeeper Xu, what makes you so sure that Du Mei’s baby is a boy?”

She turned to look at Du Wanchun beside her.

Madam Xu fanned herself with the folding fan in her hand and said with a confident smile, “Oh, it’s simple—sour for a boy, spicy for a girl!“

Zhang Qiuhe suddenly realized. “That’s right! When I was pregnant with Yao’er, I also craved sour foods.”

Du Wanchun laughed. “But I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. My mother told me that when she was pregnant with my husband, she loved eating spicy food!”

Madam Xu hesitated for a moment after hearing that but quickly reaffirmed her stance. “No, I’m sticking to my bet. It has to be a boy!”

Chatting with them, Zhang Qiuhe’s complexion visibly brightened. She smiled and said, “No rush. In just a few more months, Du Mei will give birth, and then we’ll know for sure.”

Madam Xu waved her fan and nodded. “True, we’ll just have to wait patiently.”

As she spoke, she couldn’t resist reaching out and lightly patting Du Wanchun’s belly over her clothes.

Du Wanchun looked down at her stomach, her eyes soft with a gentle smile. Honestly, as long as the child was born healthy, whether it was a boy or a girl didn’t matter to her.

After saying her goodbyes, Madam Xu returned to her own shop, ready to open for business.

Not long after she left, the Zhou family’s shop welcomed its first customer of the day.

The customer was a heavily pregnant woman who slowly made her way to the shelves displaying incense balls. “Shopkeeper, are these incense balls safe for pregnant women?”

“Yes, they are!” Zhang Qiuhe responded warmly. “Our shopkeeper is also expecting, so all the incense we make is safe and won’t harm the baby.”

As she spoke, she glanced at the visitor and immediately recognized her—it was the same woman who had accompanied Liu Shengyuan that day.

She was none other than the second young lady of General Mo’s household.