Chapter 195

Li Qingzhi went downstairs and saw Jin Xiaoye.

“Ah Qing!” Jin Xiaoye smiled at Li Qingzhi and said, “I’m all sweaty, I’ll go take a bath first.”

“I’ll get you some clothes,” Li Qingzhi replied.

He fetched a set of beautiful new clothes for Jin Xiaoye. Soon after, she finished her bath and came out dressed.

Over the past few months, Li Qingzhi had been treating Qian Changsheng daily. Initially, he would use up all his energy, but as Qian Changsheng’s heart improved and was no longer life-threatening, he eased off and now only treated him lightly each day. If Qian Changsheng recovered too quickly, it might arouse suspicion.

With the surplus energy, Li Qingzhi enhanced his physical fitness and also tended to the health of Jin Xiaoye, Li Damao, and Li Ermao.

He hadn’t altered Jin Xiaoye’s appearance, but she was now healthy, with remarkably smooth skin. Coupled with her newfound confidence, her beauty had significantly increased.

Li Qingzhi complimented her, “Xiaoye, you look stunning.”

Jin Xiaoye smiled happily.

Li Qingzhi added, “Xiaoye, go put on some lip balm. It’s your birthday today, you should look your best.”

Jin Xiaoye agreed cheerfully and went upstairs.

Li Qingzhi followed her.

Jin Xiaoye usually didn’t wear makeup, but she did apply some lip balm to brighten her complexion.

As she applied it, Li Qingzhi praised her again and gave her a few kisses.

Jin Xiaoye, in high spirits, said, “You really invited so many people for my birthday…”

In Chongcheng County, many people didn’t celebrate birthdays, mainly because they couldn’t afford to.

Jin Xiaoye had rarely celebrated her birthday before. Before getting married, if her mother could secretly give her an egg on her birthday, it was already a great treat.

Jin Moli was different. Aunt Jin loved good food. Since she usually couldn’t afford meat, she remembered her children’s birthdays well and used the occasion to buy meat for a celebration.

Back then, Jin Xiaoye even looked forward to Jin Moli’s birthdays because she could get a piece of meat.

“We didn’t have the chance to celebrate your birthday before. This year, we have the time and means, so we should do it properly,” Li Qingzhi said.

He had arrived the year before last, and during Jin Xiaoye’s birthday that year, he was bedridden.

As for last year, in late April, Governor Zhang conducted a purge in Linhu County, and Li Qingzhi was busy throughout May. He only managed to make some good food for Jin Xiaoye’s birthday, nothing more.

This year was different. They had money and time and could invite several guests for a lively celebration.

Jin Xiaoye smiled and reminisced, “When I was a child… the birthday I remember most is my tenth. That day, my father helped at a banquet and secretly brought me a chicken drumstick. He told me to eat it in secret… It was the first time I had an entire drumstick.”

In the Jin family, with so many people, Grandma Jin always chopped the chicken into small pieces, so no one got a whole drumstick.

Of course, Jin Moli and her siblings had probably eaten whole drumsticks before, as Aunt Jin would cook special meals for them.

After reminiscing, the couple went downstairs together.

They had borrowed a few tables and set them up in the yard for the guests. Meanwhile, Li Laogen was burning mugwort to repel mosquitoes, glancing longingly at the cold dishes already on the tables.

Li Qingzhi thought to himself, “We never starved Li Laogen, so why is he still so greedy?”

Even though he had a small appetite and couldn’t eat much without getting indigestion or constipation, he still loved good food. Despite always eating well, he remained a skinny old man.

At that moment, Jin Xiaoshu’s family arrived.

Fang Jinniang had gained some weight, her skin was fair and rosy, and she looked even more beautiful. Standing next to the increasingly tanned Jin Xiaoshu, no one would guess she was older.

As for Jin’s father and mother, they were all smiles, clearly enjoying their lives.

Li Qingzhi greeted them and invited them to sit. Soon after, some female workers from Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop arrived, led by Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Wang.

The courtyard filled with women who congratulated Jin Xiaoye and presented a collective gift.

In the midst of the celebration, Mrs. Qian and the second Mrs. Qian arrived.

A few months ago, they had met Jin Xiaoye at Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop, and since then, they had developed a close relationship. After Qian Changsheng officially became a teacher at Chongcheng Elementary School last month, they frequently visited the school.

They donated books to the school library and occasionally bought meat to supplement the students’ meals, almost becoming unofficial members of the school staff.

Li Qingzhi was more than happy about this.

He had established the school to train some personnel, but his time was limited, so any help was welcome.

“Xiaoye, Ah Zhi,” Mrs. Qian and the second Mrs. Qian greeted them warmly and presented Jin Xiaoye with a gift.

It was a box containing a set of finely crafted jewelry, clearly valuable.

Jin Xiaoye sighed inwardly and accepted the jewelry.

This wasn’t the first gift she had received from them. Initially, she felt awkward, but over time, she got used to it.

Of course, she reciprocated by having clothes made for Qian Changsheng and the two Mrs. Qians. Whenever they had good food, she also sent some over.

Li Qingzhi seated the Qian ladies.

They sat next to the Jin family, and Mrs. Qian immediately started chatting with Fang Jinniang, calling her “little girl” affectionately.

She actually wanted to chat with Jin’s father and mother more, considering Li Qingzhi as her own child and Jin’s parents as her in-laws.

Unfortunately, the language barrier prevented this, so she could only talk with Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang, who knew some Mandarin.

Mrs. Qian and the second Mrs. Qian were very fond of Jin Xiaoshu and Fang Jinniang. They liked Fang Jinniang’s looks and found Jin Xiaoshu’s sturdy build impressive.

The second Mrs. Qian even said to Jin Xiaoshu, “I wonder when my Changsheng will get as tanned as you.” Li Qingzhi had told them that more sunlight was good for Qian Changsheng, so she had been urging him to get sun every day.

Despite her efforts, Qian Changsheng never tanned as much as Jin Xiaoshu.

As they spoke, Qian Changsheng, Gou Ying, and others arrived.

When they entered the courtyard, almost all the women from Jin Ye Embroidery Workshop turned to look, their eyes fixed on Qian Changsheng.

Compared to three months ago, Qian Changsheng was tanner, fitter, and even a bit taller.

The Qian family was known for their handsome looks, and Qian Changsheng’s mother was a beauty. Now, Qian Changsheng looked even more striking.

Li Qingzhi noticed this.

Mrs. Qian and the second Mrs. Qian were delighted to see Qian Changsheng and looked at Li Qingzhi with even more affection.

Especially the second Mrs. Qian, who regarded Li Qingzhi as a savior.

Back in February, she had noticed some improvement in her son’s health but didn’t think he was fully recovered.

But now, last month, she had consulted several doctors who said Qian Changsheng was a bit weak and shouldn’t do heavy work but could live a normal life and even get married and have children.

Her son could live a normal life!

Ever since the second Mrs. Qian received this news, she felt immense gratitude towards Li Qingzhi.

So, regarding the sunbathing…

Since Li Qingzhi advised Qian Changsheng to get more sun, she made sure he did!

“Changsheng!” the second Mrs. Qian called out to her son, while the first Mrs. Qian began greeting Li Damao and Li Ermao.

“Grandma Qian,” Li Damao and Li Ermao called out upon seeing her.

The first Mrs. Qian smiled so broadly her eyes crinkled, wishing she could give all her treasures to Li Damao and Li Ermao. But with so many people watching, she couldn’t be overly enthusiastic…

She sighed and reluctantly watched as Li Damao and Li Ermao sat at the table with Jin’s father and mother.

Chang Zhan and his two apprentices had prepared a lot of delicious food.

As the time came, everyone sat down to eat.

Since her son’s health improved, the second Mrs. Qian had developed a hearty appetite, eagerly sampling the dishes.

The first Mrs. Qian couldn’t help but look away. As a grandmother, she should show some restraint while eating.

Having come to view Li Damao and Li Ermao as her own grandchildren, the first Mrs. Qian had started to act more like her own grandmother, even dressing more conservatively and often mentioning her age.

Everyone knew that although she looked young, she was actually the same age as Jin’s mother.

“Sister-in-law, this meatball is especially good,” the second Mrs. Qian recommended a dish in front of her.

The first Mrs. Qian trusted her sister-in-law’s taste. If she liked it, it must be good.

She picked up a meatball and took a bite, but her brow furrowed immediately.

The meatball had an overwhelming fishy taste!

Meatballs were made by mixing minced fish and lard, making them exceptionally tender.

The first Mrs. Qian had enjoyed them before, but this time…

Why did this meatball taste so bad? Were the ingredients not fresh?

But that couldn’t be right. Li Qingzhi wasn’t short of money, so he wouldn’t use subpar ingredients.

Moreover, her sister-in-law was already on her third meatball. If they weren’t fresh, she wouldn’t have eaten so many.

As she puzzled over this, a foul smell wafted from the kitchen.

The stench made the first Mrs. Qian feel something rising in her stomach… She couldn’t hold back and felt the urge to vomit.

But with so many people around, it would be embarrassing to vomit suddenly… She held it in, her face turning a bit pale.

Suppressing her nausea, she looked around… No one else seemed to notice!

What was going on? The first Mrs. Qian felt increasingly uneasy. As the smell from the kitchen grew stronger, she couldn’t help but gag…

Li Qingzhi noticed something was wrong with the first Mrs. Qian. Although he met with Qian Changsheng daily, he didn’t interact much with Qian Fugui and his wife.

Qian Fugui visited only two or three times a month, and as for the first Mrs. Qian… Due to gender differences, they only exchanged a few words when they met.

But these were still the original host’s relatives, so Li Qingzhi was concerned.

“Auntie, are you okay?” Li Qingzhi asked.

The first Mrs. Qian replied, “I’m fine, just feeling a bit unwell.”

Then she covered her mouth, her face growing paler.

Li Qingzhi extended his hand, “Auntie, let me check your pulse?”

He had cured Qian Changsheng but had asked the Qian family to keep it a secret, so his medical skills weren’t widely known.

However, he often told his close friends and family that he was learning medicine and would check their pulses, so no one found it strange.

As for the first Mrs. Qian… she thought Li Qingzhi was a miracle worker!

She immediately extended her hand for him to check her pulse.

While Li Qingzhi had learned some medical skills, his main tool for treating people was his special ability.

He used this ability to check the first Mrs. Qian’s health.

Upon checking, Li Qingzhi was stunned.

Uh… the first Mrs. Qian was pregnant.

Qian Fugui had been genuinely kind to him, so every time they met, Li Qingzhi helped him with his health issues, including his infertility.

But he hadn’t told Qian Fugui about this, assuming he wouldn’t have children given his age and years of abstinence.

Yet, here was the first Mrs. Qian, pregnant?