Back to the Countryside

 Chapter 39: 胎气 (nausea, vomiting and edema of legs during pregnancy) 

Some people was having a taste of happiness, after having tasted the marrow, longing for its savour grows*. Some other people was having awakening of love, full of anxiety and worry, not knowing how to talk about it. 

[食髓知味* Having tasted the marrow, the longing for its savour grows.

Refers to wanting to try again after experiencing it once.]

        "Young master, young master!" Kang Yuan raised his voice, calling out to the man who was obviously in a daze to come back to his senses.

Zheng Yue Feng was awakened by him. He slapped him on the head with the account book in his hand,then he rebuked him, 

"What are you shouting for, it's really annoying!"

Kang Yuan aggrievedly covered his beaten head and pointed to the murder weapon in his hand. "Is this account correct? The shop manager is still waiting!"

After hearing what he had said, Zheng Yue Feng saw that the shop manager indeed was standing in front of him with his body bow, waiting for him to ask a question, so he coughed dryly and waved his hand, "Go ahead and get yourself busy, I'll call you if there are any problems!"

The shop manager sighed with relief, bowed to him and retreated.

When Kang Yuan saw that the young master's gaze was in daze again, he moved closer to him and said. "Young master, since you returned from Gu shui Village several days ago, you've been a bit preoccupied, did you eat something bad there?"

"You're the one who ate something bad!" Zheng Yue feng slapped him again.

 That day Kang Yuan and Chun xiu had eaten more than him in the stoveroom, so if he had eaten something bad, it would be him who had eaten something bad! 

"Nothing bad about the food then why are you acting like you've lost your mind?" Kang Yuan rubbed his head, muttered to himself in a small voice.

Zheng Yue feng was stupefied for a while, then he suddenly pointed at the beautiful porcelain bottle on the cabinet and said to him, "Does this bottle look good?"

    "Of course it's look good, if it's not, we can't sell it in our shop!" Kang Yuan felt that his young master's question was a bit unnecessary.

    "Then do you think this one looks good?" The folding fan in Zheng Yue Feng's hand turned to a corner, pointed to a grey, puffy clay tile jar placed on the ground.

Kang Yuan shake his head, "What's so pretty about a broken jar!"

Zheng Yue feng wring his eyebrow as he turned his head to ask him, "If you had to choose between these two, which one would you prefer?"

Kang Yuan looked at him speechlessly and rolled his eyes inwardly, "Young master, are you teasing me? Do you still need to ask? Of course everyone would choose the porcelain vase!"

"Yes, everyone would choose that ......" Zheng Yue Feng's gaze was fixed on the pottery tile jar, slowly turning lax again, obviously his thoughts were running away again!

Kang Yuan was a bit worried, did he have to ask a doctor to come and look at their young master? Or should he get a Taoist priest to come and call his soul back? Looking at him like this,this is definitely not normal!

        "Kang Yuan!" Zheng Yue Feng spoke up again ,asking him more stupid question, "If it were you, who would you prefer, Ling Ge'er or that Hua Ge'er who came looking for him on that day?"

It's over, it's over, it's over! His young master was really become stupid! How could the young master, who was always so fond of beauty, ask him such a question? Kang Yuan was about to cry, "Young master, don't scare me, how can I explain this to the big master?!"

        "What the need to explain? I'm not even dead yet!" Zheng Yue Feng hit him on the head again with his fan to break up those nonsense thoughts of his.

"But young master, according to your preference, you must like a beauty like Ling Ge'er, so why are you asking me this?" Kang Yuan hung his head and bristled, he was getting dumb by gotten hit by his young master! 

Zheng Yue feng was silent, even the servant boy beside him knew that he would like someone like He Ling, but how could he be partial to ......

"Oh~ Young master, I know!" Kang Yuan exclaimed, with an expression of suddenly realizing something. 

Zheng Yue Feng caught his breath, a little bit panick. Damn it! he really asked too many questions and he finally realized it! 

He put on a calm face and said, "Know... what you know?"

Kang Yuan looked at him with a puzzled face, "You haven't given up on Ling Ge'er right? I know, he's good-looking! But he's already Qi Young master's Fu lang. Moreover a friend's wife can't be bullied, Qi gong zi also doesn't look easy to mess with. He loves Ling xiao ge'er so much. Young master, if he found out about your feeling ...... aow aw! Why are you hitting me again?"

Hearing him ramble on and on, Zheng Yue feng had the intention in his heart to strangle him, "You understand the truth that a friend's wife can't be bullied, and I, the young master, will I not understand that? "

"Then why did you ask ......" Kang Yuan's hand rubbing his head suddenly gave a beat and his eyes widened incredulously, "Could it be that young master you are interested in ...... you are interested in ......"

        Zheng Yue Feng glared at him fiercely,

 " You are not allowed to say it out!"

Kang Yuan hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, nodded his head repeatedly.

Zheng Yue Feng deflated and slumped in his chair, "Not to mention you do not dare to believe it, even I can't believe it myself!"

        It was the first time Kang Yuan had seen their young master in such a state, and he didn't know how to console him, so he asked, "Then what do you ...... intend to do?"

        Zheng Yue Feng was silent, he also did not know, what he should do. Once upon a time, when he met a beautiful woman who is good looking and to his liking, he would go up and flirt a bit, get to know her, but with Xu Hua, he couldn't use that kind of frivolous tactics.

He stood there, dressed in shabby clothes, but never feeling inferior to anyone else. If He Ling was like a delicate red plum, Xu Hua was like a tall pine and cypress, not bending down to anyone even though he was poor, but standing there on his own, blocking the snow and wind, never giving in to defeat. 

        "Then, young master, why don't you ask Qi Gong zi for advice?" Seeing that he could not answer for a long time, Kang Yuan gave him an idea.

        Zheng Yuefeng sat up straighter, "That's right ah! Qi Yue!"

        Qi Yue must have seen through him with all his behaviour that day, if he were to ask him, perhaps he could have an answer himself, "I'll go and look for him now!"

"Young master!" Kang Yuan tugged at him, "You forgot that the master asked you to check the accounts these days, there's no hurry, let's talk about it in a couple of days, after we're done!"

Zheng Yuefeng had to stop his step, he was the one who was in a hurry, no matter what, he had to finish what his father had asked him to do first, so let's just bear with it for a few more days!. 

××---××

        "Is that the reason why you disturbed my lunch break?" Qi Yue stood behind the doorway and looked at him with an unhappy face, "Let me tell you what to do with Xu Hua?"

        Zheng Yue Feng was a little awkward, he had been dealing with shop matters for the past few days, he had ridden alone to Gu shui Village after lunch today, not thinking whether the other party would be taking a nap at this hour.

He was in a very bad mood, last night he had loved his little fu lang dearly, because of that, the other party was not having a good rest, today after having eaten together ,he embraced the person to rest with him,also at the same time, eat some tofu but that's all now being disturbed by this person, "Zheng Yue Feng, do you like Xu Hua?"

[For you who do not know, 'eat some tofu' or the meaning of eating tofu in chinese slang language;

Literal translation: “to eat tofu,” but saying that someone is “eating tofu” generally means they are taking advantage of someone, often with a sexual implication.]

"I... I don't know!" He always thought of him in his mind, his smile, the hand that reached out to him, and the eyes that were close at hand, He didn't know if that was like!

        "Then do you want to marry him as your fu lang?" Qi Yue put his hands behind his back, looking at him with a flat gaze.

Zheng Yue Feng lowered his eyes, avoiding his gaze, "I don't know for sure......"

"If you can't even figure that out, what's the point of asking?" Qi Yue curled his lips, thinking that he was too stupid, "But I wanted to hold onto Ah Ling from the first moment I saw him."

        Zheng Yue Feng raised his head up, looking at him, from the first glance? Why was he so sure that He Ling was what he wanted? "Because of what he looks like?"

The smile on Qi Yue's lips thickened, something seemed to be swirling under his quiet eyes, "Everything about him."

        Zheng Yue Feng was stunned, what was it like to want everything about a person? What if there was something about him that he didn't want? What if there was something he didn't like?

        "Qi Yue!"

Before Zheng Yue feng could understand it clearly, there was a panicked shout from afar so the two of them turned around to see Lin Sheng running over in panic!

        "Brother Lin? What's the matter so panicked?" Qi Yue looked at him in surprise, when he sent xiao hu off in this morning, Lin Sheng had said that he had to borrow the bullock cart for a while longer because he had to go back to his mother in law's house with Wu Yulan to drink her nephew's full moon wine.

"My wife, my wife....." Lin Sheng was a bit out of breath, and only after a long time did he say, "My wife's stomach hurts, please quickly go and take a look at her!"

After hearing his words, Qi Yue's expression also became more serious. He told the others to wait here, went home and brought out the medicine box, locked the door from outside, and let Zheng Yue Feng follow him there.

        His Fu Lang was sleeping alone in the house, so he naturally wouldn't leave the door open, and as for asking Zheng Yue feng to stay with him? whether he agrees or not, if a man is left alone with his fu lang at home, if word spread out, A Ling's reputation will be ruined!

Even if it wasn't convenient at this time, Qi Yue had to bring Zheng Yue Feng with him, at least,there would be more people inside and no gossip would be spread!

When he followed Lin Sheng to the Lin family home, he saw Lin Shan pacing anxiously back and forth in the courtyard, and when he saw him, he greeted him as if he had seen a lifeline.

"Qi xiao zi, you've finally come!"

"Where is the person?" Knowing that they were in a hurry, Qi Yue cut the crap and get down to business. 

"In the room, with her mother accompany her!" Lin Shan replied, but he didn't stop his feet, leading the person into the room. 

When they reached the door of the room, Lin Shan stopped walking and he didn't go in, only letting Lin Sheng to take Qi Yue inside.

Zheng Yue Feng also had the good sense not to enter the room, nor did he speak much, as no one was paying attention to an outsider like him at this time, since all of everyone's attention were on Wu Yulan.

When Qi Yue went in, she was lying on the bed with a pale face and a thin layer of cold sweat on her forehead.

Fang was sitting on a stool anxiously by the bed, unable to do anything , her tears were coming out!

"Mother, please give way, let Qi Yue take a look!" Lin Sheng tugged on Qi Yue's arm to pulled him over.

When Fang heard his voice, she got up, turned around, seeing that Qi Yue was coming, she hurriedly moved to the side.

Qi Yue lifted the hem of his shirt and sat down, reaching out his hand to squeeze Wu Yulan's wrist without saying a word.

A tall man such as Lin Sheng stood watching, his eyes red with anxiety.

At this moment, Qi Yue let go of his hand. He turned back to Lin Sheng and said, "Pour a bowl of water!"

        Lin Sheng answered immediately, turned his head, walked over to the wooden table, poured a small bowl of warm water from the pot on the table and brought it over with two hands.

Qi Yue is taking out a bottle of medicine from the medicine box, pouring out a capsule and handing it to Wu Yulan, "Sister-in-law, take this medicine!"

Wu Yulan lifted her hand and put the medicine in her mouth. She took two sips of water from the bowl in Lin Sheng's hand.

        Qi Yue said to Fang, "Auntie, help me to lift the guilt and untie sister-in-law's outer shirt."

When Fang heard his words, she did not dare to delay at all, immediately did as she was told.

Qi Yue took out his needle bag, spread it out then he applied several needles on Wu Yulan's belly through her undershirt.

During this time, the other two people in the room didn't even dare to breathe, lest they disturb him and put the needles in the wrong place.

After a few times of applying the needle, it didn't take long for Wu Yulan's face to look much better, she didn't have time to say much before her eyelids sank and she fell asleep.

        "What is wrong with my wife?!"

 The moment she closed her eyes, the horrified Lin Sheng raised his voice in shock.

        Qi Yue unhurriedly collected the needles and gave him a somewhat amused look, "Sister-in-law just fell asleep!"

Only then did Lin Sheng sigh with relief as he looked at Qi Yue gratefully. "Brother Qi, thank you so much!" 

"That's right Qi xiao zi, you've really been a great help!"

As soon as Fang relaxed, tears came out of her eyes so she took her sleeve to wipe them away, her voice was a little hoarse. 

"Big brother and aunt have also helped me a lot, no need to say thank you!"

Qi Yue laughed indifferently, and then urged, "This time, the fetus was only moved, there is nothing serious yet, but you should be careful in the future, the fetus is unstable in the first three months, so you need to take good care of it.I don't have any medicine to nourish and calm the fetus at this moment but I will bring it to you when I get it later!"

Fang nodded her head in response, 

"Trouble Qi xiao zi for helping us to prescribe the medicine!"

Qi Yue shook his head, telling her not to worry about it.

Lin Sheng stood by the bed, looking at his wife who was already asleep, thinking about what had happened, his face became furious, his two hands tightly balled into fists, restraining himself.

Qi Yue glanced at him and did not ask any more questions, what he could know, sooner or later he would know and there was no hurry.