Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 13

TL: Hua

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Madam Su raised her hand and pinched Xu Yanqing’s plump cheek, chuckling, “Why would Mother lie to you? Now, sit properly. Mother wants to ask you, have you been causing trouble outside again this past month?”

Mu Yu clung tightly behind Xu Xianzhi, frantically winking at his young master to report the “military situation.” He was so agitated he nearly blinked his eyes dry.

Xu Yanqing received the signal and instantly understood: all the “good deeds” the original owner had done outside had been exposed. So, he looked at Madam Su with a fawning expression and said, “Mother, your son definitely hasn’t done anything bad.”

That night, when he had just transmigrated, he felt awful all over, and before he could figure out the situation, he went into the wrong room and slept with the Taoist priest. Afterward, he only had the intention, but not the courage, to “steal” from the Taoist priest; climbing walls and such were minor matters.

“Then tell me, what’s going on with the young master in the adjacent courtyard?” Madam Su stared intently into her son’s watery eyes.

“Speak quickly, or the military law will be enforced.” Marquis Wu’an said coldly, glaring angrily at his youngest son, who was trying to muddle his way through.

A single military baton from his father’s hand could probably end his life. Xu Yanqing dared not ramble any further. Finally, he struggled for a moment and said, “Mother, Father, what do you want me to say!”

“Just tell us about the other father of the child in your belly!” Marquis Wu’an gritted out these words, his gaze at Xu Yanqing’s belly incredibly complex.

Xu Yanqing looked at his father in confusion and asked with concern, “Father, are you perhaps confused?” How could a man like him have a child in his belly?

Being looked at with such questioning eyes by his youngest son, Marquis Wu’an’s urge to hit his son grew stronger. Finally, Madam Su took Xu Yanqing’s hand: “Ah Qing, Mother knows it’s hard for you to accept, but Doctor Qi has already examined you and confirmed you are pregnant. That’s why Mother wants to know clearly, what exactly did you do in the Yunshui Courtyard?”

Xu Yanqing stared blankly at Madam Su. His mother wouldn’t and had no need to fool him about such a thing. Instantly, Xu Yanqing felt his scalp tingle: “Mother, are you sure I’m a man since I was born?”

He was now starting to doubt his life. A perfectly normal boy couldn’t have transmigrated into a girl, could he? But he wasn’t stupid; this body was clearly a man. Yet, why would a man be pregnant? It was like a bolt from the blue.

Madam Su: … Her heart was also in turmoil. Her son, whom she had raised for over ten years, being pregnant was simply terrifying.

Xu Yanqing’s mind was a muddle, his hands trembling slightly. He felt as if God was playing a joke on him. Perhaps after a good night’s sleep, Doctor Qi would come and say he had misdiagnosed due to his failing eyesight.

He stubbornly deluded himself, burying himself in bed for several days. Finally, Xu Yanqing, in a clear state of mind, welcomed Doctor Qi for the follow-up visit.

Xu Yanqing, lounging in bed like a lifeless salted fish, weakly extended his hand to Doctor Qi.

As soon as Doctor Qi sat down, under the watchful eyes of the entire Marquis of Wu’an’s family, he calmly placed his fingers on Xu Yanqing’s wrist.

This time, his pulse diagnosis was incredibly efficient. In almost a blink of an eye, he moved his hand from the young master’s wrist: “Congratulations, Marquis! Congratulations, Madam! The young master is indeed pregnant, and the fetus in his belly is very healthy.”

Marquis Wu’an’s head buzzed for a moment. Hearing Doctor Qi’s congratulatory words, he couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth: “Thank you, Doctor Qi, for your trouble.”

Xu Yanqing, huddled in bed, his mind had already shut down. He was a veteran reader of countless novels, and suddenly, all those male-male pregnancy stories he had read inexplicably flooded his mind. He desperately tried to convince himself not to panic and to calm down.

But this was too difficult. Such things should only exist in novels, so why were they happening to him?

However, if he thought about it carefully, his soul transmigrating into the original owner’s body after sudden death was already very abnormal, so perhaps male pregnancy wasn’t so strange after all!

For a moment, Xu Yanqing tensed his body, his mind stiff, his eyes dizzy, his gaze vaguely falling on his stomach. Although he had gained a little weight, his stomach was still flat, with no signs of pregnancy whatsoever.

“Doctor Qi, are you really not joking?” Xu Xianzhi scratched his head, glanced at his dazed brother, then looked at the composed Doctor Qi, unable to suppress his rising anger: “How can a man get pregnant and have a child? This is simply unheard of!”

Xu Xianzhi’s angry outburst spoke the thoughts of everyone present. Yet, Doctor Qi remained calm and composed like an enlightened master: “If the prince doesn’t believe this Qi, then by all means, invite the imperial physicians from the palace to examine the young master.”

“Father, Mother, Elder Brother, can you please step out for a moment?” Xu Yanqing blinked his slightly reddened eyes, his voice a little low. “I have some questions I’d like to ask Doctor Qi alone.”

Seeing their youngest son in such a state, Marquis Wu’an and Madam Su dared not provoke him further. So, they exited Xu Yanqing’s bedroom, looking back every few steps.

Xu Yanqing’s plump face was half-hidden under the covers. His mind seemed to be racing with thoughts, like a fleeting glimpse of many arguments flashing through his mind.

He, who was usually lazy and laid-back, appeared somewhat pitiful and vulnerable. In his previous life, Xu Yanqing’s mother was a strict and rigid teacher, often jokingly referred to as “Mistress Exterminator” by her students. But those students never knew that their teacher had even stricter demands on her own child.

Their family’s financial situation wasn’t great, so Xu Yanqing’s father worked out of town year-round, seeing his family only a few times a year.

This led to Xu Yanqing’s mother constantly being paranoid, suspecting her husband of infidelity outside. As a result, her demands on Xu Yanqing became even stricter: Xu Yanqing was not allowed to linger outside, not allowed to befriend students she didn’t know well, and his grades were not allowed to show even the slightest decline…

Xu Yanqing always felt his mother must be ill, suffering from a severe controlling mental illness, but he dared not say anything. He only dreamed of getting into his desired university and flying far away, escaping the home that haunted him day and night.

The year of his junior high school entrance exam, Xu Yanqing’s father, for the sake of the family, finally decided to develop his career back home. However, his job was too busy, and even at home, he rarely had the chance to spend time with his wife and child. This only made Xu Yanqing’s mother even more suspicious and paranoid.

She learned to download tracking apps on her husband’s phone, installed surveillance cameras at home, and would follow her husband as soon as he got off work… And so, the couple began their endless arguments.

Every time they argued, Xu Yanqing’s father would slam the door and leave. His mother would then smash tables and bowls in the room, and when she tired of it, she would collapse on the sofa and cry.

Xu Yanqing never truly escaped his mother’s control. The year of his college entrance exam, his mother forcefully changed his university application and slapped him across the face in front of all his classmates, calling his father a heartless beast and him an ungrateful little beast.

Xu Yanqing had thought about suicide, but jumping from a tall building and hitting the ground would surely hurt a lot, and he was most afraid of pain. So, he could only live like a zombie, a puppet in his mother’s hands. His biggest act of defiance was not returning home during the National Day holiday.

Xu Yanqing felt some regret that he never saw his mother’s reaction after his sudden death following that one act of defiance. It was probably hysterical screaming and cursing, especially since she had truly gone insane after his father’s actual infidelity.

Such experiences constantly affected Xu Yanqing. He was not greedy; now that he had a family like the Marquis and Madam of Wu’an and Xu Xianzhi, he even felt it was the greatest gift from heaven, so he was content.

However, he had never considered marrying and having children. That one night with the Taoist priest was merely an accident, though that accident made him realize he was truly a deeply closeted gay man.

When Xu Yanqing was in the Yunshui Courtyard, he had thought that his original family had influenced him too much. In this life, he might never find a partner who could tolerate him, so it would be better to just relax and live a simple, salted fish life.

But now, this unexpected pregnancy shattered all his plans. Xu Yanqing awkwardly looked up at Doctor Qi: “It’s still early in the month; can I abort it?”

Xu Yanqing understood his own personality; he couldn’t be a good father. Rather than bringing a child into the world only for them to suffer the same pain he had endured, it would be better to nip it in the bud before birth.

Doctor Qi had probably anticipated what Xu Yanqing would say. He patted Xu Yanqing’s hand with a touch of kindness: “This Qi has been reading a lot of ancient texts during this time. Although male pregnancy is rare, it’s not without precedent. However, there are very few such cases, so after I have made some small progress, I rush over immediately.”

As a doctor, he had a parental heart for his patients. Furthermore, this Young Master Xu was someone he had watched grow up. While his personality was once a bit unrestrained, now lying pitifully on the bed, he couldn’t help but feel some sympathy.

However, he still sighed deeply: “A man’s body is inherently different from a woman’s. In ancient texts, pregnant men who tried to abort resulted in their bodies collapsing and ultimately caused two lives to be lost. That day, when this Qi checked the young master’s pulse, I found it to be unusual. If an abortion were performed, it could be even more dangerous.”

Doctor Qi’s words were already very subtle, but Xu Yanqing understood perfectly. Now, the child in his belly was inextricably linked to his life. If he were to abort it, it would only lead to the death of both. The only solution was to give birth to the child.

The exquisitely handsome young master’s eyes were red-rimmed, his expression somewhat awkward. Doctor Qi comforted him for a few moments, then prescribed some prenatal medicine for Xu Yanqing and placed it aside before getting up to leave.

Marquis Wu’an had urgent matters to attend to and was called away by his subordinates. Before leaving, he took his eldest son with him. Outside the door, only Madam Su remained. Seeing Doctor Qi emerge, she opened her mouth as if to ask something.

Doctor Qi pointed to the bedroom, then gently shook his head. Madam Su understood and instructed Mu Yu to wait outside. She walked alongside Doctor Qi, heading out: “Doctor Qi, Ah Qing, he…”

“Madam, the young master’s physique is very special, much more so than ordinary people. Abortion is absolutely out of the question. I only hope that Madam can persuade the young master to keep the child; otherwise, his life will be in danger…”

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