Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 27

Bonus chapter 2/3

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Qi Chen frowned, remembering previous incidents, and said meaningfully to Taoist Xuanchen beside him, “Taoist Master, you go and check first. If anything happens, call me.”

Yin Yanjun nodded without much thought and just quickly walked towards the young master’s room. Without a moment’s hesitation, he directly pushed the door open and entered.

A strong scent of ripe peaches filled the entire room. Yin Yanjun’s handsome brows were furrowed with worry. He walked over to the young master’s bed. A teacup had fallen by the bed and was now broken in two.

The young master was curled up in the quilt, his face flushed, his forehead beaded with sweat. He looked as if he had a high fever.

“Young master…” Yin Yanjun sat down by the bed. He called out softly. The young master groggily opened his eyes, then closed them again, exhausted.

He raised one hand and placed it on the young man’s forehead to test the temperature. It was hot to the touch. Yin Yanjun frowned tightly and helped the young man who was curled up in the bed to sit up. The fragrance of peaches flowed into his nostrils.

The composed Taoist Master was momentarily at a loss. This scent seemed to be coming from the young master.

Xu Yanqing felt scorching hot all over, a heat that seemed to melt him. This heat was unbearably uncomfortable. He reached out and tugged at his clothes haphazardly, but the heat in his body didn’t subside in the slightest.

“Hot, I feel so uncomfortable.” The young master was utterly distressed. He stopped moving wildly and stopped pulling at his clothes, simply leaning obediently against Taoist Xuanchen, grasping his clothes and shedding tears silently.

Soon, a large part of Yin Yanjun’s clothes was soaked by the young master’s aggrieved tears. Yin Yanjun helplessly reached out and gently wiped the tears from the young master’s cheeks, softly coaxing, “Young master, don’t sleep; I’ll go call young Doctor Qi.”

“It’s no use.” The young master’s voice was a little hoarse. His chest was rising and falling rapidly with his hot breaths, his eyes were flushed, and his usually pale cheeks had an unnatural flush.

Yin Yanjun’s heart felt as if it were stuffed with soft, heavy cotton, mixed with a hint of pity for the young master: “Young master, be good and listen. You’ll only get better after seeing the doctor.”

The dejected salted fish was now somewhat muddled by the sudden flush of heat. He was as happy as he could be when he curled up in bed, at first thinking he could finally sleep. He never expected that the hot flashes that he thought had calmed down would come back so fiercely.

He looked up at the blurred figure of the Taoist Master in front of him, his dark eyes particularly bright due to the tears, his eyelashes wet and pitiful: “It’s useless to see a doctor; didn’t the Taoist Master see that Qi Chen didn’t even come over?!”

The young master’s tone was very soft, and as he spoke, tears threatened to fall again. Yin Yanjun sighed, reached out, and rubbed the young master’s chubby cheek, then wiped away the fresh tears: “Be good and listen; don’t cry.”

Xu Yanqing obediently gazed at the Taoist Master in front of him. He was extremely uncomfortable and couldn’t find a way to relieve it; it was this very person in front of him who made him feel this way.

So, with a hint of revenge, he opened his mouth and bit Taoist Xuanchen’s neck. Fortunately, although he was somewhat muddled by the heat, he didn’t completely forget to control his strength.

Yin Yanjun grunted when he was bitten but made no attempt to dodge. Xu Yanqing, in his haze, also sensed the other’s indulgence. He reluctantly released his mouth, staring at the bite marks on the Taoist Master’s neck, and gently rubbed them with his hand: “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to bite you.” He was just too uncomfortable.

Yin Yanjun’s fingers gently lingered over the young master’s aggrieved brows and eyes. The young master’s skin was exceptionally delicate and soft, as if even a slight touch could leave a red mark on his exquisite face.

The warm fingertips fell on Xu Yanqing’s eyelashes. He blinked blankly, unable to figure out whether Taoist Xuanchen was angry or not.

The young master’s long eyelashes brought a faint tingling sensation to Yin Yanjun’s fingers. A deep glint flashed in his eyes, then he lowered that hand.

Xu Yanqing, as if possessed, held that hand and placed it on the back of his own neck, just like the night he climbed over the wall into the adjacent courtyard, softly saying, “Taoist Master, if you touch me, maybe I won’t feel so uncomfortable.”

Yin Yanjun’s fingertips rubbed and rotated on the back of the young master’s neck. His movements were very gentle, as if he were massaging pressure points for the young master.

Due to Xu Yanqing’s high body temperature, Taoist Xuanchen’s fingers felt much cooler. So, with the Taoist gently massaging the back of his neck like this, Xu Yanqing comfortably nestled in his arms, like a cat doting on its owner.

Yin Yanjun wore a doting smile, gently stroking the young master from the top of his head down to the back of his neck, as if teasing a palace cat.

However, this only provided Xu Yanqing with a brief respite. A moment later, the heat seemed to rebound, becoming even more intense.

Yin Yanjun could feel that the young master’s temperature was indeed slowly rising again, and the peach scent also became stronger with the increase in body temperature.

Xu Yanqing’s eyes were hazy. He frowned and tightly clutched the Taoist Master’s clothes, his hot breath fanning against the Taoist Master’s chest, as if pulling the other to bear this inexplicable heat with him.

“I’m really going to die, Taoist Master Xuanchen, I’m going to die…” Xu Yanqing stared at the wound he had bitten on Yin Yanjun’s neck, his eyes half-closed, as if delivering his last words. He raised a finger to the back of his own neck: “Taoist Master, you bite me back too, otherwise I’ll feel uneasy even after I die.”

It was really embarrassing to inexplicably vent his anger on the Taoist Master, so he had to let the Taoist Master bite him back before he died. That way, the “taste” would definitely be much better.

An overwhelming scent of peach filled Yin Yanjun’s nostrils. This smell was actually very pleasant; though strong, it wasn’t overpowering but rather carried an indescribable sweetness.

Xu Yanqing clung tightly to Taoist Xuanchen. Yin Yanjun wanted to get some warm water to wipe his body, but no matter how much he cajoled, the young master just wouldn’t let go of him, insisting on pointing to his burning hot neck: “Taoist Master, bite me quickly; maybe it tastes like braised pork! If you don’t bite now, you won’t have a chance for revenge.”

The young master was getting hotter and hotter. Yin Yanjun saw that if he didn’t give in, he wouldn’t be able to get away, so he could only appease him with a nod: “Alright, I’ll bite you back.”

Xu Yanqing was satisfied, so he honestly lay on the Taoist Master’s shoulder, waiting for the impending pain. Perhaps after the pain, his hard-won little life would also be gone. How pathetic a salted fish truly was!

Yin Yanjun stared at the young master’s tender white neck, intending to just give a gentle symbolic bite to soothe the young master, who was already muddled by the fever.

So he opened his mouth and lowered his head, touching the back of the young master’s neck. As he got closer, Yin Yanjun could smell the sweet peach scent even more clearly.

Taoist Xuanchen’s breath brushed the back of his neck, and then Xu Yanqing felt the warm, moist temperature of Taoist Xuanchen’s mouth. The skin on his neck seemed to become exceptionally tender, like a ripe peach, ready to break with a touch.

Xu Yanqing shifted uncomfortably. In an inadvertent movement, Taoist Xuanchen’s teeth grazed the back of his neck. This time, there was no need to bite down; the young master’s tender white neck flushed faintly, seemingly scratched by Taoist Xuanchen’s teeth.

“Mm, it hurts.” Xu Yanqing mumbled, feeling much clearer now. He raised his hand to touch the back of his neck, but Taoist Xuanchen stopped him in time.

“Be good, your neck is scratched. I’ll get medicine.” Yin Yanjun finally managed to pull the young master, who was clinging to him, off.

However, before he could stand up, he saw the young master point to the wardrobe in the room: “There’s medicine that Qi Chen prepared beforehand.”

Yin Yanjun walked over and indeed saw a wooden box placed under the wardrobe. He picked up the wooden box, placed it by the bed, and opened it. The medicine inside was very complete, and there was also a roll of soft, clean gauze.

That box was a simple first-aid kit Xu Yanqing had put together himself in his spare time. He had asked Qi Chen for some medicine to keep in it for emergencies.

Yin Yanjun opened one of the medicine bottles, gently sniffed it, then dabbed some medicine on gauze and gently wiped the back of Xu Yanqing’s neck, where two beads of blood had emerged.

“Taoist Master, be gentle; it hurts.” Xu Yanqing felt that the flush of heat on his body seemed to have subsided, with only a slight stinging sensation coming from the back of his neck. Being someone who couldn’t endure pain very well, he couldn’t help but protest. Yin Yanjun wiped the young master’s neck clean and sprinkled some medicinal powder on it before finally feeling relieved. He raised his hand to close the wooden box, but the young master stopped him.

Taking the bottle of medicine from the Taoist Master’s hand, Xu Yanqing took some clean gauze, dabbed it with the medicinal powder, and applied it to the Taoist Master’s neck, which was red and slightly swollen from his bite. He said with a hint of apology, “Sorry, I was a bit muddled and couldn’t control my actions.”

Yin Yanjun naturally wouldn’t hold it against the young master. He leniently raised his hand and touched the young master’s forehead. Seeing that his temperature had gone down, although he was still a bit puzzled, the worry that had been in his heart all evening finally subsided. “You’re covered in sweat. Shall I boil some hot water for you to wipe down?”

Xu Yanqing held back Taoist Xuanchen, who was about to get up: “There’s no need to trouble you, Taoist Master. Tonight has already been tiresome enough. Taoist Master, please go back to sleep first. Mu Yu will boil water for my bath tomorrow morning.”

In reality, the now-sober salted fish felt somewhat embarrassed. Losing his composure in front of the Taoist Master for no reason and acting like a troublesome little madman made him wish he could find a hole to crawl into. How could he possibly still ask the noble and precious Taoist Master to boil bathwater for him?

“Alright, then young master should lie down first. It’s cold at night, so be careful not to catch a cold and get sick again.” Yin Yanjun didn’t insist; he just sat by the bed, watching the young master fall asleep.

Xu Yanqing couldn’t persuade him to leave. Under Yin Yanjun’s tolerant and calm gaze, he felt that he was being unreasonable, so he quickly shrank into the quilt as if to cover up his shame and closed his eyes tightly.

Xu Yanqing had been thoroughly exhausted that night. Lying on the bed, he felt a wave of fatigue and quickly fell asleep.

Yin Yanjun guarded the young master by the bed for a while, his gaze falling on the teacup broken in two by the bed. He picked up the fragments, then took another cup, poured some hot water, and placed it on the stool by the young master’s bed before getting up and leaving.

Qi Chen was not yet asleep. Hearing the door close next door, he calmly pushed his door open and walked out. Seeing Taoist Xuanchen, he asked, “Is the young master alright?”

Yin Yanjun didn’t answer Qi Chen’s question. Instead, he pointed to the tables and chairs in the courtyard: “Can we talk for a bit?”

This poised and serene Taoist Xuanchen always carried an aura of high authority. Qi Chen was stunned for a moment; then, seeing Taoist Xuanchen turn, he quickly and quietly followed him.

“Is Taoist Master Xuanchen going to ask about the young master’s health?” Qi Chen naturally understood what Taoist Xuanchen wanted to ask, so his attitude was very frank.

Yin Yanjun rubbed the medicinal powder on his hand, his scrutinizing gaze falling on Qi Chen: “Is young Doctor Qi the young master of the Qi family in the capital?”

Qi Chen looked up at Taoist Xuanchen in surprise, then nodded: “Yes.”

Yin Yanjun’s gaze was composed: “I have naturally heard of Doctor Qi’s reputation in the capital. I just don’t know what illness the young master has that even young Doctor Qi, with his profound family knowledge, is at a loss.”

Qi Chen sighed, “Actually, the young master isn’t sick. You can think of it as the young master being a man but pregnant, which is bound to be affected by the yin-yang ethics, so it is natural that he will feel uncomfortable.”

“Because of the fetus in his belly?” Yin Yanjun murmured, “Then is there any way to alleviate Young Master Xu’s discomfort? Otherwise, prolonged suffering like this might harm his body.”

At this, Qi Chen boldly cast his gaze upon Taoist Xuanchen: “Then may I ask the Taoist Master a question?”

Yin Yanjun nodded: “Young Doctor Qi, please ask.”

“The other father of the fetus in the young master’s belly is Taoist Master Xuanchen, isn’t it?” Qi Chen already had the answer in his heart; he was just trying to confirm it verbally again.

Yin Yanjun’s body stiffened for a moment, but he still nodded very carefully: “Yes.”

Qi Chen also nodded in understanding. “That’s even better. Has Taoist Master Xuanchen noticed that every time you approach the young master, he relaxes both mentally and physically?” Qi Chen was afraid that Taoist Xuanchen wouldn’t understand his meaning, so he carefully organized his thoughts for a moment before continuing: “In fact, many pregnant women also experience certain discomfort during pregnancy. At this time, the father of the child needs to be by the pregnant woman’s side. So, Taoist Master, you can consider the young master’s situation to be more severe than that of ordinary pregnant women. Carrying a child is never a one-person affair; he needs your companionship, and the fetus in his belly needs your comfort even more.”

Qi Chen had initially thought it would be difficult to explain, but he only began to speak, and this Taoist Xuanchen already nodded in understanding.

So Qi Chen didn’t say too much, just gave some advice on what to pay attention to during pregnancy, then returned to his room.

Yin Yanjun sat in the courtyard, his posture still straight as a pine, but his eyes were slightly lost in thought.

In his memory, what were pregnant women like? They were hysterical, self-pitying, arrogant… But no matter what they were like, they seemed to be mostly accompanied by palace attendants, never by the child’s other father.

For a moment, Yin Yanjun actually felt a bit hesitant. The emperor, nearing his thirties, was not prepared to be a father; in fact, he was more flustered than the pregnant young master.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the courtyard several times, inevitably thinking of the young master who had whined and refused to walk another step after dinner.

With his mind unsettled, Yin Yanjun simply sat silently in the courtyard for a while, reciting the Dao De Jing[mfn]The Classic of the Virtue of the Tao (by the ancient philosopher Lao Zi)[/mfn], before finally getting up and returning to his room.

The next morning, Yin Yuancheng and Wen Jing’s gazes all fell on their emperor’s neck. Even Mu Yu and Qi Chen occasionally glanced at the bite mark on Yin Yanjun’s neck.

“Uncle-Master, what happened to your neck?” Yin Yuancheng couldn’t contain his curiosity and asked.

At his question, everyone perked up their ears, planning to listen if anything they didn’t know about had happened last night.

Yin Yanjun calmly put down his bowl of porridge: “Everyone eat well; I’m going back to my room first.”

How uninteresting. Everyone looked at the dignified Taoist Xuanchen, silently speculating who dared to defile such an ethereal and unblemished Taoist Master.

Yin Yuancheng casually picked up a steamed bun. His appetite had been growing recently. While munching on the bun, he struck up a conversation with Mu Yu: “Your young master woke up a bit late today.”

“Not at all.” Mu Yu shook her head: “The young master wasn’t feeling well last night; he’s bathing in his room right now!”

Just then, Xu Yanqing, dressed in loose robes, pushed open the door and walked out. He leisurely strolled to the table, picked up the bowl of porridge Mu Yu handed him, and took a sip: “There’s no corn in the porridge today?”

“Aunt Li said the corn ran out,” Mu Yu said with a smile. “If the young master wants corn, I’ll go to the fields and pick a few ears after the meal.”

“What? You haven’t been here long, and you’ve already planted corn?” Yin Yuancheng’s face was filled with shock.

Xu Yanqing glanced at him, surprised that Young Marquis Yin, known for his gentleness and magnanimity in the capital, was actually so… brainless?

Only the simple-minded Mu Yu honestly answered Yin Yuancheng’s question: “Of course not, most of the land under the name of our Wu’an Marquis Mansion was distributed to the village chiefs of the collateral family, so we can pick the corn grown by the village chiefs at will. In short, there’s plenty.”

At that moment, Yin Yuancheng also wondered how he could ask such a foolish question. However, he had his pride; as long as he didn’t explicitly say anything, he assumed others wouldn’t notice his embarrassment.

The weather was good today. Before Mu Yu and the others could go pick corn, Yin Yuancheng had already packed his luggage: “Young Master Xu, I’ve come to bid you farewell. Uncle-Master and Wen Jing will stay in Xu Family Village for some time. I hope you… won’t be too excessive.” Yin Yuancheng’s words carried a hidden meaning, but Xu Yanqing was completely bewildered, looking up with confusion: “What did I do excessively? Why don’t I know myself… or are you talking about me biting Taoist Master Xuanchen last night?”

Xu Yanqing exposed the truth himself. Yin Yuancheng angrily threw his luggage onto the table in front of Xu Yanqing, looking like a pufferfish about to burst with rage.

“Xu Yanqing…” Pointing at Xu Yanqing’s nose, Yin Yuancheng choked, his face red, unable to speak.

Xu Yanqing felt that what he had said was inappropriate, so he tactfully explained, “Young Marquis, it’s really not what you think. Maybe I was sleepwalking last night. Later, I even let Taoist Master Xuanchen bite me back!” A bite for a bite, perfectly fair.

“You, you, you… are simply shameless.” Yin Yuancheng wasn’t comforted at all; in fact, he became even angrier. He stood up indignantly, wanting to go see His Majesty, but then remembered His Majesty’s instruction last night to be respectful to Xu Yanqing, so he turned around and huffily walked back.

After glaring fiercely at Xu Yanqing, Yin Yuancheng grabbed his bag and left.

“Taoist Yuancheng, are you walking back to the county town?” Mu Yu asked casually, looking at Yin Yuancheng, who emerged from their young master’s room with a face full of anger.

So, all of Yin Yuancheng’s anger was stifled. Oh, yes, they had come in the pharmacy’s carriage. If he were to walk back now, he would surely break both his legs.

“Taoist Yuancheng is leaving today?” Qi Chen, who had just returned from picking herbs on the mountain with his basket, casually said, “When I just came back, I saw Uncle Huzi going to the county town today. He has an ox cart, so Taoist Yuancheng can catch a ride.”

So, Xu Yanqing and a group of people stood by the road, waving repeatedly at the aggrieved, weak, and pitiful Yin Yuancheng in the ox cart, while uttering good wishes like “have a good journey” and “safe travels.”

Yin Yuancheng looked up at the sky: This is so embarrassing; I’m not comforted at all.

The oxcart rumbled forward. There were quite a few people inside, making it very crowded. Someone even struck up a conversation with Yin Yuancheng: “Young man, you’re a relative of Ah Qing’s family, aren’t you? You truly are handsome, with a charming face!”

Yin Yuancheng wanted to say that he was not a relative of Xu Yanqing’s family, but hearing the string of compliments, he was too embarrassed to explain and could only nod silently with an awkward expression.

“I knew it!” The group of uncles and aunts seemed very familiar, chatting with Yin Yuancheng all the way about gossip and many stories about Marquis Wu’an before he went out to make his fortune in his youth. Yin Yuancheng was utterly delighted to hear them.

Hmm, although Xu Yanqing wasn’t a good person, Marquis Wu’an was an object of admiration for many young masters in the capital.

Not long after Yin Yuancheng left, Yin Yanjun emerged from his room. He had changed into an ochre Taoist robe, which made him appear even more graceful and slender, like bamboo.

“Taoist Yuancheng has already left. It’s a pity Taoist Master Xuanchen missed the chance to bid him farewell.” After the awkward incident last night, Xu Yanqing’s eyes held a subtle hint of evasion when he saw Taoist Xuanchen again.

Yin Yanjun understood, so he continued along with the young master’s words: “Yuancheng was raised by my side for a period when he was young, so he is much closer to me. If he had seen me, he would probably have shed tears upon leaving.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Yanqing became interested. He loved watching others’ misfortunes: “Does Taoist Yuancheng, with such a steady temperament, also cry when he was little?”

A hint of a smile appeared in Yin Yanjun’s eyes: “Of course. Don’t let his current independence fool you; when he was little, he was a timid and delicate child.”

Actually, it wasn’t that Yin Yuancheng was delicate, but that their situation was difficult at the time. The little child felt wronged for his uncle but couldn’t let anyone see it, so he could only cry secretly.

Xu Yanqing, however, didn’t know about those past events. He pulled Taoist Xuanchen and listened to some embarrassing stories about Yin Yuancheng’s childhood for a while, then saw Mu Yu carrying a bamboo basket, intending to go out.

So he quickly called Mu Yu, waved his hand, took the bamboo basket from Mu Yu’s arms, and shook it at Taoist Xuanchen: “Taoist Master, do you want to come with me to pick corn?”

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