Pregnant Salted Fish Chapter 19

TL: Hua

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“The child’s other father?” Qi Chen fell into thought. After a moment, he spoke with some hesitation, “This could also be a treatment approach. I need time to thoroughly research the medical texts.”

Qi Chen didn’t ask about the child’s other father. In his mind, as a qualified physician, one must learn to respect their patients.

Young Master Xu would rather endure physical discomfort than stay in his hometown with the child, which surely meant he had reservations about the child’s other father. Therefore, Qi Chen chose to directly ignore this question.

After Qi Chen’s massage, Xu Yanqing’s urge to vomit was greatly soothed. He ate a little something in the evening and went to bed early.

After six or seven days of continuous travel by carriage, their group finally arrived at Xu Family Village.

After Marquis Wu’an’s rise to prominence, he naturally didn’t forget his roots. Taking the opportunity to return home for ancestral worship, he specifically had the ancestral home renovated.

However, when Xu Xianzhi returned home for ancestral worship later, it was different. Xu Xianzhi, being a big man, never paid attention to such details, so he didn’t care much about the ancestral home. But this time was different; his younger brother was accustomed to a life of luxury and couldn’t possibly live in a dilapidated house.

So Xu Xianzhi had sent word ahead to his subordinates at the ancestral home, asking them to thoroughly renovate it in advance.

The young master, dressed in brocade robes, was supported by Mu Yu as he stepped down from the carriage. His face was delicate and round, making him look like a nobleman untouched by worldly affairs, though his complexion appeared somewhat pale.

The despondent salted fish was utterly exhausted. After sitting in the carriage for too long, he finally understood why his older brother stubbornly refused to ride inside.

No matter how elaborately decorated, the carriage’s interior space was still limited. He could only sit or curl up slightly on Mu Yu’s lap. Moreover, the journey was bumpy, naturally incomparable to the capital, bouncing Xu Yanqing so much that he felt like he was flying. If it weren’t for Qi Chen and Mu Yu protecting him, the little sprout in his belly would have probably been gone already.

Furthermore, the carriage was very stuffy; even with the curtains open, it didn’t improve much. Xu Yanqing vomited countless times along the way.

Xu Xianzhi could only stop and go, traveling exceptionally slowly along the way, which allowed them to arrive at Xu Family Village safely.

The ancestral home, with its red bricks and green tiles, looked imposing. However, since it was in the countryside, Xu Xianzhi specifically instructed his servants not to make it too conspicuous. So, the servants toned down the exterior ornamentation and focused all their efforts on the courtyard.

The courtyard was exceptionally spacious, but it had more of a rustic feel than the capital. Xu Yanqing, aching all over, was helped into the house by Mu Yu. The servants had already cleaned the rooms, so they didn’t need to do any extra tidying.

Xu Xianzhi was still outside directing the servants to unload all the luggage from the several carriages. His energetic appearance showed no signs of fatigue.

Under Mu Yu’s service, the dejected salted fish took off his outer robe, lay down on the bed, and let out a comfortable sigh, “I never thought sitting in a carriage for a day would be more tiring than walking. My back is about to break.”

Mu Yu gently massaged his young master’s waist. He had nothing to do in the carriage these past few days, so he learned many massage techniques from Young Doctor Qi.

Seeing his young master lying on his side on the bed with a relaxed expression, Mu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

These past few days, his young master’s vomiting had made him anxious, worried about both the child in his belly and his health. Young Doctor Qi even joked about his tense demeanor, like a string for fluffing cotton.

Actually, Mu Yu was mainly worried about his young master’s health. In his opinion, if the child in his young master’s belly was gone, then so be it, but his young master must be fine. But now, his young master’s life was intertwined with the child in his womb. If he didn’t get better, he might not have the strength to deliver the baby in the future!

Now, seeing his young master completely relaxed and feeling no great discomfort, Mu Yu’s tightly strung heart naturally loosened.

Xu Yanqing wasn’t very sleepy, but his back ached, making him uncomfortable. Now, with Mu Yu’s massage, he felt much better, so he patted Mu Yu’s hand and told him to rest.

Soon, Qi Chen came in to take Xu Yanqing’s pulse. “Fortunately, the fetus in the Young Master’s womb is strong-willed. Although there was a slight disturbance to the fetus’s qi, taking two doses of prenatal medicine and resting for a few days will be fine.”

Xu Yanqing nodded. He had some understanding of his own body. Although he didn’t know what it was like for women to be pregnant, he felt that he was doing quite well at the moment, not suffering to the point of wanting to die.

Qi Chen thought for a moment and then said, “Last time, Young Master mentioned the calming effect of scents. These past few days, I specifically looked through the medical texts my father gave me. Although I haven’t found similar cases, I did find a very interesting example in some miscellaneous books.”

Upon mentioning miscellaneous books, Xu Yanqing regained some energy. He sat up on the bed and patted the spot next to him, inviting Qi Chen to sit there and tell him a story.

Qi Chen didn’t stand on ceremony. After sitting down comfortably, he began, “I don’t know who wrote this storybook, but it divides all people in the world into three categories: men, women, and ‘inters*x’ individuals. It is said that although ‘inters*x’ individuals have male bodies, they can become pregnant and give birth…”

Xu Yanqing’s interest grew even stronger. He smiled and chatted with Qi Chen, “I didn’t expect Young Doctor Qi to read such miscellaneous books. Aren’t you afraid Doctor Qi will confiscate them?”

Qi Chen’s face showed a hint of smugness. “My father is very capable, but there’s always someone better. I naturally have ways to deal with him.”

Seeing Xu Yanqing staring at him with a look of intense curiosity, Qi Chen leaned mysteriously towards Xu Yanqing’s ear. “My father loves to drink, but my mother doesn’t let him. So he secretly hides private money to buy wine, and I always manage to find his stash…”

“Hahahahaha!” Xu Yanqing burst into laughter. “I never thought the stern-faced Doctor Qi would be so interesting! So you threatened Doctor Qi to keep those miscellaneous books?”

“At first, my father was unwilling, but he was afraid I’d tell my mother, so he had no choice but to honestly return my miscellaneous books.” Qi Chen was very experienced in outsmarting his father and spoke with a triumphant expression.

Xu Yanqing raised an eyebrow. “Since we share the same interests, we can exchange books and read them together. I also have storybooks about monks and courtesans, widows and generals.”

Qi Chen understood and kept smiling.

Xu Yanqing thought for a moment and said, “Actually, I’ve also seen another classification system in storybooks. It says that there are six types of people in this world: alpha males and females, beta males and females, and omega males and females. Among them, Omega males and females are very prone to pregnancy, and when Omega males and females are pregnant, they become particularly dependent on their partners.”

In his previous life, Xu Yanqing could be considered a “well-read” person, and he never discriminated against genres when reading novels. Except for overly explicit content, as long as the writing was good and the story was interesting, he dabbled in all types. So, these past few nights, being unable to sleep, he couldn’t help but let his mind wander, unable to quiet down.

Qi Chen listened very carefully. Although he knew these were just special settings in storybooks, he still extracted some key points from Xu Yanqing’s scattered words.

“Mmm, I’ll go back and study these thoroughly. But we’ll have to wait until Young Master’s belly gets bigger to truly understand.” Saying this, Qi Chen’s gaze fell on Xu Yanqing’s abdomen again. Xu Yanqing had been pregnant for over three months now, and around four months, his pregnancy would start to show.

Xu Yanqing said, “Young Doctor Qi has traveled far from home for my sake and will be staying in Xu Family Village for a year or so. It’s truly hard work.” He saw that Qi Chen was only about fifteen or sixteen years old, usually feigning maturity and composure but still inadvertently revealing his youthful naivety.

Qi Chen waved his hand indifferently. “Young Master doesn’t need to worry about that. I’m a doctor. Even if I didn’t come to Xu Family Village with Young Master, I would find an opportunity to travel later anyway.”

Mu Yu was a little puzzled. “Isn’t the capital good? Why do you have to travel far?”

“As a doctor, how can one be complacent when one’s goal is to heal the world?” Qi Chen’s young face showed a hint of youthful ambition. “Only by traveling more and experiencing more can one’s horizons broaden.”

Mu Yu nodded thoughtfully. When he looked at Qi Chen again, his eyes were full of admiration. He had served by his young master’s side since he was a child, and even when traveling far, he was always with his young master. Therefore, he particularly admired Young Doctor Qi for having such aspirations at such a young age.

When they had rested sufficiently, Xu Xianzhi finally walked in from outside with beads of sweat on his forehead. “Ah Qing, are you hungry? The kitchen is already preparing food. We’ll eat soon.”

“Elder Brother, quickly sit down and rest.” Seeing his brother covered in sweat, Xu Yanqing asked Mu Yu to get some warm water from outside for Xu Xianzhi to wipe his face.

The two brothers chatted for a while, and then dinner was ready in the kitchen. In the countryside, they naturally had to try country food.

Although it was simple, everyone ate happily. Just as Xu Xianzhi was eating, he heard someone outside calling, “Big Brother Xu, Big Brother Xu.”

Xu Xianzhi put down his chopsticks. “It’s probably the uncles in the same village who are offering sacrifices to their ancestors. You guys eat first; I’ll go out and have a look.”

Xu Xianzhi didn’t return after going out, probably held up by something. Xu Yanqing asked Mu Yu to save some food for his brother and keep it warm, then everyone washed up and went to bed.

There were many mosquitoes in the countryside, and although the weather wasn’t hot enough yet, his young master’s skin was delicate, so Mu Yu lit some special incense from the box before he went to bed.

Xu Yanqing lay on the bed, listening to the crickets chirping, finding it somewhat amusing. He didn’t know when he fell asleep while listening. In the middle, he seemed to faintly hear Xu Xianzhi talking to someone, thinking that his brother had come back so late. He turned his head and fell into a deep sleep.

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