This time, getting pregnant was an accident. In the future, even if Zhou Chengkang would want another child, Li Qinghe didn't want to have one. Not only was childbirth extremely painful, but raising a child also required a lot of hard work.
And to raise a few more kids, who would be able to stand that?
She looked at the moonlight outside and asked, "If it's really a daughter, then won't we have to marry her off in the future? I can't bear to think about it."
"Marriage?" Zhou Chengkang didn't seem to have thought of this. The hands wrapped around her belly tightened and he said, "We will not marry her off. We have so much land, and we can also build a house and have the son-in-law live with us."
A live-in son-in-law?
Thankfully he figured it out. Li Qinghe laughed, and Zhou Chengkang eloquently said, "Second brother lives a good life."
Indeed, after the second brother Zhou married into the Li family, the Li Family treated him very well and didn't suffer any discrimination as rumored. In fact, the Li family was faintly headed by him, and most of the members were willing to listen to him.
Of course, the second brother Zhou could make his decisions and stand on his own and wouldn't let Mrs. Zhou interfere with their matters.
Speaking of which, Mrs. Zhou really couldn't control anyone. After the recent incident with the eldest brother Zhou's family, the husband and wife easily quarreled with each other. Mei Hua always complained he shouldn't have picked money from the roadside and emptied their savings. And eldest brother Zhou still didn't think that he was at fault. He still had a feeling that he was the victim.
Whenever the two would quarrel, he would justify himself saying: these disasters were brought by old lady Liu on their family. They shouldn't have gone to take what was left behind by her to the town. All their miseries came after they encountered a windfall. First, they were robbed, then he picked the money from the roadside and went to jail. In the end, all their money was gone and only he was safe.
So he concluded that he will not take any more windfalls!
Since then, he has been more kind to everyone. Even if there was money on the road, he would never reach out to pick it up.
And as for the second brother Zhou, Mrs. Zhou believed that a son was married into the wife's family and was considered as a married daughter. They could be considered relatives, but there were certain boundaries they could not cross.
As for the third brother Zhou and his wife, Mrs. Zhou could talk to them about their food and clothing and sometimes she even quarreled with Zhang Haiyao. But the couple didn't listen to her.
As for Zhou Chengkang and Li Qinghe, it was even more impossible for them to listen to her. No matter how big or small the matter was, they were always in charge.
The weather grew hotter and hotter and Li Qinghe's belly kept getting bigger day by day. Because she was afraid of being alone when she gave birth, she seldom left the house. Dr. Huang, who used to come every three days to the village to go to the mountains, recently moved to live with them. He didn't go to the mountains anymore. It was also good as he could teach calligraphy to Xiyu.
It could be said that Xiyu's handwriting was similar to a doctor's scribble. It was nonsense to call his writing practicing calligraphy. Now only he could understand what's written on the doctor's prescription. But Zhou Chengkang was quite happy to support it so that he would not have to go to the town to pick up prescriptions in the future.
The swaddles and clothes were ready for the baby at home. And as for the crib, Zhou Chengkang made a new crib for the baby, which was much better than Xiyu's.
Around mid-May, one night, Zhou Chengkang was helping Li Qinghe lie on the bed when he felt that her body was hot.
He stiffened and immediately realized that something was wrong, "What's wrong?"
"I think I'm about to give birth." Li Qinghe held her stomach, already feeling a bit of pain.
This was not the first time they had a baby. Although Zhou Chengkang was nervous, he was not flustered. He first helped her lie down, called Dr. Huang to check in on her, and asked Mrs. Chen to call Mrs. Xu over. He then asked Mr. Yu to go bring the midwife.
He spoke those orders in a few breaths. No one knew how many times he practiced them in private.
Dr. Huang checked her pulse and said, "Don't worry. Both the mother and child are healthy."
Then he retreated outside. Mrs. Chen was already boiling water to make tea. Tonight, they had to stay up late.
Even after Dr. Huang said they were alright, Zhou Chengkang was still nervous. He held her hand and said, "I will accompany you, okay?"
"No." Li Qinghe sucked in a breath of pain. She had given birth before and knew how ugly it could get.
"After a while, when the midwife comes, you go out and keep an eye on Xiyu. Don't let him run around. There is a pond outside…"
"I know." Zhou Chengkang hurriedly patted her shoulder, "Don't worry, I'll look after Xiyu."
The midwife arrived quickly and Zhou Chengkang greeted her and requested her to take care of Li Qinghe. Mrs. Xu also arrived and stayed by the bed to comfort her daughter.
The night grew darker as it progressed. It was said that for women who had previously given birth, subsequent deliveries tended to take less time. Though Li Qinghe wasn't sure about it. Anyway, when the sun started to come out in the sky, Li Qinghe felt a little lighter. Then she heard Mrs. Xu beside her say, "The child is here!"
Without waiting for her to ask, Mrs. Xu wiped the sweat from her forehead, "It's a boy, and his voice sounds healthy. Don't worry, I'll ask Chengkang to bring you some soup."
Hearing that the child was a boy, Li Qinghe was a little disappointed. She also hoped for a sweet and soft girl.
As for the soup… She just wanted to sleep now. She had been in pain since last night and couldn't even take a small nap for a while. So as soon as she heard that the baby was born, she fell asleep instantly after staying up all night.
When she woke up again, the sun was shining outside the window, and it was another fine day. The smell of blood and sweat from last night had dissipated, and she could breathe freely.
"Are you awake?" Zhou Chengkang leaned forward and asked, "Are you hungry?"
Li Qinghe squinted and smiled at him, "What should I do now? We don't have a girl."
"Why do you need a daughter?" Zhou Chengkang helped her lean, "As long as you are safe and sound I am satisfied. A boy is also good, we don't need any more children."
Li Qinghe blackened her face, wondering to herself, what kind of reason was this?
She then looked at the infant beside her. He looked very similar to Xiyu when he was born. When she heard her wake up, Mrs. Xu came into the room with soup. Xiyu also followed behind her with short legs.
"I want to see my brother." He leaned against the bed and looked at the swaddled baby.
Li Qinghe smiled and said, "He looks exactly like you when you were born."
"Impossible!" Xiyu looked at the boy. His tone was firm and filled with disgust as he said, "Father said I look good and this baby is too… ugly."
Uh, how can a child who had just been born less than a day old look good?
"However, he is my younger brother. I will take good care of him." He said solemnly, and finally nodded, "I won't despise him for being ugly."
Everyone in the room laughed.
Mrs. Zhou got to know the news of the birth of her grandchild from the midwife who went back at dawn. Mrs. Zhou didn't know till then that her daughter-in-law had given birth. It was almost impossible for the daughter-in-law to give birth without the mother-in-law knowing. Because in the village, basically, the daughter-in-law lived in the same courtyard with her mother-in-law. As for Li Qinghe, she lived a mile away from Zhou's family house, so it was normal for Mrs. Zhou not to know.
When she heard that she had another grandson, Mrs. Zhou ignored the unhappiness in her heart, killed a chicken, made soup, and carried it to the west side of the village happily.
She arrived just in time to hear the burst of laughter in the room, "I cooked a chicken and stewed it for a while. You need to drink more nourished soup during your confinement period, so you can recover soon."
Li Qinghe's attitude towards Mrs. Zhou was natural. Anyway, from now on it was enough to treat her as filial as eldest brother Zhou treated her.
Li Fu too arrived about the same time as Mrs. Zhou. Mrs. Liu also came in carrying two chickens, one was dead, and the other was alive. She said with a smile, "I advised him not to butcher the chicken as someone should have already prepared soup for you. It is easier to get spoiled in this weather. In the end, after listening to the news your father was so happy that he already cut the neck…"
Mrs. Xu looked at her with a smile and Mrs. Zhou stepped forward to take it.
Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Xu also met occasionally, and each time they were a little embarrassed. Mrs. Liu lacked confidence in front of her.
Mrs. Xu had been pampered for many years, so she had black hair and white skin. If it weren't for the fine lines on her face, people would believe that she was Li Qinghe's sister. On the other hand, Mrs. Liu was dressed in fine and simple clothes, and her hair was tied with a cloth. At first glance, people could figure that she was a woman in her forties. They were both of the same age though.
But in fact, the difference between the two also represented the fact that Mrs. Xu and Li Fu can never go back to their past relationship.
A woman like Mrs. Liu, who could take care of others and do housework was suitable for Li Fu. Even though Mrs. Xu was the daughter-in-law chosen by Li Kui and his wife at the beginning, if they were to choose now, they would definitely choose Mrs. Liu.
Within one day, the news of Li Qinghe's second child spread, and most people in the village knew about it.
Many people came for the washing ceremony on the third day after the baby was born. The two children were born a few years apart and even Li Qinghe's reputation was now different. When Xiyu was born, everyone in the village knew that Li Qinghe's pond made good money and they led an easy life. But a few years later, the couple now had a hundred acres of wasteland on the mountain and from time to time masters from the county would come to buy their medicinal herbs. The pond which everyone thought was the most profitable was no longer a big deal.
Without exception, the fourth Zhou couple was already a well-known wealthy household not only in their village but even in the town.
The banquet was also well organized, nearly 20 tables were set up in the yard, and basically, everyone who knew their family came.
On the second day after the banquet, a horse-drawn carriage came to the entrance of the village again. The person was looking for Min Rui and asking for directions to his house.
The carriage looked grand and expensive, and many people in the village talked about it, but within half a day, Yu Yan and her husband sent them away. Recently, Yu Yan often came to talk to Li Qinghe.
"The one who came is his father." Yu Yan laughed, "The Min family is from the next county. The family still has some family capital. Min Rui has long told me about his family. He is the son of a concubine and as soon as he was born he was sold to a private mine. He grew up working there day and night. If he didn't work, then he was beaten. Even if he slacked a little, he was beaten a lot. It was normal for him to be beaten to death almost every day. Later, the private mine was reported and the magistrate found out about it and went to catch them. The head of the mine took them to sneak away and along the way, he sold all of his workers. When they reached outside of our village, he wanted to run away but he was beaten by him and then left him there… Then I picked him up later."
Without looking in the mirror, Li Qinghe knew that her face must have been filled with surprise. She couldn't help but ask, "You're leaving?"
Yan smiled, "We are going. That woman threw Min Rui out for the family fortune. If he had not met me, he would have lost his life. Even if we don't fight for that family fortune, we should still go back to take revenge." At the end of the speech, there was already ruthlessness in his tone.
Li Qinghe hesitated to speak, and finally asked, "But your identity..."
If Min Rui was a rich man, Yu Yan's identity should be more attractive, otherwise, she must be worried.
"My identity?" Yu Yan smiled, "Actually, it's almost the same as him. It's just that my father is gone and I don't want to go back. If we really compare ourselves, we are not sure who will win."
"I'm here to say goodbye to you. Please help me take care of my godfather and godmother. I asked them to move into our house. The house is still in my name and we will come back in three years at most."
They really left after they were informed. In two days, a carriage came to pick them up and many people watched them to see the fun. But it was only Li Qinghe's third aunt and uncle and the family of three that saw them off.
Watching the carriage drift away, Li Qinghe looked at the people around him, squinted her eyes, and smiled.
In this world, people live for a lifetime. Many people came and went, and they were all passers-by in life. But only those who were by her side will always be with her and will grow old together hand in hand.
As the carriage went away, Zhou Chengkang supported her shoulders, "Dear, you are still in confinement, let's go back."
Since his friend left, Xiyu was a little unhappy. He turned around with a pout and said, "I'm going back to take my brother."
Under the sun, the family walked back as the gentle breeze brushed by them. The tall man hugged the woman tightly in his arms and the child was running around in circles beside them. The scene looked like a beautiful painting on a picture scroll. Not far away, there was a woman at the door holding the baby in swaddle cloth. Seeing them return, she urged them, "Hurry up, the child is hungry."
Later on, the whole Luoyue Town became well-known for its cultivation of medicinal plants throughout the Shun country. Decades later, the history books of Shun country recorded the couple, Zhou Chengkang and his wife usually liked to study planting various types of plants. His wife Li Qinghe was an avid plant researcher who pioneered the planting of sweet potatoes and cultivated numerous medicinal herbs, contributing to the prosperity of the nation and the well-being of its people. They were remembered as a family of great kindness.
Note: Dear readers, just wanted to let you know that the novel has come to an end! However, we've got two extra chapters coming your way, so keep an eye out for those. Thanks for reading!