Chapter 56: The Ugly Ger’s Farming Story

“Ama, let’s go back!”

Ma Fugui forcefully pulled Ma Ama, who wanted to rush forward and fight back, towards the door. Ma Ama kept cursing along the way, unable to free himself from his son’s grip. He could only watch as the Lin family pharmacy grew farther and farther away.

“Just you wait! I won’t let you off the hook!”

Brother Xie watched their departure and felt a complex mix of emotions. Lin Fangliang held his hand, while Old Doctor Lin smiled and shook his head, saying, “Don’t overthink it. You are now a member of our Lin family. We will protect you, so don’t be afraid or worry too much. Take good care of your health. That’s the most important thing.”

Brother Xie’s body was still relatively weak internally, and if he wanted to conceive, he needed to prioritize his health.

Lin Fangliang also nodded in agreement with Old Doctor Lin’s words. “Yes, don’t overthink it.” Even though Brother Xie was still in discomfort, hearing these words from the Lin family father and son made him feel at ease. “I understand.”

Li Changfeng quietly listened to the commotion ahead, thought for a moment, but didn’t go out. He turned around and went back to the room. “Ma Fugui got beaten up, so Old Doctor Lin went to check his injuries. When his mother saw Brother Xie, he couldn’t help but say a few extra words, and now he’s been taken away by his son.” He paused and added, “I was originally planning to go out and help when Ma Fugui’s mother wanted to charge forward, but Lin Fangliang spoke, so I didn’t go out. It’s their family matter.”

Xu Qing nodded after listening. “It’s getting late. Let’s pack up and go back. We still have Xiaobao and the piglet at home. We came out hastily like this, and I’m worried.” As he spoke, he haphazardly uncovered the blanket covering him body and was about to jump off the bed.

Li Changfeng helplessly rubbed his forehead and quickly went forward to embrace Xu Qing. It was only at this moment that Xu Qing realized and froze. Damn it! He had forgotten that he was carrying an unborn bun in his belly! Tilting his head, he thought about the pregnant women he had seen before the apocalypse. But when he saw them, they were already seven or eight months along, wearing maternity clothes and proudly parading with their big bellies on the streets. Yet, he was only a little over a month pregnant, and it wasn’t visible from his outward appearance.

Translated on ho lo lo novels dot com.

“Be careful, you’re not alone now.” Li Changfeng rubbed Xu Qing’s head, propped him aside, neatly folded the blanket on the bed, and tidied up Xu Qing’s changed clothes. Then, he slowly led Xu Qing towards the pharmacy ahead.

“Come here quickly. I’ve prepared several tonics for you to nourish your body. Make sure to boil one every day when you go back, don’t forget!” As soon as Old Doctor Lin saw Li Changfeng and Xu Qing coming out, he called them over, took out several packets of Chinese herbs, and handed them to Li Changfeng, carefully instructing the two of them.

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing nodded obediently. After Li Changfeng put away the medicine, he took out some silver coins from his pocket and handed them to Old Doctor Lin. Old Doctor Lin widened his eyes, “What’s the meaning of this! Even for such a small gesture, I have to put it on the silver coins!”

Lin Fangliang crushed the herbs and smiled at Li Changfeng and Xu Qing, “Exactly! Don’t you think about it? Xiaoyu and I are your child’s godparents. If you don’t give us this little face, how can we have the face to come to your house and hold the child, calling ourselves his godparents?” Xie Yu had gone home to cook and wasn’t at the pharmacy at this time.

Li Changfeng, however, remained unmoved. “This is payment for the medicine, it must be given.” His words sounded rigid and lacked understanding. Xu Qing immediately continued, “What Changfeng means is that this payment for the medicine is not something else. It must be given. Otherwise, it would be impolite with Old Master Lin and all of you.”

The Lin father and son had no choice but to accept since the two insisted. However, they insisted on taking only the cost of the herbs. After bidding farewell to Li Changfeng and Xu Qing, Old Doctor Lin exclaimed, “This pair is truly an exceptional couple with excellent characters.”

Li Changfeng and Xu Qing strolled around the street for a while, bought an old hen and some pork bones, and specifically bought pig liver for Xiaobao. Then they hitched a donkey cart and returned home. Coincidentally, the owner of the cart was also from Ji Xiang Village. Li Changfeng gave him some extra money to make him run a quick errand.

Giving a few extra coins is not just travel expenses; it’s a local custom. When there is good news, it is customary to give some celebratory money to the person who shares the good news. It symbolizes that good things will happen to everyone. This is indeed a good occasion, and the other party happily accepted it. They even exchanged several auspicious words with Li Changfeng and the others, almost acting as matchmakers.

“Look at you, your eyes are smiling so much.” Just a few compliments about this unborn child made this person ecstatic. Li Changfeng affectionately rubbed Xu Qing’s forehead. “I’m happy because even before he’s born, there are already so many people doting on him and loving him.”

“Stop it. Oh, isn’t that Uncle Xie?” When Xu Qing and the others were close to the entrance of their house, they saw someone squatting at the gate. It was indeed Uncle Xie. “Let’s walk faster. Uncle Xie must have been waiting for a long time.” Xu Qing said, increasing her pace to reach home quickly, but Li Changfeng hurriedly held her back. “I’ll go faster, you take it slow.”

Xu Qing slapped his forehead. How could he forget that he was pregnant! “Then you go ahead quickly and ask what’s going on.”

By the time Xu Qing arrived home, Li Changfeng had already brought a chair for the patiently waiting Uncle Xie. “I apologize for the inconvenience. We weren’t home all day, so there’s no hot tea.”

Uncle Xie waved his hand and looked at Xu Qing entering the gate. “You’re back. Do you have any good news?” Hearing this, Xu Qing realized that Uncle Xie was quite well-informed. Li Changfeng explained to Xu Qing, “When Uncle Wu returned, he ran into Uncle Xie and Xie Ama. He informed them about our visit to the pharmacy. So, Uncle Xie was concerned and has been waiting in front of our gate all afternoon.”

Sitting on the chair that Li Changfeng placed for him, Xu Qing gratefully said to Uncle Xie, who was smoking a dry cigarette, “It’s our fault for being in a hurry and not informing you. We made you worry.”

“No worries. Such good news can come multiple times! Hahaha! I’ll go back and tell Xie Ama. Who knows how happy he’ll be!” The Xie family only has Brother Xie as their child, and for many years, Brother Xie hasn’t had any children. The sound of children’s laughter hasn’t been heard in their home for a long time.

When it was found that Brother Qing was pregnant, Xie Yu was thrilled. If it wasn’t that the family hadn’t eaten dinner yet, he couldn’t wait to rush over.

***

The evening breeze in summer is the most pleasant, but after dinner, Li Changfeng settled Xu Qing on the bed, covering him tightly. “Old Doctor Lin said you need to sweat more, otherwise, you’ll suffer.”

Xu Qing had no choice but to obediently stay in bed. Li Changfeng covered him with three layers of blankets, and in no time, Xu Qing’s whole body was drenched in sweat from the summer heat.

“I’m sweating!”

Xu Qing propped up his head and tried to wiggle out, shouting loudly, hoping that Li Changfeng would come and see if he could uncover the blankets.

“Hey, what are you doing? It’s so hot, why are there so many blankets!” Xu Qing didn’t expect Xie Ama to  arrive at this time. “Xie Ama, good evening!”

Xie Ama quickly removed two layers of blankets from Xu Qing’s body. After hearing the reason for using so many blankets, he helplessly said, “This Changfeng, sweating is important, but it shouldn’t be done like this!”

Xu Qing wiped the sweat off his forehead, took a few deep breaths, and sat up with the blanket wrapped around him. “I feel alive now, but it’s still so hot.”

Xie Ama sat on the bed and poked Xu Qing’s face with his hand. “He’s a fool, and you’re being silly too! It’s the peak of summer, covering yourself up like this will only make you feel too hot. Drink more water, soak your feet in hot water for a few days, and then take a refreshing hot bath. That way, you won’t have any problems.”

“Oh, I see. Then I’ll ask Changfeng to heat up some hot water!” Li Changfeng was currently washing their clothes and changing the bed sheets. “Don’t get out of bed! I’ll go, just stay put.”

After Li Changfeng left, he returned shortly after. He looked at Xu Qing, who was lying obediently in bed, with a loving gaze. “Now you’re also becoming a parent. You can’t be as casual as before. You must always remember that you are two people now…”

That evening, Xie Ama stayed for a long time and carefully shared his experience of carrying Brother Xie years ago. He even explained the postnatal precautions to Xu Qing. Xu Qing listened attentively, feeling a bit dazed, and Li Changfeng didn’t know when he finished his work. He held a chair and listened carefully, occasionally asking his own questions.

Xu Qing didn’t know when he fell asleep in the end. When he woke up, it was already the next morning.

The morning sun of summer rose early, and on this sunny and fresh morning, Xu Qing saw the egg custard he had been longing for!

“Where did you get the eggs?” Xu Qing happily ate the lightly salted egg custard and curiously asked Li Changfeng, who had been watching him.

“Xie Ama brought them early this morning. Don’t worry, I insisted that he take the money,” Li Changfeng replied. Nowadays, no family has it easy, so while they don’t need extra money, they shouldn’t let others suffer losses.

Xu Qing nodded and quickly finished the bowl of egg custard. Just as he finished, Li Changfeng brought a bowl of milky white bone broth with a sprinkle of chopped green onions on top. It not only looked appetizing, but even the aroma wafting through the air made Xu Qing’s mouth water.

“Why are you so diligent early in the morning? Making steamed egg custard and stewing bone broth,” Xu Qing asked.

Li Changfeng took away the empty bowl of egg custard from in front of Xu Qing. “I simmered the bone broth over low heat while sleeping last night, and it was just ready this morning. Come, taste it and see how it is. I added less salt.”

Xu Qing blew on the hot steam and took a slow sip. “Not bad, just a little bland. It could use some more salt.” After saying that, he buried his head and continued drinking until he saw the bottom of the bowl, then he handed it to Li Changfeng.

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