CH 98

Back to the Countryside

Chapter 98 : 包子

Extra ~ The Bun/ The Child

It was that time of the year when the weather was scorching hot, the slightest movement was enough to make your entire body sweating. He Ling, who carried a huge belly, was not willing to move even for a single step.

He was lying on a small couch in the room right now with a thin blanket, taking a nap and still drowsy. His posture didn’t look comfortable because his stomach was too big.

Qi Yue came in with a bowl of sweet-sour plum soup when he saw him in this state. He frowned lightly, since his stomach got bigger and bigger, He Ling didn’t have it easy. Every night, he couldn’t sleep. Sometimes even when he fell asleep, he would be woken up by a sudden kick from the baby.

He walked over quietly to his place. He sat down on the edge of the couch, looking at the panda eyes under his eyes. He sighed as he was distressed for him, if he could, he would like to suffer on his behalf. 

He Ling was not sleeping. He could naturally feel the presence of someone coming and sitting beside him. He opened his eyes, saw his worried face and smiled softly, “Xiang Gong, why are you looking so sad?”

Seeing that he was awake, Qi Yue reached out and stroked his sweaty hair. He also followed him and revealed a smiling expression, “My Fu Lang looks so good even in his sleep, what would happen if someone came to steal it from me?”

He Ling laughed lightly. He moved his body, which was a little stiff, to make himself more comfortable, “Xiang Gong is so capable, who can steal from you?”

“That’s right, if there’s anyone who doesn’t know his place, I’ll make him suffer the consequences.” Qi Yue scratched his nose and pointed to the bowl he had placed on the side table, “I’ve just made sweet-sour plum soup, do you want some?”

“Want.” The heat was unbearable and his mouth was dry so this soup came at the right time. He Ling nodded in response, and sat up with the help of the other side.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

He had just taken the sweet-sour plum soup and was about to feed it to his little Fu Lang when he heard a knock on the door outside. Qi Yue helplessly put the bowl into his hands and let him drink first, then got up and went out of the house. 

When he walked into the courtyard, the hot sunlight made him squint. He raised his hand to cover his forehead and walked slowly to the door, removed the hot bolt and opened the wooden door.

The person outside was dressed in red like fire, even warmer than the sun in the sky. Qi Yue raised an eyebrow in surprise and said with a smile, “Auntie has really come quite suddenly!”

“Where is Xiao Ling? How is his body (health)?” Du Huashang didn’t want to talk nonsense with him, so she asked first what she wanted to know the most.

The other party had always been so straight to the point that Qi Yue was used to it, “Recently, his stomach has been tossed around so much (by the baby inside) that he hasn’t eaten much. He didn’t sleep well either.”

When they came back from Qi Du Valley, they went to stay at Yu Long Fang for a while. If it wasn’t for the fact that He Ling missed his home, Du Huashang wouldn’t have been willing to let them go.

After returning to Gu Shui Village, she also sent letters from time to time asking about his condition, accompanied by many different kinds of tonic products, which were piled up all over their house.

Qi Yue would also write a letter to her on behalf of He Ling, all about their trivial daily life and the baby’s growth. Every time they sent the letter, it would be exchanged for more tonic and nourishing food, leaving them feeling very helpless as well. 

This time the other party would personally come over, and the reason for it, he had some guesses in his mind, guessing that it was because on the last letter mentioned that He Ling might give birth in the next few days, so she was worried and hurriedly rushed over here.

“It’s all your fault!” Du Huashang glared at him discontentedly, if this man hadn’t done bad things, her nephew wouldn’t have to suffer a lot, “I’ll go and see him.”

Seeing that she walked in and entered the door, Qi Yue shook his head helplessly. He followed her into the house without closing the door. Her two apprentices were still outside and inside the carriage presumably she must have brought a lot of things with it.

The two of them had just reached the door of the house when they heard the sound of dishes falling from inside, followed by a painful grunt. Their hearts jumped at the same time as they rushed in.

He Ling was clutching his stomach while lying down on the floor in pain. The bowl of sweet-sour plum soup had shattered on the floor, probably because the sudden pain had made him lose his grip.

“Ah Ling?!” Qi Yue’s expression immediately changed as he ran forward, wrapping his curled up body into his arms and wiping away the cold sweat that continued to rise from his forehead.

“Xiang Gong, I am going to…give birth…” He Ling lifted his hand with difficulty and grabbed his sleeve tightly. The sharp pain in his abdomen was so intense, burst after another burst, making him unable to even complete his words.

Qi Yue forced himself to calm down, at such a critical moment, he could not mess up himself first, he picked him up and put him on the bed, turning his head to the woman who was at a loss for words, “Trouble auntie to have someone boil some hot water!”

Du Huashang hurriedly nodded her head, carried her skirt and left the door. She had never been married before, so how could she know about childbirth? When she saw how difficult her nephew was, she was in a state of panic. 

“Ah Ling, don’t be afraid, I will always be by your side.” Qi Yue stuffed a pill in his mouth and held his hand tightly, with words of comfort, not knowing to whom he said it (it meant that he said it to comfort He Ling but also himself), “The baby will be fine, and so will you!”

The warmth of the other person’s hand cleared He Ling’s mind, which had been distracted by the pain. He took a few deep breaths and looked at him with complete trust in his eyes.

Qi Yue kissed him heavily on the side of his face. He changed direction where he sat down, took off his trousers and stared straight into his eyes, “Ah Ling, you have to push harder.”

He Ling’s hand clutched the pillow.Meeting with his gaze, his expression became much more determined as he gritted his teeth and bear the pain, resolutely used his strength. 

“Ah!”

The painful scream that came from the room made Du Huashang, who had returned with the ginseng, tremble in her heart. She knocked the box onto the floor and her legs went weak for a moment. She was held up by the disciple beside her. She did not have the courage to push open the door in front of her.

She was afraid that the scene she would see when she entered would be too miserable. It would make her heart feel even more distressed. Her eyes were red with tears falling down when she heard another cry of pain that was even more painful from inside. She could only pray silently in her heart that the other person was alright.

“Ah Ling, I’m here!” Qi Yue’s eyes were red as he looked at the person lying in front of him with a red face, veins rippling between his forehead, trying to grit his teeth and hold on, it was as if his heart was torn and rolled into a ball. 

He Ling’s sweat had already wet the pillow, he was already very tired, but the pain beneath him was reminding him that the baby had not yet been born, he could not stop to rest at this time.

Time passed, his voice turned hoarse from the constant screams of pain. His eyelashes were wet with sweat, so he could not see anything clearly but beside his ears kept ringing his husband’s voice, giving him strength one at a time.

Du Huashang sat on the stone stairs in front of the door, her two hands clasped tightly together, the worry in her heart growing stronger and stronger as time went by. She bit her lip, feeling tormented beyond measure.

It was not long before a baby’s cry finally came out of the room. She breathed a long sigh of relief and propped her hand on her side so that she did not fall over.

“Aunt, please bring water in!”

Qi Yue’s voice came into her ears immediately afterwards. Du Huashang hurriedly wiped away the tears that had rolled down from her face once again from being relaxed. She stood up and took the basin of water from her disciple’s hands, and carried it in herself.

The room smelt strongly of blood. He Ling was lying on the bed with his eyes tightly closed, probably because he had fainted from exhaustion.His clothes had been thoroughly drenched with sweat, as if he had just been fished out of the water.

Qi Yue gestured to her to put the water basin on the table stand, and then shoved the baby he was holding into her arms, “Trouble Auntie to take it out for a while to be looked after, I have to take care of Ah Ling’s side.”

Suddenly a soft ball was placed between her arms, Du Huashang was too stiff to move her body. She looked down and saw that the baby was wrapped up with only its face exposed, sucking on its fist and sleeping soundly. The skin on the little baby’s face was wrinkled, “Why is it so ugly?”

“All newborn children are like that.” Qi Yue reached out and touched the little head again, then said, “Aunt take the baby out first, I need to wipe Ah Ling’s body.”

Du Huashang carried the newborn baby out the door. Qi Yue brought the water basin to the bedside and placed it on the cupboard, wrung out a towel and wiped the stain from He Ling’s body.

Seeing his brow still furrowed in his sleep, Qi Yue bent down and kissed him on the forehead. He couldn’t help but drop his head and bury it in the crook of his neck, sniffing the smell of sweat on his nose. His mad and intense racing heart calmed down a little, God knew just now, how one day seemed like a year during that time, but thankfully it was over, and he never wanted it to happen again.

It was already a few days later when Zheng Yue Feng and Xu Hua learned of the news that He Ling had given birth to a big fat baby boy. At that moment, burning with impatience, they immediately rushed over from the town. 

Because they were far away, they were the last ones to visit. The Lin Sheng family and Father Xu had already come to visit on the second day after the baby was born.

“Where’s the baby? Where’s the baby?” As soon as he entered, he looked around and saw no sign of the baby at all, “I said, Qi Yue, where did you hide the baby?”

Qi Yue simply did not know whether to laugh or to cry. Who would put a newborn baby that was just born a few days ago in the courtyard? “He’s in the room with Ah Ling, I’ll bring you guys to see him.”

It wasn’t that long before He Ling gave birth to his baby so he could not be exposed to the wind yet.The doors and windows in the room were closed tightly. When they entered, he was sitting on the bed, holding the baby and coaxing it, while Du Huashang was accompanying him there. 

When they saw a woman they had not seen before, they were both stunned. It was only when Qi Yue introduced them that they realized that this was the aunt they had previously mentioned and she looked really young.

Qi Yue took the baby from He Ling and showed it to them, Zheng Yue Feng leapt over and looked it up and down for a long time. The baby was no longer as ugly as it had been when it was first born. The fair white skin looked so beautiful that he regretted it, “How nice it would be if it were a girl or a ger!”

“What are you talking about?” Xu Hua slapped him on his back, “Such a good looking little boy, he will be very popular in the future and you still dare to dislike him!”

Zheng Yue Feng, who had been taught a lesson, scratched his nose embarrassedly. 

How was it possible for him to dislike the child? He was just expressing his disappointment but in order not to be scolded again, he kept his mouth shut, coughed lightly and changed the subject, “Have you named it?”

Qi Yue turned back to look at He Ling with a smile before he said to them, “Qi Lin, his name is Qi Lin.”

Zheng Yue Feng silently repeated reciting the child’s name, after he understood the deep meaning behind it, he could not help but feel envious again in his heart, “Hua Ge’er, let us hurry up and have a child too!”

This comment was naturally met with a fierce glare from Xu Hua, “Is it possible to Immediately have a child just because you say so? As if you are saying that the wind is the rain, then you are still a child that has not grown up yourself!”

Qi Yue carried the baby back to the bedside and sat down beside He Ling. He reached out his arm to take him into his embrace and kissed the corner of his curled lips, his heart was completely content. 

From now on, they would live out their lives as ordinary country families, bringing the child that belongs to both of them, with their many friends, to spend their happy and ordinary life. 

The author has something to say: 

The buns that have been steamed for so long are finally hot and ready. This is the end of the story. Thank you again for your support!

Translator’s corner: My first pick up novel finally finished. I have a lot in minds but can’t exactly say what I want to say, since I just recovered from fever. It took longer than what I have plan but it’s okay. Thank you for reading and support..