CH 63

“New ways of competing for favor.“

“Ahem.” Doctor Liu waited for a while, and noticed that the couple over there began to whisper to each other, completely disregarding him, and finally couldn’t help but remind them he was present.

The couple, who were just “clearing their previous grievances,” suddenly stopped. After realizing the situation, Cheng Yun awkwardly smiled and then angrily pinched Yang Hongjin’s hand. He turned to Doctor Liu with a composed expression and asked, “Doctor Liu, how is this young Ge’er?”

Yang Hongjin, who was pinched, didn’t seem upset at all. He smiled happily and kept looking at Cheng Yun with a silly grin. Doctor Liu gave them a stern look and his tone became serious when he mentioned the young Ge’er, “He caught a cold, and his body was already weak. I don’t know what happened, but it’s made his condition worse. It’ll be difficult to recover in a short time. And… “

Doctor Liu sighed and shook his head, showing clear concern in his expression. Cheng Yun was now also serious. He looked at Doctor Liu and then in the direction of the room, and asked, “And…?”

After putting the young Ge’er’s hand back under the blanket and making him comfortable, Doctor Liu led Cheng Yun and Yang Hongjin out of the room.

After a moment of silence, Doctor Liu continued, “This Ge’er is pregnant, a little over two months. This is the crucial time to take care of his health and stabilize the pregnancy, but…”

He sighed again, his expression revealing obvious worry.

Now even Cheng Yun was shocked. He looked at Doctor Liu and then at the direction of the room, and asked, “Then…”

Doctor Liu probably understood what he wanted to ask and waved his hand, saying, “It’s fortunate that you discovered it early. Although the pregnancy is unstable, with proper care, it can still be saved. It’s just that this child probably doesn’t even know he’s pregnant yet. Oh, what kind of crime is this.”

Cheng Yun didn’t know what to say. He felt numb and couldn’t come to terms with what he had just learned.

A pregnant Ge’er’s condition wasn’t as visibly apparent as a pregnant woman’s. In normal households, a pregnant Ge’er would continue helping with chores during the months other than the first two or three and the last two before delivery. So, even though Cheng Yun knew Ge’er could also have children, he had never seen a visibly pregnant Ge’er before.

Knowing something and witnessing it firsthand were different things.

Earlier today, he had quarreled with Yang Hongjin about having a child, even though it was mostly his own frustration. But that incident left a mark on him.

Before he could calm down and reflect on the matter, he was faced with the reality of a pregnant young Ge’er. The impact of this news was akin to the shock he felt when he first realized he had traveled to this world.

“Doctor Liu prescribed medicine for the young Ge’er. Cheng Yun had Yang Hongjin accompany Doctor Liu back and bring the medicine on the way.

Doctor Liu also gave him some instructions and mentioned that he would come back to check on the young Ge’er tomorrow. Then, he left with Yang Hongjin and returned to his residence.”

Cheng Yun followed Doctor Liu’s instructions and made rice porridge. He filled a bowl with warm water and sat by the bedside, gently moistening the young Ge’er’s lips with the spoon. He was cautious not to give too much at once, afraid of choking him. However, the young Ge’er seemed very thirsty and unconsciously licked his lips, then opened his mouth, following the spoon.

Seeing this, Cheng Yun gradually increased the amount, but since the young Ge’er wasn’t fully awake, he was still cautious.

When the young Ge’er had taken enough and fell back asleep, most of the water in the bowl was gone.

After tidying up, Cheng Yun sat by the young Ge’er’s bedside, lost in thought as he looked at his delicate face.

Doctor Liu’s words about “crime” made Cheng Yun understand the implications – likely referring to the young Ge’er’s background.

A young Ge’er who had just become pregnant, a time when he should be well-protected, had collapsed alone in the countryside during the harsh winter. If they hadn’t found him early or if he had collapsed in front of someone else’s house, they might have driven him away thinking he brought bad luck. Considering how cold it was, he could have been in real danger.

Cheng Yun’s gaze drifted down to the young Ge’er’s belly, and memories flooded back.

Cheng Yun had always felt that he wasn’t a child his parents favored. He even questioned whether his birth into this world was right or wrong.

He had been relieved, in the past, that he was gay, as he thought he wouldn’t have to worry about being a good father. But the events of tonight forced him to confront this issue seriously.

He sighed as he looked at the young Ge’er and muttered softly, as if talking to the other party, but also to himself, “…I hope you can survive safely. Your child still needs you.”

Yang Hongjin returned home after escorting Doctor Liu and was unable to find Cheng Yun. Eventually, he found him in the storage room where the young Ge’er was.

Yang Hongjin’s expression changed immediately.

“Wife, I’m back.” He stood at the door with an unhappy expression on his face.

Cheng Yun stood up, closed the door gently without paying attention to Yang Hongjin’s expression, and asked, “Where’s the medicine Doctor Liu gave you?”

Yang Hongjin puffed up his face, having just had a disagreement with Cheng Yun earlier. He sighed and said, “It’s on the table.”

Cheng Yun intended to prepare the medicine and porridge for the young Ge’er before sleeping, but as soon as he reached the table, Yang Hongjin grabbed his hand.

“Wife, I need to take a bath.” Yang Hongjin said, “I’m all dirty.”

Cheng Yun glanced at him. He had been running back and forth and was indeed a bit dirty.

So, he nodded and allowed him to go, saying, “Alright, go wash up. Just make sure not to catch a cold.” He then turned to prepare the medicine in the kitchen.

Yang Hongjin was now frustrated. But considering he had just upset his wife earlier, he didn’t dare to defy his wishes.

He looked towards the direction of the kitchen, then at the storage room where the young Ge’er was, and regardless of whether anyone could hear him, he huffed loudly, filled with resentment. He then returned to his room to freshen up and change into clean clothes.

After a night of preparing medicine and tending to the young Ge’er, Cheng Yun placed the porridge and medicine in a covered pot. He suspected that the young Ge’er’s family background was not ordinary, so he might be educated, so he wrote a note and placed it by the young Ge’er’s pillow, indicating that he could eat something and take the medicine after waking up, and then wash up before sleeping.

When Cheng Yun returned to the room, Yang Hongjin was already asleep.

He carefully blew out the candle, then climbed into bed as usual.

However, after lying down for a while, Cheng Yun was surprised to find himself unable to sleep.

Despite feeling quite tired, he couldn’t fall asleep. He tossed and turned for a long time before giving up. He turned to look at the big idiot lying with his back to him. After a brief inner struggle, he sighed and slowly moved closer.

He pressed his body against Yang Hongjin’s, resting his hand on his waist. He felt the warmth emanating from him like a furnace, and Cheng Yun let out a satisfied sigh.

But in the next moment, Yang Hongjin suddenly turned around and pulled Cheng Yun into his arms without saying a word.

Cheng Yun was startled and instantly became more awake. After regaining his senses, he looked at Yang Hongjin with some complaints and said, “Are you pretending to sleep?”

Yang Hongjin was still sulking, looking quite upset. He didn’t answer Cheng Yun’s question.

Now Cheng Yun finally noticed his mood. Finding a comfortable position in Yang Hongjin’s embrace, he touched his face and playfully asked, “What happened? Who made my Hongjin angry?”

Feeling his wife trying to comfort him, Yang Hongjin’s tense expression gradually relaxed.

With a soft ‘hmph,’ he said, “My wife doesn’t take baths with me.”

Cheng Yun recalled what had happened before and after the bath and deduced why this stubborn guy was upset. Amused, Cheng Yun deliberately teased him, “Hongjin, aren’t you grown up now? You don’t need your wife’s help to take a bath.”

This statement is still using Yang Hongjin’s own words. The day before yesterday, Cheng Yun resumed collecting crops from the villagers. People from the village came to weigh and sell their goods one after another. After Yang Hongjin learned for a while, he started helping with the weighing.

Coincidentally, at that time, Cheng Yun had other things to attend to and walked away for a moment. When he returned, he offered to help Yang Hongjin. However, that guy said, “Hongjin has grown up, he doesn’t need his wife’s help.”

Yang Hongjin said it seriously, and the people around teased him. In the end, he completed the task single-handedly.

Cheng Yun remembered this incident for a while. Even now, when he thinks about Yang Hongjin’s serious appearance, he can’t help but smile. At this opportune moment, he brought it up to tease him.

Yang Hongjin frowned for a moment and said, “Growing up isn’t something that happens overnight. There will always be some areas that are not good enough.”

This time, Cheng Yun couldn’t help but chuckle.

This idiot, he actually learned to use Cheng Yun’s comforting words to counter him!

Seeing Cheng Yun laughing happily, Yang Hongjin wasn’t as angry as before. He pulled Cheng Yun into his arms and said, “That little Ge’er, wife, don’t treat him well.”

“Huh?” Cheng Yun twisted a bit, his arm resting on Yang Hongjin’s waist, unconsciously caressing his back with light strokes. “That little Ge’er is sick. Since we’ve picked him up, we should take care of him.”

Yang Hongjin furrowed his brows and said, “Then throw him out again.”

“You…” Cheng Yun smiled wryly, shaking his head. “Since we picked him up, we have a responsibility. I want to see if you dare to casually bring someone home again in the future.”

Yang Hongjin pouted and added, “Then when he’s better, throw him out. My wife shouldn’t be nice to him. My wife should only be nice to me.”

Cheng Yun thought to himself, what kind of new way of competing for favor is this?

He casually replied a couple of sentences, paused, and eventually brought up the topic, “That little Ge’er is carrying a little baby. We have to take good care of him, or the baby might not survive.”

After saying this, he deliberately looked up to see Yang Hongjin’s expression, wanting to see how he would react to the words “little baby.”

He had expected Yang Hongjin to at least be excited or hopeful, but unexpectedly, this guy looked indifferent, as if saying, “Since you put it that way, then we’ll have to do it.”

Cheng Yun couldn’t believe it and continued, “And what about you? Do you like little babies?”

The movements of his hands unconsciously stopped, and he couldn’t tell the kind of answer he wanted to hear from Yang Hongjin.

As a result, the idiot pouted, seemingly in a sulking yet slightly coaxing manner, “Don’t like them. Hongjin doesn’t like anything except for his wife.”

After saying that, as if feeling it wasn’t enough, he nervously added, “Wife shouldn’t like them either, he should only like me.”