CH 65

“Wife, don’t say anything.”

Chen Yan settled in this way.

Later, during their conversation, Cheng Yun attempted several times to probe, but he couldn’t uncover Chen Yan’s background or information about the father in his arms. Every time they discussed his own matters, the young Ge’er’s complexion would turn pale, and he would tremble uncontrollably.

So Cheng Yun stopped asking, he was just a young Ge’er who was pregnant, and he wouldn’t have a significant impact on them. Currently, the most important thing was to stabilize the young Ge’er’s emotions and ensure the safety of his baby.

After breakfast, Doctor Liu came by again. He checked Chen Yan’s pulse and informed him about the instability of the fetus in his belly. He hinted that Chen Yan should maintain a cheerful mood, avoid anger and unpleasant emotions, and provided some pregnancy care advice. The prescription was adjusted, and Yang Hongjin went with Doctor Liu to get the medicine.

Chen Yan remained quiet. When listening to Doctor Liu’s words, he memorized everything he said, occasionally stuttering to ask a question.

Cheng Yun watched from the side, thinking to himself.

Judging by his earnestness, it seemed that this child wanted to protect his baby. But if that were the case, why was he alone in ragged clothes, stranded in the rural countryside amidst ice and snow?

Did he not know he was pregnant beforehand, or did surviving a great danger make him realize the value of life and cherish the baby in his arms even more?

Cheng Yun couldn’t know these things, but since Chen Yan had decided to keep the child, he would do his best to assist him.

He had gained a second chance at life before, and even now, he didn’t know what had happened to him during that time. But that didn’t stop him from valuing life and hoping that others would do the same.

After seeing Doctor Liu off, Cheng Yun cleaned up the storage room for Chen Yan, moving unused items out to make more comfortable living space.

Chen Yan stood by the door, wanting to help. Seeing Cheng Yun bustling around, he felt a bit embarrassed, but Cheng Yun worked quickly. Before Chen Yan could figure out what to do, the bed was already made.

As Cheng Yun turned around, he saw Chen Yan and said, “The clothes you were wearing yesterday were torn. I changed them for you. You’re a bit shorter than me and closer in build to my younger brother. Wear my clothes for now, and later I’ll bring you some suitable clothes from my brother.”

Chen Yan nodded and quickly added, “It’s… it’s okay, I can just wear whatever. You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

Cheng Yun waved his hand in reassurance and continued moving things out of the storage room, saying, “I’ve been idle at home these days, so I have plenty of time. I mostly pickle vegetables. You can learn how to do it with me. In a couple of days, I’ll be heading to Nanming City. You can consider coming along. If you don’t want to, you can stay at home and find something to do.”

Chen Yan nodded obediently, saying, “Alright.”

Seeing his reaction, Cheng Yun figured that there was a good chance he wouldn’t come along. But since there wasn’t anything valuable at home, he wasn’t worried about leaving Chen Yan alone.

Chen Yan had scratches and bruises on his hands and feet, and he limped while walking, looking quite pitiable.

When Yang Hongjin returned from Doctor Liu’s, he brought some ointment. Seeing Chen Yan fumbling, Cheng Yun directly helped him apply the ointment.

Once Yang Hongjin was home, he stuck to Cheng Yun. When he saw Cheng Yun going to get Chen Yan’s clothes, he became slightly unhappy. But when he noticed the bruises on Chen Yan’s arm, he became instantly anxious.

Right at that moment, Cheng Yun seemed like he was about to speak, and Yang Hongjin, in a state of panic, acted faster than he thought. He quickly reached out and covered Cheng Yun’s mouth.

Cheng Yun: “?”

Chen Yan: “?”

Anxious, Yang Hongjin looked at Cheng Yun and then glanced at Chen Yan. He leaned closer to Cheng Yun and whispered, “Wife, don’t say anything.”

“Huh?” Cheng Yun mumbled, pushing his hand away. “What?”

Yang Hongjin defensively glanced at Chen Yan, his hands fidgeting, and said in a hushed voice, “It’s about him being injured. Wife, don’t talk to him.”

“Um?” Cheng Yun responded in a confused tone after a moment, before finally understanding his intention.

So, this guy remembered the incident when Cheng Yun had used his Word Spirit to heal his injuries last time. At that time, his hand had been bleeding profusely, and Cheng Yun had simply said a few words to close the wound. But the second time, when Cheng Yun had used his Word Spirit to heal his head while he was still recovering, it had backfired and affected his body directly, casting some shadows on Yang Hongjin.

However, Cheng Yun was quite surprised that Yang Hongjin managed to connect these two incidents. Moreover, the first time Cheng Yun used his Word Spirit, Yang Hongjin hadn’t fully recovered yet…

“Wife?” Seeing Cheng Yun’s sudden daze, Yang Hongjin softly called out, bringing Cheng Yun back to reality.

He smiled wryly and replied, “Don’t worry, I won’t ‘talk’. I’ll just apply some ointment.”

After receiving Cheng Yun’s assurance, Yang Hongjin finally relaxed. However, he still stood there, keeping a close watch on Cheng Yun’s hands, afraid that someone might take advantage of his wife.

Chen Yan was a bit scared of Yang Hongjin. He could sense that Yang Hongjin’s mind might be a bit off, and there was also considerable hostility from him. But due to the relationship with Chen-Ge’er in front of him, he had been enduring everything.

Being a guest and not understanding much, every step he took was cautious to avoid making mistakes. With the male head of the household showing hostility towards him, he could only try his best to reduce his presence and stay out of sight.

Chen Yan had a weak physique and was pregnant, Cheng Yun didn’t dare let him do any strenuous work. Observing his slender, delicate, and fair fingers, Cheng Yun realized he probably hadn’t done much manual labor in his life. Thus, he didn’t even dare to assign him tasks like washing vegetables.

After contemplating for a while, Cheng Yun ended up giving him a few white radishes to work on. He asked him to slice them in a particular way and handed over a few that he had already prepared as examples.

“These are samples. Just cut each white radish to match this shape.” Cheng Yun quickly cut a few pieces and placed them in a plate on the side. “After you’ve sliced them, put them in here to marinate. You don’t need to rush; just be careful not to cut your fingers.”

Chen Yan nodded, picked up one of the neatly sliced radishes, and examined it from different angles. Seeing how skillful Cheng Yun was, he felt confident that he could manage, “Okay, I understand.”

Watching him for a while, Cheng Yun noticed the nervousness from being watched in the child’s eyes. But despite his nervousness, Chen Yan was a quick learner, and the task was straightforward. He cut a few pieces and soon, he got the hang of it.

Cheng Yun returned to the kitchen to attend to his tasks. In less than ten days, the inspection team from the capital would arrive in Nanming City. In preparation for that, Liu Wen had asked Cheng Yun to prepare some gifts for the officials of the inspection team as a gesture of goodwill which they could take back when it was time to leave.

Liu Wen’s initial plan was to gift each official two jars of Sauerkraut. However, Sauerkraut alone might not be very impressive, so Cheng Yun needed to come up with something else he could do.

After pondering for a long time, he suddenly got an idea after seeing Chen Yan today.

Back when he was in college, there was a little boy in his class with a baby face. The female classmates in the class always gave him snacks. Once, Cheng Yun also received some snacks from him.

Chen Yan made Cheng Yun think of that classmate, and then to the nougat he had been given.

At the time, Cheng Yun really enjoyed eating that nougat. He had looked up the recipe online and knew that simple nougat could be made with marshmallows. However, he didn’t have the tools to make marshmallows now. How could he stick the other ingredients together? It was a big problem.

Cheng Yun started by testing with egg whites. He added sugar and cooked it until it became sticky. He then added crushed peanut kernels and wrapped everything in a clean oilcloth.

He took the prepared ‘candy bag’ outside the window. The winter temperature was particularly low, and it cooled down quickly.

Carefully lifting the cloth, Cheng Yun saw that the candy bag seemed to have solidified, forming a block. But when he cut it with a knife, it didn’t turn into the block he had anticipated; instead, it crumbled into two pieces like ordinary sugar cubes.

This method didn’t work, so he had to find another way.

He stood in the kitchen, looking around, with various ingredients and possibilities popping into his mind.

Finally, his gaze fell on the ‘maple syrup candy’ in Yang Hongjin’s hand.

“Idiot.” Cheng Yun’s eyes suddenly lit up, and he reached out. “The one you’re holding, let me see.”

Yang Hongjin was licking the syrup candy. It was the maple syrup candy Cheng Yun had made for him using the leftover maple syrup.

He obediently handed it over and said happily, “Here. Wife,it’s delicious.”

Cheng Yun took the maple syrup candy and picked up a bit with chopsticks. As he watched the golden syrup dripping down, an idea suddenly struck him!

Maltose!

The stickiness of maltose could bind the nuts together. If handled properly, it might achieve the desired solidification effect. Moreover, maltose was readily available in this era; every household made some to give to their children.

Cheng Yun handed the maple syrup candy back to Yang Hongjin, then held his head and gave him a hearty kiss, making a ‘puff’ sound. “This is a reward for you, good boy!”

Yang Hongjin was momentarily stunned, not sure what had just happened. But that didn’t stop him from being happy.

So he put his hand behind Cheng Yun’s head, and gave him a kiss again, securing a little benefit and enjoying himself.

Time was of the essence. Cheng Yun immediately went to borrow some maltose from Aunt Wang’s house. As he left the kitchen, he noticed Chen Yan quietly cutting radishes in the main room, reminding him that there was another person in the house.

Seeing Chen Yan’s red ears and how he almost buried his head in the radishes, Cheng Yun instantly realized that this kid had overheard their conversation.

He had been so excited a moment ago that he completely forgot about this. He was so used to being affectionate with Yang Hongjin at home that he didn’t even think about avoiding suspicion. Now that an outsider had heard it, Cheng Yun felt a bit embarrassed.

However, Cheng Yun had thicker skin than Chen Yan. He acted as if nothing had happened, casually saying, “I’ll be right back,” before leaving without looking back.

Chen Yan watched Cheng Yun’s departing figure and then glanced towards the kitchen. A hint of intriguing envy appeared in his round eyes.