He was lounging lazily in his chair, holding a plate, his cheeks puffed out, like a little mouse plunging into a pile of grain.
Huo Duan saw this scene as soon as he entered the room.
"Where's Father?" He was delighted to see Gu Fengyan eating, so he went over, got a plate, and poured some dried apricots into it.
Curious about what it tasted like, I picked one up and took a bite.
"Why are you fighting with your son for food? Is this how Mr. Huo acts as a father?" Gu Fengyan slumped in his chair as if he had no bones, glancing at him sideways.
She picked up a large piece of dried apricot and ate it slowly. "Father went to the garden and said he would catch a chicken to make soup for me. I couldn't refuse."
The dried apricots were sun-dried by Huo Xiuling's family. They were clean and tasted sour with a hint of sweetness. Huo Duan didn't really like the taste, so after trying one piece, he didn't fight her for it and pushed the whole plate over to her.
"Is it him who wants to eat it, or is it A-Yan who wants to eat it?" He sat down, draped his cloak over Gu Fengyan's lap, and stared at his lower abdomen with a smile. "Is this dried apricot really so delicious?"
"You'll have to ask your son about that." Gu Fengyan leaned back in his chair, stretched, and said, "My tastes are getting more and more discerning."
Gu Fengyan was never a picky eater, but ever since he found out he was pregnant, he has had no appetite for anything except spicy and sour food.
Huo Duan poured him a cup of hot water and noticed it too... Gu Fengyan used to be able to eat more a few days ago, but recently his appetite seems to be getting smaller and smaller. He didn't even finish half a bowl of porridge in the morning.
"I'll go ask Mr. Lin again at noon," he said, his heart aching as he carefully stroked Gu Fengyan's lower abdomen. "This little brat is quite the troublemaker. Right now, I can't do anything to him because of his belly, but I'll spank him when he comes out!"
Gu Fengyan looked at him as if he were an idiot... The little thing wasn't even born yet, and his father had already inexplicably put a grudge against him. If he found out, he would probably be so aggrieved.
“This is how all pregnant women react, no need to ask.” He chuckled, then lowered his eyes and said, “It’s time to give it a name…” His eyes were full of tenderness, “We can’t just keep calling it little baby or little thing.”
Huo Duan smiled. "We don't know his gender yet, so let's give him a nickname first... What does Ayan want to call him?"
Gu Fengyan thought for a while and shook his head. "I've thought of many things, but none of them seem right... We'll discuss it again tonight. You go and catch some chickens for Father first, and take care of his legs. I want to rest for a while."
Unsure of what kind of divine being was brewing inside him, Gu Fengyan felt sleepy again after only a short time in the morning.
Once you get pregnant, you really become like a piece of porcelain, no longer as resilient as before.
"Alright, I'll take you back to your room." Huo Duan thought of a few names but didn't think they were good, so he carefully wrapped Gu Fengyan in a cloak and followed him back to his room.
I took off his shoes, covered him with a blanket, and sat to his side to coax him for a while until he fell asleep. Then I poured a bowl of warm water and placed it on the small table by the bedside so he could drink it when he was thirsty. I quietly closed the door and left.
After finishing weeding the vegetable garden, Uncle Huo wanted to pick a fat chicken or duck from the flock to make soup for Gu Fengyan at noon.
But his legs couldn't keep up with chickens and ducks. He ran back and forth several times, but he didn't even manage to touch a chicken feather.
Huo Duan arrived and caught the fattest rooster.
At noon, Huo's father cleaned the chicken, and Huo Duan went to Xinglin Courtyard to ask Gu Fengyan if there was any way to help her with her poor appetite. He also brought back some warming and nourishing medicinal herbs to make chicken soup.
Mr. Lin also said it was a normal reaction during pregnancy. Seeing that he was anxious, she told him to buy some sweet and sour candied fruit and make soup every few days, and to drink as much as he could.
Huo Duan went to the alley where Dongfulou was located to buy dried fruit and pastries. He didn't know how the news spread so quickly. When he passed by Dongfulou, Manager Li and Master Zhao were standing at the door waiting for him.
"Mr. Huo." Manager Li greeted Huo Duan with a smile and a nod. "Please come in and have a seat, Mr. Huo. Settle this month's accounts and we also have something we'd like to discuss with you."
Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan have been so busy these days that they have hardly taken care of delivering the medicinal herbs, leaving it all to Ye Shan.
But Qian Yeshan didn't care; Manager Li only recognized them... When the day came to settle the bill, they waited for almost half a month without anyone coming. Then they heard that Boss Huo's husband was pregnant and couldn't leave.
The two kept a close eye on things and finally managed to catch him once.
Huo Duanben was thinking of going to the riverside fish market to buy another fish to make sweet and sour fish for Gu Fengyan, but Manager Li said he had something to do... Besides, the money had to be settled. Although the family was not short of money, he wanted to make two more sets of cotton-padded clothes and cloaks for Gu Fengyan for winter.
Pregnancy requires the best of everything, and the baby's clothes and room preparation also cost money.
"Alright," he said with a smile, and followed Manager Li into the building.
To their surprise, in just half a month, Dongfulou had already changed its appearance.
There were still many guests. The front hall was much more spacious, and there were several more private rooms upstairs, with more elegant decor.
He had a vague idea of what Manager Li wanted to discuss.
I went straight up to the largest private room on the second floor. Through the window, I could see the people and scenery on the other side of the river. Several large catalpa buds peeked through the window, half open and half closed.
After closing the door to the private room, Manager Li personally poured tea for Huo Duan and got straight to the point:
"Old Zhao and I came to see Boss Huo this time to ask if he would be interested in cooperating with us to expand our business."
As expected, Huo Duan was not surprised. He lowered his eyes and brushed the foam off his cup. "Manager Li, please speak freely."
Seeing that he didn't directly refuse, Manager Li knew there was hope, and hurriedly said, "It's like this, Old Zhao and I have been running Dongfu Restaurant for quite a few years. We have no children, and Dongfu Restaurant is all we have in this life. Fortunately, thanks to Boss Huo's medicinal cuisine, we are able to have this day..."
"Seeing that Dongfulou's reputation was growing and its customer base was stable, we decided to expand Dongfulou's reputation and open a branch in a neighboring county... As for how big it will be in the future, we'll see what fate has in store."
As he spoke, he glanced at Huo Duan and said, taking a deep breath, "Our intention this time is to cooperate with Boss Huo. You provide the medicinal herbs and prescriptions, and we will take care of the affairs of the building. The profits will be split equally... I wonder if Boss Huo is interested in this?"
The conditions offered were quite sincere... Manager Li had been in business for half his life and was very shrewd. He naturally knew that Dongfulou's current reputation was entirely due to the medicinal cuisine recipes given by Huo Duan and his group.
Without the reputation of medicinal cuisine, Dongfulou would be no different from any other ordinary restaurant... They would have earned half of the profits.
Huo Duan smiled and said, "Since Manager Li is thinking of us, how could we refuse? Just do it and let me know if you need any help."
Gu Fengyan is pregnant, so he doesn't have as much time to take care of the business anymore. They can easily get 50% of the profits just by providing the medicinal herbs and recipes... Even if Dongfulou opens a hundred branches in the future, their profits will remain unchanged.
With a small investment and a large return, this deal couldn't be more worthwhile.
Furthermore, with the improvement of the medicinal herb supply chain in the future, Ayan and her children will have no worries about food and clothing.
Both parties were satisfied with the deal, so Huo Duan immediately drafted a document according to old custom, and both parties signed and sealed it, thus finalizing the matter.
Manager Li then summoned the staff to settle the accounts that they hadn't collected in the past few months... Dongfu Restaurant has been doing extremely well lately, and in just a few months, they have to give Huo Duan and his group as much as 400 strings of cash.
They even carefully exchanged them all for silver notes.
Huo Duan was preoccupied with cooking for Gu Fengyan, so he casually stuffed some silver notes into his pocket, picked up a large bag of dried fruit, candied fruit, pastries, and fresh fruit, and left.
"Manager Huo, please wait a moment." Manager Li hurriedly stopped him and gestured for a waiter to bring over a vermilion lacquered tray, on which lay a silver longevity lock and some exquisite children's toys.
"Having heard that Boss Gu is pregnant, Lao Zhao and I prepared these things as a blessing for the child. We hope Boss Huo won't mind."
Those gifts were clearly made with genuine care, and Huo Duan was deeply moved. He respectfully thanked them and accepted the gifts, saying that he would personally invite them to a banquet next year when his child was born and reached his one-month milestone.
He was in a hurry to get home to check on Fengyan. After thanking him and taking the things, he left in a hurry, leaving behind a bag of the things he bought. It was the shop assistant who ran out to bring it to him.
Manager Li and Master Zhao laughed behind them.
Huo Duan arrived home at noon, put down his things, and went to check on Gu Fengyan, who was still asleep.
Huo Duan was a little worried about Gu Fengyan after he had been sleeping for so long, but after asking Mr. Lin, who said it was a normal reaction, he tucked the blanket around Gu Fengyan and left, closing the door behind him.
Ever since Gu Fengyan became pregnant, he felt nauseous from the smell of cooking oil, so Huo Duan stopped letting him into the kitchen and took over the cooking himself.
Fortunately, he learns things quickly, and with Uncle Huo supervising him, the food he cooks is quite delicious.
I cleaned the chicken, added a fish and some warm medicinal herbs that are good for your health to make a soup, and also prepared a few light vegetarian dishes.
I bought some fresh fruit and washed a plate of it.
Huo Duan set the meal on the table, first serving a bowl to cool, then changed his clothes in the outer room... Only when he was completely free of any cooking smell did Huo Duan dare to enter the bedroom.
Gu Fengyan also woke up and was wearing clothes, leaning against the headboard reading some kind of book.
"Awake? Are you hungry?" Huo Duan went over, wrung out a towel from the basin, and sat on the edge of the bed.
He handed the handkerchief to Gu Fengyan, "Wipe your face and let's go eat... I bought some dried fruit and candied fruit today, as well as seasonal fresh fruit. After we eat, you can try them and see if they suit your taste."
Gu Fengyan put down his book, wiped his face haphazardly, and then held out the handkerchief to Huo Duan's hands. "You went out? Where did you go?"
"I asked Mr. Lin, and Dongfulou has collected some payments," Huo Duan wiped his hands. "By the way, Manager Li said he wants to open a branch to expand his business and wants to cooperate with us. I agreed..."
After wiping his hands, Gu Fengyan slowly got out of bed. The two walked out, and Gu Fengyan nodded, "President Huo has made his decision..."
Gu Fengyan didn't eat much at this meal. He drank a bowl of soup, ate two pieces of meat, and picked up a few bites of vegetables that Huo Duan could count. There was still half a bowl of rice left at the bottom of his bowl, so he frowned and stopped eating. He picked up a piece of fruit and slowly nibbled on it.
Huo Duan was really worried... worried and heartbroken. He had finally gained some weight, and if he continued eating like this, he would definitely lose weight again.
Then my appetite also decreased.
Father Huo was also worried. Looking at the table full of food, but Gu Fengyan had only eaten a few bites, he said with concern, “I remember when your mother was pregnant with Huo Duan, she didn’t have this little appetite. What should we do? Maybe we should go and ask Mr. Lin to take a look again.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Fengyan quickly said, "Father, I'm fine, you don't need to worry. I'll rest for a while and then eat."
To avoid worrying the old man, he asked Huo Duan to serve him another bowl of soup, which he then drank.
Seeing that he was willing to drink, Father Huo's brow finally relaxed a little. He told him to ask Huo Duan to make whatever he wanted to eat, and not to worry about the trouble. His health was the most important thing, and the children were the rest.
When asked what he wanted to eat for dinner, Gu Fengyan, wanting to please the old man, remembered that he seemed to have cucumbers in his vegetable garden, so he said he would have rice porridge and pickled cucumbers for dinner.
Huo's father became happier and said he would go pick some back. Gu Fengyan was worried that Huo's legs were not very strong and the ground was slippery after the rain, so he said that he also wanted to move around and told Huo to rest. He then took the basket and went with Huo to the vegetable garden to pick cucumbers.
A note from the author:
Thank you Sangjiu Baby and Lulalalu Baby for the nutrient solution (stickers)
Chapter Sixty-Three
The small garden was still damp; the mud was soft and slippery, leaving footprints with every step, and shoes got dirty too. Gu Fengyan was wearing a pair of white soft-soled shoes, and Huo Duan stopped him from leaving after he had only taken two steps.
I went back to the room to get another pair for him to change into before I told someone to go down to the garden.
"The air is very humid after the rain; be careful not to catch a cold," he said.
Gu Fengyan thought he was making a fuss over nothing. He was just pregnant, and the pregnancy wasn't even far along. These past few days, Huo Duan had been acting as if he had some terminal illness and only had a few days left to live.
He stepped into the vegetable garden, parted the lush, dew-kissed vines, pulled out a cucumber, casually wiped it, and took a bite. "You've wrapped it up like a dumpling, how could it possibly get cold..."
"Eating raw water will surely cause stomach aches, Ah Yan," Huo Duan said with a worried expression.
"Try it." Gu Fengyan stuffed the remaining half directly into Huo Duan's mouth. "Mr. Huo, you're being far too tense. If this continues, you'll probably be even more afraid than me when it's time to give birth to him..."
Huo Duan sighed and didn't eat. "Ayan, I'm not nervous, I'm terrified."
These past few days he'd heard a lot from Mr. Lin and Huo Xiuling; childbirth was inherently dangerous for young men, and some even suffered complications after birth due to poor health and inadequate upbringing…
Ever since he was diagnosed with pregnancy, he has been terrified and extremely frightened.
"What are you afraid of?" Gu Fengyan didn't understand. "It's not like I'm carrying anything dangerous."
“He’s my child.” He looked down at his belly and smiled gently. “I think you’re just nervous because it’s your first time being a father.”
Huo Duan smiled, suddenly understanding... Yes, the child in her belly was Gu Fengyan's and his child, so naturally it was different from others.
He bent down and stroked Gu Fengyan's lower abdomen, smiling gently as he said, "You must grow up well and when you meet us, don't make your fathers worry... and don't make your little father suffer."
The little boy didn't have a name yet, and Gu Fengyan found it strange that he said "you," so he forgot to tease Huo Duan.