Heading towards their home...
After Lunar New Year's Eve, Dongfulou's business became increasingly prosperous, and in the blink of an eye, another branch opened.
Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan remained the suppliers of medicinal herbs, but this time they didn't have time to join in the fun.
They went back to the village. Jiang Xuerui gave birth to a boy in April, and Gu Fengyan's belly was also getting bigger and bigger. Hearing this news, they also wanted to go back to the village to see him.
After seeing Jiang Xuerui, Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan focused on resting at home and preparing for childbirth.
They made a huge pile of children's clothes and all sorts of little trinkets, filling the whole house, but they still felt it wasn't enough. Or perhaps they were using shopping to relieve stress, bringing children's things home one by one, leaving them scattered everywhere.
In the end, it was only after Father Huo couldn't stand it anymore and scolded them that they stopped.
After a chaotic May, there was still one month left until Gu Fengyan's due date.
These days, his belly is getting bigger and bigger, and he suffers from back pain and sore waist every day. He often wakes up in the middle of the night. Huo Duan is heartbroken and sheds tears. He stays by Gu Fengyan's side every time he eats or sleeps. Even when he is sound asleep, he will immediately get up and massage his waist if Gu Fengyan groans.
"It's clearly my child, why are you so nervous?" Gu Fengyan stuffed a grape to Huo Duan's lips.
In mid-June, the weather was already getting hot. The bedroom window was open, and a cool breeze was blowing in. Gu Fengyan leaned against the chaise lounge and asked Huo Duan to peel grapes for him.
He looked exactly like a tyrannical ruler.
Huo Duan's brows were furrowed so tightly these days that they could trap a fly; he hadn't relaxed his expression for a moment.
"Even though the village has had a bumper harvest of medicinal herbs, aren't you going back to check on things?" Huo Duan ate some grapes, and Gu Fengyan wiped his hands clean with a handkerchief before speaking.
After peeling a bunch of grapes, Huo Duan washed his hands and came over to massage Gu Fengyan's back. "We'll see Jianjian in half a month, and I'm always worried about you..."
In other families, it's the husband who comforts the other, but here it's Gu Fengyan who's comforting Huo Duan.
“Rui’er is doing well, don’t think about these things. The village has a bumper harvest of medicinal herbs, which is a good thing. Let’s go back and take a look together sometime. We should consider expanding the planting.” Gu Fengyan tilted his head to look out the window and smiled. “In a while, there will be more mouths to feed, so as a father, I should prepare more…”
Gu Fengyan is very carefree. A few months ago he was a little scared, but now he is in a very good mood.
“Ayan is right.” Huo Duan smiled, realizing he had been overly nervous.
I asked Mr. Lin, and he said that Gu Fengyan could move around appropriately, which would facilitate childbirth.
They were going back for more than ten days this time, and Huo Duan packed a lot of things. Because he often returned to the village to stay, Huo Duan had the house renovated in March, and the furniture inside was all made of good wood.
Gu Fengyan found the place quite comfortable to live in.
During the day, Huo Duan followed the villagers to harvest and purchase medicinal herbs, while Gu Fengyan was looked after by Huo Xiuling, Liu Jingyu, and Jiang Xuerui in turns, and then he took over at night.
After seven or eight days of coming and going, most of the medicinal herbs had been harvested, with only the finishing touches remaining.
That day, Gu Fengyan, who hadn't been out for a long time, was itching to go out and finally went along after much pleading. He just wanted to have some fun, wander around and enjoy the scenery.
During the busy farming season, the crops in the fields are full of ripe ears of grain. Villagers are harvesting with sickles, threshing the grain on the spot, and the aroma of wheat wafts far and wide on the wind.
Cuckoos call among the branches.
Gu Fengyan stayed for a while, watching Huo Duan put away the medicinal herbs, glancing at him from time to time.
"I'm fine, don't worry about me." He held a bunch of wild berries that Ye Bao had picked for him, and his lips and teeth were stained purple from eating them.
Huo Duan burst out laughing when he saw him grinning with his big black teeth. He came over and took a handkerchief to wipe his mouth. "Eat less of this stuff. Be careful, it's too cold and can hurt your stomach."
"Do you want to eat?" Gu Fengyan asked, completely unconcerned.
"Keep them for yourselves, there aren't many left..." Huo Duan put away his handkerchief, looking at the few remaining medicinal herbs in the field, "Let's go back after we've finished cleaning up."
"Be good, don't run around, and call me if you feel unwell."
"I understand..." Gu Fengyan agreed repeatedly, his mouth stuffed up like a squirrel's.
Huo Duan smiled and shook his head, then turned back to continue collecting medicinal herbs.
After Gu Fengyan finished eating a bunch of wild berries, his mouth felt greasy, so he poured himself a bowl of water to drink. Without noticing, his hand slipped, and a bunch of dark red berries fell to the ground.
When Ye Bao heard that his nephew was about to be born, he was overjoyed. He had spent half a day picking berries and only had a few bunches left, so he gave them all to him.
It's all from the bottom of my heart... Gu Fengyan thought for a moment, then tried to bend down to pick it up.
Having touched it, he slowly straightened up... Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his lower abdomen, as if he had been kicked hard.
Gu Fengyan had consulted with Mr. Lin and Jiang Xuerui, and he knew what this meant.
"President Huo..." His face was pale, but his tone was extremely calm as he called Huo Duan in a low voice.
Huo Duan, unaware of the situation, walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I think... I'm not doing well." Gu Fengyan forced a pale smile, pointing to his stomach, "It's Jianjian..."
Huo Duan's pupils constricted. He immediately dropped everything, ran over, grabbed Gu Fengyan, and rushed straight towards the main road at the village entrance...
"Ayan, you, you hold on a little longer, you hold on a little longer." His voice was trembling uncontrollably.
Cold sweat dripped down Gu Fengyan's forehead, his voice trembling with tears, "President Huo, it hurts..."
"Good girl, good girl," Huo Duan didn't dare to run, only dared to walk quickly, his voice choked with emotion, as he pressed Gu Fengyan into his arms, "It doesn't hurt anymore... it doesn't hurt anymore."
Gu Fengyan kept crying out in pain, and Huo Duan felt a lump in his throat from the heartache. He especially hated himself, thinking that if it weren't for him, Ayan wouldn't have to suffer like this.
Finally, they arrived at the village entrance, where Liang Chengze happened to be home. After examining her, he said there was nothing seriously wrong, but she was about to give birth and needed to be taken to the county as soon as possible.
Fortunately, the county magistrate had already arranged for a stable man, so Huo Duan didn't dare to delay for a moment and took Gu Fengyan back to the county.
They got back in time... Wen Gong followed a few boys into the room.
Huo Duan didn't know how he got through this period; for the first time in his life, he knew what it felt like to live through an eternity.
He prayed to all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens, and even to the Buddha of the West, hoping only that Ayan would be healthy and live a long life.
The moment the door opened, he was drenched in sweat, as if he had just waded through water.
Everyone smiled broadly, congratulating him on the birth of his son.
"Where's Ayan? How is he?" he interrupted, grabbing someone and asking, his voice hoarse and trembling.
Wen Gong smiled and said, "Everything's fine. Go in and take a look."
Before he could finish speaking, Huo Duan had already rushed inside.
There was a faint smell of blood mixed with the aroma of milk in the room.
One of the boys was looking after Gu Fengyan. Jianjian had already been washed and was wrapped in a swaddled ball, sleeping next to Gu Fengyan, crying with her little hands outstretched.
The young man coaxed Jianjian while bending down to watch Gu Fengyan's child.
Seeing him come in, she smiled, put the child down, and went out.
Huo Duan rushed to the bedside, choking back tears, and asked, "Ayan, does it still hurt?"
Gu Fengyan was very weak, his face was pale. He raised his hand to touch his face, shook his head and smiled, "You're a father now, why are you still crying?"
"I didn't cry, you scared me to death." He sniffed and kissed Gu Fengyan's hand.
"You didn't cry, you didn't cry..." Gu Fengyan smiled and pulled Jianjian close. "Have you seen Jianjian yet?"
Huo Duan shook his head before daring to hold Jianjian in his arms.
It was soft like the weight of a cloud, a small, red, and wrinkled ball, not at all as pretty as his eagle's.
Jianjian looked at him with half-open eyes, waving her little hands.
Huo Duan suddenly felt very strange... This child was actually his and A Yan's.
So small.
“Jianjian, I am your father.” Huo Duan knelt by the bed, showing Jianjian the wind and eaves. “He is your stepfather, he suffered a lot to bring you into this world…”
Jianjian continued waving her little hands.
“He can’t understand it.” Gu Fengyan squeezed his little hand and laughed.
After looking at Jianjian, Huo Duan only stared at Gu Fengyan, "Would you like some water?"
Gu Fengyan shook his head, smiled and looked at him, "President Huo, I'm sleepy."
"Go to sleep." Huo Duan pulled up a cushion and sat on the edge of the bed, tucking the blankets in. "I'm here."
Gu Fengyan leaned back slightly. "Come on, give me a kiss."
Huo Duan carefully moved Jianjian to the innermost part of the bed, then climbed onto the couch himself, hugged Gu Fengyan, and kissed his forehead, eyebrows, nose, and then his dry lips.
"Go to sleep." She raised her hand and wrapped it around Gu Fengyan, protecting him tightly, and gently patted him to soothe him.
Gu Fengyan nodded and fell into a deep sleep.
The shadows of the trees swayed outside the window. Jianjian was very well-behaved, neither making a fuss nor crying.
Huo Duan's gaze meticulously traced Gu Fengyan's eyebrows and eyes... over and over again.
The four seasons and twelve months pass by, and time flies by like a fleeting moment.
Someone will grow old with him in this life.
A note from the author:
Thank you, little angel of mulberry wine, for the nutrient solution (takes a big gulp);
The main text is finished.