Shen Zhuo nodded. "Go into the bedroom on the left."
Huo Duan couldn't easily enter the boy's bedroom, so he helped Shen Zhuo outside while waiting for Gu Fengyan.
It was raining, and the room was somewhat dark. A gauze curtain was set up in the bedroom, and an oil lamp was lit. Jiang Xuerui leaned against the headboard, holding an embroidery hoop in her hand, embroidering something by the dim light.
"Looking too closely will damage your eyes, it's so dark." Gu Fengyan lifted the gauze curtain and placed the candied fruit in his hand on the small table.
Jiang Xuerui was startled when someone suddenly walked in. After seeing who it was, she put down her embroidery and smiled, "I was just telling Shen Zhuo that I was going to see you, but you came to see me first."
"I heard you weren't feeling well, so I came to see you. How are you feeling?" The embroidery frame depicted a pair of little foxes sunbathing, their fur tumbling together in the sun. It was probably embroidered for a child. Gu Fengyan liked it very much, but didn't say anything.
Jiang Xuerui lowered her eyes and touched her already protruding belly, and smiled, "If it weren't for the aunt next door coming to see me that day... I'm afraid he wouldn't be here today."
Seeing that he was in a bad mood, Gu Fengyan quickly changed the subject, "It's all in the past, just take good care of yourself, let's not talk about this..."
She picked up the embroidery hoop and looked at it. "It's beautifully done. Is it for a child?"
"Okay." Jiang Xuerui nodded. "If you like, I can teach you."
Gu Fengyan quickly waved his hand, "Forget it, I'm just not cut out for this..."
Previously, Father Huo had taught him to embroider under Jiang Xuerui's guidance, but the things he produced were completely unacceptable.
Jiang Xuerui smiled and then fell silent.
His belly was already quite swollen. Gu Fengyan glanced at it... By calculation, Jiang Xuerui's child was already six or seven months along.
Jiang Xuerui felt a little embarrassed when she saw him looking at her, and pulled the blanket over herself. "I heard from Shen Zhuo that you are pregnant. How many months along are you? Are you eating well?"
“It’s been almost two months,” Gu Fengyan coughed. “Recently, I haven’t had much of an appetite, and I’m sleeping more than before.”
“I was like that back then…” Jiang Xuerui said with a smile.
The two chatted for a while longer. Shen Zhuo came in to give Jiang Xuerui medicine, but Gu Fengyan was not available, so he left.
Huo Duan, bored while waiting, sat alone under the eaves watching the rain. When he saw him come out, he said sourly, "Ah Yan, you still know how to come out? Why didn't you chat with Rui Ge'er a little longer? I think you like him quite a bit..."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Gu Fengyan laughed and scolded, then went over and coaxed Huo Duan to sit down himself. "Did you tell Second Brother Shen?"
Their purpose in returning was not only to see Jiang Xuerui, but also to tell Shen Zhuo that Ye Shan was too busy managing the village business alone and asked him to help out with the work.
Huo Duan touched the back of his neck from behind, "Mmm."
"Stop fooling around." Gu Fengyan grabbed his hand. "Does he agree?"
Huo Duan nodded. "Yes, Rui Ge'er is getting older and needs someone to take care of him. The eldest son's side can't help... If he stays, the family will have no income, and the expenses after the baby is born will be considerable. He agreed."
"That's good." Gu Fengyan turned his head back, and seeing that it was getting late, he said, "I'm a little tired, let's go back."
Huo Duan leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. "Okay."
The rain unexpectedly lasted for five or six days, making it impossible to go out into the fields. Huo Duan and Gu Fengyan had no choice but to stay in the village. They asked someone to deliver a message to Huo's father, and then they stayed in the village.
Huo Duan took Gu Fengyan around the village every day, visiting this house and that house to beg for some fresh vegetables, and they became familiar with each other throughout the village.
During the breaks in the rain, he would take Gu Fengyan to the river to catch fish and to the mountains to pick wild fruits and mushrooms. After a few days, Gu Fengyan had played wildly, but his mood improved a lot, and he ate more. He finally gained back the little weight he had lost.
Finally, on the seventh day after returning to the village, the rain stopped. When they woke up in the morning, there was a faint glow of dawn on the horizon. Seeing this, Huo Duan hurriedly followed Ye Shan and Ye Bixian to plant several plots of land on the back hill.
After resting in the village for another day, the two returned to the county.
...
Time flies. A month has passed since Gu Fengyan returned from Heqing Village. Her belly is getting bigger and bigger, and at the same time, her morning sickness is getting worse and worse, to the point that she can vomit almost anything she eats.
He was always pale and sickly. Huo Duan was so worried that he developed several large blisters on his lips and almost wore out the threshold of Xinglin Courtyard... But even so, Gu Fengyan still vomited everything he ate.
Huo Duan had no choice but to abandon his business outside and focus on studying cooking at home. Every day, he would prepare a large table of light and non-greasy dishes to coax Gu Fengyan to eat.
They continued to coax her day after day until the end of November, when the first snow fell. When the baby was five months old, Gu Fengyan's morning sickness finally subsided, her complexion returned to normal, and she ate more.
Huo Duan gradually felt relieved, but Gu Fengyan had another problem—Huo Duan refused to touch him.
A note from the author:
Thank you, Sangjiu Baby, for the nutrient solution (biting roses);
The next chapter will be about my favorite part: pregnancy... *cough cough* (face turns yellow)
Chapter Sixty-Six
During the second trimester, the fetus is stable, and one would normally be able to do certain things. However, these days, no matter how much Gu Fengyan tries to seduce him, Huo Duan remains unmoved, much like Liu Xiahui, who remained unmoved even with a woman in his lap.
These days, the two of them have had so few intimate contact that they can count the number of kisses on one hand... and even those were just fleeting touches.
Gu Fengyan sometimes felt like a female beast that couldn't get comfort, and was particularly pathetic.
That day, Huo Duan was in a dilemma because he had to go out to discuss opening a restaurant with Manager Li of Dongfulou.
Although Gu Fengyan's condition had gradually stabilized and there were no major problems, Huo Duan was still frightened by his pale and weak state in the previous months, and he had learned from Jiang Xuerui's experience, so he was always worried about leaving Gu Fengyan alone.
After conveying Dongfulou's message, he saw the person out and entered the room. Gu Fengyan was leaning back in a chaise lounge reading a storybook... The weather was cold in November, and the room had been lit early with the finest smokeless charcoal to simmer Gu Fengyan's favorite sweet soup.
He had a fleece blanket over his legs, wore a red padded jacket, his belly was round and protruding, and a pillow was placed under his waist for support.
"Did the waiter call you over to discuss matters concerning the new restaurant?" He looked up at Huo Duan as he entered, then his gaze returned to his book.
Huo Duan stirred the stove, then came over and pulled the blanket up to cover his stomach. "Don't catch a cold... I'm not planning to go."
"Catching a cold? There's such a big stove in the room, don't let your little one get too warm." Gu Fengyan gently patted him while rolling up his book and laughed, "Why don't you go... Father is at home, there's no need to worry about me."
Huo Duan took the book and put it aside, smiled, and didn't answer. "It snowed lightly yesterday. Would Ayan like to go out and take a look?"
Gu Fengyan glanced at the paper through the window. Underneath the white expanse, there were occasional glimpses of green. The chickens and ducks that Huo's father raised huddled shivering in the corner. Large cabbages were covered with a layer of snow... They must taste sweet.
"Don't interrupt." He looked away. "It's too cold, and I don't want to move. You go ahead and see what Manager Li wants from you. While you're at it, bring back some jujube paste pastries; I want to eat some."
He pushed Huo Duan away... and almost got away with it.
Gu Fengyan's enthusiasm was naturally driven by ulterior motives.
"Didn't you just buy one yesterday?" Huo Duancai brushed aside the stray hairs on Gu Fengyan's forehead, mercilessly exposing his little scheme.
"If Ayan said so, then I'll go there and come back as soon as possible... Don't wander around, the snow is slippery."
Gu Fengyan nodded repeatedly, got up and took out a thick cloak from the box, personally tying it on Huo Duan. "I'll wait for you to come back."
Huo Duan held his hand, and the two looked at each other... Gu Fengyan bit his lip, tilted his head back slightly, and squinted his eyes.
Huo Duan didn't kiss him, but chuckled softly, "I'm leaving. You and Jianjian be good and wait for me to come back."
He picked up the paper umbrella from the book basket, opened it, and went outside.
Gu Fengyan was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly kicked off his shoes and knelt on the chaise lounge to look through the paper... That bastard Huo Duan didn't even turn his head!
"Damn your great-grandmother!" he shouted angrily, smashing the teacup on the ground.
It rolled twice but didn't break—Huo Duan had spent a lot of money to cover the floor of the room with thick carpets to prevent him from bumping into things.
He was furious, and then Jianjian inside him kicked him.
Gu Fengyan stroked her belly, "You're just like your father, trying to annoy me."
Jianjian seemed to understand, and immediately fell silent.
Huo Duan was away for some time. He left home in the afternoon and when he returned, the sky was already turning gray. The lights were on in the house. He pushed open the door and went in. The warm fire in the stove immediately dispelled the chill on his body.
Not seeing Gu Fengyan outside, Huo Duan, fearing the chill would pass to his wife and children, changed his clothes and waited until he felt warm before going into the inner room.
"Ayan." He lifted the gauze curtain and placed several packets of candied fruits and pastries he had bought from several places on the small table beside the bed. "Why are you sleeping so early? Do you want something to eat?"
Gu Fengyan, wrapped in a quilt, faced inwards and did not respond.
"What's wrong?" Huo Duan realized something was wrong, so he knelt on one knee on the edge of the bed, bent down and pulled Gu Fengyan to face him.
Gu Fengyan glared at him resentfully, "Even your own son is bullying me... So what?"
Huo Duan was completely bewildered. He hurriedly touched his stomach and, seeing that both the big and small ones were fine, said with a mix of laughter and tears, "Did Jianjian kick you again?"
Gu Fengyan sat up and swept his hair back in one go. "He learned it from his father, like father, like son..."
Huo Duan grew increasingly fond of him, and even when he threw a tantrum, it was to his liking.
"Is Ah Yan upset that I didn't kiss you this morning?" He simply sat up, lifted the covers, and got into bed, pulling Gu Fengyan into his arms and massaging his back. "Is that right?"
"Stop talking nonsense, who cares?" Gu Fengyan shifted and settled into a comfortable position.
Huo Duan chuckled softly, his lips brushing lightly against Gu Fengyan's ear and the back of her neck. "But I want to kiss you, Ayan... Ayan."
This was the only intimate moment they had shared in recent days, and Gu Fengyan was overjoyed, his body gradually growing hot.
"Hurry up." He urged, turning his head to the side, half of his body going limp as he melted into Huo Duan's arms.
Huo Duan lowered his head and kissed his lips... gradually reaching a climax.
Gu Fengyan was confused and murmured to himself. Suddenly, he knelt up and faced Huo Duan.
His slender fingers slowly parted his collar, revealing a large expanse of snow-white collarbone. He had developed some plump, soft flesh, but his chin remained pointed. His snow-white cheeks were rosy like peach blossoms, and his dark hair was scattered, making his face appear even smaller and whiter.
Huo Duan stared at him for a long time, then suddenly noticed that the pregnant Gu Fengyan had an inexplicable charm, her every move languid yet alluring.
His throat bobbed twice, but he dared not move. Gu Fengyan was a temptation to him, something that was always present.
He was constantly enduring, and in order to suppress the wicked thought of dirtying or ruining Gu Fengyan, he was on the verge of breaking down.
"Mr. Huo... It's been five months, Mr. Lin, you can be more specific." Gu Fengyan was panting heavily. She pulled over two soft pillows so that her bulging belly could find some support, and buried her face in Huo Duan's neck.
The more clothes are pulled back, the more alluring the scene becomes.
Gu Fengyan was confused, rubbing against him, and two drops of bright red blood were like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
Gradually, he began to savor the feeling, and with a sob in his voice, he hummed, "President Huo... I miss you."
How could Huo Duan bear it? His head exploded, his reason burned away, and he pressed Gu Fengyan into the pillow.
However, at the crucial moment, Gu Fengyan hurriedly called out, "Wait, wait a minute."
He turned and lay down, suspending his abdomen in the air, burying his face in the pillow, refusing to see anyone.
Huo Duan endured the pain, sweat trickling down his forehead. He sighed, gently lifted Gu Fengyan into his arms, and held her facing him. "Ayan...you're beautiful. You're the most beautiful I've ever seen,"
Her gaze shifted to his protruding belly. "Jianjian is also very beautiful."
Gu Fengyan slumped into a puddle of water, a supple dodder vine, clinging tightly to Huo Duan, her face flushed with shame, "Hurry up."