"I'm exhausted today, but honey, do you know how much money my museum made today?"
After returning to the room and taking a shower, Zhuang Rui hugged Qin Xuanbing, greedily inhaling her fragrance. He had been staying at the museum for almost a week and hadn't been intimate with his wife.
Are you still short of money?
Qin Xuanbing rolled her eyes at Zhuang Rui, raised her hand to stop Zhuang Rui's hand from reaching towards her lower abdomen, and said, "Zhuang Rui, don't move, I have something to tell you..."
"Let's talk about it tomorrow, hehe..."
Zhuang Rui turned off the bedside lamp and rolled over, pinning Qin Xuanbing beneath him.
Qin Xuanbing quickly pushed Zhuang Rui away, saying urgently, "No, don't press on me, Zhuang Rui, I might... I might also be pregnant..."
"What?"
Zhuang Rui's voice was so loud that the white lion in the next room suddenly jumped out and growled softly at the window of Zhuang Rui's room.
"White Lion, it's alright, let's go back..."
Zhuang Rui was stunned when he heard Qin Xuanbing's words. He braced himself on the bed with both hands, but dared not press down on Qin Xuanbing at all. It wasn't until Bai Shi's voice rang out that Zhuang Rui came to his senses and quickly turned on the bedside lamp.
"Xuanbing, are you... are you telling the truth?"
Zhuang Rui remained in that comical pose, his eyes fixed on Qin Xuanbing beneath him, his face showing some excitement, and his voice trembling slightly as he asked the question.
Zhuang Rui is already 27 years old this year. Among his classmates, Wei Ge got married because he was pregnant, Nurse Song is currently taking care of herself, and Lao San gave birth to a daughter who is already several months old. It would be a lie to say that Zhuang Rui is not envious.
Qin Xuanbing blushed slightly under Zhuang Rui's gaze, nudged him, and said, "I haven't gone for a checkup yet, but I've been feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit these past few days. I used to dislike spicy food, but now I really crave it. Also, these past few days while you were away, I've been feeling tired and sleepy all the time..."
Although Zhuang Rui didn't understand this very well, he still knew the basics, so he asked, "Um... has it started yet?"
"What?"
Qin Xuanbing looked a little embarrassed and turned her face away, saying, "Um... it's been about a week since I last came, and I was thinking of going for a check-up in the next couple of days..."
"Xuanbing, I'm so sorry. Look at me, I've been so busy these past few days that I haven't even been home..."
Zhuang Rui felt a little ashamed upon hearing this. He guessed that the reason Qin Xuanbing hadn't told her mother was because she wanted to wait until he had time to come and take her for a checkup before telling her family.
"Honey, it's okay. I've been asking Sister Xu Qing about things to be careful about during pregnancy these past few days. I can take good care of myself and our baby too..."
As Qin Xuanbing spoke, her face was full of happiness. She gently stroked her lower abdomen, which was still asymptomatic, as if she could sense a small life inside.
"No, we need to go to the hospital right now..."
Zhuang Rui got out of bed, grabbed his clothes and started putting them on. Nothing was more important than his wife's pregnancy; Zhuang Rui couldn't wait a moment longer.
"Why do you always jump to conclusions?"
Qin Xuanbing glanced helplessly at Zhuang Rui and said, "Let's go tomorrow. Don't trouble Mom and the others. There aren't any good doctors on duty at the hospital right now..."
"Yes, yes, no..."
Zhuang Rui was so happy he was practically dizzy. After hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, he nodded, then shook his head and said, "Going tomorrow is fine too. I'll go find Fourth Brother first and ask which doctor my sister-in-law saw during her pregnancy. We can't just find a man, can we?"
Watching Zhuang Rui rush out of the room, Qin Xuanbing couldn't help but smile wryly. She hadn't expected her husband to be so jealous. After all, the best obstetricians and gynecologists in the world are all men. ...
"Hey Wu'er, it's just a doctor's visit, why did you have to wake me up so early? Shh, keep your voice down, don't wake your sister-in-law..."
Ouyang Jun pulled Zhuang Rui into the yard, clearly annoyed. It was only a little past six in the morning, and Zhuang Rui was already knocking on the window. He had knocked once last night.
"Hehe, Fourth Brother, I'm so excited, so incredibly excited! Look, even my mom's up, what else do you have to complain about..."
Zhuang Rui knew he had gone a bit too far. Last night, he not only knocked on Ouyang Jun's window, but also caused a ruckus to everyone in the entire Zhongyuan Courtyard.
Ouyang Wan even went to Zhuang Rui's room and carefully inquired about Qin Xuanbing's reactions over the past few days, saying that she was most likely pregnant.
“Aunt, is it really necessary? The doctors aren’t even at work this early. I’ll take Zhuang Rui and his wife to the hospital later, so you don’t need to come along…”
When Ouyang Jun looked, he saw that Ouyang Wan, who was usually quiet, was indeed in the courtyard. It seemed that she hadn't slept well last night either.
A hint of joy appeared on Ouyang Wan's face. She glared at her nephew and said, "What are you talking about? When doesn't your aunt get up this early every day? But you'll have to make an extra bowl of soup today..."
"Alright, never mind, let's sit here and wait..."
Ouyang Jun reluctantly sat down by the pond to watch the fish swim, while Zhuang Rui excitedly paced back and forth in the yard.
"I'm fine, don't let people laugh at me..."
Around 8 a.m., Zhuang Rui returned to the room and helped Qin Xuanbing out as if she were an empress dowager, leaving Qin Xuanbing somewhat amused and exasperated.
"Who's laughing at me? I didn't help anyone's wife up..."
Previously, Qin Xuanbing would always be holding Zhuang Rui's arm, but now it's the other way around; Zhuang Rui is holding his wife's arm. This made Ouyang Wan, who was waiting at the restaurant entrance, laugh.
"Fourth Brother, stop eating, why are you eating so much..."
After Qin Xuanbing finished drinking the soup her mother-in-law had made, Zhuang Rui pulled Ouyang Jun up.
"Hey...hey, I'm telling you, I haven't even finished one steamed bun yet..."
When Ouyang Jun stood up, he quickly grabbed two steamed buns in his hands.
"Brother Zhuang, someone's looking for us up ahead. They say they're from the Religious Affairs Bureau..."
Zhuang Rui entered the garage and started the car when his phone rang. It was Hao Long calling from the front door.
Chapter 716 Taking the Pulse
"The Religious Affairs Bureau? What do they want with me?"
Zhuang Rui was a little confused as he held the phone. He had never heard of this organization before, let alone had any dealings with them.
"Brother Hao, I have something important to take care of right now. Have them come this afternoon..."
Zhuang Rui is currently immersed in the happiness of becoming a father. Even if the Emperor himself came looking for him, he would wait until after taking his wife for her check-up.
"Fourth Brother, what does the Religious Affairs Bureau do?"
Zhuang Rui hung up the phone and carefully backed the car out of the garage. Ever since he heard the news of Qin Xuanbing's pregnancy, Zhuang Rui had become more and more attentive. Women need to be cared for, and the one in their belly needs even more care.
"The Religious Affairs Bureau is in charge of monks and Taoist priests. Uh, they don't care about communist beliefs, but they manage everything else that spreads a belief..."
Ouyang Jun was quite displeased with Zhuang Rui for waking him up so early in the morning. He looked at Zhuang Rui with suspicion and said, "You didn't happen to have hooked up with some nun from the Taoist academy, and someone came to complain to you, did they?"
"What are you talking about? If you keep spouting nonsense, I'll go have a talk with your sister-in-law..."
Zhuang Rui's face turned green after hearing what Ouyang Jun said. "Is there really such a person?" he thought. "Even if I were... well, I wouldn't go looking for a nun." Zhuang Rui considered himself a long-hair enthusiast.
Zhuang Rui glanced furtively at Qin Xuanbing sitting in the passenger seat and said, "Wife, don't listen to Fourth Brother's nonsense. He never says a kind word..."
Gu Long, the Taiwanese martial arts master known for his womanizing, once said: "There are many women in this world who don't eat, but there are almost no women who don't get jealous."
Although Qin Xuanbing wasn't a petty person, it was difficult to fathom the thoughts of a pregnant woman. Her mindset was quite different from usual. Last night, Zhuang Rui was pulled by the ear by Miss Qin and had a thorough recollection of his past interactions with Officer Miao.
Fortunately, Qin Xuanbing just smiled and didn't respond to Ouyang Jun's words, which reassured Zhuang Rui a lot. Although he hadn't done anything wrong, it didn't mean he hadn't thought about it. Just like a person who hasn't committed a crime but still feels scared when they see the police in the police station.
So when this topic comes up, any man will feel a little guilty.
"Fourth Brother, according to you, the Religious Affairs Bureau is in charge of those monks and Taoist priests, right?"
Zhuang Rui changed the subject, saying that if they continued the discussion, Ouyang Jun might say something even more offensive.
"Yes, that includes Islam and similar religions. But in China, the main ones are Buddhism and Taoism. Because of the Tibetan lamas, Buddhism is more prominent among these two. I haven't had any dealings with them. How about I ask someone to ask you?"
Zhuang Rui had already found a lot of weaknesses in Ouyang Jun's hands, so he didn't dare to tease Zhuang Rui anymore and honestly told him what he knew.
"Zhuang Rui, don't you know the Living Buddha of Jokhang Temple? Could it be that he's the one who contacted you?"
Upon hearing the word "Tibet" from Ouyang Jun, Qin Xuanbing immediately recalled her trip to Tibet with Zhuang Rui and others.
"Impossible! The living Buddha who gave me the dzi bead has long since passed away. Don't scare me like that..."
Zhuang Rui was startled by what Qin Xuanbing said, and his hand trembled as he drove. This was because the Living Buddha Qiangba Luozhu had passed away half a year after giving him the dzi bead, almost a year ago. It was rare for him to appear in a dream and ask someone to come and find him.
"I've never heard you mention it before..."
Qin Xuanbing was stunned upon hearing this; she was unaware of this matter.
"I only saw it on the news by chance. Never mind, if they really have something to do, they'll definitely come back this afternoon. Why don't we just ask them?"
Zhuang Rui shook his head, banishing the thought from his mind and focusing on driving. ...
"Dean Zhou, this is my cousin, and this is my sister-in-law. She seems to be pregnant, so I brought them here for a check-up. By the way, is Dr. Xiao Yu still here?"
Zhuang Rui and his group went to the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army. Given Ouyang Jun's background, they naturally went directly to the director's office first.
If Ouyang Jun hadn't told Zhuang Rui beforehand, Zhuang Rui wouldn't have realized that this kind-looking old doctor in a white coat was actually a major general.
The doctor Xiao Yu that Ouyang Jun asked about was the female doctor who had been treating Xu Qing. No man in this world would be so generous as to hire a male doctor to treat his wife's gynecological problems.
In fact, Zhuang Rui and Ouyang Jun both understood that Qin Xuanbing only needed to undergo some tests, and it didn't matter whether the doctor was male or female. However, according to Ouyang Jun, having the same doctor see her from the beginning would allow for a better understanding of the pregnant woman's condition, and any problems could be addressed promptly.
"What, you can't get a doctor's visit from me? You're such a troublemaker..."
Dean Zhou seemed quite familiar with Ouyang Jun. After jokingly scolding him, he turned to Qin Xuanbing and said, "Miss, please sit down. What symptoms do you have? Tell me about them first..."
Dean Zhou, in his fifties, naturally served the highest echelons of Beijing. Most of the medical staff on Yuquan Mountain were his subordinates, so he was not unfamiliar with the Ouyang family.
"I've been feeling nauseous for the past few days. I used to not eat spicy food, but now I crave it, and I can't eat anything else..."
Qin Xuanbing told Dean Zhou about her reactions over the past few days.
"Hehe, bro, sour for boys, spicy for girls, you must have a girl..."
Upon hearing Qin Xuanbing's words, before Dean Zhou could even speak, Ouyang Jun proudly began showing off in front of Zhuang Rui, all because Xu Qing was carrying a son.
"Don't listen to him, that's just folk wisdom, there's no scientific basis for it. Um, young lady, hold out your right hand..."
Dean Zhou glared at Ouyang Jun with displeasure, then took out a wrist pad, placed it on the table, and gestured for Qin Xuanbing to put her hand on it.
"Taking your pulse?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned for a moment. As a Chinese person, he naturally knew about traditional Chinese medicine, but in modern society where Western medicine is dominant, he had only heard of it. This was the first time Zhuang Rui had ever seen a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner taking a pulse.
"Fourth Brother, will this work?"
Zhuang Rui quietly tugged at Ouyang Jun and asked in a low voice. It wasn't that Zhuang Rui didn't believe in traditional Chinese medicine, but he had been exposed to Western medicine since childhood, and he wasn't very confident in someone who practiced traditional Chinese medicine.
To outsiders, it seems quite amazing that you can tell if someone is sick just by touching a few fingers.
"Don't worry, Dean Zhou comes from a family of traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, and he's also an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. This isn't some street gimmick selling miracle cures. Dean Zhou was the one who first took your sister-in-law's pulse..."
Ouyang Jun had complete confidence in Dean Zhou. He believed that no one would dare to take up such a position without some real ability. It wasn't something that could be achieved simply by flattery and boasting.