Lin Ru, having seen many big occasions, exuded a calm and composed aura. "Mr. Huo, please be patient, I will begin my diagnosis now."
After he finished speaking, he held Gu Fengyan's wrist and examined it for a long time, his brows furrowing and then relaxing. Then he narrowed his eyes and said, "This..."
Huo Duan's heart pounded. "How is it? What happened to Ayan?"
After examining the patient repeatedly, Lin Ruyou finally opened his slightly narrowed eyes... His face was full of joy, and he cupped his hands to Huo Duan, "Congratulations, Manager Huo!"
Huo Duan frowned, puzzled. "Congratulations."
"Manager Gu's pulse is steady, smooth to the touch, and occasionally glistening with round beads..." Lin Ru stroked his white beard and smiled, "This is a sign of pregnancy! And she's already been pregnant for over a month!"
"What?!" Huo Duan's mind went blank. His lips trembled as he managed to utter a single sentence with difficulty, "Ayan...Ayan is pregnant?"
The sky, which had been suffocating for so long, finally let down its first drop of rain, followed by countless drops, and the apricot leaves in the courtyard rustled.
The green apricots are just beginning to ripen, glistening with dew in the breeze.
A note from the author:
Thank you @小宝贝 for the nutrient solution (sticky).
Chapter Sixty
Lin Ru rolled up his sleeves and wrote a prescription on the table. He then called a waiter to fetch the medicine. As he washed his hands, he said with a smile, "Manager Gu is already a month pregnant... Your household is about to welcome a new member!"
Lin Ru's medical skills are top-notch in the Xinglin Academy, so there's no way he would make a misdiagnosis... Huo Duan felt his head spinning, his heart softening, his nose stinging, and he almost burst into tears of joy.
He's going to be a father.
"Great! That's wonderful! Uncle and parents will be so happy to hear that!" Upon hearing this, Ye Shan excitedly ran towards the door before Huo Duan could even react. "I'm going back right now to tell them the good news!"
The rain outside was pouring down.
Huo Duan quickly grabbed Ye Shan, "Brother, it's raining outside, no rush to go back..." His eyes turned to Gu Fengyan, who was lying on the bed with his eyes closed, and his brows furrowed, "Ayan hasn't woken up yet, let's wait for the rain to subside."
The rain had been pouring down for seven or eight days, and it was really heavy. The white curtain was soaked through, with water dripping from the edges.
Ye Shan glanced at it, scratched his head and laughed, "See how excited I got that I can't remember anything. Let's wait for Yan Ge'er to wake up and then go back together."
With a splashing sound of water being splashed, the young clerk who was fetching medicine lifted the curtain, took out an oil paper package from his pocket, and handed it to Lin Ru, "Sir, the medicine has been brought."
"Why didn't you use an umbrella? What will happen if the medicine gets wet in the rain?" Lin Ru wiped his hands clean, took the oil paper package, and scolded the young shop assistant.
“There are five umbrellas in the hall. Mr. Li took two when he went to see a doctor, and the rest are being used by the other senior apprentices… I’ve kept this medicine close to my body the whole time, so it hasn’t gotten wet.” The young waiter brushed the water droplets off his sleeve and said with a smile, “The addition of a new baby is a joyous occasion… Sir, please forgive me this time for the sake of the two bosses.”
Lin Ru looked around and, seeing that the medicine hadn't been tested for moisture, shook his head with a smile, "You're such a smooth talker... Hurry up and get the medicine stove ready."
The servant hurriedly went outside to the eaves to heat the medicine stove.
Huo Duan watched as Gu Fengyan sat down on the edge of the bed and tucked her in, looking worried. "Mr. Lin, although Ayan is pregnant, why did she suddenly faint and not wake up... What happened?"
Huo Duanchu, a new father, had only a vague understanding of pregnancy symptoms, let alone Gu Fengyan, who was a man, whose situation was even more different.
Lin Ru stroked his beard and asked him a few questions... mostly about whether he was eating well, how he was sleeping, and whether his tastes had changed, etc.
Huo Duan answered each question without hesitation.
“That’s it,” Lin Ru said with a smile. “He fainted because he was exhausted during his pregnancy, his qi and blood were depleted, and he was also lazy and sleepy. Mr. Huo, don’t worry. The medicine I prescribed is all for replenishing qi and blood. Just give it to him when he wakes up.”
Huo Duan then understood... Gu Fengyan was suffering from low blood sugar, and because he had fallen asleep, he was unconscious.
He was immediately at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
He grasped Gu Fengyan's hand. "Thank you, Manager Lin. I'll stay here and watch over him. I'll give him the medicine when he wakes up."
Lin Ru turned and went out to the front hall, while Ye Shan, wanting the two of them to be alone, went outside with the shop assistant to help prepare the medicine.
Outside the window, heavy rain pattered against the leaves, making a clear, tinkling sound; inside the room, Gu Fengyan breathed deeply.
Huo Duan held Gu Fengyan's hand, his eyes fixed on him without taking them off... Finally, he lowered his gaze and leaned down to kiss him on the lips.
The rain poured down for almost half a day, only letting up a little as it approached dark. Gu Fengyan's medicine was simmering on the stove, and Huo Duan was keeping watch by the bedside. Ye Shan, seeing that the rain had subsided, had already gone back to the village with Xue Da to tell Huo's father and the Ye family the good news.
By this point, Huo Duan hadn't eaten a single bite of food, as if he didn't feel hungry at all.
Worried that Gu Fengyan would be hungry when he woke up, he asked the young shop assistant at the pharmacy to bring back some light porridge and a few side dishes from the alley next door.
The porridge simmered by the stove, steaming and filling the room with an enticing aroma of rice.
Lin Ru came over and asked about the situation, instructing him to wake Gu Fengyan if he hadn't woken up by dark. Huo Duan opened the window and glanced at the sky... It was misty outside, with water cascading from the eaves and rain chains, and the mountaintops were dark; it was getting dark.
He closed the window again, walked to the bedside, and half-lifted Gu Fengyan in his arms. "Ayan, get up and eat. Go home and sleep later."
Gu Fengyan's eyes were sore and his eyelids were drooping from sleepiness. He was quite displeased to be woken up, his brows furrowed. Only after recognizing Huo Duan did he rub his eyes and ask, "Is this Xinglin Courtyard? What time is it?"
He still remembered fainting; he guessed Huo Duan had brought him to see a doctor.
Seeing that he was alright, Huo Duan smiled and said in a low voice, "It's almost dark. Are you hungry? I bought you some porridge and it's simmering on the fire. I also have some side dishes. Let's get dressed and go eat."
He could smell the aroma of rice even before he woke up... He was hungry then, but too sleepy to keep his eyes open.
Gu Fengyan nodded and bent down to reach for his outer robe at the foot of the bed. Huo Duan, afraid that he would hurt his stomach, quickly pulled him away, saying, "Don't move, I'll put it on for you."
She gently and carefully put his coat on, then asked, "Are you cold? It's raining outside, do you want to put on another layer?"
Gu Fengyan watched him bustling around and felt something was wrong... When he woke up, Huo Duan not only didn't explain why he had fainted, but also served him so attentively, even doing his own dressing.
Could it be some kind of terminal illness? Considering the medical level of this era, Gu Fengyan immediately felt that it wasn't impossible.
"I'm not cold." He remained calm and composed, his expression solemn. "What did Mr. Lin say to you? What exactly is wrong with me?"
Huo Duanzheng bent down to get him his shoes, but paused upon hearing this, looking somewhat nervous... Gu Fengyan wondered how he would react knowing that Huo Duanzheng was pregnant.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to tell him after dinner.
“Ah Yan isn’t sick, she’s perfectly healthy… Let me put your shoes on for you, shall we eat first?” he said with a smile.
He grasped Gu Fengyan's slender ankle and slipped the shoes on.
The two arrived at the table... This room was a guest room in the Xinglin Academy, convenient for the master to stay overnight in case of bad weather, and it was fully furnished.
Huo Duan laid out the side dishes one by one, and brought over a bowl of porridge that was warm by the stove for Gu Fengyan, saying, "Eat it while it's hot."
Gu Fengyan noticed that when he took the porridge, there was a bowl of dark, murky medicine on the stove... so it couldn't possibly be someone else's.
If you're not sick, why would you need to take medicine?
He was completely bewildered. He picked up a piece of pickled cucumber with his chopsticks and absentmindedly drank his porridge.
When Huo Duan noticed that Ayan had a poor appetite due to pregnancy symptoms, he put down his chopsticks and asked carefully, "What's wrong? Is the food not good? What would you like to eat, Ayan? I'll go buy it right now."
Having said that, he grabbed the umbrella that was resting on the windowsill and was about to go out.
Seeing his grand display, Gu Fengyan dared not let his imagination run wild anymore... Huo Duan would have to talk about it after dinner anyway.
"No, don't go. Come and get me some food." He smiled.
Huo Duan saw that he started using his chopsticks frequently, so he sat down again and served him some food.
Gu Fengyan ate as much porridge as he was given, and quickly finished a bowl of porridge. Huo Duan was worried that he would have indigestion, so he only gave him a small half bowl.
He didn't eat, but he kept talking to Gu Fengyan, picking out some non-greasy dishes for him.
There was a plate of pickled green peppers on the table, which was both sour and spicy. Gu Fengyan liked it very much and ate half of the plate. Huo Duan was afraid that he would upset his stomach, so he only put cucumber shreds on his plate.
Gu Fengyan was about to pick up his chopsticks again when Huo Duan stopped him, saying, "It's too spicy and will hurt your stomach. You might not be able to sleep at night."
"This vegetable is well pickled, both sour and spicy..." Gu Fengyan said somewhat sullenly, picking at the few cucumber shreds in his bowl with a wronged expression.
Huo Duan felt both sorry for him and wanted to laugh. He sighed and pushed the plate of pickled peppers in front of him. "That's enough, Ayan."
"Got it." Gu Fengyan smiled like a fox... He used to dislike spicy food, but lately he's been strangely fond of it.
With the dish in hand, Gu Fengyan quickly finished half a bowl of rice porridge, put down his chopsticks, and contentedly rested his chin on his hand, watching the dense, needle-like rain outside the window.
Two orioles, their feathers soaked, were preening each other among the branches of a pomegranate tree.
Huo Duancai finished eating the rice in his bowl and was cleaning up when he said, "After you've digested your food, drink the medicine. Mr. Lin prescribed it; he said it's to nourish your qi and blood, and it'll help you and..."
Her face suddenly flushed red, and she coughed, "It's good for children."
After he finished speaking, he looked at Gu Fengyan, waiting for his reaction. He was very nervous, and his heart was pounding so hard that his entire chest was trembling.
A pair of little orioles were chirping away. Gu Fengyan was so engrossed in watching them that he casually said, "I understand, I'll leave it there for now..."
He quickly realized... Who was Huo Duan saying would benefit?
"A child?!" He jumped up, his pupils widening in shock.
Fluttering sounds—two little orioles, startled, took flight from between the pomegranate branches and flew over the eaves.
Gu Fengyan composed himself slightly, sat down, and asked again, "What child?"
“Ayan, Mr. Lin has seen the doctor…” Huo Duan put down what he was holding, walked over, and said gently, “You are already a month pregnant…Ayan is going to be a father.”
Gu Fengyan was so shocked he couldn't speak. "What?"
No wonder, no wonder he was always feeling weak and sleepy recently, and he ate more than usual, and his waist and abdomen started to get fuller.
So that's why.
"Are you unhappy?" Huo Duan poured him water, his hands trembling.
Gu Fengyan, annoyed, snatched the water from Huo Duan and glared at him, "Damn it, you try carrying me!"
He was actually pregnant.
It's all Huo Duan's fault!
It wasn't that he disliked the child, but he was shocked and not even mentally prepared. After all, he had never been a parent before, and he wasn't confident that he could raise the child well.
Huo Duan smiled, leaned down to kiss Gu Fengyan, feeling extremely distressed and wishing the child never existed. "It's my fault, making Ayan suffer for ten months... Let's never have another child, okay?"
After the initial shock, Gu Fengyan had accepted it and glanced at Huo Duan indifferently, "Do you still want it?"
Huo Duan grabbed his hand and kissed it repeatedly, laughing like a big dog, "One is enough, any more and my Ayan won't belong to me anymore..."
"Don't pretend to be innocent after getting a good deal!" Gu Fengyan laughed and scolded.
I had a very strange feeling.
He stroked his still flat stomach. "Is there... really a child here?"
Huo Duan nodded, gently stroking Gu Fengyan's hand, and said sternly to Gu Fengyan's lower abdomen, "You little thing, you're not allowed to bother your little daddy in the future, or I'll beat you up when you come out!"