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Upon hearing the report, Xiaoyuan sat by the window, resting her chin on her hand and frowning as she gazed at the horizon. Winter nights fall early, and it got dark not long after lunch. Layer upon layer of dark clouds loomed in the distance, and the sound of thunder could be faintly heard. She worriedly said, "Winter has been here for a while now, and I'm afraid it will rain or snow soon. It's freezing cold, and that child has only been born a few days ago and has already been separated from his mother. I hope nothing bad happens to him."

The maids and servants in the courtyard were busy gathering the clothes drying outside. Sister Cheng weaved through the bustling crowd and saw Xiao Yuan sitting by the window, her brow furrowed. Her anxiety grew, and she rushed forward, unable to wait to enter the house. Through the window, she asked, "Fourth Sister, I heard Father is badly injured, and Sister was taken away. Is that true?" Xiao Yuan nodded and said, "Since you know Father is injured, why don't you go see him? I won't invite you in. Go see him quickly and then come back." Ever since Xiao Yuan saved her last time, Sister Cheng had regarded her as a mentor and friend. She peered through the window and asked, "I was thinking of going first and then coming back, but I was afraid of being rash and causing trouble—I heard Father was bitten by Aunt Ding?" As she spoke, she lifted her skirt and went inside, sitting opposite Xiao Yuan. "I came specifically to ask you first, so I won't make the same mistake as last time. You're the most understanding person in our family. Tell me quickly what happened."

Xiao Yuan sighed and began to recount the story from the beginning. She talked about how Master Cheng insisted on washing the baby, and how the child's whereabouts were still unknown. Sister Cheng was indignant: "That's our own sister, not our own brother! How can you just throw her away like that? Father is so confused! I'll go and talk to him." Xiao Yuan stared at her speechlessly for a long time. If it were a brother, he would have to share Erlang's inheritance, affecting her family's business, so they would have to throw him away. But since it was a sister, it didn't matter, so she started talking about family ties. This sister's plan was truly "similar" to Master Cheng's; no wonder she was his most beloved child. Although Sister Cheng's thoughts were despicable, she was still loyal to Cheng Mutian, so Xiao Yuan couldn't say anything. She only advised her, "Father is still in bed. If you want to talk to him, you should wait until he recovers. Don't upset him."

Chapter 56 The Whereabouts of Fourth Sister (Part 2) [Revised]

Sister Cheng rushed into Master Cheng's room. Upon seeing the wound on his neck, she burst into tears before she could even finish calling him "Father," crying, "That crazy woman who's courting death! When I see her, I'll beat her to death!" Master Cheng thought to himself that this daughter was the most considerate. He beckoned her closer and said, "You think everyone cares about their father as much as you do? I heard that Aunt Ding was almost beaten to death by Steward Guo, but your sister-in-law stopped her halfway and beat Steward Guo up and sold her off. You see, she's really siding with outsiders."

Sister Cheng blinked her tearful eyes: "I've heard about this too. Wasn't it Erlang who did it?" Master Cheng gestured with his chin towards the outside: "The courtyard and the house have all been replaced with her people. Do you think I'm stupid? How could Erlang have the guts? It must be his wife's idea. Don't think I hit him; I know exactly what's going on." Sister Cheng was unwilling to speak ill of Xiaoyuan easily now, so she said: "Perhaps she suspected that one of the original people had stolen my sister, and summoned them for questioning. She was also afraid that Father's room would be short of servants, so she sent new ones over?"

Mentioning the child only fueled Master Cheng's anger. He was afraid of aggravating his wounds, so he held back his rage, breathing heavily as he said, "That girl made me lose face. What's the point of questioning her? You're just being nosy."

All I know is your face, your power, and your money. That's my own sister, your own daughter. Your sister-in-law kindly searched for her, and instead of being grateful, you blame her for meddling? Sister Cheng was so focused on finding her sister that she forgot she had previously tried to poison Aunt Ding's unborn "brother," and she only blamed Master Cheng.

She has always been the type of person who only blames others and never examines her own faults. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she became more and more angry. If Xiao Yuan hadn't repeatedly reminded her before she came, she would have immediately lost her temper and started cursing at Master Cheng. However, her face was no better now; it was so black that you could squeeze ink out of it.

Master Cheng was most afraid of his eldest sister's temper; she could make a scene and tear the roof off. So, as soon as he saw her face darken, he quickly coaxed her, saying, "I was just saying. If your sister-in-law wants to find someone, then let her. Anyway, she's the one in charge now. Actually, I do love her. You don't know, today your second uncle and aunt came over and said they wanted to send me a concubine. I immediately refused, just because I was afraid of causing trouble for your sister-in-law."

When Sister Cheng thought of Xiqing, who was killed by the maid sent by Second Aunt Cheng, she gritted her teeth and said, "Father was right not to accept her. If he had, who knows who would have been the next victim."

Master Cheng touched his neck. “Father is in poor health now and will probably be bedridden for several months. You should go now and come back later. It’s the same. Erlang will be here soon, and he won’t be happy to see you.”

Like Cheng San Niang, Sister Cheng was terrified of Cheng Mutian. Upon hearing this, she dared not linger any longer. After bidding farewell to Master Cheng, she hurriedly went to the small round room. After sitting down and drinking two cups of tea, she indignantly said, "Father is so unreasonable. He has no regard for his little sister at all, and he even blames you for being nosy."

Xiao Yuan sighed inwardly. You don't even have your little brother in your heart yet.

Seeing that Xiaoyuan didn't react much, Sister Cheng asked again, "Fourth Sister, I heard that you replaced all the people in Father's room and even sold Steward Guo. I gave you a false sense of security in front of Father, saying it was to investigate who stole your sister. Is that really true?"

Xiao Yuan didn't hide anything from her. She recounted how Steward Guo had sown discord and instigated Master Cheng to have Cheng Mutian wash the baby. "Eldest sister, if Erlang really falls for it and washes the baby, he'll gain a reputation for being ruthless. How will he conduct himself in business afterward? As for the people in Father's household, they were all trained by Steward Guo. I'm afraid something like this will happen again, so I replaced them all. Anyway, I'm only thinking of Erlang's best interests. I'll accept being called unvirtuous in Father's eyes."

Sister Cheng's family business also hinges on Cheng Mutian. Therefore, she wholeheartedly agreed: "Erlang's reputation is important. It's just that Father is too protective. Don't worry, he'll eventually realize how good you are. But Fourth Sister, you're still too soft-hearted. If it were me, why would I sell such a wicked servant? I'd just beat him to death. And that Aunt Ding, why did you stop her from being beaten? Keeping her around will only cause endless trouble."

Xiao Yuan laughed and said, "Her lease has expired. She's no longer part of our family. What trouble could she possibly cause? Big sister, you're speaking so freely now. But what if you killed your little sister's birth mother? What if she hates you when she grows up? Would you regret it?"

Sister Cheng realized what was happening and grabbed Xiao Yuan's hand: "I told you, I still need you to remind me of everything, otherwise I'll make a big mistake again." She then pulled Xiao Yuan up, "Come on, let's go find your sister."

Xiao Yuan grabbed her and said, "Don't rush, let's think about it first. There are only three possibilities for Fourth Miss being taken away: either it was her master, a servant, or someone from outside the mansion. Let's talk about outsiders first. The main gate was closed that day, and our back gate is usually closed. Therefore, Fourth Miss must have been taken away by someone from the family. As for the servants..."

Sister Cheng chimed in, "Why would a servant take Fourth Sister away for no reason? They can't even raise their own child."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "Big sister is wise; that makes perfect sense."

Sister Cheng was quite pleased with Xiao Yuan's praise, and then analyzed, "If even outsiders and servants couldn't get their hands on it, then it must have been Third Sister who took it away." Before Xiao Yuan could ask any questions, she wondered to herself, "But I've already been to her place, and there was no child in the house."

Xiao Yuan casually took a blank envelope from the bookshelf, called over Sun Dalang, and asked him to write on it, "Respectfully addressed to Mr. Cheng, Gan Yuan of Quanzhou." Sun Dalang only practiced martial arts and didn't care for literature, so his writing was crooked and messy. Sister Cheng frowned as she looked at it: "Isn't Gan Yuan Third Sister's fiancé? Fourth Sister, why are you impersonating him to write a letter to Father? Besides, this handwriting is too ugly. Gan Yuan has entered the academy and is going to take the imperial examination." Xiao Yuan was blowing on the ink stains when she heard this, and laughed so hard that she lost her breath and blew the envelope to the ground. "Sister, you must not have seen his previous letters. It's too neat to be like him."

Sister Cheng picked up the sealed envelope and examined it closely. She sighed, "I told you long ago that this marriage was not good, but Father just wouldn't listen." Xiao Yuan said, "Let's not talk about that for now. I need you to help me trick Third Sister once. We'll take this envelope to find her and say that a letter has come from Quanzhou that we want to marry her early and that we'll board the ship before the Winter Solstice."

"And then?" Sister Cheng asked.

Xiao Yuan kept everyone in suspense: "Then we just wait for Fourth Sister to show up." After saying that, fearing that she couldn't fool the shrewd Third Sister Cheng, she carefully taught her how to deceive people.

Sister Cheng agreed with some skepticism and followed her to Sister Cheng's room. Sister Cheng was busy embroidering with a bamboo frame. When she saw them come in, she quickly put down the frame and stepped forward to greet them. Sister Cheng took the work and saw that it was embroidered with bright mandarin ducks, which were very lifelike. She praised, "Sister Cheng's skills are getting better and better. She will definitely be praised when she gets to her husband's family."

Just as Cheng San Niang was wondering why even her eldest sister was teasing her today, Xiao Yuan held up the envelope in front of her and waved it, laughing, "Why is San Niang in such a hurry to embroider her dowry? Did you hear about the letter from Quanzhou?"

"A letter from Quanzhou?" Cheng San Niang stared eagerly at the sealed tube in Xiao Yuan's hand. The few chicken-claw-like characters on it indeed looked like Gan Yuan's handwriting.

Xiao Yuan chuckled to herself. If it were anyone else, a sealed envelope alone wouldn't be enough to fool them, but Cheng San Niang always presented herself as honest and straightforward, so she would never ask for a letter or try to snatch it.

Seeing that Cheng San Niang's eyes were brimming with tears, Sister Cheng thought the time was right. She deliberately pushed Xiao Yuan and said reproachfully, "What exactly did the letter say? Tell our San Niang. Look how anxious she is."

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "It's a happy occasion. The Gan family is coming to get married early and they want us to have the boat ready before the Winter Solstice."

Sister Cheng remembered Xiao Yuan's teachings and forced a smile: "Luckily we prepared our dowry early, otherwise we wouldn't have been able to buy a dowry in this rush."

Xiao Yuan nodded in agreement, and the two of them took turns saying one thing to another, leaving Cheng San Niang standing to the side.

Suddenly, a clap of thunder sounded outside the window, startling Cheng San Niang. She stood up in a panic, saying, "It's thundering; it looks like it's going to rain."

Xiao Yuan pulled Sister Cheng along, saying, "It looks like it's going to rain soon, you should hurry home and not linger on the road." Sister Cheng nodded, and the two returned to their room. Xiao Yuan immediately ordered someone to follow Third Sister Cheng to see where she was going.

Sister Cheng still questioned, "Third Sister seems perfectly normal to me, why would she want to go out?" Xiao Yuan just smiled and remained silent. In less than an hour, she received a report that Third Sister Cheng had taken several maids out the gate and headed towards the Charity Hall.

During the Southern Song Dynasty, the practice of washing babies was very popular, and many abandoned infants were found on the streets of Lin'an. The imperial court set up a special charity hall to take in these children. At this moment, Sister Cheng was truly convinced: "Since the child was in a safe place, who would have thought that Third Sister would go out to check on him in the rainy night? Fourth Sister, you are truly a prophet."

Xiao Yuan glanced at her and said, "You think she's anxious? You really underestimate Third Sister. She's worried that she'll be married off far away soon and won't be able to take care of her little sister anymore. That's why she's leading the way for us so we can continue to look after her."

"She knew we sent people to follow her, so she did it on purpose?" Sister Cheng was dumbfounded. "I really don't know how you people are so clever. Everyone says you have seven orifices and are very perceptive, but I think you have one more than seven orifices."

Xiao Yuan was overjoyed, thinking to herself, "You've got one thing wrong. Cheng San Niang doesn't know anyone is deliberately following her. She just deliberately flaunts herself out of the front gate so that someone will see her and let me know." As the two were chatting and laughing, Cheng Mutian's cough suddenly came from the courtyard gate. Just like Cheng San Niang, Cheng Da Jie jumped up and ran towards the back door: "Si Niang, I'll come to see you another day."

Xiao Yuan hurriedly called for someone to open the back door of the courtyard. Standing under the dripping eaves, she was both amused and exasperated. The two sisters were acting like mice before a cat whenever they saw Cheng Mutian. Cheng Mutian took off his wet shoes and socks on the veranda and walked barefoot to the doorway to take a look. "Gone?" Xiao Yuan lightly stepped on his foot: "So you did it on purpose. She came to help her sister out of kindness, why did you scare her?"

“Well said. She only came to save Aunt Ding because she gave birth to a sister. If it had been a brother, do you think she would have come?” Cheng Mutian, barefoot himself, scolded Xiao Yuan: “It’s cold outside. What are you doing standing outside? Go inside.”

Xiao Yuan stomped on his foot again, then quickly darted into the house, calling the maids to fetch hot water, opening the chest to find cotton socks, and warming him up before saying, "Fourth Madam has been found."

Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Whereabouts of Fourth Sister (Part Two)

Xiao Yuan stomped on his foot again, then quickly darted into the house. She called the maids to fetch hot water, opened the chest to find cotton socks, and warmed him up before saying, "Fourth Sister has been found." Cheng Mutian hurriedly asked who had taken the child and where they had found her. Xiao Yuan held up three fingers and said, "The child was raised by Third Sister at the Charity Hall. She should be alright. We'll go and bring her back tomorrow. In order to find this little sister, my eldest sister and I tricked Third Sister today. We don't know how we're going to clean up this mess."

After listening to her story about using Gan Yuan as a pretext, Cheng Mutian picked up a sealed tube from the footstool, looked at the words on it, and laughed: "It's a good thing we have Sun Dalang in our family. Even your handwriting is better than this."

Xiao Yuan rolled her eyes at him. "I'll leave the task of covering up the lie to you. Anyway, Third Aunt is most afraid of you. Just go to her and glare at her, and that'll be the end of it."

Cheng Mutian looked at his wife, who had given him a hard time, and felt extremely regretful. Of all things to say, he had to bring up her ugly handwriting. Now, he was in a dilemma, as if a freshly roasted sweet potato had been stuffed into his arms, burning him. He couldn't just throw it away, so he started to blame Cheng San Niang: "Why did you have to keep it from everyone? You could have just said that she was the one who took the child. Why did you have to go through all this trouble to get information out of her?"

Xiao Yuan saw that while he was talking about Cheng San Niang, his eyes were drifting in her direction. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Your sister is very clever. She's afraid that Father will take his anger out on her, so she's just hiding and asking us to stand up for her. But as her older brother and sister-in-law, it's only right that we protect her a little."

Cheng Mutian, however, couldn't understand it and angrily said, "She's afraid that Father will take his anger out on her, but isn't she afraid that Father will take his anger out on you? Just wait and see how I scold her tomorrow."

Xiao Yuan felt more sympathy than blame for Cheng San Niang, and advised, "She lost her mother at a young age and is not favored by her father. If she didn't know how to protect herself, she would probably have died several times over. I am also born out of wedlock, so I know her difficulties. Please don't blame her." After saying that, she gave him some pointers: "You don't need to worry about how to make up a lie. The excuse is right here. Father is sick in bed. There is no reason for him to send his daughter out of the house at this time."

"Good excuse. I'll let it slide this time for your sake." My wife is so kind-hearted. Cheng Mutian smiled, kissed her cheek, and then burned the sealed tube over the lamp.

The next day, Fourth Sister was brought home, a cute little bundle of pink and tender flesh. Everyone in the room adored her, but Xiao Yuan was troubled. Who should she entrust with raising her? Sister Cheng, who had come to see her younger sister, was quite surprised: "Isn't there a wet nurse? What else needs to be done to raise her?"

If she isn't properly guided, what if she grows up to be like her birth mother? Wouldn't that just be asking for trouble? Xiao Yuan gently shook her head: "Raising a child without teaching him is worse than not raising him at all."

Hearing this, Aunt Qin pointed to Madam Sun, who was playing with the child, and said, "Let her take care of her. She can handle everything from learning to read to embroidery. We can save on a teacher and an embroiderer." This made everyone in the room laugh. Xiao Yuan did as she suggested and called Madam Sun over, asking if she would be willing to teach Fourth Sister. Madam Sun herself had lost a daughter and was very willing to take care of another one. She immediately nodded in agreement.

Sun was well-educated and courteous. The children she raised would surely be good. Xiao Yuan was relieved. She ordered someone to bring the wet nurses to check. She chose two who were of average appearance and honest character; then, according to Cheng San Niang's quota, she selected four maids—two large and two small—to go to Si Niangzi's courtyard; after assigning the servants, she sent someone to inform Master Cheng.

Master Cheng was listening to Cheng Mutian read aloud the land deeds for Steward Guo. His face was beaming: "Since you found these things, you should have kept them. Why give them to me?" Cheng Mutian replied truthfully, "It was my wife's idea. She wanted me to put them in Father's private account as soon as they were found, but Father has been asleep, so I forgot about them. I only remembered them today." Master Cheng squeezed the land deeds in his hand. A solid stack. Compared to Steward Guo and the servants in the front yard who had been replaced, these were much more practical. His smile widened: "Your wife is a good woman. I trust her to manage the household." Just as Cheng Mutian was about to reply, a maidservant at the door said, "Master, Fourth Mistress has returned. The young mistress has chosen a wet nurse and maids, and asked if you would like them to come and see them."

Master Cheng immediately felt his good mood had been completely ruined. He was about to send the maid away when he remembered that this was also for his daughter-in-law's sake. He quickly said, "My daughter-in-law is virtuous. What do I have to worry about with her handling things? Let her make her own decisions. Erlang, go and help her out. Don't trouble her. Also, check on your sister."

Upon hearing this, Cheng Mutian was pleased, but a nameless jealousy also welled up inside him. He returned to his room with a sour taste in his mouth and asked Xiaoyuan, "I don't think I've done anything wrong. Why doesn't Father like me? He already knows that Steward Guo's affair was actually your doing, yet he still praises you endlessly."

Xiao Yuan glanced at him, both amused and exasperated. She didn't believe he was truly unaware that it was all thanks to the box of deeds. Besides, who would be jealous of their own wife like this? So she didn't say anything, but instead had someone bring Cheng Si Niang over for him to see. Cheng Mutian stood far away from the wet nurse, craning his neck to take a look, and said with a pout, "Wrinkled up, what's so interesting about it?"

"She's already grown up, how could she be ugly?" Xiao Yuan took the baby and handed her to him. "All babies look like this. Will you be just as disgusted when you have a daughter?" Cheng Mutian pushed away the swaddling clothes and glanced at her. "My own daughter is naturally beautiful. Quickly take her away, don't let her cry." These words made the wet nurse laugh. Xiao Yuan shook her head helplessly and had someone take the baby away.

When Aunt Chen heard that the Cheng family had a new member, she prepared congratulatory gifts and came to visit. However, she found the house very quiet, and the child was not with his birth mother. She hurriedly asked Xiao Yuan in a low voice, "Is the rumor outside true?" Xiao Yuan smiled faintly, "Why should I care? We don't need any more wet nurses anyway." Aunt Chen felt sorry for her daughter, took out a piece of paper from her bosom and stuffed it into her hand, whispering, "This is an ancestral secret recipe that your Uncle Xue got through someone. It guarantees a son. Once you have an eldest son and grandson, fewer people will have designs on you."

When the topic of the child came up, Xiaoyuan was both excited and worried. "Auntie, I'm only fifteen years old. Won't childbirth take half my life?"

Aunt Chen said, "Nonsense. I was only sixteen when I gave birth to you, and nothing happened to me. Now I'm pregnant again. You look like me, with a big frame, so the delivery will definitely be smooth."

"Auntie, you're pregnant?" Xiao Yuan was both surprised and delighted. She reached out and touched her belly again and again. She thought that in this family, if she didn't get pregnant soon, all the favor she received would be in vain, and she would only make things difficult for Cheng Mutian. So she took the prescription back.

She didn't believe in any secret formulas for conceiving, but worried that she wouldn't get pregnant soon, she secretly took the prescription and asked Cheng Mutian, who knew a little about traditional Chinese medicine, "Second Brother, take a look at this prescription. Does it help someone conceive sooner?" Cheng Mutian took the paper, tossed it aside without even looking at it, and said, "We've only been married for less than half a year. What's the rush?" Xiaoyuan smiled bitterly, "I'm not in a rush. I'm afraid that if I don't get pregnant soon, Father will make you take a concubine." Cheng Mutian smoothed her furrowed brow and said, "Don't you know whether I'll take a concubine or not? As for Father, your third brother was just promoted. He'll give me some face. He won't pressure me to take someone in too early. You can rest assured."

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Good News

Although Cheng Mutian wasn't in a hurry to have children, Xiaoyuan couldn't let it go. She thought that since she had only started menstruating this year, it would be good to get some traditional Chinese medicine to regulate her blood and qi. So she ordered someone to go to her family's shop to call a doctor.

To everyone's surprise, after taking her pulse, the doctor shook his head and said, "Madam, if you want to regulate your qi and blood, you will need to wait a while longer. I will prescribe some of the best medicine to help you with the pregnancy."

Xiao Yuan was startled. When did a quack doctor come to her shop? She had just had her period last month, and this month's period hadn't even started yet, so why was she being asked to take medicine to prevent miscarriage? Seeing that she looked like she was about to be driven away, the doctor quickly stood up, bowed, and clasped his hands in greeting: "Congratulations, Madam, you are pregnant. Since it is not yet a month, you are taking some medicine to prevent miscarriage."

Xiao Yuan suppressed her excitement and asked doubtfully, "Isn't it supposed to take more than a month to detect pregnancy?"

The doctor laughed and said, "With such vigorous blood and clear pulse, it's common for me to be able to diagnose it in less than a month. If I'm wrong in taking the pulse, Madam, feel free to punish me."

This was truly a case of wishful thinking coming true. Xiao Yuan was so happy that she forgot to reply. Cai Lian took out the doctor with a reward and then called the fastest little maid to go to Master Cheng's room to report the good news.

After listening to the little girl's breathless account, Master Cheng felt that his injuries had mostly healed. Without needing anyone's help, he sat up in bed and urged Cheng Mutian, "Your wife is pregnant, so I'm going to have a grandson. Why don't you hurry back and see her? You're really unfilial." Cheng Mutian was both surprised and delighted, and he didn't care how this could be considered unfilial. He ran as fast as he could, rushing into the room like a gust of wind. When he saw Xiaoyuan, he didn't know where to put his hands and feet.

Xiao Yuan laughed at his expression and pointed to her stomach, asking him to touch it. Cheng Mutian sat down next to her and carefully touched it with his hand. "Do you remember last time?"

"When?" The question seemed completely unrelated, and she had no idea how to answer it.

Cheng Mutian gently pressed his ear against her stomach: "It must have been from that time we got drunk that time."

"Oh dear." Xiao Yuan blushed and reached out to pinch his ear. Normally, Cheng Mutian would have glared at her and said she was disrespectful to her husband, but now his head was resting on his pregnant belly and he dared not move, so he had no choice but to obediently admit defeat. However, Xiao Yuan was reluctant to use force and only pinched it lightly before feeling sorry for him. She hurriedly blew on it and rubbed it.

Cheng Mutian suddenly jumped up and shouted, "I forgot about the important matter!" He then rushed into the inner room and rummaged through everything. He came out covered in dust, holding two booklets, and said triumphantly, "Luckily I hid them well. They'll come in very handy."

Xiao Yuan took it and glanced at it. It turned out to be a "Handbook of Foods Forbidden for Pregnant Women" and a "List of Foods That Cannot Be Mixed." She brushed the dust off him while laughing, "The cooks will take care of these. It's none of your business."

Cheng Mutian was quite indignant. "It's clearly my own place. Why shouldn't I be the one worrying about it?" From then on, he became obsessed with these two booklets, carrying them with him day and night. Whether Xiaoyuan was eating or having snacks, he would check the booklets one by one before allowing her to use them. This caused countless laughs.

Since learning that there was hope for a grandson, Master Cheng's injury improved day by day. He was able to get out of bed in less than half a month. Just then, his eldest sister came to visit her father and sister-in-law. The family gathered for a meal. Just as the dishes were served and they were about to start eating, Cheng Mutian shouted, "Wait!" Everyone was startled. Even the infant Fourth Sister looked at him in confusion. He then realized that this was the dining room, not his own courtyard. He was immediately embarrassed, but still insisted on instructing Cailian, "Bring the booklet and compare it before eating."

When he carefully examined the dishes on the table, holding the booklet in his hands, everyone at the table could no longer contain themselves. Even Xiao Yuan was laughing so hard she couldn't stand up straight. Cheng Mutian finished reviewing the dishes without changing his expression. Ignoring his father and sisters' presence, he gave the first bite to Xiao Yuan, causing his eldest sister to click her tongue in surprise. Old Master Cheng glanced at him sideways. He explained seriously, "For the sake of having offspring."

Xiao Yuan enjoyed this special treatment for several days. She couldn't hold back any longer and said reproachfully, "Although Father will let you off the hook for his grandson's sake, this is going too far. I feel like I'm living on the edge of a knife every day."

Cheng Mutian flipped through the newly compiled "Pregnancy Nutrition Handbook" without looking up: "You're overthinking it. Nowadays, everyone treats you like royalty. You're blaming me for not pampering you enough." Xiaoyuan stroked her still-unseen belly and smiled slightly: "This child knows how to pick its own time. Knowing that our family has no concubines now and can have a peaceful life, it came into my belly." Cheng Mutian helped her sit down and said: "Relax a little. Father won't take any concubines."

"Why?" Xiaoyuan asked, puzzled.

Cheng Mutian harbored a secret about his father, but he was unwilling to tell her, only repeatedly telling her not to worry. Xiao Yuan didn't believe him at all, taking it as him comforting himself. After asking a few questions and seeing that he wouldn't tell her, she dropped the subject.

When Aunt Chen received the news that Xiao Yuan was pregnant, she hurriedly packed several bundles of baby clothes and shoes to bring to her. She repeatedly instructed her not to tell anyone except her closest relatives before she was three months pregnant. Xiao Yuan held Aunt Chen's work with great delight and laughed, "Auntie, your little brother is coming first, why didn't you save these clothes for him first?" Aunt Chen glanced at her and deliberately sighed, "Who told me to raise a daughter who can't sew? If I didn't prepare these things for her earlier, wouldn't people laugh at me?"

Xiao Yuan naturally objected to this and rolled into Aunt Chen's arms just like when she was little. Aunt Chen was so frightened that she hugged her and cried out, "My child, don't hurt your back. You are carrying two babies now."

The mother and daughter were both pregnant, and once they started talking, they couldn't stop. Xiao Yuan snuggled up to Aunt Chen and told her about Cheng Mutian flipping through a book while eating. Aunt Chen laughed non-stop: "Your Uncle Xue is almost the same; he's more anxious than me every day." After saying that, seeing that no one else was in the room, she quietly advised her daughter: "You absolutely must not have intercourse in the first few months; this is when miscarriage is most likely to occur." Xiao Yuan knew a little about this, and nodded in agreement with a blush.

After Aunt Chen carefully explained the precautions for pregnancy to her daughter, she went to visit Fourth Sister again before getting up to say goodbye. Xiao Yuan wanted her to stay a few more days, but unfortunately, she was also pregnant, so she could only see her off at the door and watch her leave with reluctance.

After Aunt Chen left, Xiao Yuan pondered her words: "If you are less than three months pregnant, do not tell anyone except your closest relatives." She wondered if the people in the household counted as close relatives, so she pulled Cheng Mutian aside to ask. Knowing she disliked dealing with the household and feeling sorry for her pregnancy, Cheng Mutian said, "The bride's family only sends a gift to encourage childbirth a month before delivery, what's the rush?" Xiao Yuan calculated that she still had several months to go, smiled contentedly, and gracefully sat down at the table: "My lord, fetch your register, let's see if we can eat the fresh side dishes."

Chapter Fifty-Nine: Bean Sprouts

His wife asked for some side dishes, which should have been a simple matter, but Cheng Mutian was stumped. In the dead of winter, all they had at home were a few bamboo shoots and some leek sprouts, the latter of which his wife didn't like, and the former they had just eaten for the last meal. Seeing his troubled expression, Xiao Yuan was very puzzled: "Even if there's nothing to eat in this cold weather, you can soak some beans in hot water to make bean sprouts, right?"

"What are bean sprouts?" Cheng Mutian asked, and the cook looked equally bewildered. Seeing that they didn't know, Xiao Yuan quickly explained how to sprout beans, saying, "It's actually very simple. You can use soybeans or mung beans. Soak them in hot water until they sprout, drain them in a sieve, and then cover them with a cloth to keep them out of the light. Remember to water them with warm water several times a day. Our house has a chimney, so it's very warm, and you'll definitely be able to sprout them."

It's just soaking the beans in hot water until they sprout, then watering them repeatedly. It's really simple. The cook understood immediately and rushed to the kitchen to fill the beans and boil water. In just a few days, she brought out a plate of crisp and tender bean sprouts. The whole family ate them and said they were delicious. Xiao Yuan then ordered more to be made and distributed them to Aunt Chen and other relatives and friends.

That day, she ate a hearty meal of bean sprouts and lay contentedly on the couch, flipping through a book that was supposedly compiled by a famous doctor, titled "Hygiene Family Treasure: Essentials of Obstetrics." She saw in it: "Eating rabbit meat will cause the child to have a cleft lip; eating sparrow meat will cause the child to be blind; eating sheep liver will cause the child to suffer from many illnesses; eating duck will cause the child to walk backwards; eating turtle meat will cause the child to have a short neck; eating donkey meat will cause the child to be overdue; eating dried ginger and garlic will cause the fetus to be uneasy."

She slapped the pages of the book and laughed, calling Cheng Mutian over to see the joke: "Erlang, I'd like to know how to walk backwards. Why don't you catch a duck for me to eat?"