Dou Akou gagged a few times, feeling her stomach calm down a bit. She looked up at Fu Jiuxin's tightly furrowed brows, and weakly waved her hand, indicating that he didn't need to worry.
This was the first time she had experienced morning sickness. For Dou Akou, who had always been healthy and had a good appetite, this was indeed a strange experience. The midday sun in summer was extremely scorching. Although Dou Akou was in the shade, she soon started sweating. She felt a little dizzy, and her stomach had just been upset, so she was too lazy to move. Since she didn't move, Fu Jiuxin didn't dare to move either, but simply moved his body to shield her from the sunlight. It wasn't until her third aunt came out of the kitchen with the dishes that the two of them started to move.
Third Aunt was serving Dou Akou's fish soup, which she drank after every meal. Noticing that Fu Jiuxin and Dou Akou looked a little strange, she walked over to them and said, "What are you doing here? It's so sunny, Akou, you should get out of the sun..."
As she spoke, she approached Dou Akou. Dou Akou initially opened her mouth to call her, but suddenly smelled the aroma of the fish soup, her stomach churned, and she leaned back to dry heave.
Third Auntie then realized that this was morning sickness.
She wasn't nervous at all, and even smiled as she handed the fish soup to Fu Jiuxin so he could go in first. Then she patted Dou Akou on the back and said, "Our Akou is really something. Other people have morning sickness, which usually only lasts a few months after they get pregnant, and it gets better later. But you're the opposite. You ate and drank well for the first few months, and I thought you had a good constitution. I didn't expect you to start having symptoms now."
Before Dou Akou could say anything, Fu Jiuxin asked anxiously, "Then what should we do?"
Third Aunt glanced at him. This wise and decisive Mr. Fu was holding a bowl of fish soup blankly in his hand, looking very serious.
She smiled and said, "Morning sickness varies from person to person. Some people have good constitutions and some don't, so there's no way to cure it. It usually gets better on its own eventually." She patted Dou Akou's hand reassuringly, "Akou has always had a good constitution, so it'll be fine."
Fu Jiuxin frowned but didn't say anything. He just wished he could suffer in Dou Akou's place.
As a result, Dou Akou ate a very meager lunch. The twice-cooked pork and the four-happiness duck were removed, leaving only some vegetables. Considering Dou Akou's love for meat and the fact that she needed nutrition while pregnant, her third aunt cooked her a bowl of cabbage soup with a few meatballs in it.
But they never expected that this was just the beginning.
Dou Akou's morning sickness symptoms worsened as the temperature rose. Eventually, she couldn't even stand the slightest smell of oil, and the slightest metallic or scratching sound would make her teeth ache. But that wasn't the worst part. The key issue was that her emotions became unstable, with unpredictable and volatile mood swings.
In the sweltering summer, morning sickness was already a painful experience. Dou Akou felt chest tightness, shortness of breath, and nausea. Everything seemed unpleasant, and she was irritable no matter what she did. Mealtimes were even more torturous. She couldn't eat anything at all; whatever she ate, she would vomit. Her aunts racked their brains trying to come up with different dishes, but they couldn't whet Dou Akou's appetite at all.
Dou Akou had a poor appetite, but the baby in her belly needed to eat. She knew this in her heart, so she could only suppress the waves of nausea and swallow the tonics like medicine while pinching her nose. However, she could only eat half a bowl of soup at most, and the other half was vomited up.
This strong reaction caught Third Aunt off guard, so she had to ask the same old doctor from last time to take a look. The old doctor was obviously a veteran, and after only glancing at Dou Akou, he shook his head: "There's nothing I can do. I can only prescribe some medicine to calm her mind and soothe her nerves. Morning sickness is a normal phenomenon, and she can only get through it on her own."
As a result, Dou Akou had no choice but to tough it out. She had been well-fed and plump a few days ago, but she had obviously lost weight these days. Her complexion was slightly yellow, and due to swelling, she looked very haggard. In addition, she was restless and emotionally unstable, and she threw tantrums every day, tormenting those around her.
She still had some sense and knew that her aunt and Dou Jincai were elders, so no matter how angry she was, she couldn't take it out on them. As a result, Fu Jiuxin became a ready-made punching bag. This punching bag didn't say a word or resist. No matter what Dou Akou did, she always smiled and took good care of her. As a result, Dou Akou became more and more outrageous.
She didn't know what was wrong with her; she had no appetite, her stomach was upset, and everything smelled nauseating, yet she had to force herself to eat. The weather was hot, and the incessant chirping of cicadas was irritating. A surge of anger rose within her, impossible to suppress. Sometimes, after inexplicably lashing out, she would see Fu Jiuxin, still calm and cheerful, fetching water for her, wiping her body, or serving her food, and a pang of heartache would rise within her. This was her husband; how could she have hit and scolded him? But after the heartache and guilt subsided, the same thing would happen again the next day. After several such incidents, Dou Akou herself felt she was being overly dramatic, yet she couldn't help herself, and thus, she became increasingly irritable.
That evening, dark clouds loomed overhead, thunder rumbled, and a torrential downpour lasted all night—the heaviest rain since the beginning of summer. Outside, a fierce wind howled, and the banana trees in the corner were bent low by the torrential rain, with streams of water cascading down their broad leaves. The scent of water, the smell of earth turned up from the ground, and the fragrance of flowers mingled together and drifted in softly through the window screen.
Dou Akou was kept awake by the torrential rain and vented her frustration on Fu Jiuxin for a while. Fu Jiuxin didn't mind at all, fanning Dou Akou and gently coaxing her to sleep. Fortunately, the rain took away the heat, and the weather cooled down. Dou Akou pouted and complained to Fu Jiuxin for a while, before finally drifting off to sleep.
She woke up in the middle of the night and looked around; the rain had stopped. Fu Jiuxin leaned weakly against the bedside, his eyes closed, still clutching the fan in his hand. He frowned slightly, dark circles under his eyes. He hadn't had an easy time during Dou Akou's ordeal; in fact, he had suffered the most.
In the dead of night, all was quiet except for the distant chirping of insects and the dripping of water from the leaves. Dou Akou looked around, and for some reason, that evil fire started to rage again. Suddenly, she was overcome with grief and began to cry for no apparent reason.
Her sobs were soft, deliberately suppressed, yet they still woke Fu Jiuxin. In fact, Fu Jiuxin had barely slept a full night during this period; even a mumbled word in Dou Akou's sleep could startle him awake, making him rather paranoid.
He immediately opened his eyes and looked in Dou Akou's direction, only to see her face covered in tears. His heart ached instantly, and he hurriedly comforted her, "Akou, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell? Hmm? Tell the master, the master is here."
Dou Akou felt even more aggrieved upon hearing this, and sobbed, "I'm hungry! Sir, you won't give me any food!"
This was the first time Dou Akou had expressed any desire to eat since she started experiencing morning sickness. Fu Jiuxin was overjoyed and immediately dismissed the unfounded accusation: "Yes, yes, it's all your fault, sir. I'll go get you something to eat right away. Just tell me what you want to eat."
Dou Akou thought for a while and then said hesitantly, "I want to eat lychees."
The lychees were just ripening this time of year, but where could anyone find them in the dead of night? There was a lychee orchard on the outskirts of Longfeng Town, but it was more than ten miles away from the town. However, Fu Jiuxin didn't even frown. He decisively got up, dressed, lit a lantern, and blew out the candles. Once everything was ready, he returned to tuck Dou Akou in and said, "It's a bit chilly after the rain. Be careful not to catch a cold."
Dou Akou nodded and stared longingly at Fu Jiuxin: "Sir, I want one that's big and sweet."
Fu Jiuxin turned around and smiled, her eyes filled with endless tenderness and affection: "Okay."
Dou Akou later realized how spoiled and unreasonable she had been back then, but how deep her feelings were that made Fu Jiuxin so devoted and uncomplaining.
When Fu Jiuxin returned, it was the darkest hour before dawn. He was covered in a thin mist and dew, his black hair was covered with a layer of frost, and he was carrying a basket full of lychees.
He went inside, and without even changing his soaking wet clothes, he found a large bowl, washed his hands, and peeled lychees for Dou Akou.
Dou Akou sat on the bed, wrapped in a thin blanket, and opened her mouth wide as Fu Jiuxin fed her. The fruit peeled open, and the translucent flesh, once inside her mouth, instantly filled her entire oral cavity with a sweet and sour, refreshing juice that permeated every sense.
Fu Jiuxin carefully wiped away the remaining juice from her lips and asked softly, "Was it delicious?"
Dou Akou smiled and nodded vigorously: "Yes! Sir, you should eat too!"
“I don’t want to eat.” Fu Jiuxin smiled at her. He had traveled half the night and knocked on the door of the lychee orchard. He was scolded by the owner, who was fast asleep. After paying, he climbed the tree himself and, under the dim light of a lamp under the tree, picked and chose among the lush branches and leaves. It was not easy to fill a basket.
All of Fu Jiuxin's unease vanished upon seeing Dou Akou's smiling face. Although he didn't get to eat the lychee, his eyes and brows were full of satisfaction.
This night was like a watershed moment.
The next day, when Dou Akou woke up, she saw her face in the mirror. It was peaceful and serene, like the cleansing after a storm. She knew that the emotional turmoil that had tormented her and those around her was finally gone.
She regained her former good appetite and good temper, which relieved the entire Dou family.
Fu Jiuxin went out with a basket. He went to the lychee orchard every day to pick lychees for Dou Akou—Dou Akou had been craving them lately.
As soon as he stepped out of the Dou family's courtyard, he saw several strangers loitering outside the gate. Longfeng Town was not large, and the people coming and going every day were all familiar faces who had lived in the town for generations. When a few outsiders suddenly appeared, they could be identified at a glance.
Fu Jiuxin glanced at them indifferently, then continued walking forward without stopping.
"Mr. Fu, please wait." One of the men immediately stepped forward and blocked his path from the side.
Fu Jiuxin remained silent, but frost had already settled on his brows and eyelashes. The middle-aged man noticed Fu Jiuxin's displeasure and immediately got straight to the point: "This is a small token of my master's appreciation, and I would like to ask Mr. Fu to pass it on to your esteemed wife."
As he spoke, he clapped his hands, and several people immediately gathered around, each carrying a basket. Underneath the emerald green leaves covering the baskets were bright red lychees, interspersed with unmelted ice cubes.
"These lychees are a tribute from a small southern kingdom. They are called 'Lilac March Red,' and their flesh is exceptionally juicy and sweet. The Lord ordered us to deliver them overnight with utmost urgency. They are still fresh. Please accept them, sir."
What a grand gesture! Using chilled lychees, a rarity in the height of summer, and having them delivered by fast horse overnight. Fu Jiuxin instantly understood who the master the other party was. Furthermore, the pale-faced, beardless men in front of him, who seemed to be eunuchs in the palace, further confirmed the man's identity.