Xuehan was clever and immediately understood her second brother’s plan. Looking at her mother’s smiling face, she felt sorry for him. It would be so much better if he behaved well; he could come back sooner. The more he caused trouble, the later he would return.

Zhulan was a little sleepy and dismissed the two girls: “If you two want to go out for a stroll, hitch a ride. If you don’t want to go out, go back to your studies and practice your calligraphy. I want to sleep for a while.”

Xuehan and Wu Ning exchanged a glance, got up, and left.

As for where Yushuang went, Yushuang and Yulu were learning needlework with Xinghua; the two little girls had already wondered about that.

Zhulan fell asleep quickly, sleeping until noon. When she opened her eyes, she saw her mother sitting beside her. Zhulan sat up. “Mother, why are you here?”

Sun Shi replied, “How could I not come and see for myself about something so important?”

Zhulan blushed. “It’s nothing serious.”

Sun Shi glared at her. “Pregnancy isn’t a big deal? I thought you had given up on it long ago. I didn’t expect you to be pregnant again. You’re not young anymore. I wouldn’t feel at ease if I didn’t check on you. And you, don’t you know how you’re feeling? Don’t think that just because you’re better, everything’s fine.”

Zhulan saw that her mother’s face was more worried than happy. Zhulan felt a warmth in her heart and leaned affectionately against her mother. “Mother, the doctor checked me. My health is good. If I’m careful, everything will be fine.”

Sun Shi was truly worried. She had lost one grandson. If something happened to her daughter, she and her husband wouldn’t be able to live anymore. Fortunately, her daughter’s complexion was rosy, and her health was good. She hoped that this child wouldn’t cause any trouble. She couldn’t help but pray, “God bless, Buddha, bless.”

Zhulan stood up. “Mother, Father isn’t here, too, is he?”

Sun Shi snorted. “Yes, he came. He went to the orchard with Changli after seeing you.”

Mentioning the orchard, Sun Shi couldn’t help but say, “I visited your orchard a few days ago. The fruit trees, these past six years, have indeed been very productive. Last year there were fewer fruits, but this year the trees are laden with fruit. One tree can sell for a lot of money. Unlike our four-year-old fruit trees, although they yielded more than last year, there weren’t many.”

Zhulan wasn’t happy. “Mother, last year there were fewer fruits but fewer insects. I went to check this year, and many fruits are infested with insects. Some whole trees have hardly any good fruit.”

The fruit farmers she hired had tried various methods, but the effects were minimal. In ancient times, there were no pesticides, and she felt heartbroken seeing the bad fruit.

Sun Shi sighed, “Our fruit at home has also been infested with many insects.”

Zhulan sighed. Farmers and fruit growers alike have it tough. If paper weren’t so expensive, she would have even put paper bags on the fruit!

Sun Shi patted her daughter’s head. “You’re pregnant now; don’t worry about these things anymore. You have quite a few sons, and I think they’re all quite capable. Just stay home and rest.”

Zhulan covered her forehead. Her mother was really hitting her. She wanted to rest and rest, but she couldn’t help worrying. This year’s high income depended on the orchard.

Oh right, and the sweet potatoes and potatoes planted on the wasteland should be harvested soon. Zhulan planted more than thirty acres in one go.

At noon, Zhou Shuren couldn’t help but show off since no one asked. Zhou Shuren said quietly, “There will be many places to spend money in the future!”

Unfortunately, Zhou Shuren started like this too often, and the adults eating with him just wanted to finish their meal and leave quickly.

Zhou Shuren sighed, “…Sigh, next year there will be another daughter or son.”

Chen Daren choked. He was over forty and had a child, but the one who bore him a child was a concubine in her twenties. Zhou Daren, on the other hand, didn’t have a concubine. Then he thought about how young Lord Zhou’s wife looked. How old was she again?

He Daren was the first to react, “Congratulations, congratulations!”

He was terrified. Zhou Daren’s opening line had made him wonder what he was up to!

Zhou Shuren was pleased to hear the congratulations; he’d been suffocating all morning.

That evening, all the officials’ wives in Lizhou City knew that Zhulan was pregnant. Zhulan then stirred up another wave of resentment. These wives weren’t worried about Zhulan’s health; they were only jealous. Zhou Daren only had his first wife, and at his age, he was still so clingy.

Chen Daren’s wife, Madam Hua, felt a pang of heartache, especially thinking that her husband’s youngest son was born to a concubine. She turned away, ignoring her husband.

Chen Daren knew this would happen, but he still went ahead anyway. Otherwise, his wife would make a scene, his concubine would cry, and in the end, he would be the one with the headache.

That night, Zhou Shuren didn’t dare to hold Zhulan in his arms anymore. He carefully held Zhulan’s hand as they fell asleep, and he would wake up at the slightest movement from her.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye. It was Zhou Shuren’s day off. During these seven days, Zhulan met with the wives of officials, including Hua Shi and Miao Shi. With so many people coming, Zhulan had less rest, which displeased Zhou Shuren, and when he was unhappy, he would make things difficult for her.

In the end, the wives of officials stopped coming, and Zhulan had some free time. Zhou Shuren’s anxiety subsided.

Zhulan and Zhou Shuren were discussing going for a stroll in the garden when Steward Ding ran over. “Madam, Miss Wu bumped her forehead.”

Zhulan was taken aback. “Fell down?”

How could she have fallen down at home?

Steward Ding’s lips twitched. “Yes, Miss Wu fell from a tree.”

Zhulan was speechless.

She wondered if her hearing was failing due to pregnancy. Wu Ning was such a well-behaved girl; how could such a well-behaved girl climb a tree?

Zhulan stopped worrying and hurriedly asked, “Is she alright?”

Steward Ding coughed. “Miss Wu is fine; it’s just, it’s just…”

Zhulan said, “You almost worried me to death!”

(End of Chapter)

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