Volume 1: Farmer's Joy 016 Shyness

  Zhou forced a smile, feeling somewhat restless. "Third sister, you rest well, I'll come visit again another day." With that, she nodded politely at Qian and got up to head outside the house.

  By the side of the kang, Qian Shi curled her lips and snorted, "What's with the big sister pose? Doesn't she see that she doesn't have the virtue to be a big sister?" After muttering this twice, Qian Shi looked at Fu Qiulian, "I'm saying, Third Brother's wife, our relationship is quite good, right? You can't keep anything from me."

  "Second sister said where words, how could I deceive you."

  "So tell me, what did your sister-in-law say to you when she came over? Wasn't she asking to borrow money from you? You're not allowed to be biased, our household is also very tight on funds lately. I don't want much, just five taels... no, ten taels would be enough..."

  Fu Qiu Lian interrupted her with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Second sister-in-law, look at me recently. This kang is burning, but the firewood and other things are also our own expenses. My dowry has been spent almost entirely. Your third brother is someone who only knows how to study hard, and now I have this child... unless you have some spare money on hand, can you lend me two taels? I don't need five taels, three taels will do."

  "What's this? I don't have any spare money in my hands..."

  Before she finished speaking, Fu Qiulian had already reached out and grasped her hand, with a warm gesture and a sincere tone, saying: "Look, Second Aunt, we are one family. Now that my husband and I have encountered difficulties, please help us out, Second Aunt. Just lend us a few taels to tide us over for now. Don't worry, if my husband really passes the imperial examination in the future and I become a jinshi's wife, I will never forget your kindness, Second Aunt."

  Qian almost flung off Fu Qiulian's hand, hastily dropping the sentence "Third brother and sister, you rest for a while, I suddenly remembered that there is still something in the house, I'll go first." Like a rabbit, he ran far away.

  Brushing shoulders, Qing's footsteps paused for a moment. Before he could utter the "Second Aunt" on his lips, Qian Shi had already run away without a trace!

  In the room, Fu Qianlian laughed so hard that she couldn't straighten her waist, her eyes narrowed into a slit, and the more she thought about it, the funnier she found Qian's family. She couldn't help but burst out laughing, which startled Lian Qing as he pushed open the door. How long had it been since he'd seen Fu looking so full of laughter?

  She walked over to help pick up the pillow that Qian had dropped in his haste, turning her body to one side so as not to get dust on her when he shook it out. After putting the pillow back in place, she helped Fu Qiulian pull up the half-slipped quilt, "Why are you laughing so hard? Be careful not to hurt the child in your belly." Lian Qing regretted his words as soon as they left his mouth, wasn't this counterproductive?

  This woman has never wanted children all along.

  He nervously looked at Fu Qiulian, feeling that his previous reminder was really stupid - if he hadn't said those words, it's likely that Fu Qiulian would have just laughed and let it go. But with what he had just said, Fu Qiulian, who always liked to oppose him and didn't want children in the first place, would listen to him? Just as he thought this, his mouth fell open.

  Then, Lian Qing saw Fu Qiu Lian's smile slowly fade away, rubbing his belly and speaking to him in a light tone, "I'm dying of laughter, you didn't see Er Sao's expression just now, she ran faster than a rabbit, haha, it's really killing me."

  Lian Qing furrowed his brow, opened his mouth to speak, but the words that had reached the tip of his tongue were halted as he raised his eyes to see Fu Qiu Lian's bright and smiling face with curved eyebrows. Lian Qing's words paused for a few moments before he changed his tone, "What are you and Er Sao discussing? I saw Er Sao rush over so quickly, she didn't even have time to talk to me."

  "Of course she didn't dare, she was afraid you would borrow money from her."

  "What? When did I borrow money from Er Sao?" Lian Qing looked at Fu Qiu Lian with some surprise, his brow slightly furrowed, "What's going on here?"

  "There's nothing, I just told Er Sao earlier." As she spoke, Fu Qiu Lian had already recounted the previous events to Lian Qing. Listening to this, Lian Qing was speechless, but seeing Fu Qiu Lian's obviously good mood, he let out a soft sigh in his heart and thought for a moment before saying, "Madam, a gentleman does not lose his footing with others, nor does he lose face with others, nor does he lose his words with others. Therefore, a gentleman is awe-inspiring in appearance, respectful in demeanor, and trustworthy in speech. Madam, although you may have teased Er Sao for the time being, it still amounts to telling lies, and moreover, it goes against morality..."

  "Alright, alright, this bookworm. Fú Qiūlián rolled her eyes and waved her hand at him with a face full of perfunctoriness. "Got it, got it, I know, bookworm. Ah, stomach..."

  Lian Qing's face changed from helplessness to tension, taking two steps forward but then stopping, just anxiously staring at the somewhat dazed Fow Autumn Lotus, with her hand on her abdomen and her eyes fixed on him without moving, "What's wrong with your stomach? Are you uncomfortable? Can't you speak up? Where does it hurt or what's going on?"

  "No, not him, yes, it's him—"

  Fu Qiu Lian's gesture of pointing to her belly made Lian Qing want to jump with excitement. If he hadn't been a gentleman who maintained his composure, he would have jumped up and down like Lian Jia Erzi. Despite this, his voice was tinged with more anxiety than usual, "What's wrong with your belly? Is it uncomfortable?" This child had been the object of Fu Qiu Lian's eager anticipation since she was diagnosed with pregnancy.

  This would be a real disaster, and with Fuyu Lian's recent behavior of not wanting children every day, Lian Qing didn't dare to relax even in his sleep, afraid that Fuyu Lian would secretly do something behind his back. Thinking of this, Lian Qing's eyes dimmed slightly, and he felt an inexplicable sense of oppression - he felt tired and powerless.

  He just wants to live a good life, have a good wife who can bring him a cup of tea when he's tired from reading at night, and give him a quiet place to read during the day. He doesn't want to always be in a noisy household with his family, arguing all the time until he gets a headache every day - is this asking too much?

  "Bookworm, bookworm, he's moved, haha, he's moved. He really has moved again." Fú Qiūlián's cheerful voice rang out beside his ear, and he was startled, looking up to see Fú Qiūlián peering at him with furrowed brows, "Bookworm, come over quickly, hurry up, hurry up and stretch out your hand."

  "What's going on?"

  Before he could say anything, Fu Qiulian had already stretched out her hand and grasped his large hand. In the instant that Lian Qing was startled and hadn't withdrawn his hand, she pulled it onto her abdomen with a face full of flying colors and joy, "Bookworm, feel it, the baby moved just now, the baby moved ah, haha, he's moving——"

  "Move? How is that possible. How can he move?"

  Lian Qing's face was incredulous, and Fu Qiu Lian Huo Da said, "Why is it impossible? He has a fetal heartbeat, he will turn over, stretch his hands and feet, and he will sleep and yawn. The fetus is also life, movement is normal, isn't it?"

  "Nonsense!" Lian Qing's hand was pulled by Fu Qiu Lian and stopped on her belly, feeling warm and soft to the touch, although there was a layer of clothing in between. The bulging and soft sensation still made Lian Qing's heart skip a beat, his ears turned red, and he quickly withdrew his hand. "You're always thinking about nonsense, you should be virtuous and quiet as a woman. I won't allow this kind of behavior again, or else... or else I won't forgive you." He threw out those stern yet gentle words, turned around, and hastily walked away.

  Behind her, Fu Qiulian cut in with a sharp voice, "What's there to be shy about? It's not like you've done anything wrong. You're already sleeping together and having kids, what are you pretending to be pure for now?" Don't think she didn't notice Lian Qing's bright red face and ears!

  Lian Qing's mouth twitched and his feet softened, almost falling to the ground. What kind of woman had he brought back home?

  Digression

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