After lunch, Du Min quietly found Granny Wu and asked her to feel her pulse.
Seeing Du Min’s expression, Granny Wu smiled, "Girl, you don't mean to say—"
Du Min lowered her head, a little embarrassed, "My period is more than ten days late this month, I think… maybe."
Since selling herself to Madam—cousin, she and Brother Pingyuan ate well and drank well, and all the toxins in her body were expelled, her menstrual cycle also became regular. Coupled with the daily morning exercises, her body had gradually become stronger.
During the New Year, she finally overcame the hurdle in her heart and resumed normal marital relations with Brother Pingyuan.
Unexpectedly, it happened so soon.
She was also very happy, but she was afraid she was overthinking it, so she never dared to tell anyone, not even Feng Pingyuan.
Granny Wu placed her hand on Du Min’s wrist, her gaze becoming unfocused.
Du Min looked at her pulse, feeling a little nervous. Ever since her child was… eaten by those villains, she… had been very afraid to think of her child.
Thinking of her little Mingming being torn apart, chewed, and swallowed by those people, she felt so suffocated.
But time always smoothed over all wounds silently.
Now that she had found her cousin and had the good fortune to meet the Grand Tutor, her wishes had been fulfilled. The past hardships and pain seemed to have quietly let her go. Sometimes, she could also recall the past with a calm heart.
Seeing that her cousin had four babies, Yang Shi was also pregnant, and even Liu Shi, who was several years older than her, was pregnant. Du Min also began to look forward to it. If she and Brother Pingyuan could have another baby, she would definitely protect him (her) well and not let him (her) suffer the slightest harm.
Granny Wu smiled, "Girl, you are pregnant, but only a little over a month. Your body is a bit cold, you need to pay attention to it in the future."
"Thank you, Grand Tutor, oh, no, thank you, Granny Wu!" Du Min quickly glanced around, her eyes filled with moist laughter.
"Why are you being so polite with this old woman like me, girl?"
Du Min smiled sheepishly, her heart warming.
Granny Wu looked out the window, her expression deep, "I didn't expect this Hongshu Slope to be such a blessed place. Four people are pregnant all at once. It was right for Xuesheng to stay here…"
Du Min secretly glanced around again and lowered her voice, "Did the Grand Tutor divine something? My cousin…"
Granny Wu glanced at Du Min and smiled kindly, "Heaven's secrets cannot be revealed. No need to rush, we just need to wait for the right time."
Du Min nodded, her expression becoming solemn.
Bai Sheng was also overjoyed to learn that Du Min was pregnant. Hearing Granny Wu say that Du Min's body was cold and needed nourishing medicinal soup, she took Granny Wu's prescription to find Tian Guihua and asked her to make a pot of nourishing soup for Du Min every day.
Tian Guihua patted her chest and told Bai Sheng to rest assured that she would take good care of Steward Du's diet.
Since Liu Shi was an advanced maternal age pregnancy and cherished this hard-won child very much, Bai Sheng asked her to rest more. Most of the kitchen work fell to Tian Guihua. Although Tian Guihua had no complaints, Bai Sheng never mistreated anyone who worked diligently.
Therefore, she decided to go to the county with Lu Ye to buy a few more people. It was safer to use people whose employment contracts were in her hands.
Moreover, with Hengheng going to the capital, the county’s grain would only be delivered by her. She was due in two months. This trip to the county would also be used to fill the houses on Xinghua Street with grain, enough for three to four months of sales. After she gave birth to the cubs, everything would be convenient.
Yang Shi's belly was already five or six months along. Bai Sheng asked her to sit in the clothing shop every day to supervise and keep accounts, without doing any heavy work.
The workers for the garment department could be recruited from the residents of Hongshu Slope first. Bai Sheng naturally favored these earliest settlers and thought of them first for any benefits before considering outsiders.
As the steward of all household affairs, Du Min's position was very important, and she was also one of Bai Sheng's most trusted people. Therefore, even though Du Min was pregnant, Bai Sheng did not want to hand over this job to outsiders. She asked Feng Pingyuan to act as a temporary replacement, with Du Min supervising and Old Madam Ji assisting.
Anyway, their family did not need to build houses for the time being, and road construction was also suspended. If anything else was needed, Zhao Dazhuang could also step in.
Du Min herself felt that there was no need to be so delicate. She could continue with this job. When she was pregnant with Mingming, she had to flee everywhere and had no guarantee of three meals a day, yet she had managed.
Feng Pingyuan said a few words and nipped her idea in the bud, "You were only sixteen or seventeen then, and now you're over twenty. Are your physical conditions the same? If something happens to you, I won't live alone!"
Alright, just for that last sentence, Du Min forgave Feng Pingyuan for being the only one in Hongshu Slope who didn't give his wife a sweet pet name.
Du Min was not a person who was overly sentimental, but hearing terms like "Precious," "Honey Pot," "Darling," and "Sweetie" every day made her a little envious.
Feng Pingyuan said he was a learned person and really couldn't do such affected things.
Bai Sheng called him a "steel straight man," and he didn't understand what it meant, but describing a man with "steel" and "straight" should be some kind of compliment, right? It was much more glorious than being called effeminate.
Hearing that Madam was going to the county again, everyone was very worried. But Bai Sheng and Lu Ye couldn't tell others that she would stay in the space all the way.
She could only smile and comfort everyone, saying that they would travel very slowly, and that the five quilts laid in the carriage would make it feel like sitting in a cradle, very comfortable.
Thus, the four-horse carriage set off under everyone's worried gazes.
Wen Zimou and Lu Ye sat in the front, while Bai Sheng lay inside the carriage.
When they reached a point where Hongshu Slope was no longer visible, Lu Ye used anesthetic to knock Wen Zimou unconscious.
Bai Sheng immediately flashed into the space.
The four-horse carriage began to gallop at full speed.
Wen Zimou, who was asleep in the carriage, was tossed up high and then fell heavily. Those five quilts were prepared for him.
Upon reaching the county, Bai Sheng and Lu Ye filled every room of the house on Xinghua Street with grain, including the kitchen.
After finishing this, the two returned to the carriage and drove it to take Wen Zimou home. They woke him up just before they reached Tongfu Street, where Wen Zimou lived.
Wen Zimou opened his eyes, yawned widely, and stretched languidly. After seeing his surroundings, he quickly looked at the sun in the sky and exclaimed, "My goodness, we're here so soon! I slept so soundly!"
Then, as if remembering something, he looked at Lu Ye with wide, panicked eyes, "Oh no! Brother Lu, you drove the carriage so fast, won't Bai Sheng be alright?"
"I'm fine, I'm great!" A spirited voice floated from the carriage behind them.
Lu Ye looked at him and smiled slightly, "Don't worry, my Precious is very strong."