Chapter 72

Edited and Proofread by KitKat

There weren’t many servants in the manor and the few that were there had been hired by An Chang Qing after his arrival. As such, the pair did not see many people on their way back to the main room. 

An Chang Qing laid on Xiao Zhige’s back, feeling the man’s powerful pulse as his cheek touched his neck. It was calm and powerful, just like the man himself. An Chang Qing shifted his face and the long eyelashes swept over Xiao Zhige’s neck which caused his heart to itch like feathers brushing by. Before he could react, he felt a soft kiss touching the side of his neck.

Xiao Zhige lost his breath and almost stumbled. After stabilizing his footing, he reprimanded, “Stay still.” Although it was a scolding, there was no anger in his tone. 

An Chang Qing giggled, seemingly unafraid of him. Instead, his hands around his neck tightened as he rubbed his cheek against his neck. The warm sensation of his touch was addictive and gave Xiao Zhige a strange sense of peacefulness.

Seeing that Xiao Zhige had calmed down, An Chang Qing nestled on his shoulder and whispered lightly in his ears, “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going to die.”

Xiao Zhige’s footsteps came to a stop. This time, he was truly upset. “Don’t speak nonsense.”

An Chang Qing smiled and told him to put him down. The two happened to stop right at the garden in front of the main room. The surroundings were quiet with occasional chirpings coming from the trees. 

Xiao Zhige used the hem of his robe to wipe a stool and gently put An Chang Qing on it. 

An Chang Qing looked at him and found that he still angry with vivid “川” lines on his forehead. But even so, the man was still attentive to wipe the stool before letting him sit on it. In fact, the stools were always cleaned by the servants everyday, it couldn’t possibly have been dusty. An Chang Qing knew that this was all Xiao Zhige’s thoughtfulness towards him. He knew that as long as it was related to him, Xiao Zhige would always show his care in his own quiet ways and he finally understood his stand on the matter.

They had once made a pact to be together till death. Xiao Zhige had unceasingly kept his promise but as for An Chang Qing, he had wanted more when the baby came into existence. 

The pact that had only included the two of them was now shaken because he was willing to put his life at risk for the baby without considering that if something were to go wrong, he would’ve left Xiao Zhige all by himself.

Looking at the man staying silent, An Chang Qing finally made a choice. He stood up and held Xiao Zhige’s hand, speaking softly, “I haven’t forgotten the wish I made the night of the Lantern Festival.”

An Chang Qing looked into Xiao Zhige’s eyes and said wholeheartedly, “I can’t bear to part with this child but I promise you, as long as Dr. Hu ascertaines that my life is in danger in keeping him, we will give him up. I will not put my life at risk. Please believe me.”

Xiao Zhige’s throat rolled several times as he looked at An Chang Qing. Only after a while did he respond by hugging An Chang Qing and said in a hoarse voice, “Alright, I believe you.”

An Chang Qing smiled as he wrapped his arms around Xiao Zhige’s waist to reciprocate.

Afterwards, the two walked back to their room hand in hand. Xiao Zhige then called for Hu Shifei again to ask about the operation. Although Hu Shifei has a quirky personality, when it comes to medicine, he was highly reliable. He had reread the notes several times and had even gone to Lady Guo to get more information. By now, he already had a good grasp of the procedure and was affirmative to succeed. 

These details he had explained to Xiao Zhige but he was so intimidated by the words “cutting open to retrieve the baby” that he refused to listen any further. Now that Hu Shifei could explain to him the whole process again, there was some relief in his eyes though, his expression remained gloomy. But, at least, he did not object to the procedure.

After pacifying Xiao Zhige’s worries, he went on to check An Chang Qing’s pulse. Seeing that everything was fine, he spoke with them in detail about the things to pay attention to before leaving the manor.

An Chang Qing was now over four months pregnant and although it was not physically obvious, his symptoms were. He had a huge appetite and was often drowsy. His belly wasn’t showing but the once boney cheeks were now more bouncy.

“Dr. Hu said that it’s not a dangerous operation. Only, after the delivery, the cut will be quite large and has to be treated carefully for a while. Wangye can stop worrying.” An Chang Qing leaned in and pinched Xiao Zhige’s cheeks, forcing his lips to curl into a smile.

Because there was no one else in the room, An Chang Qing had taken off his coat, shoes and socks and was wearing a thin silk robe. His long hair spreaded over his back and at this point, he was kneeling over Xiao Zhige on the bed, giving off an alluring charm that he was not even aware of.

Xiao Zhige gave a smile in accordance with An Chang Qing’s wishes and quickly closed up his loosened collar. He straightened up his tone and said, “I’ll go get some fish bladder from Hu Shifei another day.” (TN: Correct me if I’m wrong but, based on context, I think fish bladder can be used as a condom)

An Chang Qing was fuddled at his sudden remark. His cheeks turned red and he immediately let go of Xiao Zhige’s face. “Do what you want, why’re you telling me?” An Chang Qing said in a feeble voice before putting on his shoes and went to read a book by the window.

Xiao Zhige’s eyes followed his figure through the curtain and his expression only got gentler.

…..

In his return, Zhou He Lan’s group did not travel straight to Yanzhou. He passed through Qing Zhou’s Guan Yang City, Yu Zhou’s Ding An City, and then Suzhou before finally arriving back at Yanzhou. Apart from the sweet potatoes, he had also bought many curious looking gadgets and some exquisite jewelry, rouge, etc. along the way. By buying and reselling, he was able to earn a copious amount of silver. On top of that, he had also brought back many souvenirs and gifts for An Chang Qing and the others.

At the moment, Zhou He Lan had brought in the troves of trinkets he had brought back, allowing An Chang Qing to have the first pick. 

An Chang Qing had never been to the South and was intrigued by every little thing. He was now studying a small little wooden bird which was able to fly a short distance. At the same time, Zhou He Lan held up a small wooden box and said, “These are women’s perfumes and makeup, all of which were bought from the largest stores in the South. I’ve specially left them aside as gifts for Lady Yu and the young miss.” He pointed to a large trove and continued, “Those are fabrics that are in trend in the south, also for the misses.”

An Chang Qing was touched. He put aside the wooden bird he was playing with and said, “That is very thoughtful of you. Your mother’s health was still weak and unsuitable for this long-distance journey, that was why we couldn’t bring her to Yanzhou this time.”

Zhou He Lan nodded, “I understand. Mother mentioned it in her letter.”

“Did she also mention your marriage?” An Chang Qing said with a smile, “When mother came to Yanzhou, your mother asked her to send you a message that if there’s a girl that you fancy, you can ask Lady Yu to propose to her in her (Zhou He Lan’s mother) place.”

“There’s none.” Zhou He Lan lowered his head and said, “A man should thrive in his career before starting a family. I haven’t accomplished anything yet, how can I think about getting married? Even if she doesn’t mind, I still do not want to be unworthy.”

An Chang Qing couldn’t tell much from his expression. Assuming that he had misread something, he did not probe further and simply said, “In the future, if you like someone and your mother is not in Yanzhou, you can ask Lady Yu for help with the marriage proposal.”

Zhou He Lan thanked him before proceeding to report to Xiao Zhige on the operation of the jade mine. An Chang Qing decided to excuse himself and went to visit Lady Yu with the troves of gifts carried by the servants.

Lady Yu and An Xian Yu lived in the same courtyard. During their freetime, they would take a walk outside accompanied by guards but most of their time was spent indoors reading or doing needle crafts.

When An Chang Qing arrived, the ladies tracing the outline of a flower.

An Xian Yu quickly put away her needle and thread when she saw. She went over and relieved the wooden box in his hand, “You can’t afford to wear yourself out at this point.”

An Chang Qing patted her on the head and said, “It’s not heavy.” He then instructed the servants to carry the items into their rooms before sitting down to speak with his mother and sister.

“He Lan brought back a lot of textiles and makeup to Yanzhou especially for you and Xian Yu. I had nothing else to do so I brought them over for you.” An Chang Qing pointed to the wooden chests being placed inside.

Lady Yu opened one of the chests to have a look. Inside were various high grade porcelain jars containing expensive rouge and fragrances. From looking alone, she could tell they had been carefully selected.

An Xian Yu was excited seeing the assortment of make up she had never seen before. She took a whiff of a bottle of perfume and seemed happy with it. An Chang Qing saw her cheerful appearance and had a sudden thought, “Yu’er already old enough. Should we discuss marriage for her?”

Lady Yu looked at her daughter and sighed, “There were people back in Yejing who had come to propose marriage but they were vying for the support they can get from you and Wangye, I have rejected them all. But for a truly noble family, I’m afraid they might find my background unworthy.”

An Chang Qing on the other hand did not want An Xian Yu to marry into any prestigious family. In their previous life, An Xian Yu was married into what everyone had considered a prestigious family and suffered tragically. This time, he only hoped to find her someone who could love and protect her for a lifetime. 

“Actually it doesn’t have to be someone from Yejing,” An Chang Qing said, “The Vice General Qi who had visited the manor previously is quite decent…”

Lady Yu remembered Qi Wei. After some thought, she nodded, “He’s quite handsome. His words and actions are steady, quite appropriate as a candidate.”

An Chang Qing turned to An Xian Yu and asked, “ What does Yu’er think?”

An Xian Yu lowered her eyes and looked at the rouge in her hand. She then muttered, “He was just pretending.” During dinner that day, he couldn’t take his eyes off her. Clearly, he was not a gentleman.

She hesitated before picking up her courage and said, “I don’t want to marry this early. The other day on the street, I saw an official announcement stating that they are establishing a girls’ school. I want to become a teacher there.”

---

TN: We’re finally back! And sorry for the long break. You see, I’ve just adopted these two below a few months back. One is still a kitten Bengal and she was riddled with illnesses when I brought her back. She’s healthy now and incredibly mischievous. The ragdoll is the total opposite, super lazy and chill.
So yea, just wanted to introduce my two new family members and use them as an excuse for the delayed chapters 😏.

PS
We have a new translator who will be working with us so hopefully this’ll help us get back on track and we can dish out more chapters per week for you guys. 😉

Chapter 68

Edited and proofread by KitKat

TN: Sorry for the long wait. Both KitKat and I were kinda caught up with some stuff. To make it up, here’s a batch release of 4 chapters! Enjoy 😉

The carriage stopped in front of the crafting workshop. Without waiting for Xiao Zhige to help him alight, An Chang Qing got off the carriage and walked in briskly. Xiao Zhige could only shake his head helplessly and follow behind closely.

The crafting workshop was erected next to the Ordinance Office. In the front was the entrance hall, behind which was the craftsman’s lodgings, and at the innermost area was the backyard where the craftsmen worked. It was also where the waterwheel was placed.

An Chang Qing entered together with the foreman and saw the ten-foot tall water wheel attached to wooden tubes for water intake and a trough at the bottom for diverting the water. There was almost no difference with what he had seen from his previous life.

“Have you tried this in the water?” An Chang Qing asked.

The foreman replied respectfully, “Not yet. But previously, we created a smaller version and tested it in water. However, due to the small size, there was not enough water for it to work. We adjusted and created a bigger one instead.”

An Chang Qing looked up and thought of the water wheel he saw in his previous life. A single wheel could irrigate two acres of farmland, if he could develop this technology in advance…

“When can you test this in water?”

“We’ll be conducting the test today. I’ve especially invited Wangfei to come and observe and let us know if there’s room for improvement.”

An Chang Qing was highly satisfied with the remarkable working speed of the craftsmen. He nodded and said, “Go ahead. If this succeeds, you will be handsomely rewarded.”

The foreman heard his words and was even more enthusiastic. He quickly called for people to proceed transporting the water wheel.

The craftsmen were only specialized in their fields and could barely make a living. With Wangfei’s creation of the workshop, not only were they receiving decent salaries, they were also appreciated for their profession. Most importantly, Wangfei had suggested many new innovations, making the craftsmens highly respectful towards him.

The craftsmen disassembled the water wheel and had it transported by ox carts to the pre-excavated site. There, they will re-install the waterwheel and immerse it in the river. As the water current passed through, the wheel slowly turned, trapping water in the attached wooden tubes. As the wheel continued to turn, the water in the tubes overflowed and poured into the basin which then distributed the water downhill through the ditches that were dug beforehand.

An Chang Qing exhaled the breath that he had been holding and exclaimed, “It really worked!”

Seeing the water wheel operating, Xiao Zhige who was disapproving of An Chang Qing following him here was nonetheless touched by the sight. No one knew better than him the importance that this water wheel would bring to the people of Yanzhou and even to the whole of Da Ye.

In the future, they only needed to excavate the rivers and install the waterwheel and the irrigation work that required heavy manpower could be done effortlessly. Efficient irrigation would also lead to healthy crop growth and increase in crop yield. With the people freed from the time consuming and laborious work, they would in turn have more time to work on other things.

Perhaps, in the years to come, Yanzhou might no longer be a barren city, rife with poverty.

Xiao Zhige’s eyes were filled with affection as he looked at the person by his side, “The water wheel has been developed successfully. It is of great benefit to the people. The craftsmen will receive monetary rewards, what does Nuo Nuo want?”

“Me?” An Chang Qing thought for a second and smiled playfully, “I want Wangye to stop nagging me.”

“…” Xiao Zhige stayed silent for a while but he still compromised in the end, “I’ll stop nagging you but you have to be careful. Although things are still unconfirmed, we still can’t act as though nothing’s happened.”

An Chang Qing’s eyes smiled. He took Xiao Zhige’s hand and swayed, “I know my limits. You, on the other hand, how long have you not had a full night’s sleep?” He stroked the dark patch under Xiao Zhige’s eyes.

Xiao Zhige had always been tough. During battles, he could forgo sleep and rest without showing any signs of fatigue. However, after knowing that An Chang Qing was pregnant, he hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep since. He would stay up through the night to watch over An Chang Qing and in the morning, he would stay close to protect him. Even the many affairs of the military had been brought back to the manor to handle so he could stay close to An Chang Qing.

An Chang Qing could more or less understand his concerns but there wasn’t much he could do to reassure Xiao Zhige except to show him that he was physically healthy. At least this way, he could relieve some of his worries.

“Seeing you this way, others might think that there’s a spirit sucking demon at home,” An Chang Qing added jokingly.

Xiao Zhige chuckled. He nodded with a slightly serious expression and said, “There is indeed a demon at home. It’s just that he hasn’t been sucking away my spirit for quite some time now.”

Of course An Chang Qing could tell what he was insinuating. He gave him a glare and snorted, “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to check on the water wheel.”

Xiao Zhige’s hand was pushed away but he still followed closely behind An Chang Qing, guarding him as he walked along the slippery riverside.

…..

The first water wheel was on a trial run for 5 days before it was officially introduced to the public.

The water wheel was crafted by the craftsmen and paid for by the magistrate. Now, the farmers only had to dig and plant. And to demonstrate its usefulness, three water wheels had been erected and put to use.

The people were surprised at the waterwheel’s efficiency. The farmers told to help with excavating the river and digging trenches no longer complained about the work. Now that they knew the importance of the water wheel, and since the magistrate had prepared the water wheel, they were more than happy to provide the labor.

And so, that summer, in addition to farming, the people of Yanzhou also heartily built trenches to prepare for the water wheel.

By August, the construction of the outer city had proceeded past the midway mark. Along with that, the installation of the water wheel had also been completed. The trenches carrying water now flowed through the thousands of acres of farmland, cultivating the fields. 

Although there was still much to improve, Yanzhou was already showing signs that it would prosper in the future.

…

In the beginning of August, several carriages escorted by guards entered Yanzhou and made their way towards the General’s mansion.

An Chang Qing had already received the news and was waiting at the gate. When he saw the approaching carriage, he couldn’t help but take a few big steps forward. Lady Yu was looking out the window at the same time and met An Chang Qing’s eyes. With a slightly trembling voice, An Chang Qing called out, “Mother.”

After their farewell in Yejing, the mother and child had not seen each other for six months. 

Without waiting for the servants to bring the stool, Lady Yu lifted the curtain and eagerly alighted the carriage. She carefully observed An Chang Qing and after seeing that he had a healthy complexion and a rounder face, she smiled and said, “You’ve gained some weight and have even gotten taller.”

An Xian Yu got off the carriage after Lady Yu and said, “Mother has been worrying that life in Yanzhou was too hard on you. I kept telling her that she’s being worried for nothing.”

Lady Yu gave An Xian Yu a disapproving look. As her concerns had not been relieved, she turned back to An Chang Qing and asked, “The last letter you sent, could it be that you’ve encountered a problem?”

Seeing the anxiety in her expression, An Chang Qing knew that Lady You must’ve known something. As this was not an appropriate place to talk, An Chang Qing led her into the manor first.

Since An Chang Qing had informed them that they would be living in Yanzhou for some time, the two ladies had brought  all their belongings with them. The maids they brought along followed the servants of the manor to help move and unpack their luggages while An Chang Qing and Xiao Zhige led Lady Yu and An Xian Yu to the main hall for dinner.

After eating, Xiao Zhige saw that Lady Yu was still listless and suggested that they go to the study.

Lady Yu could already guess that there must be something wrong with An Chang Qing’s body. She sighed and followed behind them. As for An Xian Yu, she was clueless and initially, Lady Yu did not want her to come along but Xiao Zhige said that they were all family and she was bound to know sooner or later. And hence, the four people entered the study together.

Although An Xian Yu did not know what was happening, she understood from their somber expression that it was something serious. She sat quietly and listened to her elders talk.

Xiao Zhige ordered the guards outside to keep watch of the door and then went on to close all the doors and windows before sitting down next to An Chang Qing.

For a minute, the atmosphere had turned heavy. Nonetheless, it was Lady Yu who spoke first, “Is something wrong with Nuo Nuo’s body?”

An Chang Qing’s eyes moved as he said, “Mother, are you hiding something from me?”

Lady Yu remained silent for a long time before she finally nodded, “I planned to tell no one and bring it to the grave with me.” Unfortunately, from An Chang Qing’s letters asking her about the mermaid tribe and the red marking, her worries were justified. She organized her words and slowly asked, “Are scales and red markings appearing on your body?”

“Scales?” An Chang Qing’s eyes widened and he asked with some confusion, “What scales? I only have red scaled-like spots behind my ear.”

After speaking, he turned his head and pulled his head aside, revealing a patch of red fish scale pattern on his skin.

Lady Yu’s eyes trembled as she ran her fingers over the red marking. “That’s it… Why is it showing up again…”. She then frantically checked An Chang Qing’s face and neck and was relieved that it was normal. 

“Does mother know what these red markings are?” Xiao Zhige asked.

“I do not know.” Unexpectedly, Lady Yu shook her head and said, “But when he was four, Nuo Nuo was stricken with this anomaly before and it was much more serious. The red scales appeared all over his face, neck, and chest. On both his feet, the scale patches were bigger and more prominent.”

An Chang Qing was taken aback. He had never known that this had happened when he was young. 

Lady Yu smiled bitterly and continued, “You were too young. And at the time, you also had a high fever, so you probably don’t remember. Haven’t you always wondered why your father suddenly started hating us? This was the reason…”

She no longer felt the pain as she calmly began to recount the past. 

It happened when An Chang Qing was only four and An Xian Yu had just turned one. Lady Yu and An Zhi Ke were still a loving couple. Although she was only a concubine, she was not greedy for more. All she wanted was a peaceful life for her and her two children. Alas, even such a simple wish was shattered when An Chang Qing fell into a coma after developing a high fever. Lady Yu had invited a physician to check on her son and An Zhi Ke, being worried for An Chang Qing, had followed along. As soon as the physician lifted the bed curtain and saw the red marks on An Chang Qing, he was badly frightened and called him an ill-omen demon.

An Zhi Ke went through great lengths to make sure that the physician kept what he saw a secret. Lady Yu was grief stricken when she found that the scale-like spots had spread to An Chang Qing’s leg. She intuitively asked her husband to save their son but it was as though An Zhi Ke had turned into another person. With stone cold eyes, he wanted to take An Chang Qing out and kill him. 

Although he did not say it, he had agreed with the physician and thought of An Chang Qing as a demon. At that time, he was about to be promoted to Prime Minister. He couldn’t allow this scourge to ruin everything. 

The son that he had once doted on was nothing compared to his future.

In the end, it was Lady Yu’s threat to end her life that saved An Chang Qing. But since then, An Zhi Ke had come to hate the mother and son. As he believed that An Chang Qing was indeed a demon, he made them stay at the farthest and remotest courtyard. They were not allowed to ever leave the An Manor and An Zhi Ke never looked for them again.

“Your father forbade me from calling for a physician so I could only wipe your body with clean water and feed you porridge…” 

Luckily, heaven did not forsake a mother’s love. An Chang Qing’s fever gradually subsided and so did the red markings. After six months, the red markings on his face had disappeared and the scales on his legs were slowly shed off.

Lady Yu did not speak of the incident again. What had happened that day, the only other people who knew were the physician and An Zhi Ke. And even after An Chang Qing had recovered from his illness, An Zhi Ke had lost all his love for him and Lady Yu. As Lady Yu was also not an ambitious woman, and after witnessing An Zhi Ke’s heartless rejection of their son, she willingly moved to the remote courtyard and lived her life discreetly with her two children.

As time flew by, her children grew up and she had eventually put the matter behind her. It wasn’t until An Chang Qing married to Xiao Zhige that she recalled the occurrence of the strange marks and became worried.

But alas, there was no avoiding the inevitable. Ladu Yu looked at her quiet son and forced a smile, “Luckily it’s only a small patch. It shouldn’t be visible with hair covering it.”

She then turned to Xiao Zhige and said with a gentle expression, “It’s a good thing that Wangye does not mind.”

Ever since she received An Chang Qing’s letter asking her about the mermaid tribe, she couldn’t stop worrying that An Chang Qing’s strange illness had resurfaced and because of that, he might be alienated and treated badly in Yanzhou. However, the moment she saw her son, she knew that a coward like An Zhi Ke could never be compared to the magnanimous Northern Warlord.

His love for An Chang Qing was unconcealable. Instead of being afraid of An Chang Qing’s strange body and treating him as a demon, he was actually concerned for his well being.