Chapter 682   - Uncomfortable Pregnancy

In fact, Yuan Sinian was more nervous about the exams than Little Shitou. As soon as his disciple left the exam hall, he instructed Little Shitou to write down from memory the questions that appeared on the exam and the answers he had given. Then, he called a teacher over from the Imperial College to look over them together. As for the Four Books and Five Classics, they didn’t need to concern themselves over that as Little Shitou already knew them by heart and could recite them forwards and backwards. As for his essay reply on the policy question, his unique and creative viewpoint made his master, the best scholar of his generation, praise him repeatedly. In Yuan Sinian’s eyes, his young disciple was sure to become the best scorer in the exams! Unless there was a conspiracy going on!

As for the palace examinations, Little Shitou had enjoyed the benefits of his second sister’s connections and had already seen the emperor a few times, so he wasn’t scared at all. His second sister was right. As long as he did his usual, the exams would prove to be no difficulty for him!

Zhu Junyang helplessly watched as his wife’s attention had been taken up entirely by his younger brother-in-law. He could only follow the two of them from behind in a silent manner. It was truly difficult to have a younger brother-in-law who was clinging onto his wife. Fortunately, his father-in-law and older brother-in-law, other than greeting his wife enthusiastically at first, were actually quite warm towards him.

After entering the Yu Residence, his wife had been sent into the inner courtyard and he had been left in the outer courtyard with his two fathers-in-law. Who wanted to spend that much time with those two old men? He wanted to spend more time with his wife, ah, hmph! Unfortunately, one of his fathers-in-law was Fang Zizhen and had decisively refused his request with the excuse that ‘it was not customary’ to allow him in. After all, the inner courtyard also contained his two mothers-in-law, his wife, and some sisters-in-law. As an adult man, wanting to go there where there were so many womenfolk was a ridiculous idea!

Alright, the fathers-in-law words were law today. Zhu Junyang wrinkled his nose and stayed obediently in the outer courtyard. He drank a bellyful of tea as he had to converse with his godfather-in-law about the army affairs in the northwest. In a few days, the two Zhao Generals would be heading back out there and it wasn’t certain when they would be back again!

His actual father-in-law, Yu Hai, looked at all of the gifts that had been transported in and rubbed his hands in a somewhat awkward manner as he politely said, “Your Highness, we’re not outsiders here. Why did you bring so much stuff along?”

“My lord father-in-law, the more precious and expensive the gifts I bring, the more it shows just how importantly and respectfully I view my princess consort and her family. You should be happy about this!” Zhu Junyang naturally knew that his father-in-law deeply loved his daughter. This man was the epitome of a father who adored his daughter and ended up treating him, the son-in-law, well as a result.

Yu Hai was about to continue to say something when he was stopped by Fang Zizhen, “Son-in-law is right! These gifts are his way of showing his filial piety to you. If you’re too polite, then you’re taking him as an outsider! Our family has raised our daughter for eighteen years and this fellow has taken advantage of it. What’s wrong with taking some gifts from him?”

Zhu Junyang smiled and nodded his head at this. Suddenly, he discovered that Little Shitou, who had been at his side earlier, was secretly trying to sneak away out of the reception pavilion. His eyes caught him immediately and he asked, “Younger Brother, where are you planning on going? Spend some time with me and talk a bit. I heard that you did quite well at the exams this time...”

Little Shitou, who had been caught in the act, sat back down with a face full of disdain——who wanted to spend time with you? He wanted to go to the inner courtyard and ask his second sister how she had been doing lately! Although he had spent a lot of time traveling with his master and was often gone for a few months, he always knew that his second sister would be at home. As long as he got back, he’d be able to see her whenever he wanted to.

However, it wasn’t the same anymore. Second Older Sister had gotten married and had been taken away from him by the irksome fellow in front of him. In the future, there was no one there who would pinch his cheeks anymore, lament that he had gotten thinner, and come up with all sorts of new foods for him. Over the past few days, he had spent a lot of time preparing for the exams and had gotten thinner as a result. However, Second Sister wasn’t there anymore to make food to nourish his body. Wah wah wah...such a bad person to steal his second sister away from him!

Little Shitou ignored Imperial Prince Xu in a pique of anger but had been scolded fiercely by his father. Finally, he reluctantly described how the exams had gone but his heart had long flown into the inner courtyard to be by his second sister’s side...

Yu Xiaocao had been pulled by her mother and godmother along into the small reception pavilion. After all of them had taken a seat, Madam Liu carefully observed her daughter from head to toe. When she saw that her daughter’s cheeks were rosy and complexion looked bright, she felt her heart relax. The rims of Lady Fang’s eyes were red as she smiled slightly to ask, “In the past two days, how have you been doing at Imperial Prince Xu’s residence? Is the food to your liking? Are the servants in the estate hardworking ah? ...”

Her chain of questions came out so quickly that Xiaocao didn’t know what to answer first. She could only pull at her godmother’s hand, swaying back and forth as she smiled, “Mother, Godmother, don’t worry ah! It’s not as if you both don’t know what I’m like. Have I ever allowed myself to be pushed around or bullied? Everything is great at the estate. Lady Mother has given me her most hardworking stewards and seniors servants and I also have Wutong and Pipa as my assistants. There’s nothing for me to worry about in the residence!”

“Princess Consort Jing sent some servants to you? Which ones? What are their surnames?” Lady Fang had been born and bred in a noble family and had a good understanding of the darker sides of the inner courtyard. She was afraid that her goddaughter might be surreptitiously pushed around by these outside servants.

Yu Xiaocao picked up her cup and drank a sip of flower tea before she smiled reassuringly at her godmother and mother, “Don’t worry ah! You already know the senior servant; she’s Lady Mother’s Meixiang!”

“Ah! It’s her ah! No wonder the last time I saw Princess Consort Jing I didn’t see her by her side! I had thought that she had left after getting married. Apparently, she had been transferred over to you! I must say I’m relieved now. That lass Meixiang’s temperament and personality are both acceptable!” Lady Fang paused for a moment and then added on, “However, you need to make sure you have a good handle on the head stewards in the residence and you can’t just allow other people to appoint any servant to those positions. Imperial Prince Xu’s Estate is very large, so do you have enough servants on hand? If not, I can lend a few at first.”

“No need, Godmother! The maidservants I brought along as a part of my dowry are already enough! That being said, it’s not as if the other servants in the residence are unusable. I’m having Wutong and Yingchun and the others keep an eye on them! The vast majority of servants in the residence are Ruizhi’s people. Are you not able to trust the people he’s appointed?”

In actuality, Yu Xiaocao had very little patience for the trifling issues involved in running a noble estate. Zhu Junyang also knew this. Thus, no matter whether it was the stewards or junior servants or the maidservants in the inner courtyard, he made sure to be very careful when selecting him. Since he had the ability to read other people’s thoughts, it was easy as pie for him to pick out the bad from the good. Naturally, Xiaocao had full confidence in the people he had chosen.

Madam Liu and Lady Fang were both the type to view their son-in-law in a better light as time passed. With such a capable and talented son-in-law, they were quite happy and were able to relax after asking a bit more.

Yu Xiaocao...on the other hand, was not so reliable. The two mothers couldn’t help but worry about her!

The two mothers then began to chat about more private matters. Yu Xiaocao’s eldest sister-in-law, her childhood friend, was almost four months pregnant and her belly was already discernible. However, her complexion looked a bit wan and she appeared much skinnier now. Xiaocao knew that her eldest sister-in-law was having a more difficult pregnancy as her morning sickness was quite severe. In the past several days, she had been busy helping out with her younger brother’s exam affairs as well as her own wedding, so she didn’t have enough time to take care of the other girl. Now, when she saw her today, Xiaocao felt a bit apologetic. She stood up and walked over, holding her eldest sister-in-law’s hand before taking her pulse.

Liu Huifang was a bit surprised by her actions but when she understood what Xiaocao was doing, a blush rose up on her face. It was a bit embarrassing. In Dongshan Village, her older maternal cousin was perfectly fine when she became pregnant. She was able to cut ragweed, cook food, wash the laundry...no chores at home were delayed then. However, when it came to herself, why did she end up being so fragile and pampered?

When she was three months pregnant, her father-in-law and mother-in-law were both so busy that their feet rarely rested. It was one thing to be unable to help them but it was another to add to their worries. However, she was quite helpless in this situation. Ever since she found out she was pregnant, she had become extremely sensitive to smells and couldn’t handle many. In the past, the foods she liked to eat, such as chicken, fish, meat and eggs, were now all things that made her puke whenever she saw them. As for vegetables, she could only handle some whereas others caused her to vomit after eating them.

Unfortunately, the child inside her belly needed nutrition, so she often forced herself to eat food. However, the food she so painstakingly forced down often came back up again. After she vomited, she’d continue to eat with tears in her eyes! Yu Hang felt so bad seeing this that he wanted to find a famous doctor in the capital to treat her.

Her good friend’s, her youngest sister-in-law’s, wedding date was soon and she didn’t want to add to the burden at that time, so she used the excuse of morning sickness being what it was in the early months and that it would get better later. Yu Hang had also been very busy at home lately, so he hadn’t been able to find the time to look for a suitable doctor.

Liu Huifang knew Xiaocao had some medicinal knowledge but didn’t expect that she’d be able to spot that she was feeling unwell in the blink of an eye. She was sure the other girl would be able to help after taking her pulse.

Madam Liu asked anxiously, “Your eldest sister-in-law hasn’t been able to eat much and vomits all the time. I originally thought that as long as she passed three months it’d get better, but it’s already been four months and it’s still this bad. Cao’er, help her do something!”

Yu Xiaocao put her friend’s arm down and smiled at the two of them, “Don’t worry, it’s all okay. The little guy is perfectly healthy. He’s just being a bit naughty and making sure that everyone is aware that he is there!”

“Good, good, good! As long as the child is okay! However, it’s not sustainable that your eldest sister-in-law is unable to eat. Only a short period of time has passed but she’s thinned out so much. Cao’er, can you see if you can come up with some prescriptions for Huifang?” Madam Liu let out a sigh of relief as she held her daughter-in-law’s hand. She smiled until the wrinkles around her eyes deepened.

“Eldest Sister-in-law’s foundation is quite good, so, in her case, the benefits of medicine are not as good as good nutrition——I’ll write down a few recipes suitable for pregnant women to eat and I’ll have the people in the kitchens make some for her. I guarantee that these foods will make my eldest sister-in-law and her child healthy and strong!” Yu Xiaocao had the servants bring out some brush, ink, and paper from the small study in the courtyard. After considering it for a short time, she wrote down six to seven medicinal cuisine prescriptions that were suitable for nourishing the unborn child and replenishing the pregnant body.

Madam Liu gingerly took the piece of paper and carefully put it away. Originally, she was planning on taking the entire family back to Tanggu after her youngest daughter got married. Now, Madam Liu decided to change her plans. Her daughter-in-law’s pregnancy was not very smooth and it wasn’t suitable for her to endure a long voyage. Furthermore, there was no one as good as her daughter in nourishing and balancing a pregnant woman’s body! After all, wasn’t her Medicinal Cuisine House filled to the brim with customers every day? Not only was the food there delicious but it was also clearly very effective at healing ah!

On her daughter’s wedding day, there were many matrons and ladies who were of much higher rank than herself, the mere wife of a small sixth-ranked official. Despite that, they were incredibly polite and courteous to her. Furthermore, many of them had privately thanked her, telling her that she had raised a good daughter. The medicinal cuisine that her daughter had come up with had healed many people and it was clearly very effective.