"How is it?"
Granny Tang stared nervously at Chen Yuezhi, while the other maids in the room watched her intently.
Chen Yuezhi smiled and withdrew her hand. "Wanwan didn't misjudge. Sister, you are pregnant."
At this, the maids in the room jumped for joy.
This was truly momentous news!
Magistrate Cheng and his wife had been married for nearly nine years and only had one son, Cheng Sinian. Madam Cheng had been in poor health since childhood, and her condition worsened after giving birth to Cheng Sinian. She had been carefully recuperating all these years but had not conceived again.
Madam Cheng had even resigned herself to having only Cheng Sinian as her son, never expecting such happy news to arrive so unexpectedly.
The thought of it brought tears of joy to Madam Cheng's eyes.
For years without pregnancy, her mother-in-law had sent countless letters, urging her to take more concubines for her husband to continue the Cheng family lineage. Even her own family had pressured her.
Under immense pressure, Madam Cheng had no choice but to take two concubines for her husband. However, Magistrate Cheng cherished her deeply and rarely visited the concubines. He had also ensured that the concubines did not conceive, not wanting to hurt her feelings, nor did he want the concubines to develop ulterior motives by having children to rely on, thus disrupting the harmony of the household.
To have achieved this level of consideration, Magistrate Cheng could be considered exceptionally devoted in those times.
Chen Yuezhi understood her unspoken sorrow, so she gently patted her shoulder. "Don't get too excited; it's not good for your health. You must maintain a good mood from now on, smile often, and set aside any worries for the time being. Taking care of yourself is the most important thing."
Granny Tang quickly asked, "Madam Jiang, is my mistress's health alright? Does she need to drink some herbal medicine to ensure the pregnancy?"
Chen Yuezhi smiled and nodded. "Everything is fine. Medicine has its side effects. Since she is well, there's no need for bitter concoctions. Nourishment through food is better than through medicine. I'll get some dietary prescriptions from my master and send them over."
Granny Tang repeatedly expressed her gratitude.
Chen Yuezhi, concerned about her daughter-in-law and granddaughter at home, hurried to have someone send her back. As she was leaving, she called out to Jiang Wan and Jiang Xiao to accompany her. However, Jiang Wan said, "I came to see Aunt Cheng about something."
Unexpectedly, due to the discovery of Madam Cheng's pregnancy, she almost forgot the matter she had come to discuss.
Madam Cheng asked curiously, "What is it?"
Jiang Wan said, "Auntie, do you know any painters who are skilled at drawing portraits?"
Madam Cheng replied without hesitation, "There's one at the yamen."
Jiang Wan waved her hand. "That won't do."
The style of those wanted posters was far too abstract.
"I'm looking for a painter who can capture a likeness that is extremely close to the actual person."
Madam Cheng thought for a moment and then raised her eyebrows. "Isn't Scholar Zhou good at this? His portraits back then were exquisite. It's said he's painted many portraits of his wife over the years."
Jiang Wan's eyes lit up. "Then I'll go find Mr. Zhou right away."
Madam Cheng asked, "Why do you suddenly want to have portraits drawn?"
Jiang Wan glanced at Jiang Xiao, who had been quietly accompanying them. "I want to have some portraits of Little Bao drawn and posted everywhere. If the person who took Little Bao sees the portraits, they'll know we're looking for him."
Relying solely on the voiceless birds to help was not comprehensive enough. The most effective way to find someone was to let the person being sought know that someone was looking for them.
Madam Cheng was aware of the Jiang family's search for their child. Jiang Pan had specifically requested Magistrate Cheng to use his connections to help search for the child in the Jiangnan region, but there had been no feedback.
Madam Cheng turned to comfort Jiang Xiao. "Don't worry, Little Bao is definitely waiting somewhere for you to pick him up."
Jiang Xiao, with red eyes, nodded.
She had no idea why Jiang Wan had come to the Cheng residence. Upon hearing it, besides being immensely touched, she felt ashamed that she, as his mother, could only worry and had no useful ideas, unlike the six-year-old Wanwan.
The two left the Cheng residence and headed straight for Scholar Zhou's home.
Upon arrival, Scholar Zhou was teaching Sanlang.
The gate was ajar, and the sisters pushed it open. They didn't disturb the teacher and student. Jiang Wan went to the osmanthus tree and looked; the tree was in full bloom, its fragrance rich and intoxicating.
Seeing that Scholar Zhou's courtyard was a bit messy, and since they were seeking a favor, Jiang Xiao silently rolled up her sleeves and began tidying the yard.
When Scholar Zhou came out of the house with Sanlang after their lesson, the courtyard had already been tidied up by Jiang Xiao.
Scholar Zhou looked at the courtyard and then said to Jiang Xiao, "You don't need to be so polite. I charge tuition for teaching Sanlang."
Jiang Xiao was a bit flustered and didn't know how to respond.
Jiang Wan said, "Mr. Zhou, my sister has a request for you. We're not here about Sanlang's studies, but to ask for your help in drawing some portraits."
Scholar Zhou replied, "I charge for my portraits."
Jiang Wan smiled. "Of course, I won't let you draw for free."
Scholar Zhou then nodded. "Then come with me. Who do you want me to draw? Miss Jiang?"
Jiang Xiao quickly waved her hand. "Not me, but for my child, Little Bao."
Scholar Zhou frowned. "If the person isn't here, I can't draw them."
Jiang Wan tutted. "So, Mr. can only copy what's in front of him?"
Scholar Zhou was displeased. "Portraits have always been drawn from life. Who can draw someone they've never seen from thin air?"
Jiang Wan shook her head disapprovingly. "Mr., drawing from life, anyone with some painting skill can do it. To draw someone you've never met based on someone else's description and have it be largely accurate, that's a true master."
Scholar Zhou had never heard of such a painting method and became instantly interested.
So, he asked Sanlang to fetch his painting supplies from the house, had Sanlang grind ink, and then said to Jiang Xiao, "Miss Jiang, please describe your son's appearance."
Jiang Xiao quickly and carefully described Little Bao's appearance to Scholar Zhou.
However, Jiang Xiao was uneducated and from Jianzhou, so many dialect words and adjectives were difficult for Scholar Zhou to understand. They communicated through gestures and guesswork. After Scholar Zhou drew a rough sketch based on his understanding, he asked Jiang Xiao if it looked similar. If not, they would continue with gestures and guesswork, working so hard that he broke into a sweat.
About an hour later, after countless revisions, the portrait of Little Bao was finally completed.
Scholar Zhou wiped the sweat from his forehead, put down his brush, and said to the three of them, "Look, does it resemble him?"
Jiang Wan had only seen Little Bao once since she transmigrated and didn't have a strong impression of him, so she didn't feel much about the portrait.
Sanlang looked at the portrait and muttered, "Wasn't Little Bao this thin before?"
Only Jiang Xiao looked at the portrait and burst into tears. She tremblingly stroked the portrait and then fainted.