Gu Mingyan, utterly bewildered, stared blankly. "???"
What was going on? Yan'er hadn't eaten anything unusual on the road, so why would she suddenly start vomiting?
Moreover, her complexion hadn't been quite right for the past few days, as if she were ill...
Without time to ponder, Gu Mingyan quickly went outside. Seeing Han Chiyan hunched over the toilet, vomiting uncontrollably, Gu Mingyan stepped forward and gently patted her back, asking with concern, "Yan'er, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Han Chiyan's pretty face was pale, and fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead. "I... I'm fine. It's probably just exhaustion. I'll be better after a rest!"
With that, Han Chiyan clutched the toilet and vomited again...
Gu Mingyan frowned slightly and called Steward Zhou over. "Go and invite a doctor immediately to examine Yan'er!"
"Master, I'm really fine," Han Chiyan said with a helpless expression.
It was just a few bouts of dry heaving; was it necessary to make such a fuss?
Gu Mingyan sighed, pulled out a handkerchief, and wiped the sweat from Han Chiyan's forehead. "Since you've decided to return to the Central Plains with this Marquis, it is my duty to take good care of you..."
If Han Chiyan were to be sickly every day, how would he explain it to the Khan and Khatun in the future?
Even though he had eloped with their daughter, he couldn't just abandon her. Han Chiyan was destined to be his wife...
Steward Zhou quickly returned with a doctor.
In the bedroom, Han Chiyan lay weakly on the bed. Watching Gu Mingyan fussing around, she felt a deep sense of contentment...
"How is she? What illness does she have?" Gu Mingyan asked urgently.
This elderly doctor was quite renowned in the capital, having rarely misdiagnosed anyone.
He merely took Han Chiyan's pulse and immediately understood what was happening...
"Oh, Young Master!"
The old doctor's eyes lit up, and he chuckled, "This young lady is with child! Judging by her pulse, her body is in no serious condition. She only needs a couple of days of rest to recover her health. As for the vomiting and drowsiness, those are normal reactions for a pregnant woman; there's no need to be alarmed..."
Gu Mingyan was stunned for a good ten seconds upon hearing this, then looked at the old doctor with disbelief. "Are you sure you're not mistaken? Yan'er is really pregnant?"
Good heavens, it was truly a case of wishing for something and it coming true...
Back in the Suicheng royal palace, he had been forced to have Yan'er pretend to be pregnant to silence Sayya Khatun.
He never expected her to actually be with child now.
The old doctor shrugged. "If Young Master doesn't trust this old man, you can invite another doctor to take a look!"
In this era, detecting a pregnancy usually warranted a red envelope...
Gu Mingyan, suppressing his inner excitement, instructed Steward Zhou, "Give the doctor his payment!"
"Right away, right away!" Steward Zhou, also delighted, scurried off to fetch the money.
Han Chiyan lay on the bed, completely bewildered, and even Hugu Shuang'er was filled with surprise.
How could she be pregnant just like that?
"No wonder my period hasn't arrived this month!" Han Chiyan sat up, pulled Hugu Shuang'er closer, and whispered, "Shuang'er, do you think this baby will be a boy or a girl?"
If it were a boy, her mother wouldn't be so upset with her...
After the child's full moon celebration, her mother and father could look after the child for half a year, and then Han Chiyan and Gu Mingyan would care for the child for the next half, and so on, until the child reached adulthood.
Hugu Shuang'er smiled and said, "In the eyes of the Khatun and the Khan, a boy would surely be more important. But Princess has always preferred little girls, hasn't she?"
"I... I'm fine with either!" Han Chiyan's pale cheeks regained a hint of color.
That evening, when the old Marquis learned of Han Chiyan's pregnancy, he couldn't sleep.
"You must get married immediately, Yan'er. You must listen to your father on this matter; there can be no more delays. Yan'er's belly is growing bigger by the day. If you don't finalize things soon, how will she face people?"
The old Marquis was even more anxious than the couple themselves...
Gu Mingyan couldn't help but feel a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Father, even if you didn't say it, your son would be arranging the wedding immediately!"
At his wedding, officials and ministers from the imperial court would surely come to offer their congratulations.
But Gu Mingyan sincerely hoped his nephew could attend personally...
If possible, he also wanted to invite the Yun family, both old and young, to the Marquis's mansion for a lively celebration.
Seeing his father stroking his chin, seemingly lost in thought, Gu Mingyan asked, "Father, I can arrange this wedding myself. You don't need to worry or exert yourself..."
His father was already of advanced age. After accompanying him to the northern frontier, he still had to busy himself with wedding preparations. Gu Mingyan truly felt a pang of reluctance.
Unexpectedly, the old Marquis pouted and chuckled, "I'm wondering if I should invite that old witch Sayya, and let her see with her own eyes the scene of her daughter marrying a young man from the Central Plains, haha!"
Gu Mingyan: "..."
Father, were you this mischievous when you were young?
If Sayya Khatun saw him marrying Yan'er, she would probably spit blood from anger on the spot.
"Your son will send someone to deliver a wedding invitation," Gu Mingyan said calmly.
Without the blessings of parents, the newlyweds would not be happy. Perhaps Yan'er also hoped that the Khatun and Khan would come to witness her wedding.
"Then it's settled. I'll invite my old buddies too, and we'll have a good drink!" The old Marquis was overjoyed.
He had vaguely acquired a daughter-in-law, and in a daze, he was about to have a grandson or granddaughter...
The old Marquis felt his life was complete.
The next morning, in Da Shui Village, at the old Yun family's home.
"Is this really the steamed buns that Xiao Jiezi made?" Old Man Yun looked at the yellowish large steamed buns on the table and twitched his mouth.
Although the appearance of the steamed buns wasn't very appealing, the texture was passable; they were edible...
Zhao Xiaojie puffed out her chest and placed her hands on her hips, "Grandpa, who are you looking down on? I can even fry fritters, let alone steam buns!"
Old Man Yun: "..."
Praise her a little and she gets a big head.
"Just having steamed buns isn't enough to eat; it'll be dry. Go and make some potato soup or egg drop soup!" Old Man Yun said.
He had gone to the fields to work for a while that morning and returned just in time for breakfast.
Xiao Jiu Hong had a high fever last night, and both Guan Zhongbo and Xiao Xi Tian were not at home. So, at dawn, Cai Xia carried her to the county town to see a doctor...
The responsibility of cooking now fell on Zhao Xiaojie.
"Oh, I'm probably not very good at making soup!" Zhao Xiaojie's eyes darted around.
Old Man Yun heard this and tapped his pipe. "Why aren't you good at it?"
"I, I'm afraid I'll make Grandpa so salty that he becomes mute!" Zhao Xiaojie said with a serious expression.
Old Man Yun: "..."
If you're afraid of it being too salty, can't you just use less salt?
Just then, a shout came from outside the main gate.