"No, I'm fine," Shen Xiaoyan said with a smile.
"You're fine?" Yue Qingxin was confused. "If you're fine, why did you call for a doctor?"
"Naturally, it's to check your pulse," Shen Xiaoyan replied with a sly smile.
Yue Qingxin, being a clever person, saw Shen Xiaoyan's expression and recalled what Madam Qu had said earlier about some women experiencing morning sickness after conceiving. She then understood.
The thought of potentially carrying a child in her belly filled Yue Qingxin with excitement.
She and Sima Han had been married for two years but had no children. Her menstrual cycle was irregular, often skipping two or three months.
This time, it had been two consecutive months without her period, but she hadn't thought much of it. Who knew she might actually be pregnant.
Recalling her constant exercise daily, Yue Qingxin's face turned pale with fear, worrying that she might have harmed the child.
Seeing the shifting expressions on Yue Qingxin's face, Shen Xiaoyan knew her concerns. She said, "Sister, don't worry. I'll have Uncle Huo fetch Dr. Ji right away."
Yue Qingxin nervously clasped her hands together and nodded at Shen Xiaoyan.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at Madam Qu, who was standing nearby, and said, "Aunt Qu, please have Uncle Huo go invite Dr. Ji. We'll eat after he arrives."
Madam Qu smiled. "What are you saying, Madam? I'll have him go right now."
With that, Madam Qu left the room and went directly to the front courtyard to find Huo Si.
While Huo Si was already driving out, in the room, Shen Xiaoyan was comforting Yue Qingxin, saying, "Sister, please eat something first. Don't let the child in your belly go hungry."
Yue Qingxin blushed slightly and softly hummed in agreement. She then picked up her bowl and began to eat.
Shen Xiaoyan wasn't worried at all. Although Yue Qingxin had been exercising vigorously for the past two months, it wasn't overly strenuous. Moreover, she had been consistently giving Yue Qingxin immortal spring water to nourish her body, so it wouldn't affect the child.
However, she couldn't tell Yue Qingxin this directly. Only after Dr. Ji examined her pulse could Yue Qingxin truly relax.
Huo Si, driving the carriage, arrived at Dr. Ji's home. Dr. Ji's family had just finished lunch. Seeing Huo Si arrive, Dr. Ji was quite surprised.
Ever since Shen Xiaoyan became pregnant, she had Dr. Ji check her pulse every ten days. Without hospitals for prenatal check-ups, even though she knew there were no problems, she still wanted Dr. Ji to check to ensure her peace of mind.
Dr. Ji mused, hadn't he just examined Shen Xiaoyan three days ago? Why was Huo Si here now?
"Dr. Ji, if you're not busy, please come with me," Huo Si said with a smile.
"I'm not busy, but I wonder what's wrong?" Dr. Ji asked uncertainly.
"Nothing major. We just need you to check the pulse of Madam Yue," Huo Si replied.
Dr. Ji's heart then settled. He picked up his medicine chest and got into the carriage.
Just as Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin finished their meal, Huo Si entered with Dr. Ji.
Seeing Dr. Ji arrive, Shen Xiaoyan greeted him with a smile. "Dr. Ji, welcome. Please check my sister's pulse."
Dr. Ji nodded in agreement, placed his medicine chest on the table, took out a small pillow, and asked Yue Qingxin to place her hand on it.
Yue Qingxin looked at Dr. Ji with a face full of apprehension, hoping that she was indeed pregnant and not just having a false alarm, and also hoping the child was healthy and not harmed by her carelessness.
After about fifteen minutes, Dr. Ji withdrew his hand, his face showing joy. He said to Yue Qingxin, "Congratulations. This is a happy pulse. You are already more than two months pregnant. The fetus is very healthy."
Yue Qingxin's face lit up with a smile when she heard that she was pregnant. Hearing that the fetus was healthy, she became even more radiant.
Shen Xiaoyan said from the side, "Sister, are you relieved now?"
Yue Qingxin nodded repeatedly, too overcome with emotion to speak.
Shen Xiaoyan took out the prepared purse and handed it to Dr. Ji. "Thank you, Doctor. It seems my sister and I will be bothering you often in the future. Please accept this fee."
Dr. Ji did not refuse. He took the purse and put it in his sleeve. After giving Shen Xiaoyan and Yue Qingxin a few more instructions, he packed his things and left.
Shen Xiaoyan asked Huo Si to escort Dr. Ji back, but Dr. Ji declined. "I can walk back myself. It's not far, and I'm not in a hurry."
Shen Xiaoyan didn't insist. She escorted Dr. Ji to the door, asked Huo Si to see him off, and then turned back into the room.
In the room, Yue Qingxin was still sitting there, her hand constantly on her belly, her expression filled with happiness.
"Sister, you must be happy now. I see how much you like children. Now that you have your own, you'll surely like them even more," Shen Xiaoyan teased.
Yue Qingxin didn't refute. She did indeed like children, and even more so, she liked the idea of having her own. It was just a shame she couldn't tell Sima Han about it immediately.
"Alas, I wonder where Ah Han and the others are. They've been gone for over two months, and haven't sent any word home," Yue Qingxin sighed and said wistfully.
Mentioning this matter, Shen Xiaoyan felt the same as Yue Qingxin. Zheng Wei had been gone for so long without sending a letter. Was it because it was inconvenient, or had he simply forgotten due to being too busy?
"Don't think about it, Sister. You should be happy right now. It's good for the child," Shen Xiaoyan said, patting Yue Qingxin's shoulder to comfort her.
Speaking of being good for the child, Yue Qingxin immediately smiled. "Counting the time, you're now three months along, and I'm just over two months. You'll be giving birth before me."
"That's perfect. Let's see how it goes, and I'll tell you," Shen Xiaoyan said playfully.
Yue Qingxin helplessly tapped Shen Xiaoyan's head. "You, you just don't want me to have it if it's not good? You say such silly things."
Seeing that Yue Qingxin's mood had genuinely improved, Shen Xiaoyan stopped talking and led Yue Qingxin into the east side room. The two of them began discussing making more clothes for the babies.
In the courtyard below White Cloud Peak, laughter and joy filled the air, radiating happiness.
However, at the same time, at the foot of an unknown mountain, Zheng Wei and Sima Han stood back to back, each holding a long sword.
Around them was a circle of masked men in black, each wielding a weapon, their intent to kill palpable.
"Who are you? Why are you with this traitor surnamed Sima? We'll spare your life if you lay down your weapons or help us kill this rebel, as you are ignorant," one of the masked men, seemingly their leader, said to Zheng Wei.
Zheng Wei's expression was impassive. He didn't speak. With a flick of his left hand forward, three darts flew out from his sleeve, shooting rapidly towards the masked man who had just spoken.
The masked man, caught off guard, quickly retreated. He raised his saber to block in front of him, but was still injured in the left arm by a dart.
"Hmph."
The masked man let out a muffled groan. His gaze towards Zheng Wei was now filled with murderous intent. He said, "Attack! Kill without mercy."
As his voice fell, the masked men surrounding them rushed forward.
Seeing the situation, Zheng Wei and Sima Han showed no fear. The corners of their lips curled upwards simultaneously, revealing a cold, bloodthirsty smile.
Their movements seemed unhurried, yet every strike was fatal. Although fighting together for the first time, they cooperated as if they had done so countless times.
In just fifteen minutes, the group of masked men had become a pile of corpses.
Sima Han wiped the blood from his sword and said to Zheng Wei, "Why do I feel like we've fought side by side many times?"
"Me too," Zheng Wei replied with a deep sense of agreement, but inwardly he thought, *We have indeed fought side by side many times, but that was in a previous life.*
"Aren't you going to ask me where I'm going? Or who wants to kill me?" Sima Han asked, raising his eyebrows.
They had been out for over two weeks, constantly on the move, as if with no destination, or perhaps searching for something.
Zheng Wei had simply followed Sima Han, never asking too many questions.