After Pei Huaijin’s health improved, he suggested going out for a walk and asked Qingjian to drive the carriage to the edge of Rainbow Bridge.
Rainbow Bridge stretched across the autumn waters, its vermilion railings chilled by the frost. Shen Youran linked her arm with his as they stepped onto the bridge. Inevitably, she thought back to how she had once met with him here on behalf of her sister.
Just as she was about to bring up that matter, he suddenly raised his hand and pointed to a small stall not far below the bridge. “They’re selling ring cakes there. Do you want some?”
What a coincidence. After their meeting that day, she had gone to buy ring cakes herself.
Shen Youran was about to comment on the coincidence when she looked up and saw the smile overflowing in his eyes, and suddenly realized, “You already knew?”
Pei Huaijin smiled knowingly. “Knew what?”
“That the person who met you here that day wasn’t my sister, but me…”
He trapped her between the railing and his arm, the shimmering water light reflecting in his eyes like scattered sparks. “So it was really you.”
“Yes. That day, I was originally accompanying my sister. Along the way, she suddenly broke out in a rash and couldn’t meet you. So she disguised me, changed my clothes, and sent me in her place…”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me this before?”
“What was there to say? After all, I lied to you,” Shen Youran watched his slightly trembling gaze and curiously asked, “But when did you find out about this?”
“The day you ran away to see me, my memory had just recovered to the day we met on the bridge…”
In his memories, the day he met “Shen Yunshu” on the bridge, the poised and gentle girl perfectly matched his expectations of his future wife. He was very satisfied.
Before their meeting ended, he vaguely sensed that the person on the bridge was restless. So, as he boarded the carriage and was about to leave, he lifted the curtain to look for her, curious about what she wanted to do.
Sure enough, the girl who should have disappeared from the bridge was no longer the composed and elegant lady from before. She hurriedly ran across the arched bridge, lifting her skirt as the silver-red pleated dress traced arcs like trumpet vines in the air. In an instant, she caught up to an old man selling ring cakes…
His heart skipped a beat, a smile unconsciously tugging at his lips: How could such a lively girl exist? Quiet as a delicate flower reflected in water, yet moving as swiftly as a startled hare, both serene and spirited, graceful as a startled swan.
Now, revisiting those memories, he realized that what truly captivated him that day was her shedding the disguise and revealing her genuine, lively self.
From that moment, he had fallen in love with her at first sight.
Fate had already tied their red thread long ago.
Pei Huaijin no longer needed to rely on his cane to walk and had returned to the Pei residence.
During the three months he was away, Shen Youran was not the only one unable to eat or sleep well. Although he was on a business trip, his parents, upon hearing that he had been poisoned, couldn’t help but worry.
During these three months, Madam Zhu had already prepared for the worst and started arranging for her husband to take a concubine.
At first, Pei Yuanji was unwilling. But after hearing her bring it up so many times, his resolve weakened. He thought it might be better to save some face and take one or two concubines to ensure an heir.
The day Pei Huaijin returned safely, Madam Zhu wept with joy upon learning the poison had been cured.
That evening, after some entertainment and drinking, Pei Yuanji was half drunk. Before Madam Zhu could tell him their son had returned safely, he slurred through the wine fumes, “Madam, tonight Zhang Xianren invited me to his residence for drinks. They have several dancers there and insisted I take one home. I couldn’t refuse, so I picked one. Tomorrow she’ll come to our residence; you should make arrangements…”
Before he finished speaking, his arm was pinched hard.
“Pei Yuanji, what do you mean by this?”
“Ouch,” he rubbed his arm in pain, pouted and said, “Isn’t it you nagging in my ear every day about me taking concubines? I’m just doing what you want.”
“Tomorrow morning, make sure to send her back immediately. Tell them you were drunk tonight. You’re not allowed to take concubines.”
“No, you were the one pushing me to take concubines. Now that I’m really doing it, you don’t agree? What exactly do you want?”
“Jin’er has returned,” Madam Zhu’s eyes glistened with tears of relief. “He secretly removed the poison on his own. Now that he’s fine, the matter of having children should be left to the young couple. You old bones shouldn’t bother yourself…”
Upon hearing this, Pei Yuanji’s eyes reddened, “Jin’er is okay? Well, that’s good…”
Although Madam Zhu handed over the task of continuing the family line to the young couple, she didn’t dare pressure them to conceive. Not only did she not urge them, she even told them to take their time, as the poison was just cleared and Shen Youran should focus on recovery.
Shen Youran thought the same. She even made a schedule for their intimacy, limiting it to once every three days. Excluding the seven days of her period and the two days before and after, the maximum was seven times a month, with only one round each time.
But after just ten days in the first month, they had already used up all the times—and often violated the rule of only one round per time.
Shen Youran sternly warned him, “Since the quota for this month is used up, you are not allowed to touch me anymore this month. Also, because you broke the rules, next month you will lose three times from your quota.”
“My lady worries about my health, but if I can’t exercise, I won’t get better.” Pei Huaijin coaxed her as he dragged someone to bed. “Besides, the doctor also advised me to train more; it helps with recovery.”
“Not that kind of exercise.”
“Then put it beside the bed,” Pei Huaijin changed his mind and decided not to do it on the bed tonight.
He carried her over to the table, teased her until she blushed, then told her to wrap her arms around his neck and hooked her legs around him. Like that time in the study, he lifted her up into the air.
Only that time in the study, he had only walked a few steps holding her.
This time was different. He paced back and forth in the room, unwilling to put her down, seriously explaining, “This way I train my arm strength, endurance, and it pleases the mind and body. Why not enjoy it?”
If he hadn’t purposely shaken her while saying these words, Shen Youran might have actually believed his mouth.
Under his “diligent exercise,” his body indeed recovered quickly. Two months later, his stamina was even better than before he was poisoned.
Logically, since Shen Youran accompanied him in training daily and they frequently took medicinal tonics together, she shouldn’t have suffered kidney weakness from excessive intimacy as before. Yet three months later, her health began to decline.
She started to feel easily fatigued and drowsy, much more than before, her appetite decreased, her body felt heavy, and her chest had an indescribable tightness.
Her period was delayed again. Having been through this before, she thought she was suffering from kidney deficiency and ordered Danruo to instruct the kitchen to make a nourishing kidney soup.
The kitchen made a Eucommia walnut kidney flower soup and served her a bowl. Shen Youran sniffed the strong gamey smell and immediately felt nauseous, nearly vomiting.
“Take it away,” she covered her nose. “Why does this soup smell so foul today?”
She had drunk this soup before, and it had never smelled this strong. She guessed the kitchen staff hadn’t cleaned the ingredients well.
Danruo smelled it and thought it was fine. Pei Huaijin signaled for her to serve the soup to him. “Let me try it.”
After tasting it, it was the same as usual. He didn’t understand why she reacted so strongly this time.
“Maybe it just smells strong, but it tastes fine,” Pei Huaijin poured her another bowl. “Try it. If you really can’t stand it, we won’t ask the kitchen to make it again.”
“Alright.” Since this soup was the best for kidney nourishment and she had specifically requested it, Shen Youran endured the discomfort and took a spoonful into her mouth…
“Ugh!”
The nausea from the smell was one thing, but now she really vomited before swallowing, expelling the soup along with the tea she had drunk before the meal.
“Take it away! Take it away!” Shen Youran waved her hand. “I can’t stand this taste.”
Pei Huaijin immediately told Danruo to remove the soup.
Having lost her appetite, Shen Youran barely ate anything and put down her chopsticks to rest in her room.
Pei Huaijin had the kitchen prepare a sweet soup and sent it to her. This time she drank two bowls and felt better.
He didn’t think much of it.
But in the following days, Shen Youran’s appetite worsened. She disliked eating meals but still loved fruit preserves with sweet and sour flavors and especially liked candied hawthorn sticks, asking Danruo to buy two or three every day.
Pei Huaijin didn’t think much of it, assuming it was fine since she liked eating them.
Later, at a family banquet, Shen Youran’s pale face and refusal to eat much caught the attention of the matriarch.
The old lady asked if she had been feeling unwell lately.
Shen Youran nodded.
“Where does it hurt? Have you seen the doctor?”
“Thank you, grandmother, for your concern. I’m fine, but my chest feels tight, and my stomach isn’t well. I think it will get better after some time.”
The old lady asked more about her symptoms, then put down her chopsticks excitedly, “Quick, call the doctor immediately.”
The young couple, inexperienced, didn’t understand what these signs meant, but the matriarch and Madam Zhu exchanged knowing glances and smiled knowingly.
Soon, the doctor was called. After taking Shen Youran’s pulse, he confirmed the family’s guess. “Congratulations! This lady’s pulse is a sign of pregnancy. Your family is expecting a new member…”
A sign of pregnancy? An heir? She was pregnant!
Everyone’s faces lit up with joy, except Pei Huaijin, whose expression showed surprise and confusion.
After the banquet, the matriarch took the young couple aside and gave some instructions for pregnancy care: “If your stomach isn’t good, eat some sour food to help digestion, but don’t eat hawthorn sticks anymore. I heard pregnant women shouldn’t eat too much hawthorn…”
“Yes, granddaughter-in-law understands.”
The next day, Pei Huaijin went to the clinic where the acupuncture was done and asked the doctor, “If I had acupuncture done to prevent pregnancy, how come my wife is pregnant?”
Previously, when Shen Youran asked him to remove the needles, he hadn’t listened and really kept them in.
Now that the poison was cleared, he planned to keep the needles for another year or two.
He didn’t doubt Shen Youran but wanted to know if there were flaws in the acupuncture method, so they could be more careful with contraception in the future.
The doctor replied, “Although acupuncture is the best method to prevent pregnancy, it’s not foolproof. There are always exceptions.” Then he asked, “Is the lord very affectionate with your lady?”
“Yes.”
“That explains it. I suppose you relied on the acupuncture and were less restrained,” the doctor smiled and warned, “In the first three months of pregnancy, the fetus is not yet stable; you must abstain from intimacy. You’ll have to be patient…”