Jiang Si had received early news of Yu Jin’s return to the capital and couldn’t resist waiting at the second gate.
“My Lady, why don’t you go back and rest? When the Prince arrives, this servant will immediately rush to inform you,” Amian suggested, glancing at Jiang Si’s large belly.
“I need to take a walk anyway, so I might as well wait for the Prince,” Jiang Si replied.
As Amian was about to persuade her further, Aqiao pulled her aside.
“Why are you pulling me? Can’t you see how difficult it is for our Lady with such a big belly?” Amian complained in a low voice.
Aqiao chuckled, “Our Lady said she’s waiting for the Prince ‘anyway.’ If you keep trying to persuade her, you’re just making it difficult for her.”
Amian suddenly realized, “Oh, our Lady misses the Prince. Hehe, a day apart feels like three autumns…”
Though the two maids spoke softly, Jiang Si heard them. She glared at them before turning her gaze back to the distance.
“The Prince has returned!” A shout came from afar.
Yu Jin strode quickly towards the second gate, his face covered in dust from the journey.
Upon seeing Jiang Si waiting at the gate, his pace quickened even more.
But faster than him was Erniu.
Erniu squeezed past Yu Jin and trotted to Jiang Si, wagging his tail vigorously at his mistress.
Wanting braised pork knuckle, braised beef, steamed meat…
Erniu, drooling, patted the ground three times with his front paw.
Jiang Si immediately understood Erniu’s meaning and smiled, “Don’t worry, braised pork knuckle, braised beef, and steamed meat are all prepared.”
Erniu barked joyfully.
By this time, Yu Jin had reached Jiang Si. He scowled and kicked Erniu aside.
He could have been faster, but that dog suddenly accelerated.
He couldn’t very well race a dog, could he?
Imagining that scene, the mature and steady Yu Jin forcibly suppressed the urge.
Standing before Jiang Si, Yu Jin pursed his lips and pulled her into his embrace. “Asi, I’m back.”
Jiang Si’s large belly between them made their embrace somewhat awkward.
Aqiao had grown accustomed to the masters’ occasional shameless displays of affection, and Amian found it even less remarkable, covering her mouth as she laughed.
Jiang Si gently pushed him away, “Let’s talk inside.”
Yu Jin stared at Jiang Si incessantly before finally nodding, “Mm, you go in and rest first. I’ll take a quick bath and join you. I’ve been traveling non-stop and I’m dirty.”
Jiang Si didn’t have to wait long in the room before Yu Jin parted the pearl curtain and entered.
He had changed into a semi-new cyan straight-collared robe, his still-dripping hair casually secured with a bamboo hairpin, making him appear as pure as jade.
Aqiao served Yu Jin a cup of fresh tea before retreating with Amian.
Only the recently reunited couple remained in the room.
They looked at each other and asked simultaneously, “Are you alright?”
After asking, they both laughed.
Jiang Si leaned against Yu Jin and smiled, “I’m fine. My days consist of nothing but eating and sleeping, sleeping and eating, with a stroll in the garden morning and evening. That’s how the days pass…”
Speaking of the days that flowed like water, without the person she loved dearly, they seemed to lack flavor.
Saying the days dragged on would be an exaggeration, but they were truly difficult to endure, especially at night when she couldn’t get comfortable no matter how she lay and had to get up frequently.
At times like these, Jiang Si felt somewhat lucky that it was already getting hot in the late stages of her pregnancy. If it had been the dead of winter with frequent nighttime trips, that would have been true torture.
You only know your parents’ love when you raise a child yourself. These days, besides missing Yu Jin, Jiang Si often thought of her birth mother, Su Shi, of whom she had no memory.
In her past and present lives, Su Shi was more of a title of “mother” in Jiang Si’s heart. Although she missed her, even that longing was vague.
After all, Su Shi had passed away when she was just over a year old.
But now, feeling every little movement of the small life in her womb, rejoicing and worrying for it, enduring no small amount of hardship for it, the image of a mother in her heart became more substantial.
“What are you thinking about?” Yu Jin tapped Jiang Si’s nose.
Jiang Si pulled back from her thoughts and said, “I was thinking that being a mother is truly not easy.”
Yu Jin smiled, “Indeed. When this little one comes out, if it doesn’t treat you well, I’ll give it a good thrashing.”
Jiang Si glanced at Yu Jin with a strange expression.
“What’s wrong?”
“Ajin, are you practicing being a father in advance?”
“How so—”
“You sent two children back before you even arrived, a boy and a girl. Quite complete.”
Yu Jin had forgotten about the two young children he had brought back upon seeing Jiang Si. Hearing her mention it, he said, “They both lost their parents, and I happened to come across them, so I brought them back. It’s not like our Prince’s Mansion can’t afford to feed a few more mouths. When our child is born, they can be companions.”
“Ajin, tell me about what happened in Qianhe County.”
“Alright, let’s start with these two children then.” Yu Jin put an arm around Jiang Si, while his other hand massaged her swollen calves.
“The boy is from Qianhe County town. His father was killed on the spot by a guard’s spear while trying to send him out of the city. His mother handed the child to me and returned to the plague area to care for their feverish daughter. I never saw her again… The girl is from Jinli Town. She fell ill in the wilderness, and her parents insisted on taking her back to town. Later, when the earthquake occurred, her parents died in it. When we found the girl, her parents had formed a human bridge to protect her underneath…”
Yu Jin spoke calmly, without much emotion, simply recounting the experiences of the two children.
Jiang Si listened silently, tears streaming down her face.
Yu Jin paused and placed a gentle kiss on her smooth forehead, saying softly, “Asi, over a thousand people in Jinli Town, only sixty-some died in that earthquake. Asi, those thousand-plus people, they were all saved by you…”
He raised his hand to wipe away his wife’s tears, saying earnestly, “Asi, whether those people know it or not, they were all saved by you.”
Jiang Si smiled, “I don’t have a hobby of being a lifesaver, so you don’t need to say that. Besides, I only gave you a hint. You were the one who worked hard to save them.”
“With your hint, I was able to save them.” Yu Jin’s hand gently rested on Jiang Si’s heavily swollen belly.
The child was about to be born, but he grew increasingly worried. They say that for a woman, giving birth is like crossing the threshold of death…
“Asi.”
“Mm?”
“Saving one life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. You saved over a thousand people, your merit is boundless. It will surely bring you good fortune in all things.”
Catching the deep concern in her husband’s eyes, Jiang Si smiled and held his hand, “Don’t worry. The good doctor said my baby is in the right position, and the delivery should go smoothly.”
Yu Jin nodded, finally feeling the interest to continue, “Oh, right, Asi, I attributed the earthquake prediction to Erniu. I expect Erniu will be promoted…”
The next day at the morning court, Emperor Jingming indeed brought up the matter of promoting the fifth-rank Howling Sky General Erniu.
Immediately, a dissenter stood up to oppose, “Your Majesty, it’s unprecedented for a dog to be conferred the rank of fifth-rank general. How can it be promoted further?”