CHAPTER 178 - EXPECTING HILARIOUS DELIVERIES
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“Shuye! Please don’t joke about something like that!” I turned to the others and made sure they heard my next words loud and clear, “I’m not pregnant and I’m not planning to get pregnant any time soon.”
The maids just smiled and Kharli covered her mouth with one hand before turning to whisper something in Mo’s ear that made her blush. Lari rolled his eyes and pointedly ignored us as he continued to read his textbook. Fengying didn’t even react and just excused herself to return to the main house to oversee the maids' other chores.
Shaking my head at Shuye’s uncharacteristic joke, I escorted him to the edge of the farm while I peppered him with questions about the whole “reward” thing.
“The Lady announced an emergency status for all clans, which means we are in battle mode, and it’s traditional for all communities to raise funds for a special mass wedding grant before battle to encourage all the young clan members to reproduce,” he said.
“I get it. You guys are doing that to avoid a population decline in case of losses, right?” I took a drink of water from my inventory as we walked. Though Mr. Bear was shielding me from the sun, I was still sweating a lot.
“Yes, and young people are naturally more fertile.” Shuye smiled down at me, showing two rows of even white teeth. “I wasn’t entirely joking. If you want to reproduce with the Prince, now’s the perfect time. Courting and marriage timelines are accelerated during times of war.”
“Oh, stop it, you!”
“The Lady only has one heir, which means a wedding would be quite welcome at this time. The sooner, the better, if you ask me.”
“Nooooo! I don’t want to rush into anything. Marriage can wait until we’re good and ready!”
He teased me about it for a few more minutes until I broached a more serious topic.
“Shuye, am I taking this issue too lightly? You seem worried…”
“Well… how sure are you that this isn’t too dangerous?”
“Very sure. Everything that has happened so far is something my bloodline inheritance foresaw. I guess… maybe around 98% sure.” Though I still had no idea what made the System tick, I was certain that it was extremely powerful, and, after all, it had never been wrong about anything yet.
“That’s very good to hear.” Shuye took a deep breath and when he let it out, his shoulders relaxed and he smiled again. “No, don’t suddenly start worrying about it. Keep your spirits up, and your household will function better.”
“How worried are you?”
“I’ll be leading my men into battle, which is why it’s good for me to worry. I certainly wouldn’t want the Lady to be happy-go-lucky about all our fates.”
“Good point.”
“You’re different. You have nothing to worry about since your farm is quite far from the front lines. Even if there was a disaster, you have your flying ship.”
“It wouldn’t come to that. So you don’t think I’m being insensitive?”
Shuye dismissed the comment with a wave of his hand and a sharp exhalation of disdain. “No. I like your confidence in us. It would be worse for everyone if the humans started panicking.”
“Okay!”
We said our goodbyes, and I went back to the main house to ask Fengying about the clan’s “marriage fund.” I found her supervising the laundry.
At first, she had insisted on handwashing the more delicate fabrics we used, but after seeing that the [Automatic Washing Machine] never damaged our clothes or linens, Fengying fully embraced modern laundry methods. We talked as the maids got the garments from the [Drying Machine] and neatly folded them.
“The news about the mass wedding scheme has been making the rounds,” said Fengying. “Matchmakers have been asking about Lady Kharli and Lady Mo.”
“No way! They’re both too young,” I said.
“Yes. I refused them all on your behalf.”
“I’m surprised Shuye was joking about it.”
“It’s probably a sign that he’s feeling much more comfortable with you these days.” Fengying stopped a maid who was folding a robe’s long, wide sleeves and showed her how to do it right. When she was finished, she turned back to me and said, “Or… perhaps he really does want you to commit to your relationship with the Prince.”
I went over to the table and picked up a pair of trousers which I started folding by copying what the maids were doing under Fengying’s watchful eye.
“Good grief! Getting pregnant for fear of the upcoming battle is definitely not for me,” I said.
Fengying didn’t say anything, but I could tell she agreed with me.
“How exactly would it work?” I asked her.
“Lord Shuye’s villages have nine youngsters who will be participating. Matchmakers are looking for young human men and women from good families, preferably with more than one daughter or son who can marry into a clan because each clan member will marry three or more humans.”
“What? Why so many?” I lowered my voice a little, and I could almost see the maids straining to hear our conversation. “Are they expecting to lose that many people in the demon extermination?”
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Shuye had seemed cheerful enough, but maybe the rest of the clan members were worried.
Fengying shrugged. “Who knows? The humans don’t care; everyone in Anwei is very excited about it, and I heard the bribes to the matchmakers have been sky-high.”
I shook my head at the thought of me or my apprentices taking part in this community-approved harem-forming activity. “I’m not joining this scheme because I prefer to take my time and let things develop naturally.”
“I think you should.” Fengying smiled. “A sweet courtship should be slowly savored.”
I spent the rest of the day gossiping with the staff about the who’s who of Anwei who had thrown their caps in the ring. Fengying left to take care of other matters while Yinuo joined us. The ironing boards and sewing baskets were taken out, and the clothes were mended or ironed as we chatted.
According to the maids, only a few of the young clan members looking to marry were of high rank. The rest were tradesmen who wanted husbands or wives who were not just comely but also had useful skills.
“You see, my lady, I was right to snap up my twins,” said Yinuo. “If I had waited, they would’ve been earmarked for some clan member since they’re both so handsome.”
“There she goes again! All you do all day is boast about your husbands,” complained a maid. She was one of the younger, prettier staff members who had been using my [Dewy Glow Potions] every day. Her previously pimply complexion had turned smooth and flawless, which made her sought after among the other young people in her village. She and Yinuo had a rivalry going on about who had the handsomer beau. Obviously, Yinuo was winning.
“You’re jealous? I can send you to the same matchmaker I used,” said Yinuo.
We all laughed at that.
***
The next day, we fished out the carp and drained the rice paddies to prepare for the harvest. Most of the fish were collected in barrels of water which some clan members carried away in flying carts, but not without Deming picking the best fish for us first.
On harvest day, we were at the tea field at sunrise. The morning air was hot but fresh, filled with the earthy scent of dew-kissed grass and the intoxicating fragrance of the tea plants. Birds chirped melodiously from the trees, their songs mingling with the buzzing of insects and the sound of the wind on the leaves of the trees in the forest surrounding us.
“Harvest day is the best day, isn’t it?” I said to the kids.
“It’s my favorite time!” said Kharli.
“I love the exp,” said Lari.
Mo nodded.
The staff, led by Deming, circled the fields with a thurible filled with rare incense to bless the upcoming harvest as the sun’s warm golden rays cast a soft glow across the landscape. As we waited for them to finish their ritual, I lay down on the ground between the rows of plants and closed my eyes. Breathing in slowly through my nose and breathing out through my mouth in the meditative manner that Scholar Wu had taught me, I tried to empty my mind and concentrate on the ground below me.
There was a soft, gentle, and rhythmic movement under my body. Was it the pulse of energy beneath the earth or just my imagination? Was I just feeling the throbbing of the blood in my body? I didn’t know what it was exactly, but I liked to think that there was a mystical dragon vein under the farm through which energy flowed as the river water flowed into the sea.
When Deming and the others finished the harvest ceremony, I stood up, and the kids and I took our places on different rows of tea plants. We plucked off the topmost bud and the two leaves below it manually, dropping our harvest into small baskets. We could have used the System to do it, but this was more fun, and it would allow us to sell the tea for a higher price since it was handpicked. Tea connoisseurs were fussy about details like that.
Our energy bars were emptied in an hour; therefore, we stopped before we collapsed from exhaustion.
“I didn’t level up today.” The corners of Mo’s mouth were turned down a little, and her brow was furrowed. “I hope I level up soon.”
“You will.” I lifted a tea leaf to my nose and inhaled deeply, savoring the herbal aroma. “This is wonderful.”
“The tea seems as good as the spring tea,” said Lari. “I was afraid it would be worse because of the heat.”
“The chef thinks the quality improved because of the increase in qi,” said Kharli. “Teacher, did you know that the kitchen staff are meditating just outside of the farm?”
“Huh? I see them outside a lot, but I didn’t know they were meditating.”
“They say that the qi outside is more turbulent, which is good for cultivation,” said Kharli.
“I feel that if I could sense qi, I would prefer the calm qi inside the farm,” I said.
“Quiet qi must be nice,” said Mo. “I bet that’s what helped our crops.”
I looked the tea field over and said, “I think we’ll only need to spend one more day harvesting here. Let’s go eat and rest to recover our energy.”
We handed our baskets of tea leaves to the staff for further processing and then trooped back to the main house for a hot breakfast since we had only eaten rice balls earlier.
Deming supervised the staff as they spread the leaves out to dry in the sun. Later, they would be roasted, cooled, and then rolled. Since the kitchen staff were busy, we had a simple but delicious meal of fish congee, steamed pork dumplings, century eggs, and stir-fried mushrooms from the Chitinous Caverns.
“Eat more mushrooms; they help replenish energy,” I said to the others.
“And they’re delicious,” said Lari.
“The eggs are great, too. Did you know they aren’t actually a hundred years old?” said Kharli.
“I’m sure the eggs would hatch if they were buried for a hundred years,” said Mo.
“Only if they were spirit eggs,” said Kharli.
“Teacher, can we make century eggs out of the System [Eggs]?” asked Lari.
“Maybe? But they seem hard to make, and I’m sure I’d burn most of them,” I said.
“Can we please not make scary black eggs when everyone is being troubled by that?” Kharli gestured southwards.
“Oh? If you don’t like black eggs, give me yours.” Lari pretended to snatch the century egg plate, but Kharli playfully swatted his hand away.
We passed the rest of the meal in pleasant banter and the kids retired to their rooms afterward while I spent the morning playing with Cutie in the Mines. The slimes’ bathing pools in the Chitinous Caverns were a great way for me to kick back and unwind. When I emerged from the pools and portaled back to my house, I found a pleasant surprise waiting for me at my front door.
I hastily sprayed on some cologne and rushed outside to meet my boyfriend. “Sweetheart!”
Our embrace was warm and lingering, two lovers reunited after being apart. His strong arms enveloped me as I melted into his comforting smell and familiar touch. At that moment, all was right in the world. The stresses of the day melted away as we held each other close, content just to be together again.
Alas, we eventually had to part. We murmured sweet nothings to each other as we walked to my [Ranch House]. Once we were inside, he pulled out a red and gold box from his interspatial storage and wordlessly presented it to me. I opened it to find that it contained a complete set of red robes, red shoes, red veils, and a red and gold headdress.
“Thank you!” I put my hands on his shoulders and went on tiptoe to kiss his cheek.
The past few days had made a mark on him. Prince Baiyu looked gorgeous, as always, but there were dark eye bags under his blue eyes and when I touched them, his shoulders seemed thinner.
Prince Baiyu returned the favor with a lingering kiss on my hand. Then he unfolded a sleeve of the red outer garment and showed me the character for “double happiness” embroidered on it. “My parents have given us permission to marry. This is their wedding gift.”
I knew that his father supported his courtship of me, but this was the first time he said that his mother also approved. “Is it because of the upcoming battle?”
He nodded. “Shall we set our wedding date for next week?”
“Next week?” Why was he in a rush? His attitude was less romantic than I was used to, but that was understandable because he was under a lot of strain. I smiled mischievously. “What do you think?”