Lady of Fortune, Jiao Niang

Chapter 122

Regarding Xu Bao's ambition to become Chancellor, Qi Yun was supportive. After all, every family's child has dreams, and he felt there was nothing wrong with letting his chubby son dream.

Whether he would engage in commerce in the future or pursue the path of Imperial Examinations and official service, Qi Yun thought both were fine. Children should have their own choices after all.

Wanting to be Chancellor was fine, who could stop him from thinking about it?

As for whether he could actually become one, that would depend on Xu Bao's own fortune.

But when Xu Bao said he wanted to control him, Qi Yun was noncommittal. He simply turned the "Elementary Learning Guide" to the father-son section and explained clearly to him word by word, especially the phrase "The qiao tree grows tall and looks up, resembling the father's way; the zi tree grows low and bows down, like the son's humility." This was to tell his chubby son:

I am your father, you are my son. I'll control you for life, even if you become Chancellor, it won't work!

However, Qi Yun had originally wanted to dampen his son's wishful thinking, but unexpectedly, Xu Bao listened with great delight.

At dinner, he even bragged to Ye Jiao: "Daddy read me lots of books!"

And this time Daddy read so carefully, so patiently. Xu Bao felt very happy, smiling even while eating his custard.

Ye Jiao fed him while smiling at Qi Yun, saying: "You seem to have more free time today?" Otherwise, Qi Yun usually ran away when he heard Xu Bao asking for stories, but today he uncharacteristically insisted on reading to Xu Bao.

Xu Bao tugged at Ye Jiao's sleeve, saying to her: "Mother, Daddy is doting on Xu Bao." After speaking, Xu Bao's eyes fixed on Ye Jiao's spoon, "Mother should dote on Xu Bao too." After speaking, he opened his soft, pink little mouth and waited.

Ye Jiao quickly scooped another spoonful of custard, touched it to her lips to test the temperature, then fed it to Xu Bao, while still saying to Qi Yun: "Husband, you were really good to Xu Bao today."

Second Young Master Qi said nothing, just felt choked up.

He really wanted to say that he was quite busy today, not idle at all.

He also wanted to say that when he spoke so much with Xu Bao, it wasn't to humor him, but because he really wanted this silly little one to remember to listen to him in the future.

But when he asked just now, Xu Bao had listened clearly to the little stories and remembered the phrases clearly, yet he completely ignored the principles he should understand. His ambition was still to be Chancellor, his goal still to control Daddy.

This left Qi Yun without solutions. He couldn't very well tell Ye Jiao that he was competing with this two-year-old chubby son, so he could only remain silent.

But watching Xu Bao proudly eating his custard, that little chubby face moving up and down, Qi Yun did something even he didn't expect.

When Ye Jiao scooped another spoonful of custard to her lips to test the temperature, Qi Yun suddenly grabbed Ye Jiao's wrist.

Then he brought the spoon the woman was holding to his own mouth and ate it.

Ye Jiao: ...

Xu Bao: ...!

The little chubby one who had been sitting peacefully immediately reached out to grab at Qi Yun, shouting: "Daddy is bad! Spit it out!"

Actually, when Qi Yun ate the custard, he was also somewhat surprised. It seemed that Second Young Master Qi himself hadn't expected he could do something like compete with his son for food.

Previously when Xu Bao was drinking milk and he competed for it, that was marital playfulness.

But competing now was... an impulsive moment.

Especially since this child's custard was different from what adults ate, with little oil and salt, and no flavor, making Second Young Master Qi feel even more that he had acted foolishly just now.

Qi Yun swallowed the custard in his mouth, coughed lightly, and silently stood up saying: "I'll go look at the account books again." Then he quickly went to the adjacent side room.

Ye Jiao looked at the custard and Xu Bao, thoughtful.

Seeing Xu Bao still pouting, Ye Jiao casually picked up a piece of milk cake from the side and stuffed it into the little one's mouth.

Perhaps people who love food always have a telepathic connection. Xu Bao immediately brightened up after eating the milk cake, looking expectantly at Ye Jiao with his mouth open for the next bite.

During the late evening snack, Ye Jiao held a bowl of chicken and bean porridge, while Qi Yun looked at the custard in his hands in silence.

Finally, he still ate all the custard bit by bit, then helped Ye Jiao wash up before going to bed.

Now Ye Jiao was six months pregnant, her belly slightly larger than when she was carrying Xu Bao, and more active. Sleeping at night wasn't always comfortable.

Sometimes when the baby in her belly moved, Ye Jiao would wake up, sometimes waking several times during the night.

This time, after feeling movement, Little Ginseng opened her eyes again. She first looked out the window, still able to see the bright moonlight, then felt various sensations on her legs.

Propping herself up slightly, by the light, Ye Jiao saw the man who was massaging her legs.

This wasn't Qi Yun's first time doing this. When Ye Jiao was pregnant last time, Qi Yun often got up to rub and massage her legs when they ached. Now doing it again, he was quite practiced.

Seeing she was awake, Qi Yun stopped his movements, took a handkerchief from the side to wipe his hands, then lay on his side next to Ye Jiao, asking softly: "What's wrong, is the baby bothering you again? Or did I wake you?"

Ye Jiao shook her head: "It's not your fault, just the baby moved."

Qi Yun gently embraced Ye Jiao, his eyes looking at the woman's rounded belly, lowering his voice: "Don't make trouble, your mother is sleepy, don't disturb her."

Hearing this, Ye Jiao blinked: "Can the baby hear you talking like this?"

Qi Yun said quite seriously: "If you talk more, they'll hear."

Whether it was coincidence or not, after Qi Yun spoke, the little one really did settle down, but Ye Jiao couldn't fall asleep.

Because of the midsummer heat, even at night it wasn't very cool. Ye Jiao wanted to push Qi Yun away, feeling that everything about him was good except his body was always warm. In winter this was naturally good, cuddling together was especially comfortable, but in summer it felt stuffy.

But when she put her hand on Qi Yun's body, Ye Jiao changed her mind. She used hands and feet to move closer to Qi Yun, her slender arms hugging the man, even burying her face against him.

Her knees softly tucked between the man's legs, hooking them toward herself.

It looked very intimate, but looking at Ye Jiao's expression, she didn't seem particularly happy.

Qi Yun's breathing hitched, then he asked in a low voice: "What's wrong?"

Ye Jiao hugged him tighter before saying: "Husband's body is cool and refreshing, good for cooling in summer, but your body being cool probably means your health isn't completely recovered yet." As she spoke, Ye Jiao moved even closer.

This way she could give her husband more nourishment.

But to Qi Yun's ears, this felt both comforting and arousing.

Comforting because Jiao Niang was constantly thinking of him, arousing because she was so close that it was hard not to think about it.

So before long, Little Ginseng discovered that her husband, who had just been cool and refreshing, suddenly became warm, especially his neck and cheeks, which were hot, completely losing the previous comfort.

She released Qi Yun, asking somewhat puzzled: "Husband, are you hot?"

Qi Yun didn't speak, just sat up from the bed and lifted the light, breathable gauze curtain.

Then he turned to Ye Jiao and said: "If Jiao Niang is still hot, then let's go outside for a walk, to dispel some of the heat."

Since she couldn't sleep anyway, Ye Jiao nodded, let Qi Yun help her sit up and put on her shoes and socks, while Ye Jiao took a fine, breathable silk outer garment for him to put on. The two left the room hand in hand.

Outside, the night was deep and quiet, the moon cool as water.

Not far from the bedroom was the babbling stream. At night you could hear cicadas and frogs calling, and the gentle sound of the flowing water.

Though Little Ginseng wasn't someone who enjoyed reading poetry and couldn't describe such night scenery, she still found it very beautiful and had a light smile on her face.

They didn't walk far. Qi Yun thought that there were not only people in the mountains, but occasionally some animals that wandered down by mistake. Since Ye Jiao's belly had grown considerably, if she got frightened it would be troublesome, so they just walked by the stream.

Summer nights couldn't compare to the coolness of spring and autumn, but the mountain climate was pleasant, and it was definitely refreshing. After walking just a little while, Ye Jiao felt much more comfortable.

And once her body felt comfortable, her mind became clear. Little Ginseng thought of something and turned to look at Qi Yun: "Husband, have you thought about the baby's name?"

Qi Yun focused on supporting her, and upon hearing this, replied without thinking: "If it's a daughter, still call her Qian'er. If it's a son, then choose between 'Ji' and 'Yue.'"

Ye Jiao blinked, unable to distinguish just from the pronunciation, so she spread her hand toward Qi Yun: "Write them for me to see."

Qi Yun extended his index finger, wanting to write lightly on Ye Jiao's palm with his fingertip.

Who knew that as soon as Qi Yun touched her, Ye Jiao couldn't help laughing, as if he'd touched a ticklish spot. She quickly pulled her hand back, hiding it behind her back so he couldn't touch it.

Qi Yun was startled, then also smiled. He didn't try to pull her hand again, but instead crouched down, picked up a branch from the side, and wrote two characters in the soft earth by the stream.

Ye Jiao knew that people naming children followed certain patterns, either going by numbers in sequence, or using the same radical, so that you could tell at a glance they were blood relatives, which was a way to strengthen brotherly connections.

Little Shi Tou was called Qi Du, Xu Bao was called Qi Ce, and the two characters Qi Yun wrote also had the bamboo radical.

But Ye Jiao didn't quite understand what they meant, and didn't even ask. She just looked once and pointed: "This one."

Qi Yun saw she chose 'Ji' and couldn't help asking: "Why?"

Actually by meaning, Ji referred to books and classics, Yue referred to ancient bamboo musical instruments, both were elegant things, either would be fine. But Qi Yun still wanted to hear Ye Jiao's thoughts.

Little Ginseng said quite seriously: "This one on the right has too many strokes. If we really chose this 'Yue' character, just learning to write his name would probably take quite a while."

Qi Yun: ... Wife makes a very good point.

Holding back a smile, Qi Yun nodded and drew a circle around the 'Ji' character: "Then we'll choose this one. I'll write it down and save it. If we don't need it this time, we can use it next time."

This was meant to tease her, but Ye Jiao nodded upon hearing it: "Of course we should save it well, we'll definitely need it in the future."

Hearing this, Qi Yun smiled and agreed, then stood up, wiped his hands, and supported Ye Jiao again as they slowly walked back.

Perhaps because she was tired from the walk outside, Ye Jiao fell asleep as soon as she lay down and didn't wake until daylight the next day.

After Qi Yun woke up, he didn't disturb her. He took a bamboo wife from the side and placed it beside Ye Jiao for her to hug, then quietly got up to take a book and read.

But before Qi Yun could open his book, he heard light knocking on the door.

Qi Yun, afraid of waking Ye Jiao, immediately went to open the door and said softly to Little Su outside: "What's wrong?"

Little Su also guessed that their Second Young Mistress hadn't gotten up yet, and very consciously kept her voice low: "Replying to Second Young Master, Liu Si has come, saying that Third Young Master has something for him to bring, he's in the front hall now. Second Young Master should go take a look."

Upon hearing this, Qi Yun frowned slightly.

Liu Si was Qi Ming's study companion, always sensible, and wouldn't run around casually. Moreover, it was already May, less than three months until the provincial examinations. His third brother should be studying hard at the academy. Unless it was something major, he certainly wouldn't send his study companion up the mountain to find him.

Qi Yun didn't delay, just put down his book, went back to quietly close the door, then walked toward the courtyard while asking: "Did he say what it was about?"

"No, but according to Tie Zi, Liu Si looked anxious and flustered, so it must be urgent."

Qi Yun happened to see Tie Zi guarding by the courtyard gate. He said to Little Su: "You don't need to come along, just guard outside the door. If Jiao Niang wakes up, help her get up and tell her I'll be right back."

Little Su immediately stopped and respectfully said: "Yes."

And Qi Yun took Tie Zi toward the front hall.

As soon as he entered, he saw Liu Si pacing in place. Even though it was a cool summer morning with open sides and good ventilation, Liu Si already had layers of sweat on his forehead.

Seeing Qi Yun enter, Liu Si hurriedly ran over, saying: "Se-se-se-second Young Master, Third Young Master, Third Young Master sent me to find, find you."

Qi Yun had Tie Zi give him a cup of tea, then said: "Don't rush, speak slowly."

Liu Si stuttered, and the more anxious he got, the worse his stutter became.

After drinking a cup of water, his expression calmed somewhat and his speech became more fluent than before: "Second Young Master, it was Third Young Master who sent me. He said his trunk was robbed!"

Qi Yun was slightly stunned, then immediately asked: "What about him? Is he hurt?"

"He's fine, the person is fine, but Third Young Master's ink-ink-stone, and calligraphy samples, were all inside."

Qi Yun had a bad feeling: "What ink stone, what calligraphy samples?"

Liu Si drank another cup of tea before saying: "Third Young Master said it was the ink stone and calligraphy samples his sworn brother gave him, all packed inside."