14 – It’s Strange Not to Have So Many Children
Gu Pingting had a dream. She dreamed of giving birth to a whole brood of children for Feng Shan, and those children were all chasing after her, calling her “Mother!”
Gu Pingting was terrified, jolting awake in fright and sitting bolt upright in bed.
She sat there dazed for a while before coming to her senses, hurriedly patting her chest to comfort herself. “Don’t scare yourself,” she murmured.
After sleeping, her leg didn’t hurt as much. Gu Pingting leaned on her crutch and went outside. Feng Shan wasn’t home, and she figured he must have gone out hunting.
With nothing else to do, Gu Pingting took out her embroidery again. Her little rabbit was almost finished; she planned to use it as a handkerchief once it was done.
Feng Shan had bought her handkerchiefs too, but the embroidery on them was too crude, and she didn’t like them.
Gu Pingting sat in the shaded area under the eaves. A breeze blew from the corner of the wall, and she felt leisurely and at ease in the small courtyard.
Just as she finished embroidering the little rabbit handkerchief, the gate of the fenced courtyard was pushed open. Gu Pingting looked up and saw Feng Shan entering with several pheasants, drenched in sweat.
Feng Shan entered the yard, tossed off his shirt, revealing his broad, muscular chest, and walked to the well to draw water, pouring it over himself.
Drenched from head to toe, Feng Shan felt most of the heat dissipate. Wiping the water from his face, he sighed loudly, “So refreshing!”
Gu Pingting looked at his robust physique and, for some reason, thought of the dream she had.
Feng Shan was so strong—it would be no wonder if she ended up having so many children with him!
As she thought about it, Gu Pingting suddenly realized her thoughts had strayed. She quickly shook her head and lowered it, taking her little rabbit handkerchief off the embroidery hoop.
Just as Gu Pingting was fiddling with her handkerchief, she suddenly felt a shadow fall over her. Looking up, she saw Feng Shan standing in front of her, bending down to look at her handkerchief.
He was still dripping wet, and the heat and dampness rushed toward her. Gu Pingting was about to tell him to step back so he wouldn’t drip water on her.
But her gaze suddenly caught sight of the prominent bulge between Feng Shan’s legs. He was soaked all over, his clothes clinging to his skin, so Gu Pingting could easily see it. Her face flushed bright red instantly.
“This little rabbit you embroidered is really pretty, just like a real one.”
Gu Pingting hurriedly lowered her head, stammering, “Y-you, step back. The water is d-dripping on me.”
Only then did Feng Shan realize and stepped back. He had intended to squat down and chat with Gu Pingting, but unexpectedly, she stood up abruptly and turned to go back inside.
Feng Shan rubbed his nose. He had wanted to praise the little woman for her skillful hands to please her—why had she run off?
Feng Shan didn’t understand and didn’t dwell on it, standing up to pour another bucket of cold water over himself.
In the following days, Gu Pingting slowly nursed her health. She ate diligently and took her medicine earnestly, striving to recover as soon as possible.
One morning, Gu Pingting woke up feeling a dull ache in her abdomen. She knew her monthly period had arrived, so she lifted the blanket to check. Fortunately, the bedding wasn’t soiled.
She changed out of her soiled clothes, tidied up, and went to wash and dress.
While fixing her hair, she saw Feng Shan enter with a wooden basin. Gu Pingting quickly turned around and said, “Don’t wash today’s clothes. I’ll wash them myself.”
Feng Shan looked at her, puzzled. “Why?”
Gu Pingting was stumped by the question. After a pause, she said, “Just don’t wash them. Why so many questions?”
Feng Shan looked at her and suddenly seemed to understand. He nodded and said, “Alright, got it.”
Gu Pingting’s face flushed red, and she turned her head away, ignoring him.
Seeing her embarrassment, Feng Shan chuckled and went outside.
After breakfast, the two went to the riverbank to wash clothes. When they arrived, Feng Shan casually turned his back, while Gu Pingting squatted by the river to do the laundry.
To be honest, it was the first time Gu Pingting had ever washed clothes herself. She scrubbed for a long time before finally getting them clean.
After finishing the laundry, she felt tired and sat down on a flat stone to rest. Only then did Feng Shan turn around and say to her, “It was in this river that I found you.”
Gu Pingting was somewhat surprised. “Right here?”
“Downstream, far from our village. You were lucky that day. I had chased a big wild boar for a long way, and when I reached the riverbank, I caught sight of you floating in the water. I forgot about the boar and went to save you instead.”
Gu Pingting was a little displeased. “Why mention that wild boar when talking about saving me?”
It almost made it sound like she was exchanged for that big wild boar!
Feng Shan smiled and didn’t say anything more. He walked over and picked up her wooden basin. “Let’s go, back home.”
Gu Pingting leaned on her crutch and followed him back. As they passed a low-lying area by the river, she saw several children catching something in the shallow water.
Noticing her gaze, Feng Shan said, “They’re catching crabs or river shrimp.”
Hearing this, Gu Pingting stopped and said, “Feng Shan, I want to eat crabs.”
Feng Shan halted his steps, leaned down slightly, and said to her, “If you want to eat, that’s fine. Smile for me first.”
Ever since Gu Pingting learned that he wanted to marry her, she had stopped smiling at him and rarely paid him any attention. Now that he had the chance, Feng Shan wanted to see her smile.
Gu Pingting frowned, glaring at Feng Shan unhappily.
Seeing her adorable pouty face, Feng Shan couldn’t resist pinching her cheek, but Gu Pingting dodged him.
Gu Pingting said angrily, “I won’t eat them then!”
With that, she stomped off in a huff. Feng Shan watched her little display and chuckled, leisurely following behind her.
When the two returned to the small courtyard, Feng Shan hung the clothes to dry, while Gu Pingting sat under the corridor embroidering. She loved embroidery and could spend the whole day at it without getting bored.
After hanging the clothes, Feng Shan came over to talk to her, but Gu Pingting ignored him. Feeling snubbed, Feng Shan picked up a small wooden bucket and went out.
Gu Pingting watched his tall, broad figure leave, still annoyed, but didn’t pay it much mind.
Gu Pingting focused intently on her embroidery under the corridor, losing track of time. Suddenly, she heard the courtyard gate creak open. Looking up, she saw Feng Shan returning with the small wooden bucket.
His pant legs were rolled up high, and he carried his cloth shoes in his hand, walking in barefoot. Seeing him like this, Gu Pingting felt a slight stir in her heart.
Noticing her gaze, Feng Shan strode over and placed the small wooden bucket in front of her, smiling. “Here, the crabs you love. I caught a lot, enough for you to eat your fill.”
Gu Pingting hadn’t expected Feng Shan to actually go catch crabs for her. Glancing at the half-full bucket of crabs, she felt happy inside but still refused to soften her tone. “I didn’t ask you to catch them for me, so don’t expect me to thank you.”
Feng Shan laughed, kicking the small wooden bucket toward her before squatting down in front of her. “You ungrateful little woman. I’ve been out working hard for half the day, and you won’t even give me a smile when I come back.”
As he spoke, he placed his strong, muscular arms on the armrests of her chair, trapping her small figure within his control. Feng Shan said, “Smile for me, and I’ll go cook the crabs for you. How about that?”
His tone was domineering, but his words were meant to please.
Gu Pingting wasn’t afraid of his flattery. She reached out to push him away, saying, “Stay away from me.”
Even as she pushed him, Feng Shan didn’t budge an inch. He simply stared at her intently for a moment, then tapped her nose with his finger and chuckled, “If you don’t want to, then forget it. I’ll go change my clothes and then make crab for you.”
With that, Feng Shan straightened up and headed into the house. Gu Pingting watched his broad back, the corners of her lips curling slightly, a faint dimple appearing.
Whether he smiled first or caught the crab first—this mattered greatly. The former meant teasing and toying with Gu Pingting, while the latter meant doting on and cherishing her.
This… mattered greatly.