sjar Chapter 269 came too suddenly, without any warning.
Chapter 269 came too suddenly, without any warning.
Seeing that she was no longer insisting, Gu Cheng'an's expression softened a bit, and he said softly, "Then you should rest well and get plenty of rest. I'll go and prepare the things we need for tomorrow's departure."
After saying that, he got up and left, gently closing the door behind him.
It was already evening outside.
The afterglow of the setting sun bathed the entire courtyard in a warm golden hue.
The old woman was picking vegetables in the yard. Seeing Gu Cheng'an come out, she smiled and asked, "Is your wife feeling better?"
Gu Cheng'an smiled politely, "Much better, Mother-in-law. We're leaving early tomorrow morning. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days."
The old woman put down the vegetables she was holding, somewhat surprised: "You're leaving so soon? Your wife's injuries haven't fully healed yet."
Gu Cheng'an looked towards the house and said softly, "She's worried about things at home and wants to go back as soon as possible."
The old woman sighed, but understood: "That's true, young people always have their families on their minds."
She patted the water droplets off her hands. "Then I'll go and make some more food for you to take on the road."
"Thank you, Grandma."
Gu Cheng'an nodded gratefully and watched the old woman walk towards the kitchen.
He stood alone in the courtyard, looking up at the setting sun, his eyes deep and complex.
Tomorrow, they will return to the capital.
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to stop thinking about it...
Dark as ink.
A rather thin blanket has been placed on the ground next to the earthen bed.
Chu Ruohan looked at the bedding and asked, "You... you're sleeping here tonight?"
"Ah."
Gu Cheng'an responded with a low voice.
“My mother-in-law’s house only has two rooms; she and my father-in-law live in the other one.”
He paused, his gaze falling on her inquiring face.
"If you're worried, I can spend the night in the woodshed outside."
The night breeze seemed to slip in through the crack in the door, carrying the coolness of the mountains and fields.
"no need."
Chu Ruohan pulled the old cotton quilt around her; the corners of the quilt were a bit stiff.
She turned around, her back to him, leaving him with a silent back.
The quilt smelled of sunshine and had a faint herbal scent...
Gu Cheng'an stood there for a moment, then finally lay down on the ground behind her.
The bedding beneath me was thin and uncomfortable, and the cold air from the icy ground seeped up the fabric.
He stared wide-eyed at the dark beams above him, wide awake.
The soft breathing of Chu Ruohan was in his ear.
He never imagined that he would be sharing a room with her under such a simple and dilapidated roof in such an awkward way.
They dared not even imagine what kind of vortex they would be drawn into after tomorrow.
He closed his eyes, but his brow remained furrowed.
next day
The morning sunlight, carrying the freshness of the mountains and fields, shone through the window and filled the cottage once again.
Gu Cheng'an had already gotten up and tidied up the bedding on the floor, placing it along with their simple luggage by the door.
He glanced at Chu Ruohan, who was still fast asleep on the kang, but did not make a sound to disturb her. He only wanted to wait for her to wake up, have something simple to eat, and then set off.
Chu Ruohan was awakened by a sudden, sharp pain.
She groaned softly and instinctively curled up.
"Well……"
She tried to sit up to ease the tension, but the movement caused an even more intense contraction in her lower abdomen.
The pain came suddenly and violently, as if an invisible hand was squeezing my internal organs.
Her vision went black, and a fine layer of cold sweat instantly appeared on her forehead. She lost control and slumped back onto the earthen bed.
"what happened?"
Gu Cheng'an immediately noticed that something was wrong with her. He rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) in a few steps, his voice filled with barely concealed nervousness.
He saw that she was pale, her hands were tightly clutching her abdomen, and her body was trembling slightly.
Chu Ruohan bit her lower lip, barely able to speak, beads of sweat sliding down her temples.
"I have a stomach ache!"
Her voice was broken, "It hurts so much..."
Gu Cheng'an's expression changed, and he supported her swaying body.
"Don't move, lie still!"
His tone was urgent, yet carried an undeniable power of reassurance.
"I'm going to find my mother-in-law!"
He turned and rushed out of the house.
Soon, the old woman was half-supported and half-carried in by Gu Cheng'an. She was startled when she saw Chu Ruohan's pained appearance.
"Oh dear, what's wrong?"
The mother-in-law quickly stepped forward and touched Chu Ruohan's forehead; it wasn't hot.
Seeing her clutching her stomach, the mother-in-law's expression turned serious, and she turned and called out to the outside.
"Old man! Old man! Quick, go and fetch Doctor Wang from the east end of the village! Hurry!"
The old man outside responded and his footsteps hurried away.
The waiting time felt exceptionally long.
Gu Cheng'an stood guard by the kang (a heated brick bed), his heart clenching as he looked at Chu Ruohan's furrowed brows and pale lips.
He wanted to do something, but didn't know where to start, so he could only awkwardly use his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.
Before long, an elderly man with gray hair carrying a medicine box followed the old man in.
He was the village's traditional healer.
"Doctor Wang, please take a look at this girl. She was fine this morning, but suddenly she started complaining of stomach pain," the old woman said anxiously.
Doctor Wang nodded, put down his medicine box, sat down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), and gestured for Chu Ruohan to extend her wrist.
He placed three fingers on her pulse, closed his eyes and concentrated, his brows sometimes relaxing and sometimes furrowing.
The room was silent, save for Chu Ruohan's suppressed breathing.
Gu Cheng'an stood to the side, his eyes fixed on the doctor's face, his heart pounding in his chest.
A moment later, the doctor opened his eyes, withdrew his hand, looked at Gu Cheng'an and his mother-in-law, and slowly spoke.
"It's nothing serious."
He paused, then turned his gaze to Chu Ruohan, his tone softening.
"Congratulations, this lady is pregnant."
Pregnant?
Chu Ruohan's eyes widened suddenly, the pain in her abdomen seemingly lessened by the unexpected news.
The doctor continued, "It's just that you were frightened earlier and traveled a long way, which has affected the fetus, hence the abdominal pain."
"It's nothing serious, but remember to rest and avoid any more strenuous or bumpy rides."
"I'll prescribe some medicine to help with pregnancy; just take it on time."
Chu Ruohan froze, her mind buzzing.
Pregnant...she's pregnant?
She subconsciously recalled that her period seemed to be quite late.
However, from the incident in the capital to being kidnapped by Gu Chengyan, she had no energy left to pay attention to these things.
I never expected that I would learn of this news at this time and in this place.
Her hand involuntarily and gently covered her lower abdomen.
The area was still flat, and there was nothing unusual about it, but the thought that a small life was growing inside...
It's her and Junze's child.
Junze...
Chu Ruohan's eyes welled up slightly, and a complex feeling welled up in her heart that was hard to describe. There was surprise, joy, but more than anything, she felt confused and worried.
Junze, we're having a baby!