NOVPUB"Hengheng." Mi Zhen hummed proudly twice, and as a result, the little white dog thought it was being called and bumped into her embrace again.
"Where’s Ran’er? I haven’t seen much of her these past two days." Chen Xi scanned around and indeed did not see Chen Lan. According to the usual situation, Chen Lan would definitely appear to pay her respects, but surprisingly, she was nowhere to be seen today.
"She’s still resting; she has been unwell recently." Fan Jian stepped forward to speak, prompting Chen Xi to pause, stunned. She had actually fallen ill.
"Has Physician Hua seen her?" asked Chen Xi. "I’ll go check on her. But speaking of which, Mi Zhen, I’ve seen you around every day for the past few days. Aren’t you going to school anymore?"
"Elder Sister Cai caught a cold, so we were given three days off to rest. That’s why we’re playing at your home; we can’t go anywhere else," Zhen Mi stepped forward to reply.
"Oh," Chen Xi nodded, then turned and headed towards the back courtyard.
Chen Xi remembered that today was not a ten-day period. Normally, there was a three-day rest every month for schooling, so even if Mi Zhen came out to get some air and tried to cause trouble, she couldn’t really do much. It turned out that Cai Yan was sick.
"Zhen’er, you all continue to play. I’ll be back soon," Fan Jian said with a smile to Mi Zhen, then followed Chen Xi towards the back courtyard.
"Jian’er, has Ran’er been unwell recently? No way, she seemed fine the day before yesterday." Chen Xi recalled that she had stayed over at Chen Lan’s place just two days prior.
"Yes, she hasn’t taught me embroidery for the past ten days. She seems quite weary, much like before her wedding," Fan Jian nodded and responded.
"She’s probably up late at night again; she’s not like you," Chen Xi said, slowing down her pace to walk side by side with Fan Jian. "Back then, she was weary because she stayed up late embroidering her wedding clothes. Both her wedding dress and my marquis robe were stitched by her, one thread at a time. Although I have told her there’s no need, she must be making something again recently, staying up late is not good."
Fan Jian pursed her lips and said nothing. None of the group, except for Second Miss Cai, was a match for Chen Lan in embroidery, even Cai Yan was no exception.
"My lord, let’s change your clothes first before going," Fan Jian suggested, tugging at the sleeve of Chen Xi, which had a huge tear.
"Later, after seeing Ran’er," Chen Xi replied calmly, seemingly indifferent to the tear in his sleeve.
Fan Jian did not say anything more and followed Chen Xi into the most secluded courtyard of the inner house, where Chen Lan resided.
"Greetings to the master and the lady," the maid at the door saluted Chen Xi and Fan Jian, then carefully and quickly opened the door without making a sound.
"Still resting?" Chen Xi, seeing Chen Lan was still resting, felt a headache coming on. Judging by the current situation, she knew she had stayed up late again, "What has she been doing lately at night?"
"Replying to the master, the second lady has been making clothes," the maid replied, her head bowed.
"It’s still a while before the New Year, why is she making clothes again? It wasn’t until October last year that she started, right?" Chen Xi asked, puzzled. There was no stopping Chen Lan, who was skilled in needlework, from making new clothes for the coming year.
"Hmm." Just then, Chen Lan, who had been sleeping restlessly, sat up dizzily. "My lord, sister."
"You’re awake," Chen Xi approached, noticing that Chen Lan seemed to have developed quite a bit recently, her curves more pronounced.
"Hmm, what happened to husband’s cuff?" Chen Lan’s face flushed at first, and then quickly spotted the large hole in Chen Xi’s cuff.
"It got torn," Chen Xi said with a smile, "I’ll change into another outfit later, it’s no big deal." As she spoke, Chen Xi lifted her wrist and shook it, indicating that the cuff was accidentally torn.
Chen Lan quickly took out a needle and thread from under the pillow and threaded it in no time, "Do you want me to embroider it for you? It’ll be quick."
"Sure." Chen Xi casually took off her robe, then Chen Lan straightened the cuff and swiftly started sewing, and soon a blue color, completely different from the white robe, appeared on the cuff. It was quickly sewn up, so tightly and neatly that one couldn’t see the slightest sign of the hole, it was just a shame about the additional blue line, but it was hard to notice unless one paid close attention.
"Okay, I’ll put it on," Chen Xi said as soon as she saw Chen Lan had finished the repair, ready to put her coat back on. Although dressing was somewhat ceremonious, after all, it was a kind gesture from Chen Lan, and Chen Xi wasn’t inclined to fuss over formalities.
"It’s not done yet." Chen Lan shook her head and then continued her needlework. Soon, stalks of bamboo appeared on Chen Xi’s cuff, completely covering the tear. Afterward, Chen Lan flipped the robe and quickly embroidered the same pattern on the other sleeve, now it was completely concealed.
"Finished." Chen Lan’s face showed a hint of pride; needlework was her specialty.
"Impressive," Chen Xi marveled. She had never paid much attention to Chen Lan’s embroidery before. Although a Marquis Robe was occasionally needed, actually seeing Chen Lan embroider was rare, and both the speed and quality were indeed startling.
"All I can do is help husband in this aspect," Chen Lan said with a smile as she put away the needle and thread.
"Oh, right, no more staying up late from now on. If new clothes are needed, I’ll take you all to the ready-made clothing store to buy some during the New Year," Chen Xi said with a smile, "If you really want to embroider, do it during the daytime. Embroidering at night isn’t good for the eyes."
"I understand," Chen Lan said modestly, but whether she would take it to heart was another question. People’s habits can be hard to change, and if Chen Lan’s memory served her correctly, she always embroidered at night.
"Eh, what’s this?" Fan Jian, sharp-eyed, caught a glimpse of a child’s garment while Chen Xi and Chen Lan were chatting.
"New clothes," Chen Xi glanced casually without reacting, answering offhandedly before realizing what was implied and turned to look at Chen Lan’s blushing face, then pressed her temple.
"I am with child..." Chen Lan said somewhat shyly.
"How long has it been, how long?" Chen Xi asked excitedly, grabbing Chen Lan’s hand.
"Physician Hua said it’s not yet two months." Chen Lan showed a touch of tenderness as she stroked her flat belly.
"Let me feel." Chen Xi stretched out her hand towards Chen Lan’s belly without thinking, causing Fan Jian’s face to turn red as she walked towards the door, preparing to close it.
"There’s no change yet..." Chen Lan said with a blush, but she didn’t stop Chen Xi’s gesture.
"Jian’er, send Mi Zhen and those people back later. If they dare to make a fuss, send them all back home and have their Household Generals confine them," Chen Xi instructed Fan Jian, turning her head.
Chen Xi had let them gather and make noise at her house before, partly because Mi Zhen and others had three days off a month and to keep Fan Jian and Chen Lan, who seldom went out, company. Now, Chen Xi was very worried that Mi Zhen might accidentally bump into Chen Lan, which could be life-threatening.
Seeing her husband’s concern, Chen Lan felt both happy and a bit anxious, "Husband, what if I give birth to a girl?" (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
