Chen Yun stroked his beard and calmly asked, “Ninghua has brewed a lot of fine wine. How much do you have left now? Take two jars and send them to my manor.”
Stunned at first, Baili Junyi immediately knew that Shen Ninghua was fine from Chen Yun’s reaction. Otherwise, Chen Yun would not be in the mood to drink wine. After getting along with each other for such a long time, Uncle Chen treated Shen Ninghua even more intimately than he treated him. He simply treated Shen Ninghua as his daughter and doted on her. “Uncle Chen, it’s not that I don’t want to give you wine, but it’s useless. Auntie Chen won’t let you drink.”
Chen Yun touched his beard and almost pulled it off. “Nonsense! How can you compare the wine that Ninghua brewed with other wines? It’s good for my health, do you understand that?!” Most of the wine that Ninghua brewed was fruit wine and medicinal wine. He didn’t know what secret recipe she had added, but the taste was thick and fragrant, and it was beneficial to the body. How could he not ask for more?
Baili Junyi nodded. “Okay. I’ll ask Ye Yi to take two jars and send them to your manor. Please drink them secretly and don’t let Auntie catch you.”
“Brat…” Chen Yun stared. Now that he had resigned from his official position, he was a commoner, and he felt more at ease with Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua. When he was still an official, he didn’t let Baili Junyi call him Uncle Chen. But now, he could call Shen Ninghua by her name. Without an official position, he was just an ordinary elder. There were not so many rules and restrictions.
Baili Junyi giggled. “Uncle Chen, when you checked Ninghua’s pulse just now, you frowned so tightly. Is she really okay?”
Seeing his anxious look, Chen Yun gave him a profound look. He ordered a servant to carry his medicine box and started to walk out.
Baili Junyi was startled and hurriedly chased after him. “Uncle Chen, you haven’t told me what’s wrong with her yet.”
Chen Yun ignored him and only emphasized again, “Remember to ask Ye Yi to deliver the wine.”
Baili Junyi still wanted to ask a few more questions, but Hong Ling came out of the room. “Your Highness, Miss is awake.”
As soon as he heard this, he rushed into the room and huffed in concern, “Ninghua, are you alright? You’ve slept for four hours. Did something happen when you were at the Second Prince Mansion?”
Ninghua was so capable that not many people could scheme against her. However, Yang Yingxue was her cousin, and she might have lost her composure for a while, not to mention the sinister Baili Jinchuan. He didn’t want her to be hurt.
After waking up, Shen Ninghua was also very surprised. She had slept for four hours? She felt that she only closed her eyes for a while!
“Did Uncle Chen come here just now?”
“Yes. After reading your pulse, he didn’t say anything. He just asked me to send two jars of wine over.”
Shen Ninghua paused. Chen Yun asked for two jars of wine without saying anything? Suddenly, a ray of light flashed in her mind. She reached out to touch her belly and checked her own pulse. “Get two jars of my finest wines and ask Ye Yi to send them to Uncle Chen. Also, I wrote a lot of prescriptions some time ago. Ask Ye Yi to send them over too.”
Baili Junyi was a little confused. “Ninghua, what’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Shen Ninghua chuckled. She held his hand and placed it on her lower abdomen. “We have a baby, again.”
Baili Junyi paused, and the expression on his face was somewhat stiff. Only after a while did he come back to his senses. A burst of ecstasy flashed through his heart. “Ninghua… H-H-Honey! Is it true?”
His current expression reminded her of his ecstatic moment when he found out that she was pregnant with Big Boy and Baby Girl. “It’s not the first time to be a father. Why are you so happy?”
Baili Junyi held her hand and carefully placed a pillow behind her back. “Even if I become a father a hundred times, I still feel happy.”
A hundred times? Shen Ninghua’s expression froze, and she smiled faintly as she watched him pacing back and forth in the room.
Baili Junyi had already begun to think about how to educate his third child. This time, he had to teach the child well. No, he wanted another daughter. It was nice to have a daughter as adorable and lovely as Baby Girl. He didn’t want a son as rude as Big Boy, who would glare at him and talk back to him despite his young age.
“Ninghua, it’s a girl, right? It must be a girl, right?”
Seeing his expectant look, Shen Ninghua did not know whether to cry or laugh. “Other people all hope for more sons, but why do you prefer a daughter? Don’t you want a son?”
“It’s enough to have that bratty Big Boy. He is quite stubborn, but he is smart and qualified to be my heir. Daughters are different. Look at Baby Girl. When Big Boy grows up, he will not be able to play with her at all times like now. She will be so lonely! If she has a little sister, they can play together,” Baili Junyi said expectantly.
Shen Ninghua smiled and shook her head. “It’s still early. I can’t tell if it’s a boy or a girl. Let’s talk about it in a few months.”
Baili Junyi carefully touched Shen Ninghua’s slender and tight belly and said firmly, “It’s a daughter. It must be a daughter!”
The delightful Baili Junyi rewarded an extra month of allowance to all the servants in the mansion. However, Qing Que and Ye Yi were different. He gave them a hundred taels of silver each and repeatedly reminded them to take good care of Shen Ninghua.
Xia Rouqin studied medicine with Shen Ninghua. She was hardworking and extremely smart. Now, she was quite knowledgeable and experienced. It was inconvenient for Ninghua to get in touch with the medicinal herbs now that she was pregnant, so Xia Rouqin came in handy.
At night, Big Boy and Baby Girl held hands as they entered the room. As soon as they entered, they were about to pounce on Shen Ninghua when Baili Junyi went forward and carried them up. He was so shocked that he almost broke out in a cold sweat.
Baby Girl did not mind. She hugged Baili Junyi’s neck and kissed his cheek. “Father.”
Baili Junyi was immediately satisfied, and his thoughts became even firmer. “As expected, daughter is still the best. A daughter is always an apple of a father’s eye.”
Big Boy was not as quiet as Baby Girl was. Baili Junyi did not put much effort into hugging him. Actually, it was more like he was holding him under his arms. Big Boy hung his limbs down as if they had no strength. Therefore, he struggled with all his might. “Let me go, let me go.”
Baili Junyi would have slapped his little butt if it weren’t for the fact that he was carrying Baby Girl too. “Be good and stay still! Your mother has your little sister in her tummy now, so she can’t play with you. Keep your distance from her and don’t pounce on her, do you understand?”
With that, Big Boy stopped struggling and looked up at Baby Girl. “My sister is here.”
Baili Junyi placed the two children two steps away from Ninghua. “Don’t jump around, and don’t run around in front of your mother. Do you understand?”
Although the two of them were young, they were exceptionally intelligent. It could almost be said that they had a photographic memory. Baili Junyi was extremely proud of this and claimed that it was all thanks to his successful prenatal education.
Big Boy was still thinking about the little sister that Baili Junyi had just mentioned. He looked back and forth between Shen Ninghua and Baby Girl. Finally, he pointed at Baby Girl and said, “Sister is here.”
Baili Junyi felt that it was a good time for them to unite together. He pulled Big Boy and said, “Your mother is pregnant with another baby now. After a few months, she will be your sister. Do you understand?”
The two children had already asked Shen Ninghua and Baili Junyi where they came from, and they knew that they originally grew up in their mother’s belly. Later, when they grew up, Mother released them. Now that they heard that Shen Ninghua had another child, they hurriedly looked at her belly. “Sister?”
Baby Girl looked at Shen Ninghua with bright eyes. “Mother, I want a brother.”
Baili Junyi was bewildered. He didn’t expect that Baby Girl would be the one to crash his dream. “Baby Girl, if she’s a sister, she can play with you.”
Baby Girl thought for a moment and then shook her head. She carefully leaned against Shen Ninghua and reached out to touch her belly. “Brother.”
Big Boy had always followed Baby Girl’s lead. When he heard that she wanted a younger brother, he naturally echoed, “It’s a younger brother.”
Shen Ninghua observed Baili Junyi’s expression with great interest while holding back her laughter. His expression constantly changed to ultimate gloominess.
Originally, Baili Junyi thought that they could unite together to look forward to a girl, but these two little traitors wanted a brother! In an instant, he felt so lonely and pitiful. What was so good about a younger brother? Boys were not as considerate and lovely as girls!
“Baby Girl, why do you want a brother? Isn’t it good to have a beautiful little sister?”
“Okay.” Baby Girl nodded.
Baili Junyi’s eyes lit up. “Yes, it’s good to have a little sister! We don’t want a brother now, okay? Ask your mother to give you a sister, okay?”
Baby Girl looked at Shen Ninghua, frowned, and thought for a long time. Finally, she took out a small golden tiger from her pocket and put it on Shen Ninghua’s leg. “Little brother, this is a gift from your elder sister.”
Baili Junyi’s smile froze instantly. “It is good to have a sister, but you still want a brother? Baby Girl, you are supposed to be the most considerate, remember?” He wailed in his heart.
Seeing his expression of despair, Shen Ninghua finally laughed out loud. She took the little tiger and looked at it carefully. The little tiger was Baby Girl’s favorite, and she took it with her wherever she went. She was really looking forward to her brother because she was willing to give him her precious treasure.
Touching Baby Girl’s soft little face, Shen Ninghua said, “Keep this for your brother. You can give it to him when he comes out, okay?”
Baby Girl nodded and stuffed the little tiger back into her pouch.
Big Boy had always liked to go against Baili Junyi. Now that he saw that Baili Junyi wanted a girl, Big Boy firmly agreed with Baby Girl that he wanted a brother too. He then asked the wet nurses to bring his little bow and arrows, saying that he wanted to give them to his younger brother as a gift. He hoped that his brother would grow up healthily and be a good boy, and they would play together when he grew up.
After having dinner and comforting the two excited little children, Baili Junyi and Shen Ninghua finally had time to be with each other.
Lying on the bed, Shen Ninghua touched her flat abdomen and was worried. “Junyi, do you think that this is not the right time for the baby to come?”