TIPS – Chapter 66

“That’s right, I’m going to be a grandmother, and you’re going to be a grandfather.” Yang Shi beamed with joy, unable to contain her excitement. This wonderful news was enough to keep her secretly delighted for half a month—she felt as giddy as a fool.

“Really…?” Shen Dongming asked his wife again, and after receiving her confirmation, he turned to his daughter-in-law with wide eyes. “Daughter-in-law, is this true?” If even he admitted it, then there was no denying it.

“…It’s true.” Under everyone’s watchful gazes, Song Jingwei finally spoke the words. Though his expression remained as composed and perfect as ever, no different from usual, deep down, he had felt uneasy ever since the moment his pregnancy was revealed.

But to the Shen family’s main household, this was an earth-shattering piece of good news. They couldn’t sense Song Jingwei’s inner discomfort at all—they only felt the joy of welcoming a new addition to the family.

“Hahaha! I’m going to be a grandfather!” Shen Dongming burst into laughter, his delight completely unrestrained. As a straightforward farmer, he had no intention of hiding his happiness.

“Congratulations, Uncle and Aunt! Congratulations to both of you!” Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi both extended their congratulations—first to the Shen couple, and then to Shen Junxi and his spouse. Although they were genuinely happy for the two, they couldn’t help but feel a bit curious.

How exactly did this baby come to be?

Wu Xi might not have understood their complicated relationship, but Pei Hongxuan, being older, had some idea. He wasn’t inexperienced—he had “gone down that road” at sixteen. While he wasn’t an expert in bedroom matters, he had enough knowledge.

Looking at Shen Junxi, he didn’t seem like someone with much experience—at most, he probably hadn’t done it more than a handful of times. Could it be that once or twice was enough to get his wife pregnant? If that were the case, that was quite a talent.

Riding his wave of excitement, Shen Dongming turned to Pei Hongxuan and Wu Xi and asked, “You two have been married for a while now. When are you planning to have a baby?” Since they were both men, having a child wasn’t as simple as a woman getting pregnant—they needed river water, after all.

“We’re not in a rush,” Pei Hongxuan replied, but his heart skipped a beat. Could it be that he, too, would get lucky on the first try? He still remembered his wedding night when he unknowingly drank the river water. Wu Xi had confessed afterward, and Pei Hongxuan had immediately punched him twice…

Wu Xi quickly added, “No rush, Uncle. We’ll ask Doctor Hu to check us over in a while.”

Everyone assumed he meant checking their health to prepare for having children. However, a certain someone—who was more than happy to throw others under the bus—spoke up.

“You two have been married for half a month now. In another ten days or so, you can go check. Pregnancy can be detected after one month.” The one who said this was none other than Song Jingwei.

As soon as he dropped that bombshell, he instantly felt the weight of attention lift from him. The entire table—Shen Dongming, Yang Shi, and even Shen Junxi—shifted their focus onto Pei Hongxuan instead.

Wu Xi, in particular, looked at Pei Hongxuan with an absurdly sweet expression, as if he was already picturing a future where they had a loving and harmonious family like Shen Junxi’s.

“You…” Pei Hongxuan couldn’t stand being stared at like that and secretly gritted his teeth at Song Jingwei. He had always prided himself on his keen judgment, and from the moment he met Song Jingwei, he knew the man wasn’t a good person.

It pained him to see someone as kind and gentle as Shen Junxi end up with Song Jingwei. Of all the people he could have been with, why did he have to marry him? No matter how others viewed their relationship, Pei Hongxuan never approved.

To him, Shen Junxi being married to someone like Song Jingwei was like stepping onto a path of no return. Unless one day he was hurt beyond repair and willing to let go, he would be stuck in pain for a lifetime.

That had always been Pei Hongxuan’s opinion of their relationship.

With the news of the pregnancy, the entire Shen household was overjoyed. Shen Dongming, being someone who couldn’t keep a secret to save his life, went around telling everyone that his daughter-in-law was expecting and that he would soon be a grandfather.

Naturally, some nosy villagers asked, “How far along is she?”

Honest and simple-minded, Shen Dongming proudly answered, “The doctor said six months.” He hadn’t been home when the news broke, but Yang Shi had later told him.

People congratulated him, wishing him an early New Year with a grandchild in his arms. But as soon as they turned away, they laughed behind his back.

Wasn’t his daughter-in-law only married for five months? Yet, he was already six months pregnant?

All those previous rumors, half-true and half-false, didn’t matter anymore. Now that someone from the Shen household had confirmed it, the entire village knew—Song Jingwei had been pregnant before marriage.

It only took two or three days for the news to spread. When Shen Dongming found out, his face turned grim. He was both furious and remorseful. If he hadn’t run his mouth, no one would be gossiping about his son and daughter-in-law.

“These people really have nothing better to do, always talking and talking. What’s there to talk about?” Shen Dongming fumed. He knew full well that his daughter-in-law had been carrying his son’s child before marriage, and yes, people would talk about it. But it still made him angry.

So what if he was pregnant before marriage? Didn’t they end up getting married anyway? Wasn’t it a good thing that they had a child early?

If his daughter-in-law hadn’t been pregnant, who’s to say he would have even married into their family?

Over the past few months, Shen Dongming had thought things through. After discussing with Yang Shi, he came to a realization—his daughter-in-law marrying into their family might have been purely accidental.

“Forget it. We can’t control what others say.” As Yang Shi busied herself with needlework, she added, “Let them talk. When my eldest grandson is born, we’ll slap them in the face with the truth.” The more bitter and sharp-tongued people were, the better their family had to live—prosperous and happy—to anger those who had nothing.

“You’re right. Let’s piss them off.” Shen Dongming bit his pipe and nodded fiercely.

Yang Shi glanced at him. “Old Shen, when are you quitting smoking?”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have to quit if you don’t want to, but you won’t be allowed to hold the baby.”

Shen Dongming hesitated before grinning sheepishly. “I’ll quit. I’ll quit.”

“Ha!” Yang Shi let out a laugh and said, “Good, you better quit properly. I’m going to find my daughter-in-law and ask for some fabric. The child is already six months along—we need to start making clothes.” After all, they were all certain that Song Jingwei was carrying a boy. There was absolutely no way it would be a girl.

“Having several sons is great,” Shen Dongming mused. “Brothers working together can achieve anything. But still, it’s a shame there won’t be any daughters.”

“I wonder when our family will finally have a little girl,” Yang Shi sighed before getting up to find Song Jingwei.

Up until now, Song Jingwei had never thought about baby clothes. Since Yang Shi insisted on preparing, he quickly followed her to pick out fabric—for all sorts of things. Clothes, shoes, blankets…

As he listened to Yang Shi list everything out one by one, it finally hit him—he was really going to be a father. In just a few months, a small, soft little being would emerge from his belly.

“Jingwei, now that you’re pregnant, you have to be extra careful, understand? You can’t be as careless as before—we all worry about you.” Yang Shi reminded him of everything she could think of before adding, “If you crave anything, tell me, and I’ll make it for you. If you need to do anything, ask Xi’er to do it for you.”

Song Jingwei mostly just lowered his gaze, nodding and murmuring “Mm” at intervals. When she finally stopped, he seized the opportunity to say, “You go ahead and get busy. I feel tired again.”

“Alright, alright. Go rest.” Yang Shi gathered up the fabric and left.

But Song Jingwei wasn’t actually tired—he just wasn’t used to all this attention… It felt awkward. Completely unnatural. It made him feel like… a woman.

Not long after Yang Shi left, Shen Junxi appeared in front of him. He didn’t mind seeing Shen Junxi, though. He had sent him out for errands in the morning, so he was probably back with news.

Shen Junxi was holding a blueprint as he approached. His eyes carefully studied his wife first—he looked energetic today, his complexion was rosy, and his mood didn’t seem bad.

Smiling, he gestured, “How was your morning?”

Song Jingwei squinted at him. “You were gone for less than an hour.” That was barely two hours. Did he really need to check in like this?

Shen Junxi chuckled softly, watching him for a long moment before restraining his emotions and unfolding the blueprint. “I followed your instructions and gave out the orders. But Uncle Xianggui says he doesn’t recommend digging a lotus pond on that land.”

Song Jingwei said, “The pond has to be dug. I know he’s worried about sales and transportation, but this location is perfect—it won’t be a problem.” He had already planned out the land thoroughly. Most of it would be used for a tea plantation, cultivating the most suitable varieties, while a separate twenty-acre lotus pond would be built.

Overall, the tea plantation would be the main source of income, while the lotus pond was more for personal enjoyment.

Since he planned to live a relaxed, leisurely life this time around, he wanted to create something pleasing to the eye. Though he wasn’t planning to stay here forever, who knew? Maybe he’d return someday. Even he wasn’t sure about that.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi gestured. “We’re starting to turn the soil today. With such a large area to prepare, the earliest we can plant is next spring.”

“That timing is just right.” By next spring, he would have given birth and could fully focus on managing the tea plantation and the lotus pond. Running such a large project wasn’t an issue in terms of labor—his real concern was market demand and product selection.

Chashan Village currently had very limited tea varieties and a relatively low yield. Song Jingwei wondered if he could find a better strain to cultivate. If he only grew the current variety, the output and profit would barely sustain operations—it wouldn’t generate much actual profit.

His goal in all this farming was to make money. To earn enough for the Shen family. In a way, he saw it as a form of compensation. And doing this did, indeed, make him feel a little more at ease.

Meeting Shen Junxi’s concerned gaze, Song Jingwei took a deep breath and said, “Go get busy. Tell Uncle Xianggui I know what I’m doing with the pond.”

Shen Junxi studied him for a moment before gesturing, “And what are you planning to do now?”

Song Jingwei raised an eyebrow. “Sleep. How about that?”

Shen Junxi grinned and signed, “Want me to take you?”

“Give me a break.” Song Jingwei scoffed and said seriously, “If you really want to impress me, stop sticking to me all the time and go build the tea plantation. Make lots of money.”

Be a real man—maybe then, he’d like him a little more.