TIPS – Chapter 79

“You don’t have to imagine me as a good person in your heart. I’m very bad,” Song Jingwei said with a smile, as if it were true.

“That’s not true. You’re not bad,” Shen Junxi gestured, also smiling. He knew his wife wasn’t bad. He was gradually becoming better toward them. This change, though slow, was steady, and in the future, it would surely last long.

Meanwhile, Qiu Rui and Yuan Guanlin walked down the road holding Qiu Tianbao. Hearing his son still crying out, Qiu Rui felt a pang in his heart and said, “That person just now…”

“Stop thinking about it,” Yuan Guanlin said. “He has a man. That Shen guy is his husband.” Seeing the disappointment on Qiu Rui’s face, he added, “Besides, there’s already another one in his belly.”

Qiu Tianbao said, “Yeah! I have a little brother now.”

Qiu Rui and Yuan Guanlin: “….” They didn’t know what to do with this little rascal.

“You’re saying that mute man is his husband?” Qiu Rui found it hard to understand how such an astonishing person could marry someone with a speech disability. “Do you think I’m worse than that man?” He didn’t believe so. If Song Jingwei were willing to follow him, wouldn’t it be better than following a mute?

“To be honest, boss, you wouldn’t necessarily treat your wife better than that man does,” Yuan Guanlin said bluntly. He had seen how Shen Junxi treated Song Jing, and he knew someone like Qiu Rui, a typical dominant man, would never do the same.

“…” Qiu Rui’s face instantly darkened. He never thought that in Yuan Guanlin’s eyes, he wasn’t even as good as a mute. This was ridiculous!

“Get rid of that thought. You can have any man you want—why bother with that one?” Yuan Guanlin advised sincerely. He really didn’t want the boss to go after someone who was already married.

“Tianbao likes him, and I quite like him too,” Qiu Rui admitted openly. He had a good impression of Song Jing, and since his son liked him as well, why not? Moreover, he wasn’t someone who gave up easily. “Maybe I should first find out whether he’s truly satisfied with his man.”

Yuan Guanlin made a disgusted face. “If he’s not satisfied with his man, are you planning to make him satisfied with you? Give me a break!” Seeing Qiu Rui seriously considering it, he thought to himself that he needed to find a way to kill off this idea in the boss’s head.

“You take Tianbao back first. I need to take a leak,” Yuan Guanlin said before disappearing into the woods.

Inside the house, Song Jingwei had just fallen asleep when Shen Dongming came over with Yang Shi, saying that someone was looking for him outside.

Song Jingwei got up, put on his shoes and cloak, and went outside to see Yuan Guanlin had returned. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, “What’s the matter?”

This wasn’t the place to talk. Yuan Guanlin gestured for him to walk under the corridor before saying, “I need to discuss something with you.”

“Go ahead,” Song Jingwei said, waiting for him to continue.

Yuan Guanlin hesitated for a moment, as if struggling to speak. After a long pause, he finally said hesitantly, “It’s like this. That man earlier is our boss.” He glanced at Song Jing. “If he ever comes to find you in the future, just ignore him.”

“Hm? Why would he come looking for me?” Song Jingwei asked, puzzled.

“Because Tianbao likes you,” Yuan Guanlin said while carefully observing his expression. Seeing no reaction, he grew anxious and pressed, “So, will you promise or not? Just ignore him, okay?”

“It’s not just because Tianbao likes me, is it?” Song Jingwei didn’t believe it was that simple. It was clear that Qiu Rui had some thoughts about him.

“Whatever the case, just ignore him. You have a family,” Yuan Guanlin said, glancing at his belly with a look that said know your place.

Song Jingwei had disliked Yuan Guanlin’s attitude from the start—it was as if he assumed Song Jingwei was desperate for any man he saw. Just to go against him, Song Jingwei deliberately said, “Why should I listen to you? You tell me to ignore him, and I should? Who are you to control me?”

“What do you mean by that?” Yuan Guanlin’s eyes widened. “Don’t tell me you actually like Qiu Rui?”

“Oh, so he likes me,” Song Jingwei said knowingly.

“You—” Yuan Guanlin was furious and shot him a glare. “Don’t act shamelessly. Our boss isn’t someone you can mess with. If you were unmarried, fine, but…” He trailed off, looking pointedly at Song Jing’s belly. How could he accept their boss going after someone who was already married and carrying another man’s child?

“Does being unmarried or not really matter? As long as you like someone, that’s enough,” Song Jingwei said with a smirk, as if it were a real possibility.

“No way!” Yuan Guanlin shouted. No meant no!

“Alright,” Song Jingwei stopped teasing him and said, “Let’s put that aside for now. Let’s talk about what we didn’t finish discussing yesterday.”

“What didn’t we finish talking about yesterday?” Yuan Guanlin asked.

“The business deal. So? Interested?” Song Jingwei smiled, steering the conversation in another direction.

Yuan Guanlin wasn’t stupid. He instantly understood what Song Jingwei was implying. Though he felt a little threatened, the boss’s matters were obviously more important. After a brief hesitation, he agreed. “Fine, I’ll agree—but you have to promise me not to get involved with our boss and stop fooling Tianbao.”

“Alright, I promise you as well,” Song Jingwei said. He had never intended to provoke anyone in the first place, not even Qiu Tianbao.

“Then it’s settled. Remember your words—if you don’t keep your promise, I’ll…” Yuan Guanlin hesitated, then dropped a harsh threat: “If you don’t, I’ll beat up your man!”

Song Jingwei smiled. “You won’t have the chance to.” He could guarantee that he wouldn’t go looking for Qiu Rui, but if Qiu Rui and Qiu Tianbao came to him instead, that wouldn’t be his responsibility.

Unexpectedly, thanks to this little incident, the business deal was smoothly settled. Song Jingwei was in a very good mood.

Standing at the entrance of the courtyard, Shen Junxi saw his wife smiling and walked over with a gentle expression. He gestured, “What were you talking about just now?” That person had already left, so he only came out now.

“Business matters. It’s all settled,” Song Jingwei, still in a good mood, replied lightly.

“Mm.” Seeing him happy, Shen Junxi’s smile deepened. He gestured, “Do you want to go back and rest?”

Song Jingwei shook his head. Since he was already up, he didn’t feel like going back. “Let’s take a walk to the school.”

As soon as they stepped into the small courtyard of the school, they almost bumped into Wu Xi, who was rushing out. Wu Xi was already in a hurry, and now, nearly crashing into Song Jingwei made his face turn even paler. He quickly said, “Sorry! Did I hit you?” After all, Song Jingwei was pregnant. He couldn’t afford any accidents—it would be a disaster if anything happened.

“I’m fine. Why are you in such a hurry?” Song Jingwei, with Shen Junxi supporting him, had stepped aside in time and wasn’t actually hit. Instead, he became more curious about Wu Xi’s anxious expression and asked.

“Oh, it’s Hongxuan! He suddenly fainted. I’m going to find a doctor,” Wu Xi explained, panicking as he thought of his unconscious husband. He couldn’t afford any more delays.

“Is that so? Then we’ll go check on him while you get the doctor,” Song Jingwei said, already having a suspicion. Pei Hongxuan had always been in good health, so fainting out of nowhere… Could it be that he was pregnant?

“Mm, mm!” Wu Xi responded before hurriedly running off.

“Let’s go see him,” Song Jingwei said, and together with Shen Junxi, they entered the courtyard and headed straight for the study room inside the school.

Sure enough, Pei Hongxuan was inside the small study. Wu Xi had placed him on a wooden couch, covered him with a blanket, and set up a brazier in front of the couch. The room was warm. Song Jingwei took off his cloak and placed it over Pei Hongxuan.

Seeing this, Shen Junxi quickly guided him to sit by the brazier and gestured, “Don’t catch a chill.”

“I’m fine. I’m not cold,” Song Jingwei said as he sat down. In reality, pregnant people rarely felt cold—he was like a walking heater every night, his whole body radiating warmth.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi made sure his wife was settled before walking over to check on their friend. Pei Hongxuan’s complexion was still fine, and his eyelids were fluttering slightly. Shen Junxi turned back and gestured, “He’s probably waking up.”

Not long after, Pei Hongxuan opened his eyes and groggily turned his head to look at them. Surprised, he asked, “You… Why are you here?”

Song Jingwei explained, “We ran into Wu Xi on our way in. He said you suddenly fainted. He’s gone to get a doctor. How are you feeling?”

Pei Hongxuan touched his head, sat up, and said, “It’s nothing much. I suddenly blacked out for a moment. I don’t even know why.”

“Did you not eat enough for lunch?” They no longer ate at the Shen family’s main house but instead cooked their own meals at Wu Xi’s place every day.

“I didn’t have much appetite at noon and didn’t eat much,” Pei Hongxuan recalled. “I even felt a little nauseous when I saw the meat dishes, so I only had a few bites.”

“Don’t worry. Let’s wait for the doctor to take a look,” Song Jingwei said. Hearing this, he was now 80% certain that Pei Hongxuan was pregnant.

“Mm.” Pei Hongxuan looked at Shen Junxi, concerned. “The school… I’ll have to trouble you to check in on things.”

Shen Junxi nodded and gestured, “Don’t worry, focus on seeing the doctor. I’ll head over now.” After saying a proper goodbye to his wife, he left.

“It looks like we really need to hire two more teachers,” Song Jingwei remarked. He had considered this before but hadn’t acted on it yet. Now, it was something that had to be done quickly.

“That makes sense. There are more and more students now,” Pei Hongxuan agreed, not thinking about his own situation. He simply assumed that hiring more teachers was necessary due to the growing number of students.

“Mm.” Song Jingwei paused for a moment before asking in a low voice, “How are things between you and Wu Xi now?”

Pei Hongxuan smiled faintly. “What can I say?”

After a moment of silence, he also lowered his voice and said, “I used to want to advise you—life is short, don’t let down the people who are good to you…”

Song Jingwei immediately responded, “You’re right. He treats you with all his heart. One day, you’ll be grateful for it.”

“And what about you?” Pei Hongxuan looked at him intently, his eyes filled with expectation.

If before, he had only been an observer, now he was in the same situation as Song Jingwei—both caught in the thick of things, unable to see clearly. At a moment like this, he wanted to know what Song Jingwei thought. Or perhaps, he hoped that Song Jingwei’s actions could give him some positive reassurance, allowing him to believe that accepting Wu Xi was the right choice.

“Go with the flow,” Song Jingwei replied, looking back at him. “There’s no need to force anything—just follow your feelings.” Even if one day he suddenly developed feelings for Shen Junxi, he would accept it calmly and wouldn’t try to forcibly change anything.

“Fair enough,” Pei Hongxuan lowered his gaze and smiled. Noticing the cloak over him, his smile grew even brighter. He took it off and handed it back to Song Jingwei, saying, “You should wear this. You’re the one carrying a baby—I wouldn’t dare to compete with you for it.”

Song Jingwei took it back naturally without saying much.

After waiting for quite a while, Wu Xi and Doctor Hu rushed in. Seeing Pei Hongxuan sitting there in good condition, Wu Xi let out a sigh of relief. He quickly stepped forward, touching Pei Hongxuan’s hands and feet, and asked, “How do you feel? Anywhere uncomfortable?”

Pei Hongxuan shook his head. “No discomfort. I woke up not long after you left.”

“That’s good.” Wu Xi relaxed quite a bit, holding his hand. He then turned to Doctor Hu and said, “Even though he’s awake, I’m still worried. Could you take a look?”

Doctor Hu Chengchun observed Pei Hongxuan’s complexion and asked, “You two are newly married, right?” He had even attended their wedding banquet.

“Yes,” Wu Xi answered, a bit puzzled.

“Hmm, let me check,” Hu Chengchun said as he positioned himself to take Pei Hongxuan’s pulse. His guess was correct—another slippery pulse. His eyes twinkled, and he broke into a smile, saying, “Congratulations! What a joyous occasion!”

Song Jingwei smiled knowingly, while Wu Xi looked completely lost. Only Pei Hongxuan remained calm as he asked, “How many months?”

Hu Chengchun smirked. “As many months as you’ve been married—less than three months. Be extra careful.”

This couple was lucky—they hadn’t waited until five or six months to see him. “Good thing I was prepared and brought some prenatal medicine,” he said while opening his medicine box. Then, he turned to Song Jingwei and asked, “How about you? Want a couple of doses?”

Song Jingwei shook his head. “I don’t need it. Ask them instead.”

Wu Xi was still in a daze. He only snapped back to reality when Hu Chengchun asked him for the medicine fee. His nose tingled with emotion, and he murmured, “Hongxuan, we… we’re having a child?”

“Yes.” Pei Hongxuan squeezed his hand and said, “You’re going to be a father.”

Wu Xi lowered his head, overwhelmed with emotion, his heart filled with complex feelings. “I… I’m sorry, Hongxuan. I owe you too much—I could never repay you, not in this life or the next.”

“Then be my servant for life,” Pei Hongxuan said, looking into his eyes. “Listen to me, no slacking off, and no changing your heart.”

“I will, absolutely,” Wu Xi promised, holding Pei Hongxuan tightly, deeply grateful for his wife.

“So touching,” Hu Chengchun muttered as he watched. He quietly added two more packs of prenatal medicine to the bundle—after all, he knew Wu Xi wouldn’t hesitate to pay for it.

After sending Hu Chengchun off, Song Jingwei said, “You two should take a couple of days off—no need to come to the school.”

“But what about the school?” Wu Xi asked. “Shen Junxi can’t handle everything alone.”

“Tomorrow is the first day of the twelfth month, right? Isn’t there some kind of festival? Just take a two-day holiday,” Song Jingwei said, not too familiar with their village’s traditions.

Wu Xi chuckled. “That works. It’s not a major festival, but it’s been a while since we had a break.”

“Yeah.” Song Jingwei nodded. “New Year’s is coming soon. I plan to start the official holiday on the twentieth of the twelfth month—about twenty days from now. Until then, you and Hongxuan will have to hold down the fort. The new teachers might not arrive until after the New Year. Does that sound okay to you?”

Both of them shook their heads. “No objections. That sounds good.”

Thinking about how they had a small household with no one to handle things, Song Jingwei said, “Ten days might be a bit rushed. I’ll ask Shen Junxi’s parents to help you prepare for the New Year. They have to do it anyway, so they might as well include yours.”

Considering that his wife wasn’t in a condition to deal with such things, Wu Xi agreed. “That’d be great. Please thank Uncle and Auntie for us. We’ll pay them for the costs when the time comes.”

Song Jingwei nodded. “Alright, we’ll settle that later.”

As he mentally counted the days, he realized how close the New Year was. That meant there were still plenty of things to take care of—arranging the students’ vacation, paying the farmhands, selling pigs for New Year supplies… His parents had even mentioned wanting to cure some meat.

On the first day of the twelfth month, Chashan Village celebrated the temple god’s birthday. Every household slaughtered a pig for the offering.

Before dawn, Shen Dong got up to prepare for the pig slaughter. Yang Shi had already boiled water and went to her son’s courtyard to knock on the door, calling for Shen Junxi to wake up and help.

The movement inside the room stirred Song Jingwei awake. Seeing that it was still pitch black, he asked, “Why are you up so early?”

Shen Junxi gestured near the bed: “We’re slaughtering pigs today—I’m going to help my father.”

Song Jingwei thought he could hear the grunts of pigs and said, “Then I’ll get up too.” He was curious to see how pigs were slaughtered in rural villages.

“Mm.” Shen Junxi immediately started gathering clothes for him, helping him put on his shoes, and even bringing warm water for him to wash up. In the process, they ended up taking quite a bit of time.