Chương 265: Chae Jung-hee

In the fourth year of Zhongping, in mid-February.

The weather in Zhuoxian County, Youzhou was still a bit chilly, but the sun had already warmed up the air.

Liu Ce helped Cai Yan into the carriage. She was more than two months pregnant, but her belly wasn't showing yet. However, Liu Ce was extremely nervous. He would help her when she went out, support her while she walked, and ask her "Do you feel nauseous?" before she ate.

Cai Yan said, both amused and exasperated, "Husband, there's no need to be so careful. I can walk; I'm not that delicate."

"That won't do," Liu Ce said seriously.

"You're a key person to protect right now. Not to mention you, the one in your belly is even more important—that might be the first child of the third generation of our Liu family."

Cai Yan shook her head with a smile, but felt a sweet warmth in her heart.

The carriage slowly drove towards the Cai residence.

Since becoming pregnant, Cai Yong had been sending people to inquire about her every few days, so today Liu Ce simply took Cai Yan back to her parents' home for a visit.

The carriage arrived at the Cai residence.

As soon as I got out of the car, I heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the yard.

"Sister! Brother-in-law!"

A girl of about twelve or thirteen years old rushed out like a fawn, wearing a pale yellow dress, with her hair in two buns, her cheeks rosy and her eyes sparkling—she was Cai Zhenji, Cai Yan's younger sister.

She threw herself into Cai Yan's arms, almost causing him to stumble.

Liu Ce reacted quickly, grabbing her and glaring at her, he said, "Zhenji! Slow down! Your sister is now..."

"I know, I know!" Cai Zhenji stuck out her tongue, releasing Cai Yan but still holding her arm.

"Sister is pregnant! Father told me!"

She tilted her head, curiously examining Cai Yan's belly, and asked, "Sister, I heard you're pregnant? What does the baby look like? Can we see it yet?"

Cai Yan was amused and said, "She's only a little over two months old, still very young, you can't tell."

"Will the baby move?"

"Not yet."

"Is the baby a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know."

"What's the baby's name?"

"Haven't picked it up yet."

"How long will it take before he comes out to play with me?"

"It will take another six or seven months."

"It's been so long..." Cai Zhenji pouted, then asked, "What will he call me when he comes out? Will he call me 'Auntie'? Should I prepare a gift for him? Sister, do you prefer a boy or a girl? I think a girl is better, I can teach her embroidery..."

Chae Jung-hee was bombarded with questions one after another, like a machine gun.

Cai Yan patiently answered each question, and Liu Ce listened with amusement.

Cai Zhenji suddenly turned her head, blinked, stared at Liu Ce for a while, and then gave him a thumbs up:

"Brother-in-law, you're amazing!"

Liu Ce was taken aback and said, "Huh?"

"My sister got pregnant not long after we got married!" Cai Zhenji said with admiration.

"I heard from the servants that your other wives are also pregnant. All ten of them are pregnant! How did you do that, brother-in-law?"

Liu Ce: "..."

He opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless.

How should I answer this question?

Does that mean "because I had a system that gave me a golden kidney"?

"Cough cough!" Liu Ce pretended to cough.

Cai Yan blushed and scolded playfully, "Zhen Ji, what nonsense are you talking about!"

"I'm not making this up!" Cai Zhenji said innocently.

"Father said that after marriage, a woman getting pregnant is a big deal. My brother-in-law got my sister pregnant so quickly, isn't that amazing!"

Liu Ce was both amused and exasperated, thinking to himself: This sister-in-law really speaks so bluntly.

Cai Yan quickly came to the rescue, gently patting her sister's hand and saying, "Zhenji, don't talk nonsense."

"Oh..." Cai Zhenji shrank her neck, but her eyes were still lingering on Liu Ce, her gaze clearly saying, "Brother-in-law, you must have a secret."

Just as things were getting awkward, Cai Yong arrived after hearing the news.

The old man was in very good spirits today, wearing a dark robe, stroking his beard and smiling broadly as he said:

"Berluigi is here? Come in quickly, it's cold outside."

Liu Ce helped Cai Yan and followed Cai Yong toward the main hall.

Cai Zhenji skipped along behind, muttering, "Brother-in-law, how did you do that? Teach me, I'll need it when I get married..."

"Zhenji!" Cai Yong turned around and glared at her, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting, young lady! Go and make tea for your sister and brother-in-law."

"oh......"

Cai Zhenji stuck out her tongue, made a face at Liu Ce, and ran away.

Upon arriving at the main hall, guests and hosts took their seats. Although they were family, Cai Yong was now the father-in-law, and Liu Ce was the Prince of Yan, so the proper etiquette still had to be observed.

Cai Yong first inquired about Cai Yan's health, then about the other ladies, and upon learning that they were all well, nodded in satisfaction:

"Great, great. Bolue, you might have ten children now. Our Liu family, or rather, the Cai family, will also have a share. It's like the family is expanding."

Liu Ce laughed and said, "It's all thanks to my father-in-law."

"What good fortune? You're the one who's capable." Cai Yong waved his hand, then suddenly lowered his voice and said, "But... with ten wives pregnant at the same time, can your body handle it?"

Liu Ce's lips twitched.

Why is everyone so concerned about this today?

He chuckled twice and said, "It's... it's alright."

Cai Yong gave him a meaningful look, didn't press further, and changed the subject:

"By the way, that 'mahjong set' you sent last time was really interesting. I played with some old friends for a few days and got addicted. It's just that they had terrible luck and kept losing, and they were still not satisfied, so they came to me every day to get revenge."

Liu Ce chuckled and said, "I'm glad you like them, Father-in-law. I'll have a few more made another day so you can give them to your friends."

"That would be great."

The father-in-law and son-in-law chatted about everyday things, with Cai Yan sitting to the side listening with a smile. Cai Zhenji brought in tea, her eyes still glancing at Liu Ce, clearly not giving up on finding out the secret of "how her brother-in-law is so amazing".

...

Afterwards, Cai Yan and Cai Zhenji went to the backyard, and Cai Yong and Liu Ce talked about serious matters.

Cai Yong said solemnly, "Bo Lue, there are rumors circulating in the court recently... that you married ten women at once, which is against etiquette. Yuan Wei and his gang are probably going to cause trouble again."

Liu Ce scoffed, "Let them talk. What business is it of theirs if I marry my wife? His Majesty hasn't said anything, yet they're getting agitated."

"That being said, it's still best to be cautious," Cai Yong cautioned.

"A tall tree catches the wind."

"I understand," Liu Ce nodded.

"Thank you for the reminder, father-in-law."

......

"Bolue, I've seen that 'concrete' that you had Jia Sixie promote," Cai Yong stroked his beard, "it's indeed a good thing. If used for road construction and city building, it will benefit generations to come."

"Father-in-law, you flatter me," Liu Ce said with a smile.

"This is just the beginning. For Youzhou to develop, its infrastructure must keep up."

"So what are your plans next?"

Liu Ce thought for a moment and said, "Agriculture still needs to be strengthened. Although we now have potatoes, sweet potatoes, and hybrid rice, the variety of crops is still limited. I plan to introduce several new crops to enrich people's dining tables."

"A new crop?" Cai Yong asked curiously.

"Where did it come from?"

"This... overseas," Liu Ce mumbled.

You can't exactly say you'll buy it from the system, can you?

Cai Yong nodded, not delving into it further. He was used to his son-in-law always managing to produce some strange and wonderful things.

...