嫩草影院地址一二三

Chapter 379: 379. A Conjecture (Second Revision)

The firecrackers crackled loudly, like a red dragon dancing in the snow and white smoke, the flames quickly snaking upward, and small pieces of red paper falling like petals, instantly adding an unparalleled festive and lively atmosphere.

When the firecrackers were finished, Old Mu let go of Zheng Zheng, who happily stomped on the red paper scraps on the ground and spun around several times, shouting loudly, “I have a sister now! I have a sister now!” It was as if he wanted to share his joy with the whole world.

The news spread quickly in the capital city: Marquis Chang Xin Gu Ling’s wife, Su Liang, the Divine Doctor of Su, was delighted to have a daughter.

Duanmu Chen learned of the news while having lunch with Emperor Duanmu Yi and Empress Dowager Xiao. Duanmu Yi was seated in a wheelchair, and though he still needed someone to feed him, he was in better spirits than before and could speak normally.

“A daughter? Good, very good, excellent.” Duanmu Chen nodded repeatedly. He felt that having a daughter was even better than having a son.

Duanmu Yi’s gaze shifted towards Duanmu Chen’s face.

With an unchanged smile, Duanmu Chen said, “Father, Su Liang has given birth to a daughter.”

Seeing Duanmu Chen so happy, Empress Dowager Xiao asked him gently with a smile, “Since the Empress is carrying a son, are you thinking of marrying into the Gu Family?”

Duanmu Chen nodded, then quickly shook his head, “I would like to, of course, but I can’t say it, or else Gu Ling would be unhappy and will specifically guard against my son. Let nature take its course for such things. I have already agreed with Gu Ling that my son will become his disciple in the future. As for whether they can go further, it depends on my son’s own destiny. I can’t help him.”

As for issuing an imperial decree to arrange a marriage, Duanmu Chen had never considered it, as it was something that would utterly offend Su Liang and Gu Ling. They disliked arranged marriages the most.

The Empress Dowager laughed and said nothing more, while Duanmu Yi’s expression darkened, “You are really being manipulated by that couple! And you don’t even realize it!”

Duanmu Chen didn’t change his expression, “That’s how Father sees it, and I understand. But after all, it’s a happy event, so why should Father insist on thinking negatively?”

Duanmu Yi was so angry that he closed his eyes and refused to eat any more.

Duanmu Chen didn’t care, continuing to chat with Empress Dowager Xiao. After putting down his chopsticks, he called someone to send gifts to Su Liang and Gu Ling, selecting many treasures from the palace’s collection.

Duanmu Chen was neither greedy nor lustful; he merely enjoyed the sense of security and dignity that power brought him. And achieving these things couldn’t happen without Su Liang and Gu Ling’s help – he would continue to need them in the future.

By the time the palace’s gifts arrived at Su Mansion, everyone had already left Yuanming Pavilion, afraid to disturb Su Liang’s rest. Only Gu Ling stayed with Su Liang, taking care of her.

The newborn baby was brought down by Cen Man for everyone to see. As for who the child resembled, there was no dispute, because as Su Liang had hoped, her precious daughter looked like her dad. Her eyes and eyebrows were almost identical to Gu Ling’s, incredibly beautiful.

This had something to do with Su Liang’s belief that Gu Ling was the most beautiful in the world, as well as the fact that she was a transmigrator. Her current body and appearance weren’t originally hers, and sometimes when she looked in the mirror, she would feel a momentary sense of unfamiliarity. Thus, her subconscious expectations for her daughter to look like her were not as high as her expectations for her daughter to look like Gu Ling.

It was snowing heavily in the capital city of Qian Country, and it didn’t stop even by evening.

When Su Liang woke up from her sleep, it was already dark outside. The room was warm, and there was still a faint pain in her body. However, compared to the pain of the child’s birth, it was nothing.

Gu Ling was sitting by the bed, and the crib he had personally made for their daughter was placed by the bed, with the cushions and the swaddle for the baby sewn by Gu Ling himself. He was delighted with it.

“Are you awake? Does it still hurt a lot?” Gu Ling’s eyes were a little red as he held Su Liang’s hand and checked her pulse.

Su Liang shook her head slightly, “It’s okay.” However, her still pallid face and furrowed brows were not persuasive.

Seeing Su Liang looking at the crib, Gu Ling carefully took the swaddled baby out and brought it to Su Liang.

Su Liang’s eyes instantly softened, and she couldn’t help but shed tears. Looking at the tiny infant, the feeling of being connected by blood overwhelmed all the rationality she had built up in the past.

Many people, before having their own child, cannot empathize or fully understand why others, after having children, would think only of their child and would even give their life for them. They might even think: If it were me, I wouldn’t be like that.

Su Liang had had such thoughts before.

But now, everything has changed. This is her flesh and blood, the most important treasure of her life, she wants to protect her from harm, give her the best of everything, and watch her grow up slowly.

Gu Ling felt the same way. Although the child was not his own, he did everything a father could do, watching the child grow bit by bit in Su Liang’s womb, with his heart moved by Su Liang and the child.

All the worries, anxiety, pain, and waiting were worth it.

“Gu Xiaonuan,” Su Liang gently called her daughter’s name, “you really look like your dad.”

Gu Ling’s eyes were tender, gently kissing away a tear from Su Liang’s eye corner, “She cried very loudly, she must be a lively one.”

“That’s perfect. You are so cold, if our daughter is like you, it would be too exhausting for me.” Su Liang laughed lightly.

As for taking care of Su Liang during her postpartum confinement, Gu Ling didn’t let anyone else get involved. He was capable of doing everything himself. While taking care of Su Liang and the baby, he was busy and happy.

Soon, it was the day of the baby’s first bath.

Relatives and friends from the capital came, Duanmu Chen didn’t come, but he sent a lot of gifts, among which was a hat personally made by Ji Yueyan for Gu Xiaonuan.

Today, Gu Xiaonuan met her three brothers and cousins from the Lin Family.

“My little sister is so pretty.” Zhengzheng looked at her approvingly.

Lin Jingyun grabbed Zhengzheng’s hem, nodding his little head in agreement. Lin Jingxuan was fast asleep in Lin Bojun’s arms, never waking up.

Gu Xiaonuan suddenly started crying, and Zhengzheng immediately called for Gu Ling.

Gu Ling steadily picked up Gu Xiaonuan and took her to change her diaper.

Old Madame Xing sat by Su Liang’s bed, praising Gu Ling, saying that such a good man is truly rare in this world.

Compared to the day she gave birth, Su Liang’s complexion had improved a lot, and she nodded immediately upon hearing this, “Yes, my judgement is also rare in this world.”

Everyone laughed.

Due to the cold weather, Lin Xueqing, who had just left confinement, didn’t come, but Old Madame Xing smiled when talking about her great-grandson, saying that the child was well-behaved and not noisy.

Su Liang thought that her child seemed a bit noisy, but luckily she had an exceptionally good father who could handle everything. Apart from breastfeeding, Su Liang didn’t need to worry about anything else.

Su Liang’s breast milk was just enough, and she wanted to feed the baby herself without seeking a wet nurse.

“Xiaonuan’s name is nice, sounds good and has a good meaning.” Madam Lin laughed, “I really envy you, I don’t know when my ungrateful child will let us hold a grandchild.”

If anyone was considered a winner in life, it was actually Lin Shuzhi. His son was accomplished, his daughter married well, and within two years, he had two grandsons and a granddaughter, truly enviable.

When the guests dispersed, Gu Ling came back with his hungry daughter, it was time to breastfeed.

Su Liang found it very natural and didn’t think it was embarrassing for Gu Ling to watch.

However, this time when Gu Ling watched the baby eating happily, he suddenly said, “I wonder what it tastes like.”

Su Liang said, “We all had it when we were little.”

“I don’t remember.” Gu Ling leaned in, gently kissed Su Liang’s lips, which had a faint milky taste, “Can I try some?”

Su Liang gave a light cough, “You’re competing with the baby for food, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Gu Ling shook his head, “Just curious, just a little taste.”

Su Liang: …It’s not a big deal. She fully understood Gu Ling’s curiosity about such things, as he had always been like this.

So, after Gu Xiaonuan was full and Gu Ling put her in the cradle, Gu Ling tasted a bit of breast milk, resolving his doubts but igniting a fire in his body. After Su Liang and the child fell asleep, he asked Cen Man to look after them and went for a long walk in the snow outside to calm down. He only came back after changing his clothes.

The weather was getting colder.

Su Liang was bored during her confinement and sometimes wanted to look outside. Gu Ling would briefly open half a window and then quickly close it, worried that she would catch a cold.

The snow from the day of the first snowfall had not yet melted, and a thin layer of ice had formed on the lake.

When Zhengzheng used to come, he would always call out “Auntie”, but now as soon as he heard his voice, it would be “Sister.”

It wasn’t until halfway through her confinement that Gu Ling remembered the song Su Liang hummed the day before giving birth. He still remembered the melody.

Since Su Liang was feeling bored, Gu Ling opened a crack in the window and played the zither for her to listen to.

A handsome man playing the zither was a pleasing sight and sound, but at that moment, Su Liang just wanted to take a bath, feeling that her hair had developed a smell.

Gu Ling played it once, and after Su Liang casually praised it, she asked if she could wash her hair.

Gu Ling nodded, “Sure.” As someone who had accepted new ideas, he didn’t insist too much on this matter. As a doctor, Su Liang knew better than ordinary people how to take care of her body.

Gu Ling fetched some hot water, let Su Liang lie on the edge of the bed, and let her hair hang down. After mixing it to the right temperature, he helped Su Liang wash her hair.

It was actually quite comfortable, reminding Su Liang of the shampoo girls from the hair salons in her previous life. She found it funny and told Gu Ling, to which Gu Ling calmly replied, “I’m a shampoo boy.”

Su Liang laughed, but in the next moment, the warm atmosphere was shattered by Gu Xiaonuan’s cry.

Gu Ling had no choice but to leave Su Liang for the moment and take care of their baby girl.

When Gu Ling came back after calming Gu Xiaonuan, he added more hot water and continued to wash Su Liang’s hair, even giving her a scalp massage according to her instructions. After washing, he carefully dried her hair.

Overall, Su Liang had a good confinement period, thanks to Gu Ling.

And Gu Xiaonuan was no longer the red-faced baby she was when she was born. She changed every day, turning into a pale and lovely little girl. Everyone who saw her praised her beauty, especially her eyes, which were bright and sparkling when she opened them, making her incredibly beautiful.

Finally, the day came to end Su Liang’s confinement. She took a nice hot bath, feeling as if her limbs had finally regained their normal function.

The full moon feast was only attended by close friends and relatives. Gu Xiaonuan didn’t feel shy with strangers; she was fine with anyone holding her as long as she was full and didn’t need a diaper change, and she was always well-behaved and smiled, making everyone’s hearts melt when she did.

What a coincidence, the day Gu Xiaonuan was born, the capital city had its first snowfall of the winter. When she turned one month old, the second snowfall arrived.

Old Mu and Zhengzheng built a big snowman by the lake and let Gu Xiaonuan see it through the window.

Gu Xiaonuan showed little interest, cried out for a moment, and fell asleep after being fed by Su Liang.

That night, Su Liang was considerate of Gu Ling’s months of abstinence and wanted to help relieve his pent-up desires. Regular exercise still had to wait for another ten days or so.

But Gu Ling refused, saying he could wait.

Su Liang nodded, “It’s fine with me, as long as you’re happy. Hey, Great God, look, has this place gotten bigger?”

Gu Ling: …He noticed it early on, but he still managed to endure it.

After Gu Xiaonuan’s one-month celebration, it was almost the Lunar New Year.

When Su Liang and Gu Ling received the congratulatory gifts sent by Ji Yuebai, he had already ascended the Dragon Throne, as his sickly father passed away at the end of October.

Thus, within the same year, the royal families of the three countries had a change of emperors, all without any internal strife.

However, there were differences among them.

Qian Country’s former Emperor Duanmu Yi was still alive and was now the Grand Emperor. Yin Country had the most normal succession. As for Liang Country, both “usurping power” and “father and son killing each other” were present, but it wasn’t the usual sense of father and son killing each other. It was a father killing his son, which made Situ Xie the oldest ruler of the time. The other two emperors were just about the same age as his grandson.

Since the war at the beginning of the year, there had been both marriages and “mutual harm” among the three countries, but there had been no more wars.

As for how long this superficial peace could last, some people knew, and some people didn’t.

Those who knew were not soothsayers but were aware that the hidden war had never stopped.

Ji Yuebai’s congratulatory gift was a secret, and at the same time, he sent a secret letter to Gu Ling and Su Liang.

It mentioned two things.

First, his son couldn’t wait to meet Gu Ling, his master, and he hoped that day would come soon.

Second, Situ Xie had already planned the route to secretly transport food and supplies from Yin Country to Liang Country. However, he didn’t tell Ji Yuebai the details. He only asked Yin Country to prepare food and supplies and transport them to the border before sailing out at the end of the year. Someone would be there to receive the supplies. As for how they would be transported back to Liang Country, there was no need for the people of Yin Country to be involved. The warhorses offered by Liang Country would be delivered to Yin Country after the battle began.

If Ji Yuebai didn’t agree, it would mean that the Yin Country’s royal family had no sincerity. Because it was not necessary for Yin Country to wage war with those limited numbers of warhorses, but Liang Country couldn’t do without enough food and supplies.

In order for Gu Ling’s plan to go smoothly, Ji Yuebai had already agreed to Situ Xie’s arrangements and prepared a large amount of food and supplies for Liang Country, and there were no problems with the supplies themselves. This was because the person “receiving the goods” on the Liang Country side would be sure to inspect them.

“The seaside?” Su Liang thoughtfully said, “If they want to land in Qian Country, they can only choose Jiaye City or somewhere near Nanshan City with a coast, and there’s no coast further north. Once they land, so many supplies would be impossible to conceal.”

Qian Country’s largest grain merchant was Zhengzheng’s maternal grandfather, the head of the Wan Family. Su Liang confirmed that there was no problem with him. Even if they used the grain merchant as a cover, transporting so many supplies from the south to the north would definitely attract the attention of the Government Offices in various places.

“There’s something strange about this,” Su Liang said, “I feel that things are not that simple. Situ Xie must have an important chess piece to help him cover up. But even if the Wan Family is a spy for Liang Country, they can’t do such a thing. Great God, I suddenly have an idea.”

Gu Ling was thinking, and asked Su Liang what he had come up with.

Su Liang looked at Gu Ling’s brow and said, “Since you have a special ability, I’m wondering if there are other people in this world who also have special abilities, such as a Storage Space that can carry anything without being seen by others.”

Gu Ling frowned slightly as he had heard Su Liang tell many mysterious stories about his special ability, including such things as portable spaces from his previous life’s fantasy novels.

This kind of thing was an invincible cheat. When Su Liang mentioned it, he complained about why he didn’t have any golden fingers, and that it would be so cool if he had a space…

The problem they were discussing now was how Situ Xie would smuggle a large amount of food and supplies from Yin Country back to Liang Country in the inland north, which would be impossible to conceal when passing through Qian Country.

Because this was an impossible task, Su Liang thought of Storage Space. Like Gu Ling seeing the “black fog”, both were inexplicable by science.

Situ Xie letting Ji Yuebai deliver the supplies to the sea could also avoid being followed, no matter what kind of operation he planned to carry out afterward.

Gu Ling’s brows furrowed tighter. First, various signs indicated that another Transmigrator was investigating them, and now Su Liang suspected the existence of a magical Storage Space. If the latter was also true, and if the owner of the latter was the former…

“I’m just putting forth a guess; it could also be that I’m overthinking it,” Su Liang patted Gu Ling’s shoulder, “Let’s wait and see.”