Mistakenly Connected to the Jade Flower Branch

Chapter 230 Return to the Island

Nianyao almost burst into tears: "I don't know why, before I didn't care about you, I felt like I was great and you were just so-so. Later... I often felt inferior... especially..."

Especially after learning that she could not have children, her emotions were so volatile that even she herself found them annoying.

This matter has been discussed more than once, and Luo An has tried to comfort and explain, but to no avail. He simply cannot understand why Nian Yao is so fixated on this.

Luo An was not a patient person. As someone who was too lazy to even talk much, he really didn't want to get bogged down in these meaningless things.

Luo An looked slightly impatient: "Then I'll get sterilized."

Nianyao was clearly frightened: "How dare you say such a thing? What if Auntie and the others hear this..."

Luo An said, "It's not that you can't have children, it's just that it's harder for you to conceive than for ordinary women. I never wanted to get married and have children in the first place, and even if you were pregnant, I wouldn't want it. As for the Empress and the others, they have nothing to do with me. Let's not bring this up again."

Nianyao stared blankly at Luo An, unable to react for a moment.

Luo An changed the subject: "Now tell me, why aren't you happy about leaving Bai? Are you reluctant to part with him?"

Nianyao picked at her ear: "What? You can't bear to part with anyone?"

Luo An simply looked at her.

Nianyao pouted: "I was just wondering... how is Duan Mingzhu now?"

She had been struggling with whether or not to tell Luo An about An Jingchen, as it would inevitably make her seem preoccupied and unable to do much. Now that she thought about it, she decided it was better not to say anything, to avoid causing any unexpected problems.

Luo An said, "She's on Chongming Island. Her condition isn't great, but it's not bad either. She spends most of her time in bed. Song Yuan visits her every day, so there's no problem even if I'm not there. If there really were a problem, there would be one even if I were there."

Nianyao asked, "What did An Liangchen tell you? What else did he say?"

Luo An said, "Qin Jiu sold every house in Jingzhao Manor to different people. He distributed the money to the concubines and servants in Jingzhao Manor as severance pay, and then took his wife, children, and Duan Mingzhu back to Chongming Island."

Nianyao was very puzzled: "He just gave up on Jingzhao Manor like that? His stepmother went back to Jingzhao Manor with him?"

Luo An began to take off his clothes: "We'll be at Chongming Island in a few days. Ask him for details yourself."

Nianyao thought for a moment: "You stayed in the palace all night, and An Liangchen told you about the state of the world? What happened to Nanfei and Yuan Feng?"

Luo An seemed uninterested: "It's fine."

Nianyao said, "Nanfei has been with you for several years, don't you care about them at all?"

Luo An emphasized, "It's really good. Nan Fei's troops are invincible, and Yuan Feng has also recovered. His Highness the Crown Prince trusts them both quite well."

Nianyao pondered the meaning of these words: "Then who does His Highness the Crown Prince distrust? Why is he making you stay in the palace for one night?"

Luo An wasn't in the mood for idle chatter: "If you don't have any worries, then I'm going to sleep. I only managed to get half an hour of sleep last night, I'm tired."

When the two arrived at Chongming Island, it was already late June. A row of people on the pier were eagerly waiting, and Qin Jiu was at the head of the line.

Qin Jiu was the first to greet them: "Chief, Young Master, you two are finally back."

Nianyao looked Qin Jiu up and down: "Brother Jiu, it's only been a few months, and you're so excited you're almost crying."

Qin Jiu was almost in tears: "Chief, if you don't come back soon, I'm thinking of jumping into the river."

Is it that serious? What exactly happened? Nianyao was about to ask when she saw Ba Mei, heavily pregnant, squeeze forward.

Eighth Sister said, "Chief, we're going to have a bumper harvest this year. I'll take you to see our rice and vegetable fields later."

Xu Lai, though old, was ultimately steady and considerate. He said to Luo An, "Young master, you must be tired from your journey. Go and rest first. We can talk about it later. There's no rush."

Nianyao looked around but couldn't see Duan Mingzhu: "Where's Mingzhu?"

Duan Mingzhu sat in Luo An's usual spot in the tea room, engrossed in reading the Book of Changes. Hearing the sound, she turned and greeted them with a smile, "Sister, brother-in-law, you're back?"

Nianyao sat down opposite her: "Mingzhu, are you alright?"

Duan Mingzhu touched her belly: "I'm fine. The baby is fine too, she's very active and kicks me a lot. I think she'll be very lively."

Nianyao said, "Then I'm relieved."

The teahouse entrance was crowded with people, but no one went inside to disturb them. Even Qin Jiu simply leaned against the door, listening to Xu Lai inquire about Bianjing from Luo An.

Duan Mingzhu's gaze fell on Luo An, and she placed her hand flat on the table: "Brother-in-law, aren't you going to come and help me take a look?"

Luo An then went over to take her pulse. Nian Yao stared at his hand, quite nervously asking, "How is it?"

Luo An said, "Okay."

Nianyao breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good."

Duan Mingzhu asked, "Brother-in-law, is it a boy or a girl? I'm currently consulting ancient books and want to choose a name in advance."

Luo An had already let go, but upon hearing this, he took her pulse again: "A girl."

Nianyao was very curious: "You can diagnose this?"

Luo An said, "Men on the left, women on the right."

Nianyao pointed to her right hand: "I understand 'woman's right,' but what about 'man's left'? Men don't get pregnant."

Duan Mingzhu chuckled, then felt her stomach tighten and pulled back, gently stroking her belly with both hands, her smile still evident.

Luo An explained, "The left side of the 'dagger' represents a man, and the right side represents a woman."

Nianyao still didn't understand: "What is 'ji'? What is left ji, and what is right ji?"

Qin Jiu couldn't help but say, "Chief, please don't ask anymore. Those are all medical matters, very profound. Even if the young master explained them, you wouldn't understand. Besides, you have no interest in these things."

Nianyao retorted, "How do you know I'm not interested in these things?"

Qin Jiu said, "Young Master, you've been on Chongming Island for several years. If you were truly interested, wouldn't you have already become a disciple and learned your skills?"

Nianyao was even more dissatisfied: "I wasn't interested before, but can't I be interested now? I didn't seek a master to learn skills before, but can't I seek a master to learn skills now?"

Tiger was as straightforward as ever: "Nanfei hasn't learned how to diagnose pulses in the past few years, so Chief, don't make a fool of yourself."

Nianyao slammed her hand on the table: "What do you mean by 'making a fool of yourself'? Just because Nanfei didn't learn it doesn't mean I can't learn it."

Tiger took a step back and stood behind Qin Jiu, only his voice could be heard: "Boss, you know I'm not well-educated, I just say what I mean and don't mince words."

Eighth Sister leaned over and said, "Young Master, could you take a look for me too? I also want to know if it's a boy or a girl."

Eighth Sister's belly was a size bigger than Duan Mingzhu's, but her complexion was much better than Duan Mingzhu's, and she spoke with a strong voice. You couldn't tell she was pregnant just by listening to her voice.

Nianyao called out, "Come here, let me take a look at you."

Eighth Sister shook her head: "I dare not. Miss Duan said that the tea room is hers when the young master is not here, and no one is allowed to go in without her permission."

Duan Mingzhu explained slowly, "I'm afraid of noise and don't want them to come in and disturb me."

Nianyao was very skeptical: "You think they won't come just because you don't want them to? I'm the gang leader, and I've never seen them be so obedient."

Eighth Sister pointed at Duan Mingzhu and said, "Chief, she almost killed Tiger and threw Young Master Bu Zhi into the lake, where he almost drowned."