Chapter 102

After seeing off Wei Ling, Tan's mother personally escorted her son back to Qinghui Courtyard and sent away several concubine and illegitimate children who came to inquire about the news along the way.

"These shallow-minded people only hope that something happens to my son. Don't they realize that the Master has only one legitimate son? Those other children will have to get married sooner or later. What use can they be?" Tan's mother lowered her eyebrows, and a hint of mockery appeared at the corner of her mouth.

When she was young, she was also of good appearance, which was why Tan Shoubei, who admired beautiful women, married her and made her the main wife.

However, as time passed, the number of concubines in the Tan residence increased. Instead of continuing the struggle, she made herself look older and her sharpness harder to conceal.

Just like how Tan Shoubei treated his illegitimate children, when he favored a concubine, he would ignore any rules and just do as he pleased.

Most of these concubines had humble backgrounds and shallow knowledge. They would flaunt their power when they were in favor and even challenge the main wife under Tan Shoubei's protection. It was probably because of this that Tan's mother couldn't let go of her grievances after all these years.

Fortunately, Tan Yulou was born later, and Tan Shoubei was willing to make concessions for his legitimate son. Otherwise, with Tan's mother's temperament, she might have been driven to her death long ago.

"Mother!" Tan Yulou felt embarrassed; his mother started again.

Others might not understand, but could his mother not know that he was also a ger!

Tan's mother ignored him and instead asked, "Yulou, where are you injured? Do you need me to ask Qing Mama to apply some medicine for you?"

"No need, I can handle it myself." Tan Yulou pulled the corner of his mouth, and his expression became a little indifferent.

Qing Mama was a dowry given to his mother. Apart from her and his mother, even the midwife who helped deliver him was sent away by his mother from afar.

Apart from his childhood, his mother rarely took care of his daily life these years. It was as if she could deceive herself without seeing it with her own eyes.

In addition to this, his mother also placed many young and pretty maidservants in his courtyard, hoping that he would take in one or two of them, preferably to bear a son.

Tan Yulou had tried to talk to his mother about this before, telling her that he didn't like women. That time, his mother flew into a rage, not only beating him with a whip but also making him kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night.

It was his father who came back and saved him from the ancestral hall.

After that incident, Tan Yulou gave up trying to reason with his mother. The issue of his identity was a deep chasm that neither of them could touch. Every time he mentioned it, his mother would go crazy.

She even wanted to find him a wife. Fortunately, he used some schemes to deceive his father and managed to delay it until now.

After seeing off his mother and dismissing the eager maidservants who wanted to serve him, Tan Yulou lay on the bed and sighed bitterly.

Did his mother even know what she was doing? She didn't want people to know his identity, yet she placed so many maidservants in his courtyard.

Although many of these young maidservants were sold by their parents early on because of poverty and knew nothing, those who tried to seduce him and become concubines were definitely not naive.

His body hair wasn't as dense as that of an average man, and his frame was relatively narrow. Moreover, it was difficult for him to impregnate a woman.

With so many flaws, if they were caught by someone with malicious intentions, given his father's explosive temper, there was a possibility that they, mother and son, could be beaten to death…

"""

During Tan Yulou's recovery, Wei Ling and Tan Shoubei conducted an extensive search for the black-robed people both inside and outside the city. They also took over a significant portion of Du Family's assets, with Wei Ling's silent approval. Most of these assets ended up in the hands of Yong Ge.

"Cheng Duo, come here quickly. Tan Shoubei just gave me a lot of shops and land deeds. Help me figure out how to handle them." Yong Ge excitedly waved to Cheng Duo when he saw him coming in.

Cheng Duo walked over as instructed. Jianxin City was a crucial passage connecting the northwest and the Jiangdong region. If not, the Jiangdong Prefect wouldn't be so eager to interfere when Tan Shoubei intended to ally with the Wei Family.

These properties were all ready-made, and Du Family had its own business. They could take advantage of the situation and manage them.

The two of them were busy for almost half a month when Yong Ge sent a letter to his father, and finally, Wei Zhenyuan had Meng Ji and a large camp of soldiers bring over some of his men and the newly appointed manager, Liu Shusheng.

Oh no, it shouldn't be called Liu Shusheng anymore; it should be Liu Manager.

"Why are you here, and who is managing the brick and tile workshop?" Yong Ge asked in surprise.

"It's Qian Manager," Liu Shusheng smiled and replied discreetly.

Yong Ge took a moment to react before realizing that he was talking about Yu Ge. Two years ago, Yu Ge married one of his father's personal guards and even gave birth to a child. However, despite getting married and having a son, it didn't affect his work at the brick and tile workshop. Instead, he excelled and could now handle things on his own.

As for Liu Shusheng, he still hadn't married until now…

Due to their previous interactions, Yong Ge no longer disliked Liu Shusheng. He asked with concern, "Liu Manager, you're not young anymore. I wonder when you'll be able to have your wedding celebration?"

As the words came out, he realized it wasn't appropriate. Originally, Aunt Qian wanted to match Yu Ge with Liu Shusheng, but it ended after just one hotpot meal and nothing came of it afterward.

He asked Yu Ge about it and brought it up again now. He didn't know if he would think too much about it…

"Lao Sheng has intentions, but there's no suitable match right now. Let's talk about it when we find someone suitable," Liu Shusheng replied casually, but he definitely regretted it deep down.

(T/N:Lao means old. It is often used as a generic or humorous name for an ordinary, middle-aged or older man. It can also be used as a nickname to indicate familiarity or affection. The term is not specific to any particular person and is commonly used in informal contexts or jokes.)

During the time when Yu Ge was getting married, he kept remembering the words he scolded him with after falling off the cliff. Later, when they managed the brick and tile workshop and adobe warehouse together, there were many instances where he sought his advice for things he didn't understand. He only realized later that when Yu Ge's health improved, he was actually quite good-looking. His eyes were clean and gentle, and he spoke slowly, making him a very gentle person.

Unfortunately, he realized it too late. When the news of his engagement came out, he realized that his eyes had already left an impression on his heart.

After Liu Shusheng left, Yong Ge sighed with an air of seniority, "Back then, when Aunt Qian had Yu Ge invite him to dinner, I thought he must have been willing. But alas, in this world, when you miss the chance, you miss it…"

Now that Yu Ge was no longer available, Liu Shusheng couldn't let go either.

Cheng Duo calmly poured him a cup of tea and heard him continue, "Eldest cousin is the same. It's been so long; will he make it in the end? Don't end up like Liu Shusheng… Ah, no, no, no! I'm just talking nonsense; it's not for real!"

"Don't worry, your eldest cousin is smarter than Liu Shusheng. He definitely won't be as foolish as him," Cheng Duo didn't say it directly, but he knew his eldest cousin had good intentions. However, he was too much of a righteous man.

From what he knew, Mother Tan had the intention of finding a wife for Tan Yulou. Even if he managed to resolve the issue with Tan Shoubei, passing the hurdle of Mother Tan would still be difficult.

Her health wasn't good either. If Tan Yulou's identity was exposed and she couldn't bear the blow, accidentally dying, who would be responsible?

So, even though Cheng Duo had many methods, he couldn't give Wei Ling advice. After all, they hadn't known each other for very long; they could wait a bit longer.

His father-in-law sent Meng Ji with soldiers to build a camp in Jianxin City, and his eldest cousin had already decided to stay. In the future, these two would be together most of the time, so if they had the intention, anything could happen… Of course, if there was no fate, it would be a different story.

Including the round trip, Cheng Duo and Yong Ge spent about three months in Jianxin City. When they returned, it was already summer.

It was extremely hot to sit in a carriage at this time. Despite starting their journey before dawn, it was still unbearably hot due to the rush.

Yong Ge's reaction was especially strong. The first two times he got off the carriage, he only complained of stuffiness and discomfort. Today, he actually vomited!

Cheng Duo was startled and hurried over to pat him gently, "Feeling better? Why do you feel so uncomfortable? Are you sick?"

Thinking back, they stayed in an inn last night. Yong Ge found it too hot and lifted the blanket several times throughout the night.

He used to like sleeping close to Cheng Duo, but these past few days, he hadn't been close to him and kept complaining about the heat.

Yong Ge waved his hand, "Cheng duo, I'm fine…"

"What do you mean fine? You've already vomited like this," Cheng Duo interrupted him, looked around, and decisively said, "There's a village up ahead. Let's stay there tonight and not continue."

"No need. You're in a hurry to go back and see those… potatoes, right? What if the weather is too hot and they go bad?" Cheng Duo had been looking for potatoes and sweet potatoes for several years. This time, with great effort, he finally brought some back from the outskirts. He was so happy that he rushed back.

"It's okay. Potatoes don't go bad that easily. Your health is more important." Cheng Duo comforted Yong Ge while fetching a cup of clear water from the carriage for him. He also took out two pickled plums from his spatial storage and put them in the cup, "Here, drink some water."

The sour taste of the plums moistened Yong Ge's mouth, and he felt a little better after a few sips. He drank two mouthfuls of water and deliberately fished out the two pickled plums to eat.

After finishing the pickled plums, Yong Ge still wasn't satisfied and asked Cheng Duo, "Cheng Duo, do you have more of these pickled plums?"

Cheng Duo didn't doubt him and went back to the "carriage" to get more for him. So, for the next while, while the two soldiers were listening to Cheng Duo arranging tonight's accommodation, they also watched Yong Ge eat one pickled plum after another.

One of the soldiers, seeing how much he enjoyed them, couldn't help but swallow his saliva and asked, "Little Master, could it be that you're pregnant?"

His wife was like this when she was pregnant with their child, always eating sour plums, just like Little Master now.

"Pregnant? What are you…" Cheng Duo asked back but suddenly froze.

Yong Ge also stopped chewing the plum, subconsciously looking at Cheng Duo, his expression a little dazed.

Ever since they had opened their hearts to each other two months ago, they had already accepted the fact that they wouldn't have children. The disappointment they would feel if it turned out to be a mistake was unimaginable.

Cheng Duo's hand trembled slightly, and he decisively said, "We'll ask if there's a doctor in the village later."

"Yes." The soldier responded but couldn't understand why General Cheng and Little Master would react like this upon hearing about a pregnancy.

Soon, the caravan arrived at the village, and the soldiers searched for a rural doctor with some difficulty. He came in cautiously and felt Yong Ge's pulse for a while before hesitantly said, "This old man can't be sure, but the pulse does seem slippery…"

The group of intimidating soldiers frightened him, and he was afraid of saying anything wrong and inviting trouble for himself. So, he didn't dare to say he was certain.

Cheng Duo sent the rural doctor away and hugged Yong Ge, saying, "It's alright. Tomorrow, when we get to the town, we'll find another doctor to check."

"Okay."

Neither of them slept much that night, trying their best to act indifferent in front of each other. The next morning, both of them had dark circles under their eyes.

They rushed to the nearby town as quickly as possible. The first doctor they consulted said, "No mistake, you're definitely pregnant!"

"Judging by the pulse, it's been at least two or three months."

Two or three months meant it happened around the time they arrived… Yong Ge couldn't help but remember how he had seduced Cheng Duo during that time, and his cheeks flushed.

Cheng Duo also recalled those days, and his usually stern expression softened when he met his little wife's bashful eyes.

Yong Ge reached out and grabbed his hand, his eyes shining brightly, "Cheng Duo."

Cheng Duo immediately extended his arms to embrace him, burying his face in Yong Ge's neck for a long time until Yong Ge felt a little embarrassed. He then let out a soft sigh, "Yong Ge, let's go home."

Feeling the dampness on his neck, Yong Ge's eyes also reddened slightly, "Okay, let's go home!"