"Wife, I want to eat meat” 《娘子，我要吃肉》Chapter 70

When they came they were in a hurry, their journey home was much more slower.

Xia Ling Mei was pregnant, one more physician accompanied them, twice a day taking Xia Ling Mei’s pulse, based on the type of pulse she ought to have gotten pregnant in 

September, now she was three months along, the pulse was very steady. Even like this, the daddy to be Wang Yun Feng was still scared witless, sitting in the carriage he was afraid even a small stone could cause the baby to fall out, he itched to hire people to carry her in a sedan chair. Carrying her in a sedan chair he was again afraid the porters would slip up, dropping Xia Ling Mei. His entire person trembled with fear all day long, his previous never-changing appearance did not exist at all.

Xia Ling Mei found it laughable seeing him like this, only saying: “Back when I was pregnant with Xia Fen I still rode on horseback to the seaside…”

Wang Yun Feng immediately paled, getting someone to call for Xia Fen.

Since it was not easy for Xia Fen to go on a journey, he was now a bit more older, his parents did not watch him as attentively for the moment, he let go of his nerves riding around wildly by himself on horseback, being called into the carriage by Wang Yun Feng, his face fell to the ground: “What?”

Wang Yun Feng found it hard to say he worried about his son. Almost seven years of delayed worry, no matter what he was too shy to speak his mind. He could only pull Xia Fen to sit down: “Riding for so long you must be tired, you ought to study.”

Once Xia Fen heard studying he was by all means unwilling, only thinking of running back out to carry on riding, or catch a few more prey for a snack on the road! Wang Yun Feng however did not care about this, coaxingly: “You don’t want to learn, but the younger brother or sister in your mother’s stomach wants to learn. When you’re a general in the future, they would be a literary giant and be a talented girl, you need to protect them. As an older brother, you should be an example for everything, studying is for your own good, even more so that your younger brother and sister can get close to you in the future.”

Xia Fen looked at his mother’s flat stomach, he didn’t understand what studying had to do with getting close to his younger brother or sister. But, he liked younger brother or sister, so reluctantly being forced to study by his cheap father wasn’t the worse thing.

These days Xia Ling Mei saw the scene of Wang Yun Feng personally teaching Xia Fen, only she didn’t expect in order to coax this son, Wang Yun Feng easily used any lies, without blinking. If Xia Fen was just a little older, knowing his father swindled him, what sort of fuss would he kick up.

Wang Yun Feng had a steady tone, with the distinctive noble and virtuous air of a scholar, clear words, when he wasn’t talking officiously, he would appear especially gentle and harmless. That harmlessness diluted his grave and stern expression, a comfort like being soothed by sunshine.

In a daze Xia Ling Mei listened to him talking about cultivating the moral character of a nobleman: “An awe-inspiring aura from head to toe, two pure sleeves, three degrees of frosty arrogance, four seasons of diligence, eat the five crops[1] with relish, six spirits that rule the vital organs[2] constantly stable, seven emotional states[3] temperate, form ties with the eight points of the compass, have nine high aspirations, ten out of ten good-natured heart…”

Xia Fen had a hideous temper, he needed the most to cultivate mentally his moral character. When Wang Yun Feng was younger he was well-known as a gentle person in Beiding city, when he taught his son he found it hard to avoid thinking of the past, while explaining each word and each line, he couldn’t help also help speak of the interesting incidents between him and Xia Ling Mei when they attended the academy         .

That was the first time Xia Fen found out: “So my parents also studied at Bailu academy before!” That stupid expression, even Xia Ling Mei could not help but smile.

She slowly recalled: “When I was a child, I was the best at martial arts amongst the numerous girls of my age, no one dared to provoke me. At that time my fellow students at the academy joked I was the `hero for the girls`. When I was young I was impulsive, I felt I was unrivalled in fights amongst the girls, so I went to find the boys to compete in martial arts. Your daddy at that time frequently came to your maternal grandfather’s home, he was the first boy I met with a different surname, so the first time I grabbed him to compete.”

“En, at that time I only saw a brilliant red flame rushing towards me, before I saw the person clearly I was already lying on the ground.” Wang Yun Feng laughed, “however, after your mother and I did not compete in martial arts, we competed in literary talent. Every time she would lose, when she lost she would use her whip to whip me.”

The corner of Xia Ling Mei’s eyes twitched: “You group of weak natured scholars, you run when you’re no match for someone, as you ran you also teased me as a `tigress`, angering me very much.”

Xia Fen raised his fist: “Mother, I’ll help you in the future.”

Xia Ling Mei heard and laughed heartily, hugging her son in her arms and kissing him again and again, envy emitting from a certain person.

Wang Yun Feng knew Xia Fen’s temper, it wasn’t good to restrict him too much, every day in the early morning allowing him to run off for two hours, he could run off for two hours before the evening meal, any other time he had to stay in the carriage studying and writing characters. Whenever he didn’t listen and played for longer, the next time his freedom to be in the fresh air was restricted, the father and son were like merchants splitting hairs, a little bit pulling at the time when they would gather.

That day they passed the famous Buddhist mountain of Dayan, supposedly on top of it there was a temple with a burning joss stick at its peak, all year round some rituals for the departed spirits would be carried out. Xia Ling Mei sat in the carriage for a long time, it was hard to come by for her to go walk about.

Wang Yun Feng was unwilling, Xia Ling Mei however suddenly said: “It’s been half a year, we ought to carry out a ritual for him, eliminate that little bit of ill-fated relationship.”

Who he was, for a moment Wang Yun Feng simply could not recall.

All the way until the three of them entered the temple, in a room in the temple, when the monk in charge of rituals inquired about the person’s name, only then did Xia Ling Mei said that strange yet familiar name: “Zhuang Sheng.”

Wang Yun Feng was silent at that moment.

The most simple ritual took three days, the new year was approaching, the muddy water on the roads were slippery, Wang Yun Feng did not want to delay too much. However, he remembered the sincerity of that Jianghu wastrel towards Xia Ling Mei, he didn’t say anything no matter how much more unwilling he was. Xia Fen was a child, he more or less had forgotten his companions at the academy, let alone Zhuang Sheng. But, there were a lot of monks inside the temple, and a lot of people, his parents mood didn’t seem that great, just the opportunity for him to sneak off somewhere to play.

Wang Yun Feng knew this mother and son’s temper, he could only get Bai Zi and Hei Zi to keep an eye on each of them, avoid setbacks. He stayed by himself in a humble room at the back of the temple, earnestly taking out a <Heart Sutra> book to copy out. His generous manner, on the contrary lead to Juan Shu’s distain.

On the first day, Juan Shu sneakily ran to the room, tilting his head and in a confidential manner: “Master, do you know? The mistress actually remembered the birth data of a man, the abbot asked the mistress `are you sure there’s no mistake?` the mistress unexpectedly nodded without the slightest hesitation. Ai, master what do you think, does the mistress remember your birthday? The seven years the mistress left home, she never once gave you a birthday present, yet you every year regardless if the mistress was at the Xia residence, would personally deliver something over.”

Wang Yun Feng writing hand suddenly swept to the side, the thick as a rod stroke tore the fine writing paper in two, one side was clean, the other side was jet-black stress.

That night, Xia Ling Mei returned to the room extremely tired, Wang Yun Feng for the first time wrung a face flannel for her to wash her face, after helped her take off her clothes, tucking the quilt in, watching her until she slept, he didn’t say anything.

Xia Ling Mei woke up in the middle of the night wanting to drink water, opening her eyes she saw an expressionless zombie face leaning on the bedhead, she almost slapped him in the face in fear.

“Why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night, what foolishness is this?”

Wang Yun Feng lit a candle, softly saying: “I only want to watch you.”

Xia Ling Mei smiled: “I’m not going to run around all over the place, rather I need you to watch Xia Fen like you’re watching me.”

Wang Yun Feng held her hand slowly rubbing it: “You’re not Fen Er.”

Not sure how a melon grew in a scholar’s head, simply with more twists and turns than a martial artist. Xia Ling Mei was half awake and half asleep, for a moment she also couldn’t understand him, after drinking water she half consciously said a sentence: “Quickly go to sleep.”

Wang Yun Feng nodded, apparently answering with a sound, again apparently having said nothing.

In the temple, the male and female wing were different, even if they were government officials, at best they were given a courtyard, husband and wife also needed to sleep separately.

Wang Yun Feng waited until Xia Ling Mei once again fell asleep, that’s when he powerless left the room, before he got to his own room, he saw a short wax gourd run out from the other side. Xia Fen came running out holding his trousers while hopping along, that appearance made him look more like a thief than a thief.

Wang Yun Feng shouted: “Fen Er, what’s going on?”

Xia Fen was also not very awake, obscurely saying: “Wee wee.” At once he was about to pull down his trousers, aiming to water the largest ancient tree in the courtyard, Wang Yun Feng forehead perspired, immediately he yelled: “Don’t do it here.”

Xia Fen shook his bottom: “I want to.”

Wang Yun Feng was also rushed, the gloominess just now was driving away by Xia Fen’s white chubby bottom. He quickly stepped forward, carrying his son in his arm, two fingers pinching his small elephant nose, Xia Fen screamed out `ah, ah`, Wang Yun Feng while running to the toilet with him in his arms, on the other hand he pacified: “Fen Er don’t be noisy, it’ll be fine in a moment.”

Xia Fen trembled: “Hurry up…”

They reached the toilet with great difficulty, Xia Fen was still barefoot, Wang Yun Feng was afraid he would get dirty, he might as well carry him in to sort out the problem of the little elephant sprinkling. Who knew Xia Fen was swift, and wanted father to be refreshed as well, struggling he flipped onto Wang Yun Feng’s back: “Daddy also wee wee.”

Wang Yun Feng was itching to tie a knot in Xia Fen’s little elephant nose, clenching his teeth slightly: “Daddy will take you to bed.”

Xia Fen knocked his head against Wang Yun Feng’s shoulder, two arms wrapped around his neck, stubbornly saying: “Daddy quickly.”

Wang Yun Feng had no choice, with great difficulty under his son’s compulsion he also symbolically let out a bit of water.

Xia Fen was satisfied, praising: “In the future daddy tell me to go with him when he needs to wee wee.”

Wang Yun Feng really wanted to say, I never wake up in the middle of the night to go to the toilet. But he simply could not refuse his son’s good intention, he could only vaguely agree, once more holding his son, and not allowing him to sleep in a separate room, he directly placed him on his own bed, wrapping the quilt tightly around his son whose body was already ice-cold.

The father and son like the numerous nights spent in Zhuozhou, big head resting on top of the little head, big hands wrapping around that small body, falling asleep.

On the second day, Juan Shu again came running with dog’s legs, `aiyaya` heaving a sigh: “The mistress actually kowtowed because of an unfamiliar man! When that master recites a line, she taps once, the mistress is also pregnant, oh oh, seeing the mistress I feel tired on her behalf…”

Wang Yun Feng felt he could not write the <Heart Sutra>, he sent someone to the kitchen to boil a large cauldron of hot water, then asked the physician to boil a medicine to help with rheumatism, and medicine to protect the foetus, afterwards making Xiao Bai descend he mountain and buy some fresh and tasty dim sum. He still felt it wasn’t enough, he made someone descend the mountain to ask about at a farm, see whether or not a married woman has marinated plums or other such things, and buy them.

This time, Xia Ling Mei had just entered the house, there was hot water to bathe, hot decoction to drink, furthermore dim sum to feed her stomach, the happiest thing was to actually have wild sour plums to eat. It was known there were huge changes in her taste for food after getting pregnant, she ate less of the sweet things she previously had, in contrast she was really fond of soar things. Only when they were at Zhuozhou, she had finished eating the bulk they had bought on the way. Her appetite had increased, she could almost constantly be chewing without stopping, the more she bought the quicker she ate, at the temple there were many taboos, there was something on her mind, instead she ate very little, sour plums were even more rare.

Xia Ling Mei beamed commending Wang Yun Feng for a while, frankly saying he was a good man and good husband. Xia Fen also ate with a mouthful of pastries, rushing over to hug his mother to kiss: “What about Fen Er?”

Xia Ling Mei pinched both sides of her son’s cheeks, solemnly saying: “You, you are a small pig.” Angering Xia Fen so much that he ate four steamed buns that night. Wang Yun Feng seeing this could only ask the physician to decoct digestion decoction for him, as a result in 

the middle of the night, Xia Fen pulled at Wang Yun Feng saying: “I need to poo poo.”

The unfortunate Wang Yun Feng seldom had a good sleep, the only good thing was the weather was getting colder and colder, draping on his clothes he carried his son on his back to the toilet, he really couldn’t understand, why rooms at the temple didn’t have chamber pots?

This time, again under the repeated requests of his son, Wang Yun Feng again with difficulty squatted at the toilet. Whatever his son did he thought of his father, he didn’t know whether to be moved or to feel helpless.

In this way, the third day finally arrived, after today, the ritual would be completed. They could return home.

When Wang Yun Feng made someone check their luggage ---- he could no longer wait for Xia Ling Mei to organise such trifle things, Juan Shu again ran in.

Wang Yun Feng was considerably powerless, stopping Juan Shu he said: “Today don’t say anything, we’re leaving tomorrow.” Just one day, he could endure anything!

“No,” Juan Shu hurriedly said, “the mistress, met an acquaintance, it’s a man. The two of them are speaking intimately right now!”

With a `shua`, Wang Yun Feng immediately opened the doors, running out.

“Ah, I seem to be able to smell the scent of jealousy.” Juan Shu muttered in the room not sure what was wrong, the surrounding chamberlains couldn’t help stretching out their noses, in deep agreement!

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[1] Millet, soybean, sesame, barley and rice.

[2] Heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, spleen and gall bladder.

[3] Joy, anger, anxiety, thought, grief, fear, fright.

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T/N: A little bit of a mixed chapter, it's nice to just see how they act as a family