Chapter 370 – The Earthquake in Dongqing (Part 2)
As they spoke, the three arrived at Feng Jin’s residence.
Jiang Pengji was startled when she saw Feng Jin for the first time in days, his eyes heavy with a deep shade of blue.
“Huaiyu, have you been sleepless for several days?”
“About three or four days, I suppose…”
Feng Jin caught the scent of alcohol and powder on the two, feeling mentally exhausted and not in the mood to question it.
Jiang Pengji quipped, “Three or four days without sleep? Are you preparing for ascension?”
The late-night staying-up-to-ascend joke was something Jiang Pengji learned from the audience in her live stream.
Feng Jin rubbed his temples, trying to wake himself up, having no energy to figure out what ascension was.
“Jingxian has been having stomach pains these past few days, going into the delivery room several times, only to come back out again.”
With each episode more troubling than the last, he was on edge, how could he sleep?
This kid was deliberately making it hard for these inexperienced parents.
From the early stages of pregnancy to now, Feng Jin was thoroughly worn out, increasingly understanding the difficulties of parenthood.
In ancient times, a father only needed to sow the seeds, then wait ten months to receive the child from the midwife’s hands.
When Feng Jin and his wife were “under house arrest,” it was only then that Wei Jingxian was discovered to be pregnant; many matters could only be resolved by the couple themselves.
The more he got involved, the more grounded he felt about becoming a father.
“What about now?”
Feng Jin said, “The midwife said to brew ginseng chicken soup, and I’m drinking it now.”
“I sent Ta Xue a few choice ginseng roots earlier; I heard they’re beneficial for mothers.”
Feng Jin nodded at this; he’d seen those ginseng roots, their vintage and medicinal properties were undeniable, prepped for the birthing moment.
Perhaps due to several sleepless days, his mind was running slow, and it took him a moment to react.
“Lan Ting, why are you here today?”
“After Ta Xue delivered the ginseng to me, she went back and told me Jingxian is due to deliver in these few days. I was worried you’d be short-handed, so I volunteered to come lend a hand.” Jiang Pengji had been visiting Feng Jin regularly while staying in the capital, she was familiar with his maidservants, and as soon as she entered, she ordered a maidservant to brew a pot of invigorating hot tea, “Have some tea to wake your mind, don’t doze off later.”
Feng Jin wearily thanked her, “Thank you.”
He had been on edge these past few days, fearing that while he dozed off, the real action would kick off, too nervous to sleep even for a moment.
With Jiang Pengji present, he felt a bit more at ease, gradually becoming drowsy.
“We’re good friends, no need for thanks.”
Before long, a painful shout echoed through the room, with maidservants and midwife bustling about, and then suddenly, silence fell.
It was just a false alarm.
Feng Jue also waited for two hours, with the moon high in the sky, there was still no movement from the delivery room.
The expectant father Feng Jin was quite worn out, while Wei Jingxian, pregnant and drained, was sweating profusely and pale. The maidservants continuously wiped her sweat with warm, damp cloths. The midwife examined her and said the time wasn’t right yet; she could rest a bit to regain her strength.
For a first-time mother, even a smooth delivery could take three to five hours; if it was challenging, it could be three to five days, anything was possible.
“Three to five days…” Hearing this timeframe nearly caused Feng Jin to faint from shock.
The midwife gave him a strange look; she had delivered countless babies but had never seen a man as anxious as him.
Around the third watch of the night, Jiang Pengji suggested Feng Jin take a short nap, assuring him that she and Feng Jue were on watch and that everything would be alright.
Feng Jue shot her a peculiar glance.
If he hadn’t gotten it wrong, this person seemed to be his sister-in-law’s former fiancé? How could his second brother possibly be at ease?
However, Feng Jin’s reaction almost made his eyes pop out.
“Alright, Lan Ting is here, so I can relax. If anything happens, wake me up.” Feng Jin was now too exhausted to take it anymore, his mind was turning foggy; he ordered a servant to bring a bedding set and curled up against a pillar to take a small nap, and soon fell into a deep sleep.
Feng Jue was left speechless, “…”
Before long, a painful cry came from the delivery room. To save her strength, Wei Jingxian bit down on her gums, her voice muffled but strained.
“The way women gave birth in ancient times… truly terrifying…”
Jiang Pengji, sharply alert, could easily discern all the noise, making her heart tremble.
The childbearing methods of ancient times were so backward that it was enough to send chills down her spine, in the Federation, it could lead to jail time.
She spoke quietly, and Feng Jue didn’t hear clearly, only catching her sentiment that childbirth wasn’t easy.
“Don’t all women have to go through this?” he rationally replied.
Jiang Pengji shot him a glare, her eyes filled with a disdain that left him completely puzzled.
She secretly poked the system, inwardly saying, “Looks like we’ll be pulling an all-nighter; might as well hold a live stream to pass the time.”
The system didn’t respond, merely activating the live stream silently.
It seemed the audience on the other side was also at night, and after ten seconds, the live stream audience peaked at one hundred fifty thousand.
【Host V】: “It’s boring at night, let’s chat and pass the time.”
At half-past three, it was still just midnight on the stream; the nightlife was just beginning. In ancient times, the common people had little entertainment, and with their lighting being mere oil lamps, they usually went to bed to conserve energy and fell into sweet dreams.
Meanwhile—
“Ah—”
A short, terrified scream shattered the tranquility of the night. Soon after, a spark ignited, lighting the wick of a lantern.
Rustling clothes and steady footsteps approached, the light of the lantern grew closer.
“Zixiao, what happened?”
Outside, a young man dressed in a simple garment and cloak asked with concern.
After a few breaths, some commotion could be faintly heard inside the room.
When the candlelight brightened, the tightly shut door opened, revealing a delicate, beautiful face, still retaining a trace of pale terror.
“Ci, nothing’s wrong…” Wei Ci, with a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead, spoke through his breath, “I was just startled by a nightmare…”
The young man slept in the room next door to Wei Ci.
“A nightmare?” the young man asked curiously, “What did you dream about?”
He was genuinely curious what sort of dream could scare Wei Ci half to death, leaving him looking like a lost soul.
Wei Ci pursed his lips, taking a long moment before he hoarsely replied, “I dreamed that there was an earthquake, the city collapsed, houses turned to ruins, and countless people lost their lives in their sleep. The cries of orphaned children echoed everywhere… a tragic scene, too painful to recall.”
That wasn’t the entirety of his nightmare; he also dreamed of the person he cared for being buried under the ruins, blood and flesh in disarray.
He couldn’t remember the exact place from the dream, but the image of the blood-stained scene lingered in his mind, suffocating him.
“An earthquake?” The young man’s expression tightened, trying to comfort him, “It’s just a dream, don’t take it too seriously.”
Wei Ci’s lips were pale, still in shock.
Seeing this, the young man had a servant go start a fire to brew tea, to calm Wei Ci down.
As the servant lit the fire and placed the teapot on the stove, he panic-strickenly discovered the teapot lid trembling slightly, causing the tea to slosh out.
Not only that, but the ground also seemed to undulate, dust falling from the eaves and settling on the floor.
