novelzi Chapter 194
Chapter 194
Though the military officer appeared only slightly injured on the surface, Lu XuanNing had struck a heavy blow internally. Faced with provocation, Lu XuanNing was not a pushover to be trifled with.
The Mansion of Marquis of Pacifying the South sent people to notify the Li and Xu families of Li Xia's pregnancy.
Upon receiving the news, Mrs. Lu came to visit Li Xia, accompanied by Li Xin. Mrs. Lu instructed Li Xia to be careful. Li Xin's eyes were filled with envy; she had been married for a year and a half but still had no children. Her mother-in-law, Lady Cao, had been dropping hints about it. Li Xin was anxious but just couldn't conceive.
"You should relax. Sometimes wanting it too much has the opposite effect," Li Xia advised Li Xin.
"I know that in theory, but how can I relax?" Li Xin didn't hide her feelings from Li Xia.
Li Xia didn't know what else to say. Li Xin took out some small clothes she had made. "I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, so I made these little clothes with blue fabric."
Li Xia accepted the small clothes, noticing the fine stitching and carefully finished edges. "These are beautifully made. From now on, I'll leave my child's clothes to you, sister." Li Xia had no desire to make clothes; embroidering her own wedding dress was enough for this lifetime.
"Gladly!" Li Xin happily agreed, pleased to have something to occupy herself with.
Xu Xinyue arrived a day later. She immediately inquired about Li Xia's eating and sleeping habits.
"Pregnant women generally like to sleep, and you've always been a bit lazy. You need to be careful not to sleep all day," she said, then instructed Qiu Shui to watch Li Xia and make sure she didn't just eat and sleep all day. This wasn't good for Li Xia's body or the baby.
Ever since learning of Li Xia's pregnancy, Qiu Shui had been on high alert, constantly taking notes on the advice given by Old Madam Lu, Mrs. Lu, and Xu Xinyue, preparing to supervise Li Xia carefully.
Li Xia felt that her body was fine, and she had used her special ability to check that the baby was healthy too. However, she was willing to listen to her family's concerns and advice. Whether she followed it or not was her own business.
During the New Year gatherings and paying respects, Li Xia excused herself from all of them, citing poor health. Even for her maiden family, she had said early on that she would rest at home and not visit. Lu XuanNing went in Li Xia's place.
But Lu XuanNing didn't like these visitors. For him, the most important thing now was taking care of Li Xia and the baby in her belly.
The two new parents-to-be discussed child-rearing issues. Li Xia's tastes changed daily since becoming pregnant. Lu XuanNing's main concern each day was how to satisfy her appetite, disregarding everything else.
Lu XuanNing's complete indulgence of Li Xia made Xu Xinyue, who came to visit, unable to resist telling her not to go too far.
"Mother, how am I bullying him?" Li Xia said, turning to Lu XuanNing, asking him to say whether she had bullied him.
"Mother, Xia is the one suffering through pregnancy. What I do is nothing," Lu XuanNing was very satisfied with Li Xia's coquettish behavior towards him. Li Xia had always been too independent before, seeming capable of doing everything herself. This had sometimes made Lu XuanNing feel a bit defeated and worried that Li Xia might leave him one day.
"XuanNing, I want to eat donkey meat flatbread. Go buy some for me," Li Xia now wanted to eat whatever came to mind. Lu XuanNing got up to go buy it.
Seeing that Lu XuanNing and Li Xia were both willing participants, Xu Xinyue said no more. She took out some small clothes she had made to show Li Xia.
"I made a few sets of clothes for the child." Xu Xinyue had used blue, gender-neutral fabric, suitable for either a boy or a girl.
Li Xia accepted the small clothes made of fine cotton, noticing the dense stitching and outward-facing thread ends to avoid scratching the child. Since Li Xia became pregnant, Xinyue brought a few pieces of clothing for the unborn child every time she visited. Adding to the small clothes sent by Old Madam Lu, Mrs. Lu, Li Xin, and others.
"Mother, you don't need to make these anymore. Qiu Shui has already made dozens of these small clothes, and grandmother and mother have also had many made and sent over. After the child is born, we could use one and throw one away, and still not use them all up," Li Xia felt that two outfits for the child would be enough, and too many were unnecessary.
"I enjoy making them for my grandchild," Xu Xinyue rolled her eyes at Li Xia. She looked at Li Xia's belly, then glanced around the room to make sure they were alone. "Has the Lu family said anything about wanting a grandson?"
Li Xia had married above her station, which put her at a disadvantage. Her natal family couldn't make decisions for her, and Xu Xinyue, her birth mother, was even less able to say anything. Since Li Xia married into the Lu family, Xu Xinyue hadn't gone a single day without worrying about her.
"Grandpa and Grandma both hope it's a girl," Li Xia said. However, she had used her special ability to sense that it was a boy.
So when Qiu Shui was making baby clothes, she had her make male styles. To outsiders, it seemed that Li Xia particularly wanted a son. Lu XuanNing was even worried about what would happen if they had a daughter and Li Xia didn't accept her. Because of this, he had a heart-to-heart talk with Li Xia, explaining that whether it was a boy or a girl, as long as it was born to Li Xia, he would love the child dearly.