"Hmph, hmph." Mi Zhen hummed proudly, and as a result, the little white dog, thinking it was being called, once again jumped into her arms.
"Where's Lan'er? I haven't seen her much these past few days," Chen Xi looked around and indeed did not see Chen Lan. According to past habits, Chen Lan would always come to greet him, but today she was nowhere to be seen.
"She's still resting. She hasn't been feeling well recently," Fan Jian stepped forward to explain, causing Chen Xi to pause in surprise. She was ill?
"Has Physician Hua seen her?" Chen Xi asked, "I'll go check on her. By the way, Mi Zhen, I've been seeing you every day lately. Aren't you going to school?"
"Sister Cai caught a cold, so she gave us three days off to rest. That's why we're playing at your house. We can't go anywhere else," Zhen Mi replied.
"Oh," Chen Xi nodded and then turned to head toward the back courtyard.
Chen Xi remembered that today wasn't one of the three rest days they got each month from school. Normally, with just three days of rest, even if Mi Zhen came out to play, it wouldn't cause much trouble. But it turned out that Cai Yan had fallen ill.
"Zhen'er, you all keep playing. I'll be right back," Fan Jian said with a smile to Mi Zhen before following Chen Xi toward the back courtyard.
"Jian'er, has Lan'er really been unwell lately? She seemed fine the day before yesterday," Chen Xi recalled that he had stayed with Chen Lan just the day before.
"Yes, she hasn't taught me embroidery for the past ten days. She seems very tired, much like she was before the wedding," Fan Jian nodded.
"She's probably staying up late again. She's not like you," Chen Xi slowed his pace to walk alongside Fan Jian. "Back then, she was so tired because she was staying up all night sewing her wedding clothes. Both her wedding dress and my marquis robes were stitched by her, all by hand. Although I told her it wasn't necessary, she's probably working on something again. Staying up late isn't good."
Fan Jian pouted but said nothing. When it came to embroidery, none of them, except for Cai Er, could compare to Chen Lan. Even Cai Yan couldn't match her skills.
"Husband, perhaps you should change your clothes first before visiting," Fan Jian suggested, tugging at Chen Xi's sleeve, where there was a large tear.
"I'll change after I check on Lan'er," Chen Xi said calmly, not particularly concerned about the tear in his sleeve.
Fan Jian said no more and followed Chen Xi into the quietest courtyard in the inner residence, where Chen Lan resided.
"Greetings, Master, Madam," the maid guarding the door bowed to Chen Xi and Fan Jian before carefully and silently opening the door without making a sound.
"Is she still resting?" Chen Xi frowned as he saw Chen Lan still asleep. It was clear that she had been staying up late again. "What has she been doing at night?"
"Master, Second Madam has been making clothes," the maid replied, head lowered.
"Isn't it too early for that? She didn't start last year until October," Chen Xi asked, puzzled. He couldn't stop Chen Lan from staying up late to make new clothes for the new year. Women skilled in needlework often had this habit, and it was hard to break.
"Mmm." At that moment, Chen Lan, who had been sleeping uneasily, groggily sat up. "Husband, Sister."
"You're awake?" Chen Xi walked over. Chen Lan seemed to have developed a bit recently, with more pronounced curves.
"Mmm, what happened to your sleeve, Husband?" Chen Lan's face turned red as she spoke, but then she quickly noticed the large tear in Chen Xi's sleeve.
"It got torn," Chen Xi replied with a smile. "I'll change clothes in a bit. It's no big deal." As he spoke, he raised his wrist and shook it, indicating that the tear was just an accidental rip in the sleeve.
Chen Lan quickly pulled out her needle and thread from under her pillow and began threading it. "Would you like me to fix it? It won't take long."
"Sure," Chen Xi casually took off his outer robe, and Chen Lan smoothed out the sleeve and began stitching it up quickly. Soon, a blue thread that was a different color from the white robe appeared at the tear, and before long, the sleeve was tightly sewn, with no sign of the rip. The only difference was a line of blue thread, but it was hardly noticeable.
"All done. Let me put it on," Chen Xi said, preparing to put the outer robe back on. Although there were certain formalities to follow when wearing clothes, given Chen Lan's good intentions, Chen Xi didn't mind forgoing the formalities.
"Not yet," Chen Lan shook her head and continued stitching. Soon, a series of bamboo patterns appeared on the sleeve, completely covering the tear. Then, she flipped the robe and quickly embroidered the same pattern on the other sleeve, making the repair completely unnoticeable.
"Finished," Chen Lan said, a hint of pride in her voice. Embroidery was her specialty.
"Impressive," Chen Xi praised, clicking his tongue in wonder. He hadn't paid much attention to Chen Lan's embroidery before. Although he occasionally wore his marquis robes, seeing her embroidery skills firsthand was still surprising. The speed and quality were astonishing.
"This is the only way I can help you, Husband," Chen Lan said with a smile as she put away the needle and thread.
"Alright, but don't stay up late anymore. If you don't have enough new clothes, I'll take you to the tailor shop when the New Year approaches. If you really want to make clothes, do it during the day. It's not good for your eyes to sew at night," Chen Xi advised with a smile.
"I understand," Chen Lan replied, bowing her head. How much she would actually heed the advice was another matter. Sometimes, habits were hard to break, and Chen Lan had always had the habit of sewing at night.
"Hmm? What's this?" Fan Jian, sharp-eyed, noticed a small piece of clothing and picked it up.
"New clothes, I suppose," Chen Xi glanced at it without much thought and responded casually. Then he seemed to realize something, turning to look at Chen Lan, whose face had turned red. He pressed his fingers to his temples.
"I'm expecting..." Chen Lan said shyly.
"How long? How long?" Chen Xi excitedly grabbed Chen Lan's hands and asked.
"Physician Hua said it's been less than two months," Chen Lan replied, her face softening as she gently touched her flat stomach.
"Let me feel," Chen Xi said, without thinking, reaching out toward Chen Lan's abdomen. Fan Jian blushed and quietly stepped toward the door, preparing to close it.
"There's no change yet..." Chen Lan said, her face flushed, but she didn't stop Chen Xi's actions.
"Jian'er, after this, send Mi Zhen and the others back home. If they cause any trouble, send them all home and have their families keep them under house arrest," Chen Xi ordered Fan Jian. Previously, Chen Xi allowed Mi Zhen and the others to gather and play at his house, partly to keep them entertained and partly to give Fan Jian and Chen Lan some company. But now, he was worried that Mi Zhen might accidentally bump into Chen Lan, which could be dangerous.
Seeing how her husband was reacting, Chen Lan felt both happy and worried. "Husband, what if I give birth to a girl?"