299 Springtime


    “I didn’t use much strength just now…”


    Embarrassed, Yue Jiaojiao cut him off.


    “You’re one to talk!”


    Zhao Zhan silently took back the second half of his sentence.


    He didn’t use much strength just now. However, the skin of his lover was too delicate, and a few red marks could be left behind when his fingers touched it.


    “It’s my fault.” Zhao Zhan leaned close to the woman’s ear. “Next time, I’ll definitely ask you in advance if you’re willing to do it.”


    Yue Jiaojiao was confused. She felt that this man was tricking her.


    “Zhao Zhan, didn’t you say you were going to the kitchen to get dinner? Hurry up and go.” This was the first time Yue Jiaojiao felt that she couldn’t win against him in an argument. She hurriedly pushed his shoulder and said, “Hurry up and put on your clothes.”


    Zhao Zhan gave a muffledugh.


    Yue Jiaojiao’s ears went numb. She looked away from him and said, “Hurry up and go. Otherwise, I won’t care if you get sick from the cold wind.”


    “I’m going.” Zhao Zhan put on the robe andid her back on the bed. “I’ll go now. I’ll be back soon.”


    “It’s sticky.”


    Yue Jiaojiao muttered, but the smile on her face was sweeter than anything else.


    Time passed quickly, and it was soon spring.


    Yue Jiaojiao took off her coat and put on the spring clothes made of expensive fabric that Zhao Zhan had asked someone to buy from Hekou County. She sat in the courtyard, holding a cup of milk tea and reading a book in the spring breeze.


    “Jiaojiao, your days are really getting more and morefortable.”


    Li Miao’s arm was on the back of her waist. As soon as she entered the backyard, her voice could be heard. “The house in Huai County has beenpleted. Why are you still in our vige? Don’t you want to move out?”


    “Why do I feel like you’re kicking me out?” Yue Jiaojiao put down the book and walked over, holding Li Miao’s arm as they walked down the pavilion. “Are you about to give birth?”


    “Soon. I’ll be able to give birth in two months.” Li Miao lowered her head and looked at her bulging belly, which was glowing with motherly love. “Doctor Sunes to check my pulse several times a month. Who would have thought that I could have two babies in my stomach?”


    “Dashan has been talking about you for the past two days. He said that he was very lucky to have you.”


    Li Miao sat on a stool and sighed. “You said that I would have a son and a daughter, so we thought that it was your good fortune that made it possible.”


    Madam Qin brought out a cup of milk tea, and Yue Jiaojiao ced the drink in front of Li Miao. “Do you want to try this? I’ve asked Doctor Sun if you could have some and he said that you could as long as you have it in moderation.”


    Li Miao’s pregnancy had some twists and turns in the beginning, but after dealing with the mother-inw, she could eat and drink freely, and her stomach expanded like a balloon.


    After Doctor Sun diagnosed that she had two children in her stomach, the couple was even more careful and strictly followed Doctor Sun’s instructions.


    “Is this also made of goat’s milk?”


    Li Miao took a sip and couldn’t help but take a few more sips. “You can make so many kinds of drinks with ordinary goat’s milk. No wonder you can open so many different workshops.”


    The workshop that Zhao Zhan had built in the vige was full of workers and had been busy for more than a month.


    Yang Dashan was in charge of managing the bean product workshop. In the past few months, not only did he pay off the silver he owed Zhao Zhan, but he also strengthened the courtyard walls with bricks and tiles to prevent the old woman from rushing into the courtyard and bullying Li Miao.


    “Jiaojiao, ever since you came here, our vige’s life has been getting better and better,” Li Miao said, holding the cup and sighing. “In the past, I wouldn’t have had the time to sit here and chat with you. I would have been pulling grass in the field.”


    “You will have a great future soon. This is just how it is.”


    “Jiaojiao,” Zhao Zhan strode in from outside and stopped when he saw Li Miao. “Oh… Hello.”


    “I was bored at home alone, so I came to talk to Jiaojiao,” Li Miao said as she put down her cup and got up. “I should go, it’s almost lunch time.”


    “Zhao Zhan, with Madam Qin at home, I won’t go hungry for lunch.”


    Zhao Zhan was now busy with the pickled vegetable workshop, the sauce workshop, the bean product workshop, and the seasoning workshop. Other than these workshops that were on the right track and sending out goods every day, Zhao Zhan had been studying how to make soy sauce.


    He had seeded and failed before, but he had never found the key to it.


    Yue Jiaojiao had only seen the process in her previous life, but had never really put it into practice. She really couldn’t help Zhao Zhan in this matter.


    Even so, Zhao Zhan would prepare breakfast before leaving every day, rush back at noon to prepare lunch, ande back at night to prepare dinner. Then, he would quietly return to the workshop to continue his research.


    He had lost a lot of weight recently.


    “Zhao Zhan, Li Miao is here today. It just so happens that I’ve asked Madam Qin to make a few Yang City dishes for her to try.” Yue Jiaojiao walked over and pushed Zhao Zhan. “You should go and do your work. Later, when Li Miao goes to the workshop to deliver the food, I’ll go with her and I’ll bring it to you.”


    Zhao Zhan held Yue Jiaojiao’s hand.


    “You guys carry on.” Li Miao stood up with his hands on his waist. “Jiaojiao, I need to use your toilet.”


    Seeing that Li Miao had left, Zhao Zhan’s eyes were glued to Yue Jiaojiao. “You both should stay here. There are a lot of people in the workshop, it’s very chaotic.”


    “I haven’t seen the workshop since it was built,” Yue Jiaojiao said, trying tofort the man in front of her. “Everyone else has seen it, so why can’t I?”


    “Just let Madam Qin make the trip.”


    Lin Chenzhi returned to North City and epted the fact that the person he was looking for had passed away.


    Madam Qin didn’t need to be extra careful of being seen.


    “The workshop smells bad. If you go there, you’ll smell all kinds of strange scents.”


    She didn’t need to do such a thing as bringing him food.


    Moreover, the workshop had recruited many men to doborious work, so Zhao Zhan didn’t want Yue Jiaojiao to be ogled at.


    “Alright, alright. I’ll get Madam Qin to apany Li Miao then.” He was really unwilling, so Yue Jiaojiao gave up. “When you’re busy in the future, you don’t have toe back for three meals a day.”


    Ever since she came to this house, Madam Qin had always felt that she was very idle. When she had nothing to do, she would follow Zhao Zhan and learn his cooking skills. Now, her cooking level was almost on par.


    “Zhao Zhan, instead of going back and forth like this, why don’t you focus on finishing your work in one go and then have time to stay at home with me?”


    Just as Yue Jiaojiao finished speaking, a shout came from outside the door.


    “Something has happened!”


    ...


    “Zhao Zhan! Something happened to the workshop.”


    Yang Lizheng stumbled into the backyard, his hands on his knees as he panted for a long time before he managed toplete his sentence. “Zhao Zhan, you need to go and take a look. The workshop is in a terrible state.”


    “Call Doctor Sun too. I don’t know what’s going on. How can a good person like him-“