The candle made a soft sputtering sound as it burned to the bottom and went out.
The wax flowed down the candlestick.
Until dawn.
The dripped wax formed various shapes, like a little figure dancing with outstretched limbs and raised legs.
At the Meng residence.
Jiang Yu, now elevated to Princess Caiyi, was kicking about with outstretched limbs and raised legs.
With her eyes still closed, she kicked Meng Shaoxia's bottom.
"It's all your fault, all your fault, I couldn't even attend my brother's wedding yesterday."
In the past, Meng Shaoxia wouldn't have been able to withstand his wife's kicks, but military life had truly transformed him. Now he could be called "Big" Meng Shaoxia - he had grown both taller and broader, as if going through a second puberty, becoming incredibly robust.
His physique resembled a cooked North American prawn, with a thick back, reddish-black face, and muscles all over.
His body carried the aura of the battlefield. Repeated campaigns had tempered both his body and spirit. The current Meng Shaoxia strongly resembled Old Master Meng in his youth - tall, mighty, and strong, commanding respect merely by his presence.
He had just returned from the battlefield, initially startling Jiang Yu.
But the next moment, he was hugging her and crying like a baby, covering their twins with kisses until their faces were wet with his tears and saliva.
Jiang Yu breathed a sigh of relief.
Growing up in the village, she had seen too many men who beat their wives upon returning home, often taking out their frustrations after work. In her childhood memories, these men seemed incredibly strong. Though when she grew older and saw them again as a young woman, they weren't actually strong at all - they were skinny, with hunched backs and little strength. But in her childhood mind, when she saw them beating others, they had seemed like enormous, overwhelmingly powerful beings.
Her own husband had originally been a handsome square-faced young man. Though life at home had improved and his face had become rounder and he'd gained some weight, he remained handsome - after all, in this era, being plump was considered attractive, fitting the aesthetic standards of the time.
But after returning from war, he had become dark, stout, and muscular.
It startled her at first sight.
Then Meng Shaoxia had hugged her and cried.
That night, they were intimate again.
And since it had been so long since they'd been together, as adults would understand...
As a result, Jiang Yu became pregnant yet again.
When Old Master Meng returned this time and saw his two great-grandchildren, he was overjoyed, smiling even in his dreams.
At dawn each day, he would watch over the two little ones - having descendants made everything worthwhile.
Especially for the old master who had experienced life and death, each morning felt like a bonus day, and seeing new generations in the family brought joy like fresh sprouts on old wood, happiness impossible to contain.
But before he had stayed home for even a few months, he learned that his grandson's wife was pregnant again.
Old Master Meng's smile reached his eyebrows.
After his father's return, Meng Qingshe spent time reuniting with him, taking quite a while to adjust.
Mainly because he was being disciplined by his father.
Then father and son competed to look after the grandchildren.
Fortunately, there were two, so they could share.
Then their daughter-in-law quickly became pregnant again.
This time, the entire Meng family was beyond excited.
Who said their lineage was thin? Who said they would have no heirs?
Now their daughter-in-law (granddaughter-in-law) was pregnant again.
These days, Old General Meng went everywhere chatting with old friends.
Meng Qingshe also went everywhere chatting with old friends.
Soon the entire capital knew that Princess Caiyi was pregnant again.
Who else could say their daughter, after marriage, was praised and cherished by the entire family?
Not only did her father-in-law praise her, but also his father, her mother-in-law, her grandmother-in-law - endless compliments.
The Emperor and Empress naturally bestowed countless gifts again.
They had planned to move to the Princess's Palace, but due to the pregnancy, it was advised against moving, so the plan was abandoned.
The Meng family had initially worried that their daughter-in-law might change after becoming a princess, perhaps becoming difficult to get along with, but fortunately, she maintained her good nature without becoming arrogant. She remained exactly as before - straightforward and unchanged. All the rumors about her being calculating were unfounded. Moreover, her exceptional cooking skills had made everyone in the family plump, requiring their clothes to be let out by two sizes.
Even Old Madam Meng looked more radiant and younger.
With this good news, and Old Master Meng returning alive from the battlefield to witness another addition to the family, everything felt joyous.
During this pregnancy, Jiang Yu craved sour foods intensely.
Though Old Master Meng usually kept his distance from his granddaughter-in-law out of propriety, he and his son would personally go to the mountains every day to gather rosehips and sour dates, all kinds of sour fruits, which Madam Meng would then arrange and send to her.
Jiang Yu ate her meals with sour dates, alternating between bites of food and dates, making everyone else's teeth ache just watching.
Mianmian also frequently visited the Meng residence.
She hadn't expected her sister to become pregnant again.
Her sister appeared quite healthy as an expectant mother, apart from craving sour foods, she didn't even experience morning sickness.
Her sister lived very well in the Meng family, the atmosphere was harmonious. As part of the family, her sister had become so accustomed that she naturally referred to the Meng residence as "home" when speaking of returning.
Jiang Yu was the least affected by her father becoming Emperor and her mother becoming Empress.
The transition from not having enough to eat to having plenty was stark, but after that, she didn't feel particularly different. Perhaps because her material desires were modest, focusing mainly on having enough to eat, so once that was satisfied, she felt content. As for higher pursuits, she had none.
Now pregnant again, she was very happy. For her, the only difficulty would be during childbirth; she didn't need to worry about raising the child. With several servants, mother-in-law and grandmother, father-in-law and grandfather all taking turns watching the children, after giving birth, she didn't need to care for them herself and could continue enjoying life as usual.
Moreover, during pregnancy, she could rightfully make demands and ask for all sorts of strange foods.
One day she suddenly wanted to eat peacock... just mentioning it casually, but Old Master Meng actually got her a peacock...
It wasn't very tasty, the meat was a bit tough.
For Jiang Yu, being able to eat was already a wonderful thing.
The only downside was that, being pregnant and in her first trimester, she couldn't attend her brother's wedding.
They worried about her being jostled in the crowds.
So thinking about it early in the morning still made her angry, and she kicked her husband several times.
Meng Shaoxia, thick-skinned as he was, didn't mind being kicked.
He even comforted her: "Are you tired from kicking? Take a rest, let me massage your feet, then you can continue kicking?"
This made Jiang Yu laugh despite her anger.
"We need to go to the palace today, and it's all your fault we're late again."
"Yes, it's my fault, all my fault."
Meng Shaoxia smiled good-naturedly and began carefully massaging his wife's plump, fair feet.
At first, Jiang Yu felt a bit embarrassed, but during her last pregnancy, her husband had always massaged her feet. After becoming physically intimate as husband and wife, they grew very close, always wanting to stay near each other, touching, connecting, feeling secure.
During the days when her husband was away at war, the house had felt very empty, and she had been very afraid, but fortunately, he had returned.
Although her husband had quite a few scars, thankfully none were too serious.
The couple's reunion was like a honeymoon, their relationship even more intimate, flowing naturally.
"Husband, I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed you were engaged to someone else, and in the dream, my parents and siblings were all gone, and you left me too. I didn't want to live anymore, so I found a rope and hanged myself. I kept kicking my legs, kicking, then I woke up and found myself kicking you. Such a frightening dream."
Meng Shaoxia paused upon hearing his little Yu'er's words, then continued massaging her feet.
For some reason, when he heard about her dream, he felt as if he had experienced it too, though he couldn't remember clearly. But when she described it, it seemed somewhat familiar.
Just hearing about it made his heart cold.
His eyes unconsciously became wet.
"Your feet are cold, let me warm them before you get up," Meng Shaoxia held his little Yu'er's feet against his chest.
"Dreams mean the opposite, don't overthink it, don't be afraid."
"Mother, Mother, Father, Father!"
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang bang bang!"
The heavy knocking from outside, presumably from their two little boys eagerly pounding on the door, immediately dispersed the strange thoughts in the room.
Meng Shaoxia quickly got up.
Jiang Yu also got dressed.
The two boys of similar height could now walk, albeit unsteadily. They were sweet-tongued and sturdy, with strong legs and arms like lotus roots. The older brother boldly tried to enter by himself, with the younger brother following closely.
Then the older brother fell, and the younger brother tumbled right after him.
They fell together but didn't cry.
"Come on, come on, stand up!" the younger brother cheered, lying on top of his older brother.
"Come down," the older brother called.
The younger brother rolled off his older brother, allowing him to get up. Then the older brother pulled his brother, who was lying on the ground, to his feet.
The maids and servants watched; seeing there were no injuries, they let them be. The two children weren't delicate - they were quite healthy.
After Jiang Yu finished getting ready, she took her husband and children to the palace together.
They all sat in the carriage.
She sat next to her husband, while the two children were made to sit opposite them, eating snacks, swinging their legs, completely at ease.
The carriage moved slowly with children and a pregnant woman inside.
As they passed by a bookstore, someone was asking, "Shopkeeper, do you still have any copies of 'Princess Caiyi's Guide to House Drama'?"
"Oh, dear customer, you're too late! They sold out in the first two days after release. Why don't you wait for the next batch? You can pay a deposit, and we'll save one for you when they arrive."
Jiang Yu laughed heartily in the carriage.
"Husband, have someone buy me a copy later. I want to learn too."
"Buy, buy, buy," Meng Shaoxia said indulgently.
The carriage wheels rolled smoothly, the road was wide and open, as they continued forward.
...
