Xie Yunzhen lay flat on the bed, gazing up at Ji Mingzhu, absorbing all her concern.

A smile uncontrollably spread across his lips.

Mingzhu truly loves him.

He loves Mingzhu too; the longer the time, the more he can’t live without her.

Now there are two more attachments in the household.

Whenever he’s away for a long time, he can’t help but wonder what Mingzhu and the two children are doing.

Do they miss him?

And then the desire to return home becomes particularly strong.

Xie Yunzhen has already experienced what it means to be so deeply entwined that one can’t leave each other.

"Speak."

Ji Mingzhu slapped the man lightly.

Afraid of waking the two children, she lowered her voice, "If you don’t make things clear, I’m going to make you pay."

A soft chuckle escaped the man’s lips; Xie Yunzhen wrapped his arms around Ji Mingzhu, sitting her down on his waist.

"Is there a problem you don’t know about?"

He spoke with a roguish tone, especially with his expression, making him seem very naughty.

Ji Mingzhu scolded him irritably, "Can you be a bit more proper?"

"The physical reaction says it all, I’m fine."

Ji Mingzhu didn’t agree with this, "Some potential risks need time to accumulate."

Medicine has its toxicity; she doesn’t want Xie Yunzhen to take medicine recklessly.

Suddenly, she understood why Xie Yunzhen replaced her birth control pill back then.

Xie Yunzhen enjoys Mingzhu’s concern but doesn’t want Mingzhu to worry too much about him.

Excessive worry can be quite harmful to the body too.

"The medicine was taken from Xi Yu; you can be rest assured."

Ji Mingzhu indeed trusts Xi Yu’s skills, and now saying more is useless.

"If anything like this happens again, you can’t make decisions on your own."

Xie Yunzhen hummed in agreement, behaving very amicably.

Back when Mingzhu was giving birth, she had such terrible pains in the delivery room, losing so much blood, and for a long time afterward, she remained weak.

Even while lying in bed doing nothing, she’d break into sweat.

He witnessed all this.

He truly doesn’t want her to go through it a second time.

Just as Mingzhu said, nothing is absolute in this world; taking the medicine, he feels much more at ease.

He held Mingzhu’s waist and began to stir.

"I don’t know if there are side effects; Madam, you should feel carefully, and if there’s a problem, I’ll go ruin Xi Yu’s reputation as a miracle doctor tomorrow."

Ji Mingzhu was amused by him, "You have no shame!"

She laughed, and Xie Yunzhen laughed along with her.

There’s nothing shameful as long as he can make his madam happy.

Using the strength in his abdomen, Xie Yunzhen lifted his upper body and bit open Ji Mingzhu’s clothing straps.

"It’s late, so the sooner we finish, the sooner we can rest."

To Xie Yunzhen, once a day is already restraint.

If it weren’t for Mingzhu’s health, this wouldn’t be enough!

The man who drank acted a bit rough.

Ji Mingzhu regretted not immediately putting the kids back in their cribs.

This regret peaked when the children awoke one after another, crying for milk.

Claiming to be considerate, Xie Yunzhen stopped temporarily, letting Mingzhu lie sideways to feed the children.

He muttered, "From now on they can’t sleep on the big bed."

Ji Mingzhu turned to scold him, "They don’t mind your noise disturbing their sleep."

Xie Yunzhen felt wronged.

"But it’s originally my room, my bed; they came afterward."

"Then take them back."

Xie Yunzhen feigned a smile as he clung tighter to Ji Mingzhu, "Considering their cuteness, let’s keep them for now."

After dealing with the two children and then with Xie Yunzhen, Ji Mingzhu drifted off to sleep thinking.

It’s good that he took the medicine; otherwise, if an accident leads to another baby, she won’t be able to handle it.

It’s just that the elders in the capital might be disappointed.

Ji Mingzhu isn’t sure if Princess An He hoped for her to have a second child.

But the old madam definitely hopes for more children.

Back then, when she arranged a concubine for Old Lord, that was her intention.

Maybe when they get back to the capital, she’ll apply the same strategy to Xie Yunzhen.

Just thinking about such a scenario makes Ji Mingzhu feel uneasy.

She couldn’t accept Xie Yunzhen taking concubines.

Nor does she want the children contesting for their father’s affection with others.

Again, she felt glad that Xie Yunzhen took this medicine; at least, Zimu and Zishan won’t have half-siblings.

Xie Yunzhen didn’t know what Mingzhu was thinking about, hugging her as he drifted off to sleep.

The two of them fell asleep, leaving all troubles behind.

The little ones had been moved back to their cribs, lying side by side, fast asleep.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of breathing remaining.

Ji Mingzhu slept deeply, waking up to daylight streaming in.

A warm body was pressed against her back, and Ji Mingzhu, without opening her eyes, asked, "Why haven’t you left yet?"

Early in the morning, Xie Yunzhen’s heart was pricked.

"I’m off today."

Every time he counts the days, planning his activities ahead well, to spend a good time with Mingzhu and the children.

He thought Mingzhu did the same, counting days like him.

Yet she seems to not care whether he’s off or not!

Xie Yunzhen gritted his teeth, "If I’d known, I wouldn’t have let Liu Xu come to Yanzhou; your energy was already split mostly with the kids, now with her here, you spend even less focus on me."

The man looked discontented, as if his most cherished treasure had been taken.

That dangerous thought crept up again.

If only he could hide Mingzhu away...

His gaze turned dangerous, and Ji Mingzhu caught onto the signal, glancing over at him, "Don’t go imagining things."

Xie Yunzhen gave a hum, "You better focus on me; otherwise, I can’t be sure what I might do."

Ji Mingzhu didn’t bother with his complaints.

This man throws a "fit" every so often, and she’s used to it.

Leaning on Xie Yunzhen’s chest, Ji Mingzhu started discussing serious matters with him.

"Ah Zhen, you can help us with something."

Suddenly a tingling sensation raced up his tailbone, making Xie Yunzhen feel as if his bones might turn to jelly.

With the arm he hugged Mingzhu, he rubbed her skin slightly, "What should I help with?"

At the moment, he’s very agreeable.

Even if Mingzhu asked him to pluck stars and moons, he’d do his utmost to fulfill it.

Ji Mingzhu explained Liu Xu’s idea, "For now, we don’t need many people, let’s start with a hundred. A new means of livelihood is always a good thing."

As Yanzhou prospers, the locals will also benefit.

Life will gradually improve.

Xie Yunzhen hummed in response.

Ji Mingzhu looked up at him, "Did you agree?"

Xie Yunzhen felt like laughing, pinching Ji Mingzhu’s cheek, "If my madam asks, how could I refuse?"

"It’s not like I’m a tyrant; why wouldn’t you dare?"

"I simply wouldn’t; anything you say, I listen to."

After speaking, he added, "You can’t leave me, or take the children and remarry."

Again!

Angry, Ji Mingzhu kicked him under the covers, "I’m not some sweet bun."

"You are."

Xie Yunzhen confirmed.

Though they are far from the capital and Yangzhou, those who are secretly watching Mingzhu haven’t given up.

Xie Yunzhen held her tightly, "You have to love me forever."