Doomed to be Cannon Fodder

Chapter 287: A Household Must Always Have a Master

And what’s with this wronged expression? Is she missing her son?

Xiao Lin was a cute child. After not seeing his mother for such a long time, it seems he’d missed her. He actually began to speak his first word. “Mommy.....”

“Ahh! The young prince has spoken!” The old madame’s old servant exclaimed from the side.

“Yes yes. He can say mommy now.”

“Despite not seeing his mother for so long, he called for her the moment he laid eyes on her. It’s quite obvious that the young prince missed his mother dearly.”

“Child, you should say grandmother first.” Although Bai Xiangxiu was very happy internally, she lectured her child as she enfolded him in a flurry of hugs and kisses.

“Mommy is easier to say than grandmother.” The old madame was feeling somewhat jealous at the moment. She was the one who’d taken care of her eldest grandson all this time! But Bai Xiangxiu insisted, “It’s true that grandmother is harder to say, it’s so long! You should say ‘Gramma’.”

Gramma was what villagers used, an informal way to address a paternal grandmother. Wealthy people weren’t very fond of this term. However, it did sound more intimate. So, the old madame began to beam with joy. The little imp in Bai Xiangxiu’s arms got as far as, “Gram.....”

“Look! He’s saying it.” Bai Xiangxiu handed her son to the old madame. She secretly wanted to break down in tears of love. Her son was amazing. He knew how to wholeheartedly win over his grandma. In silence, she wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was true that old people and children were similar. They both required plenty of coaxing.

“Don’t just stand there. Go and have a seat. Why didn’t you send a letter to notify me of your pregnancy?”

“The prince didn’t tell you?”

“I’ve only seen that child once since I left. He came to give Lin’er a pat and left. We basically didn’t exchange any words.”

“No wonder.” Bai Xiangxiu began to feel unwell everywhere when she sat down. The old madame thought it was already quite impressive that Bai Xiangxiu had managed to hold on for as long as she had, and consoled her daughter-in-law in various ways. In the end, the old madame decided to take back some duties from Bai Xiangxiu so she had more time to rest.

Bai Xiangxiu was moved to tears. She honestly didn’t understand why so many people desired to take charge of things. Weren’t they aware that the most difficult tasks in the world were household affairs? Now that the old madame had returned, she felt a lot more at ease. This confirmed her feeling that a household must always have a master.

While resting, Bai Xiangxiu began to worry over the state of Tranquil City. She couldn’t simply read Long Heng’s letters and sit around doing nothing. Although the enemy had just weathered a massive defeat, everything had already been set in motion well in advance. So it was nerve wracking waiting for the results. Unfortunately for the enemy state, they had already been thoroughly defeated once by Long Heng. His appearance was like a thunderbolt. Every battle was a complete victory. Long Heng eliminated the enemy state in a meticulous campaign. He didn’t have any golden tokens to worry about this time, and so led his men straight to the enemy’s nest.

The enemy state was exterminated in short order, their commanders dead or captured. There weren’t many left in the end. By the time Long Heng was done, the year was over. Spring had arrived. He missed his family dearly and prayed that from now on, the world would be peaceful with no more war. That way, he could remain home and stay by his wife and son’s side. But the moment he stepped inside, he could see the servants all running back and forth in a frenzy. He was flabbergasted and randomly seized a servant who shot past him by the arm, “What’s going on?”

“The princess consort is about to give birth.”

“About... to give birth?” Long Heng rushed in. He absolutely had not imagined that he would walk into this kind of situation. Fortunately, since the old madame was around, everything was arranged properly.

By the time he had arrived, Bai Xiangxiu was already cloistered inside a room. The old madame was carrying Xiao Lin while waiting outside. When she saw Long Heng, she consoled him, “Go and wash yourself first. It’s just begun, so it’s going to take awhile.”

“No, I want to remain here...”

“Ahhhhh!” Bai Xiangxiu was screaming like she was being slaughtered. Long Heng’s heart shook along with it. He rushed to the door and shouted, “Xiu’er, I’ve returned. Don’t worry! I’m here!”

Bai Xiangxiu was nearly in tears, “What use is it if you’re here or somewhere else!?”

“It’s not much use...” Long Heng was speechless. How come his wife’s temper was so bad?

“Don’t argue with her. She has already been through a lot to get to this point. It’s natural for her to be a bit fiery.” The old madame was also a woman, therefore, she could understand her daughter-in-law’s feelings right now.

Naturally, Long Heng understood. He had been gone for such a long time. He’d barely said anything to her before he’d left, and he’d finally returned to the scene of his child being born. He felt quite guilty so he stood by the door and stated, “If you feel depressed, feel free to let it out.”

Bai Xiangxiu rolled her eyes at the sky. He was already home safe and sound. What did she have to yell about? If she wasn’t giving birth right now, she would’ve already climbed into his arms and cried her head off. But right now, she wasn’t in the mood to cry. She was using all her strength to give birth.

Since she had the experience from before, both her mindset and her correspondence with the midwives were much better this time. She was quite good at grasping when she should be using strength and when she should be resting. Long Heng began to panic when Bai Xiangxiu cut off in mid cry. He pushed open the door and stormed in. The others wanted to stop him, but he was altogether too fast.

“Hurry and drag him out. This is unlucky!” The old madame was carrying Long Lin and didn’t dare enter. She was calling the servants for help.

Men weren’t allowed in, but the midwives didn’t dare to say anything when they saw Prince Li storm in. On the other hand, Bai Xiangxiu had been about to push. Her expression crumpled when she saw Long Heng enter. Should she give birth or not? It seemed so horrific if she gave birth. Her eyes would be bulging and green veins would appear. This would ruin her pretty image. After all, it had been a long time since she had seen her husband. She wanted to present her best self. So if he saw her at her ugliest state, she would feel quite uncomfortable.

But Long Heng didn’t care about any of that. He had missed her too much. The two of them made eye contact without speaking until Bai Xiangxiu’s stomach suddenly rippled with a contraction and she couldn’t help but cry out.

“Prince Li, please leave the room. The child is about to come out.” Since the midwives insisted, Long Heng had no choice but to leave. The moment he exited, someone alerted him that the emperor was hosting a feast in the palace and wished his attendance. Long Heng waved his hand to decline, “Tell the emperor that I have family issues and I don’t have time to attend.”

Was that actually a good idea? Regardless of whether it was a wise decision or not, Long Heng had the authority to do as he pleased. Plus, his wife giving birth was different from a concubine giving birth. Therefore, no one dared tell him that he couldn’t stay with his wife right now.

After waiting outside for a long time, the sky had begun to turn dark. At long last, the sounds of a baby’s cries pierced the air. Long Heng paced in front of the door, his emotions a stormy sea. A midwife came out excitedly, “Congratulations, Prince Li! It’s a little young master!”

The old madame smiled. More sons, more fortune! But before the smiles had even solidified on their faces, another midwife exclaimed from inside, “Get back in here! It’s not time to celebrate yet! It looks like there’s one more!”

“......” Long Heng.

“......” The old madame. She had always envied those who were very good at bearing children. She had always felt that having only one son was much too little. It was great that she had such a fruitful daughter-in-law. She had already given the old madame three grandchildren in less than three years! The old madame could foresee how busy she would become in the future while taking care of babies. If her daughter-in-law continued to work hard, the household will be extremely lively in no time!.