Xiao Changyi said nothing, only lowered his head to nuzzle her forehead.
"There you go with that move again," An Jing chuckled, and though she spoke those words, she nuzzled him back.
Once Meng Zhuqing had hired three farmers to help An Jing and Xiao Changyi irrigate their two-acre field, she came to them again, and Xiao Changyi threw his token to her, instructing her to inform all counties afflicted by drought to use wood ash and lime to prevent locust plagues.
At the same time, Xiao Changyi also had Meng Zhuqing send an urgent eight hundred li express letter to the Emperor of Xiyun.
Upon receiving Xiao Changyi’s orders, the County Magistrates of the six drought-stricken counties dispatched many government officers who, beating gongs, alerted the villagers to quickly sift wood ash or lime over the grain to guard against the migrating locusts.
Seeing the drought turn into such a dire situation, the farmers feared the arrival of locusts, for their crops, if not completely destroyed, would suffer immense damage. Now informed of the method to prevent locust infestation, they may have had their doubts, but they all followed through with the instructions.
"What if it actually works?" they thought. That way, their crops would be saved from ruin!
Three days later, when the Emperor of Xiyun received Xiao Changyi’s letter, the locusts indeed arrived. As everyone saw the dark clouds of locusts sweeping in, fear struck them and they quickly hid inside their houses, not daring to come out.
Seeing the locusts coming, Xiao Changyi quickly closed all the windows and doors to prevent the locusts from entering the house.
An Jing sat indoors, and only when she saw Xiao Changyi finish securing the doors and windows and walking towards her, did she ask, "With so many locusts here, how long will it take for them to leave?"
"Four or five days," he paused, "If your method works, and they don’t have much to eat, they should leave even sooner."
Just now, An Jing had stood at the doorway and seen the overwhelming swarm and sincerely hoped, "I hope it works."
Xiao Changyi walked over to her side but didn’t sit down, instead he asked with concern, "Are you feeling any discomfort?"
With so many locusts outside, it seemed unlikely that Doctor Jiang would be able to visit today, and with him usually checking on her twice a day, Xiao Changyi couldn’t help but worry with the sudden gap in visits.
After all, his wife was already nine months pregnant.
As An Jing shook her head, she pulled Xiao Changyi to sit beside her, then she leaned into his embrace and smiled, "You don’t always have to be so tense; if I feel unwell, I’ll tell you."
Xiao Changyi didn’t want to be on edge all the time, but he couldn’t help it—the woman was his life.
Although he still couldn’t help feeling anxious, Xiao Changyi nodded and responded, "Mm."
An Jing knew that Xiao Changyi was trying to reassure her, and she was more aware than anyone of her significance to him, but she didn’t say anything more, simply leaning against him, allowing him to hold her.
She liked this feeling.
Just , she rested peacefully in his arms, away from all the noise, with just him and her.
No, not just the two of them—there was also their child.
With this thought, An Jing’s hand moved to her own swollen belly. Inside, there were the children she shared with him, two of them.
They were now, in essence, a family of four.
Feeling overwhelmed with emotion, An Jing couldn’t help but draw Xiao Changyi’s hand to join hers, letting him touch and feel the two little lives within her belly together with her.
In less than a month, these two little ones would come out to meet them.
Then, he would be the father, and she would be the mother.
Just the thought of them caring for two little ones filled An Jing’s face with happiness and a gleam of maternal pride.