With four little ones at home, apart from warming up to each other during bath time, there was no other chance for intimacy.
How could he not think about it?
He was still in the prime of his youth!
That evening, just like every other, An Jing and Xiao Changyi took a bath together, while the four children were looked after by Meng Zhuqing.
When An Jing and Xiao Changyi bathed together, Meng Zhuqing didn’t need to imagine what happened in the bathhouse, and he had no other thoughts than wanting an early marriage for himself, so that he too could someday enjoy such days...
The next day, Master Zhou, Zhao, Qian, and Sun, four officials, came to the experimental field to see the seedlings that An Jing had grafted.
Official Liu and Li Jifan were also there to enjoy the excitement.
There were quite a few junior officials watching as well.
Seeing that Master Zhou and the others had all arrived, An Jing didn’t care how many onlookers there were, as a large audience didn’t pose any disadvantage to her anyway. Thus, she lifted one corner of the greenhouse for everyone present to see inside.
Inside the greenhouse, cucumber seedlings grew on pumpkin vines, vibrant and green, thriving exceptionally well, as if the pumpkin’s root was their own.
"This... this... how is this possible..." Everyone was somewhat shocked, their eyes wide with disbelief.
Especially the four officials—Master Zhou, Zhao, Qian, and Sun—who had made the bet with An Jing!
Master Zhou was the most agitated, snapping back to reality, he questioned loudly, "This is absolutely impossible! You must have just done this; who doesn’t know you’ve been coming here every day recently? The ones you worked on before surely withered and died!"
An Jing was in no hurry to explain anything; instead, she took a grafted seedling from the greenhouse, ripped off the twine and oilcloth bound around it, and then handed it to Master Zhou for him to examine the joint.
The grafted junction clearly showed that the wound had healed, and the cucumber seedlings were indeed growing on the pumpkin vines.
Master Zhou, looking at the junction, was speechless.
So were the officials Zhao, Qian, and Sun, their expressions a mix of astonishment and discomfort.
Since Official Liu had no bet at stake and didn’t need to wash his wife and concubines’ feet, he felt at ease. He looked at the grafted junction, shaking his head while exclaiming in admiration, "Incredible... unbelievable..."
Li Jifan’s eyes shone, "This is simply a miracle! A miracle indeed!"
An Jing smiled and said, "Originally I saw that pumpkins don’t get many bugs, so I wondered if cucumbers, grown on pumpkins, could also avoid pests. Surprisingly, the cucumber seedlings truly thrived on the pumpkin vines, and they’re doing very well."
Li Jifan immediately praised her, "Lord An dares to think and act, truly a heroine among women!"
At this moment, Li Jifan was genuinely excited; this was far beyond his imagination, yet it was a fact, and witnessed by his very eyes. And all this had been achieved by An Jing.
An Jing was truly extraordinary!
And such a radiant An Jing was indeed very attractive.
Unknowingly, Li Jifan’s heart was moved by An Jing, and his gaze toward her became much more fervent than before.
Xiao Changyi noticed the intensity in Li Jifan’s eyes. Although he maintained an impassive facade, not showing any emotion on the outside, inside he noted Li Jifan’s interest.
No one was allowed to harbor designs on his wife! His wife belonged to him! Exclusively to him!
Thinking this way, Xiao Changyi’s cold gaze upon Li Jifan grew even chillier.
Li Jifan, inadvertently meeting Xiao Changyi’s gaze, shivered for no reason, filled with fear—as if staring at the Death God who had come for his soul.