The Butcher's Little Husband - Chapter 73

The old physician in their village was surnamed Zhou. He had practiced medicine since he was young and treated the villagers very kindly. If the herbs needed were common ones, he didn’t take a single coin—patients only had to gather the same herbs later and bring them back.

If the herbs were rare, he sold them at the same price he bought them for, and he only charged a small consultation fee.

Because of his kindness, villagers always brought him vegetables throughout the year, and during festivals they delivered a few extra things to his home.

When Li Amu arrived, he was carrying a dried rabbit. He knocked on the door. “Doctor Zhou, are you home?”

With a creak, the door opened, and a seven- or eight-year-old child poked his head out. “Grandpa, Li Amu is here. Please come in, Li Amu.”

Li Amu smiled and ruffled his hair, handing him the rabbit. He knew villagers were warmhearted but stubborn, so he didn’t refuse. After the child went inside, he came out with some pastries to serve him.

These pastries were bought by the old doctor’s junior apprentice and were quite tasty. But Li Amu wasn’t thinking about food. Sitting in front of Dr. Zhou, he asked, “Doctor Zhou, do you have time this afternoon?”

The doctor nodded, puzzled. “Is your eldest son’s husband about to give birth? The due date shouldn’t be so soon.”

“No, no,” Li Amu quickly waved his hands. “He still has a few months left! It’s just… I think something’s wrong with him. He’s been lying in bed all day like a boneless person. He hasn’t even left the house for three or four days, and his face is pale. I want you to take a look at him and, by the way, check on my youngest son’s husband as well.”

“Sure,” Doctor Zhou said, stroking his beard. “I’ll go with you right away.” He then grabbed his medicine box and stood up.

Li Amu thanked him repeatedly. He felt it was only natural to ask, but he knew his eldest son’s husband would be unlikely to listen to his advice, so he had to trouble Doctor Zhou.

Doctor Zhou was over seventy years old, yet he looked energetic and healthy, as if he were in his forties or fifties.

Before long, they arrived at the Li household. 

When Li Amu saw that the yard was empty, he went to the room and called out. 

Tian Xiaoman and Li Wenxuan quickly came out, both surprised to see Doctor Zhou.

“Is someone sick at home?” Tian Xiaoman asked after greeting Doctor Zhou.

“No, Xiaoman,” Li Amu said excitedly, “Come here and let Doctor Zhou take your pulse.” He glanced at Tian Xiaoman with a hopeful look, as he believed he might be pregnant.

Tian Xiaoman sat down with a frown. Could it be that he was sick and didn’t know it? He stretched out his hand obediently, and Doctor Zhou took his pulse carefully.

After a long moment, Doctor Zhou let go of Tian Xiaoman’s hand and nodded, “Congratulations, you’re going to be a grand-amu again!”

“Oh!” Li Amu exclaimed with joy. “Is it true? This child is so quick!”

Li Wenxuan, who had been a little nervous at first, was stunned upon hearing Doctor Zhou’s words. Then he looked at Li Amu, who was beaming with happiness, and at Tian Xiaoman, who was grinning with excitement, and he felt a sudden sense of unease. He had no idea what to expect now.

Tian Xiaoman was ecstatic. He hadn’t expected to be pregnant. Since meeting Le-ge’er, he’d been thinking about having a baby to care for.

It wasn’t that he thought Le-ge’er wasn’t his biological child, but now that Le-ge’er had a playmate, he wasn’t as clingy as before.

Tian Xiaoman felt pure joy and didn’t think about the potential pain of childbirth at all. 

He looked at Li Wenxuan and noticed that he seemed dazed, so he grabbed his hand and asked, “Husband, are you unhappy?”

Li Wenxuan snapped out of his daze and quickly replied, “No, I’m happy, really happy! This is our baby, how could I not be happy?”

Tian Xiaoman smiled, satisfied with his response.

The couple returned to their room, and Li Amu asked Doctor Zhou to sit and drink some tea while he went to check on Lian Meng.

“Meng’er, I asked Doctor Zhou to come. I want him to check on your condition.” Li Amu spoke kindly.

Lian Meng frowned. “Amu, I’m fine. I don’t need a doctor.” He didn’t want to see a doctor during New Year’s, thinking it was bad luck.

“Why not?” Li Amu countered. “You haven’t gotten out of bed in so many days! You’re barely eating, how would you get through pregnancy?”

Seeing that Li Amu was really angry, Lian Meng reluctantly got up from the bed and stood, though he moved slowly.

“That’s right, it only takes a moment,” Li Amu said as he helped him out.

Doctor Zhou wasn’t bothered by Lian Meng’s reluctance. He sat down and took Lian Meng’s pulse carefully. 

He took a long time, longer than usual, making Li Amu uneasy. Finally, he asked hesitantly, “Doctor Zhou, is everything alright?”

Doctor Zhou gently let go of Lian Meng’s hand and asked, “How many months has he been pregnant?”

“More than six months,” Li Amu replied. “It’ll be seven months on the third day of the New Year.”

“Have you felt any fetal movement?”

Lian Meng answered this himself, “No, maybe it moves at night, but I don’t feel it.” 

He looked uneasy. He had a bad feeling, especially since this pregnancy felt different from the one with Le-ge’er. He thought it was because he was carrying a boy, but after hearing Doctor Zhou’s question, he grew worried. How could the child be alright if he didn’t feel it moving? 

Doctor Zhou paused for a moment before saying, “From the pulse, it doesn’t seem like you’re pregnant.”

“What?” Lian Meng exclaimed, his voice filled with disbelief. “How is that possible? My belly is so big, how could I not be pregnant? I’ve seen other doctors, and they all confirmed it! Doctor Zhou, you’re old, maybe you made a mistake!” Lian Meng glared at Doctor Zhou, 

Li Amu interrupted, “Stop it! How can you speak like that to Doctor Zhou?” He was upset, but also felt the same doubt.

Doctor Zhou sighed and said, “I’m old, I won’t argue with you. But what’s in your belly doesn’t seem to be a child. A pregnancy should show two strong pulses, rolling like beads. But yours… it’s double, but one of them is faint, disordered, not like a child’s pulse at all.” He thought for a moment and added, “I’ve seen a similar case many years ago. A man lay in bed all day, ate very little, and his belly grew bigger. Everyone thought he was carrying a child, but it turned out he had a tumor. He carried it for ten months, but never gave birth. The villagers thought he was possessed and drove him away. Eventually, he saw my master, but despite all efforts, he passed away.”

Lian Meng was furious, “Amu, I went in, and he didn’t even know how to take my pulse properly!” He didn’t believe what Doctor Zhou said at all.

Li Amu turned to Doctor Zhou, his voice filled with concern. “Are you sure? How could this happen? His belly has grown so much…”

Doctor Zhou told them the story from years ago, and while Li Amu had mostly believed him, the idea that Lian Meng wasn’t pregnant was hard to accept. 

Still, he trusted Doctor Zhou and knew he wasn’t someone who made baseless claims.