The thudding footsteps sounded as if they were stepping directly on his chest; ng Yuhuai, the ever-composed and capable leader, instantly felt a tightness in his heart, his brows knitted together as he involuntarily stepped forward.
Indeed, Wang Zhanrui was hurriedly making his way towards the wooden house alongside Qing You, their pace irrefutably quick, but ahead of them was Chun Xi, running like the wind with clenched fists. As soon as she caught sight of ng Yuhuai, she began to pant and cry out, "Your wife..."
While speaking, she pushed ng Yuhuai back into the wooden house and headed straight towards the front side of the restaurant without looking back.
.
All ng Yuhuai’s ears caught were those three words, and then his mind buzzed and turned to chaos; he cast aside all notions of protocol and, as Chun Xi rushed up, he hastily grasped her wrist and stared into her eyes, "Xiaomai is not...?"
The guests inside the house had heard so of the commotion and, not wanting to casually pry into soone else’s family matters, pretended not to notice. Only Ke Zhenwu, probably due to his familiarity with both ng Yuhuai and Hua Xiaomai, imdiately leaned over and whispered.
Rest easy? This must be a joke. The birth of a child, for both him and Hua Xiaomai, was a first-ti experience; how could it be taken lightly?
"Ow, ow, ow!" Chun Xi’s wrist felt as though it was about to break under his grip; after shaking it several tis, she finally freed herself, rubbing it while muttering complaints, "Can you even... There are important guests everywhere, and here you are, pulling and tugging at , just waiting to be laughed at!"
With an unsettled mind, ng Yuhuai, who was normally calm, quickly realized that indeed, he could not just leave all the guests behind, took a deep breath, and reluctantly returned to his seat.
Chun Xi glanced at him with a half-smile: "You’re all worked up just like that? My mother-in-law just ca to notify us, saying your wife has already started, but there’s no need for you to be this nervous. Looking at the situation, there are still five or six hours at the very least, it’s still very early! Right now, Mother Liu Wen and my mother-in-law are at your place, and Feng Dai is leading her daughters-in-law in assisting, there are enough hands. After closing up in the evening, La i and I will co over to lend a hand with so many of us looking after her, you just need to rest easy!"
"Magistrate Tao is asking about the tea, go talk to him, I need to go ho and check now." After saying that, he lifted his foot to leave.
ng Yuhuai just knew he was babbling in his ear, but he didn’t absorb a single word; he nodded absentmindedly. As luck would have it, a nearby shopkeeper from a ticket office ca to speak with him, prompting him to gather his wits and engage in conversation.
At this mont, Wang Zhanrui and Qing You also caught up, glanced at his face, picked up on sothing, and a smile appeared on their lips. Just as they were about to ask, they were ushered into the house by ng Yuhuai.
Chun Xi was half laughing, half crying, busily pulling him back.
"What’s the matter, is Xiaomai about to give birth? Today really is a day of double celebrations for you!" He chuckled, speaking softly, "I see your face has gone pale, but there’s no need for such panic. Every woman has to go through this, I see that while Xiaomai is thin, she is quite robust and has been well-cared for by your mother. What is there to worry about? Just relax, and make sure to handle the matter at hand properly."
"Oh my!"
"What are you going back for? My mother-in-law said to pass a ssage from Sister Xiaomai; today is your big day, no matter what, you have to take good care of all the guests in that room. How could you leave first? Even if you were to go back now, you wouldn’t be able to help at all, you’d only cause more trouble. With so many people accompanying Xiaomai, just rest absolutely assured and quickly go back in and attend to your proper business!"
ng Yuhuai had no mood for such banter, his brows furrowed tightly: "Sister-in-law, just tell , is Xiaomai about to give birth?"
"Then I will just..." ng Yuhuai’s heart imdiately flew back ho; how could he rember that he was currently hosting a banquet? Mid-sentence, he was already eager to rush ho.
His throat turned dry and, to his surprise, his voice trembled a little.
The Spring Wine Banquet ended with both hosts and guests thoroughly content; Magistrate Tao and Wang Zhanrui engaged in earnest conversation, then called ng Yuhuai aside to give him several earnest instructions. It was only as it neared evening and the guests began to leave one by one that ng Yuhuai could not wait a mont longer. After seeing off the guests in their carriages, he sprinted ho, burst through the courtyard gate, and headed straight for the room.
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