Chapter 489 - Shining Hope
Yu Xiaocao thought that she was likely unable to help with their infertility issues. However, it wouldn’t be an issue for her to help them heal and strengthen their only descendant in the residence…
Wait, earlier the wife of the heir had mentioned that the heir’s only concubine-born daughter had been weak and sickly since she was born...an idea flashed through her head. She had probably found out the reason why the two of them were unable to have children!
“Forgive me for my presumptuous question, but what does your lord husband normally like to eat and drink?” Yu Xiaocao thought for a bit and then cautiously inquired.
He Wanning knew that Yu Xiaocao wouldn’t ask this question without a reason and asked with slight curiosity, “Younger Sister Xiaocao, why are you asking this question? Are you possibly suspicious of someone in the residence tampering with my older brother’s food and drink? That can’t be true, right? The staff here all have simple backgrounds and I can guarantee there isn’t someone who is trying to harm my eldest brother due to his position as the heir...could it be Father’s political enemies?”
The young maiden’s thoughts flew a bit too far! Yu Xiaocao shot a look at the other girl and didn’t heed her. Instead, she continued to solemnly look at the wife to the heir in anticipation of her answer.
When the wife of the heir saw that she was quite serious, she couldn't help but think carefully before she replied, “My husband usually likes to drink mung bean milk the most so he has a cup almost every morning. He also loves any dish that contains tofu, so the residence’s chefs and kitchen maids will always make different types of tofu dishes every day. As for other foods that he likes...ah, I remember! I like to eat celery and my husband will usually eat some with me…”
“My older brother also especially likes to eat barbecued and deep fried foods, especially once winter starts. He often hangs out with his friends to roast venison and mutton and he does that quite frequently.” He Wanning chirped in to help explain and revealed several other foods that her older brother liked to eat.
Yu Xiaocao let out a sigh of relief in her heart. Sure enough, everything that they told her had met her expectations. She finally found out the reason as to why the heir and his wife had problems with infertility!
Although He Wanning usually looked cheerful and carefree, she had a conscientious heart that caught onto details. When she saw that the expression on Xiaocao’s face had changed subtly, she hurriedly asked, “Younger Sister Xiaocao, are you implying the reason why my older brother and older sister-in-law haven’t been able to have children are related to the foods my older brother likes to eat?”
The wife of the heir’s previously dead heart once again was ignited with a flame of hope, “Miss Yu, is it really as Wanning says…”
Yu Xiaocao looked at the older woman and forcefully nodded her head, “I was able to come across a book of recipes once by chance. Inside, it not only described many ways to cook delicious foods but it also talked about the effects of eating certain types of food. Among them, it recorded that if a man constantly ate bean products, celery, and foods that were barbecued and deep fried, he would have problems siring heirs...”
“Is that true? Miss Yu, are you stating the truth? Then, the reason why my husband and I have been unable to have children is due to the foods he likes to eat and not because of an issue with my body?” The older woman’s lips trembled and the mist of tears gradually appeared in her eyes. Apparently, the truth was just that simple. They had spent so many years striving in a different direction and had bypassed the actual reason.
The heavens knew how she had lived these past nine years. Their inability to have children had become a giant mountain pressing down on her heart so hard that she couldn’t move. Its weight was so heavy that she felt like she couldn’t breathe at times. Many a night, her tears wet her pillow completely; many a night, she spent sleepless until dawn. She didn’t know how many times she loathed herself and she also didn’t know how many times the thought of suicide rose up in her mind…
Now, she was finally able to break free of the fetters on her heart and her spirit could soar free again without the weight of that suffocating pressure. She finally could raise her head and look her husband in the eye without the shadow of guilt and let him know, ‘The problem is not with me!’
“Lord...Lord Husband?!” Through the veil of her tears, the wife of the heir saw that tall and imposing figure that was engraved in her soul slowly walking towards her, getting closer and closer...
A large, warm palm wrapped around her two hands and a familiar voice sounded in her ears, “Zhen’er, you’ve had a hard time these past years…”
The wife of the heir no longer cared that there were other people around and buried her head into that familiar and warm chest. She sobbed as if she was a heartbroken child who had just been wronged.
The heir, He Junpeng, embraced his wife tightly within his arms and gently patted her back as he comforted her silently. In all these years, he had seen the efforts his wife had gone through to get pregnant and engraved it deeply within his heart. Although all the doctors told her that her body was very healthy, she still downed those bowls of extremely bitter nourishing tonics and tried every folk remedy that was available. She even tried the local treatments that people in rural areas had and pinched her nose to swallow a concoction made of plant ash and water.
Although she loved him with all her heart, she was the one who personally broke his promise of ‘only having her in his lifetime’ and allowed concubine after concubine to come in. On the day that his concubine-born daughter was born, she cried for an entire night but still sincerely felt gratified that he had a daughter now…
He wanted to tell her, “Being able to have such a wife like you is the result of three lifetimes of fortune. Even if the heavens have decided that we would never have children, I have no regrets marrying you!” The wife of the heir very quickly calmed herself back down and looked at Yu Xiaocao with red eyes and nose. She stated somewhat bashfully, “Miss Yu, I let you see a farce!”
“Human nature.” Yu Xiaocao had a perfect smile on her face and her eyes shone with sincere emotion towards the heir and his wife.
In actuality, when the inner courtyard had guests, as a man, He Junpeng shouldn’t be around as it was considered extremely impolite to the female guests. However, the circumstances today were different and he was very concerned. When he heard that they had invited over the godly doctor who had helped General Fang and his wife treat their bodies, he couldn’t restrain himself. This was the first time he did something outside the societal norms but he had to come back to hear the news.
However, he didn't expect that, as soon as he entered the inner courtyard, he found out that the reason why they weren’t able to have children was related to the foods he commonly liked to eat. Regret immediately bloomed within him. If he had known earlier that the food he consumed was the cause of their infertility, he wouldn’t have eaten one bite no matter how much he liked them.
He Junpeng looked at Yu Xiaocao and noticed that she didn’t seem upset or angry, so he felt his heart settle a bit. However, he still seriously apologized to her, “Miss Yu, I was rude today, please forgive me!”
Yu Xiaocao calmly smiled as she shook her head, “Milord is being polite. Older Sister He and I are like sisters and you are her older brother, so there’s no need to consider each other as outsiders, right?”
“Miss Yu is very generous and kind….do you know if, with my current situation, I still have a chance to father children?” He Junpeng jumped straight into the awkward conversation without any qualms and asked with a bit of urgency in his voice.
Yu Xiaocao nodded her head and suggestions flowed out of her mouth, “Since we know the root cause, it is easier to proceed from here! First, Milord and Milady need to change your eating habits. Try to cut down or completely eliminate bean products and celery. Eating too many barbecued or deep fried foods is also not good for the body so do your best to not have any. Try to eat more garlic chives, Chinese yam, onions and other vegetables. You should soak wolfberries in water or brew them into a tisane to drink. Try eating more nuts like cashews and walnuts. I advise you to roast black sesame seeds and walnuts together before grinding them into a powder that you can mix with water. You should have a bowl of that every day. You can also eat more abalone, loaches, and other seafood. You can also buy some dried mussels from the dried food stores and use them to make congee or stir fried dishes…”
“Miss Yu...can you speak a little slower, please? I’m afraid I’m a bit slow and I can’t remember everything. May I go get a brush, ink and paper so I can write this all down?” The wife of the heir appeared as if she had a new lease on life and her entire body was filled with liveliness and energy. He Junpeng noticed this and felt like his wife had reverted back to how she was nine years ago, when she first married him. She was so charming and lively then…
The lady looked at Yu Xiaocao and clearly wanted to say something. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked in an uneasy manner, “I heard that Miss Yu is quite talented at creating medicinal cuisine. I heard that Princess Consort Jing’s body recovered because you made her food. Would you perhaps know any good medicinal cuisine recipes that are helpful for promoting fertility…”
Since the heir had been eating foods for a long time that suppressed his fertility, it made it hard for him to get his wife or his concubines pregnant. Even when his women did get pregnant, the children from that union would end up sickly and weak, just like that concubine-born daughter he had.
She did know of a few foods and recipes that could increase his yang energy. If she just gave them the recipes, it was likely the effect would not be as good as the dishes she made. After all, she could add mystic-stone water when she made the food, increasing the efficacy.
Since He Wanning was a good friend of hers, she decided to take on the task. Furthermore, the grand princess royal was the grand-aunt of Zhu Junyang. She was willing to do all she could to help the grand princess royal have a descendant.
“It’s all set then! I’m going to go back to my residence to first prepare some useful medicinal cuisine for you. Once I’m done, I’ll have the servants bring it over. I will also give you the recipes to make these foods once I’m done writing them down.” Yu Xiaocao didn’t seem the least bit upset by the request, which allowed the heir and his wife let out a sigh of relief.
As soon as the lady opened her mouth to ask, she knew that her request was a bit presumptuous. After all, the recipes were the private property of Yu Xiaocao and she may not want to give them out. Although her younger sister-in-law had a decent relationship with Miss Yu, they couldn’t capitalize on this too much. If they ended up ruining the relationship between the two, she would feel incredibly guilty!
Fortunately, Miss Yu wasn’t a stingy or petty person. She not only didn’t take offense but also personally offered to make some medicinal cuisine for them. Marquis Anning’s estate would remember this good will from her. In the future, if the Yu Family or Fang Family came across any troubles, they would definitely do their utmost out of friendship and duty to help them.
The grand princess royal invited Xiaocao over to have lunch with them. Marchioness Anning, He Wanning, the heir and his wife were also there. The couple finally had an answer for their troubles and hope for the future. Thus, they were naturally very solicitous and warm towards Xiaocao throughout the meal. From the way the two of them treated the guest, both the grand princess royal and Marchioness Anning could tell something was different and accordingly viewed Xiaocao with a higher evaluation.
The grand princess royal soon found out from her grandson what had happened earlier. That evening, when Xiaocao was about to leave, the grand princess royal pulled on her hand to say something, “This old woman is being presumptuous, but I must call you ‘Xiaocao’ right now. Xiaocao, this old woman will always remember the kindness you have shown Marquis Anning’s estate. In the future, our residence and the grand princess royal’s estate will always be open to you. You’re always welcome to come over as a guest.”
“Grand Princess Royal, you are being too polite. As a doctor, I have a benevolent heart. As long as I can help someone, I will do my best to help them.” Yu Xiaocao thoughtfully replied in a courteous manner.
After the grand princess royal said her farewells to Xiaocao, she turned to her son and daughter-in-law to state, “Everyone always mentions that Yu Xiaocao was born and bred in the wild countryside, but she has a generous and kind heart. In my eyes, that makes her much better than the vast majority of noble maidens in the capital! Although Wanning has a more hasty personality, she has a good eye when making friends. The Yuan Family’s lass and this Xiaocao are both quite outstanding and worthy of friendship!”