Chapter 105

 After the Cannon Fodder 'Top' Turns to Farming, He Gets a Happy Ending with the Aloof Male Lead (Transmigration)

The He family had been kept in suspense and were quite surprised; although the Jiang family often brought them pleasant surprises, they had never made such a big fuss about it before.

When they saw the tiny infant nestled in the cradle, the group was still a bit puzzled.

The little one was exquisitely beautiful—like a doll carved from jade and snow—and the ladies of the He family could barely contain their excitement.

"Whose baby is this?" they whispered, afraid of waking the soundly sleeping darling.

He Lin started to exclaim, then rubbed his eyes in disbelief; upon closer inspection, he stammered, "She—she—she!"

"Hush! Don't wake the baby!" Madam He tried to cover his mouth.

He Lin had actually been trying to restrain himself, but his face still betrayed his shock. Soon, the others noticed the resemblance too; forgetting to admire the baby's cuteness, they tiptoed outside.

"Where did you get this baby? She looks so much like Bai Ye, yet there's a hint of Li Zhi in her features, too."

He Lin nodded vigorously.

This mystery wasn't even partially resolved until the two families sat down for dinner that evening.

Lu Li Zhi stated quite calmly, "I gave birth to her."

"Pfft!" He Lin spat out the mouthful of juice he had just taken; everyone else assumed they were joking.

He Jun, however, felt that Lu Li Zhi didn't seem like the type to joke, though no one pressed the issue, fearing they might touch upon a sensitive subject. Madam He, having received confirmation from Madam He and Granny Li, was surprised and envious; she immediately began pouring out her grievances about recent troubles.

"That Wang girl is a good, filial child, and I’m quite fond of her; I was thinking we could just pretend that woman, Madam Feng, didn't exist. But Madam Feng has been stirring up trouble outside, acting as if she were already a member of our family by marriage. She saw the match wasn't going smoothly and decided to force the issue."

Madam He looked on with disdain. "She still has no sense of propriety—always doing things that hurt others without benefiting herself!"

At most, the He family would lose some money they didn't particularly care about, but she was ruining her own daughter's reputation. She never stopped to consider: if the He family refused to yield to her threats, what would become of Wang Yujiao?

Madam Feng had a loose tongue and made a huge scene of it. The He family was no longer what it used to be; even the slightest stir attracted public attention.

This led to a difficult situation—

When Town Mayor Wang returned from his rounds in the villages, he was immediately met with gossip the moment he reached the town center. Some people offered obsequious congratulations; others sneered, accusing them of trying to "marry up" into a wealthy family; and some even speculated that Yujiao had been indiscreet and ended up pregnant out of wedlock.

Suppressing his rage, the mayor discovered the culprit behind the rumors. Furious, he grabbed a tool and stormed straight home!

He arrived just in time to see Wang Yujiao threatening to hang herself unless Madam Feng stopped her antics. Feng was naturally filled with regret by now, yet she still patted her chest and promised through tear-filled eyes, "Mother is doing this for your own good! Trust me—the He family has always cultivated a sterling reputation; if this matter blows up, it will work against them. They are kind-hearted people—they will surely still marry you!"

Wang Yujiao felt such despair that she could have died right then and there; she was utterly disillusioned with Feng.

Town Mayor Wang, in a fit of rage, kicked a stool over right in front of Feng, making her shriek in fright.

Then, in a tone of unprecedented harshness, he declared firmly, "Feng, I am divorcing you!"

With that, he strode into the house to fetch a brush and ink.

Wang Yujiao, slumped on the ground, watched the scene unfold without the slightest intention of intervening.

Her life was ruined; even if the He family were willing to marry her, she no longer had the face to show herself. He Yun would likely loathe her to the core.

Mayor Wang had previously arranged a promising match for his daughter—one that was now certainly doomed. The mere thought of it made his hand tremble as he wrote the divorce decree!

No matter how Feng threw a tantrum or begged for mercy, he tossed the divorce decree at her and went to the authorities to file the official record.

There was absolutely no room for reconciliation.

Feng was left completely dumbfounded with terror. The commotion caused quite a stir; unlike the countryside where households were far apart, news traveled fast in the town. He Jun, a man known for his meticulous dedication to work, immediately dropped everything and hurried to find Wang Yujiao.

He had never once considered giving up on this relationship. He Jun would never forget the day he first saw her; amidst other women who were dressed in flashy, ostentatious finery, she stood out like a gentle, lovely camellia.

She captivated him completely, rendering the beauty of the "wild roses" around her invisible to his eyes.

Naturally, Wang Yujiao refused to see him, sending word instead that he should marry a better woman.

Madam Feng had not only been divorced but also cast out of the family; she no longer had a maternal home to turn to. Once Mayor Wang learned of how Feng Lan'er had harmed Wang Yujiao—compounded by her past dealings with Jiang Baiye—he hardened his heart. He drove them out and even contacted the creditors to whom they owed money.

Mayor Wang no longer cared what fate awaited them; he maintained only the barest shred of decency by allowing Madam Feng to live in the house in Qingshui Village.

Living there alone, Madam Feng naturally endured the scorn and vitriol of the villagers, but what pained her even more was the thought that...

If she were to marry into the He family, she would have absolutely no connection to her anymore...

The He family had not expected things to turn out this way, but they were delighted by the outcome and fully supported He Jun’s pursuit of Wang Yujiao.

By the time the warm spring breeze arrived, a sense of joy and celebration was in the air. "It should work out; just wait for news."

The Jiang family had been bustling with activity over the past few months. Aside from caring for the baby, Jiang Baiye was busy landscaping the area around their estate.

He had planned out the layout for fruit trees and ornamental plants, as well as the woodland hunting grounds, fishing spots, and the vineyard—which would likely be ready to open for fruit-picking activities this year.

There was a wide variety of produce, ranging from native crops to those introduced from other regions: pears, peaches, chestnuts, plums, cherries, apricots, and more.

In the spring, many people flocked to the area for outings—admiring the sea of ​​flowers, flying kites, and playing. Lu Lizhi found his own spirits lifted by the cheerful atmosphere, and he would occasionally show off the baby to others.

Thanks to the "Little Lucky Star," they met several influential people who could be of help to them.

One of these connections was the Wei family—the very same family from whom they had purchased their residence. Jiang Baiye was invited to do business with them, which aligned perfectly with his plans to expand into the Jiangnan region.

It was time to break new ground.

By now, the Jichun Pharmacy had opened over a dozen branches, but it had yet to make a significant entry into Jiangnan. That region was home to many wealthy merchants, and Jiang Baiye felt his foundation there was still somewhat lacking.

However, guided by the "Little Lucky Star" and the Wei family, Jiang Baiye successfully and steadily launched Jichun in Lingzhou.

Neighboring Lingzhou was Jiangyi, where Lu Qinghong had successfully enrolled in the Lu Family Academy the previous autumn—a feat made possible by the renown of "Qingyuan Jun," a title that had by then spread throughout the entire Jiangnan region. "Heh." Jiang Baiye’s anger suddenly vanished. "Lord Qingyuan owes his current fame to Lu Qinghong—that 'promotional ambassador' of his."

Just as he spoke, a commotion and exclamations drifted in from outside the teahouse.

"It seems Lord Qingyuan is giving a lecture at the local academy today; everyone is rushing to catch a glimpse of him."

"Tsk, tsk." Jiang Baiye watched the spectacle—which resembled a grand procession—and felt a twinge of relief.

If it were Li Zhi sitting in that palanquin, having handkerchiefs and sachets tossed at him—with even men posturing and preening to catch his eye—Jiang Baiye would have been consumed by jealousy.

At this thought, Jiang Baiye stood up to take his leave; he was eager to get home so he could hold the baby in one arm and wrap the other around his partner's waist.

During this trip to Jiangnan, he had managed to acquire quite a few useful items. One of them—made from sheep intestine—solved a pressing problem; without it, he wouldn't have dared to touch Li Zhi for fear of conceiving another child.

Over the past few months, aside from recuperating and burying himself in his studies, Lu Li Zhi had also been taking Jiaojiao along to attend Shen Feng’s lectures.

Living on the estate meant frequent contact with visiting scholars; exchanging ideas with them occasionally had proven immensely beneficial.

Though he remained uncertain about the situation with Lu Qingchuan, Lu Li Zhi felt increasingly confident—so much so that he barely minded Jiang Baiye’s recent busyness and frequent absences.

Yet, whenever he found a moment of leisure and lay alone in the cold bed—missing the comforting presence that usually put him at ease—a wave of longing would inevitably rise up.

But it was his body that missed Jiang Baiye the most. At first, Lu Lizhi had been cautious, fearing that indulging might become a distraction from his serious work; soon, however, he noticed that Jiang Baiye seemed to have lost interest in intimacy.

Lu Lizhi was somewhat self-conscious about it. He had heard that giving birth could have lingering effects on a woman's body—though he didn't know how it was for others, he felt he had recovered well, and once his wound healed, he seemed no different than before.

Why, then, did he no longer have any desire for that sort of thing?

Lu Lizhi couldn't bring himself to ask anyone else for advice, and asking Jiang Baiye was out of the question.

When Jiang Baiye rushed back in the middle of the night and lunged forward to embrace and get intimate with him, he was immediately kicked right out of bed.

"Lizhi?"

Lu Lizhi’s imagination had already run wild, spiraling toward the worst possible conclusion: "Did you go see someone else?"

"Someone else?"

Lu Lizhi took a quick sniff, and his expression shifted drastically. "You smell like a woman's perfume."

Jiang Baiye pulled out two boxes of rouge and powder. "I bought these for my mother; she said the ones from there were excellent and asked me to bring some back for her to try."

Lu Lizhi got up from the bed, took one of the boxes to sniff it, and then smelled Jiang Baiye himself.

Seizing the moment, Jiang Baiye wrapped his arms around him and planted a kiss on him. The two of them tumbled onto the bed, and Jiang Baiye fumbled clumsily as he tried to get things ready.

It had been so long that it was as if he had forgotten all his old techniques; driven by raw, unrefined passion, he nearly tore their clothes in his haste. Amidst the rush of sensation, a hint of nervousness stirred within Lu Lizhi; as he felt a cool touch, his fingers instinctively tightened their grip. However, the moment he saw what Jiang Baiye was putting on, the flush on his face drained away, leaving him pale.

"What are you doing?"

His voice was taut and trembling. Thinking Lu Lizhi disliked it, Jiang Baiye offered an explanation.

"I’m making sure you don’t get pregnant."

A sharp pang pierced Lu Lizhi’s heart. "Why?" The question came out heavy with a sense of grievance.

He hadn’t shed a single tear even when enduring the agony of childbirth, yet now, he felt a stinging ache behind his eyes.

"Why won't you let me have a baby?"

"We already have Jiaojiao. Childbirth takes a toll on the body—it scares me. Besides, aren't you preparing for the imperial exams? Once you pass and become an official, it wouldn't be convenient to be pregnant or give birth."

Under normal circumstances, Lu Lizhi would have agreed with this reasoning and found it perfectly sensible; right now, however, all he could think about was that Jiang Baiye refused to have another child with him.

*It takes a toll on the body*—perhaps Jiang Baiye felt he couldn't fully satisfy him anymore.

Jiang Baiye nearly got kicked out of bed again; this time, he simply grabbed one of Lu Lizhi’s legs and held it fast.

Lu Lizhi sniffled; he felt only coldness, a sense of alienation, and resistance—all physical sensation seemed to have vanished.

"Huh?" Sensing something was amiss, Jiang Baiye looked up to see a look of numbness on Lu Lizhi’s face—gone was any trace of his usual responsiveness.

"How is it? Are you uncomfortable?"

Lu Lizhi remained motionless; he even closed his eyes, preparing to go to sleep. Jiang Baiye was momentarily speechless, then leaned in to kiss him. "You don't like it?"

Lu Lizhi pulled up the quilt, leaving Jiang Baiye at a loss for what to do. Logically, Lizhi should have been able to accept this; he wasn't the type to act on impulse without considering the consequences.

Jiang Baiye crawled under the quilt...

Lu Lizhi felt even more distressed; it seemed as though he could no longer bring Jiang Baiye pleasure, and instead, Jiang Baiye had to look after *his* feelings.

"Didn't you like doing it outside? Let's go outside then."

Jiang Baiye: "..."

"Lizhi, what makes you say that?" He asked with a straight face, looking every bit the upright gentleman.

Lu Lizhi simply got up and straightened his clothes. With such a serious and earnest demeanor, no one would ever suspect the truth—who could have guessed that he was...

"Ahem." Jiang Baiye suppressed his restless, surging emotions and coaxed him back. "Tomorrow, I'll ask Dr. Pang if there are other options—okay? We won't use that method anymore."

"Can't we just go back to how it was before?" Lu Lizhi was stuck in a rut of stubborn thinking.

By the next day, however, he had come to a decision: "Let's sleep in separate rooms; that way, we won't have to worry about having children."

He promptly packed up Jiang Baiye's belongings and tossed them out. Jiang Baiye stood in the doorway clutching their little one, looking rather forlorn and abandoned.

Lu Lizhi almost relented.

Later, Jiang Baiye consulted Dr. Pang and learned that using sheep-gut sheaths wasn't actually reliable. "Either you take the medicine, or he does."

Jiang Baiye began secretly taking the herbal decoction behind Lu Lizhi’s back for a few days; that very night, a wave of heat surged through him, and the old Lu Lizhi returned.

Satisfaction was written all over his face.

Jiang Baiye could feel his need and desire.

"If they turn out like Jiaojiao, having a few more wouldn't be a problem," Lu Lizhi boldly declared.

Terrified by this, Jiang Baiye took the medicine even more diligently—and even more surreptitiously—so that Lu Lizhi didn't notice for a time.

By the Dragon Boat Festival in May, Shen Feng could no longer endure this prison-like existence and wanted to flee; yet, the Lu family from Jiangyi was searching for him with increasing zeal, even invoking the debt of gratitude he owed them from the past.

Watching the increasingly sharp and quick-witted Lu Lizhi reduce scholar after scholar to a state of flushed, speechless embarrassment, a thought flashed through Shen Feng's mind, and he hatched a new scheme.