Chapter 717 - Premature Labor
The upper-class nobles in the capital all praised the yet to be born heir of Imperial Prince Xu as the most filial and compassionate child towards his lady mother. There was a reason for this.
First, when Imperial Prince Xu's heir was still a fetus, Princess Consort Xu often forgot that she was pregnant. She didn't have any morning sickness in the early stages of her pregnancy and her feet didn't become swollen or cramped in the later stages of her pregnancy. As Imperial Prince Xu's heir, the fetus has been quiet and had never troubled his mother.
Second, Princess Consort Xu was expected to be due in mid-May (lunar calendar), towards the beginning of summer. Women were most afraid of convalescing for a month during the summer. They wouldn't be able to wash their hair or take a bath for an entire month. Wouldn't they smell bad in the summer?
Imperial Prince Xu's heir decided to come out two months earlier, arriving into this world in the spring of March. At that time, the spring flowers bloomed beautifully and the weather was neither hot nor cold, which was perfect for convalescing. If this wasn't showing compassion to his mother, then what was?
Yu Xiaocao didn't expect that she would give birth prematurely. Without any sign, her belly started to hurt. At that time, she was eating tasty roasted hazelnuts and walnuts, while drinking juice from freshly squeezed fruit from the plantation's cold warehouse. She was lying on the couch happily and comfortably as she basked in the warmth from the spring sun.
During her pregnancy, she was spoiled by her husband, and pampered by her mother and godmother. Her mother-in-law would frequently come over to take care of her. She was living so comfortably that the Heaves couldn't stand it anymore and had played a joke on her.
She had just finished drinking half a cup of strawberry juice. Yu Xiaocao reached out her hand towards the hazelnut kernels that her husband had peeled for her. She grabbed a handful of hazelnut kernels and was just about to put them in her mouth when she suddenly felt a wave of pain from her stomach. She didn't take the incident to heart at the beginning because she thought she still had two more months before her due date. Who would've known that her body, which had been nourished until it was healthy by the little divine stone, would actually go into labor prematurely for no apparent reason?
However, the attentive Zhu Junyang noticed the momentary discomfort displayed by his wife. He asked with concern, "What's the matter? Is it because one of the hazelnut kernels is bitter? That shouldn't have happened because I hand picked them one by one."
The wave of pain quickly disappeared, making it seem as if the pain was merely an illusion. While Zhu Junyang was pinching the walnuts open, Yu Xiaocao picked up a piece of hazelnut kernel and stuffed it into his mouth. She smiled and said, "It's nothing. Have a taste of this hazelnut kernel. I had someone roast this with the new recipe I made. How does it taste?"
Zhu Junyang opened his mouth obediently and ate the hazelnut kernel that his little wife had fed him. Just as she was about to pull her finger away, he gently nibbled on her finger and grinned, "Sweet! It's very fragrant!"
Yu Xiaocao rolled her eyes at him and asked, "Are the hazelnut kernels fragrant or are my fingers fragrant?"
Zhu Junyang hurriedly used his beautiful phoenix eyes to stare at her. His gaze was filled with electricity as he said, "No matter how fragrant the hazelnut kernels are, they still can't compare to my wife's fingers..."
"Elegant but insincere words... hiss!" The expression on Yu Xiaocao's face suddenly changed. She touched her bulging belly and frowned slightly.
Zhu Junyang hurriedly put down the hazelnuts in his hand and wiped his hands on his clothes. He supported her into a sitting position and impatiently asked, "What's wrong? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
