Good News

Peach Blossom was pregnant!

This news was a huge, wonderful surprise to Lin Fei.

At that very moment, he really wanted to share his joy with his parents.

But he couldn't. At least, not yet.

His parents still didn't know that he and Ma Weiwei had broken up. They still thought he was going to marry Ma Weiwei.

If he suddenly told them he had a wife who was pregnant, they'd probably think he'd cheated.

His parents were country folk, and they were still quite conservative about certain things. They cared especially about their reputation in the village.

Besides, if he took Peach Blossom to Earth, she'd be an undocumented person.

And after suddenly leaving the world she knew and entering a strange new one, Peach Blossom would probably have a hard time adjusting.

So, for now, Lin Fei could only be happy on his own.

"Tell all the servants that everyone will receive a reward."

"From now on, everyone must do their utmost to serve Madam!"

The personal maid was delighted to hear this.

"Rest assured, Master. We'll do our utmost."

Xinghua added, "Brother-in-law, I went with my sister to see a doctor. The doctor said she's only just become pregnant, and the baby is still fragile, so she needs to rest and take care of herself."

"Mm-hmm. Xinghua, take good care of your sister Peach Blossom. I won't treat you unfairly."

Lin Fei had been somewhat prejudiced against Xinghua, but with happy news like this, he no longer minded.

Besides, with Xinghua by her side, Peach Blossom really did seem more cheerful than before.

Peach Blossom shyly murmured, "Husband, now that I'm pregnant, I won't be able to serve you anymore."

Lin Fei smiled. "Hehe, it's fine. From now on, I'll take care of you. Just focus on your pregnancy."

This was his first child, and Lin Fei took it very seriously.

He didn't know how good the doctors in Nanli City were.

Although there were Cultivators here who could concoct all kinds of miraculous pills and medicines, the doctors' knowledge of medicine was only skin-deep.

When it came to medical care, Lin Fei trusted modern medicine and technology more.

Still, there was no need to worry too much at this stage of the pregnancy. She just needed to move around less and get plenty of rest.

That night, Lin Fei was so excited he could hardly sleep. Looking at Peach Blossom nestled in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a wave of happiness well up inside him.

Early the next morning, Lin Fei planned to visit the South City residence and inspect the progress of the wasteland reclamation.

Xinghua said she hadn't seen her parents in a long time and wanted to go with him.

Peach Blossom was staying home to take care of her pregnancy, so she didn't come along.

On the way, Xinghua kept edging closer to Lin Fei, whether intentionally or not, and telling him stories about things she and Peach Blossom had done as children.

Lin Fei was bored on the road, so he just treated them as stories.

When they arrived at the residence, Lin Fei and Xinghua went their separate ways.

Accompanied by Bai Yansong, Lin Fei inspected the progress of the barren hills' reclamation.

Since they were using only ordinary tools, progress was a little slow.

If they had modern machinery, just a few plows would get the job done faster than these five hundred or so servants.

"Steward Bai, has everything been peaceful at the residence lately? Has anything happened?"

Bai Yansong bowed his head and reported on the situation.

"Master, things have been mostly peaceful. Occasionally, maids argue or servants get into fights. I've dealt with them according to the rules."

"Except..."

Lin Fei saw him hesitating, as if there was something he wanted to say.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush."

"Yes, Master. It's just that Xing'er's father is always gambling with some of the servants. When he loses, he refuses to pay, and many of them are unhappy with him."

Lin Fei couldn't help shaking his head when he heard this.

That gambling fool had only enjoyed a few days of full meals before he started making trouble again.

"How did you deal with it?"

Seeing that Lin Fei didn't seem to mind, Bai Yansong relaxed.

"In wealthy households, many servants have no time to go out for years on end. It's common for them to gamble in their spare time."

"They generally don't wager much, and it rarely leads to fights. So sometimes, I turn a blind eye."

"But Xing'er's father owes a lot of people money, and it's made many of them angry. If I don't deal with it, I'm afraid it'll provoke widespread resentment. So I had the guards give everyone involved in the gambling twenty strokes as a warning."

Lin Fei nodded, feeling that Bai Yansong had handled the matter fairly.

"Mm, I understand. Gambling is a bad habit, and we can't let it run rampant."

"But you can't manage so many people with a stick alone. Here's what we'll do: every so often, hire an opera troupe or a storyteller to come by and broaden their horizons, give them something to enjoy."

People weren't livestock, only meant to keep their heads down and work.

Giving them some spiritual enjoyment would actually make them more obedient and keep too much resentment from building up.

Bai Yansong seemed a little surprised by Lin Fei's idea.

"Master, they're only servants. Letting them watch plays and listen to stories seems..."

"Steward Bai, when people are cooped up for too long, they're more likely to cause trouble. Plays and stories aren't just for the wealthy. Servants can enjoy them too."

Lin Fei patted Bai Yansong on the shoulder. He knew Bai Yansong's views were the same as those of most people in Nanli City.

That was simply how things were in this world.

Servants were worth less than livestock, their lives as cheap as dirt.

A single animal cost more to buy than a servant.

On the way back to East City, Xinghua's eyes were red, and she said nothing. She seemed to have something on her mind.

Lin Fei didn't ask. He guessed she'd heard about her father being beaten, or perhaps she was sad about parting from her parents.

In the days that followed, Lin Fei usually stayed in East City to keep Peach Blossom company and rarely went back to the South City residence.

When he occasionally got bored, Lin Fei would take Peach Blossom to watch an opera or listen to a storyteller.

Nanli City didn't have much in the way of entertainment. Aside from operas and storytellers, there were street performers, and then there was going to a brothel for drinks.

For the wealthy, visiting brothels and drinking with courtesans was as commonplace as could be.

Lin Fei had been in Nanli City for quite some time but had never visited a brothel. He didn't want to catch a sexually transmitted disease.

After about a month, Lin Fei figured it should be the next day on Earth, so it was time for him to go back and show his face.

After telling Peach Blossom, Lin Fei went to the small backup residence in South City.

This was Lin Fei's safe point for entering Nanli City and returning to Earth.

Whoosh!

As soon as he returned to Earth and his network signal came back, Lin Fei's phone began vibrating.

There were notifications for several missed calls from Wu Yuqing.

There were also a few WeChat notifications, all news and group messages.

Lin Fei called Wu Yuqing back first, and she answered quickly.

"Hello, Lin Fei. Your phone finally came through. Why didn't you answer when I called so many times?"

"Uh... I turned it off before going to sleep. What's up?"

"Of course something's up, and it's good news. My dad wants to invite you to dinner. Are you free?"