Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 895

Chapter 895: Auspicious Rain

The weather was still hot at the end of May. An Zhi sat in the room, holding a palm-leaf fan in one hand and a grape in the other.

Because they dared not use ice, all the wooden windows in the room were open.

The physician had just left, and Cuisi returned after seeing him off, saying that Madam of Zhang had arrived.

Just as she finished speaking, Yu Yao’s voice rang out from the doorway, “I just came in, and it feels so much cooler here. No wonder Pei Que specially transplanted some bamboo.”

An Zhi invited Yu Yao to eat grapes with her. “Yes, if it were not for those bamboos, and with my pregnancy, I really do not know how I would have survived this summer. Fortunately, summer is almost over, and the weather should be getting cooler.”

“Yes, it’s just that there has not been much rain this year. Zhang Huai’an has been traveling for most of the year, and he just came back from the north yesterday. He said that if it does not rain soon, this year’s harvest might be bad.” Yu Yao sighed.

Since the new Emperor ascended the throne, although there had not been any major natural disasters or man-made calamities, minor troubles had been constant.

Li Xing knew perfectly well how he came to power, so to prevent things from escalating, he immediately sent people to handle any problems that arose. After several such incidents, although some rumors had circulated, most people said that Li Xing was in charge, and the court situation had remained relatively stable.

However, Li Xing still invited someone to perform a sacrifice, hoping for another rain in the autumn; otherwise, he would have to endure another six months before the following year arrived.

An Zhi put down her palm-leaf fan and said gratefully, “I still have to thank Minister Zhang a lot. If it were not for his help to Pei Que, Pei Que would be spinning like a top right now.”

“You are about to give birth; it’s only right that Zhang Huai’an helps out,” Yu Yao said, glancing at An Zhi’s belly. “Your belly looks pointed; it’s probably a boy this time. That fortune teller said the same thing the other day.”

A few days ago, An Zhi and Yu Yao met a fortune teller in town who said An Zhi’s destiny was exceptionally noble, especially her unborn son, who would have great fortune in the future.

An Zhi had not listened much then, and she would not believe it now.

“That’s not necessarily true,” An Zhi laughed. “The fortune teller who told you before said you’d have a daughter, but you ended up having a son. Those are just charlatans, all making things up to swindle money. Whether you have a son or not is not up to them.”

“That’s true. Every time they talk about that fortune teller, Zhang Huai’an wants to send him to the authorities. He’s so unreliable,” Yu Yao laughed. “But you’re about to give birth; you will know whether it’s a boy or a girl when the baby is born.”

An Zhi’s due date was approaching, and knowing she was bored, Yu Yao would come over whenever she had a spare moment to sit and chat.

Time passed quickly when An Zhi had someone to talk to.

An hour passed quickly, and An Zhi got up to see Yu Yao off.

“Just get to the door; do not come out,” Yu Yao said.

An Zhi leaned against the doorframe and said, “Be careful on your way back.” She glanced at the sky; the sun was still very strong, and someone had gotten Yu Yao an umbrella. Yu Yao had never paid attention to the sun, as the Zhang mansion was just next door, not far away.

After taking an umbrella, Yu Yao did not use it, finding it too troublesome to hold.

But when she arrived at the Pei Mansion gate, the sky suddenly changed. A muffled rumble of thunder sounded, and a dark cloud obscured the sun.

The gatekeeper approached and smiled, “After all this waiting, it’s finally going to rain.”

Yu Yao nodded in agreement, and as soon as she finished speaking, raindrops began to patter down. “And this rain is quite heavy; it’s come at just the right time.”

“The rain is indeed heavy. Madam, would you like to wait a while before going back?” the gatekeeper suggested. “Although the Zhang Mansion is not far, with such heavy rain, your clothes will get soaked if you go out. Perhaps we should wait a quarter of an hour; if the rain is still this heavy, then it’s not too late to go back.”

Yu Yao nodded in agreement and followed the gatekeeper to a side room. After sitting down, the gatekeeper brought tea.

“Madam, please wait here. If you need anything, just call me,” the gatekeeper said respectfully.

Yu Yao nodded, saying it was nothing. “Go ahead and do your work; I’m fine here. Oh, where is that person rushing off to?”

As Yu Yao spoke, a servant boy dashed past.

When the gatekeeper turned around, he only saw the boy’s back and shook his head, saying he did not know. After he went out to inquire, he learned that Madam was about to give birth, and the boy had gone to fetch the master.

Upon hearing that An Zhi was about to give birth, Yu Yao immediately put down her teacup and, ignoring the heavy rain, rushed to the inner courtyard.

When Yu Yao arrived, the midwife and the physician were already there. Her hair and clothes were soaked. She anxiously asked the midwife, “How is she? Is she alright?”

“Madam’s contractions have just begun. There’s still a while before she gives birth. Madam of Zhang, you’ve been caught in the rain; please go and change your clothes before coming back,” the midwife said hurriedly before going into the inner room.

Yu Yao quickly changed her clothes, simply securing her hair with a hairpin, and returned to find An Zhi crying in pain.

Entering the inner room, she saw An Zhi’s temples were completely wet and anxiously went to the door to ask why Pei Que had not returned yet.

Meanwhile, Pei Que was discussing the severe drought with several colleagues.

They had just mentioned that if it did not rain soon, the crops in the north would likely fail completely when a heavy rain began to fall.

Pei Que and his colleagues walked to the corridor, where someone excitedly danced, “Minister Pei, it’s raining! It’s finally raining heavily! This downpour is so big, it can solve all our problems!”

“Yes, rain is good,” Pei Que also breathed a sigh of relief.

The north had been suffering from a severe drought, and the Emperor’s daily sacrifices had been ineffective. For fear of spreading bad rumors, the more one had done something wrong, the more one feared being talked about.

So, during this time, everyone in the court hoped for rain. If it rained, the harvest would be bountiful, and all the problems would be solved.

Just as everyone was rejoicing, a servant from the Pei family, soaking wet, ran up to Pei Que and anxiously said, “Master, Madam is about to give birth! She’s already in labor!”

Upon hearing this, Pei Que did not hesitate and rushed outside.

By the time his colleagues realized what was happening, they could only see Pei Que’s back as he walked away in the rain.

“This child from the Pei family was born at just the right time. It rained right after he was born; this is an auspicious sign,” someone said.

“Indeed, after months of drought, it is raining heavily now. It seems Minister Pei’s child is destined for good fortune,” someone immediately chimed in.

But Pei Que did not think so much. He did not care about auspicious signs or anything like that. Hearing that An Zhi was about to give birth, he only wanted to get back quickly to be by her side.

After leaving the yamen, Pei Que did not take a carriage but rode a horse, braving the rain to reach the Pei family mansion.

When Pei Que arrived, he was soaked to the bone. The gatekeeper, seeing this, hurriedly offered an umbrella, saying, “Master, please take this umbrella.”

Pei Que did not take it, instead complaining that the gatekeeper was slowing him down. Once inside, he rushed straight to the inner courtyard. A little rain was nothing; he just wanted to see An Zhi as quickly as possible.