Blooming even in the mud - Chapter 93

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 93: Blooming Even in the Mud

The symptoms of morning sickness, which began shortly afterward, gradually grew severe. Around the time spring was reaching its absolute peak, Yoo Seo-hwa lay completely limp in bed all day long.
“I can eat by myself…….”
“No. Lean back against here and sit up.”
Supporting Yoo Seo-hwa, who lacked even the strength to lift a spoon, Gyeong Won-ui helped her prop herself up and scooped some mieum. He blew gently on the hot mieum before bringing it to her lips. Merely sitting up made her dizzy, so she frowned slightly as she accepted the food.
“I cannot eat any more.”
Yoo Seo-hwa pulled away after barely managing to empty half the bowl. He quickly offered her some water to rinse her mouth, but she could not even swallow it.
“Gag! Ugh!”
Suddenly sensing a fishy odor from the water, Yoo Seo-hwa ended up throwing up the very meal she had just forced down.
“Princess! Are you all right?”
This was not just a day or two of morning sickness. Even amidst the panic, Gyeong Won-ui took care of Yoo Seo-hwa with practiced ease.
Gyeong Won-ui stroked the hollow cheeks of Yoo Seo-hwa as she finally lay back down, his voice warping as if he were about to cry.
“You have grown so gaunt, what am I to do?”
“I thought the child would be gentle like you, but it seems they actually take after me.”
“They will be an incredibly lovely child.”
Gyeong Won-ui played along with Yoo Seo-hwa’s feeble joke, but his insides were burning black with anxiety. Since she could not even drink water properly due to the fishy smell, she naturally could not keep any decoctions down either.
Though they managed to control it to some extent with acupuncture, she found it difficult to eat even a single meal a day.
Watching her lose weight by the day was driving Gyeong Won-ui mad. He did not show it in front of Yoo Seo-hwa, but he could not sleep at night due to his nervousness.
While desperately pondering what to do, he suddenly thought of Beopjisa.
‘When I went to Beopjisa to forage for pildubaek, the yaksu there was exceptionally clear and clean. Its quality must be completely different from well water, so she might be able to drink it if it is that yaksu.’
He visited Beopjisa immediately.
“The Princess is having difficulty even drinking water, you say?”
“Since the yaksu of Beopjisa is pure, perhaps the Princess might be able to accept it. Would you allow me to fetch some yaksu?”
“Of course, that is no difficult matter.”
Han Gak readily gave his consent.
Fortunately, Yoo Seo-hwa was able to drink the yaksu without any issues. Furthermore, when they cooked rice using that yaksu, she could even eat a little bit of white porridge. Gyeong Won-ui climbed back up to Beopjisa to make a request to Han Gak.
“Would it be acceptable if I fetch yaksu every day, at least until her ojeo subsides?”
“This humble monk is also delighted that it helped the Princess. If you send a servant every morning, I shall ensure the yaksu is provided.”
“No. If you would permit it, I will draw the yaksu myself.”
“Haha, the spring is up on the mountain, so it will not be an easy task.”
Han Gak tried to dissuade him, but Gyeong Won-ui’s resolve was unyielding. After barely showing any improvement after failing to eat properly, he could not leave this solely to a servant.
From that day on, one more routine was added to Gyeong Won-ui’s schedule. In order to visit Beopjisa at dawn every day, he had to set out in the pitch-black night before the sun even rose.
Despite her lack of energy, Yoo Seo-hwa was worried.
“Are you not far too exhausted because of me?”
“It would be a lie to say I am not tired. However, whenever I watch you eat, all my fatigue seems to melt away.”
Her cheeks flushing, Yoo Seo-hwa gently caressed her lower abdomen.
“Our child must know how much their father is suffering like this, right?”
Gyeong Won-ui smiled softly as he scooped up some kkaejuk and fed it to Yoo Seo-hwa.
“How is this suffering? Compared to you, who must carry the child the entire time, it is not difficult at all. Eat quickly before it gets cold.”
She was the woman who gave him a reason to live, and the one with whom he had decided to spend his life. He was rather glad that there was something he could do for her.

Around the time the summer heat began to roll in, the morning sickness gradually subsided. The weight she had lost from being unable to eat began to return little by little, allowing Gyeong Won-ui to breathe a sigh of relief. The foods she suddenly craved and requested were all dishes that could be prepared in the banbitgan.
‘I heard that sometimes women crave foods one would never even think of, so this is a relief.’
However, it was too early to relax.
Feeling the space beside him empty, he opened his eyes at dawn to find the bed vacant.
‘Where did she go?’
Rising reflexively, Gyeong Won-ui hurried outside. Fortunately, Yoo Seo-hwa came into view almost immediately. Watching her wander aimlessly through the garden as the blue light of dawn spread, Gyeong Won-ui felt his heart plummet.
He rushed over and took the hand of Yoo Seo-hwa, who turned around at the sound of his approach. Her hand was cold despite it being midsummer, as if she had been outside for quite a while.
“Ah, you are already awake?”
“Did you perhaps fail to sleep even a wink all night?”
“It is not that, but rather since one shijin ago…….”
“Are you unwell anywhere?”
A husband whose wife was carrying their first child was worried about everything. Seeing Gyeong Won-ui fussing and constantly scanning her face to see if she had some hidden ailment, Yoo Seo-hwa lowered her head deeply.
“Actually……. I woke up from my sleep, and I wanted to eat duteoptteok so badly that I couldn’t help it……. It is something I used to eat often with my mother when I was young, and I suddenly remembered it. I felt too guilty to ask the banbitgan in the middle of the night, and even the duteoptteok I ate before did not taste like the flavor from my childhood…….”
Yoo Seo-hwa muttered incoherently while fidgeting with her fingers, before shaking her head.
“But how could I get it now? I am not throwing a tantrum because I want to eat it, just……. I thought I would be fine after getting some fresh air…….”
“I shall go and fetch it immediately.”
“Pardon?”
Startled, she raised her face, only for Gyeong Won-ui to grasp Yoo Seo-hwa’s hand with a resolute expression.
“Please wait just a moment.”
“H-How will you manage that?”
“I will find a way to bring it, so please tell me whatever you need. Is there anything else you wish to eat?”
“Just duteoptteok for now…….”
“Understood.”
Planting a light kiss on her forehead before heading inside to change his clothes, Gyeong Won-ui left Yoo Seo-hwa hesitating as she watched his retreating back. She wondered if she should stop him. Even so, she truly wanted to eat that duteoptteok.

Court Lady Lee was utterly astonished. She was shocked by the discourteous guest who burst in the moment the Imperial Palace gates opened at dawn on a sunhyuil, and she was shocked again to find that the guest was Gyeong Won-ui. When she heard his business, she was stunned yet again.
“The duteoptteok that the Princess used to eat when she was young, you say?”
“I shall obtain the Empress’s permission myself, so is it not possible to have it made in the Saenggwabang?”
“It is not a difficult task, but I do not know if it will taste like the flavor she remembers from her youth. Since you say even the duteoptteok she ate at the General’s residence was unsatisfactory…….”
A shadow fell over Court Lady Lee’s face, but Gyeong Won-ui was not finished speaking.
“Then could you perhaps introduce me to a Daelieongsuksu or a court lady who worked in the Imperial Palace about twenty years ago?”
“Ah! The Daelieongsuksu has already passed away, but the Choegosanggung of the Saenggwabang at that time left the palace a few years ago and is living outside the Imperial Palace. She is advanced in years, but she remains hale and hearty.”
“That is a relief. I must ask you for a letter to deliver to her.”
“Yes, I shall write the letter at once—no, wait. This humble servant shall accompany you.”
Receiving such unexpected guests from the early morning, the former Choegosanggung of the Saenggwabang was immensely surprised, yet she wore a smile.
“If this old body can be of any help to the Princess, then by all means. Ever since the Empress passed away, the young Princess must have been heartbroken as well, for she stopped eating duteoptteok entirely.”
Visiting the Gyeong Clan Residence, the Choegosanggung successfully recreated that flavor from twenty years ago despite her advanced age.
Taking a careful bite of the duteoptteok, its sweet citron aroma stimulating her appetite, Yoo Seo-hwa’s eyes welled with tears.
“My goodness, this truly is the duteoptteok my mother used to feed me when I was young.”
“Does it taste good?”
“Of course. You should try some as well.”
Yoo Seo-hwa held out the rice cake. Gyeong Won-ui hesitated slightly before accepting the duteoptteok from her hand and eating it. The savory taste of chestnuts and pine nuts chewing amid the fragrance of citron was truly exquisite.
“Is it not delicious?”
“It is certainly worth remembering for twenty years.”
“Oh, honestly.”
Yoo Seo-hwa narrowed her eyes playfully at his witty reply. After spending the entire day feeling restless from wanting to eat duteoptteok, she finally found some peace of mind.
“The Choegosanggung is still here, correct? I must go and greet her.”
Leaning gently against him as she walked toward the banbitgan with Gyeong Won-ui’s support, Yoo Seo-hwa spoke softly.
“This flavor is also one imbued with memories of my late mother. Thank you for reviving my memories.”
Instead of answering, Gyeong Won-ui held her gently.

* * *

It was a season when the leaves, having dyed autumn in burning colors, were falling one by one.
At the crack of dawn, before the rooster could even crow, labor began. His face turning pale, Gyeong Won-ui could not leave the front of the sansil at all.
“Do not worry. She will give birth safely and smoothly.”
Gyeong Won-ui could not even stand still in one place, and though Gyeong Won-yeong tried to reassure him, Gyeong Won-yeong also grew anxious as time passed. The child showed no signs of emerging easily.
Only the hoarse screams of Yoo Seo-hwa echoed from inside the sansil. Maidservants carrying hot water and blood-stained cloths busily bustled back and forth. A sense of unease gradually spread through the residence as well. As the situation grew critical, the Imperial Palace hastily dispatched an Imperial Physician and an uinyeo.
Gyeong Won-ui’s face was completely ashen.
“Brother…….”
Forget meals, he had not consumed a single drop of water since dawn. Because his back, standing blankly outside the sansil, appeared so incredibly precarious, even Gyeong Won-yeong did not dare to strike up a conversation.
It was only after a full day had passed that the thin cry of a baby finally rang out. It was the first child of Gyeong Won-ui and Yoo Seo-hwa.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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