49 – A New Life Visits Viscount Roland’s!
Cotton’s wife, Linda, has been feeling nauseous lately.
It’s been over two months of inexplicable nausea, and she felt unusually heavy.
When Linda asked the gossiping neighbors about her strange body changes, they all smiled knowingly.
“Hehe, Linda, that’s pregnancy!”
“**Pregnant?**”
“Yeah, I wondered when Linda would stop feeling nauseous. It’s just a rumor. Cotton’s wife is pregnant.”
The ladies doing laundry by the riverbank turned their attention to Linda’s belly and listened closely.
She couldn’t feel any movement yet.
“You haven’t been pregnant for long. Have you had your period recently, Linda?”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t.”
“Hehe, that’s right. You can brag to your husband today!”
Many signs point to Linda’s pregnancy!
Linda couldn’t help but smile.
Since getting married, Linda hadn’t received any news about a baby from her husband, Cotton.
Their relationship wasn’t bad, but she still wished they had a child.
And now she was pregnant.
A symbol of a family and a blessing from God!
Linda’s heart soared with joy.
“It’s our first child.”
The first pregnancy, the first child.
It’s new and holds a special meaning!
The ladies in the village laughed and started talking about Linda’s baby.
“When Linda has a baby, she’ll be the youngest in our village.”
“Our Victor used to be the youngest, but now he won’t be anymore. He’ll have a younger sibling.”
“Will Linda’s child resemble her and be meticulous and kind? Or will they resemble Cotton and be cool and reliable?”
“Either way is good!”
“Hehe, make sure to brag to your husband, Linda. He’ll be really happy.”
“Yes.”
Amidst the lively atmosphere, Linda nodded her head.
Linda had a good relationship with her husband, despite not having a child until now.
She wondered how her quiet husband would react when she told him the news.
That night, at Linda’s house.
Linda brought out the reserved wine and placed smoked meat on the table.
Expensive cheese and soft bread were a bonus!
Cotton, who had worked hard outside, blinked at the unexpected feast.
It was a luxurious meal unlike their usual fare.
“What’s this feast?”
“I just prepared it.”
Linda didn’t immediately reveal the news of her pregnancy.
A little surprise would be nice!
Cotton didn’t know the reason, but he was happy to have so much food to eat.
Maybe his wife did it to lift his spirits since he worked hard.
Cotton put a piece of smoked meat in his mouth and sipped the wine.
“Let’s have a drink.”
“I’m fine, honey, just drink it.”
“Not drinking?”
“I prefer not to.”
“Why?”
Linda held Cotton’s hand with a gentle smile.
“It’s better for the baby’s health.”
“…!”
Cotton’s complexion twitched and stiffened.
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If his hearing wasn’t wrong, the word “baby” had come out of his wife’s mouth!
Cotton wasn’t clueless, so he uncovered the hidden intention in his wife’s words.
“Could it be… you’re pregnant?”
Pregnancy makes alcohol really bad.
Cotton understood Linda’s avoidance of alcohol, as she usually drank moderately.
Linda nodded silently.
It was true that his wife was pregnant.
Cotton was stunned.
“Oh… am I going to be a dad?”
He had thought that they might have a child after getting married, but now that his wife was actually pregnant, he suddenly felt a heavy sense of responsibility!
“Not… a problem, right?”
Linda asked anxiously.
Cotton suddenly came to his senses and shook his head.
Not a problem at all.
In fact, it was something he had been hoping for.
Having a child and becoming a large family in this era was only natural.
He just had a moment of contemplation about the fact that he was becoming a father.
Cotton, with warm eyes, got up and embraced Linda.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
“Hehe… I’ve exerted my strength in bed.”
“Now our family will be three, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Thank you.”
The household that had been cozy with just the two of them was now becoming a family of three!
Excited, Cotton hugged Linda tightly.
It was undoubtedly a very joyous household event.
* * * *
In Roland Viscount’s territory, there was no designated shelter.
But in reality, there was a place that served as a shelter…
It was none other than the lumberjack Peter’s workshop!
Peter, who almost every day cuts down trees, has the most lumber in our Roland Viscount’s estate.
He has so much lumber that it rots, and Peter keeps a fire burning in the workshop almost 24 hours a day.
People gather there.
Originally, Peter made the fire to heat water and take a bath after work.
There are plenty of seats near the fire, and it’s quite cozy, so the neighbors couldn’t help but gather there.
For now, only the men who are close to Peter know about it.
Now, Matthew is here, so Kim Cheol-su, who takes a break even on weekdays, sits on a log chair in the shelter and stares into the fire.
If I’m just hanging out in my room, I never know when Viscount Roland will come in and drag me out for a hike.
Even if the wind outside is a bit cold, it’s nice to sit by the fire in Peter’s workshop (or shelter, as it’s called).
But Cotton arrived early, and he seems strangely pleased.
Somehow, Cotton’s shoulders are raised as if reaching for the sky.
Cotton’s expression is strangely smiling.
I asked Cotton.
“Cotton, did you get caught?”
“…No.”
Cotton looked at me with a pitiful face.
Why is he like that, that man?
Cotton raised his chin and slicked back his hair. It was like the impressive appearance of a male peacock spreading its wings to court.
The gaze of the men in the village who were staring into the fire turned to Cotton one by one.
Cotton trembled and said.
“Is there something different about me?”
“You got caught, right?”
“I didn’t!”
Cotton quickly returned to his original state, like a deflated balloon.
His shoulders, which had risen so high, returned to their original position, and Cotton said with a triumphant look.
“My wife is pregnant.”
“Oh.”
The news that Cotton’s wife is pregnant.
Regardless of the era or place, the birth of a child is a cause for celebration!
Interest sparked in the faces of the men in the village like ripples in calm water.
This is big news in the boring Roland Viscount’s estate!
Me and the men who were staring into the fire congratulated Cotton reflexively!
“Congratulations, Cotton!”
“So Cotton finally gets his first child.”
I heard that it’s their first child.
Cotton seemed satisfied as he responded to the numerous requests for handshakes one by one.
“Thank you, thank you.”
Cotton shook hands with two people at the same time with both hands.
Is Cotton the father?
It feels close yet distant to me.
Honestly, even in my age group, there are men in the village with two kids.
In Korea, a 30-year-old named Kim Cheol-soo, who is still young at the age of 32, makes me think!
Anyway, it seemed like Mr. Cotton wanted to boast as a celebration of having a child.
With the congratulations of the village men, he smiled.
Meanwhile, Peter, the lumberjack who was off work today, opened his mouth when he saw Mr. Cotton.
“Now Mr. Cotton will join the married men’s club.”
“The married men’s club?”
I asked Peter.
What’s the married men’s club?
“Yeah. If you’re married and have kids, it’s the married men’s club.”
The married men’s club.
Peter explained it as a club for men with kids.
It’s not like they have regular meetings, they just socialize with other people who have kids.
Like going hiking with the kids.
Or going to the river with the kids and so on.
Some even asked Mr. Cotton to bring unused toys because they had kids.
It looked quite nice.
Maybe I’ll join this club when I have kids in the future.
“Cheol-soo should get married too.”
The shelter, which was once noisy with Mr. Cotton’s child, now turned to my story!
Indeed, the married men’s club has a tradition of not overlooking unmarried men. If you’re unmarried, you must be married right away to appease their conscience!
Representative Peter of the married men’s club said with a subtle smile.
“The village girls are very interested in Cheol-soo.”
Without knowing that I had promised my future to Miss Catherine, Peter brought up the village girls!
I was planning to talk to these people once things were clearer with Miss Catherine.
It was the first time I heard that the village girls were interested in me.
“Really? I’m not that close with the village girls.”
At most, I exchange greetings with passing women.
But according to Peter, in this era, men and women who don’t know each other’s faces also get married.
With a good reputation, they say I’m the number one groom at Roland Viscount’s.
“If it’s Cheol-soo, he’s the number one groom. He’s kind, rich, and famous nationwide. The village girls are drooling over him.”
“Ha ha.. Is that so.”
For some reason, among the reasons, “rich” seems to be the biggest.
“How about trying matchmaking once?”
“Sure, I’m fine with that.”
To me, Miss Catherine is still uncertain, but there’s the brave Miss Daisy!
“Just close your eyes and try it.”
Like persuading me to get insurance, Peter kept persuading me.
For some reason, I felt Catherine’s fierce face coming to mind so vividly that I shuddered!
“It’s really okay!”
“Aish, not fun at all.”
“Peter, don’t make things difficult for Cheolsu. He can handle it himself. Cheolsu should be able to pick his way out.”
Cotton reprimanded Peter.
Well, I don’t think I can handle it myself.
Thanks to Cotton’s intervention, they were able to get out of the awkward situation.
“Cheolsu, could you help out when my wife gives birth?”
“Your wife is pregnant?”
“Yeah. I’d appreciate Cheolsu’s help later on.”
Cotton was seeking my help for his wife’s delivery.