Chapter 428: Begetting and Nurturing

After seeing Nan Wang, who had come to visit, Master Huang expressed heartfelt admiration for the divine doctor's skill of "flesh growing on bare bones," then extrapolated from this, using the dialectical theory of "seeing the whole leopard from a single spot," to voice his optimism about the General's domain and his fervent desire to invest in the cluster.

Unexpectedly, after hearing the old master's grand vision, Nan Wang furtively shut the door and whispered, "Old Master, you mustn't pour any more silver into the cluster!"

"Oh? How so?"

"I have word that the General's Mansion is relocating. Lord Cao has already acquired a New District and naval port in Guangzhou Prefecture and is moving all assets there."

At this point, Nan Wang leaned in close to Master Huang's ear with a grave expression and uttered a single phrase softly: "Eyes watching like a tiger."

"So that's how it is." Master Huang understood instantly. "Your General is truly bold and enterprising!"

After thinking it over while leaning against the headboard, Master Huang asked again, "This Yizhou was originally a land beyond civilization, and your General has only managed it for a couple of years. If he acts so rashly, I fear his foundation may be somewhat unstable?"

"Hehe, Old Master, you worry too much!" Nan Wang laughed and patted the old master's arm. "In a few days, once you can get out of bed, a single visit to the workshop district will make everything clear."

Saying this, a hint of pride appeared on Nan Wang's face. "Wealth, goods, arms, and armor pour out day and night. By now, whether in financial or military strength, the General's Mansion has long since surpassed all under heaven."

"Good, good." Seeing Nan Wang so confident, Master Huang had nothing more to say. "In that case, let's just take all the silver we brought this trip and put it toward Guangzhou."

"Mm!" Nan Wang agreed. "The bank the General opened can issue 'money orders.' Brother Fang has nothing else to do anyway; after I write a letter tomorrow, he can go find someone in the Guangzhou New District. Someone will then show him the planning maps so he can pick a good location and acquire some land first."

Seeing the old master nod, Nan Wang asked further, "But Old Master, you should still keep some silver in reserve. Regarding the workshop we discussed last time, I now have some information."

Master Huang perked up at this. "I've backed out of several deals recently, so my hands are quite free now. There's still plenty of silver in Hangzhou — more than enough to start a workshop."

"A new thing has appeared recently, called 'canned goods.' This item can preserve meats, fruits, and vegetables for years on end — exactly what's needed for marching armies."

Nan Wang continued, "Hangzhou is a gathering hub for tribute grain. I've heard that certain nobles intend to set up a cannery workshop there. Old Master, you must begin preparations now, so that when word comes one day..."

Nan Wang conspired with the old master in the hospital room for a full midday before finally leaving for work.

As for Master Huang — he had just undergone surgery in the morning and spent the midday exhausting his mind with plans, so for the remaining time, the old master settled into peaceful recuperation.

Meanwhile, Huang Xieshi, having set down a great stone from her heart, secretly made a round of prayers to gods and buddhas and pledged a large sum in incense money. The next morning, she welcomed her gynecological examination.

On the matter of bearing children, in truth, everyone in the Huang Family knew that the Madam was likely not the problem — or rather, the probability of all five wives and concubines of the Huang household having issues simultaneously was simply too small.

Therefore, when Madam Huang came for her examination, she was not overly worried about her own constitution.

After undergoing a series of gynecological checks, including blood draws and lab tests, Madam Huang, seated on a long bench in the corridor, finally received the lab report from the nurse's hands.

And before this, Madam Huang had already been chatting quite familiarly with Madam Huang for a good while... Huang Xieshi and Zhong Xiuxiu were both undergoing examinations today, so the two noblewomen dressed in Ming-style robes quickly struck up a conversation.

Though the two Madams Huang had a considerable age gap, firstly, they were both principal wives of gentry families with equal social standing, and secondly, they were in the same Hospital, even staying along the same corridor. Thus, the two patients, having much in common, quickly grew familiar.

Facts proved that the eyes of the masses are sharp.

Madam Huang could not read the lab report, so the indicators were explained by the nurse. The final answer was simple: in short, the Madam was in good health; the only thing requiring "treatment" was that pair of feet.

The Transmigrators held a deep-seated hatred for foot-binding, so the nurse explicitly told Madam Huang at this point: according to regulations, she must first unbind her feet before receiving formal treatment.

This requirement did not faze Madam Huang in the slightest — after ninety-nine kowtows, what's one final shudder? So Madam Huang, with the help of a maidservant who had already cut her hair and changed into a short jacket, unbound her feet that very day.

Next came the main event: the chief culprit, Master Huang.

Lying on a mobile bed, Master Huang underwent a series of male examinations later that evening. This even included the embarrassing acts of viewing images plus a semen collection operation.

After these strange examination items were completed, once again, as the onlookers had expected, the final answer delivered to the Huang Family was: the old master had an illness — oligospermia.

Generally speaking, male sperm count must not fall below 20 million per milliliter. If below this figure, it is classified as oligospermia, which greatly impacts fertility.

Master Huang could be considered unfortunate. Throughout his forty-plus years of life, it was precisely this condition that caused him to endure so much unnecessary social pressure and family strife.

Yet Master Huang could also be considered fortunate. Originally an obscure figure in history, in this plane of existence, he happened to encounter people capable of resolving this very condition.

Indeed, compared to all manner of baffling fertility problems that even the great hospitals of later generations were completely helpless against, oligospermia was already quite commonplace, and test-tube baby technology was precisely the right remedy.

However, the work ahead was still very tedious.

The Hospital first needed to prepare certain instruments and consumables. This aspect posed little problem, as the vast majority of the instruments already existed from before, and almost nothing needed to be newly acquired.

As for the technical side, this was also no issue.

Test-tube baby technology is essentially the same thing as bovine embryo transfer. Before the 21st century, it could still be considered high-tech, but by the era when the Transmigrators set out, it had long since become a very ordinary technique.

So what else required attention? Public education.

On this front, since the Ming People had no concept of things like genes, and a test-tube baby was not as immediately obvious as gout surgery, failing to provide some specialized knowledge beforehand could potentially trigger ethical doubts in the aftermath.

Therefore, Master Huang and his wife, who were ultimately resolute and determined to "seek a child," would first need to undergo a period of study and preparatory work before proceeding.

Now we turn to the other side of the story.

After Zhong Xiuxiu finished her abdominal ultrasound and chatted with the newly acquainted First Madam of the Huang Family, she returned to her hospital room supported by a maidservant.

By sheer coincidence, at that very moment, Huang Juren also happened to return from shopping, the Servant behind him carrying quite a few fresh fruits.

And so, the husband and wife happily entered the hospital room together.

The next moment, upon seeing a high-definition poster that had appeared on the wall at some unknown time, Zhong Xiuxiu immediately let out a cry: "Ah!"

Huang Juren was equally shocked beyond measure, a phrase in his native dialect blurting out: "What the—!"