After talking with Gu Fengyan for a while, Father Huo couldn't sit still, so he went to the small garden with his crutches to tidy up the vegetable plots.

When Huo Duan sent Huo Xiuling back, Gu Fengyan had already finished his meal and was eating a plate of dried apricots.

His pregnancy reaction has not yet reached its most serious stage, it's just that his mouth is restless and he wants to eat something.

He was leaning lazily on the back of a chair, holding a plate, his cheeks puffed up, like a little mouse that had dived into a pile of food.

Huo Duan saw this scene as soon as he entered the door.

"Where's Dad?" He was happy to see Gu Fengyan eating, so he walked over, got a plate and poured some dried apricots into it.

I was curious about what it tasted like, so I picked one up and took a bite.

"Why are you still fighting for food with your kid? Is this how Mr. Huo treats his father?" Gu Fengyan slumped in the chair like a boneless person, glancing at him.

I picked up a large piece of dried apricots and ate them slowly. "Dad went to the garden and said he wanted to catch a chicken to make soup for me. I couldn't resist."

The dried apricots were dried by Huo Xiuling's family. They were clean and tasted sour with a hint of sweetness. Huo Duan didn't like the taste very much, so after tasting one piece he didn't fight for it from him and pushed the whole plate over.

"Who wants to eat it, him or Ah Yan?" He sat down, put the cloak on Gu Fengyan's legs, stared at his belly with a smile, "Are these dried apricots really so delicious?"

"You'll have to ask your son about that." Gu Fengyan leaned back in his chair, propped up his arms and stretched, "My taste is getting more and more picky."

Gu Fengyan has never been a picky eater, but ever since he was diagnosed with a baby in his belly, he has had no appetite for anything except sour and spicy food.

Huo Duan poured him a cup of hot water and watched…Gu Fengyan could still eat more in the past few days, but recently his appetite seems to have become smaller and smaller. He couldn’t even finish half a bowl of porridge in the morning.

"I'll go ask Mr. Lin at noon," he felt distressed when he saw it, and carefully stroked Gu Fengyan's belly with his palm, "Could this kid be a troublemaker? I can't do anything to him now because of the belly. I'll spank him when he comes out!"

Gu Fengyan looked at him as if he was a fool… The little guy hasn’t even been born yet, but his father has already inexplicably kept a record of him. If he knew about this, he would probably feel so wronged that he would die.

"Isn't this the reaction during pregnancy? No need to ask." He was both amused and annoyed, lowering his eyes and said, "It's time to give it a name..." His eyes were full of tenderness, "You can't just call it a little cub."

Huo Duan smiled and said, "I don't know his gender, so let's give him a nickname first... What do you want to call him, A Yan?"

Gu Fengyan thought for a while and shook his head, "I've thought about a lot but I don't think any of them are good... We'll discuss it in the evening. Go help dad catch the chickens first and take care of his legs and feet. I want to rest for a while."

Not knowing what was in his stomach, Gu Fengyan started to feel sleepy again just after getting up in the morning.

Once I got pregnant, I really became like a person made of jade and porcelain, not as strong as before.

"Okay, I'll take you back to your room." Huo Duan thought of a few names but felt that none of them were good, so he carefully wrapped Gu Fengyan's cloak and followed him back to the room.

She took off his shoes, covered him with a quilt, sat on the side and coaxed him for a long time. When he fell asleep, she poured a bowl of warm water on the bedside table so that he could drink it when he was thirsty... She closed the door quietly and left.

After Huo's father had finished weeding the vegetable garden, he wanted to pick a fat chicken or duck from the flock to make soup for Gu Fengyan at noon.

But his legs were not as fast as those of chickens and ducks. After running back and forth several times, he couldn't even touch a chicken feather.

It was only when Huo Duan arrived that he caught the fattest rooster.

At noon, Huo's father cleaned the chicken. Huo Duan went to Xinglin Courtyard to ask Gu Fengyan if there was any way to cure his poor appetite. He also brought back some warming and nourishing herbs to make chicken soup.

Mr. Lin also said that it was a normal reaction during pregnancy. Seeing that he was anxious, he asked him to buy some sweet and sour preserved fruits that were appetizing, and to make soup every two or three days, and let him drink as much as he could.

Huo Duan went to the alley where Dongfulou was located to buy some preserved fruit snacks. He didn't know how the news spread so quickly. When he passed by Dongfulou, Manager Li and Master Zhao were standing at the door waiting for him.

"Boss Huo." Shopkeeper Li smiled and nodded to Huo Duan. "Boss Huo, please come in and sit for a while to settle this month's bill. By the way, we also have something to discuss with you."

Gu Fengyan and Huo Duan have been so busy these days that they no longer have time to take care of the delivery of medicinal materials, and have entrusted the task entirely to Ye Shan.

But Qian Yeshan didn't care. Manager Li only recognized them... When the day to pay the bill came, they waited for half a month and no one came. Then they heard the news that Boss Huo's husband was pregnant and couldn't leave.

The two of them kept an eye out every day and finally got their chance.

Huo Duan originally wanted to go to the riverside fish market to buy a fish and take him home to make sweet and sour fish for Gu Fengyan, but Shopkeeper Li said he had something else to do...Besides, the money had to be paid. Although the family was no longer short of money, he wanted to make two more cotton coats and cloaks for Gu Fengyan for the winter.

The best things are needed to take care of the pregnancy, and the child’s clothes and room preparation also require money.

"Okay." He said with a smile and followed Manager Li into the building.

But he was surprised to find that in just half a month, the Dongfulou had already taken on a completely different look.

There are still many guests. The front hall has become much more spacious, and there are several more private rooms upstairs, which are more elegantly decorated.

He vaguely guessed what Manager Li wanted to discuss.

I went straight up to the largest private room on the second floor. Through the window, I could see the people and scenery on the other side of the river from afar. A few large buds of catalpa trees poked into the window, half open and half closed.

After closing the door of the private room, Manager Li personally poured tea for Huo Duan and said straight to the point:

"Lao Zhao and I went to see Boss Huo this time to ask if he is interested in cooperating with us to expand the business."

As expected, Huo Duan was not surprised. He lowered his eyes and glanced at the foam in the cup. "Shopkeeper Li, please feel free to speak."

Seeing that he did not directly refuse, Shopkeeper Li knew there was hope, and hurriedly said, "It's like this. Old Zhao and I have run Dongfulou for some time. We have no children, so Dongfulou is all we have in this life. Fortunately, with the help of Boss Huo's medicinal diet, we can have such a day..."

"Since Dongfulou has become famous and has a stable customer base, we decided to promote Dongfulou and open another one in Lin County... As for how big it will be in the future, we'll have to wait and see."

As he spoke, he glanced at Huo Duan and said with a breath, "This time we want to cooperate with Boss Huo. You provide the herbs and prescriptions, we are responsible for the affairs in the building, and we share the profits equally... I wonder if Boss Huo is interested in this?"

The conditions given were very sincere... Shopkeeper Li had been doing business for half his life and was a shrewd man. He naturally knew that the reason why Dongfulou had its current reputation was entirely due to the medicinal recipes given by Huo Duan and others.

Without the reputation of medicinal cuisine, Dongfulou would be no different from any ordinary restaurant... They have earned half of the profit.

Huo Duan smiled and said, "Manager Li is thinking of us, so how can we refuse? Just go ahead and do it. If you need help, let me know."

Gu Fengyan is pregnant, so he no longer has much time to take care of the business. They can easily get 50% profit by providing medicinal materials and medicinal recipes... Even if Dongfulou opens a hundred branches in the future, their profits will remain unchanged.

With small investment and huge returns, this deal couldn't be more profitable.

If the supply chain of medicinal materials is improved in the future, Ayan and his children will no longer have to worry about food and clothing.

Both parties were satisfied with the deal, so Huo Duan drafted the document according to the old rules, and both parties signed and sealed the deal.

Shopkeeper Li then called over his clerks to settle the accounts that they had not collected in the past few months...Dongfulou's business has been very good recently. In the past few months, the amount that had to be distributed to Huo Duan and his friends alone was as much as four hundred strings of cash.

He also carefully exchanged them all for silver notes.

Huo Duan was thinking about cooking for Gu Fengyan, so he casually put some money in his pocket, picked up a big bag of preserved fruits, snacks and fresh fruits and left.

"Manager Huo, please wait a moment." Manager Li stopped him and signaled a waiter to bring a vermilion tray with a silver longevity lock on it and some children's toys, all very exquisite.

"I heard that Boss Gu is pregnant, so Lao Zhao and I prepared these things as a blessing for the child. I hope Boss Huo doesn't mind."

It was obvious that those things were made with real care, and Huo Duan was deeply moved. He thanked them respectfully and accepted the gifts, saying that he would personally treat them to a drink next year when the baby was one month old.

He was in a hurry to go home to see Gu Fengyan, so after thanking him and taking the things, he left in a hurry. He left a bag of his shopping behind, and the waiter had to run out to bring it to him.

Shopkeeper Li and Master Zhao at the back were laughing.

It was noon when Huo Duan got home. He put down his things and went to check on Gu Fengyan, but he was still asleep.

After sleeping for so long, Huo Duan was a little worried about him, but after asking Mr. Lin, he was told that it was a normal reaction, so he tucked the quilt for Gu Fengyan, closed the door again and went out.

Ever since Gu Fengyan became pregnant and felt sick at the smell of cooking fumes, Huo Duan no longer asked him to go into the kitchen and took on the cooking task himself.

Fortunately, he learns quickly and with Father Huo's supervision, the food he cooks is pretty delicious.

I cleaned the chicken, added a fish and some warm herbs that are good for the body to make soup, and then made some light vegetarian dishes.

I also washed a plate of fresh fruits I bought.

Huo Duan put the meal on the table, served a bowl of food to cool, and then changed his clothes in the outer room... Only when there was no trace of oil smoke on his body did Huo Duan dare to enter the bedroom.

Gu Fengyan also woke up and was leaning against the head of the bed with his clothes on, reading an unknown book.

"Are you awake? Are you hungry?" Huo walked over, wrung a towel from the basin and sat on the edge of the bed.

He handed the handkerchief to Gu Fengyan, "Wipe your face and let's go eat... Today I bought some preserved fruits and seasonal fresh fruits. You can try them after dinner to see if they suit your taste."

Gu Fengyan put down the book, wiped his face roughly, and held the handkerchief to Huo Duan, holding his hands, "You went out? Where did you go?"

"I went to ask Mr. Lin, and Dongfulou has collected some money," Huo Duan wiped his hands for him. "By the way, Shopkeeper Li said he wanted to open a branch store to expand the business and wanted to cooperate with us. I agreed..."

After wiping his hands, Gu Fengyan got out of bed slowly. The two of them walked out. Gu Fengyan nodded, "Mr. Huo's decision is..."

Gu Fengyan didn't eat much at this meal. He drank a bowl of soup, ate two pieces of meat, and picked up a few pieces of vegetarian dishes that Huo Duan could clearly count. There was still half a bowl of rice left at the bottom of the bowl, so he frowned and stopped eating. He took a piece of fruit and ate it slowly in small bites.

Huo Duan was really worried... worried and distressed. He had finally gained some weight, but if he continued eating this way, he would definitely become thin again.

Then I lost my appetite.

Huo's father was also worried. Looking at the table full of dishes and Gu Fengyan not eating much, he was worried, "I remember that when your mother was pregnant with Huo Duan, she didn't have such a poor appetite. What should we do... Why don't we go and ask Mr. Lin to take a look?"

Gu Fengyan heard this and said hurriedly, "Dad, I'm fine, don't worry, I'll rest for a while and eat again."

In order not to worry the old man, he asked Huo Duan to serve him a bowl of soup, and he drank another bowl.

Seeing that he was willing to drink, Huo's father's brows finally relaxed a little. He told him to ask Huo Duan to cook whatever he wanted to eat and not to be afraid of trouble, as his health was the most important, and the rest came with the children.

He asked him what he would like to eat in the evening. In order to please the old man, Gu Fengyan remembered that he seemed to have planted cucumbers in his vegetable garden, so he suggested rice porridge and pickled cucumbers in the evening.

Father Huo felt happier and said he would go pick some. Gu Fengyan was worried that his legs and feet were inconvenient and the ground was slippery after it rained, so he said he wanted to move around too. He told him to take a rest and he took the basket and went to the vegetable garden with Huo Duan to pick cucumbers.