My happy life in a courtyard house with triplets.

Chapter 169: Urging Childbirth

After chatting for a while, Ye Shouhe looked at the sky and said to his three sons, "Eldest son, second son, and third son, you three go up the mountain and see if you bring back any game. We'll treat Zhang Lei to a good lunch today."

Upon hearing this, Ye Jianjun, Ye Jianlin, and Ye Jianjiang immediately stood up, patted their chests, and said, "Dad, don't worry, we'll definitely bring back plenty of meat!"

They all understood that this was their father, Ye Shouhe, wanting Zhang Lei to have a good meal and also to express their gratitude to Zhang Lei on their behalf.

As soon as they left, Ye Shuqin and her two sisters-in-law were pulled into the backyard by their mother, Zhang Yulan, for a chat. Their sisters-in-law, the eldest, second, and third, saw this and followed closely behind.

At this moment, the women in the room exchanged glances, and the atmosphere suddenly became somewhat awkward.

Zhang Yulan looked at her three daughters and asked directly, "Shuqin, Shuqi, Shuhua, you three tell me honestly, why haven't you gotten pregnant yet?"

Hearing their mother ask this question, all three of them blushed with embarrassment and stammered, unable to speak.

At this moment, Zhao Chunyan, the second sister-in-law, looked at the three of them with a mischievous smile and said, "Have you three been asking for it too many times? Are you tiring Zhang Lei out?"

Hearing Zhao Chunyan's audacious words, Zhang Yulan rolled her eyes at her and said, "Go away, what nonsense are you spouting, you sister-in-law!"

Ye Shuhua blushed and retorted immediately, "Second sister-in-law, no! My man is very strong!"

Seeing Ye Shuhua's flustered rebuttal, the others covered their mouths and burst into laughter. Looking at their smiling faces, Ye Shuhua realized she had been too hasty. Her face flushed, and she awkwardly hid behind her mother, tugging at Zhang Yulan's sleeve, saying, "Mom, look at my three sisters-in-law, they're always teasing me."

Zhang Yulan looked at her youngest daughter, smiled, patted her hand, and said, "Alright, alright, you're so old, yet you still have such a quick temper."

At this moment, Third Sister-in-law Sun Qiuyue came over, looked at Ye Shuhua with a mischievous smile, and said, "Then describe to us exactly how you're going to force yourself on him?"

Upon hearing Sun Qiuyue's words, Ye Shuhua's face instantly turned as red as a ripe apple, and she stammered, unable to speak. At this moment, Ye Shuqin stepped forward, interrupting everyone's jokes, and said seriously, "Mom, sisters-in-law, it's not that we can't get pregnant, it's that Zhang Lei won't allow it. He discussed it with us before, wanting to wait until we're over eighteen before having children, saying he's worried it might be bad for our health."

Upon hearing Ye Shuqin's words, Wang Lihua, the eldest sister-in-law, immediately frowned and said, "What kind of argument is that? When I was pregnant with Mingyu, I was younger than you are now, and I still gave birth without any health problems."

Zhang Yulan looked at Ye Shuqin, her expression turning serious, and said, "Your sister-in-law is right. A woman should have children after marriage, otherwise people will gossip. You've been married for so long and haven't had any children yet; people will think there's something wrong with you."

Ye Shuqin nodded after hearing her mother's words and said softly, "Mom, don't worry, I'll have a good talk with Zhang Lei when he wakes up."

Second sister-in-law Zhao Chunyan chimed in, "Yes, you three really need to make the most of your talents in calligraphy, music, chess, and painting. Zhang Lei is such a wonderful man—handsome, capable, and so loving towards you. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone like him. You must hurry and produce offspring for the Zhang family to keep his heart firmly in your grasp."

Hearing her second sister-in-law's words, Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua exchanged glances, and shy smiles appeared on their faces.

Once the conversation started, they no longer held back and talked about everything, leaving Ye Shuqin, Ye Shuqi, and Ye Shuhua blushing and extremely embarrassed.

Zhang Lei didn't wake up until dinnertime. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was already late. He rubbed his head and thought to himself that he had slept very soundly.

Pushing open the door to the front yard, everyone greeted Zhang Lei warmly when they saw he was awake. Zhang Lei could only smile awkwardly in response, having gone straight to sleep as soon as he got back, sleeping until the afternoon.

Ye Shouhe looked at Zhang Lei and asked with a smile, "Zhang Lei, is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shouhe and called out, "Dad, I'm feeling alright now, I've recovered."

Ye Shouhe looked at Zhang Lei, increasingly pleased, and said with a smile, "You're just too polite. Why bring so much stuff home?"

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shouhe and said with a smile, "Dad, this is all I should do. Besides, you've entrusted your three daughters to me, what's a little something from me? I'm capable of doing this now, it's just my way of showing my filial piety. You don't need to be so polite with me, we're all family."

Ye Shouhe looked at Zhang Lei, patted him on the shoulder, and said with satisfaction, "I know you are capable; those six job positions are the best proof."

Zhang Lei nodded and said with a smile, "It's a coincidence. The person I saved happened to have a father who was capable, so he arranged these jobs for my eldest brother, second brother, and third brother's families."

Ye Shouhe looked at Zhang Lei and said earnestly, "Take good care of your own family, and we'll be at ease. Don't worry too much about other things."

Zhang Lei looked at Ye Shouhe and said earnestly, "Dad, don't worry, I know my own capabilities."

Just then, Zhang Lei saw his three older brothers returning carrying things, and asked Ye Shouhe, "Dad, what are they doing...?"

Ye Shouhe smiled and said, "Oh, they went hunting in the mountains. They wanted to cook you something delicious to treat you properly."

Hearing Ye Shouhe's words, Zhang Lei quickly waved his hand and said, "Dad, there's really no need for that. You should keep these things for yourselves."

Ye Shouhe waved his hand and said seriously, "Hey, you bring them things and offer them jobs, so they should show their appreciation. Otherwise, they won't feel at ease accepting your favors."

Hearing Ye Shouhe say this, Zhang Lei knew that it would be too formal to refuse any longer, so he stopped insisting.

Looking at the prey on the ground—two rabbits, two pheasants, a deer, and a wild boar—Zhang Lei couldn't help but marvel at the considerable harvest.

He quickly stepped forward and said, "Big brother, second brother, third brother, let me do it."

The eldest brother, Ye Jianjun, looked at Zhang Lei, smiled, and waved his hand, saying, "Go and rest first. You don't need to get involved in this. The three of us can handle it."

Ye Jianlin chimed in, "Yes, with the three of us doing it, it'll be done in no time. You can just sit back and enjoy it."