Chapter 95: Pregnancy (2) Volume 1

  "I'll do as you say, and when I get back, my wife will arrange it." Yao Cun Jia replied lightly, his voice was hollow without him even realizing it, and his palms were cold with sweat.

  "Those two maids, Qi Cai used to serve the old lady before, and after the old lady passed away, she was placed beside Ruan Er to take care of her. And then there's Cui Er, who was assigned by Master to serve Ruan Er, you must treat them well, do you understand?" Madam Xie said softly.

  Yao Cun Jia was slightly surprised, her eyelashes fluttering lightly as she responded with a soft "yes".

  Those two maids knew, but after the New Year, Xie Fu Yun returned to the mansion and ordered them to live in the west wing without allowing them to leave. Even when they got married, the servants and slaves from Ruhua Hall came to pay their respects, but Xie Fu Yun didn't call for them, treating it as if those two people didn't exist in the mansion. Occasionally, she would hear someone mention them and casually ask Xing Er and Ruo Fang a few questions. Xing Er and Ruo Fang dared not say anything, only smiling and saying that Master had been quite cold to them before and wasn't particularly concerned about them, it was just that they couldn't refuse the gift from their elders so they took them in.

  Yao Cun Jia saw that they didn't want to say anything, so he didn't ask again. Unexpectedly, those two were indeed a gift from the elder.

  Sending them far away to the side house is really unfair to them! If it gets out, it would seem like I'm intolerant and disrespectful to my elders. Yao Cun Jia couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy for a moment, slightly raising his head wanting to explain to Mrs. Xie, yet feeling there's no way to explain.

  She can't say that she had no idea about this matter and it was all decided by her father-in-law before she got married, right?

  "Haha!" Mrs. Xie smiled and said, "I know this has nothing to do with you, you're a kind and magnanimous person, of course you'll know what to do! Child, the road ahead is still long, don't take this small matter to heart, if it harms your body or affects the flesh and blood in your belly, that would be even more foolish!"

  "What Mother said is that daughter-in-law... understood!" Yao Cun Jia nodded slightly, feeling both gratitude and complexity towards Mrs. Xie.

  It's one thing to understand, but it's another thing to actually do it!

  "That's good! Alright, you can go back now, take it easy and rest well!" Madam Xie had achieved her goal, so she smiled and raised her hand.

  Yao Cun Jia got up, slightly bowed and returned as before.

  Back at Yuhuadang, Yao Cunjia ordered someone to invite Qi Cai and Cui Er to meet him. The maids looked at each other in dismay, and for a moment no one dared to move.

  "What's wrong with you all? Hurry up and go." Yao Cun Jia said in surprise.

  Yao Cun Jia didn't know that Xie Fu Yun Sheng was afraid of offending her, so he had already ordered the servants in Ronghua Hall to keep their mouths shut, not allowing anyone to mention Qi Qiao and Cui Er in front of Madame Xie, otherwise, they would be severely punished!

  The old man seems gentle and harmless, but when he gets angry, he shows no mercy. In the Ruihua Hall, everyone from top to bottom dares not ignore his words. Even Xing'er and Ruofang do not dare to take him lightly.

  "Wait for Master to come back, it's better that way—" Yifang accompanied with a smile. Seeing Yao Cunhui coming over from the mistress' side, she brought up the two concubine sisters, and had already understood a bit in her heart.

  "Don't wait for Master to come back, invite the person over now. When Master comes back and asks, I will explain it to him myself!" Yao Cun Jia raised an eyebrow and continued: "Also, Qi Chao and Cui Er's living quarters are too remote, immediately have someone clean up two rooms in the west wing, everything must be of good quality, hurry, let Qi Chao and Cui Er choose a date to move over!"

  "Big Grandma..." Xing'er and Ruofang were shocked, their eyes wide with surprise. Lü He and Lü Ye were also stunned, while Liu Li and Su'e exchanged a secret glance, still lowering their heads.

  "What? My words are useless?" Yao Cun Jia's face turned cold, and a hint of unprovoked anger flashed between his eyebrows.

  Even if she told herself to calm down, her heart was still aching. And yet these people were still pushing and blocking in front of her!

  "Yes, Granny!" Xing'er and Ruofang didn't dare insist anymore, they lowered their heads to pay respects, and personally went to summon Qiuxiang and Cui'er.

  Qiao and Cui heard that they were going to see the old lady, both of them were shocked, their faces changed several times, and they both felt slightly uneasy in their hearts.

  The old ladies knew that the madam would enter the house before the new year, but after the new year, she stayed in the west wing for several months without any news from outside. The madam didn't even call them to pay their respects, and they had no idea what kind of person the madam was.

  Now, unexpectedly, Old Lady Meng called them over, and it would be strange if they could remain calm.

  The two of them hastily changed their clothes, carefully tidying up to make sure there was nothing out of place, before following Xing Er and Ruo Fang.

  "Qiniu Qi (Cui'er) has seen the Grand Lady, wishing her ten thousand blessings!" Qiniu and Cui'er bowed their heads together to Ya Cun Jia.

  "It's all right! Let's get up and sit down to talk." Yao Cun Jia's eyes swept over, with a faint smile.

  "Thank you, Grandma!" Qi Cai and Cui Er had not dared to lift their heads since entering the house and did not know what Yao Cun Jia looked like. At this moment, hearing her calm, gentle voice, they felt slightly at ease.

  The two thanked and stood up, standing in front of Yao Cun Jia with a smile: "Where is the seat for slaves like us in front of the great lady? What are your orders, please tell us clearly."

  "It doesn't matter," Yao Cun Jia smiled and said, "You followed the master's people, and were given by the old lady and the old master, so it's okay to sit down and talk."

  The two of them exchanged a glance, and Qiǎo hastily accompanied with a smile: "In that case, we servants thank the great madam for her kindness!"

  The two of them carefully sat down on the small bench at a slant.

  Yao Cun Jia only then took a clear look at the two people's age and appearance. Qi Xiao looked like she was two or three years older than herself, quite tall, with an oval face, extremely fair skin, and although her features were not particularly striking, there was something endearing about her. Cui Er was younger, petite, with a lovely melon-shaped face, and in the gentle movement of her eyes, there was a hint of a clear and calm demeanor.

  Two of them were wearing dark green jackets with white silk long skirts; one was wearing a light yellow jacket with a pale green long skirt. The hem of the clothes and the skirt had two circles of embroidery, about two or three inches wide, with twisted flower edges. They wore simple buns and adorned themselves with a few flowers, just sitting there, showing that they were not ordinary young women from small families, but rather well-trained in etiquette, without any hint of frivolity.

  Looks like it's decent and proper! Also, how would the old lady and old gentleman teach their own grandson/son to flirt with a fox spirit? Yao Cun Jia sneered in his heart.

  "It's been a long time since you've arrived, and it's not my fault that I haven't seen you yet. Don't despise this small thing!" Yao Cun Jia gave a signal with her eyes, and Green Lotus and Green Leaf each carried a tray to Qiǎo and Cuì'er's side.

  "Thank you, Granny! We don't dare to accept such a generous gift!" This was the customary greeting, and Qi Cai and Cui Er naturally wouldn't decline. They quickly got up and bowed to receive the gifts, each getting a pair of jade bangles and two gold hairpins.

  Yao Cun Jia forced a smile, feeling suffocated in his heart, thinking he should say something but his subconscious didn't want to.

  "Granny, it's time for you to take your prenatal medicine." Green Leaf said with a smile as she took the ceramic bowl from Nanny.

  Qiao and Cui exchanged a subconscious glance, their eyes meeting in mid-air, and the two immediately understood Yao Cun's intentions.

  "Is the Grand Lady pregnant? The servants congratulate the Grand Lady on giving birth to a noble son!" Qi Cai and Cui Er only took a moment to react, then quickly knelt down again to kowtow to Yao Cun Jia.

  Yao Cun Jia smiled and said, "You have a good heart! I've already arranged for the west wing of the house to be cleaned up. In a few days, you can move over there and take good care of Master! Alright, I won't keep you from talking anymore, go down now!"

  "Yes, the slaves dare not disturb the old lady's rest!" Qi Cai and Cui Er secretly rejoiced in their hearts, their voices slightly trembling as they hastily replied and rose to their feet, backing out slowly.

  It was unexpected that the old lady became pregnant just over two months after entering the house, and the two of them couldn't express what kind of feeling they had in their hearts. Thinking again, if the old lady wasn't pregnant, how could it be their turn to take charge?

  Yao Cun Jia's words came out, and Lu He and Lu Ye's faces turned gloomy. Xing Er and Ruo Fang exchanged a glance, each lost for words. Su Yan's face remained calm, as if the matter didn't concern her. However, Liu Li and Su E were visibly affected, soon becoming indignant and resentful.

  She herself is a maternal relative brought by the old lady, she is the "own person" of the old lady. The old lady actually gave the opportunity to the Xie family but not to her own people! What's this?

  Yao Cun Jia was in a bad mood the whole afternoon, but didn't want anyone to notice, so she used fatigue as an excuse and lay down on the bed to sleep. Pregnant women love to sleep, and no one can do anything about it.

  It was almost dinner time when Xie Fu Yun returned, excitedly holding a basin of lotus flowers with a diameter of over ten inches. The pale green ceramic basin had a petal-shaped edge, and its warm color was exceptionally elegant. In the middle of the basin was a pool of clear water, in which were planted two stalks of fresh and elegant lotus flowers, blooming with three palm-sized pink flowers, standing tall and slender, exceptionally beautiful.

  "A few days ago, I specially asked the gardener in our mansion to take care of it. Today, when I came back from inspecting the machine room, I went to ask about it and didn't expect it to be blooming so well! This type is called fragrant lotus, its color is bright and its fragrance is refreshing and long-lasting, it's a very rare species! Jia'er take a look, do you like it?" Xie Fu Yun naturally put his arm around his beloved wife, smiling with curved eyebrows, presenting the treasure to her.

  As usual, the two were facing each other, but today, seeing him like this, her heart was filled with pain and sorrow, a piercing ache that made her voice tremble slightly.

  "I like it, I really like it." Yao Cun Jia forced a smile.

  "I knew Jia'er would like it!" Xie Fu Yun bowed his head and gently kissed her cheek, his hand on her waist tightened, and he asked with a low, ambiguous smile: "Did Jia'er think of me today?"

  Yao Cun Jia's face flushed, and he gently pried open his hands, smiling scoldingly: "You ask people every day, aren't you tired of it?! Hurry up and wash your face, change your clothes and go!"

  Xie Fu Yun smiled and stopped teasing her, helping her sit down. He then called for Xing Er and Ruo Fang to bring water for washing up. Since Yao Cun Jia got married into the family, tasks like washing clothes had been handed over to her, but now that she was pregnant, Xing Er and Ruo Fang were called back to do them again.