The news traveled downstairs. He Mengmei was stunned for a moment, then laughed. “Second son’s a fool, and second daughter-in-law is a fool too—not feeling well and not even realizing it’s a pregnancy, thinking it was just a cold.” Even as he said this, he couldn’t hide the smile on his face.

Mrs. He had the servants bring tea for Director Cheng. “I remember when I was pregnant with Yunqin, I thought it was a cold too. Hongdou is still young after all—it’s no surprise she couldn’t tell.”

He Ningzheng said, “It’s a shame Second Brother just left—if he’d stayed a bit longer and heard this news, who knows how happy he’d have been.”

Mr. Duan and Mrs. Duan fell silent for a moment, then, out of courtesy, couldn’t help but put on smiles to congratulate their in-laws.

Everyone present was worldly enough to understand. Though He Mengmei and Mrs. He were overjoyed, they couldn’t make too much of a fuss in front of their eldest daughter-in-law and in-laws. Even so, they still pulled Director Cheng aside to ask him questions in detail.

Director Cheng only said to follow her usual eating and daily habits—no need for extra nourishment—and said he’d have the nurse bring some American vitamin pills tomorrow, then took his leave.

Duan Mingyi sat downstairs for a while, said she wanted to congratulate her sister-in-law, and got up to leave. Mrs. Duan, out of courtesy, accompanied her daughter upstairs as well.

Coming back from Hongdou’s room, Duan Mingyi’s face bore a faint expression that was hard to read—joy or sorrow. She sat down on the edge of the bed on her own, showing no sign of preparing to rest.

Mrs. Duan followed her daughter into the room and closed the door. “Something’s bothering you?”

“Not at all.” Duan Mingyi rubbed her temples. “I’m just a little tired.”

“A mother knows her daughter’s heart. You can hide your thoughts from others, but not from me. That Director Cheng just said—with proper care, you could conceive within a year or two at most. Your sister-in-law may be pregnant, but who knows yet whether it’s a boy or a girl.”

Duan Mingyi said, “Mother, your head is full of these old-fashioned ideas. Sister-in-law is sister-in-law, I am I. Neither Ningzheng nor I are in a hurry—why are you the one getting anxious? Besides, the He family isn’t some old-fashioned household that constantly talks about descendants.”

Mrs. Duan frowned. “Yes, I’m old-fashioned. But you and Ningzheng have been married nearly two years without any news, and your sister-in-law gets pregnant the moment she marries in. Your mother-in-law already favors her, and if it goes on like this, even your father-in-law might end up favoring the second branch too.”

“Now that we’ve changed doctors, we’ll take it slowly. Mother, I’ve fought battles in the Duan family for years and that wasn’t enough—now you’re coming to lecture me too? Aren’t you tired?”

“Tired.” Mrs. Duan laughed in exasperation. “But whose fault is it that old Mr. Duan played favorites—should we not have fought? If we hadn’t, everything would’ve been split up entirely by the second and third branches when the family divided property back then. No matter how society’s customs change, in a great household like this, there’s no such thing as not fighting. You saw it yourself just now—Yu Hongdou merely said she wasn’t feeling well, and the Second Young Master had the director of Jide Hospital come examine her personally. That’s not even the worst of it—even your father-in-law and mother-in-law treat it as perfectly natural, practically treasuring Yu Hongdou like the apple of their eye, more pampered than you even. If this continues on—”

“Mother.” Duan Mingyi’s face fell. “What exactly are you trying to say.”

Mrs. Duan saw this expression on her daughter’s face for the first time, and suddenly recalling those old rumors, lowered her voice. “Back then, did their second son really pursue you at school or not?”

In Duan Mingyi’s mind rose the image of that handsome young man from back then. Unlike his elder brother, he’d carried less solemnity and often wore a smile. A young girl’s heart is the most delicate of things—at the time, so many people pursued her, yet he alone showed no interest in her. She hadn’t necessarily liked him, but thinking back on it afterward, she’d never quite understood why she failed to attract him.

Later she married Ningzheng, and He Yunqin returned from abroad. Not long after, she heard he had a girlfriend, and it just so happened this person was even her own student. After hearing the news, she couldn’t help paying a little more attention to Yu Hongdou—an entirely ordinary female student, whose only advantage was her looks. In family background or scholarship, she was nowhere near her own level.

She’d originally assumed he’d simply found someone to marry in order to deal with outside rumors, but judging from how the two of them interacted after the wedding, he genuinely seemed to be truly fond of Yu Hongdou.

Hearing her mother bring this up, she lowered her eyes and gave a vague, noncommittal reply.

Mrs. Duan was slightly taken aback. “Since the second son did pursue you, and this matter was widely talked about, your sister-in-law couldn’t possibly not have heard the rumors. If that’s why she feels uneasy, then even if you treat her kindly, she’ll still be wary of you. Your mother-in-law is deliberately favoring the second branch—you’re well aware how much your elder brother and second brother have lost these past few years. Things may look glamorous on the outside, but really it’s robbing Peter to pay Paul. If this keeps up, our Duan family will sooner or later become an empty shell. Tonight your father and I swallowed our pride to come to the He residence, pleading every which way to borrow two ships—with war on the horizon, whether we can turn things around with this is truly hard to say. If we keep losing and losing, we can’t count on your maiden family to back you up in the future—you can only rely on yourself—”

Duan Mingyi’s posture straightened, and she coldly cut her mother off. “It’s too early to say that. Tell Elder Brother to not go out tomorrow—I have something important to discuss with him.”

Mrs. Duan asked in surprise, “Did you call your elder brother yesterday? No wonder he went to Ningzheng’s elder sister’s house first thing this morning. Your brother-in-law holds a post in the government—did your brother go find him? Is there a new opportunity?”

Duan Mingyi’s spine slowly straightened, her tone carrying an inexplicable air of desperate resolve. “Elder Brother isn’t good at business, but he has expertise in construction. You don’t need to worry about this matter, Mother—we already have a plan in mind.”

Hope lit up in Mrs. Duan’s eyes. “Good, I’ll tell him when I get back. What time will you come home tomorrow? I’ll have him wait for you there.”

Hearing the good news, He Zhuyun was overjoyed and couldn’t be bothered to sleep—she came straight to her second sister-in-law’s room to find her.

Mrs. He was directing the servants to change the bedding in the room, and had the stove lit as well, worried Hongdou might catch a chill.

He Zhuyun pulled Hongdou close, looking her over from every angle. “I really can’t tell there’s a baby in Second Sister-in-law’s belly. I wonder if it’ll look like Second Brother or Second Sister-in-law? If it’s a boy, hopefully he’ll be as smart as the two of you; if it’s a girl, she’ll definitely be as pretty as both of you. Oh, I can’t wait to meet Second Brother’s first child. Let me calculate—Mother, they say pregnancy takes ten months, so does that mean my little nephew will be born next summer?”

Mrs. He thought for a moment, then smiled. “Around that time, yes.”

He Zhuyun said to Hongdou, “When I was little, I lived in Chongqing for a while—I remember the He residence there had white roses planted all around it. Come summer, the whole area around the house would smell wonderful. By the time my little nephew is born, I’ll take him out to pick flowers.”

Hongdou covered her mouth, laughing outright. “Sure.”

Mrs. He frowned. “You settle down some. The moment you hear your second sister-in-law is pregnant, you get this excited—not to mention a newborn baby can’t handle you pestering it like this. Look at what time it is. Alright, whatever else you have to say can wait till tomorrow, go back to your room and sleep now.”

He Zhuyun said on impulse, “Second Sister-in-law, Second Brother’s not coming home tonight anyway—why don’t I sleep with you tonight?”

Mrs. He lightly scolded her, “Your second sister-in-law is pregnant now—she can’t handle your nonsense.” She naturally wouldn’t agree.

Just then someone knocked at the door outside, saying with a laugh, “Second Young Mistress, there’s a call for you—it’s the eldest son from your maiden family.”

Mrs. He was taken aback, and quickly said to Hongdou, “We completely forgot to notify your mother-in-law’s family. This is wonderful news—Hongdou, go answer the phone quickly and tell your mother the good news, let your mother and elder brother celebrate too.”

Hongdou knew the new residence had a telephone installed. Now that she knew she was pregnant, she’d hesitated earlier over whether to call her mother, worried the news might keep the old lady up all night, and had held back. Hearing her mother-in-law say this now, she rose at once, smiling. “Alright.”

She went to the study and picked up the phone. It was Yu Chongyi on the other end: “Hongdou, I remembered who I’ve seen wearing size-39 shoes. It’s not Miss Qiu.”