A few days later, Cheng Wen received a letter saying that Wen’s Grand Madam was ill and asking Wu Baozhang to return home to attend to her sickness.

If this letter had arrived when Cheng Wen’s shop was still fine, Cheng Wen would have urged Wu Baozhang to return without a second word. But this letter arrived precisely after his shop had problems, so Cheng Wen’s heart carried some resentment. He asked the young servant who delivered the letter, “Was this sent through the post station or through the Cheng family lords’ six-hundred-li express delivery?”

The young servant smiled, “It was sent through the post station…”

Before he could finish, Cheng Wen had already crumpled the letter into a ball and thrown it on the ground, shouting angrily, “Get out… Since she’s sick enough to be dying, yet didn’t use the six-hundred-li express but instead relied on the post station to send the letter, this illness must not be serious. Let her suffer on her own. If she really can’t bear it, doesn’t she still have those devoted maids and servants by her side? Let them serve her well. After she passes away, they can smash the mourning bowl for her, which would fulfill their loyalty to her. Why does she need to torment her own daughter-in-law for no reason? Go tell the steward to reply to her, saying exactly what I just said word for word. Do you understand?” After saying this, still not satisfied, he stepped forward and viciously stomped several times on the paper ball on the ground.

The young servant fled in fright.

Cheng Nuo, who had hurried over upon hearing his mother was ill, watched this scene and quietly withdrew.

No matter how bad they were, they were the people who gave birth to and raised him. He didn’t want to get involved.

When Wu Baozhang learned of this, her intestines turned green with regret.

She had calculated everything but overlooked Cheng Wen’s hatred toward Wen’s Grand Madam.

Now everything was ruined.

She had wasted twenty taels of silver for nothing.

Wu Baozhang’s personal maid also deeply regretted it, saying, “If we had known, we should have arranged for a six-hundred-li express!”

“What do you know?” Wu Baozhang frowned, “The six-hundred-li express is exclusively for official government offices in various regions. Ordinary officials don’t have the authority to use it, much less people like us trying to sneak in.” As she spoke, she clenched her fists, “This route is now blocked. We’ll have to think of another way…”

The maid couldn’t help complaining, “If only we had endured and not given him those twenty taels!”

“Giving or not giving would have been the same,” Wu Baozhang said dejectedly. “He’s changed now. He’s not the same Lu Gongzi as before. Reasoning with him about propriety and shame is no different from playing music to a cow… If I hadn’t given him those twenty taels, he would have found other ways to make me give him money. But there’s something I don’t understand—how did he know I was in the capital? And he found me so precisely? When he saw me, it was as if he had calculated that I would help him…”

They had only been somewhat ambiguous before. Wasn’t he afraid she wouldn’t help him?

Suspicion kept circling in her mind, but she truly couldn’t figure out why.

Or was it because she was easier to bully?

Wu Baozhang pondered whether she should write a letter to First Young Madam Shi, asking her to help find a way to get her back home.

But as soon as this thought arose, she immediately dismissed it.

If she told First Young Madam Shi, that would be one more person who knew about her relationship with Cheng Lu. Wouldn’t that be handing them leverage over her?

But to take out another three hundred taels—her personal savings would decrease by a third.

Besides First Young Madam Shi, who else could help her?

Wu Baozhang began pacing circles in her room again.

※※※

At Chaoyang Gate, Zhou Shaojin was leaning against the headboard, covered with a quilted blanket with a bright red mandarin ducks playing in water pattern. Looking at Zhou Chujin who was holding a spoon to feed her bird’s nest soup, she smiled awkwardly and said in a low voice, “Sister, I… I’m just with child… This sweet soup, I can still hold it myself…”

The implication being that her hands and feet still worked fine.

Zhou Chujin glared at her fiercely.

Zhou Shaojin immediately lowered her head and obediently drank the bird’s nest soup.

Watching her spineless appearance, Zhou Chujin was angry at her lack of fight. She couldn’t help scolding, “You… When Father told you to wait before consummating the marriage, wasn’t it because he feared you were too young and would suffer the hardship of childbirth? Don’t you think Father doesn’t know that having offspring is how you truly establish your foothold in the Cheng family? Don’t I know the importance of children to women? But Father and I hope even more that you can live well, live to a hundred years, enjoy wealth and prosperity. But you—so easily, you let that Cheng Zichuan have his way…” She was, after all, only a young woman who had just become a mother. At this point, her face couldn’t help turning red. Blushing, she lowered her voice and continued, “I’m telling you, you absolutely cannot let that Cheng Zichuan do as he pleases anymore. During the first three months of pregnancy, you must absolutely sleep in separate rooms. This is not a joke. If you lose the first child, even if you conceive again later, it will likely not go smoothly. Even if it means husband and wife turning against each other, you cannot be soft-hearted. Do you understand?”

Zhou Shaojin nodded obediently and compliantly, lifting her head to glance at the doorway.

Zhou Chujin was so angry she didn’t know what to say. After a long while, she said, “Did you actually listen to what I said?”

“I listened, I listened,” Zhou Shaojin said hurriedly. “You told me to… sleep in separate rooms from Fourth Lang!” As she spoke, she glanced at the door again.

Being with child, Fourth Lang feared she would be afraid, so he sent someone to tell Zhou Chujin to come visit when she had time to keep Zhou Shaojin company and chat with her.

Zhou Chujin exploded upon hearing this and rushed over directly with Stewardess Shang who had been sent to deliver the message.

Upon entering, she saw her sister happily half-reclining on the bed making children’s garments.

Her anger shot up immediately. She had barely suppressed her fury when the kitchen brought in bird’s nest stewed with rock sugar. Her sister acted as if nothing was wrong and invited her to drink bird’s nest soup. Looking at her heartless sister, she hated Cheng Chi to death.

If not for him, her always obedient and sensible sister wouldn’t have gotten pregnant with a child so early.

But she couldn’t say Cheng Chi was wrong either.

Which family marries a wife without hoping for offspring? Would they worship her like a Buddha instead?

Take her case—Guan Ge’er was not yet two years old and was a son, yet her mother-in-law was already anxious about why she hadn’t conceived a second child. Never mind that Cheng Chi was more than ten years older than Zhou Shaojin, his mother-in-law was advanced in age, and they had just separated the clan—Cheng Chi would naturally hope even more for a child.

Otherwise, why work so hard to earn such a vast estate?

But understanding was one thing; when this matter concerned her own sister, her heart felt blocked.

But things had come to this point. Saying more was useless.

Zhou Chujin sighed, took a hand mirror and gave it to Zhou Shaojin, saying in a low voice, “Remember what I said.”

Zhou Shaojin took the mirror uncomprehendingly and saw red marks on her neck.

Her face turned crimson immediately. She looked at her sister shyly, her lips moving, unable to speak for quite a while.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Chujin couldn’t help saying again, “This absolutely cannot continue.”

Zhou Shaojin’s head was almost lowered to her chest, yet she couldn’t help defending Cheng Chi, “He didn’t do anything to me…” Then thinking of the marks on her neck that wouldn’t go away no matter what, she added, “He was just very happy… and kissed me…”

“You’re still speaking up for him!” Zhou Chujin was extremely angry. At this rate, if something happened, Shaojin would be the one suffering in the end. If Shaojin had married someone else, she could still use her position as elder sister to pressure her sister-in-law. But Shaojin had married Cheng Chi, and Shaojin’s mother-in-law was Old Madam Guo—that person she had feared since childhood, who didn’t even put the second branch’s old ancestor in her eyes. How could she possibly control Old Madam Guo?

Under accumulated authority, Zhou Chujin was defeated without a fight. She could only pull open Zhou Shaojin’s collar, saying in a low voice, “Look at yourself, look at yourself…”

Zhou Shaojin naturally knew. She was so embarrassed tears were about to fall.

Seeing this, Zhou Chujin suddenly lost her temper. Sighing, she helped her sister straighten her collar, saying, “Sister is concerned about you. Don’t let my words go in one ear and out the other. You must live well.”

Seeing her sister no longer staring at her talking about those matters, Zhou Shaojin felt relieved. Her expression gradually became natural as she said, “I know Sister is concerned about me… He treats me extremely well and won’t act recklessly. He was just too happy. It won’t happen again in the future…”

Though Zhou Chujin’s heart was still uneasy, she couldn’t press her sister further.

She held Guan Ge’er on her lap, pointing at Zhou Shaojin’s belly and asking with a smile, “Is Auntie carrying a little brother or little sister?”

Guan Ge’er was very clever. Before he was even one year old, he could already speak, though he couldn’t walk yet. Grand Madam Liao was very proud of this. Whenever she went visiting, she would praise her grandson, saying Guan Ge’er was someone who used his brain and would definitely be good at studying in the future.

Guan Ge’er quickly said, “Little sister!”

Zhou Chujin’s face darkened. She asked him again, “Look carefully—is it a little brother or little sister?” The hint was obvious.

Unfortunately, Guan Ge’er was still young and didn’t understand. He continued saying, “Auntie, little sister!”

Zhou Shaojin giggled.

Zhou Chujin was furious, “What are you laughing at? Not one of you is sensible.”

Zhou Shaojin reached out toward Guan Ge’er, “Come, come sit with Auntie!”

Guan Ge’er wanted to climb over, but Zhou Chujin stopped him, saying, “Auntie has a little baby in her belly. You mustn’t be naughty.” Guan Ge’er sat there not daring to move.

Zhou Shaojin couldn’t help but smile. She took out a small nine-compartment snack box from the alcove at the head of the bed, opened it, and handed it to Guan Ge’er to eat.

Guan Ge’er became happy and sat in his mother’s arms eating snacks.

Zhou Chujin raised her eyebrows, “He’s quite thoughtful toward you! He even prepared this for you.”

“He’s just afraid I’ll get hungry,” Zhou Shaojin said with an embarrassed smile. “I don’t have any reactions now. Apart from wanting to sleep, I just want to eat all kinds of snacks. Fourth Lang even specially hired a chef who can cook for this. Sister, why don’t you and Guan Ge’er stay for dinner today? Try that chef’s skills.”

No wonder people say the Cheng family is wealthy. Just because Shaojin wanted to eat snacks, they hired a pastry chef for her. The money is one thing—this kind of gentle, drizzling care is the life Shaojin wants, isn’t it?

Zhou Chujin felt relieved and teased her sister, “If you develop a taste for spicy food, won’t he have to hire you a Sichuan chef?”

“Fourth Master said the same thing,” Zhou Shaojin laughed. “He said it’s rare to find an authentic Sichuan chef in Beijing!”

Zhou Chujin felt she had been defeated.

Uncle Chi… spoiling Shaojin like this—who knows what Old Madam Guo would say if she knew?