Yu Pin Yan opened his eyes, and instinctively hugged the warm body in his arms a little tighter; his breathing gradually became deeper.
Yu Xiang rolled over and mumbled indistinctly, âDonât fool around anymore. Itâs time to attend court.â
âToday is my day off.â Yu Pin Yan chuckled softly as he embraced his wife from behind.
Tao Hong and Liu Lu, who originally wanted to enter to attend to their master in the morning, heard the movements in the room and retreated with a crimson face. The two of them did not rise until the sun was up, then went to pay respects to the Old Madam.
âQuickly come over to have breakfast. Iâve been waiting for you two all morning.â The Old Madam scolded them but she had a doting smile on her face.
The two of them apologised. After they sat down, Yu Xiang grabbed a crystal prawn dumpling[1] with her chopsticks. Just after she took a bite, she spat it out with a <wah>. She muttered, âIt smells so fishy. The cook must have forgotten to remove the fishy taste this time.â </wah>
The Old Madam tasted one, sighed helplessly and commented, âIt tastes the same as usual for me. Iâm getting old and my sense of taste is getting worse.â
âDonât eat it if itâs fishy. Drink some congee.â Yu Pin Yan served his wife a bowl of fish congee. Then used his fingertips to wipe the sauce from the corner of her mouth, then placed it in his mouth and sucked it.
âThis is also fishy.â Yu Xiang only gave it a light sniff before turning her head away in disgust. âWhatâs wrong with the head cook? Is he sick? Heâs not as good as he used to be today.â ăă
Yu Pin Yan took a sip. He really couldnât taste anything fishy. He cast this matter aside and asked Tao Hong to ask for a bowl of noodles in the kitchen. Since Yu Xiang loved cilantro, Tao Hong garnished a thick layer of cilantro on top of the chicken. The creamy and delicious chicken soup became more fragrant with the addition of the green and lush cilantro.
Yu Xiang was satisfied after taking a whiff of the cilantro. She took her chopsticks, mixed them well before putting it in her mouth. She immediately spat it out again. âWhere on earth did they buy this cilantro? Why does it smell funny? It stinks!â
âHow come? Isnât that what cilantro tastes like?â The Old Madam put a piece of cilantro in her bowl and gave it a taste. Her face was filled with puzzlement.
Yu Pin Yan didnât even bother tasting it. He simply waved his hand and asked the kitchen staff to change it again. The food, which was Yu Xiangâs favourite food, changed consecutively four or five times. She rejected them all for the same reason or it was revolting. Yu Pin Yan did not dare to delay it any further. He immediately took out his name card[2] and asked a servant to request for the Imperial Physician.
âYour Ladyship is pregnant. It has been more than two months now. The fetus is very stable. Please rest assured, Your Grace.â The Imperial Physician rose to congratulate them. The announcement immediately stunned the people in the room including the involved party, Yu Xiang.
âIâm pregnant? But my menstruation came last month.â Yu Xiang rubbed her belly in a daze.
Upon hearing this, Yu Pin Yan immediately suppressed the elation in his heart and ordered, âImperial Physician, check my wifeâs pulse carefully once more.â
âDonât worry, Your Grace. Her Ladyshipâs body is fine. Some people do have their menstruation in the first two months of pregnancy. Although it is different from normal people, it is not harmful to their bodies. This lowly subject will prescribe a few medicines for Her Ladyship, and she will be fine after taking them for two or three days.â
âYes, yes, yes. Quickly prescribe it.â It was only then that the Old Madam returned to her senses. After urging the Imperial Physician, she placed her palms together and worshipped the Heavens and Buddhas in the sky. She was starting to get really anxious because she still hadnât heard any good news; even though her grandson and granddaughter-in-law had been married for two years.
The Imperial Physician went to the room next door to prescribe medicine. When Yu Xiang finished rubbing her belly, she suddenly sprung up and clung onto her husbandâs body. Countless light pecks rained down on his forehead, cheeks and the tip of his nose, smearing his face with saliva. Then, she shouted joyfully, âIâm pregnant. I have a baby. Iâm going to be a mother.â
âYes, Iâm going to be a father too.â Yu Pin Yan hurriedly held her buttocks and kissed her back repeatedly. The couple was immersed in boundless joy.
The Old Madam shook her head with a smile and led the servants out. When she was at the door, she exhorted uneasily, âWhen you have hugged enough, put Xiangâer down quickly, lest you drop her.â
ăăââââââ-
The depleted number of family members was always a sore subject for the Old Madam. Ever since the death of the Old Marquis and his son, Lin Shi and Yu Miao Qiâs banishment, and the marriage of Yu Si Yuâs marriage⊠The huge Duke Yu manor only had three masters remaining. Usually it was filled with groups of servants entering in and out, so it was not obvious. However, on the night of Lunar New Yearâs Eve, the scene was really deserted and lonely when the three of them gathered around a huge round table to eat reunion dinner.
In the past two years, the Old Madam had been donating incense and oil to The Goddess of Childbearing[3] every month. The scrolls in her granddaughter-in-lawâs room have all been replaced with a picture of a âhundred sons and a thousand grandchildrenâ[4]. She started to wish upon the stars and moon the arrival of her little grandchild. When she heard that Yu Si Yuâs eldest uncle was celebrating his 30th birthday, she originally didnât want to bother. But now, she ecstatically took her granddaughter-in-law out of the manor.
âIf you go, I will let Yu Si Yu gain some good energy from you. It has been two years since she got married, and there is still no movement.â Sitting in the rickety carriage, the joy in the Old Madamâs heart slightly dulled.
âDidnât the Physician say both Sirs[5] and her body are fine? Perhaps it is because it is not time yet. See, thatâs exactly what happened to me.â Yu Xiang rubbed her belly merrily.
âWhat you say is true.â The Old Madamâs spirits lifted up in joy again.
Halfway through the journey, Yu Xiang lifted the curtain, and ordered when she saw a store sign, âTurn around and go to Changning Street. I want to buy a box of rouge.â
The carriage driver was familiar with the way to Changning Street. Yu Pin Yan, who was following behind the carriage, heard this and leaned over. He lifted the curtain and said helplessly, âLittle vinegar jar, why are you still harping on this? How many years have passed since then?â
âSuch things need to be reckoned with for life. Why? Are you having tender and protective feelings for her?â Yu Xiang propped up half her body as she stuck out her abdomen, which was not showing, and showed an extremely aggrieved expression.
Before Yu Pin Yan could say anything, the Old Madam pulled her to sit down and said gently, âThe carriage is moving. This little ancestor should sit properly so as not to fall. Your Elder Brother only loves you. How can he have tender and protective feelings for others? Isnât that right, Yanâer?â After finishing her sentence, she gave her grandson a fierce glare.
Yu Pin Yan was torn between laughter and tears as he nodded his head. Only then did Yu Xiang stop. For some unknown reason, her temper had been flaring up more often these past few days; every now and then she would get angry, and it was to the point she couldnât control herself. Luckily, her husband and grandmother-in-law always let her have her way.
When the carriage stopped in front of a stall selling rogue and powder on Changning Street, Yu Xiang lifted the curtain and opened her mouth to speak, âMadam Hou, I want a box of rogue, the cheapest one.â
The face of the woman standing behind the stall turned pale, then red; and from red to purple. Finally, it turned as black as ink. Even though her heart was feeling indignant, she could only humbly bend her knees and hand over a box of rogue when she saw the handsome man with a cold expression not far away.
The woman was none other than Chang Ya Fu.
Due to his involvement in the rebellion of King Li two years ago, Duke Jingguo was sentenced and executed. The old, weak, women and children in his family were all made official slaves. Because she was young, beautiful and had some assets, a merchant of a small stall fancied her and bought her for ten taels of silver; not only did he free her from servitude, but also took her as his wife.
Originally, Chang Ya Fu was unresigned; however, after meeting her brother, who was working for a big family as a manservant; and her mother, who was working as a cleaning lady, she resigned herself to her fate and took care of the household chores and taught her children. Slowly, she became used to this common life and its people. Her eldest sister was not spared either; she died of a sudden illness just after the incident happened. It was unknown if it was her in-laws who did it.
This small merchantâs surname happened to be Hou. So it wasnât wrong for Yu Xiang to call her Madam Hou.[6] But Chang Ya Fu could still recall the words she had silently mouthed towards Yu Xiang to assert her dominance when she returned to the capital from her hometown. Every time she thought of it, she felt ashamed and angry to death. Marquess, she almost became a real Marquess. If she hadnât been greedy for glory and wealth, she would have married Yu Pin Yan earlier, and the Duke Jingguo manor would not have been exterminated under her own hands.
Thoughts about the past and her behaviors would often keep her up at night. The relentless remorse and regret was like a poison, seeping into every cell inside her body. She wished she could hit herself and become a fool so that she could forget about her unpleasant past. However, every time Yu Xiang went out, she would intentionally place herself in front of her (CYF) to sweetly call her âMadam Houâ.
That little mouth is so pretty, but why is it so vicious?
No matter if she had countless grievances, she didnât dare to confront Yu Xiang when she was still a di daughter of Duke Jingguo; she didnât even dare now. She glanced quickly at the tall, elegant and handsome man, and started to pack up her stall. She couldnât bear the thought of the stall owners discussing her past again after Yu Xiangâs visit today.
As the carriage drove further away, Yu Xiang suddenly felt it was uninteresting. She tossed the rogue aside and lamented, âI wonât come here anymore.â
âHave you finally come to your senses?â The Old Madam tucked the messy hair around her cheeks away.
âNo, Iâm going to take care of the baby at home. How could I have time for her? Once I have the first baby, wouldnât the second, third and fourth be not far behind?â Lately, Yu Xiang really enjoyed stroking her belly even though she couldnât feel anything. It turned out that this was how it felt like to be a mother. It was as if the seal in her brain was removed, and her entire body felt like it was lifted to another level. Her heart was filled with immense joy and anticipation.
Upon hearing this, the Old Madam put her arms around her and laughed. Which elder wouldnât like to have many grandchildren? It was good that her granddaughter-in-law thought this way.