Chapter 227:
With help from an acquaintance, Xie Wanning quickly purchased her residence in Bianzhou City.
Accompanied by Chen Xi’er, she bought several maidservants and old women, thoroughly cleaned the place, and moved in.
At present, people did not emphasize gender segregation; prominent families and nobles might still have a few pedantic individuals, but in rural areas, those rules had long been abandoned.
Therefore, on the day of moving in, to show solemnity, Xie Wanning specially set a banquet and invited Chen Xi’er’s husband’s family for a casual meal.
Chen Xi’er’s husband was surnamed Li, named Wenhan. The Li Family had a simple household; Li Wenhan was the only son, his father was also a scholar, but repeated imperial exams had worn out his body, so he passed away a few years ago. Thus, the Li Family currently had only three members.
The family’s livelihood relied solely on one pastry shop; Chen Xi’er and her mother-in-law managed it daily, while Li Wenhan only needed to study well and strive for the recommended scholar official title.
These days, Xie Wanning had visited the Li Family several times and had a very good impression of Li Wenhan and his mother.
Chen Xi’er’s judgment of people was indeed good; although the Li Family was not wealthy or noble, Li’s mother was gentle and kind, and Li Wenhan was handsome, refined, and elegant.
Most importantly, they did not see Chen Xi’er as an orphaned girl and think her weak and easy to bully, to be manipulated at will.
On the contrary, they treated this wife very well and, by extension, showed extra care to her cousin who had come to seek refuge.
Because of her buying the courtyard and moving, Chen Xi’er had not attended to the pastry shop’s work these days, but her mother-in-law had no complaints; instead, after closing the shop each day, she personally came to help clean the courtyard.
It was also because of the Li family members’ kindness that the neighbors in this alley treated Xie Wanning quite warmly, making her, who had come here alone, feel less helpless and adrift.
The move went very smoothly.
Xie Wanning finally felt she could settle down and enjoy life, but things never go as one wishes; her body seemed to have a problem.
At first, it was just restless sleep, difficulty falling asleep; she thought it was because she had just arrived and lacked a sense of belonging, unaccustomed to the local conditions.
After enduring this for several days, not only did it not improve, but she also developed a loss of appetite.
She had plenty of silver money and was never stingy with food; the two cooks she bought were skilled in various foods, but every time a table of delicacies was laid out before her, she found them tasteless.
When she once again covered her mouth, feeling nauseous and about to vomit, Xie Wanning still wondered if it was from the journey, stuffing cold and hot things into her mouth, injuring her stomach.
Old Woman Ma, serving at the side, finally could not hold back and said, “I wonder when Madam’s monthly affairs last came?”
Xie Wanning’s current identity was that of a widow whose husband had recently passed, who had no way out and brought her family wealth to seek refuge with her cousin.
Hearing this, she was stunned.
Then she began to recall, and the more she thought, the faster her heart pounded.
In the end, she pressed her racing heart and said, “This is impossible. Could it be that the arduous journey delayed my monthly affairs?”
“There is that possibility,” the old woman said. “Constant loss of appetite is no way to go. Why doesn’t Madam invite a doctor to come take a look?”
Xie Wanning waved her hand. “Go quickly.”
Old Woman Ma was quick and efficient; upon hearing this, she immediately headed out.
Xie Wanning watched her back, her heart uneasy.
Even with such obvious symptoms, she had not considered the possibility of being pregnant.
In her past life, she had been married to Lu Ziyan for two years, consummated countless times, yet never conceived.
In this life, she had been married to Pei Yuqing for a year; although they consummated late and later left the capital for several months, they had been intimate many times, yet still had not conceived.
For this, she had even suspected there was something wrong with her body.
But now, she…?
