Chapter 203: Summer Days Are Long
Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, and Wen Mingqian had already moved into the house bestowed by the Princess Consort Zhao.
Not long after, the Grand Princess recognized her as an adopted daughter.
These two events caused a huge stir in the Capital City, becoming known to almost every household.
Everyone originally thought that Wen Mingqian, having left the Gong Family, was like a swallow without a nest. But who would have thought she would fly to even higher branches.
This was when Liu Cuiyi came to visit her. As she was still in mourning for Zhou Jing San, her attire was very plain, but her complexion was excellent. Her belly was already quite large, and she needed assistance to walk and sit.
“You’re due to give birth in a little over a month, aren’t you? How are you feeling now?” Wen Mingqian asked her with a smile.
“Other than eating, there’s nothing much. It’s just difficult to turn over at night, but thinking that I’ll give birth in a little over a month, it won’t be too long,” Liu Cuiyi said, stroking her belly. “Elder Sister has moved, and I’ve come specifically to offer my congratulations.”
“What congratulations? It’s just changing places to live,” Wen Mingqian said indifferently. “I suppose your life in the Zhou Family is peaceful now, with no one bothering you anymore?”
“They naturally won’t make things difficult for me, as making things difficult for me now would be making things difficult for themselves,” Liu Cuiyi smiled. “It’s quite funny, actually. I ran into Liu Huanchun on the street a few days ago. She didn’t say anything when she saw me, just glared at me fiercely a few times. I didn’t pay it any mind and just smiled and walked away.”
“People like her are naturally unable to accept being at a disadvantage. She’s naturally unwilling to accept defeat after stumbling at your hands,” Wen Mingqian said. “However, if she can’t find any leverage, she’ll naturally be helpless.”
“Now that Elder Sister is in the spotlight, she’ll have to restrain herself,” Liu Cuiyi said, gently fanning herself. “I heard that a few days ago she went to the Princess Consort Zhao to speak ill of Elder Sister, but the Princess Consort rebuked her, saying that those who come to spread trouble are troublemakers. It’s just making a fool of herself.”
As they were talking, Sang Er brought over a plate of freshly ripened plums. Each was the size of a walnut, covered in a fine fuzz, making one’s mouth water.
“I remember you like eating plums,” Wen Mingqian said to Liu Cuiyi.
“I like these yellowish-green ones; the fully ripe ones aren’t good,” Liu Cuiyi smiled at Sang Er, reached out, and took a half-ripe plum from the plate. She sniffed it first, then took a bite.
Sang Er looked at her round belly and couldn’t help but be a little stunned.
She still found it hard to believe that the child in Liu Cuiyi’s belly was actually her Uncle Sang Sanyang’s. Those two were truly unexpected, completely unrelated, yet they ended up in bed together.
When she came back to her senses, she realized Liu Cuiyi had already grabbed her hand and was guiding it towards her belly.
“Feel it, he’s kicking me right now!” Liu Cuiyi felt no embarrassment at all, even though Sang Er knew about her and Sang Sanyang’s affair and felt somewhat awkward about it.
Sang Er was a little scared and even wanted to pull her hand back, but Liu Cuiyi firmly pressed her hand onto her belly.
“Oh, he really is kicking!” Sang Er immediately felt it. “He’s so strong!”
“When he’s born, you can hold him,” Liu Cuiyi said gently to Sang Er. “He’ll definitely like you very much.”
For some reason, Sang Er’s heart suddenly softened upon hearing her words. Yes, they had a blood connection; this child was her cousin!
“Sang Er, go tell Aunt Wu to add bird’s nest cake, fresh fish soup, and cold-cut lamb liver to lunch,” Wen Mingqian said, listing dishes Liu Cuiyi loved.
“Elder Sister is so kind to me. I have to pretend to eat vegetarian food at the Zhou Family’s,” Liu Cuiyi said. “I can only eat meat when I come here.”
Zhou Jing San was dead, and Liu Cuiyi had to mourn him, but in reality, she had no desire to do so.
The more submissive she had been before, the more rebellious she was now.
As they were eating lunch, Zhao Po Kuang rushed in from outside.
Ever since Wen Mingqian moved here, she had also come to work as a maid.
Not only was the work much lighter than before, but she also received higher wages.
“Madam, I heard on the street that the Old Madam Gong has passed away,” Zhao Po Kuang said, panting. “I was afraid I misheard, so I specifically inquired again, and it is indeed the Old Madam of Ru Yang Bo Mansion.”
Wen Mingqian and the others were all surprised: “How could this be? Old Madam Gong’s health has always been good; how could it be so sudden?”
“I don’t know the details,” Zhao Po Kuang said. “If someone like me goes to their door to inquire, they won’t tell me.”
“Elder Sister, why don’t I go take a look!” Liu Cuiyi said. “You wait here for my news.”
“No need, I’ll go myself,” Wen Mingqian said, standing up. “Mourning is different from celebrations. If the Gong Family had happy news, I might not need to show up, but I must attend the Old Madam’s funeral.”
Liu Cuiyi then accompanied her in the horse carriage, and they hurried to the Gong Family.
At this time, the street where the Gong Family resided was bustling with people and vehicles, clearly all relatives and friends who had heard the news of Old Madam Gong’s passing and had come to pay their respects.
Wen Mingqian went directly into the main house’s courtyard and met Wei Shi.
Upon seeing her, Wei Shi couldn’t help but cry and held her hand, saying, “I was just about to send someone to inform you, and I didn’t expect you to have already arrived.”
“How could it be so sudden? I didn’t believe it at first,” Wen Mingqian said.
“Don’t say you don’t believe it; even we still feel like we’re dreaming,” Wei Shi sighed. “The Old Madam’s spirits have been good these past few days; yesterday she even admired flowers with us!
She woke up a little late this morning, saying she felt a bit tired. I thought perhaps she was tired from admiring flowers yesterday, so I asked the young maids to massage her more.
When preparing lunch, I came over to ask the Old Madam what she wanted to eat. She said she wanted something light, just a bowl of clear soup noodles, and specifically instructed not to add sesame oil.
After I finished giving instructions in the kitchen, a maid from the Old Madam’s courtyard rushed to find me, saying the Old Madam had a headache.
I hurried over, and when I reached the Old Madam’s room, I saw she had already lost consciousness. They had already sent for a doctor, but by the time the doctor arrived, the Old Madam was already gone…”
“This is truly sudden. Although it’s hard to accept for a moment, upon reflection, this is also a blessing the Old Madam has earned, as she didn’t suffer any illness or pain,” Wen Mingqian said, also sighing with emotion.
“Now we can only comfort Eldest Master and Second Master with these words. Speaking of which, Chang An can’t possibly make it in time for the funeral,” Wei Shi said with regret. “The Old Madam used to mention him several times a day; he was the grandson she doted on the most.”
“Yes, Chang An truly cannot make it. Then I will represent him in showing filial piety before the Old Madam’s spirit!” Wen Mingqian said. “It is also a small token of my sincerity.”
