A spark of joy flashed across Wenqingâs eyes. She bobbed towards Chu Lian and left to look for some ointment.
He Changdi had already sent a messenger out to the old residence with the good news this morning when he left the estate. When it was almost lunch time, Countess Jingâan actually came over personally with a group of servants.
Chu Lian hurriedly went out to welcome her.
Once she escorted her in all the way to Songtao Court, Countess Jingâan looked her up and down with a beaming smile, âI canât tell that youâre pregnant at all, you havenât put on any weight!â
Chu Lian led the countess over to a chair, âMother, Iâm eating two bowls of rice at each meal! Iâm already trying my best!â
Countess Jingâan was in a good mood after seeing that her daughter-in-law looked bright and healthy.
âEat whatever you want. If you donât have it around, then send Sanlang out to get it. You canât let yourself suffer!â
Chu Lian thought to herself, Sanlang might not even be able to find what she wanted to eat. The Great Wu didnât have any of the snacks from the modern world.
âIâll listen to you, Mother.â
âReally, why did the two of you wait until now to tell us the news? If I had known earlier, I would have moved over to take care of you. Youâre all alone here and we canât be too careless with your first pregnancy.â
Countess Jingâan was genuinely happy for her son and daughter-in-law. She couldnât count on her eldest and second sons, so she was hoping that He Changdi and Chu Lian could have a child as soon as possible.
Chu Lian didnât hide the truth from her.
âMother, we donât need you to work so hard to take care of us. We have some senior servants around. Also, my pregnancy wasnât stable before, so we didnât mention it to you.â
Countess Jingâan was managing the Jingâan Estate now, so she couldnât just leave and come over here to stay. There was also the matriarch still back in the old residence, so she couldnât really do as she said to look after Chu Lian.
The countess was startled upon hearing that the baby had almost been lost, âHave you asked an imperial physician to check? How is it now?â
Chu Lian smiled, âThereâs no problems at all now. We have Uncle Miao here too, so we donât need any imperial physicians.â
If she had really requested for an imperial physician over to check her health, then she wouldnât have been able to hide her pregnancy.
Hearing so, Countess Jingâan heaved a sigh of relief. She started talking to Chu Lian with sincerity and passion, âYou absolutely have to take good care of your health during this pregnancy. If thereâs an emergency, and unless thereâs no other choice, I would rather that you give up the child than to damage your body permanently. Donât follow down my path. The two of you are still young. If you nurse your body well, there will still be time to get pregnant again.â
This was what Countess Jingâan truly felt from the bottom of her heart. Back then, she had ignored her weak health to give birth to children, causing her to fall seriously ill and suffer for decades. Of course, Countess Jingâan didnât blame any of her three sons. They were all her flesh and blood, so there was no such thing as resentment or hate for them. She simply wanted to let her daughter-in-law know how important it was for her body to be healthy.
Chu Lian was touched by the countess. It hadnât been easy for her mother-in-law to speak such words to her.
âMother, donât worry, Iâm perfectly healthy now.â
âThen Iâll rest assured about your health. Come, let me tell you some things you have to take note of during your pregnancy.â
While Chu Lian had already heard similar pointers from the senior servants, she still patiently listened to all of what Countess Jingâan had to say and made mental notes in her heart.
Xiyan steeped the newly made batch of tea for Countess Jingâan, while Chu Lian only had honey water.
Countess Jingâan sipped at the tea to wet her throat, before dismissing the maidservants around them and pulling Chu Lian closer to ask some intimate questions.
A corner of Chu Lianâs mouth twitched and she shook her head with a blush.
âLianâer, there are some things that Mother just has to tell you. You canât spoil your man at this time. Donât be so muddle-headed as other women and find some bed servant for your husband while youâre inconvenienced. Our house doesnât follow such customs anyway.â
Chu Lian found it funny and spoke honestly, âMother, Iâm not that generous. I think youâve overestimated me. Itâs already been a tough month for me with this pregnancy, Iâm already doing pretty good not torturing my husband. I wouldnât be so silly as to give him to some other woman.â
Countess Jingâan stroked her head, satisfied with her answer, âItâs good as long as you understand. However, we canât be too harsh with our husbands at times too.â
While Countess Jingâan wasnât the brightest with managing the household, she did have a hand with managing her husband.
Otherwise, how could a fearsome man like her father-in-law be so enamoured with his one wife?
âOnce I heard that you were pregnant, I prepared plenty of things for you. I came a little rushed today, so Iâll send them back with you after you come over to visit the old residence.â
Chu Lian didnât reject the offer and simply smiled in agreement.
The Jingâan Estate.
Once the third branch had moved out, the atmosphere here had cooled down significantly.
Especially in the matriarchâs Qingxi Hall.
He Erlang rarely returned to the estate, and Dalang was out from early morning to night. Every day, only Countess Jingâan would come over to greet the matriarch with Little An and Little Lin in tow.
Matriarch He wasnât very close to her two great-granddaughters. If not for Count Jingâan rejecting the idea, she would have gone to the rural estate to live with He Ying and her daughter...
The matriarchâs vision and hearing were both getting worse, while there was more and more white spreading in her hair. Each day, she woke up with aches and pains in her old body. It was no wonder that Count Jingâan wouldnât let his aging mother go off to the rural estate.
When He Changdi and his wife moved out of the estate, the matriarch felt frustrated with her remaining anger.
Having a great-grandson had always been Matriarch Heâs dearest wish.
Now that they had suddenly received the news of Chu Lianâs pregnancy, as much as the enmity between the matriarch and Chu Lian hadnât been resolved, the old woman still viewed Chu Lian in a better light.