Chapter 140: Practicing What You Preach

Translator: 549690339

The days have flown by, and the time for Han Yu to leave had arrived. Su Wenyue was pregnant, and although Han Yu originally wanted her to join him after the child in her womb had reached three months, Su Wenyue no longer wished to continue living in the Han Family home and insisted on going with him at this time. Han Yu had no way of dealing with Su Wenyue, so he relented since the town he was going to was not too far away, merely half a day’s journey. After consulting a doctor to ensure that Su Wenyue’s health could withstand the trip, Han Yu packed up his wife and her servant and took them away.

This was something Han Yu only informed Old Man Han and Mrs. Yang of just before departing. Old Man Han didn’t have any objections, as long as Su Wenyue was sure her health could endure the journey, but Mrs. Yang had plenty of complaints and was completely against the idea. She hadn’t noticed before, but now she realized that the Fourth Daughter-in-law was not one to settle down easily. With a child in her womb, to run around with a man—what chaos! A man goes out to accomplish great deeds; a woman following him would only cause trouble! Regardless, Mrs. Yang had begun to understand that Su Wenyue responded better to a gentle approach than a hard one, so she tempered her words accordingly.

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, listen to Mother. Your child is just over a month old, and the first three months are crucial; there must be no negligence. Besides, Fourth child is going out to do important work, not to have fun. If you go along, he will have to be distracted by caring for you. You are now a mother yourself and should consider more for your husband and child, and not be willful.”

Su Wenyue felt stifled by her mother-in-law’s repeated attempts to stop her, but since this was her mother-in-law, Su Wenyue tried to reason with her calmly and evenly.

“Mother, don’t worry, a doctor has already diagnosed me, and the child in my womb is doing well. Besides, it’s not that far away; it’s just half a day’s journey by horse carriage. There won’t be any problems. I am only pregnant, not incapacitated. I can take care of myself and don’t need my husband to look after me. Besides, I have Xiao Xi with me. Whatever needs to be done, I’ll just have Xiao Xi do it; there won’t be any trouble for me.”

“Fourth Daughter-in-law, why are you so stubborn? Xiao Xi is just a little girl who has not yet married, and even if she can manage a lot, she lacks experience in many things. If you stay at home, Mother can watch over you and ensure you will give birth to a healthy baby. Look at the other families; when the men go out to work, you don’t see their wives following them. Be sensible!” Mrs. Yang’s words already carried a warning. If it had not been for the formidable background of the Fourth child’s mother’s family, and Fourth child’s protective stance, she would not have been so polite.

Su Wenyue pretended not to understand the hidden implications in her mother-in-law’s words. After all, as long as Han Yu didn’t change his mind, no one would be able to stop her.

“Mother-in-law, rest assured, my Birth Mother has already sent word that she will send an experienced old woman who understands childbirth to take care of me. You really shouldn’t worry; besides, we’ve already divided the family. It wouldn’t make sense to have a mother-in-law continue taking care of her daughter-in-law.”

Mrs. Yang, seeing that there was no persuading Su Wenyue, began to dislike her even more, and struggled to maintain the smile on her face.

Han Yu sighed, indeed, mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law were arch-enemies. His wife, who was so virtuous and amiable, somehow didn’t get along with his mother. Previously, he had admired how well they got along, but issues became apparent as soon as they arose.

“Mother, don’t concern yourself with this. It was my wish for Lady Yue to come along,” Han Yu said, not wanting his wife to suffer any more difficulties imposed by his mother, and thus he took the responsibility upon himself.

“Fourth child, don’t spoil your wife blindly; this is not how things should be done. She is young and a little frivolous; how can she take good care of my precious grandson? If she isn’t by my side, how can I be relieved?”

No mother-in-law wants to see her son siding with his wife. Hearing Han Yu speak in favor of Su Wenyue, Mrs. Yang felt all the more unbalanced.

“Mother, didn’t Lady Yue just say that my Mother-in-law has sent a knowledgeable old woman to take care of her? You don’t need to worry about this. Besides, I truly need Lady Yue to come along to help me. If it were not the case, I would never let her follow me while she’s pregnant. Would I not care about my own child? Moreover, I wouldn’t feel at ease leaving Lady Yue alone at home. Who knows, the Jiang Family might find their way here at any time; we were lucky this time, but who can predict the outcome next time?”

“Having her help you? How could a pregnant woman be of help to you? Yuer, I think you’re muddled. Even if you want to make up an excuse, you should come up with a plausible one. Why are the both of you so disappointing, getting led around by a woman? I thought you were different.” Mrs. Yang selectively ignored the latter part and put on a heartbroken façade.

Never mind Su Wenyue standing by; even Han Yu found his mother’s reaction a bit headache-inducing. His mother had always been quite reasonable, but now she had become like this.

Although Su Wenyue disagreed inwardly, Han Yu had taken over the discussion, so she obediently stood to one side, appearing compliant and refrained from interjecting, entrusting everything to Han Yu. After all, hadn’t he said that she must absolutely trust her husband? She was now putting that into practice.

“Mother, why would you think that way? You are my birth mother; would I deceive you? This trip directly grants me an eighth-rank official position, and it was through Father-in-law’s planning that it was obtained. Being an official is different from being a petty soldier. Though I will start as a lowly eighth-rank official, I will have to engage in social interactions. There will be times when it’s inappropriate for a man to step in, and that’s when I’ll rely on Lady Yue to assist me. Why would I bring a female relative with me for no good reason? Surely you don’t think your son is so incompetent that he’s only preoccupied with personal relationships all day.”

Mrs. Yang had not been aware of these details. She wondered why her son would bring his wife along; so that was the reason. She truly hadn’t imagined the Su Family was so capable. She had only thought Master Su was a wealthy merchant; and even if he was more influential, it was still in the realm of wealth. She didn’t expect they had the ability to affect matters in the Imperial Court. Her son was going off not just as a servant but as an official.

Mrs. Yang stopped fixating on whether Su Wenyue should accompany Han Yu or not, now feeling quite pleased with herself. Her son would be the first official from their village, no matter how minor the position. An official was still an official, and since Fourth child had always been promising, he was bound to rise higher in the future. Others’ sons went out to serve as soldiers; her son was going to serve as an official. Her son was always a step above others.

Su Wenyue thought to herself that what Han Yu had said made quite a bit of sense. When it came to deceiving his own mother, this son didn’t hold back at all. Mrs. Yang wouldn’t object anymore; she was probably looking forward to her departure. In Mrs. Yang’s eyes, aside from yearning for grandchildren, her son’s future was the most important thing.

After bidding farewell to the Han family members, Han Yu set off with Su Wenyue and her attendant in the horse carriage. Since Su Wenyue was pregnant and he was concerned about the journey jolting the child in her womb, Han Yu deliberately slowed the carriage. A half-day journey took a full day, and by evening, the carriage stopped in front of a small courtyard with a single entrance.