CH 38

Chapter 38: Pregnancy 

In the late afternoon of the ninth day of the first month, the sun was shining, and Tao Xinhe was invited to her brother’s courtyard to sit opposite her sister-in-law, Lady Hong, and to look at the gift list with interest, counting the small and fragmentary items sent by the Jichang Bo Mansion..

They are not precious things, but the rare thing lies in their care and delicacy.

While counting, Lady Hong asked the elder sister with doubts, “Our Tao Manor has never had any contact with Jichang Bo Mansion before, right? Is it because I haven’t been married for a long time and I didn’t realize it?”

There were all sorts of things piled up on the table, Tao Xinhe casually picked up the Nine Linked-Rings made of willow wood and looked at them. Nine Linked-Rings is a toy commonly used by women to entertain themselves in their boudoir. This one in her hand is made of novel materials and is very warm to the touch. Each ring is painted with different colors, it was very vibrant and ingenious. Jichang Bo wrote in his letter that it is a way of “Apologizing for his Son’s transgressions“, this second batch of gifts were also received this morning.

Tao Xinhe told Lady Hong with certainty that their family and theirs have no special connections. She remembered it correctly because the Jichang Bo Mansion was not on the gift list of the Tao Manor’s New Year’s Day thanks nor were they in contact with anyone in the Manor before. It was only because Cheng Jia accidentally injured Qiangniang that they got in touch this time.

However, Jichang Bo, Cheng Shicheng came in person yesterday and brought gifts to make amends. The gifts were quite satisfactory, and today they sent another one again. They are obviously toys and gadgets for women..

The housekeeper of their mansion explained, “My Master came to apologize to Tao Yuanwailang yesterday, and today these gifts are sent in apology for the Third Miss Tao. Does Madam Gu want us to send it directly to the second household of the Gu mansion? It’s okay, our master already heard that Third Miss Tao will return to the mansion in a few days. In order to avoid moving around. We would like to ask your Manor to accept it. Since you are still in this Manor… um… Miss Tao, and all the other women in this manor can also use and enjoy it. It is a token of our master’s appreciation.”

After the housekeeper finished his explanation, he was afraid that Tao Xinhe would refuse, so he immediately went and said goodbye.

Tao Xinhe had some headaches, and Ji Chang Bo has been too enthusiastic and considerate. It was simply an insignificant matter, he even had to come to the door and give gifts again and again. If she hadn’t heard that his body had a problem, she would almost think that the other party had other plans.

Lady Hong was panicked when he heard those words, her expression changed, she didn’t know if she was thinking the same as her, so she asked softly, “Has Jichang Bo seen Qiang Niang?”

Tao Xinhe threw the Nine Linked-Rings into the original pile of small gifts, shook her head, and replied,

“I asked Qiang Niang specifically yesterday, and she told me that she had never met Sir Ji Chang herself. Besides, the Sir is different from ordinary men, so don’t worry too much.”

It was related to other people’s privacy, so Tao Xinhe hesitated for a moment, but did not explain what the difference was.

However, Lady Hong looked at her eldest sister-in-law in a strange way, wanting to say something but didn’t.

Tao Xinhe didn’t care about it, and picked up another gift. It was a chubby little clay figurine, molded into a boy with long hair, it had a round face, big eyes and red body, it was very cute.

Lady Hong finally swallowed the words down. She actually wanted to ask her eldest sister-in-law why she would talk about the sir in a familiar tone, and she even heard him call her by her boudoir name outside the gate of the mansion yesterday.

Looking at the clay figurine at Tao Xinhe’s hands, Lady Hong naturally thought that he and his eldest sister were married women and had no children.

If it was normal, maybe she would whisper to Tao Xinhe about the secret recipe for childbirth that she just got from her natal family. But it is not appropriate now.

After Tao Xinhe pointed things out one by one, and seeing that Jichang bo didn’t specify who to give these things to, She said in a deliberative tone,

“Since the other party said it was for Qiang Niang to make amends, then I won’t take anything apart from this clay figurine, I will keep this for us to play as a decoration or a toy, and the other items are will be sent Qiangniang’s courtyard, what do you guys think?”

It must be because the eldest sister-in-law felt her gaze lingering on the fat doll, and Lady Hong deeply admired Tao Xinhe’s attention to detail, and appreciated it. So she added another question,

“Sister, don’t you want to pick a few?”

Tao Xinhe smiled and shook her head. She has always had little desire for material things, and has no obsession with these impractical materials, whether she has them or not it doesn’t matter.

Now that the distribution was done, she got up slowly and prepared to go back to her courtyard.

At this time, Lady Hong suddenly said that she had an abdominal pain, and immediately covered his stomach.

“Ouch”.

Tao Xinhe hurriedly supported her, put her on the bed, and assigned servants to invite the doctor and find her younger brother who was visiting friends.

❖

An hour later.

“I’m going to be a father? I’m going to be a father!” Tao Muxian danced in the open space of the courtyard, unable to stop for a long time.

Tao Xinhe smoothed her sleeves, and walked out of the room, she gestured to Tao Muxian to keep silent, and said with a smile, “My sister-in-law had just slept, so don’t disturb her.” Tao Muxian nodded vigorously and raised his hand to cover his mouth, but joy couldn’t be hidden from his eyes.

‘Yeah, right, what couple wouldn’t look forward to this kind of thing?’

She and Gu Ningxi, since they had to follow the three-year filial piety period for her mother-in-law, they weren’t able to do anything. But once it ended in August last year, they also started to look forward to it and dreamed about having children.

Fortunately they haven’t, otherwise it would be too difficult to deal with especially this time.

Tao Xinhe looked down at the emerald jade bracelet on her wrist, fiddled with it lightly, and warned herself not to think about it anymore. There was a circle of inconspicuous scratches on her wrist, which were left by Lady Hong just now.

Lady Hong was pregnant for the first time, and she didn’t know what to do. She had sex with her younger brother a few days ago, and today she had a stomach ache. The doctor said that the fetal phase was unstable, and Lady Hong’s face turned pale from fright. Her grip on her hand was so hard that she didn’t even realize it.

After hearing that the doctor said that she needs to stay in bed for half a month and take the anti-fetal medicine every day. If there is no accident during this period, the fetus should be able to be recovered. Lady Hong responded repeatedly and immediately laid down.

However, she was still terrified, so she begged Tao Xinhe to accompany her.

Tao Xinhe murmured softly to comfort Lady Hong at first, but later she heard her saying something, Lady Hong said, “What if?”

“What if it can’t be saved?”

Tao Xinhe changed her expression, and sat upright on the head of Lady Hong’s bed, she then persuaded her to rest for a while, and even hummed an unknown tune.

Lady Hong clung tightly to her elder sister’s sleeve, and suddenly felt at ease in her heart. Somehow, she became dependent on her, and she finally realized why her husband was like that towards his eldest sister. His elder sister is definitely a wonderful and reassuring person.

Her voice became smaller and smaller, until Tao Xinhe gradually stopped humming. She saw that Lady Hong had already closed her eyes and fell asleep.

But her sleeves was still held tightly in her hand, and she couldn’t pull it out, she moved her arm slightly, then Lasy Hong also turned her head and waved her hands, Tao Xinhe had to sit on the bedside of her little sister-in-law for a long time, and only after confirming that lady Hong was breathing smoothly and sleeping soundly, did she pull out the sleeves little by little. At the same time, she quickly stuffed a veil into her palm.

After leaving the room, Tao Xinhe was finally infected by her younger brother’s excitement, and said softly,

“Congratulations, Muxian. Be considerate of your wife from now on, she’s feeling uneasy.”

Tao Muxian patted his chest in agreement, but thinking that his lady was sleeping in the room, he quickly lowered his volume.

But he suddenly thought of something, but he felt embarrassed to ask, so after waiting for a while, he saw Tao Xinhe’s figure already approaching the gate of the courtyard, and he finally couldn’t hold back his embarrassment anymore and chased after her. He closed his eyes and then asked Tao Xinhe,

“Sister, if you are pregnant, would you still continue the divorce?”

Tao Xinhe was startled after hearing his words.

After a moment of silence, she managed to regain her senses, patted her brother on the upper arm, and said,

“Thank you, Muxian. The separation letter has been sent out, why do you still have any doubts? Besides, your sister knows herself well, there is nothing for you to worry about at all, so don’t think about it.”

She comforted her younger brother, and walked slowly on the cobblestone path, after thinking about her countermeasures “If she was pregnant”, she unknowingly deviated, and stepped into the dirt on the side of the road, Qingfang behind her quickly helped her.

“Qingfang, do you still remember the last time that I had my ‘Little Days‘?” Tao Xinhe softly asked the close servant girl behind her as if she was dreaming. She didn’t pay much attention to her own body, so naturally the maids cared about it and prepared it for her in advance.

Sure enough, Qingfang said the date without any hesitation. Tao Xinhe calculated silently, it should be around fourteenth or fifteenth this month, right? Just in time for the Lantern Festival.

What would she do if her monthly period didn’t come by then?

What would she do if she was really pregnant?

❖

Tao Xinhe returned to her courtyard for a short rest of around three quarters of an hour, and then welcomed Second Aunt Gu in. Second Aunt Gu ignored her curious look, which seemed to be asking if, “Gu Sicheng agreed to separate?”

Instead, she asked, “He Niang, you are not too careful about your own body! If you are pregnant, would you be fooling around if you remarried?”

After hearing the topic of “Pregnancy” again unexpectedly, Tao Xinhe was not as stunned as last time. After taking a breath of surprise, she asked with a smile,

“Where is this coming from? Is it possible that I don’t know if I am pregnant?”

“No?”

Second Aunt Gu sat down, then swallowed half a cup of tea. She then took Tao Xinhe’s hand, and told what she saw and heard at Gu Ningxi’s place in the morning.

For Gu Ningxi’s description of the tragic situation and the regretful heart of confessing his mistakes, Tao Xinhe automatically turned his ears off, and confirmed with a gentle smile,

“So he agreed? He also wrote a new letter of separation?”

The second aunt Gu took out something that looked like a letter, shook it in front of Tao Xinhe’s eyes, and then took it back, muttering,

“He Niang, it’s not that this second aunt is trying to make things difficult for you. But Brother Xi and I had already discussed it. So I have a suggestion. That is, let’s invite a doctor to check your pulse. If you are not pregnant, I will offer this separation letter myself with both hands.”

“Second Aunt, I am already separated from Gu Ningxi, and whether there is a child or not, why would it matter? What’s the connection between this and that?”

Tao Xinhe understands what Second Aunt Gu meant, and if she is really pregnant, she might try to persuade her to make amends,

“Second Aunt, our problem does not lie in the offspring, so I don’t want to agree to see a doctor.”

Second Aunt Gu talked about the difference between having children and not having children, and even brought up her deceased sister-in-law.

Tao Xinhe sighed in her heart, she had already thought this through, if in case, that she was really pregnant, it would not delay her separation with Gu Ningxi, not at all.

As for the fetus that may be in the womb, it is connected to her blood and is a treasure bestowed by God. She should take good care of it and nurture it with all her heart after giving birth. After the child grows up and is sensible, if he asks about it, she will tell the child about her father in a straightforward manner without criticizing or denying it. Maybe at that time, Gu Ningxi would have already had his own children.

Of course, Tao Xinhe knew that she was thinking about it in the long run, maybe she wasn’t even pregnant at all?

After enduring Second Aunt Gu’s preaching, Tao Xinhe finally called over Qingfang on the pretext of changing clothes, and told her to run to see the doctor who came to stop Lady Hong earlier, and ask him to check her pulse, after his meeting with her father. She would then make her own judgement, whether she wants to accept the second aunt’s suggestion or not. After all, she just wants this to end smoothly.

Qingfang came back after a while, and whispered something to her, Tao Xinhe smiled, and said to Aunt Gu,

“Since Aunt Gu is kind, then I’ll follow your suggestion to satisfy your concerns. It just so happens that there is a doctor in our house. I’ll ask him to feel my pulse in front of you, how about it?”

“That’s great! Brother Xi has been thinking about your body, he was afraid that you suddenly vomited the day before yesterday, and that you haven’t recovered. After listening to the doctor’s explanation, I can go back and tell Brother Xi.”

After Tao Xinhe heard her words, she thought that she didn’t feel Gu Ningxi’s concern at all, and even felt that this person was fake, so she smiled and didn’t answer.