Today was the first time Xu Lanyin slept alone since she married Zhao Wuhou. She had something on her mind and tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

In the second half of the night, there was sudden thunder and lightning, followed by heavy rain.

Thinking of Zhao Wu, whose whereabouts were unknown, Xu Lanyin's heart tightened even more.

The heavy rain lasted all day and all night, and finally stopped on the morning of the 12th. After the rain, the sky was clear and a rainbow appeared in the sky.

Xu Lanyin, who had been cooped up at home for a long time, wanted to go out and have some fun. She was finally three months pregnant. The first place she wanted to go was Min's house, as the two pregnant women had the most in common.

Mrs. Lu advised, "The rain has just stopped and there is a lot of water on the road. Second Madam, please go tomorrow."

Xu Lanyin looked at the colorful fallen petals all over the courtyard. The small puddles one after another looked like small bronze mirrors under the sunlight. The chess guards and chess holders were cleaning them.

She nodded to show that she would listen to the advice.

Mrs. Lu smiled with her eyes crooked, and then said, "Second Madam is really bored, should I go and invite Third Madam He and Xiaoling from the previous alley?"

Xiao Lingdang is Grandma He San's son. He is just three months old. He is white, fat and handsome. Xu Lanyin likes him very much.

Xu Lanyin shook her head and picked up the child's clothes to sew them.

The sun was very strong and the wind was very strong, and the ground was completely dry by the afternoon.

Xu Lanyin was sitting under a tree "replenishing calcium" when Xiao Zhuzi came in to report, "Second Madam, two young women came outside, holding a baby. The women said their surname was Su, and they were old friends of Second Madam."

The young woman, a baby, surnamed Su, claimed to be her old friend!

Thinking of a possibility, Xu Lanyin stood up in shock, and the chess player next to her was so frightened that she quickly supported her.

The chess master scolded, "Second Madam, are you trying to scare me to death?"

Xu Lanyin ignored her and said, "Please invite them in."

A moment later, Su Qing walked in with a young woman.

Su Qing was very thin, with a sallow complexion. She wore a blue cloth cape and a half-worn jacket and long skirt. Her head was wrapped in a scarf, and the hair that was exposed was soaked with sweat and stuck to her forehead and temples. This was a typical frail woman from a small family, without any of her former charm.

Xu Lanyin also knew the other woman, her maid Xiaohe, who was holding a baby wrapped in a blanket in her arms.

Why is Su Qing here? She should not have finished her confinement yet, right?

Xu Lanyin stared at her blankly and forgot to say hello.

Su Qing came to Xu Lanyin, knelt down, and said with a wry smile, "Grandma Zhao, you would never have thought that I, Su Qing, would one day be able to seek refuge under you."

"Beg me?" This surprised Xu Lanyin even more. She said, "I knew this day would come. But why should I help you? You didn't bother me before in order to marry him."

Su Qing's eyes misted as she murmured, "My grandmother died last year, and my grandfather, who loved me the most, also passed away in March of this year. Madam Su hates me to the core, and my two uncles are unwilling to offend her for my sake... I'm at the end of my rope, with nowhere else to go. Thinking back, you and I once shared the same fate. We foolishly fell in love with the same man, and were deceived by the same man... But you were smarter than me and pulled away early, while I was forced into a desperate situation..."

Any other woman, even someone she didn't know, would have felt sympathy for her. But Su Qing, the young master's suffering before his death, was entirely her fault. For the young master's sake, Xu Lanyin was unwilling to help her. Even though Su Qing was a reborn being and knew the young master would eventually die, that wasn't a reason for her to be an accomplice.

Xu Lanyin said calmly, "Do you think I will help you just because of this?"

Su Qing said, "I know I've hurt you in the past. I shouldn't have been involved with him even though I knew you were engaged and that you loved him so much... I'm sorry, I apologize, and I've been punished. Grandma Zhao, please listen to me. I have a reason to make you fall in love."

After saying so many words at once, her body swayed and she seemed about to fall down.

Xiao He quickly said, "Grandma Zhao, my aunt is still in confinement after her baby's birth and has been exhausted from traveling all the way. Could you please let my aunt come in and sit down to talk? The young master only had a sip of milk this morning." Then she said embarrassedly, "It would be best if you could give my aunt a sip of hot soup as well."

The child in her arms started crying at the right moment, her voice sounding like a cat, and it was obvious that the child was not feeling well.

Xu Lanyin walked over and removed the cloth from the child's face. The baby was tiny and thin, with sparse hair. He cried with his eyes closed, his face flushed. It was obvious the child was premature, weighing no more than four pounds. And yet, after all this trouble in the capital, he was still alive. So fragile, yet so tenacious.

Regardless of who his parents are, the child is innocent.

The haggard Su Qing didn't impress Xu Lanyin, but this fragile life made her secretly interested. She couldn't help but provide a chair for Su Qing to breastfeed and a bowl of hot soup. Moreover, Xu Lanyin was also curious about what reason Su Qing had to make her heart flutter.

Then he said, "Let's go and talk inside."

Su Qing and Xiaohe, who was holding the child, went into the house and sat down.

Xu Lanyin said to Zhangqi again, "Go heat up a bowl of chicken soup." He quickly added, "Heat up two bowls, add more meat, and two bowls of egg noodles."

Xu Lanyin eats tonic food every day, so there is always chicken soup in the kitchen.

Before Su Qing could continue, Xu Lanyin noticed that she was seriously exhausted and said, "Let's talk after dinner."

The chess master quickly came over with a tray.

Two large bowls of chicken, two large bowls of chicken soup noodles, and two poached eggs on top of each bowl.

Su Qing smiled and said, "Thank you, Grandma Zhao, we won't be polite." Then she picked up the chopsticks and started eating.

Xu Lanyin said with a malicious smile, "You trust me so much that you're not afraid that I'll poison you."

Su Qing coughed a few times after choking on a mouthful of soup and said, "If Grandma Zhao wanted me to die, she could have just kicked me out. There would have been no need for such unnecessary actions."

Xu Lanyin took the child from Xiaohe's arms. The child had stopped crying and was looking at Xu Lanyin quietly, occasionally rubbing his little mouth and sticking out his little pink tongue.

This child looks a bit like Gu Wangchen and a bit like Su Qing, with a very pretty face.

Xu Lanyin's heart is soft. If he is not Gu Wangchen's child, she would want to kiss him.

Su Qing raised her head and smiled again, "His name is Gu Qian. I hope he can be humble and righteous when he grows up and become a true gentleman."

As she spoke, her voice choked again and she lowered her head to continue eating noodles.

She actually gave the child the surname Gu, instead of her own surname, Su. It seems Su Qing truly loves Gu Wangchen, and even then, she hasn't turned her love into hatred. I hope this child lives up to his mother's expectations...

After Su Qing and Xiao He finished their meal, there was not even a drop of soup left in their bowls.

Su Qing smiled embarrassedly and said, "The food outside is never as tasty as what I make myself." She took Gu Qian and turned sideways to feed the child.