"It's nothing. Young Master and Princess are relatives, right? Why don't you go over and catch up?" Tao Wanniang replied casually, though she was somewhat surprised that Xiao Yi had arrived so quickly.

"If you have nothing else to do, I won't go over. Just give me a private room, as if I'm here for a meal," Xiao Yi said.

Tao Wan's mother immediately called over the waiter next to her, said something to Xiao Yi, and went to the kitchen to get busy.

After having lunch at the Star-Picking Tower, the Princess pondered Tao Wanniang's suggestion. She was quite agitated, feeling that everything Tao Wanniang said made sense, which made her even angrier. She actually thought Tao Wanniang was right!

If she had used tricks to get pregnant with Ling Yunzhou's child before, Ling Yunzhou would have become the prince consort long ago! She felt increasingly regretful. Why didn't anyone tell her these things sooner?

The image of him refusing to acknowledge his child and refusing to see him even when he came to visit every day filled the Princess with immense pleasure. She would definitely not let the opportunity slip by when Ling Yunzhou returned!

Tao Wanniang naturally had no idea how much trouble her casually made-up words would bring to Lingyunzhou in the future. After the fame of Zhaixinglou spread during the Dragon Boat Festival, it became even busier, and the waiters in the shop were running around until their legs were sore.

However, after Tao Wanniang decided to give everyone a raise, the waiters had no complaints about the increasingly heavy workload.

On this day, Tao Wanniang was on her day off and was just lounging around at home when Zhou Xiaoyun came running to her door crying, which annoyed her greatly. What did she want from her?

"Mother, you must stand up for me!" As soon as Zhou Xiaoyun arrived in front of Tao Wanniang, she cried until her face was scrunched up and her chin trembled.

"Stop crying! I'm not dead yet!" Tao Wanniang scolded. "You should have found out beforehand that I was resting at home."

"Mother, that little bitch has ruined me so much." Zhou Xiaoyun wiped away her tears and said, sobbing, "My back injury hasn't healed yet. I went to see a doctor to check my back, but they found something else. Mother, after I got pregnant, my body swelled up like a ball. It turns out it was all because of someone who harmed me."

"Didn't you gain weight because you ate too much?" Tao Wanniang glanced at Zhou Xiaoyun. She was so fat that she looked like a balloon. She almost didn't see the maid following behind Zhou Xiaoyun.

"The doctor said that I... I was given animal drugs," Zhou Xiaoyun said angrily. "Those drugs that make pigs have a huge appetite."

"The doctor said that if I continue like this, the baby in my belly will be too big, and I will easily have a difficult labor and the baby won't be able to come out. Mother, please, please help me! It must be that little bitch who is trying to harm me!" Zhou Xiaoyun said angrily, her eyes reddening.

Tao Wanniang frowned. Such things… weren't unheard of. “You mean that Shishi drugged you?”

"Who else could it be but her? When I was in the capital, although I was fat, I wasn't this chubby. It was only after I went to the estate that I started eating everything I saw, and ended up like this."

Zhou Xiaoyun said, feeling wronged and resentful, unable to hide her hatred for Shishi any longer.

Perhaps it really was Shishi who did it. Tao Wanniang looked Zhou Xiaoyun up and down and said calmly, "Even if it was, do you have any evidence? And what do you want me to do by coming to me? You've already separated your families and are living separately. What can I say?"

"But you are my mother, you are Dapeng's biological mother! Even if you don't like me, the child in my belly is still your son's child!" Zhou Xiaoyun sobbed again.

In the past, Tao Wanniang would have found Zhou Xiaoyun's crying annoying, but now she finds it quite comical. She's so fat that she has a triple chin, and the way she cries is strangely funny.

“Zhou Xiaoyun, don’t use this to pressure me. I’ve already sent you back to the capital, so just rest and recover. Since you know it’s not right for you to gain weight, then control it,” Tao Wanniang said. “Watch what you eat and exercise. Who says you have to do nothing while pregnant? I’ve had two children and I’m not as fat as you.”

"But what about that bitch? Is she just going to leave her like this?" Zhou Xiaoyun was very unwilling.

“You live in the capital, in a small courtyard, with servants to wait on you, while she toils every day on the estate. What do you have to complain about?” Tao Wanniang retorted. “If you really want to compete with Shishi, first take care of your health, give birth to your child, and lose weight!”

Men are visual creatures, and their own son is no exception. However, Ling Dapeng still has a childhood sweetheart relationship with Zhou Xiaoyun. To put it bluntly, with one wife and one concubine, Ling Dapeng at least doesn't have the idea of ​​favoring the concubine over his wife!

So Zhou Xiaoyun should stop acting recklessly and be more self-reliant. If Shishi harbors malicious intentions, she will eventually be exposed. After all, what does she want from Ling Dapeng?

"But... Mother, how can I lose weight? I... I feel so hungry and uncomfortable if I don't eat," Zhou Xiaoyun said pitifully. "And I'm afraid of starving the baby in my belly."

"Ha, you're overthinking it. You're hungry, but the baby in your belly might not be either," Tao Wanniang mocked. "Go find a doctor to take a good look at you, ask the doctor what to do. What's the use of asking me?"

"But..." Zhou Xiaoyun didn't trust the doctor outside anymore. She didn't even know when Shishi had drugged her!

"No buts, you won't get anything out of me, and don't block my sun, you're as sturdy as a mountain now." Tao Wanniang waved her hand, urging Zhou Xiaoyun to leave quickly.

Zhou Xiaoyun thought Tao Wanniang was heartless, but she held back and didn't say anything inappropriate in front of Tao Wanniang.

"Mother, I don't have a man with me right now. If something happens at home, could you ask Cao'er or Aunt Liu to come here and ask you for help?"

Wow, this is quite sophisticated. Tao Wanniang glanced at Zhou Xiaoyun again.

"You should think it over yourself. I won't just stand by and watch someone die, but I also won't be a busybody and meddle in other people's business," Tao Wanniang said. "You'd be better off finding a reliable doctor than me."

Zhou Xiaoyun didn't dare to say anything more shamelessly. She left with Cao'er, her plump body and pregnant belly making her look even stronger.

Cao'er's thin and small appearance made Zhou Xiaoyun look even fatter. Moreover, Zhou Xiaoyun would pant after walking a few steps. Cao'er was so thin that she couldn't support Zhou Xiaoyun at all. The two of them walking on the road attracted a lot of attention.

When Wang Fugui returned from outside, he saw Zhou Xiaoyun looking like this. He rubbed his eyes and thought, "This fat guy looks so familiar!"

"Master Wang!" Zhou Xiaoyun called out first.

"Who are you?!" Wang Fugui immediately asked with a stern face, worried that he might be trying to scam someone.

"Master Wang, I am Zhou, the second daughter-in-law of the Tao family. My husband, Ling Dapeng, and my sister-in-law have all visited your home before!" Zhou Xiaoyun said aggrievedly. Had she really become so much fatter?

Wang Fugui suddenly remembered—hadn't Tao Wan's second daughter-in-law separated from the family? Zhou Xiaoyun's current appearance truly astonished Wang Fugui. "You're...pregnant?" Wasn't it just because she'd gained weight?

"Mr. Wang, you're a good man, please help me!" Zhou Xiaoyun said, feeling wronged, remembering that Wang Fugui had helped them before.