Chapter 75
What were the names of her children in her previous life? The elder sister seemed to be called Deng Lanzhi and the younger brother was called Deng Yushu. Yushu and Lanzhi symbolize the beautiful expectations for her children.
Yao Yuzhi, Deng Yuzhi! No, no. Wang Lang shook his head desperately, trying to get rid of some terrible speculation in his mind.
He had a good memory, though not as good as Yao Chunnuan's photographic memory, but it was still quite good. The more he tried not to recall it, the more his mind kept thinking and analyzing. In his previous life, when he had returned to power, he returned to Beijing to settle scores with his enemies. He sent a coffin to the families with the most grievances in advance, and he didn't intend to let Yao Chunnuan, his ex-wife, go unpunished. He figured that since she despised the poor and loved the rich, he would make both her husband's and her own families destitute. Since she didn't want their children, then he shouldn't have the two children she had after remarrying either. That would be fair. So he had her two children, a brother and sister, quietly murdered.
In this life, due to Wei Qiuyu's revelations and the Han family's reports, he heard in court that her physical condition was not suitable for an abortion. Therefore, their child had continued to grow in her belly.
It seems the same person now. If abortion wasn't suitable in this life, was it suitable in the previous one? Thinking deeper, given how much Yao's parents doted on her, with such a high risk of death, they would definitely have stopped her. The man she later married, named Deng, was also a widower with two children. Given her unique physical condition, it wasn't impossible for her to give birth to the child. And if the child was a daughter, she wouldn't mind it even more.
He had never thought about these things in detail, but now that their daughter was born and named, he was forced to face the details that he had deliberately ignored. But when he thought about these details carefully, he felt extremely horrified.
Did he kill his own daughter in his previous life? No, that's not true!
Wang Lang was disturbed by the possible truth he accidentally discovered. Wang Lang decided to meet Yao Chunnuan. He had to meet her. Things must not be what he imagined.
Yao Chunnuan slept for a long time. When she woke up, she felt much better and also very hungry. She felt like she could eat a whole cow.
Yao's mother quickly asked someone to bring a large bowl of chicken soup and noodles. She gulped down a mouthful and immediately frowned, "Mom, did you forget to put salt in this chicken soup?"
Yao's mother said, "I haven't forgotten, but you can't eat foods with a lot of oil or salt during the confinement period."
Yao Chunnuan had a bitter face. She wasn't afraid of a bland diet; she was from the south and ate bland food. But the chicken soup and noodles her mother had ordered for her during her confinement period were too bland, weren't they?
"Mom, you're the best. Can you give me some more salt?" Yao Chunnuan coquettishly bargained with her mother. This food, without salt, is like a soulless one.
Yao's mother tapped her forehead with her index finger and said, "Don't be naughty, this is really not okay."
All right. Yao Chunnuan could only quickly finish a bowl of chicken soup and a bowl of soft noodles. She was afraid she wouldn't be able to finish it if she slowed down.
While Yao Chunnuan was eating, her daughter, who was sleeping beside her, woke up, stirred in her swaddling clothes, and made a soft humming sound. Curious, she leaned over. Little Yao Xi still looked old, but she looked much better than when she was a newborn. Her eyes were still closed, and her two little hands were placed on her chest. As if she felt her gaze, her little mouth pursed.
"Is she about to cry?" Yao Chunnuan asked nervously.
As soon as she finished speaking, little Yao Xi burst into tears.
Is he really crying? What should I do? The child is so small that Yao Chunnuan is a little afraid to hold him.
Yao's mother didn't have such concerns. She stepped forward and skillfully picked up the child. "I think he peed. Let me take a look."
To welcome this little life, Yao Chunnuan emptied out a quarter of her large closet to store the little girl's clothes, shoes, hats, and most importantly, her diapers.
When her mother arrived in Yichun, the first thing she did was to check on their preparations for the newborn. When she found they had only made twenty diapers, she shook her head and mobilized her two sisters-in-law to make thirty or forty.
Yao Chunnuan thought it was too much. Fifty or sixty diapers—how could the baby even wear them? It was also quite laborious. Her mother took apart a lot of her old clothes, sewed them together piece by piece, and then repeatedly pounded them while washing. This process took several rounds until the diapers became soft and skin-friendly. She still remembers her mother saying that if she didn't have a heated kang in her house, she would have worried they wouldn't be enough.
Yao's mother told her that newborns are small and have shallow stomachs, so they eat frequently and poop a lot. Little Yao Xi had already used six, seven, or eight diapers today and had four meals.
Because Yao Chunnuan insisted on breastfeeding, the family hired only one wet nurse. She remembered a friend saying that breast milk from the first three or six months of pregnancy boosted the mother's immunity and was good for the baby. In those days of limited medical care, Yao Chunnuan didn't want to be careless. Hiring a wet nurse would provide a backup supply and help with childcare, as she couldn't devote all her attention to the child. It wasn't that she didn't love the child, but she had responsibilities beyond the child. After the confinement period, she would have to return to work without stopping.
Although Yao's mother said she could take good care of the child, Yao Chunnuan didn't want her to be too tired. If she hired a wet nurse, with her mother's help, the child could be taken care of well, and her mother wouldn't have to be so tired.
While the mother and daughter were talking, Yao's mother had already washed little Yao Xi's bottom with warm water, put on a diaper, dressed her in a little skirt, and asked the nanny to come in and feed her. After eating and drinking her fill, the clean and refreshed little Yao Xi gradually fell asleep.
Seeing the baby sleeping, Yao Chunnuan herself began to feel sleepy. Giving birth really took a toll on her health. She had just woken up, had a meal, and was tired again. It was clear that she was physically weak.
At this moment, Grandfather Yao asked his eldest cousin's wife to come over and tell her that Wang Lang wanted to see her and the child, and asked her if she would be willing to let him see the child.
"What did Wang Lang do?" Yao Chunnuan asked. She had just given birth and was weak, so it was not convenient for her to see outsiders. If Wang Lang had not done something, her grandfather would not have asked her eldest cousin's wife to ask her.
"He came early in the morning and has been standing outside the door, saying he wants to see you and the child and won't leave. He has been standing outside for a long time, which has a bad influence. Grandfather had no choice but to let him in."
"I won't see him. Let him go." Who did Wang Lang think he was? She had just given birth, and he wanted her to see outsiders? Anyway, she wouldn't see him. If she wanted to make a scene, she could make a scene. Let's see who loses face.
Wang Lang, who was being treated to tea by Grandfather Yao, realized he had come too impulsively. But if he didn't get to the bottom of that issue, he wouldn't be able to sleep or eat. When Yao's eldest cousin's wife returned with Yao Chunnuan's rejection, they expected Wang Lang to continue pestering her, but he simply nodded and left.
On the third day after the child was born, a third-day bathing banquet was to be held. After discussing with Yao Chunnuan, Grandfather Yao decided to hold one on the small plot of land at home.
On the eve of her third-day-bath celebration, Yao Chunnuan received a visiting card from Wang Lang. The card was elegantly written, but the meaning was rather ungentle. In short, the card meant: Either Yao Chunnuan would see him today, or he would come tomorrow for her third-day-bath celebration.
Yao Chunnuan snorted coldly. What a shameless bastard, using his daughter's third-day-birth celebration to threaten her! It seemed some people had bad memories and forgot certain things. She felt obligated to remind them. Didn't he want to see her? Then he should! She wanted to see what exactly had been going on with him, repeatedly wanting to see her these past two days!
Yao Chunnuan met Wang Lang in the small hall outside the bedroom. Little Yao Xi was sleeping soundly in the cradle, with Luo Suyi watching her while doing needlework, and Axia was by her side.
When Wang Lang was invited in, Yao Chunnuan was surprised because the man in front of her had red eyes and a tired expression. It could be seen that he had just shaved his beard, but his overall condition was not good. He looked like he had not had much rest for several days and nights, which completely subverted his previous image.
"Tell me, what is it that you must see me about?"
Wang Lang first glanced at the cradle over there, then looked at A-Xia behind her, "I have something I want to ask you, can we talk alone?"
Yao Chunnuan refused, "No, I have nothing to hide from others. What you have is your own business." What a joke. She is so weak now, how could she leave Axia's protection?
Yao Chunnuan's attitude was firm. Wang Lang was preoccupied with his own problems and didn't care about these details. He stared at Yao Chunnuan with red eyes and said, "Okay, then tell me, even if you hadn't been exiled and no one you knew was named Yushu, you wouldn't have named your daughter Zhilan."
Wang Lang's voice was so loud that it was heard by Grandfather Yao who happened to pass by.
Grandfather Yao was immediately furious. "Zhilan doesn't allow me to choose it. Did the name Zhilan offend you?" Zhilan, what a good name! Of course, the name Yao Xi was later chosen, which also has a good meaning and sounds nice.
Yao Chunnuan was puzzled. Why was Wang Lang so obsessed with the name Zhilan? Furthermore, was he asking for a promise? What did it matter to him whether her daughter was named Zhilan? Was it important to him? His eyes were red, staring at her without blinking, clearly nervous about the answer.
Something's not right with Wang Lang. Look at what he said, "Even if you weren't exiled..." Meaning, if she hadn't been exiled, even if her grandfather had been kind enough to name the child Zhilan, she wouldn't have used it. Wait, when he said she wasn't exiled, didn't know Zhou Yushu, and had a daughter, wasn't he referring to the original owner?
Yao Chunnuan is such a smart person. She also has a general idea of the original plot. As soon as Wang Lang showed some clues, she came to her senses. Is Wang Lang reborn?
After Yao Chunnuan had this suspicion in her mind, she thought about his behavior on the road to exile and after arriving at the military settlement, and some details seemed more and more similar the more she thought about it.
"Is it difficult to answer?" Wang Lang couldn't help asking after waiting for an answer for a long time.
"This question is not difficult to answer." Yao Chunnuan said, but her mind was working rapidly. She could clearly feel that Wang Lang did not want her and his daughter to be named Zhilan.
She remembered that in the original novel, when Wang Lang took revenge on the original owner, not only did he mess with her family, but he also killed her two children. Could it be that in the original novel, one of the original owner's children was named Zhilan? The little girl in her arms was almost named Zhilan. Was she Wang Lang's biological daughter? In other words, the original owner's daughter he killed might have been his child? Tsk tsk, what a ruthless man.
"If I hadn't been exiled and didn't know anyone named Yushu, I would have agreed with my grandfather naming her Lanzhi." Yao Chunnuan looked honest.
"No, no, this is not true! You told me this to get revenge on me, right?" Wang Lang shook his head, unwilling to believe her words. This answer was too cruel for him.
Yao Chunnuan rolled her eyes and said, "Would I lie to you about such a small matter?" She was not lying. Based on her understanding of the original owner, she would not refuse the name her grandfather gave to the child.
Wang Lang covered his face, not wanting anyone to see his tears. Yes, she didn't know the reason why he asked this question. It was because she hadn't lied to him, and hadn't deliberately given him a wrong answer, that he felt heartbroken.
He went on a killing spree because the Wang family's bloodline was cut off and he himself could no longer have children. He felt so painful that he wanted to drag everyone else down with him. In his eyes, the most hateful thing about Yao Chunnuan was that she had aborted their child in order to distance herself from the Wang family and remarry.
After returning to Beijing and seeing her happy life, he couldn't help but destroy everything she had. He wanted to tell her that her current misfortune was all her own fault. He had thought about it, and that night, while drunk, he told his confidant that if she had just given birth to their child, he would have forgiven all the past, not cared about her betrayal, not cared about her remarriage, not cared about anything about her.
It turned out that everything developed as he expected. God did not let him down and actually gave him a daughter.
He only regretted why she hadn't come to tell him when he returned to Beijing! If she had told him, nothing would have been the same. Wang Lang had completely forgotten that the original owner had gone to his house to ask for an audience, but was ruthlessly rejected by him.
She could sense Wang Lang's pain, but she couldn't empathize with him. As the saying goes, there's always something hateful about a pitiful person. If only he had been more cautious when he was in power in his previous life, he wouldn't have regretted it so much. Who could he blame?
Perhaps many people would think that she was cruel, but she never dared to underestimate a person's resilience, such as Wei Qiuyu, or Wang Lang, who had been successful in their previous life. His sadness at this moment was real, and his pain and regret were also real, but after the emotions subsided, I'm afraid this treacherous and cruel man would put on his mask again.
This man was so well hidden. If he hadn't accidentally discovered the truth, which was so heartbreaking that he revealed a little today, he wouldn't have revealed himself. She didn't even know he was reborn. He was so ordinary after his rebirth. Yao Chunnuan was wary. This man was either a patient person or he was playing a big game. She forgot that her desire to climb the ladder of fame had overshadowed many people, including Wang Lang.
The first thing Wang Lang said after he calmed down was, "I want her back. She's my daughter. You can set any conditions."
Yao Chunnuan sneered, "You're dreaming!" As expected, the bastard doesn't deserve sympathy!
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