Chapter 131 Extra Chapter 4: Shen Tang, Do You Have Me in Your Heart?
Chapter 131 Extra Chapter 4: Shen Tang, Do You Have Me in Your Heart?
They were standing at the entrance of the jewelry shop, where people were coming and going. It wasn't good to stand there indefinitely, and it was almost noon anyway.
Jiang Yingxue then suggested, "Meeting is fate. Why don't we have lunch together? It's been a long time since I've seen Sister Chen, and I'm very happy."
Before Shen Tang could even speak, Meng Huaiyan, standing to the side, immediately refused with a grim expression.
"No, the family has already prepared a meal. My wife is pregnant and it's not appropriate for her to eat out."
Upon hearing that Shen Tang was pregnant, Jiang Yingxue exclaimed happily, "Sister Shen, you're pregnant? How many months along are you?"
Shen Tang subconsciously touched her belly: "It's been more than four months."
Upon hearing this, He Jinzhou subconsciously glanced at Shen Tang's stomach.
Seeing his gaze, Meng Huaiyan frowned and stepped forward, blocking most of Shen Tang's figure.
Seeing his actions, Shen Tang rolled her eyes behind his back, somewhat speechless.
Meng Huaiyan's jealousy burned like a raging fire; he didn't want Shen Tang to have any further contact with He Jinzhou.
Suppressing his displeasure, he said to He Jinzhou and the other man, "It's getting late, so my wife and I will take our leave now."
After saying that, he grabbed Shen Tang's hand and tried to leave.
He Jinzhou suddenly spoke up: "Shen Tang, may I talk to you?"
Meng Huaiyan suddenly tightened his grip on her hand.
Shen Tang glanced at He Jinzhou, then at Meng Huaiyan, who clearly looked unhappy, and said gently to him, "How about I just say a few words to him a little over there?"
Meng Huaiyan pursed his lips and remained silent.
Shen Tang shook his hand and said coquettishly, "I promise I'll be quick, okay?"
Meng Huaiyan's breath hitched, and he couldn't bring himself to refuse. He turned his face away and said with difficulty, "Okay."
Shen Tang and He Jinzhou walked to a locust tree not far ahead and stood there.
He Jinzhou looked at Shen Tang sincerely and said, "I'm really happy to see that you're still alive."
Shen Tang felt a little guilty: "I'm sorry for making you worry."
He Jinzhou shook his head: "There's no need to blame yourself. I know you must have your reasons. If you hadn't been forced to, you wouldn't have taken that decisive step."
He Jinzhou glanced at Meng Huaiyan not far away and asked her, "Have you and Meng Huaiyan made up now?"
Shen Tang nodded: "He has changed a lot now. If it were before, he would never have agreed to talk to you so easily."
"A lot has happened in the past, and I've always had a knot in my heart. But now I've come to terms with it. Instead of dwelling on the past, I should live well in the present."
"You know, I've always wanted a home of my own, and I'm already very content with what I have now."
Upon hearing this, He Jinzhou smiled with relief: "That's good. I've always hoped that you could be happy."
Shen Tang asked, "And you? How have you been these past few years?"
“I’m doing quite well too.” He Jinzhou’s eyes were filled with tenderness as he said to her, “I recently had a lovely daughter.”
Shen Tang had been staying at home for the past few months and hadn't heard the news. Upon hearing it, she was quite excited and said happily, "Congratulations!"
The two couldn't help but talk more about their child.
They had long since let go of the past and now each had their own new lives. The atmosphere between them was just like that of old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time, exchanging pleasantries and asking about each other's recent situation.
Not far away, Meng Huaiyan watched the two chatting more and more enthusiastically, his face so gloomy it was almost dripping with water. He was anxious and wanted to go forward, but he held back because of Shen Tang.
Seeing his twisted and gloomy appearance, Jiang Yingxue couldn't help but laugh and said to him.
"They were just talking. Isn't Lord Meng being a bit petty?"
Am I stingy?
Meng Huaiyan glanced at her with a half-smile and sneered, "Madam He is truly magnanimous."
Jiang Yingxue isn't a saint. If it had happened before, she would definitely have been jealous and resentful if He Jinzhou had met with Shen Tang.
But now, she knows that He Jinzhou has feelings for her.
That's why she felt so calm.
Before their marriage, she visited He Jinzhou's study, where a portrait of Shen Tang hung. When she saw it, she felt a surge of jealousy, but she had no right to say anything.
After she married him, he put the painting away, and she asked him why.
He Jinzhou said that since he had already married her, he should take responsibility for her.
He said he still has feelings for Shen Tang and asked her to give him more time. He said he would gradually let go of the past, live a good life with her, and fulfill his responsibilities as a husband.
In the past two years, He Jinzhou has truly kept his promise and gradually let go of the past.
In the study, the corner where Shen Tang's portrait once hung now displays portraits of her and her child.
Thinking of this, Jiang Yingxue couldn't help but smile and said to Meng Huaiyan.
“It’s not that I’m being magnanimous, it’s just that I know he still has feelings for me.”
Upon hearing this, Meng Huaiyan fell silent.
On the way back, Meng Huaiyan was somewhat depressed. He would respond when Shen Tang spoke to him, but his mood did not improve.
When they got home, Shen Tang hugged his waist and explained, "Now that I'm married to you and He Jinzhou is married, our past is over. We're really just friends now."
"Don't be upset."
"That's not why I'm unhappy."
"Why is that?"
Meng Huaiyan held her tightly and remained silent. After a long while, he finally spoke, his tone filled with caution and unease.
"Chen Tang, do you... still have feelings for me now?"
Shen Tang was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, her mind filled with mixed feelings.
Did she have feelings for him? She herself didn't know.
The price she paid for liking him in her past life was too terrible; she had experienced that pain, which made her afraid to easily give her heart to him again.
But she was not made of stone. She saw and remembered all the kindness Meng Huaiyan showed her, and she could not remain indifferent to him.
Shen Tang frowned and thought about it seriously for a long time before speaking to him.
“Meng Huaiyan, I’m not sure exactly what my feelings for you are right now, but I can tell you that you are very important to me.”
I consider you family.
Upon hearing this, Meng Huaiyan tightened his grip on her, and said in a trembling voice, "That's enough."
He knew that in Shen Tang's heart, family was something that far surpassed love.
He was already very content to receive these words from her.
*
Shen Tang suddenly went into labor one night in July. Meng Huaiyan had been sleeping much lighter since she became pregnant, and he woke up immediately when he heard her painful groans.
With an anxious expression, she asked, "Is she about to give birth?"
Shen Tang held her stomach and nodded with a pained expression.
The midwife and doctor had been invited to stay at the mansion two months ago, just in case of any emergencies.
The quiet courtyard suddenly became lively because of Shen Tang's sudden action.
The midwife methodically instructed the servants to boil water, prepare ginseng soup, and so on. Once everything was ready, the midwife politely asked Meng Huaiyan to leave.
When Meng Huaiyan saw Shen Tang sweating profusely from the pain, his heart ached. How could he bear to leave her alone here?
The midwife tried to persuade him several times, but Meng Huaiyan wouldn't listen and insisted on staying with her. In the end, Shen Tang told him to leave, and he had no choice but to go out.
Shen Tang's pregnancy was much smoother than when she gave birth to Manman. The baby was born smoothly in just over an hour.
The midwife cut the umbilical cord with scissors, held the baby in front of her, and congratulated her, saying, "Congratulations, Madam, it's a little boy!"
Shen Tang looked at the newborn, bright red baby and a weak smile appeared on her face.
The baby's cries instantly echoed throughout the courtyard. Meng Huaiyan, who was pacing anxiously outside, was stunned for a moment upon hearing the cry, and then immediately pushed open the door and rushed in.
Looking at Shen Tang, who was lying on the bed covered in sweat and looking weak, Meng Huaiyan felt both heartache and relief. He held her hand tightly, leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, and said tenderly.
"Thanks a lot."
*
Hengge'er rarely cried or fussed from a young age. He was well-behaved except when he was hungry or needed a diaper change. Even his wet nurse said that Hengge'er was the easiest child she had ever raised.
However, Chen Tang couldn't help but be a little worried, so she asked Meng Huaiyan to invite the imperial physician to take a look. After examining the child, the physician said there was nothing wrong, it was just that the child's personality was like that, and he didn't make a fuss much.
Shen Tang was relieved to hear this.
Manman adores her younger brother. After school, she hardly plays with her toys anymore and just stays around Hengge, constantly telling him that she is his older sister.
Hengge'er couldn't understand what she was saying. He just bit his finger and stared at her with his big eyes, neither crying nor making a fuss.
Hengge started his education at the age of three and showed amazing talent in learning. The teachers at the school praised him highly, saying that this child had a limitless future.
Since starting school, Heng-ge'er's already calm and composed nature has become even more serious, and he acts like a little adult in every way.
Manman is more lively, and she is even more uninhibited at home. When Hengge saw this, he couldn't help but say, "Sister, the book says that one should pay attention to manners when sitting, standing, or lying down. What you are doing is wrong."
Manman was completely bewildered by what she was hearing, so she patiently explained to him, "Little brother, this is at home. You don't need to be so formal in front of your family. You can relax a bit."
"But Master said..."
Manman interrupted him: "What the Master said isn't necessarily all correct."
"But......"
Not wanting to listen to his nagging, she turned her back on him in anger and ignored him, continuing to disassemble the nine-linked rings in her hands.
When Hengge'er saw that she ignored him, he paused for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "Sister, I want to play with you."
Manman didn't hold it against him, and the two of them snuggled together affectionately again.
Meng Huaiyan held Shen Tang's hand, looking at their two children not far away, his eyes filled with tenderness.
A scent called happiness, carried by the summer breeze and the chirping of cicadas, filled the courtyard.
Meng Huaiyan leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on Shen Tang's forehead, speaking tenderly.
"Chen Tang, I love you."
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