Chapter 4 Pearl
Jiang Wansu is currently resting at the Xie family's villa in the suburbs to prepare for childbirth. When Xie Xuchuan arrived, she was sitting in the inner hall, lost in thought.
"Miss, Young Master Xie has arrived."
Jiang Wansu turned her head, and the two looked at each other, both bursting into tears.
After half a month apart, Jiang Wansu had lost a lot of weight. Her plain white cotton dress hung loosely on her body. Just the simple act of getting up made her feel dizzy and her vision go black.
Looking at the pure white paper flower pinned to her hair, Xie Xuchuan asked in a hoarse voice, "How have you been feeling these past few days?"
"not bad."
She reached down to touch her lower abdomen, and her eyes welled up with tears again.
The two looked at each other in silence. After a long while, Jiang Wansu pointed to the chair beside her: "You came back today?"
Xie Xuchuan hummed in agreement and sat down in the seat furthest away from her.
Although there was no one in the villa, the four doors of the inner hall were wide open, as if the two were avoiding suspicion.
Jiang Wan was naturally beautiful and elegant, but recently she had been unable to eat or sleep properly, and her whole appearance was haggard and sickly.
When she poured tea for Xie Xuchuan, her hands trembled so badly that she couldn't even lift a teapot.
"I'll do it."
Taking the teapot, Xie Xuchuan poured himself a full cup: "You're pregnant, so don't drink tea."
Jiang Wansu nodded and gently stroked her lower abdomen.
Xie Xuchuan felt heartbroken watching this and turned away, forcing back his tears.
After a long silence, he said, "I just came back from the Shen family."
Jiang Wansu murmured, "Has Shen Yuanzhu agreed?"
Seeing Xie Xuchuan shake his head, she said with red eyes, "Let it go, it's just that Yu Lin and I are unlucky."
Upon hearing the mention of Cui Yulin, Jiang Wansu silently shed tears, while Xie Xuchuan felt a pang in his heart.
Cui's father was the manager of the Xie family's loom workshop. He and Cui Yulin grew up together and were closer than even his eccentric and rebellious twin brother.
Wherever Xie Xuchuan went, Cui Yulin was always by his side.
The Xie and Jiang families were close, and over time, Jiang Wansu and Cui Yulin secretly developed feelings for each other.
Even if Jiang Wansu was just a concubine's daughter of the Jiang family, it was impossible for her to marry Cui Yulin, who was only half a servant of the Xie family.
Young people are passionate; the more hopeless the future seems, the more unrestrained and intense their love becomes.
It wasn't until they discovered the pregnancy that Cui and Jiang panicked and rushed to Xie Xuchuan.
Cui Yulin dared not propose marriage to the Jiang family. If the plan failed and people found out that Jiang Wansu had lost her virginity before marriage, the Jiang family would definitely not be able to keep her.
So Xie Xuchuan gave Cui Yulin an idea.
Thinking of this, Xie Xuchuan's clenched hands tightened, and when he saw that his hands had become damp with sweat from gripping the hem of his clothes, he quickly let go.
"Don't worry about Yuanzhu, she'll agree."
Looking at Jiang Wansu's red and swollen eyes, Xie Xuchuan turned his head away: "This is what my husband and I owe you and Yulin. I will raise the child in your womb until he grows up."
Hearing this, Jiang Wansu lowered her eyes: "I am a woman, and I understand women's thoughts better. Shen Yuanzhu does not know your predicament. She only thinks that you have betrayed her. At this moment, she will only hate you."
"Getting her to agree to take the child back to the Xie family is easier said than done."
Xie Xuchuan said, "Once everything has settled down and there are no more variables, I will explain to Yuanzhu, and she will understand."
But that's not possible now.
This child has half his blood, and it would be extremely difficult for him to be included in the Xie family genealogy. If word gets out that the child in Jiang Wansu's womb has no relation to the Xie family, then no matter what, both the child and Jiang Wansu will face certain death.
He couldn't bear it, nor could he turn a blind eye.
"Hmm." Jiang Wansu responded softly, and after a moment she said casually, "Shen Yuanzhu is angry right now. The more you talk to her, the more she will hate you. You might as well go and find Shen Yanhuai or Ye Yunyi directly."
Shen Yanhuai is Shen Yuanzhu's half-brother, and Ye Yunyi is her sister-in-law.
When Shen's mother married into the Shen family, she had not conceived for many years, so Shen's father took a concubine who gave birth to Shen Yanhuai.
Twelve years later, the Shen couple finally had Shen Yuanzhu.
After Shen's mother became pregnant, the couple always wanted to have another son so that they could hand over all of the Shen family's assets. However, a few years later, Shen's mother fell seriously ill.
Left with no other option, Shen's father suggested registering Shen Yanhuai under Shen's mother's name so that he could rightfully inherit the Shen family business.
Mother Shen agreed, but made a condition to Father Shen and the concubine.
Fearing that her concubine would become too powerful after her death and instigate her father to mistreat Shen Yuanzhu, she made the concubine choose between her son's future and her own.
The next day, Shen Yanhuai's birth mother hanged herself in her room, and Shen's father also promised her that he would never remarry.
It's just a pity...
What happened next is common knowledge. After forcing the concubine to her death, Shen's mother did not die, but Shen's father died prematurely due to an accident.
Less than two years later, Shen's mother fell seriously ill and passed away. Before her death, she made arrangements for Shen Yuanzhu's future.
But so what?
Overnight, Shen Yuanzhu went from being the apple of the Shen family's eye to becoming a helpless "dusty pearl".
Jiang Wansu wiped away her tears, looking pitiful: "As long as you agree to hand over the other part of the 'Xie Family Farming and Weaving Chart' and the 'Shen Family Dyeing Manual' to Shen Yanhuai, the Shen family will agree to stand up for you."
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