Chapter 158 A Midwife Arrives
Granny Zhuang, holding Zhou Da Niang's hand, gradually recovered from her shock and knelt down with a thud, saying, "Your Majesty! Is it really you? Or is this old servant dreaming?!"
Seeing her old friend, Aunt Zhou felt a pang of sadness and took her hand, saying, "It's me. I'm not dead."
With red eyes, Granny Zhuang burst into tears, "Your Highness, it's so good that you're still alive! When this old servant learned of your accident, I almost followed you in death!"
As she spoke, her face was streaked with tears.
As soon as she finished speaking, she looked up sharply and glanced around. "Where are the princes? Are they alright?"
Aunt Zhou said slowly, "Don't worry, Ruiyuan, Feng'er, and Zhao'er are all fine."
Granny Zhuang breathed a sigh of relief, but tears still streamed down her face. "Your Highness, you and the princes have truly suffered. Despite your noble status, you have been harmed to this state by that vile woman!"
As she spoke, she trembled as she rubbed Zhou Da Niang's rough sleeves.
In fact, both she and Du Wanchun's clothes were made from the latest fabrics, but they were still far inferior to the precious silks and satins in the palace.
Granny Zhuang's eyes were full of heartache. In her heart, Aunt Zhou was like her own sister, and she had helped raise those three children, just like her own sons.
Du Wanchun walked over to her and handed her the racket.
Granny Zhuang took the handkerchief, looked up at her, and asked in confusion, "And who is this young lady?"
Aunt Zhou smiled and said, "This is Ruiyuan's wife."
Upon hearing this, Granny Zhuang immediately knelt down and said, "So it is Her Highness the Crown Princess."
After saying that, he kowtowed heavily.
This was the first time Du Wanchun had received such treatment, so she quickly helped Granny Zhuang up, saying, "Granny, please get up. You are my elder, how can you kneel before me?"
Granny Zhuang replied, "What elder or junior? You are the master, and I am the servant. Of course, I must kneel before you."
Aunt Zhou stopped her, saying, "Granny, we are not in the palace now. I am no longer the Empress, and you are no longer a servant. There is no need for you to be so polite in front of us."
Granny Zhuang's eyes welled up with tears, and she sighed again.
Aunt Zhou then told her roughly what had happened to her over the past few years.
Granny Zhuang was heartbroken, and tears kept flowing.
After Zhou finished speaking, thinking about the noise outside, she asked her, "Granny, I heard the Prince say that your hometown is Rong County. What are you doing in Cheng'an County?"
Granny Zhuang's complexion was slightly yellow, and she was very thin. Coupled with the scars on her face, it was clear that she had a difficult life.
Du Wanchun handed her the chicken on the table.
She must have been starving, because after hesitating for a moment, she immediately took it and started eating it in big bites.
Aunt Zhou handed her a handkerchief, saying, "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke."
After taking a couple of bites, Granny Zhuang slowed down and said slowly, "After Her Majesty's accident, I was rescued by the Third Prince. He gave me money to go back to my hometown. After I returned home, all the fields in my family were taken over. Later, in order to settle down in the village, the villagers helped me find a match. I found a small merchant at the entrance of the village who was about the same age as me."
“I thought that since we were both getting old, we could live a good life together. Who knew that he would steal my money and go to Cheng’an County to do business? Once the business was successful, he turned his back on me.”
As Granny Zhuang spoke, her eyes grew redder and redder.
Aunt Zhou was furious when she heard this, but after calming down, she asked her, "How much silver did he take from you in total?"
Granny Zhuang lowered her head, her teeth chattering, "All the silver, about one hundred taels."
One hundred taels of silver is enough for an ordinary farming family to live comfortably for a long time.
Aunt Zhou sighed deeply.
I originally wanted to say a few words to Granny Zhuang, but when I thought about how a woman with no one to rely on in the village would inevitably want to find someone to depend on.
After all, she understands best how difficult life is for a woman in this world.
She still has several sons at home. If it were Granny Zhuang alone, she would probably lose her life if she encountered a powerful bandit.
Granny Zhuang wiped away her tears and continued, "It's my own fault for being stupid and choosing this beast. He's not even human. He took my money and then kicked me out, leaving me to beg on the street!"
Aunt Zhou comforted her, saying, "It's better not to follow this kind of person. How about this, you can continue to stay with me. My Wanchun is going to give birth in a few months, and I'll feel at ease with you here."
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