Chapter 65 I Won't Leave: "Second Aunt, why did you get up? Didn't the doctor tell you to stay in bed and rest?" ...
"Why did you get up, Aunt? Didn't the doctor tell you to stay in bed and rest?"
“I heard that a matchmaker came to your aunt’s house to propose marriage. I was going to have Huamei come over and ask her questions, but I was afraid that the girl would not understand or would misunderstand, so I decided to come over myself.”
Shen Wanqing hadn't seen Shu Mulu for a while; in fact, she hadn't seen her since the incident at the West Courtyard, when she and Yulang went there.
Normally, Shumulu never goes out, let alone comes to the main courtyard to pay her respects. The first few times, Shen Wanqing made an appearance, leaving the main courtyard and then going to the west courtyard, but each time she went there, Huamei came out and said that their mistress was not in good spirits and would not see anyone.
After going twice without finding her, Shen Wanqing never went again. She figured the act was enough; going every day would only disturb her pregnancy.
"Lang's daughter-in-law will handle this; you don't need to worry about it."
“Look at what Mother is saying. Am I not a member of this family anymore? Tu Nan will be fourteen after the New Year. When her wife married into the family, my second sister was only a little older. It’s true that I, as her sister-in-law, have watched her grow up. It’s inappropriate for me to not even ask her any questions now that we’re trying to find her a husband.”
Shumulu's complexion was still not good; it was only September, yet she was already wearing a rabbit-skin cloak. The cloak had a hood that covered most of her face, and she only took it off when she went into the side room to sit down.
"We've been mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for so many years, we've argued and fought, and I have my complaints about you, and you have yours about me, this old woman. But in the end, we're still family, and everyone in this family wants the best for you."
Don't think I'm ignoring you by saying this now; your most important thing right now is your own health. You're so young, and you're already neglecting your health; you'll suffer a lot when you're older."
Once the cloak was removed, everyone noticed that Shumulu's complexion wasn't as bad as they thought. She was terribly pale due to blood deficiency, but her overall condition was improving, especially her eyes, which shone brightly. She didn't look as lifeless and dejected as when Shen Wanqing visited her earlier.
“I believe what Mother says. During this time, the food, clothing and daily necessities in the West Courtyard have been the same as before. I don’t have the energy to manage them, so it can only be Lang’s wife who is in charge. She manages them better than I, the second wife. I must remember this favor.”
Shen Wanqing could have taken this opportunity to kick Xiyuan while she was down, but she didn't. Although the family's attitude towards Xiyuan had cooled, they still gave her everything she needed. Her daily medicine and doctor's fees were all paid from the family's public funds. Huamei said that she wasn't harassed when she went to the accounting office to withdraw money with her prescription.
Shumulu understood that this wasn't Shen trying to repay evil with kindness; she wasn't that kind of fool at all, or rather, even if she did, she wouldn't appreciate it.
Shen wasn't making things difficult for them; she was simply conveying a message to herself and the West Courtyard: she didn't intend to kick them while they were down and wipe them out completely. Since no one else wanted her dead, why should she act like she was? The women of the Guangyuan Trading Company's owners' families weren't dead, and it wasn't her place to make a scene.
"Second Aunt, Second Uncle has already visited my father more than once. He will have to deal with the Shen family many more times in the future, so there's really no need for these polite words."
Shen Wanqing waved her hand, not wanting to drag things out. Things had already come to this point. She had gotten what she wanted. The West Courtyard was unlucky, but not so unlucky. She had to accept the consequences of her bet.
"The old lady and I were surprised to see you come because Dr. Peng clearly instructed you to stay in bed to protect the pregnancy. We were worried that you might be uncomfortable since you came so suddenly. Perhaps I could have someone invite Dr. Peng to come and take another look?"
Shen Wanqing has lived two lifetimes without ever having a child. Her attitude towards children has always been that they're okay to play with, but not to take care of them.
In the past, there were times when my female colleagues at work couldn't bring their children to work. Shen Wanqing was always the one who, upon first seeing the child, would exclaim in a high-pitched voice, "So cute! So cute!" and then turn around and go back to her office to do her own thing.
Several of the finance ladies secretly laughed at Shen Wanqing, saying that President Shen thought she was kind and approachable, but actually, the few kids who had met her were most afraid of her.
The moment she stepped out of the office, the noisy children immediately quieted down. It was an innate sense of detachment. Shen Wanqing thought she had hidden it well, but the children had actually sensed it long ago.
Having no experience with children, she naturally couldn't discern what was wrong with Shumulu. It was Tongjia, standing nearby, who suddenly frowned: "Second son's wife, you've aborted the child?"
"Mother, this child cannot be kept. Rather than having me lie in bed with this child for half a year, it would be better to take a bowl of medicine now and terminate the pregnancy."
Shumulu didn't intend to hide it, nor could she hide it at all. She came from the west courtyard today to clarify this matter.
However, before discussing this matter, she still needed to settle Fuxuan's affairs first. She needed to make the old lady and Madam Shen understand that she, the second wife of the West Courtyard, was still useful, and not treat her as someone dispensable and leave her aside, not even inviting her to such an important event as marrying off her daughter.
So before Tongjia could continue her accusations and questioning, she turned to look at Shen Wanqing. She took the invitations from both families from Shen Wanqing, examined them carefully, and then spoke first, not giving either of them a chance to speak.
"Lang's daughter-in-law, if you had to choose between these two families, which one would you pick?"
Shen Wanqing was somewhat surprised by this, but more than that, she secretly marveled at how Shumulu had been suppressing Niohuru before she arrived; this person's vitality was truly tenacious.
As long as she doesn't die, she can grit her teeth and get back on her feet. It doesn't matter if it's good or bad; as long as she can survive, that's all that matters. Even if she loses her position as head of the household and has to show weakness and beg for reconciliation with her nephew's wife, it's not a big deal.
“Ulanara Tulin is in the capital, and he is already a captain at this age. His Majesty will definitely fight Galdan again in the future, and Tulin will have many opportunities to make meritorious contributions. But even so, if it were me, I would definitely not choose the Ulanara family.”
"Their family is a quagmire. The first wife died giving birth to his child, the mother gave her life to give birth to him, and he watched his mother die giving birth to his sister's child when he was very young. I can't think of any way to replace that person in their hearts."
"If something can't be replaced, there will inevitably be comparisons. No matter how nicely you say it, it's useless. Sometimes when I eat the same dish, I sometimes think to myself, 'This time it's not as good as the last time,' let alone people."
"If my aunt really marries into the Ulanara family, just the time spent with her husband and two children will exhaust her."
Besides, marriage isn't just about food and clothing. I can't say for sure that my aunt will be able to have a harmonious marriage with her future uncle if she marries into Jingzhou. But just looking at the way the Ulanara family behaves and how Tu Lin allowed his servants to act this way for four years, does the old lady think my aunt's marriage will be good?"
In today's world, a woman's marriage essentially boils down to two paths: either she firmly grasps the power of the principal wife to manage the household, becomes a high-level executive, and strives to share the world with her husband, while he goes out to pursue his career and she reigns supreme at home.
Either hold onto the man tightly, no matter the method, you have to be able to subdue him. Whether it's love, respect, or fear, even just because you're the mother of his child, it's all acceptable. But it's clear that if Fu Xuan really marries Tu Lin, she doesn't think Fu Xuan has that ability.
That's why they say triangles are the most stable structure; it's hard to say that when it was just me and Tongjia.
Now that Shumulushi is here, it's like having an extra buffer zone. If Shen Wanqing says something unpleasant that Tongjiashi doesn't like, Shumulushi can help smooth things over. Anyway, that's what she came here to do today.
"I knew you would choose this."
Shumulu glanced at Shen Wanqing from head to toe. She knew that Shen had always kept her distance from Fuxuan. Now that there was a rare opportunity for Fuxuan to leave the capital, she would definitely try to make it happen.
Forget about being a "grandmother" or not. When something really happens, you can't even trust your husband who shares your bed. How much can a married-out "grandmother" really help?
Besides, given Fu Xuan's personality, if she gets married, she might change her bad habits and live a peaceful life for a few years. But if she stays at home like this, there will be a lot of headaches later. It would be better if she married someone far away, since it would be her husband and in-laws who would have a headache. But if she married someone from the capital, Shen Wanqing would really be stuck with them.
"To be honest, I was reluctant to let my second sister marry so far away in Jingzhou. It would be so much better if she married in the capital. We could help each other out if anything happened. Even if Tu Lin really isn't a good person, we can still bring him back."
“You’re right, that’s what I meant too. Jingzhou is a long and arduous journey from south to north, and it’s hard to say whether she’ll ever come back. If she suffers any injustices outside, who will support her?”
Shen Wanqing's words were all reasonable, and no matter how unpleasant Tongjia's face was, she couldn't refute them. But how could she bear to part with her daughter? Her expression was extremely conflicted. Now, upon hearing Shumulu's words, she immediately nodded repeatedly.
Even if the Ulanara family is not good, they still have their maternal family. Shen Wanqing is a capable woman. As long as she is willing to lend a hand to her daughter in the future, and with Yulang having such a good reputation in front of the Crown Prince, the Ulanara family probably won't dare to go too far towards Fuxuan.
"But Lang's daughter-in-law is right about one thing: when you get married, you don't have to talk about the love stories in those novels, but at least the man has to care about your second sister. If he doesn't care about her at all, what's the point of living like this? Old lady, life is long, it's not so easy to get through it all."
When these words came from Madam Shumulu, everyone in the room fell silent. Everyone felt that the Second Madam's words were implied, and everyone knew that what the Second Master had done this time was not kind. How could he have driven his lawfully wedded wife to such a state?
Ultimately, isn't this exactly what the eldest mistress meant? No matter what the reason, the second master never really cared about the second mistress.
But the second wife was, after all, the first wife, and had given birth to two sons, Tu Nan and Hui Zhong. No matter how fierce their quarrels were, the second wife could still say that marriage had become tasteless. If it were Fu Xuan who married into the Ulanara family, she probably wouldn't even have the confidence to say that.
"To be honest, neither of these families is perfect. If we really don't like either of them, we should just return the letters and look around some more. Anyway, my second sister is already this old, so it won't hurt to wait a little longer."
Shumulu was truly cunning. Upon hearing this, Tongjia's previously hesitant expression completely collapsed.
The reason why two families came to propose marriage together this time is because Yu Lang has recently gained some attention and people want to bet on him. After all, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can get close to the Crown Prince.
So, settling for a less important marriage as a compromise is not a bad deal. Even if Yulang doesn't amount to much in the future, they'll still get a wife, so it's not too bad.
These two families had similar intentions, but for the Tongjia family, having missed out on these two families, it was uncertain whether there would be other families similar to these two to choose from later.
What perfect match? Even when Fuxuan was fifteen or sixteen, she couldn't find one. Now, she's almost twenty-one and a spinster. To talk about a perfect marriage is just pathetic.
"This is no small matter. Let me think about it and we'll talk about it tomorrow." Madam Tongjia had a general idea in mind, but she still needed to discuss the specifics with Fuxuan. She stopped talking about that for now and turned to ask Madam Shumulu about the child.
"Does the second son know that you've aborted the child? Are you doing this so that you can go to your post with him?"
“He Yi knows about this. I can’t lie down anymore. I can’t even walk a few steps on that bed every day. When I open or close my eyes, I can only look out through the small window. After lying there for so long, I can’t tell if I’m lying in a bed or in a coffin.”
Giving birth is like a woman walking through the gates of hell. Hearing Shumulu say this, Shen Wanqing got goosebumps on her arms.
In the past, whenever a female colleague at my workplace gave birth, she would bring a fruit basket and flowers to visit, but she wouldn't dare linger. She thought, "How much suffering must that little one endure to grow up? It's terrifying."
“Five days ago, I asked Huamei to bring He Yi over and told him that I had made up my mind not to have this baby. I can live without this one, but he insists on having this child and I don’t know if I can keep it. I definitely won’t survive.”
He Yi is selfish, but not stupid. The reason he lost his composure time and time again was ultimately because his future was threatened.
Now that his appointment as the Grain Commissioner in Fuzhou has been decided, his rationality has returned. Hearing what Shumulu said, he remained silent for a long time, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. That very night, he personally invited Doctor Peng to prescribe medicine.
In the following days, He Yi found someone to switch shifts and returned to Shumulu's courtyard to eat and sleep on time every day. The couple seemed to have recovered to the way they were before they had a falling out. They tacitly avoided mentioning the previous incident and both wanted to cover it up with a blanket to make up for it, since they still had to live their lives in the future.
“Grandma, He Yi and I have already discussed it. He will not take Auntie to her post, and I will stay in the capital and not go with her. I need to make proper arrangements for Tu Nan and Hui Zhong in the next two years, so I can’t take care of him.”
Shumulu Shi understood. Once He Yi took office, he would have one or two more people serving him. If he hadn't met her, his wife, it wouldn't be considered a legitimate relationship. Even if he wanted to, a concubine couldn't replace her, the proper wife, in socializing with the wives of officials.
Shumulu's decision not to keep the baby was largely for her own sake, with the remaining portion for her two sons. Therefore, she had completely given up on the idea of going to her post with He Yi; at least not now. Otherwise, the child would truly be considered his offspring, and he was truly unworthy of it.
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On the first day after the holiday, I felt like an idiot, I couldn't remember anything.
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