Chapter 310: Endure for a while and you'll get breast hyperplasia; take a step back and you'll get ovarian cysts!
Qiluo's surname is Ding. The Ding family has a certain status in the south. Qiluo is the youngest legitimate daughter of the Ding family, while Chuncui is the illegitimate daughter of the Ding family.
Because the Ding family only had these two young daughters in this generation, and the rest were all sons, Qiluo and Chuncui had been together since childhood, and had a very good relationship.
After Qiluo came of age, Ding's father arranged a marriage for her with a young man from a family that had been friends for generations.
Although Qiluo had only met him twice during the New Year holidays and they hadn't exchanged more than a few words, the young girl had already developed feelings for him.
The Ding family kept Qiluo for a year, and Qiluo married into the Zou family when she was sixteen.
The young couple were deeply in love, and Qiluo became pregnant after only six months.
The Zou family had many rules. When Zou's mother learned that Qiluo was pregnant, she immediately instructed: "Since you are pregnant, take good care of yourself and hopefully give birth to a son."
For the sake of the child, you and Erlang should sleep in separate rooms from now on.
Qiluo was taught from a young age to be submissive. Although she wanted to be close to Langxu, she felt that her mother-in-law was right and that she should be more prudent for the sake of her offspring.
Although they lived in separate rooms, Zou Erlang would still set aside half an hour each day to talk to Qiluo.
Qiluo didn't see anything wrong with this, and even thought Zou Erlang was very considerate.
Qiluo was thus willingly kept in the courtyard like a cat or dog. When she was about to give birth, one day, a woman of striking appearance walked into the courtyard as if no one else was there.
The woman stood before Qiluo, neither bowing nor revealing her identity or why she had entered the courtyard.
Instead, he looked at the heavily pregnant Qiluo with a very disdainful gaze, sizing her up from head to toe.
"Who are you? Why have you broken into my house?"
Qiluo questioned the woman, but she did not answer. Instead, she snorted and made a very unrefined "tsk tsk" sound.
Qiluo sensed something was wrong, so she said to the maid beside her, "Go outside and call for more strong old women."
The little girl was Qiluo's dowry maid, so she was naturally obedient. After hearing what Qiluo said, she ran past the arrogant woman towards the courtyard gate.
But before the little girl could reach the door, she was stopped by another maid.
"Oh, what's the rush about?" the woman said without even turning her head.
"Xia Die, why are you stopping me? Didn't you hear my wife say she was going to call for help?"
Xia Die remained motionless, blocking the little girl from leaving.
"Who are you? What brings you to my courtyard?"
Qi Luo, heavily pregnant, watched this scene with great anger and demanded an explanation.
"Hehe, I thought she was some kind of celestial beauty, but she's just a pregnant woman."
"You! You..."
Before Qiluo could finish speaking, a young man ran in from outside the courtyard gate. It was Zou Erlang.
"Xin'er, what are you doing here?"
Qi Luo was overjoyed to see Zou Erlang the moment she saw him. She was about to call out to him when she heard Zou Erlang speak to her anxiously and familiarly.
"Hmph, I've just come to see what your bride, who's brought in with such a grand wedding procession, looks like."
What's wrong? Can't I watch it anymore?
Xin Yi replied to Zou Erlang in a bad tone, then put her hands on her hips, pouted, and started to act coquettishly towards Zou Erlang.
This was a bolt from the blue. If Qiluo still didn't understand who this woman was in this situation, she would truly be blind.
Then, Qi Luo watched as Zou Erlang humbled himself and offered many gifts in exchange for a smile from Xin Yi.
"You pregnant woman, just obediently give birth to my and Erlang's child. Once you've given birth, I'll make Erlang divorce you and marry me."
These words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Qi Luo, who shivered in fright.
Before Qiluo could say anything, her body became wet; her water broke, and she was about to give birth.
Qi Luo didn't have time to think about who Xin Yi really was.
Why did she say that she was the one who bore the child for her and Zou Erlang?
Why did Zou Erlang deceive her in this way?
In a daze, Qi Luo saw Zou's mother walk in quickly with a solemn face, and then Qi Luo was lifted up by two strong old women and taken into the house.
When Qiluo regained consciousness from the pain in her lower body, she could only follow the midwife's voice and push and strain, finally giving birth to the eldest son of the Zou family's second son that night.
Then, Qiluo was imprisoned, and she didn't see any of her four dowry maids. When she woke up, she was only surrounded by people from the Zou family.
Qiluo wanted to send a message to the Ding family. She felt that the Ding family had not come to see her because Zou's mother had blocked the news and prevented the Ding family from knowing that she had given birth.
The message that Qiluo had just sent out as a bribe was quickly discovered by Zou's mother.
Then, Zou's mother came to her side.
“Xin’er is my niece from my maternal family. She was raised by me since she was a child, and she and Erlang are childhood sweethearts.”
Because Xin'er is ill and unable to have children, we had no choice but to marry you, a girl from the Ding family.
Now that you've given birth to Xiaolang, just relax and enjoy your postpartum recovery.
After explaining those few words, Madam Zou left without paying any attention to what Qiluo wanted to say. She only told Qiluo to behave herself and not to tarnish the Ding family's reputation because of her.
"The Ding family daughter is known for her virtue. Erlang loves Xin'er, so don't be jealous. Now that you have Xiaolang, just raise him well in the courtyard."
As for my in-laws, I will send someone to deliver the message, so you don't need to worry about it.
But I believe you understand what you should and shouldn't say to your in-laws.
Looking at the sleeping baby in the swaddling clothes, Zou's mother said to Qiluo meaningfully, "The young master has just been born and needs his mother right now. You must take good care of yourself."
Thus, when Ding's mother was washing the baby on the third day, she saw Qiluo in the backyard pretending nothing was wrong and helping the Zou family cover it up.
Afterwards, even after Qiluo had finished her postpartum confinement, Zou Erlang shamelessly came to see her.
"My wife, it's all my fault for not explaining things to you clearly."
Xin'er has had a tough life. She lost her parents at a young age, and her mother took her in to raise her.
She was pampered by her family, which is why she has been somewhat spoiled over the years.
My lady, you are a daughter of the Ding family, gentle, virtuous, and understanding. You must understand this, right?
Besides our childhood friendship, I am also Xin'er's cousin, so it is only natural that I must protect her.
Xin'er is unable to give birth due to illness, and I have not yet finalized the arrangements, so she is currently staying in the guest courtyard of the mansion.
"In the future, when I am appointed to an official position, I will naturally take her as a concubine and make you my principal wife. At that time, you, my wife, with your thoughtfulness, will surely understand, won't you?"
Qi Luo just stood there blankly listening as Zou Erlang's mouth opened and closed, kneading her into a ball and flat, which was quite impressive.
Without waiting for Qi Luo's reply, Zou Erlang finished speaking and left.
Qiluo was taught from a young age that women should be virtuous and gentle, and that after marriage, they should be devoted to their husbands.
The reason why the Ding family daughters have such a reputation is because they are so well-mannered and sensible.
Qi Luo endured it, not only for the sake of the infant Xiao Lang, but also for the sake of Chun Cui, who was not yet married, and the sisters of the branch families who were already married.
After Zou Xiaolang turned one month old, Qiluo was able to watch Zou Erlang and Xinyi being affectionate in front of her without changing her expression.
He endured it all, and several years later, Zou Xiaolang had already turned two and was three years old by the traditional Chinese age reckoning. With the help of his father and brothers, Zou Erlang finally succeeded in obtaining a minor official position in the Ministry of Rites, holding the rank of eighth grade.
Having obtained an official position, Zou Erlang put the matter of taking Xin Yi as a concubine on his agenda.
Finally, at this point, Qiluo could no longer bear it and, in a moment of impulsiveness, took Zou Xiaolang back to the Ding family.
Only then did the Ding family realize what kind of life Qiluo had been living in the Zou family for the past few years.
Mr. Ding asked with a mixture of heartache and anger, "I taught you to be virtuous and gentle at home, but I also taught you to be patient and not to tolerate things anymore. Why don't you remember that?"
From then on, the Ding family and the Zou family began a bitter dispute. Although the Zou family was in the wrong, Zou Erlang's father and brothers were both officials in the imperial court, and their positions were not low.
The Ding family has declined somewhat in this generation. Apart from Ding's father, who is an official in the court, none of the younger generation of the Ding family have been granted official rank or entered the court.
Qiluo began to worry about this again, and became increasingly haggard. It was only after Ding's mother told her, and after listening to the words of her old friend Aunt Li, that Chun Cui took her out to find a doctor to see her.
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