Chapter 285 Beware
That night, as the couple lay in bed, Sheng An recounted how Ma Dahua had been robbed in her home and brutally murdered by the robbers.
Xu Jinnian said coldly, "Having been played for a fool for half my life, it's not surprising that I ended up like this."
Sheng An examined his expression, and seeing no trace of sadness, said:
"Everyone in the village knows she has a hundred taels of silver. The murderer could be an outsider or someone from the village. Which possibility do you think is more likely?"
Xu Jinnian gently stroked the back of her hand, his voice tinged with sarcasm: "Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua are the most suspicious."
Sheng An's eyes flashed; she thought so too.
This couple is not only cunning but also vicious; otherwise, they wouldn't have schemed to make Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua raise their son, and they wouldn't have gone so far as to slander their newborn nephew as a cursed jinx.
Knowing the consequences of their actions, they still did it anyway; they were utterly despicable.
Such a person would love to rip Xu Laosan and Ma Dahua dry, so why would he willingly let Ma Dahua take away one hundred taels of silver?
They had a motive to harm Ma Da Hua.
Moreover, the village dogs didn't bark that night, so the possibility of an outsider breaking in and committing the crime is very small.
Sheng An didn't hesitate to speculate about Xu Lao Si and his wife with the utmost malice, leaning against Xu Jin Nian's chest and saying:
“This family of three is no good. You must be wary of Xu Huaining. Be careful that he doesn’t use Princess Shanmin’s influence to trip you up.”
Mentioning Princess Shanmin, Sheng An felt a lump in her throat again, her smooth fingertips stroking the man's eyebrows and eyes:
"Princess Shanmin's malice towards me is so great, she must be lusting after your good looks. Now that she's wary of Prince Ning, she can't openly do anything to me, so she'll most likely try to use you to force things out of me..."
Sheng An's voice grew louder and louder as she spoke, and by the end, her gaze toward Xu Jinnian was filled with anger.
"Nonsense!"
Xu Jinnian was both amused and exasperated, and lowered his head to silence his wife's incessant chatter.
Sheng An's eyes widened in anger, and she shoved him away forcefully in the chest with both hands.
“Everything I said makes sense, where did I talk nonsense? That day in the garden of the Marquis of Yongyi’s mansion, her eyes were practically glued to you, don’t think I didn’t notice!”
Xu Jinnian looked helpless and innocent, having truly experienced the meaning of being struck by lightning.
"Alright, alright, it's my fault. I'm the one who made An'an feel uneasy because of my face."
As he spoke, he took Sheng An's soft hand and pressed it against his cheek, his deep voice filled with tenderness:
"Only An'an can touch this face. Even if other people covet it, I won't give them a kind look."
I can't tell An'an yet; that woman wasn't after his looks.
Sheng An was taken aback by the man's sudden confession and realized that she had been unreasonable just now, so she felt a little guilty.
Almost everyone feels guilty and then tries to compensate, and Sheng An is no exception.
She cupped Xu Jinnian's face in her hands and leaned in to kiss him repeatedly on the lips: "It's not your fault, I shouldn't have taken my anger out on you."
If this man didn't have such a captivating face, Sheng An couldn't guarantee that she would have fallen for him and willingly conceived their child.
“An’an is not wrong. It’s because I’m not strong enough that you don’t feel secure enough.”
A look of guilt appeared on Xu Jinnian's face as he slowly tightened his grip on Sheng An's hand: "It was clearly your husband who wanted to bring you to the capital, yet you have to endure such great pressure during your pregnancy."
Sheng An hurriedly shook his head: "You can't say that. If we hadn't come to the capital, the tragedy of my previous life would probably have been repeated."
Upon hearing his wife mention their past life, Xu Jinnian felt a tightness in his chest, his expression dark and unreadable, and he involuntarily hugged her tightly.
Sheng An said solemnly, "Princess Shanmin is very likely the one who caused my tragic death in my past life. We must be extremely careful!"
After saying that, she touched her belly: "If the real culprit is Princess Shanmin, I'm worried that she might try to harm me while I'm giving birth."
Xu Jinnian said solemnly, "On the day An'an gives birth, I will stay by your side every step of the way!"
It seems that having just one midwife isn't enough; we need to find another one secretly, and the same goes for the doctor.
After resting for two days, Grandpa Sheng and his family began to wander around the capital with curiosity.
Sheng An was too sick to accompany them, and Xu Jinnian only stayed for one day before sending Li Tian with them.
Grandpa and Grandma Sheng are getting old and their energy is not as strong as the younger generation. They strolled around the city for a while but found it uninteresting, so they stayed at home to keep Sheng An company.
Worried that the two elders would be bored, Sheng An took them to a nearby teahouse to listen to a storyteller tell tales.
The two elders were immediately captivated by it and came to listen to a performance every day.
There are storytellers in Qingzhou, but the two elders have to run a small food stall and can't find the time to listen to them.
Now that they don't need to do business or take care of Sheng'an, they have plenty of time to enjoy their retirement.
Later, Xu Cuilian and her family of four also joined in listening to audiobooks.
Xu Chenglin wasn't interested in listening to audiobooks, but he was thinking about what he could do for his soon-to-be-born grandchildren.
Before he could figure it out, Zhang Zhaodi somehow got hold of a bunch of bamboo and started weaving small toys for Sheng An's unborn child.
Sheng An walked over, supporting his back, and said in surprise, "This bamboo was transported from Jiangnan?"
Bamboo also grows in the Beijing area, but its ornamental value outweighs its practical use.
"Yes, there were people selling bamboo weaving on the street, so I bought some bamboo."
While talking to her best friend, Zhang Zhaodi picked up her tools and deftly split bamboo, her hands incredibly nimble.
Sheng An was touched and asked with great interest, "What kind of things do you plan to write?"
Zhang Zhaodi smiled and said, "The bamboo horses I made for Yu Bao before were really popular with the kids in the family, so I'll make a few for the one in your belly too. There are also puppies, cats, rabbits, and frogs; kids love playing with those."
Sheng An rubbed her belly and looked down at the little one, saying, "Look how good your aunt is to you, preparing so many toys for you. When you grow up, you must thank your aunt properly."
Zhang Zhaodi smiled and glanced at her belly: "Such a well-behaved child will surely be filial. You and your cousin are blessed."
Sheng An also felt that the child was extremely well-behaved. From the time she became pregnant until now, the child had not caused her any hardship. It was just that her sleep had deteriorated recently, and she frequently woke up at night and could not get a full night's sleep.
It's nothing serious, just wait two more months and the baby will be born.
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua hitched a ride to the capital. After making some inquiries, they found Xu Huaining's place and entered smoothly after identifying themselves to the servants.
Looking at the small courtyard with only one entrance, Feng Lianhua, who had been full of expectations, was greatly disappointed: "Why is it so small? It's not even as grand as the house back home!"
Xu Laosi also thought it was too small, but he turned around and cursed, "How can a remote village compare to a place like the capital? If you think it's too small, then go back to your big house!"
That old hag is getting more and more outrageous. I might as well send her back home. Then I can take a beautiful concubine to serve me. Wouldn't that be better than having to deal with a haggard old woman every day?
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