outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant
Fu Zhi Qiao's lips moved slightly, but in the end she said nothing.
It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm.
Zhou Miaosi is right. Given how much Madam Qin values her grandson, once she gives birth to a boy, her position in the Qin family will be completely secure.
Conversely, if she gave birth to a daughter, it would certainly displease Madam Qin, who would demand that she continue to have a son.
Although Fu Zhi Qiao had never given birth, she knew that a pregnant woman's emotions were very important. Madam Qin was so eager for Zhou Miao Si to give birth to a boy that she even went so far as to find all sorts of random pregnancy-changing drugs. You can imagine the pressure she was under.
A pregnant woman's mental state can affect fetal development. Excessive emotional fluctuations in the mother may cause fetal hypoxia in the womb, and in severe cases, may lead to miscarriage.
Seeing the worry in Zhou Miaosi's eyes, Fu Zhiqiao knew that she was clearly stuck in a rut and might become depressed if she continued like this.
"Sister Miaosi, I have a way to help you get out of your current predicament."
Fu Zhi Qiao's voice brought Zhou Miao Si back to her senses, and she quickly asked, "What method?"
"To outwardly comply while inwardly disobeying."
"ah?"
"The solution is to outwardly comply while inwardly resisting! You know how to do that, right?"
As long as Zhou Miaosi outwardly complies with Madam Qin's ideas and suggestions, she can simply ignore them in secret.
"No matter what your mother-in-law says, just agree to it and leave everything to Qin Xiuqi to handle. You don't need to worry about anything. You're pregnant now, and the Qin family will naturally put you first in everything. Why should you care about other people's opinions?"
Zhou Miaosi knew that the "other person" Fu Zhiqiao was referring to was her mother-in-law. Ever since she learned that her mother-in-law had made her drink a potion to change her sex, Zhou Miaosi had no desire to pay her respects to her. It was true that she harbored resentment, but on the surface, she still had to play the role of an obedient daughter-in-law.
"But...but she's an elder after all." Zhou Miaosi hesitated. She was a daughter-in-law and couldn't be disrespectful to her mother-in-law. Besides, apart from the issue of giving her the abortion-changing medicine, her mother-in-law had treated her quite well in other ways.
"What's wrong with elders? Do elders give pregnant juniors abortion-changing drugs?" Fu Zhi Qiao showed a look of disgust. This Madam Qin was really ignorant. For her own selfish desires, she actually thought of such a dirty trick as giving her daughter-in-law abortion-changing drugs. Wasn't she afraid of causing harm to the person?
Zhou Miaosi stole a glance at Fu Zhiqiao, not understanding why she was even angrier than she was.
Exaggerated compliance was indeed a good method, but the problem was that Zhou Miaosi had never been so rebellious before, and she was very uneasy. "Will this work?"
“Sure, why not? The child is yours, and everything should be based on your own comfort. If you're unhappy, the child won't be happy either, and what if there's a difficult delivery? It could easily lead to the death of both mother and child.”
Zhou Miaosi turned pale with fright and reached out to cover her mouth, "Pah, pah, pah, you can't say such unlucky things."
"Alright, alright, I won't say anything! Sister Miaosi, just relax and focus on your pregnancy. Leave everything else to Qin Xiuqi. He's the father of the child, and we can't let you worry about everything."
When her husband was here, she addressed him as "Lord Qin" repeatedly, but now that he's gone, she's calling him by his full name. Fu Zhi Qiao's rapid change of expression made Zhou Miao Si burst out laughing.
While Zhou Miaosi expressed concern about Fu Zhiqiao's words about feigning compliance, she was actually secretly a little excited.
After saying goodbye to Fu Zhiqiao, Zhou Miaosi returned to the carriage.
Qin Xiuqi looked at her, hesitant to speak, his eyes filled with a hint of guilt and self-reproach. His lips parted slightly, as if he wanted to say something but didn't know how.
Zhou Miaosi leaned against the carriage wall and asked softly, "Husband, what if I'm not carrying a son? Will you be disappointed?" After saying that, she closed her eyes, seemingly to rest, but in reality, she was tense and waiting for Qin Xiuqi's reaction.
"No! Miaosi, don't overthink it. It doesn't matter if it's a son or a daughter, I'll love any child you give birth to." Qin Xiuqi cleared his throat and whispered in her ear, "Miaosi, I'm sorry, I'll handle this."
Upon hearing Qin Xiuqi's apology, Zhou Miaosi's eyes instantly welled up with tears. Madam Qin was her aunt, and Qin Xiuqi was her childhood sweetheart cousin. She had thought that her life would be happier after marriage, but when she actually married into the Qin family, she discovered that the happy life she envisioned was not the same as reality.
Qin Xiuqi went from being a gentle cousin to a gentle husband, while his once kind and loving aunt turned into a wicked mother-in-law.
After getting married, her life seemed unchanged, yet everything seemed to have changed.
Zhou Miaosi felt a lump in her throat and a sour feeling in her heart.
The saying "familiarity breeds contempt" is indeed true. She knew her mother-in-law wasn't a bad person, but what she had done to her was wicked. Zhou Miaosi was also well aware that Qin Xiuqi was innocent in this matter, and arguing with him was not a wise move. She swallowed the bitter taste in her throat and softly replied, "Okay."
*
The two returned to the Qin residence, where Qin Xiuqi tentatively told Madam Qin about cutting off Zhou Miaosi's pregnancy-preserving medicine.
Madam Qin's eyes darted away as she smoothed the stray hairs at her temples: "No, the doctor said Miaosi is weak, and for the sake of the child, she can't stop taking the pregnancy-stabilizing medication."
Qin Xiuqi remained silent, but his gaze toward Madam Qin slowly changed. "I think Miaosi is in good health."
"You're not a doctor, what use do you think it is?"
Qin Xiuqi pressed his temples and said calmly, "Mother, I am Miaosi's husband. Do you think I wouldn't know whether she is healthy or not?"
Madam Qin clenched her fists, picked up the teacup in front of her, took a sip, and covered her embarrassment: "What do you, a man, know?"
"What does this have to do with whether I'm a man or not? Even a three-year-old knows that healthy people shouldn't take medicine indiscriminately. Miaosi is perfectly fine, so why does her mother insist on making her take the medicine to prevent miscarriage?"
Madam Qin panicked. Had the secret been leaked?
Her son's accusations left her speechless, and a hint of annoyance flickered between Madam Qin's brows. She tried to salvage the situation by saying, "You don't understand. I did all this for your own good."
Qin Xiuqi's expression hardened: "Since it's for our own good, we won't be drinking this pregnancy-stabilizing medicine from today onwards."
Madam Qin suddenly raised her voice: "No!"
Why not?
Madam Qin stammered, unable to speak. Qin Xiuqi, seeing this reaction, knew that his mother had deliberately given him the abortion-changing medicine. Suppressing his shock and dissatisfaction, he asked, "Mother, is it really because I want to help you?"
"Of course I'm doing this for your own good! You're my own child, would I ever harm you?"
Madam Qin's expression shifted as she suppressed her anxiety: "Who sent you to say these things? Was it Zhou Miaosi? She refused to take the pregnancy-preserving medicine, so she sent you to say these things? I only thought she was a well-behaved child, I never expected her to scheme against an old woman like me..."
"Mother!" Qin Xiuqi interrupted her, taking two deep breaths to calm down.
Seeing his mother like this, he felt terrible: "Mother, Miaosi and I are still young. Why are you in such a hurry to have a grandson? Even if she is carrying a girl, so what? We might have a boy in the future. How can I face my parents-in-law with all these unorthodox methods?"
"What unorthodox methods? I don't know what you're talking about." Madam Qin's mind raced. She knew that her son probably already knew what she had done. Just as she was about to make an excuse, Qin Xiuqi spoke again: "Mother, do you really not know or are you pretending not to know?"
Madam Qin's face paled for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure and shifted the blame to Zhou Miaosi, pointing at Qin Xiuqi's nose, her voice trembling slightly: "I finally understand what it means to forget your mother after marrying a wife. I went through so much trouble to give birth to you..."
Qin Xiuqi impatiently interrupted Madam Qin: "Mother, do you really want your son to explain himself clearly? What you gave Miaosi to drink was not some kind of pregnancy-stabilizing medicine at all!"
"Nonsense, that's a pregnancy-preserving drug!"
"Really? Why don't you take out the dregs of the medicine, Mother, and I'll go and ask a doctor to examine them?"
Madam Qin looked up in disbelief. She was completely panicked and trembling with anger: "You unfilial son! You've married a troublemaker. She's here to ruin our mother-son relationship."
Qin Xiuqi's expression was inscrutable. He had tried to protect his mother's dignity from beginning to end, but his mother kept making excuses and even shifted the blame onto his wife.
He is indeed the mother's son, but he is also Zhou Miaosi's husband and the father of the unborn child in her womb. He cannot only consider his mother's feelings; he must also consider the feelings of his wife and child.
Qin Xiuqi was furious, but he kept his expression calm. "Mother, I've said it before, from today onwards, Miaosi will no longer drink the pregnancy-preserving medicine you send over."
He emphasized the words "pregnancy-stabilizing medicine," then bowed and left.
Madam Qin was furious and shouted at his retreating figure, "You unfilial son!"
Seeing Qin Xiuqi's figure completely disappear at the end of the road, she angrily swept the teacups off the table with a flick of her sleeve.
The momentum from the sudden swing of her sleeve caused her to stumble and fall backward. Her trusted nanny, hearing the commotion, rushed in. Seeing her mistress stagger and nearly fall to the ground, she quickly reached out to steady her and gently patted Madam Qin's chest to help her catch her breath. "Madam, are you alright?"
Madam Qin gasped for breath, weakly opening her mouth, her lips dry and her throat tight, "Xiuqi knows."
"Madam, what should we do now?" The trusted nanny's face also turned pale. She was the one who came up with the idea of the abortion-changing medicine. Would the young master punish her?
Madam Qin pursed her lips, pondering a solution.
Thinking that she would soon be able to hold her chubby grandson in her arms, a determined look flashed in her eyes after a long while.
The conversion medicine definitely cannot be stopped. Zhou Miaosi has only taken a few doses so far, and she cannot give up halfway. For the sake of her eldest grandson, she must finish the remaining doses of conversion medicine.
"After Xiuqi goes on duty tomorrow, call Zhou Miaosi to my room." Since she has already been discovered, Zhou Miaosi definitely won't take the medicine if she sends it to her again. She can only call her over and make her drink it in front of her.
Only then can she feel at ease.
The trusted nanny's eyelids twitched, her expression hesitant: "What about the young master?"
Madam Qin glanced at her out of the corner of her eye, a cold smile curving her lips: "Of course, we have to find a way to keep it a secret and not let him know."
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