After Lin Dongmei left, Yu Qiutao leaned against the low couch and closed her eyes to rest.
"Aunt Tao, the eldest young lady wants you to come over." A maid came straight into the room to report.
Yu Qiutao opened her eyes, a hint of displeasure flashing in them. "Did Miss say what it was about?"
Seeing that she was still sitting, and knowing that she was heavy and walked slowly, the maid urged her, "No, Aunt Tao, you should get up and go quickly, so as not to delay the time."
Yu Qiutao struggled to sit up from the low couch. It was already getting dark outside. "Why hasn't today's meal been delivered yet?"
"The master is hosting a banquet for guests today, and the kitchen is too busy. It might be a little late. Aunt Tao, go to the eldest young lady's place first, and I'll go to the kitchen to ask later," the maid said.
She had no say in her daily meals either. With the help of her maid, Yu Qiutao put on her shoes and left the courtyard.
The two, mistress and servant, arrived at the courtyard where Yu Xunmei lived, but were stopped by her personal maid.
"Please wait here for a moment, Aunt Tao. Miss is currently unavailable."
Yu Qiutao didn't dare to ask any further questions about the young lady's affairs, and waited under the eaves with her maid.
A moment later, a sound that made one blush came from Yu Xunmei's room.
No wonder the maid said she was busy, Yu Qiutao thought to herself. The sound made her heart race, and she quickly covered her chest with her hand, glancing at the two maids out of the corner of her eye.
The two remained calm and composed, clearly unfazed by such occurrences.
After an incense stick had burned for a while, a man dressed in military uniform came out of the house.
Yu Qiutao glanced at it only once before quickly burying her head in her chest.
Having lived in the Yu residence for nearly a year, she could roughly guess his identity from the frequent visits he made.
As the man walked by, his cloak carried with it a nauseating stench of illicit relations from inside the house.
She was very familiar with this smell; she had smelled it many times during the days when she and Yu Shicheng were fooling around recklessly.
Yu Qiutao bit her tongue hard, afraid that she might accidentally spit it out.
As the man passed by her, his gaze swept over her protruding belly, and Yu Qiutao couldn't help but shiver, lowering her head and looking down, not daring to show any expression on her face.
The moment the man left the courtyard, the head maidservant hurriedly pushed open the door to serve him.
A moment later, the head maid came out and called to Yu Qiutao, "Aunt Tao, come in."
The maid helped Yu Qiutao inside. The doors and windows were wide open, and the smell had dissipated considerably.
The sound of water could be heard from behind the screen. Yu Xunmei was taking a bath, and only half of her head could be seen sticking out of the tub through the silk gauze.
After the head maid brought the person in, she went around behind the screen and wiped her back.
"I heard you went to your older brother's courtyard this afternoon?" Yu Xunmei asked, her voice languid and alluring.
Yu Qiutao's heart pounded with anxiety, and she said with tears welling up in her eyes, "It's almost New Year's, I'm going to see the young master."
Yu Xunmei said coolly, "My elder brother doesn't have much time left. You're about to give birth, so it's good to go see him and say goodbye. My sister-in-law brought a generous dowry into the Yu family. If she doesn't have any children, she'll probably have a hard time."
Yu Qiutao's knees buckled, and she fell to her knees with a thud, pleading, "Miss, the child is young, please let me raise him by my side."
The eldest daughter-in-law comes from the Fan family. If she wants to stay in the Yu family, she will inevitably have to raise a child.
Currently, only she and one concubine are pregnant, and she is about to give birth. If she gives birth to a son, he will definitely be adopted by the eldest young mistress.
Her child was her only support. If she couldn't even protect her child after Yu Shicheng's death, she would never be able to stay in the Yu family.
"You should face reality. Right now, you can only rely on me."
"I will obey your orders, Miss."
All Yu Qiutao could do now was cling to Yu Xunmei as her lifeline, and she willingly slammed her head heavily against the cold floor.
The head maid came out from behind the screen and helped Yu Qiutao up from the ground.
"Go back and take good care of yourself during your pregnancy."
After Yu Xunmei finished speaking, she stood up from the bathtub. In the flickering candlelight, her beauty was reflected in the silk gauze of the screen, her full and rounded bust appearing even more voluptuous, her waist slender, and her exquisite curves forming a graceful arc.
Yu Qiutao was helped out of the house by her maid. A cold wind blew, and she suddenly felt a splitting headache and her feet were unsteady.
"Aunt Tao, are you alright?" The maid struggled to support her.
"I'm tired, I can hardly walk anymore."
She leaned against the maid and slowly walked back.
As they passed through the corridor, the two bumped into two other people at the corner.
"Young Madam."
The master and servant bowed in greeting.
Fan Yuejia stood with her back to the light, her gloomy face hidden in the darkness. She had only waited for Yu Qiutao here because she had heard from the servants that Yu Qiutao had gone to Yu Shicheng's courtyard.
"You've already ruined the young master like this, and you still won't behave yourself?"
Yu Qiutao's lips curled into a cold smile as she helped her maid to kneel down, her head bowed to the ground. "It was my fault, please forgive me, young mistress."
Seeing her like this, Fan Yuejia's words of rebuke stuck in her throat, and she felt anger surging in her chest. If it weren't for these lowly maids instigating her, Yu Shicheng wouldn't have become like this today.
"Shut up, you lowly servant! What right do you have to ask for my forgiveness?"
Yu Qiutao slowly raised her head, stuck out her belly, and looked at her defiantly, "Please, Madam, spare me for the sake of the child."
It would have been better if the child hadn't been mentioned. But as soon as the child was brought up, Fan Yuejia couldn't hold back any longer and slapped her arrogant face.
"You bitch!"
Yu Qiutao's eyes gleamed with triumph, then her body went limp and she collapsed onto the maid beside her.
"Aunt Tao, what's wrong?" the maid cried out in alarm.
"Help! Aunt Tao has fainted!"
The servants on duty in each courtyard immediately ran over here.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
