It was almost New Year’s Eve.
No matter how turbulent it was, the annual festival would always be celebrated.
Jiang Yashuang and his wife began to prepare for the festival while guarding against the first branch’s scheme. There were many elders and brothers and sisters of them. They didn’t have anything else to do except arranging their own yard. So, most of their energy was spent on watching out for the first branch.
But a few days before New Year’s Eve, good news made the couple temporarily lose the idea of intriguing the first branch. Qiu Yelan was pregnant!
Although they had raised An, their child was different from the nephew.
While Qiu Yelan was happy, Jiang Yashuang, who was cheated by her at the beginning, was going crazy with joy. After all, he always thought he would not have his own child in his life. Now his wife was pregnant. There were no words that could describe his happy mood!
However, in front of his wife and servants, Jiang Yashuang suddenly thought of a fatal problem, “At first, Qiu Yelan said she couldn’t bear a child because she suffered the cold in the avalanche of Mount Dizi. Now it is a happy thing to be pregnant, but I don’t know what will happen to her body.”
It was normal that he thought too much. After all, at this time, women’s pregnancy might take their life. In particular, the Jiang Family just lost a granddaughter-in-law not long ago. How could Jiang Yashuang not think much?
Finally, he had his child but might face the risk of losing his wife. Jiang Yashuang forced a smile to comfort her wife to rest. He went out on the pretext that he needed to go to deal with some business and quietly went to Qi Shuluo, who diagnosed Qiu Yelan. He asked, “How is Ningyi’s pregnancy?”
“Madame is in good health and the young master is very good!” Qi Shuluo felt a little embarrassed and said, “you have asked more than a dozen times at home just now. Why are you so worried that you come to my home to ask?” Even though the feeling of being a father at the beginning was understandable, it was too nervous for Jiang Yashuang considering his education background and position.
But he was surprised that Jiang Yashuang didn’t relax but frowned more tightly after getting this answer, “Really?”
Qi Shuluo saw that he didn’t seem to be worrying for no reason. He realized something and said seriously in a hurry, “I have been practicing medicine for many years. Even if I’m not the best, I’m sure madame is healthy. Both mother and son are definitely good. I assure you!” In fact, Qiu Yelan was just pregnant and no one knew whether it would be a boy or girl. As usual, calling it a boy was for good luck.
Jiang Yashuang, with his hands on his back, paced back and forth in the hall, looked up, and asked, “So it will be no harm to the mother if Ningyi gives birth to this son, right?”
Qi Shuluo was stunned by this question. He said, “This… Of course, it doesn’t matter! I have told you that your wife and child are very healthy. Why?”
The old imperial doctor felt that it was not so easy to be the common doctors of the powerful family. If it were not for the fact that people inside and outside the Jiang Family all said that Jiang Yashuang and his wife loved each other very much, and there were no concubines of Jiang Yashuang, and If Jiang Yadan asked this, he would doubt that Jiang Yashuang was eager for his wife’s death, so as to give a place for his lovers.
“Really?” Jiang Yashuang asked again. His eyes were sharp and stared at Qi Shuluo, “There are no others here. You can only tell the truth. Otherwise…”
For the first time in his life, Qi Shuluo doubted whether Jiang Yashuang was mentally ill or not.
“I’ve told you for nearly 20 times. Your wife and children are very healthy!”
“Your wife even didn’t cough once since she has married you for nearly two years. She is more beautiful than flowers. Her skin is white and her eyes are bright. If she can’t have children, will there be anyone suitable for having children in the world?”
Qi Shuluo was afraid to speak frankly and so he had to be assured. He said, “If I lied, you could punish me as you wish.”
“Don’t mention today to anyone!” Jiang Yashuang thought for a while and left with this sentence.
Behind him, Qi Shuluo was confused, trying to understand his purpose, “Jiang Yashuang… Does he want his wife to live or to die?”
He was totally confused.
Jiang Yashuang didn’t have time to deal with Qi Shuluo’s madness. When he entered the door, he was very nervous. He was afraid that he had to choose to protect the mother or the child. Although he was a little worried after going out, Qi Shuluo’s guarantee relieved him in the end.
“This is the blessing of God!” Jiang Yashuang decided to do fewer bad things in the future, for example killing the Dou family, so as to accumulate good virtues for the child.
However, this idea only lingered for a while as the short journey from Qi Shuluo’s home to the Marquess’s Mansion.
The reason was very simple. He returned to his yard with light steps. Before he entered the house, he heard Madame Dou Junior’s words, “Why don’t you send him to me? I can take care of him for you for some days! After all, you are pregnant and An is so little that you will be tired.”
Jiang Yashuang lifted the curtain without even thinking about it. He replied to Dou, “Thank you for your kindness. But since grandma lets us raise An, you don’t need to be worried. Even if my wife is pregnant, she will arrange properly… It’s getting late. If there’s nothing else to do, please go back! Everyone is busy before the festival!”
In the room, Madame Dou Junior, Madame Shi, Madame Zhang, Madame Zhuang Junior, Mi Yinyin, He Shuijin, and Sheng Shishui, except for the tenth madame who was ill in her mother’s house and the second madame who was beaten by Qiu Yelan before, all the sisters-in-law in Jing City had arrived. They were congratulating Qiu Yelan and laughing. Although Madame Dou Junior’s previous words calmed the scene, everyone, including Madame Dou Junior, knew that Qiu Yelan could not agree to this request. So, everyone listened to it as a joke and no one took it seriously. The atmosphere was still very harmonious.
Jiang Yashuang suddenly rushed in and said that, followed by an eviction order. Sisters-in-law were all speechless.
“He is right. The New Year’s Day is approaching and everyone is busy!” After all, He Shuijin reacted quickly, “Since Yashuang is back and Yelan has an accompany, we should leave now.”
She barely mediated.
At this time, Madame Dou Junior and others realized and left one after another.
However, Madame Dou Junior was unhappy, “It is true that the first branch has failed to educate Jiang Yadan properly. I also know you won’t send An to the first branch again, but wasn’t that a polite word? Jiang Yashuang went too far. I am his oldest sister-in-law anyway. He didn’t respect me!”
In fact, An was little. Not to mention Madame Dou Junior’s words, she only took care of him during Qiu Yelan’s pregnancy and childbirth. Even if she took him to the first branch for three or five years, how old would An be? How bad could he become? It would be easy to be corrected at that age, wouldn’t it?
The more she thought about it, the more she felt wronged.
But Madame Dou Junior didn’t dare to quarrel with Jiang Yashuang. After he became really angry, even his elders would be a little afraid. It was mainly because that whether the family members of the Dou Family could live depended on the attitudes of Qiu Yelan and her brother. She couldn’t say this grievance and so she had to endure. She even wanted to explain, but Jiang Yashuang was so sharp that she couldn’t stay any longer.
After everyone else left, Qiu Yelan picked a kumquat from the silver plate and threw it to her husband, laughing and scolding, “The first branch doesn’t think I’ll agree to let them take care of An. Besides, even if we agreed, grandma would probably disagree! I think she didn’t mean it this time. She didn’t take it seriously at all. However, you rushed in quietly and said so. If she went to the elders to cry, wouldn’t grandpa punish you?”
Jiang Yashuang, who had always been generous, was still annoyed until now. After waving his hand to the servant to step out, he said faintly, “Do you think she didn’t mean any harm when she said it casually? What did she mean that since you are pregnant and An is little, it’s inevitable that you can’t take care of him? This will cause others to talk about that you will neglect An when you are pregnant.”
“Even if she hadn’t mentioned it today, someone in the family would say so!” Qiu Yelan didn’t know his happiness that he had his own child and he didn’t have to exchange it with his wife’s life. So, after the joy, he was very peaceful and said, “Just ignore it! After all, we have made many people unhappy.”
Jiang Yashuang was a high-ranking rich and handsome man and it was normal to have prostitutes and concubines at that time. However, he was loyal only to her. Could many people not be jealous?
“You’re jealous! He is good to me. He is good and he doesn’t flirt!” Qiu Yelan thought proudly, “And I’m pregnant now. No matter it will be a boy or a girl, Jiang Yashuang will love it. I’m afraid you’re red-eyed like a rabbit, but you’re just looking for more unhappiness for yourself! What can you do to me?”
Jiang Yashuang, who had always been obedient to her, insisted on being careful to the end this time. He said, “The bank of thousands of miles collapsed because of the ant nest. I’m trying to be strict today and then I will see who dares to say that.”
He stroked her shoulder and said softly, “Next, I’ll recruit more staff to work for me, so as to spare time to come back and accompany you and take care of An… Don’t worry about anything. Just eat and drink! I’ll deal with everything else!”
He coaxed his wife with sweet words and snuggled up together to imagine the scene after the birth of the child. Of course, he made numerous names for both boys and girls.
When it was dark, the servant came in and put on dinner. They finished their meal and went to see An. Qiu Yelan was pregnant. Although she hadn’t had morning sickness yet, she was already sleepy. So, she went back to the inner room for rest.
Jiang Yashuang was tired but happy to dispose of the backlog of documents in the study.
As soon as he entered the study, he asked Jiang Tan, “Are there any suitable people whom I asked you to observe?”
Without waiting for Jiang Tan’s answer, he added, “As long as they can handle official business for me at present, you can solicit them first. Next, I will need a lot of free time!”
After he arranged to find more people, Jiang Yashuang asked him to send someone to ask Ou Bicheng to come here and discuss important matters tomorrow.
At the moment, Jiang Yashuang had forgotten the idea of “less bad things and more virtues for his wife and son” that he came up with on his way home in the afternoon. What he thought was that, “Use special means at the special moment. If the means were not strong enough, there would always be some people not knowing how to write the word ‘fear’.”
“My wife and I have been looking forward to this child for a long time. We must be safe! Who dares to harm my wife and child, no matter it is intentional or unintentional, I will make them regret coming to this world.”