Chapter 254 - 255: Afraid

Chapter 254: Chapter 255: Afraid

Gu Yuanlei’s expression darkened further as he imagined the scornful looks on his family’s faces when he returned.

Now, after Lan Ying’s seemingly unintentional prodding, Gu Yuanlei felt once more that he had to be accepted back into the Gu Family, if only to prove a point. He needed to show them just how ridiculous their attempts to stop him were.

"Husband, let me help you with the medicine. This must hurt terribly, doesn’t it?" Lan Ying grabbed a cloth and pressed it directly onto his wound, making Gu Yuanlei recoil in pain.

"Just leave it. I’ll do it myself in a bit."

"Of course not. You can’t even see the wounds on your back. Lie down on your stomach, let me help you." Lan Ying’s voice softened even more, and before he knew it, Gu Yuanlei was doing as she said.

Hearing the miserable screams coming from the room, Lan Yun asked with some concern, "Father, this kid seems a bit incompetent. He barely mentioned the topic and they chased him out, beating him all the way."

Lan Yongnan snorted coldly. "Screaming so miserably over a few scrapes, and with no thought of scaring the children. If it weren’t for the fact that his family still has some influence, I’d have thrown him out on the street."

As for his daughter, she despised the boy anyway. Even if they divorced and she never remarried, he could still provide for her.

But then he thought of Gu Wenheng’s scholarly success. With such high examination rankings twice in a row, he was bound to secure an official post sooner or later. If they could cultivate a good relationship, this connection through marriage would be much better than trying to cozy up to the main branch of the Gu Family.

On top of that, the two businesses the Gu family now controlled were enough to make him covetous. If that idiot could get them a piece of the pie, the entire Lan Family would benefit endlessly.

"Go have a good talk with him later. Don’t let him get cold feet."

"And as for your sister, have your wife go have a proper talk with her. Sweet words are fine, but she needs to be a little more careful with her cruel tricks."

Lan Yun knew his sister well. He had been injured a few times as a child, and one shouldn’t be fooled by her gentle demeanor. She didn’t know her own strength and had a particular fondness for treating wounds. The mere thought of it still sent a shiver down his spine.

He glanced sympathetically at the closed door. "He’ll get used to it. Even if my wife talks to her, she might not listen." He silently added in his head, ’She might even get worse. That Gu Yuanlei really has it rough.’

It was a pity, but the Lan Family’s scheme was all for naught this time. No matter how many times Gu Yuanlei went, the entire Gu family was unanimous in their refusal to accept him back. Of course, that is a story for another time.

***

Jin Qianqian took out a set of children’s silver jewelry. "Mrs. Zhou Liu was always going on about having a son, patting her belly every day. Now that she’s had a daughter, I bet Zhou Ping isn’t too happy about it."

Gu Wenheng hadn’t really paid attention to such things and replied casually, "Maybe. But this is his firstborn daughter. He might be a little disappointed, but he should still value her."

Jin Qianqian saw he was distracted and placed the ornaments in front of him. "Is this gift a bit too modest?"

Gu Wenheng shook his head. "I asked Deng Yuanhang. He’s just giving a silver lock, so this is just right."

Jin Qianqian looked at the silver cloves. "What are you thinking? Who gives these as a gift to a baby?"

Gu Wenheng finally snapped back to reality. He looked down at the silver cloves in his hand and rubbed his ear. "I wasn’t paying attention. I was talking about the silver bracelet."

"Qianqian, let’s move to Dao City or Shangjing."

Jin Qianqian said, "Why the sudden suggestion? We’ve barely lived in this house. Moving again seems a bit excessive."

They had been here for less than a year and had already moved several times. Even Meng Mu didn’t move this often.

Gu Wenheng stroked her belly. "Your belly is getting bigger by the day, and I’m getting more and more anxious. Doctor Chu is in Dao City, and if we go to Shangjing, we can ask Prince Bai to find us a skilled Imperial Physician."

"Is that really necessary?" Jin Qianqian felt perfectly fine. "If you’re worried, we can go stay in Dao City when I’m closer to my due date. But moving and setting up a whole new home there just for the birth seems like a bit much."

Gu Wenheng pulled her into his arms, resting his head on her shoulder. "Just do it to put my mind at ease. Let’s get everything arranged ahead of time."

Mrs. Zhou Liu’s situation had been quite alarming. She was in labor for two full days and nights before finally giving birth.

Zhou Ping mentioned afterward that because the baby was too big, the midwife had even asked whether to save the mother or the child.

The mere thought of it terrified Gu Wenheng; he never wanted to be faced with such a choice.

"So, how did Zhou Ping answer?" Jin Qianqian, however, was curious about this.

"He didn’t say." Gu Wenheng suspected it wasn’t a very noble answer. "But I heard Mrs. Zhou Liu’s health was severely damaged by the ordeal. Not only will she have difficulty conceiving again, but her lifespan might even be affected."

The more Gu Wenheng thought about it, the more he regretted things. If he had known he would be transported to this era, he would have studied medicine, no matter the cost.

"Fate really is unfair to women in ancient times." Jin Qianqian couldn’t help but shake her head, thinking of the laws she had been reading about recently.

But Gu Wenheng just held her tighter. "Which is why we should move."

Jin Qianqian hugged him back. "Relax a little. I’m only about five months along, and Nanny Duan is always with me. She knows more about all the little details we need to be careful of than anything we could read in a book."

"When my due date actually gets closer, we’ll go to Dao City together."

It wasn’t that Jin Qianqian was being careless with her health; it was just that things hadn’t reached that critical point yet.

She, too, cherished her life. She wanted to spend a long, long time with him. After all, who knew if she’d ever be lucky enough to get a second chance at life again? Because of that, she treasured this one all the more.

"Then I’ll have the steward and the others go ahead and start making arrangements," Gu Wenheng said, seizing the opportunity. As long as these things weren’t settled, he couldn’t rest easy.

Jin Qianqian had no objection. "In that case, I’ll have Nanny Ou go with them. She’ll be more thorough about certain things."

Gu Wenheng readily agreed and casually picked up the silver bracelet Jin Qianqian had taken out. "I’ll just go buy one from a jewelry shop outside. You should put this one away."

Although it was just a simple silver bracelet, it had been refined using modern techniques. Never mind the pattern on the outside; the purity of the silver alone was far superior.

If it were for anyone else, he would have just given it to them. But the recipient was Mrs. Zhou Liu, and Gu Wenheng still remembered how she had tried to stir up trouble the entire way back. He had to admit it: he was being petty and holding a grudge.

Jin Qianqian glanced at the simple pattern on the bracelet, then obediently put it back into her space. "If you see any other suitable ones, buy a few more. We have a lot of social obligations, so it’s better to have some extras on hand to save trouble later."