Chapter 444: Chapter 412: No Amount of Silver Could Make Me Babysit for You (Part 2)
Lin Xiaoyue turned her head, her gaze fixed on Wen Wanâs face, silent for a long time.
Wen Wan brushed away her bangs with the other hand, "Say what you want to say, Iâm here!"
"Wen Wan, do you think itâs because I didnât trust him enough in past years, wasnât competent enough, didnât fulfill the duties and responsibilities of a wife, so Heaven isnât pleased with me and wants to take away our second child?"
Before Wen Wan could speak, she murmured to herself again, "When the child was induced, they all didnât let me see it, but I still did. It was a son, and I can imagine that if he grew up, he would definitely look a lot like Mr. Qi."
As she spoke, she began to choke up, "Iâve been very, very careful. Both the household doctor and the doctors outside have seen it and said itâs fine, so why did this happen?"
In the absence of the truth, Wen Wan could only comfort her, "Some problems with the fetus canât be seen through the pulse by the Imperial Physician. The child is already gone, and you need to take care of your health."
"Take care?" Lin Xiaoyue laughed self-deprecatingly, "The prophecy on that stick has already come true with one event. I donât know if I can hold on when the news of Mr. Qiâs accident comes."
Wen Wan asked, "If you canât hold on, what about Ah Nuan?"
Lin Xiaoyue pursed her lips, the hand held by Wen Wan noticeably tensed.
"You lost your son, and I understand how much you are hurting, but you canât neglect your daughter because of your son. No matter how little she is worth, sheâs still your flesh and blood. Would you really let her be without a father or mother?"
As soon as Wen Wan finished speaking, hot tears welled up in Lin Xiaoyueâs previously dry eyes, rolling down her temples onto the soft pillow.
Wen Wan tucked her hand back under the brocade quilt, "You think your world has collapsed, but you donât realize you are someone elseâs world too. Youâve experienced what itâs like for the sky to fall; thereâs no need to let your two-year-old daughter feel it too."
Seeing Lin Xiaoyue only crying, Wen Wan raised her voice, "Did you understand?"
Lin Xiaoyue didnât reply to her, silently turned away, her shoulders trembling slightly from sobbing. Wen Wan could feel that she was holding back a gut-full of grievance.
Such things would be painful for anyone, but as a close friend, Wen Wan couldnât just watch her sink into despair, so she could only keep pushing her, hoping sheâd quickly overcome the pain of losing her child.
Bending over to tuck Lin Xiaoyue in, Wen Wan turned and walked out of the door.
Jin Zhi and several other maids were still there, with lips turning purple from the cold.
Wen Wan saw this and called them inside.
The room, warmed by the dragon stove and a brazier, soon brought warmth back to their stiff bodies.
Jin Zhi, concerned about her mistressâs state, asked Wen Wan, "How is Granny Qi?"
"Something just happened, so sheâs not in a good mood. Try not to speak and disturb her while serving inside."
Jin Zhi nodded and said she understood.
Thinking of what Lin Xiaoyue had said earlier, Wen Wan glanced sideways at Jin Zhi, "Besides the household doctor, did you also call doctors from outside?"
"It was Granny Qi who instructed us to," Jin Zhi answered truthfully, "She often said her stomach felt uncomfortable, and after consulting the household doctor, who found nothing, she suspected there might be an issue, so she secretly sent me to get a doctor from Guangren Hall, but even they couldnât figure out what was wrong."
"And during the induction? Did you notice anything unusual?" Wen Wan pressed.
Jin Zhi lowered her head, speaking softly, "None of us dared to look. Granny Qi only glanced once before letting the midwife handle it."
Suddenly nervous as she remembered something, Jin Zhi looked at Wen Wan, "Mrs. Song, are you suspecting someone might have harmed our mistress?"
"We canât rule out that possibility," Wen Wan nodded, "It could also be that the fetus had some kind of disease not detectable through pulse diagnosis."
"Following Mr. Qiâs instructions before he left, we would use a silver needle to test for poison before serving anything to Granny Qi," Jin Zhi carefully recalled, "If it was poisoning, the likelihood is too small. But if itâs what madam said, then thereâs really nothing we can do."
As she spoke, Jin Zhi glanced in the direction of the inner room, "After madamâs last visit, Granny Qi seemed to take things lightly. She would laugh and chat with us daily, no longer concerning herself with the prophecy. We all thought this child would be born safely. Who would have thought... alas, it turns out the child had a thin life."
Wen Wan looked around, seemingly noticing for the first time that she hadnât seen Ah Nuan since entering.
"Where is the little lady?"
Jin Zhi collected herself, "Before the induction, while she was asleep, I took her to the next room. I guess sheâs still sleeping now."
"Granny Qi isnât in a good state these days, and she probably wonât have the energy to look after her. Be careful in your dealings and take good care of the little lady," Wen Wan advised.
The maids nodded in agreement.
Seeing the night grow deep, Wen Wan told them to return to their rooms to sleep and then went into the inner room herself.
Lin Xiaoyue wasnât asleep. Upon hearing sounds, she turned over and looked up.
Wen Wan looked at her, "Have you cried enough?"
Lin Xiaoyue, with no heart for jokes or play, said, "Wen Wan, I have a favor to ask of you."
Wen Wan sat down and, not waiting for Lin Xiaoyue to speak, said first, "If youâre asking me to help you take Ah Nuan back to care for a while, I wonât agree."
Having her thoughts guessed, Lin Xiaoyue wasnât surprised, Wen Wan is a slow learner, but she has always been sharp and perceptive.
She looked at her, "Just name your conditions, Iâll try my best to meet them."
Wen Wanâs tone held dissatisfaction, "Your daughter is a big burden, I wonât take it."
Lin Xiaoyue was infuriated, glaring at her, "Who are you calling a burden?"
"If sheâs not a burden, then donât toss her to me. If youâre capable, take care of her yourself. A two-year-old child is very troublesome to take care of, donât you know?"
Seeing the other partyâs firm attitude, Lin Xiaoyue had to soften, "I just want her to stay over for a few days."
"Not even a few days, not even one day," Wen Wan firmly refused to give in.
"I donât want her to see me like this, canât I?"
"Then pull yourself together, let her know youâre just temporarily ill, and not abandoning her for any other reason."
Lin Xiaoyue furrowed her brows deeply, "I find you so lacking in compassion, donât I?"
"If I pity you, who will pity me?" Wen Wan said, "Letting her come over is easy, after all, taking care of one more child is still taking care. But what about you? Without your daughter around to distract you, what if you get stuck on some idea and insist on heading to the coffin? If she then cries for me to give her back a mother, what do you want me to do?"
Lin Xiaoyue was speechless, "You can foresee everything to block me, itâs a pity youâre not telling stories for a living."
"Anyway, when it comes to helping you with the child, no amount of Silver will make me do it."
Lin Xiaoyueâs chest heaved up and down rapidly, "Iâm supposed to pay you? Itâs good enough I donât consider it beneath me!"
As she spoke, she grabbed a pillow from the bed and hurled it directly at Wen Wan.
Having just had a miscarriage, she had little strength, and Wen Wan easily caught the pillow and placed it back for her, "You, just rest well, when it gets light and your daughter comes looking, donât mess up the act."
Lin Xiaoyue seized the opportunity to grab her wrist, "One day, just one day, okay? I just lost my son, canât you let me catch my breath?"
Seeing Wen Wan had no intention of agreeing, she added, "At worst, Iâll send you two baskets of warmth."
Wen Wan: "Do you really take our family for beggars? How could two baskets be enough, at least four baskets."
Lin Xiaoyue: "..."
...
Afraid that taking the sleeping Ah Nuan back home at this time would wake her up and cause a fuss, Wen Wan planned to wait at the Governor Mansion until daylight.
After settling matters with Lin Xiaoyue, she thought of Song Wei who was still sitting in the front hall.
Guided by a maid, Wen Wan quickly arrived at the front courtyard.
Song Wei hadnât left, sitting inside talking to their steward.
Seeing Wen Wan come over, their conversation came to an abrupt end, and Song Wei turned his gaze to her, gently asking, "How did it go?"
In a few words, Wen Wan couldnât explain clearly, so she just told him, "Iâm afraid I canât leave until daylight, and since you have to go to the office tomorrow, thereâs no need to stay with me, just go back and rest."
Song Wei was not aware of the situation inside, but hearing Wen Wan speak like this, it must not be optimistic, so he didnât agree to leave, "Iâll wait with you."
"But Iâm worried youâll be too tired tomorrow."
At this time, Steward Liu suddenly said, "Mr. Song and Miss Song rushed here late at night because of my wifeâs matter, itâs our fault as servants for not hosting you properly. Iâll arrange guest rooms for you to rest, and tomorrow morning, Iâll have the coachman take Mr. Song directly to the Hanlin Academy."
Wen Wan had no objections and looked at the man.
Song Wei shook his head, "Iâll just go back."
The master of the Governor Mansion was not present, and since both he and Wen Wan came because of the mistressâ miscarriage, even if outsiders didnât say anything, Song Wei wouldnât be able to get past it. So, he chose to go home.
Wen Wan somewhat understood Song Weiâs concerns.
A miscarriage is a womanâs matter, and as Lin Xiaoyueâs close friend, it was only natural she stayed to accompany her, but for Song Wei to stay, it wouldnât be quite right.
Holding an umbrella, she personally sent the man out, standing outside the Governor Mansion gate, speaking to him through the falling snowflakes, "Be careful on the road, once home, skip the tea and go straight to bed, you hear me?"
Treated like a child being reminded, Song Wei couldnât suppress the smile at his lips, dropping the curtain as his low, soft voice pierced through the cold air, "Go back inside, Iâm leaving now."