Translator: 549690339
Han Yu never truly restricted what his daughter-in-law did, just worried that she would overexert herself. After all, she was carrying a child in her stomach; how could she be burdened with so many concerns? However, seeing that his daughter-in-law looked in good spirits and was eating and drinking well, he felt somewhat relieved.
“Husband, this is something new from the kitchen. Try it and see if it’s good,” Su Wenyue placed a plate of golden pumpkin pie in front of Han Yu. These past days, Han Yu had been so busy, it was rare for him to have time at home with her. Su Wenyue pulled Han Yu to her, acting a bit clingy.
“Not bad, quite fragrant. But this thing is quite heating, so you should eat less,” said Han Yu after trying a piece of pumpkin pie. In just the short time he had been eating, Su Wenyue had already polished off two or three pieces. Han Yu signaled the servant girl to take the pumpkin pies away.
Su Wenyue watched the appetizing pumpkin pies being taken away, pouted in dissatisfaction but didn’t stop it, knowing that eating too much of something that could cause internal heat wasn’t good. However, her stomach was still empty, and she wanted to eat something, so she had the servant girl bring other cakes over.
Han Yu had been watching the whole time, and seeing his daughter-in-law finish off one basket of soup dumplings and then a plate of green bean cake, and still looking like she wanted to keep eating, he hurriedly stopped her. Earlier, he had heard from the old women that it was good that his daughter-in-law could eat so much because pregnancy required a lot of energy. But now that he saw just how much she was eating, he realized it was indeed too much. At this rate, who knew how much her stomach might grow.
“That’s enough, you’ve eaten quite a lot already, you can’t eat anymore. The doctor instructed you to eat less at each meal. Let’s go take a walk first to help digest the food you just ate,” Han Yu’s eyes flashed with worry, recalling what the doctor had said, that an oversized baby could be dangerous to his daughter-in-law. It seemed that from now on, he would have to instruct the old women to strictly control her diet and not indulge her eating habits any longer.
Su Wenyue was leaning on the lounge chair and didn’t feel like moving. As her belly grew, moving around became increasingly difficult, and she would break out into a sweat just walking a few steps, her feet sore and swollen.
“Husband, I’ve just eaten my fill, I don’t want to go; walking is so tiring,” Su Wenyue whined while pulling Han Yu’s hand. Usually, for the sake of the child, she would persist no matter how hard it was, but with Han Yu by her side, she felt much weaker and wanted to rest for a while.
But Han Yu insisted. The doctor had said daily exercise would make delivery smoother and reduce risks. He half forced Su Wenyue to get up, “My daughter-in-law, be good, we have to follow the doctor’s instructions. Just hang in there, once the baby is born, it’ll be fine.”
“But I’m really tired today,” Su Wenyue said petulantly, leaning against Han Yu.
Although Han Yu felt pity, he didn’t agree for her own good, and ended up walking her around the courtyard for half an hour before holding her and returning.
“Madam, you have already eaten enough for noon, you can’t eat anymore,” Xiao Xi saw Su Wenyue holding a plate of cakes, eating happily, and unceremoniously took it away, confiscating the sweets right in front of her.
Ever since that day Han Yu witnessed Su Wenyue’s appetite and consulted several doctors, receiving the same answer, he strictly controlled Su Wenyue’s portion sizes and gave the servants strict orders.
“Xiao Xi, I’m still a bit hungry, I haven’t eaten my fill, give me another piece, won’t you?” At this point, Su Wenyue couldn’t care about maintaining the dignity of a master; she softly pleaded with Xiao Xi for the sake of getting cakes. Unfortunately, Xiao Xi showed no quarter.
“No, Madam, you must be obedient. The doctor explained that you can’t eat too much, or else the baby in your stomach will grow too large and make delivery difficult, posing a danger. Moreover, the master has also instructed that aside from the doctor’s prescribed amount, Madam must not eat any extra. If we dare to indulge Madam, he will sell us all. So please, Madam, have mercy on us; don’t make it tough for us,” Xiao Xi, realizing the seriousness with which the master had spoken, didn’t dare to go against his orders even slightly. It was for the good of their own master. Seeing the Madam’s belly grow bigger day by day, Xiao Xi was equally worried.
“Han Yu, that guy is really annoying. He even has to control what I eat!” In the past few days, Su Wenyue had been unable to eat her fill, and coupled with the increasing difficulty due to the pregnancy, various symptoms had emerged, making her more irritable. She didn’t understand why she felt such an uncontrollable desire to eat.
Hearing Su Wenyue say this, Xiao Xi touched her nose but kept silent. Such comments could be made by the Madam, but as servants, they dared not agree. The master was becoming increasingly strict, not allowing any room for them to offend.
Every day when Han Yu returned, he was greeted by his wife’s pouty face. It amused him, yet he felt deeply sorry for her, but there was no other choice; this had to continue. No matter what, his wife’s safety was more important. On matters of principle, there could be no compromise. In the face of his wife’s numerous tactics, he could only soothe her with gentle words, all the while planning to wait until after this child was born before even considering having another. He couldn’t bear the thought of his wife undergoing this hardship again.
“Grandma Chen, is Madam resting?” Grandma Chen hesitated at the door, looking into the room and asking.
“Not yet, right now Madam is reading to the two little masters in her belly,” Xiao Xi replied. “I heard that this makes the children smarter when they’re born. But I’m puzzled; the children in Madam’s belly are still so small, can they really understand what the Madam is saying?” This was the first time Xiao Xi had heard of such a method and was somewhat skeptical.
“Well, the master and Madam are both very intelligent people, so the children in the womb must be intelligent too. Perhaps they really can understand,” said Grandma Chen, who had also never heard of this practice before. However, if the masters were doing it, there must be some logic to it, perhaps something they read from a book.
“Grandma Chen, do you have something you need to see Madam for?” Xiao Xi asked curiously, noting the troubled expression on Grandma Chen’s face.
Grandma Chen sighed, “Ah, I didn’t want to bother the Madam with this matter, but there are some things that we as servants cannot decide on our own. That Madame He has come to borrow food again!”
Xiao Xi’s expression soured upon hearing this. The more chaotic the world became, the more unusual people seemed to surface. Madame He surely had a thick skin; her relationship with their Madam had been mediocre at best, with very little contact, yet now she showed up on their doorstep when in need. It was the second time in a short period she had come to borrow food; how could she have the face to come back, as if their house was a charity?
“Grandma Chen, the master has said not to let irrelevant matters disturb the Madam. Perhaps you should send Madame He away. Our Madam has already helped her twice; there is no reason to keep on assisting her indefinitely,” Xiao Xi said indignantly.
“That’s what I initially thought too. But Madame He is really persistent; she insists on seeing our Madam, speaking unpleasantly. If we don’t let her see Madam, I’m afraid she won’t leave us in peace,” Grandma Chen explained, having come to Su Wenyue because she simply couldn’t dismiss Madame He by herself. As a servant, she couldn’t make that decision, and she feared that Madame He might speak ill of their Madam and tarnish her reputation.