The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0625 Early Signs Of A Problem (1)

After Han Jianye left, Yuxi was in a bad mood. The next day, she had no energy and no appetite.

After meeting Master Er Jiu, Madam had not been herself. So, Mama Qu figured the root of the problem must lie in that meeting. However, she didnʼt know what they had talked about. Seeing that things couldnʼt go on like this, she asked Zijin. Zijin initially refused to speak at first, which annoyed Mama Qu. ”Madam is already like this; why are you still hiding?”

After struggling for a long time, Zijin finally told Mama Qu what had happened that day.

Once she understood the situation, Mama Qu could comfort Yuxi more easily. ”Madam, donʼt be upset. Youʼre still in your postpartum confinement—this is not the time for you to overthink.”

Yuxi responded sadly, ”I was just thinking... my Er Ge used to be the one who loved me the most. But now...” In his eyes, her life meant nothing.

Mama Qu hesitated before saying, ”Madam, although I donʼt know much about your childhood, to be honest, I never thought Master Er Jiu truly cared for you.” She paused and continued, ”You both lived in Yu City, but whenever he had a break, he spent it with friends and rarely visited the Generalʼs Mansion. If he really cared, no matter how busy he was, he should have come to see you every month.” In reality, Han Jianye rarely visited her Madam.

Yuxi told her, ”Er Ge used to be very good to me. Every time he came down from the mountains, he would bring me all sorts of strange and interesting little trinkets. And whenever he returned to the Han household, I was always the first person he came to see...”

Mama Qu had a different opinion. She said, ”When Second Master came back, he should have visited his own mother first. If he always came to see you first, a more narrow-minded person might have taken offence.” Ignoring oneʼs own mother to visit oneʼs tangmei first could easily hurt feelings. Fortunately, Old Lady Qiu was broad-minded. If she had been petty, Yuxiʼs already difficult life in her maternal home would have been even harder.

Although Yuxi was clever, she had never spent much time thinking about the past. But after hearing Mama Quʼs words, she bitterly smiled as she spoke, ”Forget it, letʼs not talk about this anymore.” Her Er Geʼs personality was hard to change, so she didnʼt want to dwell on it. However, if she had a son in the future, she would not raise him like that.

Mama Qu only wanted to comfort Yuxi; she didnʼt want to dwell on these family matters. ”Madam, the most important thing right now is to take care of your health.” Only when Yuxi was fully recovered could she hope to have a son—although Mama Qu didnʼt say that part out loud.

Yuxi asked, ”What did the physician say? How many years will it take for me to recover fully?” She knew her condition—her body was far weaker than before. Even walking around the house could make her dizzy.

Mama Qu hesitated before answering, ”Physician Bai said itʼll take five years.” She had originally intended to wait until Yuxi had finished her confinement to inform her, but since she had asked, Mama Qu could only tell her the truth. Madam had been through so much—surely she could handle this blow. Besides, it was just that her body was too weak to bear children for the next five years. It wasnʼt as if she couldnʼt have them at all. Physical weakness could be nursed back to health, but not being able to bear children—that was the real problem.

Yuxi was stunned. She had thought three years would be enough, but five? ”Five years?” That felt like an eternity.

Mama Qu weighed her words as she said, ”Madam, I hope you wonʼt take offence at what Iʼm about to say.”

Yuxi nodded. ”Go ahead.” Mama Quʼs words might be harsh, but they were always for her own good.

Mama Qu said, ”Physician Bai estimated five years, assuming you take good care of yourself. If you donʼt, it might take even longer—or your health could deteriorate further. The General is deeply attached to you. He may be willing to wait five years, but if it takes longer, I fear he may not be able to wait.” Men cared deeply about heirs. If Yuxi couldnʼt bear children anymore, even five years might be too much to ask.

Yuxi said, ”If you have anything else to say, just speak freely.”

Mama Qu continued, ”The most important thing now is to recover and give birth to a son. Otherwise, everything Madam has done so far will benefit someone else.” If one of the Generalʼs future concubines bore a son who would inherit everything, then all of Yuxiʼs sacrifices would have been for nothing.

Yuxi nodded. ”In the coming days, Iʼll focus on recovering.” Once her confinement was over, she would do what needed to be done, but she would take it easy.

Hearing this, Mama Qu said nothing more. Her Madam was a wise woman. Anything she could think of, Yuxi surely had as well. A reminder was enough.

The next day, Er Nainai Zhao came to visit Yuxi and shared with her some news: ”Yuxi, on my way here, I saw Old General Fuʼs carriage. I asked around and found out he was going to Xinping City. What do you think heʼs doing there in this freezing weather?”

Yuxi felt relieved—it seemed that Old General Fu hadnʼt been able to persuade Fu Tianlei. Yuxi smiled and responded, ”Maybe thereʼs something urgent.”

Er Nainai Zhao scoffed. ”What could be so urgent! But I bet Chen Shi will sigh with relief now that Old General Fu is gone.” Then she covered her mouth and laughed. ”Iʼve heard of many mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law not getting along, but a father-in-law at odds with his daughter-in-law? This pair is the first Iʼve ever seen.” Fathers-in-law usually didnʼt interact much with their daughters-in-law, so naturally, they would have less conflict.

Yuxi chuckled. ”There are plenty of quarrels between sisters-in-law, too!”

Er Nainai Zhao nodded with a smile. ”But Iʼve heard that this time, Chen Shiʼs belly is pointy—the midwife says the child will most likely be a boy.” Chen Shi was about to have a son, but Er Nainai Zhao didnʼt even have a shadow of one yet. And with her husband away, there wasnʼt much she could do about it.

Yuxi recalled Zhao Haoʼs concubine and asked, ”Howʼs that concubine doing?”

Er Nainai Zhao laughed. ”Sheʼs doing great! She eats chicken, duck or fish every day—sheʼs practically glowing. A few days ago, she even asked for birdʼs nest soup, and my Dasao scolded her hard for it.” Everything Hua Shi ate came from the household budget. The daily chicken, duck, and fish were enough to make Ping Shi ache with worry; if she had to add a birdʼs nest, too, it would be like cutting flesh from her own body.

Yuxi frowned slightly. ”Are you planning to keep the child and get rid of the mother?”

Er Nainai Zhao was startled initially, then exclaimed, ”What keep the child and get rid of the mother? I can still have children—why would I want hers?” She had never considered raising Hua Shiʼs child herself, regardless of the gender.

Yuxi said, ”If a pregnant woman overeats, the child might grow too big and cause a difficult birth. If youʼre not trying to keep the child, why let her eat so much?”

Er Nainai Zhao shook her head. ”I have no such intention. The people taking care of Hua Shi are my mother-in-lawʼs people.” She had no idea whether her mother-in-law intended to keep the child and discard the mother.

Seeing this reaction, Yuxi changed the subject. ”What else is new in Yu City these days?”

Er Nainai Zhao replied, ”Nothing particularly new, but something strange has happened. Regional Military Commissioner Xiangʼs wife, Yan-shi, wore a gemstone necklace yesterday. I heard that the centrepiece sapphire was the size of an almond, and even the smallest stones were the size of peanuts. It must have cost a fortune!”

Yuxiʼs heart skipped a beat, though her expression didnʼt change. She smiled and asked, ”Have you seen it?” Even a single sapphire the size of an almond was worth thousands of taels. Yuxi knew the financial situation of Yun Qingʼs subordinates—they were never short of food or clothing, but they certainly werenʼt so extravagant enough to afford a gemstone necklace worth several thousand taels.

Er Nainai Zhao shook her head. ”No, but my Saozi did. She said it must be spoils of war from the front lines.” How it ended up in the hands of Xiang Weiguoʼs wife was anyoneʼs guess.

It was a sensitive topic if military spoils had ended up with Xiang Weiguoʼs wife. Yuxi smiled and steered the conversation away. ”Did Second Master Zhao write a letter home?”

Er Nainai Zhao understood and didnʼt press further. ”Yes, just a note saying they were safe and sound.”

Yuxi asked, ”Just that? Nothing more?”

Er Nainai Zhao laughed. ”Just knowing heʼs safe is enough. I donʼt expect a whole letter. When he used to travel, heʼd go a month or two without a word.”

Yuxi exclaimed, ”So, all men are the same after all!” When she realised it wasnʼt just Yun Qing who was like this, she felt more at ease.

Er Nainai Zhaoʼs interest was piqued, ”Could it be that General Yun also just sent you a brief message saying he was safe too?”

Yuxi shook her head in disappointment. ”I wrote him sixteen pages, and he only sent back six words: ʼEverything is fine. Do not worry.ʼ I nearly coughed up blood.”

Er Nainai Zhao burst out laughing. ”That is enough to make someone cough up blood. But all men are careless like that—as long as they report that theyʼre safe, thatʼs already good enough.” At least Yun Qing knew to send word after leaving home. In that regard, he was better than her husband.

Yuxi said, ”Yes, all men are this careless. They donʼt know how worried we are at home.” When men went off to war, all their wives wanted to know was that they were alive and well.

Er Nainai Zhao agreed wholeheartedly. ”Exactly! Iʼve repeatedly reminded him, but itʼs no use.” She had brought it up many times, but seeing that Second Master Zhao always treated her reminder as wind past his ear, she simply stopped mentioning it.

Yuxi smiled. ”Forget it; letʼs stop talking about them. Has Ziyao been practising her characters lately?”

Er Nainai Zhao nodded. ”Yes, she practices for half a shichenevery morning and afternoon.” Yuxi had insisted that calligraphy required daily practice without exception. Even when Ziyao complained of sore hands, Er Nainai Zhao made her continue. The results were evident—her handwriting had improved significantly.

Yuxi nodded in approval.