"Silly girl, if your heart stops beating, it's terrible," Bai Suihe said as she successfully left the mansion, feeling quite pleased. Fortunately, her five-month pregnant belly could still be hidden under a wide outfit. If it got bigger, it would certainly be hard to conceal from the old madam. "Next time it won't happen, you need to practice being braver. Look at how composed Dongmei is."
"Miss, you still want a next time," Chunxiang said anxiously. It's too thrilling for her.
"Don't worry, next time I will leave the mansion openly," Bai Suihe laughed softly.
"Is it that easy?" Chunxiang thought, since there were no festivities this time of year, and the Miss was pregnant, there was no chance to attend banquets or leave the mansion.
"Don't worry, your Miss naturally has a clever plan," Bai Suihe said confidently.
Chunxiang was evidently skeptical. If the Miss really had a clever plan, she wouldn't have had to risk pretending to sneak out.
The mistress and the servant quickly tidied up, while Dongmei also gathered two maids to bring the goods back to the courtyard.
Bai Suihe kept only a portion, while letting Dongmei distribute the rest to the servants in the courtyard, as it was their household's benefit. So when Dongmei and Chunxiang occasionally sneaked out, everyone understood without saying.
After running around all day, Bai Suihe finished her meal and was so exhausted that she lay on bed, quickly falling asleep.
Little did she know, after she fell asleep, her body emitted a faint blue light. Bai Suihe stretched lazily and continued to sleep.
While she was carefree, Mrs. Bai had lost her appetite.
"What is He Er trying to do?" Mrs. Bai was truly puzzled, her daughter took out all the hidden silver and bought all sorts of things?
Rice, flour, salt, oil, coarse cloth, hemp ropes, pots and pans, cotton fabric, dried meat, sausages...
"So many things, is she trying to open a general store?" Even for a general store, there's no need for so much stuff, a capital of two thousand taels can open quite a large one.
"Madam, I've already instructed people to go make arrangements, what do you think?"
Mrs. Bai gave him a glance. "You've already instructed people to do it, can I still stop it?"
Wu Qingshui chuckled, "I knew the Madam would follow the Miss's wishes, so I took the initiative.
It's just that the Miss seems steadier than before; is there something we don't know about?"
Mrs. Bai, "Do you mean there's been a change in the capital?"
Wu Qingshui shook his head in fear, "I wouldn't dare think so, just considering the Miss is the daughter-in-law of the Assistant Minister of the Ministry of War. She might know things we don't?"
"What you say is possible. By the way, are you suggesting He Er wants me to visit the Gu Mansion?"
"That's what the Miss suggested. If the Madam doesn't have time, she would find a way to return to the mansion."
"It's not easy for that girl to come out as a daughter-in-law," if it were easy to travel freely, she wouldn't need to disguise herself as a maid to leave the mansion. "Tomorrow morning, arrange someone to send an invitation to the Gu Mansion, I'll visit the day after tomorrow. He Er has been pregnant for quite a while; as a mother, I should visit and check on her."
"Yes, Madam," Wu Qingshui, "Madam, would you like to prepare some gifts?"
"Prepare two carts of generous gifts," Mrs. Bai sighed. Despite being in-laws now, the Bai Family still needs to win favor with the Gu Mansion. When visiting, all the various masters need to be cared for."
A list of gifts was made and sent to the steward for arrangements, then she turned to the back courtyard to handle her daily tasks.
☆
Bai Suihe had the family physician spread the word that the fetus in her belly was unstable, resulting in no one in the mansion daring to confront her recklessly, fearing that any mishap could make them scapegoats.
Gu Antong, accompanying her mother, strolled around but couldn't find any jewelry that caught her fancy. Upon reflection, she realized, even if it's the Third Aunt's dowry, who remembers it after over a year?
Moreover, when an elder gives a gift, it cannot be refused. If the Third Aunt willingly gave it to her, what could anyone say?
Just as she considered asking grandmother for help, news arrived that the fetus was unstable again, and she had collapsed.
Gu Antong could only grit her teeth but dared not speak up.
If anything were to happen, forcing the aunt to hand over the jewelry and causing a miscarriage would ruin her reputation.
"Tong Er, shall we change clothes?" Liu Yun also knew not to tempt fate at that moment, noticing even the old madam told the third household not to greet and follow rules anymore.
Even the strong-willed old madam knew to avoid risk, and the mother-daughter pair couldn't stand out either.
"But Mother, out of so many clothes, this one is my favorite." Gu Antong didn't know why, but she felt this outfit could bring her good fortune. Together with the set of jewelry from the Third Aunt, it could attract everyone's attention, and her fate depended on it.
"You child, why are you so stubborn?" Liu Yun looked around at the attendants, gesturing for them to leave, and then softly assured her, "Do you think the one in the main courtyard isn't tempted either?
If your grandfather knew about this, even the old madam couldn't protect you.
The rules were initially set by your grandfather, and anyone who dared to break them was made an example of.
Look at the Gu Mansion, with so many rules, yet they're just a facade.
Back then, your grandfather spread word throughout the capital to secure a high-status bride for your father.
But in the capital, which family isn't shrewd?
The Gu Family has weak foundations, and none in the Gu Family can provide backing, otherwise, your maternal grandfather wouldn't have given me to your father."
Laughing lightly, Liu Yun recalled how none of her sisters thought it was a good match. It seemed like marrying into a nouveau riche family on the decline.
But she was happy to marry in, knowing as a concubine, she couldn't marry into a high-status family as a primary wife, and valuing that the man could not take concubines. Indeed, throughout the years, even with one daughter and one son, Gu Laudable kept the old madam from breaking the family rules for reputation's sake.
If not for the old madam's temperament, who knows how many concubines would be in this mansion.
"That dowry Ms. Bai brought in, not just us, even the one in the main courtyard hinted at wanting it. Yet Ms. Bai either foolishly or strategically pretended not to understand, stubbornly thwarting her plans."
Liu Yun continued with a sigh, "What a pity, if the one in the main courtyard had succeeded, we wouldn't be so passive today.
But remember, we can't be the ones to initiate. Before long, the second household will certainly make a move."
"Then why did you take me to grandma yesterday to ask?"
"I was testing the waters. It wasn't me who genuinely asked, but your grandmother." Liu Yun raised an eyebrow towards her daughter, "Besides, we didn't initially intend to keep it, only to borrow."
As for borrowing it, she smiled at the thought that when they'd return it was a matter for later discussions.