Prosperous Marriage: Married to My Brother-in-law-Chapter 544 Sudden Departure (1)_1
At midnight, a clap of spring thunder sounded, and soon after, rain began to fall. The spring rain descended upon the world, signaling the official arrival of spring.
The atmosphere in the room remained romantic. On the spacious double bed, the robust man was not sleeping deeply. When the spring thunder sounded, he opened his eyes slightly, listened for a moment, and as the spring rain arrived, a tender, teasing smile flickered at the corners of his mouth. Then he pulled the delicate body in his arms closer, affectionately stroked her now shoulder-length hair, and closed his eyes to continue sleeping.
The rain was fine and continuous, seemingly muffled by the not-too-loud spring thunder, quietly moistening everything in the world in the dead of night.
The rain kept falling. As dawn broke, the sky appeared very overcast. The rain was still coming down—not too heavily, just showers, but they were persistent and accompanied by wind, causing the temperature to suddenly revert to winter-like cold overnight.
The flowers and trees in the front Courtyard and the Backyard had been thoroughly washed by the spring rain, looking a deep, glossy green. Every path was soaked, and some low-lying areas were even filled with water.
Usually, at daybreak, the servants would begin cleaning in the Courtyard, but today was an exception. On rainy days, the servants responsible for outdoor work could rest and didn’t need to work, while those responsible for indoor tasks cleaned quietly as usual, preparing breakfast, post-meal fruit, and the like for the masters.
The room was cozily warm due to the heating being on, unaffected by the arrival of the spring rain. Julia opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was the ceiling overhead. Sensing the warmth of the bedding, she muttered something, turned on her side, and continued sleeping.
Glades Horne was still lying beside her. Her slight movements awoke him. Seeing her turn over to continue sleeping, he checked the time. It was only just after six in the morning. Since it was still quite early, he let her be.
Downstairs, the servants were still bustling around. Apart from the elderly lady who was already up, there was no movement from the others.
Just like usual, the elderly lady, clad in thick clothing and with slightly unsteady steps, descended the stairs, supported by Aunt Mei. After the New Year, the elderly lady was another year older. She was now eighty-six.
Even though she maintained a cheerful disposition, was careful with her diet, and often took walks to strengthen her physique, once a person passes eighty, their mobility often declines. Last year, she had still seemed quite robust. But after this New Year, she truly felt her age, and the stairs seemed difficult to navigate.
"These stairs are too long," she grumbled softly as she slowly descended.
"Madam, why don’t you move back to your former room?" suggested Aunt Mei.
The elderly lady’s own room was on the ground floor, but she also had access to the room on the second floor where she had lived with her husband when they were younger. After her husband passed away, she would sometimes stay in her ground-floor room, but at other times, she would go to the second-floor room to reminisce about him.
Perhaps as she grew older, the elderly lady missed her deceased husband even more. Recently, she had taken to spending every night in the second-floor room. The staircase between the first and second floors was typical for any home and not particularly long. However, due to her age, it felt too long to the elderly lady.
"No, I like the second floor," the elderly lady replied with a faint smile, her wrinkled old face lighting up with a tender glow as she smiled.
"But Madam, your health..." Aunt Mei said, sounding a little worried.
As she stepped off the final stair, the elderly lady chuckled. "What’s wrong with my health? I can still eat, sleep, and walk. I clearly remember the names and faces of all my children and grandchildren. I’m doing very well. I’m still waiting to hold Julia’s baby."
Aunt Mei could only offer a smile and said no more. Having served the elderly lady for many years, she, along with Dr. Lei, was most aware of the true state of the elderly lady’s health.
Sitting down on the sofa, the elderly lady instinctively reached into her overcoat pocket for her gold-rimmed reading glasses. Once she had put them on, Aunt Mei handed her the day’s newspaper. Since retiring from the company’s affairs, reading the newspaper was the first thing the elderly lady did each morning.
She often said that a scholar could be aware of everything happening in the world without leaving his house. While one might be at home, their mind should be out in the world, staying informed about external affairs and avoiding isolation. Of course, she would occasionally participate in activities for the elderly.
"The rain has been falling outside for half the night and still hasn’t stopped," she remarked offhandedly while flipping through the newspaper.
"Yes, Madam," Aunt Mei replied.
"Is the young madam’s breakfast ready? Is her milk heated?" the elderly lady continued, her eyes still fixed on the financial section.
"Madam, don’t worry, nothing will be missed," Aunt Mei reassured her.
"The young lady’s breakfast should be prepared as well. Go upstairs in a bit and call her down. That girl will laze in bed if no one calls her," the elderly lady added.
Aunt Mei acknowledged each instruction.
After instructing Aunt Mei on all the matters she was concerned about, the elderly lady quietly resumed reading her newspaper.
「It was seven in the morning.」
In their room.
"Honey," Glades Horne called as he sat up. He casually picked up the clothes he had taken off the previous night and left by the bed, quickly putting them on. Then he sat on the edge of the bed, leaning close to whisper tenderly in Julia’s ear.
Julia gave no response.
"Julia," he called again, gently nudging her and murmuring, "Julia, it’s time to get up." It wasn’t that he had lost his tenderness for his wife, but he was starting to feel hungry, and he knew Julia, carrying their child, would be hungry as well.
A pregnant woman’s diet needed careful management, with frequent, small meals being essential.
