The Mute Wife Who Brings Prosperity-Chapter 443 - 411: Miscarriage, The Sky Has Fallen
Wen Wan listened to this and felt a little puzzled, "You’ve been married to him for almost seven years, and you don’t trust him?"
"I do trust him, but not to the extent of complete trust." Lin Xiaoyue didn’t know how to describe her inner feelings.
"Did he ever do anything to wrong you?" Wen Wan asked.
Lin Xiaoyue shook her head, "No."
"So, he treats you poorly then?"
"No, he doesn’t."
"So, he hasn’t wronged you, nor treated you poorly, why don’t you trust him?"
Wen Wan said, looking at Lin Xiaoyue’s abdomen, "You’re about to have your second child and you tell me you don’t trust your partner? Isn’t that a bit too much?"
Lin Xiaoyue was rendered speechless.
Recalling the events from a few days ago, Wen Wan continued, "Mr. Qi had just left, and you impatiently dragged me to Fahua Temple to pray and ask for peace. Then you threw a copper coin and made a wish. Was all that just for show?"
"Of course not!" Lin Xiaoyue immediately retorted, "I would never do something so insincere."
"Then I don’t understand." Wen Wan looked at her suspiciously, "On one hand, you’re anxious about having his child, yet you say you don’t trust him. Isn’t that contradictory?"
Directly hit where it hurts, Lin Xiaoyue looked deeply embarrassed, "I already realized these issues before you came. Can you help me figure out what to do?"
"What else is there to do except eat on time, sleep well, and take good care of your pregnancy? That’s what you should be focusing on right now. Overthinking won’t help."
Seeing she was about to argue, Wen Wan cut her off in time, "As long as you don’t overthink, you won’t have nightmares. Look at you, in such a short time you’ve worn yourself out like this. If the little one in your belly knew their mom wasn’t taking good care of them, maybe they’d decide they don’t want you to be their mom out of spite."
Lin Xiaoyue, thinking about how her unborn baby might resent her irresponsibility, took a deep breath and promised Wen Wan, "I understand, from today I’ll eat and sleep according to schedule and take good care of the baby."
"That’s right." Wen Wan smiled, satisfied, "You’re usually so clear-headed when you’re with me, you ought to know the importance of things in such matters. Don’t let more people worry about you."
Lin Xiaoyue looked a bit embarrassed, "Thank you, Wen Wan."
"You should thank me." They were quite familiar with each other by now, so Wen Wan wasn’t polite with her, "If I hadn’t come today, you probably would have kept on like this. If something actually happened and you lost the baby, would you be happy then?"
Lin Xiaoyue looked at her with eyes full of ingratiation, "I already know I was wrong, could you stop stabbing me right in the heart? It really hurts."
"If it doesn’t hurt, will you remember it?"
"Yes, yes, everything you say is right. Are you thirsty? Let me pour you a cup of tea." Lin Xiaoyue poured her a cup of hot tea.
Wen Wan didn’t hold back, received it to warm her hands, and glanced at their brazier, "Is the charcoal inside top-grade silver frost charcoal from the Charcoal Bureau?"
Lin Xiaoyue nodded and said yes, "It was delivered just at the beginning of winter."
In the Imperial City, the Empress and favored concubines used top-grade Red Basket Charcoal. Silver Frost Charcoal was the highest standard of room charcoal given to officials.
It wasn’t surprising that Su Qing’s household would have it given his rank.
After finishing, Lin Xiaoyue turned and instructed Jin Zhi, "Go prepare two baskets of Silver Frost Charcoal and have someone take them to the Song Mansion later."
Jin Zhi responded and was about to head out when Wen Wan quickly called her back, "No need to trouble yourself, I was just asking casually."
Lin Xiaoyue knew the Song family didn’t have such charcoal, and said to Wen Wan, "Mr. Qi won a great battle, so a lot was sent from the palace. Our house only has this one room to heat, we won’t finish it all winter."
After a pause, she continued, "Consider it a thank you gift from me."
Wen Wan almost spat out her tea, "Is my help only worth two baskets of charcoal?"
"It’s called spreading warmth, don’t you know?" Lin Xiaoyue didn’t think she was being stingy at all, "It’s much more valuable than those flashy yet useless gold and jade ornaments."
Wen Wan put down her tea cup and started counting on her fingers with her, "If you really gave me a jade item, I could take it to the pawn shop and turn it over, and the silver I get might buy more than just two baskets of charcoal. Otherwise, just give me silver directly."
"If I gave you silver, where would you go to buy Silver Frost Charcoal?" Lin Xiaoyue rolled her eyes, "Never seen anyone as money-grubbing as you."
"Can’t help it, it’s all because of poverty. Who would care about silver if they weren’t short of money?"
"..."
Those two baskets of Silver Frost Charcoal ultimately were delivered to the Song family.
Only two courtyards there needed it. Wen Wan sent one basket to her in-laws at Rong’an Hall and kept the other in her own courtyard.
Even if Granny Song didn’t know everything, she could tell this charcoal was much better quality than what they were currently using, so she asked who sent it.
Wen Wan honestly said it was from the lady who had stayed in their home for a while back in the day.
Granny Song remembered Lin Xiaoyue, and upon hearing Wen Wan’s explanation, she was a bit excited, "She’s so generous, we can’t not show any gratitude, right?"
Wen Wan didn’t tell Granny Song about Lin Xiaoyue’s current situation, afraid her mother-in-law would worry too, she just assured her that all necessary gratitudes had been handled.
Granny Song knew this daughter-in-law was prudent, and upon hearing this, she was relieved.
——
After Wen Wan’s persuasion, Lin Xiaoyue stopped overthinking from that day on and focused on nourishing her pregnancy with good food and rest.
The peace charm she sought at Fahua Temple couldn’t be given to Su Qing, so she wore it herself.
Freed from the nightmare’s clutches, her complexion improved significantly these days, though she occasionally felt discomfort in her abdomen.
Lin Xiaoyue was particularly anxious about this pregnancy, and would call the household doctor at the slightest discomfort. The doctor said the pulse was stable and advised her to rest more and maintain a cheerful mood.
Lin Xiaoyue suspected the household doctor had been bribed and secretly had Jin Zhi bring in an external doctor.
The external doctor also found no issues.
Jin Zhi remarked, "Grandma is overwhelmed by concern; she worries too much. Our household doctor was personally chosen by Mr. Qi before he left. There should be no problem. Besides, the outside doctor also said the child’s pulse is stable and healthy!"
"Is that so?" Lin Xiaoyue seemed somewhat absent-minded.
"Grandma, don’t overthink. Let me help you take a walk."
—
Despite all the precautions, Lin Xiaoyue still miscarried.
On a snowy night in midwinter, the gates of the Song Mansion were knocked on, followed by the sound of barking dogs, rising and falling.
The news traveled from the gatehouse to the second gate, passed by the granny there to Yun Cai, who was on night watch, and then Yun Cai notified the masters.
Wen Wan was sound asleep when the panicked knocking from outside awoke her.
In her drowsiness, the bedside lamp was lit, and its orange-yellow glow dispelled some of her sleepiness.
Wen Wan turned her head to see Song Wei already dressed and getting out of bed, telling her to go back to sleep as he went out to check.
It was too cold outside, and Wen Wan was too lazy to move, so she nodded, following his words, and closed her eyes.
There were faint voices coming from the doorway, difficult to hear clearly, but the words "miscarriage" came through distinctly, as the speaker unconsciously raised their voice out of fear.
In an instant, all of Wen Wan’s sleepiness disappeared. She threw off the brocade quilt, dressed swiftly, and quickly went to the outer room.
The door was still open, Song Wei stood at the threshold, while Yun Cai was whispering outside.
Hearing the movement, Song Wei turned his head to look at her, "Why did you get up?"
"What did you just say?" Wen Wan’s gaze was fixed on Yun Cai.
Instinctively, Yun Cai glanced at Song Wei as if reluctant to speak without first getting the master’s permission.
Song Wei replied to her, "Madam Su had a miscarriage."
Wen Wan froze for a moment before realizing that "Madam Su" referred to Lin Xiaoyue.
...
Concerned about Wen Wan traveling so far alone in the middle of the night, Song Wei accompanied her to the Governor Mansion.
As an outside man, it was inconvenient for him to enter the inner courtyard, so once there, Steward Liu arranged for him to have tea in the front hall.
Wen Wan followed the maid leading her to Lin Xiaoyue’s courtyard.
The blood-stained bedding in the main room had already been replaced. Considering the cold weather, the servants dared not open the windows for ventilation but instead lit incense to lessen the room’s odor.
Yet, despite these measures, anyone entering could easily smell it.
When Wen Wan lifted the beaded curtain of the partition, she at once saw Lin Xiaoyue lying on the bed, her eyes lifeless.
Her face was bloodless, and her expression seemed dull; whatever the maid said to her, she didn’t seem to hear.
Upon Wen Wan’s arrival, the maidservants all knelt in unison to greet her.
Wen Wan raised her hand to signal them not to make any noise that might disturb Lin Xiaoyue’s rest.
She then asked them all to leave.
Jin Zhi brought a copper basin with the young maids and quickly left the main room.
Wen Wan pulled up a stool to sit down, clasping Lin Xiaoyue’s exposed hand in her palm, silently accompanying her without saying a word.
After a long while, Lin Xiaoyue seemed to regain some awareness, her eyes moving slightly, and a hoarse voice emerged, "You are here?"
"How do you feel?"
Fearing she might be in pain, Wen Wan gently loosened her grip on Lin Xiaoyue’s hand.
"I feel like the sky is falling."
She did not cry, as if she couldn’t anymore, her voice weak and feeble.
"The sky hasn’t fallen," Wen Wan said, "As long as you are willing to get up and walk out, you will definitely see it."
