tallest building

Chapter 77 Arouses Suspicion

After the ritual was completed, Song's spirits improved significantly.

Every day, he would dress neatly and come to pay his respects to Madam Gong.

The old lady was pleased to see that she was no longer so sickly, and she couldn't help but comfort her with a few words: "I see that you look much better. The weather is hot now, so you must take good care of yourself."

The date for the second master to take a concubine has been set, but May is considered an unlucky month, so it will have to wait until the second day of next month. That's only a little over half a month. If your child is born safely by then, it will be a double celebration.

"Yes, it's a joyous occasion for Master to take a concubine, and it's also a joyous occasion for me to be born safely. It's just that Madam has had to work so hard." Madam Song showed no displeasure whatsoever, but instead felt somewhat apologetic towards Wen Mingqian.

Madam Gong said, "Yes! You've worked so hard all these years. Now that she's back, you should rest and take good care of yourself during your pregnancy!"

"Right now, I only have one thought in my mind: to pray day and night that this child can be born safely. I don't want to think about anything else." Madam Song placed her hands on her lower abdomen, her face full of loving affection.

"That's the right way to think. No matter how capable a woman is, she can't compete with having more children." Old Madam Gong was very satisfied with Song's performance.

She didn't want to see wives and concubines fighting each other; it was better for everyone to live peacefully and do their own thing.

Upon hearing this, Madam Song lowered her eyes and smiled, then said with a slight hesitation, "This concubine would like to ask the old lady for a reward."

"Oh? What do you want?" Old Madam Gong asked her.

"The old lady is a devout Buddhist; could you please give me a string of Buddhist prayer beads?"

“I have plenty of these things. What do you need them for? Do you also want to chant scriptures?”

“I dare not hide it from you, Madam. I truly wish to pray sincerely before Buddha, begging that Kang’an may return so that we may be reunited as mother and son.” Madam Song’s voice choked with emotion as she spoke, seemingly unable to contain herself.

Everyone felt awkward upon hearing this, as no one in the family wanted to mention Gong Kang'an's name again.

Only Wen Mingqian picked up where she left off: "Yes! That child suffered too much in his previous life. If he can come back, we should take good care of him."

There were hardly any people in the backyard at lunchtime.

Sang Er looked around for a while before approaching the gatekeeper, Granny Li, at the northwest corner of the Gong family's second branch. She said, "Granny Li, thank you for your help..."

As she spoke, she slipped another silk pouch into Granny Li's hand.

"Is the young lady going out again?" Granny Li hurriedly tucked the silk bundle into her waistband, her old face crinkling with smiles.

Sang Er was clearly unwilling to talk to her any longer, and urged in a low voice, "Mom, open the door quickly!"

"Hey, hey!" Granny Li said, opening the side gate. "Young lady, please slow down."

"I'll be back in a bit. Remember to open the door for me, and don't tell anyone," Sang Er instructed as she walked out.

"Don't worry! Don't worry! I won't tell anyone," Granny Li readily agreed.

After Sang Er left, she bolted the door again. Looking around to make sure no one was there, she took out the silk pouch and carefully counted the copper coins inside.

Now, Sang Er went out and put on her veil to cover her face. She walked quickly along the wall, turned the corner, and disappeared into the alley to the north.

“Young Madam, this is what Zhao Song’s wife, who manages the woodshed in the backyard, told me. That Sang Er must be up to no good, otherwise why would she be acting so suspiciously? She has plenty to eat and wear in this mansion, so if she needs to buy something, she can just send the maids and servants out to buy it.”

Besides, she's been running around outside several times in the past few days, clearly not doing anything good. "Madam Song still has quite a few spies in the mansion. Although Wen Mingqian is in charge now, there are always people who secretly resent her."

These people were originally Song's confidants, but they lost power after Wen Mingqian took over as steward, so it's inevitable that they harbored resentment.

Sang Er was Wen Mingqian's person. When she did something unusual, it was noticed by the Song family, who naturally complained about it.

“This Sang Er has a foxy air about her, the only thing she lacks is her age.” Madam Song’s teeth itched as she mentioned the two maids Wen Mingqian had bought into the manor. “She’s bound to cause trouble soon.”

Originally, Song Shi monopolized Gong Xu's position. Although she was still a concubine, the two got along like husband and wife.

Now, it seems that Yunying is about to be elevated to the status of a concubine, with a banquet and a separate courtyard to be prepared—it's all very dignified.

More importantly, she could clearly sense that Gong Xu was developing a desire for novelty.

Even if he tries his best to act as considerate and caring as before in front of her, some things have changed and they just won't change no matter how hard she tries.

Song appears to be gentle and kind, but in reality, she is extremely jealous and cannot stand seeing others do well.

"That girl is obviously not a good person," Granny Yang hated young and beautiful maids the most, "I wonder what kind of shady things she's doing out there."

"Have someone secretly follow her," Song said, like a fly that would immediately swarm at the slightest hint of something fishy, ​​"to see what she's up to when she goes out."

"I'll have my daughter-in-law keep an eye on her," said Granny Yang.

As the weather gets hotter, people can't stand it anymore and steal a moment to take a nap.

Sang Er knocked on the door for a long time before Granny Li finally woke up. She got up from the bench, rubbed her eyes, and opened the door.

Sang Er was a little unhappy: "Mom, are you sleeping too soundly? I've been knocking on the door for ages."

"I'm so sorry, young lady, this man is old, hard of hearing, and his legs aren't very strong anymore," Granny Li said with a smile. "Come on in! Nobody's here right now, everyone's asleep!"

Sang Er didn't say anything more and ran ahead.

Wen Mingqian had just woken up from his afternoon nap when Liu'er brought him some tea: "Madam, please have some tea to soothe your throat!"

Wen Mingqian took the tea, took a sip, and asked, "Where did that girl Sang Er go?"

"She's probably gone to play in the back garden. There's nothing for her to do in this room anyway," Liu'er said with a smile. "Besides, Madam is taking a nap right now, so it's better to let her go out and play so as not to disturb you."

“This girl is too lazy,” Wen Mingqian put down his teacup. “Although she is still young, she should learn some manners.”

Just then, Sang Er entered the room, slightly out of breath from walking so fast.

“Madam is awake,” Sang Er said, walking up to Wen Mingqian. “Would you like to wash your face?”

"Waiting for you to bring me water to wash my face, I'm afraid it will be dark by then," Wen Mingqian said, clearly displeased. "I was just saying to you, why are you always nowhere to be found? Even though there aren't any big tasks assigned to you, you should at least be more observant."

"This servant was in the back garden and got so engrossed in wandering around that I forgot the time. Please forgive me, Madam. I won't do it again." Sang Er stood there honestly, admitting her mistake.

“You’re not exactly a child anymore, and our family is very particular about rules. If this goes on for too long, even if I don’t say anything, others will laugh at you,” Wen Mingqian admonished her. “You need to know your limits and stop fooling around all day.”

(End of this chapter)