Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 187 About Children
The scalding hot sunflower soup spilled from the table, staining Tan Huai Ke's dress. She was so shocked that she didn't stand up until she felt the soup on her legs. She hurriedly shook off the stains from her dress.

Tan Anfu was very pleased with this scene.

Sure enough, this Hu woman was quite interested in Shentu Zhuo, and even harbored illicit thoughts in front of his widowed sister-in-law.

She got up and walked over, feigning concern, "Oh dear, are you alright, little sister? Why are you so frightened? This sunflower soup is still steaming hot, don't burn yourself. Go and change your clothes."

Despite being soaked and disheveled, Tan Huai Ke quickly regained his composure. While instructing Pei'er to tidy up the table, he calmly said to Tan An Fu, "Please wait a moment, Madam Fu, I'm going to change."

Tan Anfu nodded understandingly: "Okay, we'll talk again when you get back."

As they were talking, Tan Huaike went behind the screen in the inner room. Pei'er responded from outside. Tan Anfu pretended to tidy up the table that had been soaked with soup, rummaging through this and picking up that, and then quickly tucked a small item into her sleeve. She also swept away the other odds and ends, making the table even more messy.

When Pei'er came in carrying a basin of water and a rag, she saw Tan Anfu sitting leisurely on a mat to the side, gesturing at her: "Your mistress accidentally spilled the soup. Clean up over there and over there carefully. Didn't you see the dirt over there? Sigh, this ill-mannered wild servant is just not good at doing his work."

This was clearly retaliation for her previous rude remarks. Pei'er didn't know what had just happened and didn't dare to speak casually. She could only suppress her anger and wipe herself clean, inwardly cursing her for being petty.

Tan Huai Ke returned shortly after. Taking advantage of the opportunity to change her clothes, she had completely calmed down and figured out how to deal with the situation. After sitting down, she smiled at Tan An Fu and said, "I've kept you waiting, Madam Fu."

To tidy up the mess, Pei'er moved all the other items on the table to another place. At this moment, Tan Huaike served her a new bowl of sunflower soup and instructed her, "This sunflower soup is light and delicious. Take it to Lady Fu to try."

Pei'er brought the bowl over, and Tan Anfu was in a good mood, so she didn't bother her anymore. She took a sip and said, "It's alright."

Tan Huaike gave Pei'er a reassuring look, and only after she closed the door and left did he pick up the subject and ask, "What's the matter with the child that Lady Fu mentioned earlier?"
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Tan Anfu touched her belly again: "Sister, you don't know this, but I had a brief affair with Young Master Zhuo. It was that accident that made me pregnant with his child."

"I really don't know when this happened. I've never heard my uncle mention it before," Tan Huaike said curiously.

"It was after you set off to Andu for business," Tan Anfu said, her words recounting the events with great detail. "At that time, he was serving as a water official, working on canal construction near Lude County. My grandfather hosted a banquet to discuss the canal route with him. That evening, he drank a few too many cups of wine and stayed overnight at the old family home. For some reason, he wandered into my courtyard and, in a moment of drunken infatuation..."

Tan Anfu didn't elaborate further, only showing a wronged expression in her eyes as she wiped away non-existent tears from the corners of her eyes.

Tan Huaike was heartbroken: "I never expected my uncle to do such a thing! Why doesn't the Tan family seek an explanation from the Shentu family? You are in the right, after all, you should at least be given a proper status."

"This matter is not very honorable. Young Master Zhuo is in a hurry to take the imperial examination. If this gets out, he may lose his promising future. Naturally, he will not mention it to outsiders. Earlier, Old Madam Shentu refused to discuss marriage with my father-in-law, and Young Master Zhuo left in a hurry. This matter has been at an impasse. Our Tan family also cares about its reputation. I was afraid that making a fuss would only embarrass me. In the end, I could only swallow this loss in silence."

"You've really suffered," Tan Huaike said sympathetically. "And then what happened? How did the child fare?"

“Speaking of this child… sob…” Tan Anfu wiped away her tears for a while and choked out, “Not long after that, I found out I was pregnant. My mother was afraid that I would be criticized by others and wanted me to take medicine to abort the pregnancy, but I couldn’t bear it and only wanted to keep this child for Young Master Zhuo. My father-in-law and mother tried to persuade me but to no avail, so they had no choice but to find me a family to marry into hastily.”

"This...you're willing to raise someone else's child?" "At first I tried to keep it a secret, but how can you hide something like this? Of course, my husband wasn't willing." Tan Anfu was now truly moved, and said bitterly, "My husband used this to blackmail me, forcing me to compensate him with my dowry. Then he deliberately humiliated me by bringing in a concubine. I argued with him, and he hit and verbally abused me. He even conspired with Aunt Jun to force-feed me an abortifacient. My poor child wasn't even fully formed yet..."

She spoke half-truthfully, her tears streaming down her face, looking truly pitiful. Where was her former arrogant and domineering demeanor? Even Tan Huaike couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.

With a sigh, Tan Huaike said, "Things have come to this, Lady Fu, don't be too heartbroken. What do you want to do now? Divorce your husband and let your uncle give you a proper status?"

Tan Anfu shook her head and said sadly, "Now that Lord Shentu is of such high status, I was already far beyond his reach back then, let alone in this current state of destitution. The child is gone, and I have no other thoughts. Let's just consider it a passing cloud. Sister, you shouldn't mention it to the Shentu family anymore. It will only cause trouble. I'm already married, and I have to move on."

"Don't worry, Lady Fu, I understand," Tan Huaike replied.

"I'm telling you all this only because you're still considered a member of the Tan family. I'm reminding you to be prudent and not to trust the Shen Tu family too much. From the moment of my marriage to Shen Tu Heng, they've been trying to exploit the Tan family's interests. Think about how they treated you, a widow, before. Now that you've become successful, they're completely different. They fawn over you, calling you 'Madam,' but don't end up like me, skinned alive, and completely exploited. It'll be too late to regret it then."

"Indeed, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Thank you for your advice, Madam Fu."

After drinking two bowls of sunflower soup, Tan Anfu took her leave.

Tan Huai Ke sat alone at the desk for a while, then said to Pei'er, "When the Second Young Master returns, have him come to me."

Pei'er couldn't discern anything from her face, and unable to suppress her suspicions, she could only tentatively ask, "Did Lady Fu say something? Your Majesty must not believe her one-sided story; Lady Fu is adept at spreading rumors."

Tan Huaike smiled and said, "Pei'er has grown up; she knows not to trust people too easily now."

Seeing that she had already made up her mind, Pei'er breathed a sigh of relief: "I just felt that Lady Fu's special visit to find the Lady was probably not for anything good. She can't stand seeing others doing well when she's not doing well herself."

While talking to her, Tan Huaike searched through the items she had just packed: "Pei'er, did you see the jade pendant with the se-se beads? The one I was going to give to my uncle."

Pei'er also helped her look for it: "No, I didn't see it. I thought you had woven it and put it away, Your Majesty."

After searching in vain, Tan Huaike put his hands on his hips, looked at the remaining Se Se Pearls, frowned, and muttered, "Nothing good ever comes of it."

As for Tan Anfu, she knew that there was no evidence to support her claim about the child, and that she couldn't take those lies seriously and bring them to the attention of Old Madam Shentu and Shentu Zhuo. Therefore, she only came to Tan Huaike to say a few words and make a show of it.

She had two objectives.

First, to disturb Tan Huaike's peace of mind, to test how much she cared about Shen Tuzhuo, and then to sow discord; second, to find an opportunity to obtain the "token of love" between the uncle and sister-in-law, so as to carry out subsequent actions.

Now she has achieved both of her goals.
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Next chapter: Your child, lost.