Madam, don't do this!

Chapter 530 The Unborn Child of a Non-Blood Sibling (11,000 words, please vote with monthly tickets)
Rumble, rumble!

Thunder and lightning.

The exaggerated thunder shook the entire house, and the rain intensified. Large raindrops slanted down onto the leaves, making a pattering sound. It should still be morning, but the sky had darkened prematurely. The whole world was shrouded in a gloomy haze, and the water in the courtyard was murky, with fallen leaves and petals swirling on its surface. If this continued, the Yi and Luo Rivers might flood again. However, this year's magistrate was Luo Tianshu, who was far more conscientious than his predecessor, so perhaps Ningping County would not suffer any more casualties.

The cabin was very quiet.

Everyone remained motionless, their eyes fixed on the bed.

Song Hongtao was no longer breathing, his chest was no longer rising and falling, he must be dead... but his eyes were still wide open, as if from excessive force, there were scarlet marks on his eyeballs, like broken glass, his eyes looked somewhat frightening.

His body remained stiff in a strange posture, his fingers bent like eagle claws.

Perhaps, even on his deathbed, Song Hongtao's chest was still filled with intense hatred and anger.

Song Yan blinked. Although he had indeed come to provoke Song Hongtao on purpose, he hadn't expected Song Hongtao to be so narrow-minded, dying from anger so easily... He felt a little regretful, since Song Hongtao was really no threat. If he were alive, he might have been more entertaining.

Song Yan's thoughts might have been a bit excessive, after all, he hadn't considered what Song Hongtao had gone through in less than a year... He was cuckolded from head to toe, seven out of eight children weren't his own, all his biological illegitimate sons and daughters had died, he himself was paralyzed, and even before he became paralyzed, he had personally killed his last biological son, and even the Duke title that the Song family had been proud of for generations had fallen into the hands of Lin Xiangwan's bastard child with her lover...

He has lost everything, while the people he hates are all doing better than the last. No one could withstand such a situation.

It's perfectly normal to be so angry that you die.

"Ninth Young Master, what should we do with this person?" Blinking, Lin Xiangwan finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"What else can we do?" Song Yan sighed. "Give them a grand funeral."

It wasn't that Song Yan still had much affection for Song Hongtao; it was simply that in this era, filial piety was paramount, and Song Yan was still considered Song Hongtao's son. Moreover, Song Hongtao was already dead, and at this time, the dead were considered the greatest. It was as if once a person died, no matter what evil deeds they had committed before, they could be wiped clean.

If it were according to Song Yan's previous character, he would probably have simply thrown Song Hongtao's body out to feed the dogs, or even burned his bones to ashes and scattered them into the Yi and Luo Rivers to feed the fish. Doing so would probably have given him some satisfaction, but the ensuing verbal attacks and rumors would have been a loss for him. It wouldn't be worth damaging his reputation for a dead man.

"I understand, I'll make the arrangements right away," Lin Xiangwan nodded and said.

"There's no need to rush. It's still pouring rain outside. Let's talk about it after the rain stops. Now, take me back to the courtyard to have a look."

This was requested on behalf of Lin Xue.

Lin Xue had lived in that small courtyard for three years, a time that was extremely precious to her. Although she was bullied, the days with her mother by her side were always wonderful.

The group of people waded through the puddles and slowly made their way toward the courtyard.

After Lin Xiangwan gradually gained control of the Duke's mansion, she obviously carried out some renovations on the courtyard, and perhaps consulted many maids and servants to try to restore the courtyard to its original appearance.

The raindrops resembled a beaded curtain.

But looking through those layers of water curtain at the courtyard in front of me, a strong sense of familiarity still washes over me.

A slight flush rose to Lin Xue's face. Her slender fingers traced the slightly decayed door frame. Everything here was stimulating her senses. Her gaze involuntarily fell on a sycamore tree in the courtyard. She quickened her pace slightly, splashing through the puddles. Her fingers lingered on the trunk, examining it from top to bottom: "It's quite a bit thicker than when I was sold..."

"I still remember my mother once tied two ropes to a tree branch and attached a wooden board to the bottom to make a small swing." Lin Xue seemed to be talking to Song Yan, but it also seemed to be talking to herself: "I would often hold you and swing on the swing."

“Every time, you sit while I push you from behind.”

“My little brother is indeed different from others. When ordinary children swing on the swing, they are always scared and scream. But Xiao Yan doesn’t say a word, just pouts, as if he doesn’t care about this little swing at all.”

Song Yan felt somewhat helpless, knowing that Lin Xue's memories of this courtyard probably included his presence.

"Song Jing felt uncomfortable hearing the laughter and chatter coming from the courtyard, so he rushed over and kicked the swing, which was a real shame."

Lin Xue strolled slowly through the courtyard, and before she knew it, she was standing by the wall. She seemed to be searching for something, but ultimately found nothing. "There should be a chicken coop in this corner," she thought.

"When I was a child, the food I ate was very bad. It was mostly leftovers, cold food, and leftover soup and rice."

“My mother still had some dowry, some gold and silver jewelry, which she could exchange for some food from those greedy maids. I remember that my mother traded a jade hairpin for a few old hens. Those eggs were probably the best thing we ate when we were young.”

"It's a pity that even the chickens we raised ourselves were poisoned by Yang Miaoqing. I guess in Yang Miaoqing's eyes, eating an egg is a sin."

Lin Xue had a faint smile on her face.

Upon arriving at this small courtyard, I was indeed able to recall many things I had previously forgotten, and even though not all of them were good, they were still precious.

"Ah, and here too. I remember one year when it snowed, the yard was covered in a thick layer of snow, and I pulled you along to run in the snow. We both slipped and fell, getting all dirty and wet. I hurt my little brother, and I was a little scared, but when Mother came, she didn't scold me. She just patted my head and told me to go back and change my clothes..."

"As far as I can remember, my mother never seemed to get angry with me. She was such a gentle and kind person."

There are only two rooms in the courtyard: a bedroom and a kitchen.

While rambling on and on, Lin Xue gently pushed open the bedroom door, revealing a somewhat rotten wooden bed inside.

The bed wasn't very wide.

“When I was little, the three of us squeezed into this bed.” Lin Xue smiled and walked over. “I remember when my little brother was born, I was terrified. I cried and worried that my mother wouldn’t want me anymore after having him…”

"Then my mother was sitting on this bed, holding my little brother and waving at me. She seemed to say something to me..."

Lin Xue shook her head vigorously.

A slightly distorted pain gradually appeared on her face. She had a premonition that it must be an extremely important memory for her, but she just couldn't remember it no matter what she did. Lin Xue could feel that a large part of her consciousness was empty, as if she had deliberately forgotten something.

Without realizing it, Lin Xue's breathing became rapid.

Some strange images inexplicably surfaced in my mind.

She was a ragged girl.

They were two emaciated, cold, and stiff corpses.

Lin Xue subconsciously squatted down, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Seeing her like that, Chu Menglan and Song Yan were both worried. After what seemed like an eternity, Lin Xue's shoulders suddenly trembled, and her entire body stiffened. Only her eyes remained wide open, her expression extremely eerie. Her lips parted slightly, and a voice like a nightmare echoed in the small room:
"Xiaoyan..."

"I……"

"I don't think I'm your biological sister!"

What?
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned, their expressions becoming extremely strange.

Song Yan blinked, seemingly not quite understanding what Lin Xue meant. Chu Yue's forehead was covered in black lines, and Chu Menglan slapped him across the face. "You only traveled all the way from Chu to Ning because you were worried about your brother, and now that you've finally met him, you're saying he's not your real brother?"

What about playing?
Lin Xue let out a heavy sigh, stood up, and finally remembered all the memories that had been forgotten: she was not Mei Xue's biological daughter.

She remembered; her parents were refugees fleeing famine. She thought of her mother carrying her, staggering along the road. She thought of her father carrying her on his back, exhausted from hunger, yet still managing a weak, weary smile when he turned to look at her.

The memories that come back are almost entirely of unbearable hunger. All that can be seen before me is cracked earth and a desolate yellow landscape. Everything has died of drought; the trees are bare, their bark and leaves long since devoured by refugees. There isn't even a blade of grass to be seen on the ground; all the grass roots have been dug up and eaten.

The road was littered with corpses lying haphazardly, swarming with flies that buzzed as you walked past. Some corpses were emaciated, while others had bellies swollen like drums, probably from eating clay. She could even see starving people frantically devouring the corpses, looking like wolves in the forest.

She could feel the chilling gaze of those bulging eyes fixed on her, and she could only desperately curl up in her mother's arms, as if only in this way could she feel a little bit of safety.

She remembered.

That was one night.

The father went to find something to eat, while the mother held her anxiously and waited.

It was past midnight when my father finally returned, his feet blistered from running around in so many places. He still bore the marks of a fight, but he was clutching three bird eggs in his hand…

Even his mother, with her tired face, wore a dry smile.

Her father carefully cracked a bird egg open and brought it to her mouth. She slurped up the juice inside the egg; it tasted fishy but delicious… Unfortunately, the bird egg was too small, and after eating it, she felt even hungrier.

Her father then fed her the second and third bird eggs. Being so young, she didn't understand; she only knew how to fill her stomach. After eating the three eggs, she found a comfortable spot in her mother's arms and fell into a deep sleep. This was what her mother had taught her: if you're asleep, you won't be hungry.

She woke up hungry in the early hours of the next day.

She groggily opened her eyes and found herself still lying in her mother's arms, her mother leaning on her father's shoulder. She struggled to get out of her mother's embrace and gently shook her mother and father: "Dad, Mom... I'm hungry."

This time, her father and mother did not respond to her.

Their bodies were a little cold and stiff.

She shook and called out for a very long time, but she couldn't wake her parents up.

In a daze, she seemed to understand something, yet also seemed not to. She thought that perhaps her parents were just too sleepy and would wake up soon. So she nestled in her mother's arms again, and, hungry, fell asleep again.

She didn't know how much time had passed when she was awakened by a rustling sound. Opening her eyes, she saw that many people had appeared around them, all ragged, emaciated refugees. Their eyes were fixed on her and her parents, a look that sent chills down little Lin Xue's spine; some were even drooling. She didn't know what these people wanted, but she was instinctively afraid, and instinctively huddled between her parents. Just as these beast-like people were about to pounce, a carriage passed by, dropping dozens of steamed buns. The refugees, already ravaged by hunger, rushed towards the buns. In that moment, a woman in a traditional Chinese dress jumped down from the carriage, scooped her up from her parents' arms, touched their necks, sighed, and then carried her into the carriage, which sped away.

They probably didn't dare to linger in such places.

Lin Xue was panting heavily.

Her eyes still held a deep fear; this memory was far too terrifying for her when she was just a little girl back then.

Therefore, driven by instinct, she forgot this memory.

After that, she lived with her mother.

She was her mother's daughter.

My mother was a wealthy lady who lived in a large mansion. She no longer had to worry about not having enough to eat and could wear pretty little dresses. My mother was also very good to her and very gentle. Even if she did something wrong, she would gently persuade and teach her.

Such days are very happy.

The happiness was short-lived, lasting about six months. Suddenly, my mother sold the house, land, and shops, and then left the place where we had always lived with the family guards.

She was a little curious and asked her mother, "Where are we going and what are we going to do?"
Mother just smiled: Go to Liang Kingdom and find your father.

Then, while passing through Songzhou, I encountered the second nightmare of my life...

Song Hongtao, that damned bastard.

Just as his mother got out of the car, Song Hongtao happened to see her.

The scoundrel was attracted by his mother's beauty and went up to greet her, but was stopped by the guards. Song Hongtao then wisely left. Such things probably happened occasionally, and since they were only staying at the Songzhou Inn for one night and would be leaving the next day, his mother didn't take it too seriously.

But who would have thought that the very next day after leaving Songzhou City, they would be attacked by a group of mountain bandits.

Grandpa Butler.

Guards.

The maids who served her mother were all killed.

Just when she and her mother were about to be killed, Song Hongtao suddenly appeared. As the Duke of Song, he repelled the bandits and saved them. Then, he asked her mother to marry him because of the life-saving grace, and promised that he would not care that her mother already had a daughter and would treat this daughter as his own.

After glancing at the hundreds of guards in the Duke's mansion, Mother finally agreed to Song Hongtao's request.

Around that time, my mother already understood that she had no other choice but to jump into the fire pit that was right in front of her.

The wedding will take place three days later.

After getting married, Song Hongtao quickly lost interest in his mother and sent her to the small courtyard. As for his daughter, whom he said he would treat as his own, she was naturally left there as well.

My younger brother was born in September.

Looking at her little brother's wrinkled face, even though the young Lin Xue had sealed away the most painful memory, she was still instinctively afraid, worried that her mother would abandon her after having a brother. Her perceptive mother naturally noticed her worry, so she beckoned her over and gently stroked her hair.

My mother said a few things:

"Silly girl, what are you thinking? How could your mother not want you? Look at this wrinkled little face, so ugly. You'll probably have a hard time finding a wife in the future. Xue'er, when you grow up..."

"Would you like to be my younger brother's wife?"

ah ah ah ah...

Lin Xue suddenly let out a strange, mournful cry, and squatted down, clutching her head with both hands.

Her face flushed red.

Memories kept assaulting her sanity.

She remembered that when she was little, she didn't know what a wife meant. She only knew that her mother wouldn't abandon her, so she excitedly nodded her little head and said, "Okay, I promise my mother that when I grow up, I will be my brother's wife."

Then he just laughed like an idiot.

My younger brother is already married, with a principal wife and a secondary wife.

That concubine was also her master.

If she were to marry her younger brother, her relationship with her master would likely become a complete mess.

……

Luo Yuheng stood quietly at the entrance of the Fang residence, his dark eyes fixed on the rain outside. A considerable amount of time had passed; Yan'er and Tianxuan should have arrived in Ningping by now, and perhaps they had resolved most of the matters.

She glanced back discreetly, but apart from a doorman, no one noticed her.

This is a good sign.

Luo Yuheng pursed his lips, opened his oil-paper umbrella, and stepped into the rain.

She was going to find an old doctor to examine her pulse to see if it was a pregnancy pulse.

She needed to confirm whether she was really pregnant.

Large raindrops pounded on the oil-paper umbrella, making a loud thumping sound, and the area under the umbrella became somewhat noisy.

If he used his internal energy, he could easily avoid the raindrops, but Luo Yuheng didn't. After all, the effects of the cold poison could be fatal. Even though there was now a way to cure the cold poison, Luo Yuheng was still used to being cautious. Walking on the streets of Songzhou Prefecture, water had already accumulated on the bluestone pavement. The drainage system here was obviously not very good. If the rain was a little heavy, it couldn't be drained in time. His white embroidered shoes were quickly soaked through when he stepped into the water.

Inside the cotton socks, my little toes felt a bit cool and slippery, which wasn't very comfortable.

In such heavy rain, an oil-paper umbrella is not very useful. With just a slight gust of wind, the raindrops would slant into the umbrella, and in no time the hem of the skirt would be soaked through, clinging to the calves and highlighting two beautiful curves.

Songzhou City was very quiet during the heavy rain, and there were hardly any people on the streets.

Having lived in Songzhou Prefecture for some time and frequently visiting Songzhou City, Luo Yuheng was quite familiar with the area. Following his memories, he wandered through the streets and alleys, and after about fifteen minutes, a medical clinic appeared before him.

Ji'an Hall.

There's an old doctor there who's quite skilled.

Luo Yuheng took out a veil from her sleeve and covered her face.

Women are generally more shy.

Even the unconventional Luo Yuheng was somewhat hesitant when faced with the question of whether she was pregnant. After preparing herself, Luo Yuheng headed towards the clinic again. There were no customers inside, only a shopkeeper sitting in the office, listlessly flipping through the bills in his hand, his brows slightly furrowed, probably because business hadn't been too good lately.

Luo Yuheng folded up the oil-paper umbrella and placed it by the door before entering the hall.

"Seeing a doctor or getting medicine?" the shopkeeper asked casually, raising an eyebrow.

However, when he saw Luo Yuheng, a look of amazement flashed in his eyes. Even though the woman's face was covered by a light veil, he could still tell that she was an unparalleled beauty. However, as the most famous medical clinic in the entire Songzhou Prefecture, he received many guests on weekdays, including many rich young ladies and noblewomen. He had seen many beautiful women, so he didn't have much of a reaction.

"Is Dr. Guo here?" Luo Yuheng asked, his eyes lowered.

"Yes, please come in." The shopkeeper nodded and pointed to a room on the side.

This is probably what makes Ji'an Hall different from other medical clinics. Doctors at Ji'an Hall don't treat patients in the main hall, as many people have rather unusual ailments, and it wouldn't be good if others knew. Luo Yuheng then walked towards the side room, pushed open the door, and saw an old man in his sixties with white hair and beard, holding a yellowed medical book in his hand. From the frayed edges of the book, it was clear that the old man had read it countless times.

Hearing footsteps, he put down the medical book and pointed to the chair opposite him, indicating that Luo Yuheng should sit down.

His slightly cloudy old eyes swept over Luo Yuheng: "Madam, have you been feeling unwell lately?"

“Nausea, drowsiness, and general weakness.” As she spoke, Luo Yuheng placed a section of her snow-white wrist on the table.

Dr. Guo frowned slightly, placed a few fingers on his wrist, and after a while asked again, "How long has it been since your period started?"

"It has been two months."

Dr. Guo nodded and withdrew his finger:

Congratulations, Madam!

"You're pregnant."

(End of this chapter)