Chapter 166 - 165: Extremely Dangerous
Han Yu cleared his throat, “Since it’s a gift from my Mother-in-law, it represents her kind intentions. Let’s accept it. Don’t worry about the rest; I will arrange a place for them to live.”
With an air of nobility, he accepted the servant contract without mentioning his plan for Su Wenyue. Han Yu hadn’t said that he already found a place; today, while Su Wenyue was asleep, he went out for a while and rented the two-entry courtyard not far away. It was being cleaned and arranged, and he planned to have his wife move there. He had rented this courtyard for a year and didn’t plan to give it up, especially since the vegetable field at the back was nurtured with so much effort by his wife, who has been looking forward to harvesting the vegetables.
Of course, these were things he couldn’t tell his wife. Although sometimes she might seem foolish, at other times she was very shrewd. If he told her now, she would immediately sense something was amiss and probably make a fuss about it.
The servant girls and caretakers breathed a sigh of relief after hearing Han Yu’s words. No wonder the Mistress asked them to listen to Uncle’s decision; it seemed the Mistress and Uncle had discussed it.
“But there’s really no need. With just the two of us, why do we need so many servants, and why do we need caretakers for our place? It’s truly unnecessary,” Su Wenyue insisted on not keeping so many people, as there might be spies arranged by her Father and Mother among them, reporting everything back, leaving her to endure her Mother’s nagging.
“It’s necessary. The world is becoming more and more chaotic. Having a few more caretakers at home gives me peace of mind. And our baby, our treasure in your stomach, would be safe, wouldn’t it?” Han Yu had made up his mind that he could not send the people back; he had to persuade his wife.
“But I don’t like having so many servants at home. When I was at home, my Mother let the servants watch me too closely, forbidding this and that. Just thinking about it depresses me.” Su Wenyue felt that Han Yu’s argument made sense, as the world was indeed getting more chaotic, something she understood even better from her experiences in her previous life. However, she felt a degree of repulsion and conflict within her.
Han Yu certainly noticed this and thought to himself that having so many people was indeed to watch over you. In the past, when his wife was at her mother’s family home, she was much more spoiled and yet, nothing dire happened. But since marrying into his family, big and small issues arose constantly, straining his heart’s capacity to endure.
Thinking this to himself, Han Yu nevertheless reassured her, “What’s there to be depressed about? You were young and naive, and your Mother naturally had to control you more. Now that you’re married and the Mistress of the house, these people are under your command. You make the rules. Isn’t it good to have so many helping hands?”
“Alright then, since you say so, I won’t send the people back. I’ll leave the arrangements of their residence to you; I don’t want to handle it.” Su Wenyue did understand the advantages of keeping these people. If Han Yu climbed higher in the future, the number of servants at home would inevitably increase. Those from outside couldn’t compare to those who grew up in a mansion, in terms of loyalty or adherence to rules.
These words were precisely what Han Yu wanted to hear; once his wife agreed, everything else would be easy to handle.
Upon seeing Han Yu’s devotion and prompt arrangement of matters, Su Wenyue felt discontent again. Surely, this pleased Han Yu’s heart. Perhaps it was a scheme between him and her Mother, otherwise how could things align so coincidentally? As soon as Han Yu agreed not to send her back to her mother’s family, her mother’s family sent people over, full of tricks and ruses. If only she had made a bigger scene earlier. Being whimsical as a pregnant woman isn’t wrong, especially since she’s carrying twins—who is as remarkable as her!
With these thoughts, Su Wenyue temporarily pushed aside her annoyance with that person and felt more spirited to take a stand against Han Yu, which he was pleased to see. After what happened yesterday, Han Yu noticed the gloom that had barely faded from his wife’s brow returned, which made his heart anxious. A pregnant woman naturally lacks strength, without spare energy for such concerns, especially with two children in the womb—an inherently dangerous situation.
Han Yu stayed with Su Wenyue for one whole day, arranging all household affairs properly. The next day, however, he still had to return to his duties at the military camp. There was no choice; climbing to the top required him to work doubly hard. Besides, it was a period of strife, and even a man in his position had much to do; it wasn’t leisure time.
Su Wenyue knew Han Yu worked hard, so when he was home, she would fuss a bit, enjoying her rights as a pregnant woman. In order to reassure Han Yu, she even concealed her nausea in the morning when he left. But as soon as he was gone, she threw up, her world turning upside down.
Han Yu took a day off, but upon his return, he was busier than ever. After several days without returning home, fortunately, there were the servants sent by the Su Family to take care of his wife, which gave him some peace of mind. Yet upon his return, seeing his wife’s face thinned from weight loss and her frail frame even weaker, Han Yu’s heart ached greatly.
At that moment, Su Wenyue had just finished vomiting and fallen asleep, exhausted. Han Yu caressed his wife’s slender face; the baby fat that once rounded her cheeks was gone, leaving just the pointed chin. She apparently hadn’t slept well, as dark circles formed under her eyes, and her whole person appeared haggard. Her breathing while asleep was very shallow.
“Has the Madam not been eating well? How has she lost so much weight in just a few days? How have you been taking care of her?!” Han Yu questioned the two old women in a low voice, his tone carrying authority. Although he didn’t believe that the old women sent by his Mother-in-law would neglect his wife, the fact remained that his wife wasn’t being cared for properly.
“Master, the Madam hasn’t been sleeping well these days; she keeps waking up at night. Poor sleep at night leads to lack of energy during the day, and the pregnancy symptoms are severe—she vomits whatever she eats. We’ve tried many methods according to our experience, but nothing works. Seeing that things couldn’t go on this way, we specifically had Doctor Lin called in, and Doctor Lin said…”
Aunt Li hesitated, exchanging glances with Grandma Chen, unsure whether to speak her mind. Though they were originally Su Wenyue’s servants from the Su Family and are now part of the Han Family, they had a natural bias toward Su Wenyue. Some things might bring benefit but could also be detrimental to their Mistress. However, continuing this way wasn’t an option either.
“What did Doctor Lin say? Speak clearly without hesitation. You want me to resort to using a paddle before you talk!” Irritated by Chen and Aunt Li’s hesitations and concerned for his wife’s health, Han Yu raised his voice involuntarily.