strictlysupreme Chapter 148 A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Sisters-in-Law
Chapter 148 A Heart-to-Heart Talk Between Sisters-in-Law
Soon, the chaotic Vice Minister's residence was taken over, and before dusk, everything was arranged neatly, with invitations to be sent and a mourning hall to be set up.
The only problem was that no one in the family was willing to mourn, so Granny Quan had someone find a funeral band. There were musicians playing instruments and singing funeral music, and there were professional mourners whose cries were louder than those of the family members. Therefore, Madam Chi's funeral was held in a very respectable manner.
In the Linglong Courtyard, one could faintly hear many sounds coming from the main hall.
Aunt Zhao was going to have a postpartum period and needed to rest, but the noise made her feel exhausted. She kept thinking about her lost child and was holding her breath.
What a family, the Qiaos!
She blamed the Qiao family for her son's death on their cruelty in not helping him, and her agreement to help with the funeral arrangements was, in essence, an act of atonement!
So she harbored resentment in her heart, wanting to avenge her son one day!
After learning that Madam Qiao would be visiting with Madam Qiao on the seventh day after the old lady's death, she harbored thoughts of revenge. She had lost her children, so why should the eldest daughter who left this family be able to have children?
Anyway, this family is going to die out anyway, so let's all just die together!
Once a thought goes astray, it's impossible to correct it. At this moment, Chi Guiwan had no idea what had happened in her family and was still quietly resting during her pregnancy.
She is almost five months pregnant now, and her belly is bulging with a round bulge.
As a first-time mother, she was filled with curiosity. The nanny by her side would answer all her questions, which relieved a lot of her anxiety.
"It moved, it moved, Granny, it moved."
This was the first time Chi Guiwan had felt her baby move, so she was incredibly excited.
The maids, Qianchun and Fudong, were also very happy and were already chattering about what kind of little clothes to make for the future young master or young lady. Just then, Madam Qiao arrived. Upon hearing that she was coming, Chi Guiwan smiled and stood up to greet her.
Seeing that she was still making quite a fuss, Madam Qiao quickly stepped forward and said something.
"Wait a minute, what's all the excitement about?"
"Sister-in-law, come and feel it! The baby is moving!"
Upon hearing this, Madam Qiao was pleasantly surprised. After helping her sit down, she reached out and touched the child. The child actually moved a few times, which made Madam Qiao smile, a rare sight indeed.
"It's a good thing that the child can move; it means the child is growing well. I came here today to bring some clothes, all of which were worn by Bin'er and his brothers. Please don't mind them. As the saying goes, 'Wearing clothes from many families and eating food from many families will make you grow strong,' so I kept them on purpose."
As she spoke, a maidservant brought forward a large package.
Upon opening the package, she found a collection of exquisite little clothes. Although they were old, they were clean and tidy. Chi Guiwan's maternal love immediately welled up. She picked up a few pieces, smelled them, and couldn't help but say something.
"Sister-in-law, you're too kind. I'll definitely let the child wear it close to his skin, so he can also share in the good fortune of his older brothers and sisters!"
"As long as you like it."
Looking at her sister-in-law's smiling face, Madam Qiao hesitated for a moment whether she should bring up the Chi family's affairs. However, the death of Old Madam Chi was different from that of Chi Guiying and her brother. After all, she was a proper elder. If she didn't even show up at the funeral, she would probably be criticized.
So after thinking it over, I finally spoke up.
"Sister-in-law, the Chi family is in some trouble."
Chi Guiwan was still engrossed in the little clothes when she heard her elder sister-in-law's words, and she was a little confused, "Trouble? What trouble? Father has been dismissed from his post and is under investigation?"
……
Madam Qiao hadn't expected her sister-in-law to say something like that, so she glanced at her with a hint of helplessness. Chi Guiwan probably realized she had said the wrong thing, so she quickly lowered her head and stopped talking nonsense.
“It’s your grandmother. Wasn’t she ill for a long time? She sent word a couple of days ago that she had passed away.”
Upon hearing this, Chi Guiwan was more shocked than saddened.
She had never been particularly close to her grandmother, and her grandmother's serious illness was not sudden, so she sighed, touched her belly, and said something.
“Grandmother had been bedridden for many days, and her passing is a relief. Sister-in-law, I should go and pay my respects.”
“I know. We have already informed the Vice Minister’s residence that we will be visiting on the seventh day after his death. Also, your father’s concubine gave birth to a son a few days ago, but he was not fortunate enough to survive. So this time, the Chi family is holding a double funeral.”
"What? Aunt Zhao's child is gone?"
Madam Qiao nodded. She genuinely felt sorry for the child's death. After all, adult matters are between adults and have nothing to do with children. But some karmic consequences just happen to children, which is truly unfortunate.
Upon hearing this, Chi Guiwan's sighs never stopped.
“When I was still at home, I didn’t have much contact with this Aunt Zhao, but I knew she was the apple of my father’s eye. Because of the child in her womb, my father had become somewhat distant from my third brother. Now that she’s suddenly gone, it must be a huge blow. Sister-in-law, could you help me prepare two funerals? No matter what, that child is still my brother.”
"Don't worry about that, the items were already sent over in your name a long time ago."
"That's good."
After explaining the situation, Madam Qiao left first.
Chi Guiwan's originally good mood turned somewhat melancholy. It wasn't that she cared much about the people in the Chi family, but rather that she felt her family seemed to be on a path of decline.
One by one, people are gone, and now the backyard is empty except for my father and Aunt Zhao. I don't know how they will survive.
As sorrow welled up, Qianchun, who was standing beside her, saw it all clearly.
He immediately took Chi Guiwan's hand and advised, "Second Madam, think about what the Crown Princess said the other day. Now that you have married into the Qiao family, you are a member of the Qiao family. Your future maternal home will be the Haibo Marquis's Mansion. You should go to the Vice Minister's Mansion as little as possible, as it is not good for you!"
Nowadays, Chi Guiwan listens to three people the most: He Lingyi, her sister-in-law Madam Qiao, and her husband Qiao Ruoyu.
Therefore, as soon as Qianchun mentioned the words "Crown Princess," Chi Guiwan's mood brightened considerably.
"Yes, let's not think about it anymore. We'll just go and offer incense on the seventh day after my death. All the past grievances will be forgotten, and good days await me from now on!"
"That's the right way of thinking, Second Madam."
"Speaking of which, I haven't seen the Crown Princess for a long time. After this matter is over, I will send a visiting card to the East Palace and go to talk to her."
"Alright, I'll go and make the arrangements right away."
Touching her round belly, Chi Guiwan revealed a motherly heart. She didn't know why, but these days she always dreamed of He Lingyi. The two of them would either whisper in the corridor or pick chrysanthemums in the fields.
They were living the life of a god.