The wicked sister-in-law is in charge; meals include fish and shrimp.

Chapter 391 Finally out of the manor

……

Mengjia Village, Qingzhou County.

Meng Jichang has been in a very good mood these past few days because, based on Qiu Li's reaction and the doctor's diagnosis, his concubine is carrying a son.

He had just stepped out of Qiu Li's courtyard, humming a little tune, when he ran into Meng Jingyang, who had been acting unusually well lately.

"Father, so you were here all along."

Meng Jingyang smiled and moved the thing in his arms forward a little, still looking a bit silly.

"My mother told me to bring some things over for my aunt to help her recover."

Meng Jichang was somewhat surprised, not expecting Guo Rong to take the initiative to send things over.

These days, he has to ask several times before someone will send the things over; today, it's like the sun has risen in the west.

"It's rare for your mother to be so thoughtful. This concubine is also carrying your younger brother. Family harmony is the most important thing."

Although Meng Jichang had some doubts, he didn't think much of it and reached out to take the things from Meng Jingyang's hands.

Meng Jingyang raised his hand slightly and said, "I'd like to go in and see my aunt, and also check if there's anything amiss so I can tell you when I get back and let you rest."

Meng Jichang lowered his hand and patted his shoulder instead, saying, "Yang'er, you're very thoughtful. Go on."

Thinking that Meng Jingyang had two servants following him and Qiu Li was surrounded by a group of maids and servants, he felt there was nothing inappropriate and let them pass.

Because he still had things to take care of at the dock, he gave a few instructions and left the mansion.

After they left, the servant who was following Meng Jichang whispered, "Master, did Madam change her attitude because she heard that the concubine is pregnant with the young master?"

Meng Ji stroked his beard and nodded slightly: "Possibly, but as long as she stops causing trouble, that's better than anything else."

However, upon further reflection, he turned back to the mansion and summoned the steward to give him instructions:

"Keep an eye on Madam's side, and make sure to keep a close eye on Aunt Qiu."

The butler understood and after he left, he called two more people to the main courtyard, saying they were in charge of cleaning.

On the other side, Meng Jingyang bowed to Qiu Li upon seeing her.

Qiu Li was somewhat flattered that her eldest son bowed to one of her concubines.

Moreover, it was rare for Meng Jingyang to be so normal, and Qiu Li was busy going forward to help him, but Granny Qiu beat her to it.

Meng Jingyang's eyes flickered slightly, but he didn't say anything more. Granny Qiu returned to Qiu Li's side.

"How have you been, Auntie? Jingyang's mind is still foggy, so I'm taking this opportunity to come and see you."

As he spoke, he pointed to the things on the table and said, "Mother asked me to bring these over for Aunt to help her recover. If there's anything else needed in the yard, Aunt, please just let me know."

Qiu Li smiled and nodded. Because of her pregnancy, she was much gentler and spoke to Meng Jingyang with respect and tenderness.

"Thank you for your concern, young master. Please rest more when you have time. Everything is fine in this courtyard."

As she spoke, she subtly clenched her fist in her sleeve, glancing at the pile of things on the table before adding, "Thank you for your concern, Madam."

Meng Jingyang asked a few questions casually before getting up to take his leave. Before leaving, he repeatedly instructed the maids and servants to take good care of Qiu Li, and to hold them accountable if anything happened to the half-brother in her womb.

Qiu Li had a smile on her face the whole time, but it vanished instantly after she saw the person out of the courtyard, and her eyes turned cold.

"Ha, always calling me a son of a concubine."

"So what if he's an illegitimate son? At least I, Qiu Li, believe that my son wasn't born a madman or an idiot!"

She touched her belly, feeling a pang of heartache for the unborn child.

If this is how it is before she's even born, what will happen after she's born? Won't she be bullied and oppressed by Meng Jingyang, her legitimate son?

As usual, Granny Qiu packed everything away. When she returned and saw Qiu Li lost in thought, she said softly, "Don't worry, my lady, this old servant is here."

Qiu Li came to her senses and sighed. She thought that staying in the courtyard was too boring, so she might as well go out of the mansion for a walk nearby.

Granny Qiu wanted to offer some advice, but seeing that she looked a little depressed, she gave up.

Meng Jingyang returned to the main courtyard and sat for a while. Not long after, Guo Rong, who had gone out, returned.

"How is it?" Seeing Guo Rong quickly walk a few steps into the courtyard, Meng Jingyang shook his head at her:

"The old servant beside her was supporting the child, but Qiu Li didn't move an inch."

As he spoke, he shook out the powder from his sleeve. Guo Rong was disappointed to see that not a single bit had been lost.

When she looked up to speak, she noticed that Meng Jingyang's eyes had changed, becoming somewhat vacant.

"Yang'er?"

She called out tentatively, and Meng Jingyang looked at her and just kept grinning foolishly.

Guo Rong sighed softly, took out a handkerchief to wipe the drool from the corner of his mouth, her eyes filled with heartache.

That day, her son surprisingly became normal again, and she thought that God had finally seen how much she had suffered. But in less than half a day, he became mentally impaired again.

The same situation has persisted for several days in a row. Today, she went out to find a doctor to see if he could treat her.

Seeing that Qiu Li's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and after being diagnosed with a boy, Meng Jichang kept a closer eye on her. It was so big that even a fly could hardly get into Qiu Li's yard, let alone let anyone else in.

Meng Jichang also cherished Qiu Li like the apple of his eye, afraid that she would cause trouble and give her things to do, so she didn't have the extra time to do anything about it.

He finally managed to get some clever ideas from her family, but the servants around that woman were very wary, so he failed again.

After coaxing Meng Jingyang to rest, she rubbed her temples and asked the old woman beside her, "What did that wretched woman do today?"

"Reporting to Madam, Aunt Qiu was in the courtyard this morning, but she left the mansion with several maids and servants before you returned."

The old woman bowed and spoke in a low voice. Guo Rong chuckled softly when she heard that Qiu Li had actually decided to leave the mansion today.

She whispered a few words in the old woman's ear, and the old woman nodded, took the silver notes she gave her, and left the mansion.

After going out for a while, Qiu Li felt much better. The old woman couldn't help but worry as she wandered further and further away.

"Master, we've been out for a long time; it's time to go back."

Qiu Li suddenly smelled a delicious aroma. She sniffed and said, "I'm a little hungry. I'll eat something before I go back."

If the master is hungry and wants to eat, can the servant still interfere?

The old woman dared not say anything and could only follow cautiously until they entered a restaurant.

As Wen Zizhou was paying at the counter, he saw her holding her pregnant belly and having servants behind her. He figured she must be rich and powerful, so he arranged a private room with a soft chair for her.

"Hmm, the food at this restaurant is really good."

"We only ordered five dishes today; let's come out again tomorrow."

As she spoke, she poured more vinegar into her bowl. The aroma of the vinegar immediately improved her appetite, and she ate several steamed dumplings in a row.

The nanny served her and, seeing that she was enjoying her meal, didn't say much. She hadn't even noticed the plaque at the entrance when she came in.

It was only after going upstairs and entering this private room that I saw the character "Song" written on the back of the chair.

She was still thinking it couldn't be such a coincidence, but when the waiter brought out the dishes, he mentioned Boss Wen again, and she immediately realized that they had ended up in the Song family's restaurant by mistake.

The Meng and Song families had a dispute over the matter of Miss Song running away from her arranged marriage. Song Tingwan had overheard the maids in the mansion talking about the man she was with.

She was said to be as beautiful as a woman, and she was secretly amazed when she saw Wen Zizhou at the counter.

If the two families have a conflict, it would definitely cause gossip if people found out that their master was still eating here.