The situation of temporarily taking shelter under soone else’s wing made Lin Xiaoyue feel quite uneasy. She hurried forward, not rushing to hold Ah Nuan, but first went to comfort Jinbao.
She had seen this little guy on her last visit, so comforting him now wasn’t awkward.
Jinbao was crying only because he was afraid of being scolded. Once soone coaxed him, he sniffled a couple of tis and then stopped.
Granny Song held him in her arms and asked what was wrong.
Jinbao couldn’t say, he just felt guilty, and sneakily glanced at the cradle with his eyes.
Lin Xiaoyue had already picked up the little girl who had woken up. She knew the child was hungry, but with the Song family matriarch still there, she felt too shy to feed her directly, so she gently patted the swaddling clothes, hoping to completely calm Ah Nuan down.
...
With Wen Wan not around, and Lin Xiaoyue afraid to go out casually for fear of being captured back by the Pri Minister’s people, she stayed indoors all day. With sothing on her mind, she inevitably felt stifled.
When Mrs. Cao ca over to clean her room, Lin Xiaoyue felt very embarrassed and said there was no need, she could clean it herself after feeding the baby since she had nothing else to do.
Mrs. Cao chuckled and said, "This is Madam’s special instruction before going to the Hongwen Academy. I’m just following orders."
Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyue tugged the corners of her mouth and said, "Thank you."
...
Thinking that the young woman’s face was thin, Granny Song didn’t ask anyone to invite her for lunch, but directly instructed Mrs. Jin to send the food to her room.
Knowing they ca in a hurry and brought nothing, Granny Song took the initiative to send over so of Jinbao’s old clothes and clean, unused diapers, saying that since there were no little girls in the family, they couldn’t find any girl clothes, so she would have to make do and change.
Having never received such considerate treatnt even in her in-laws’ ho, Lin Xiaoyue’s impression of the Song family’s matriarch improved significantly.
She accepted the small clothes and diapers, and thanked her sincerely.
Seeing the young woman’s eyes seem red again, Granny Song quickly comforted her, "No matter how big the hurdle, it will pass. Don’t be too sad. Stay in the house for now. If anything cos up, if you don’t want to tell this old lady, wait for Third Son’s wife to co back from school and let her help you with a decision."
Lin Xiaoyue choked out a hum in agreent.
Perhaps people are like this; when you are at your lowest and have nothing left, even a little care and kindness from others can move you to tears.
Even though life in the Su Family wasn’t easy, it carried on bumpily for four years.
Lin Xiaoyue never imagined she would find herself in a situation of taking refuge, and with her newborn daughter, no less.
Thinking about her predicant, the absence of her man made her feel isolated, and her heart felt an aching discomfort.
After Granny Song left and Lin Xiaoyue cried quietly for a while, she asked Jin Zhi to call in the Hidden Guard and inquired, "Did you send a ssage to Mr. Qi?"
The Hidden Guard replied, "It’s been sent, but a reply may take so ti."
Su Qing was in the border area, and it would take a long ti for ssages to reach him. A reply couldn’t co quickly; Lin Xiaoyue understood this.
But the thought of not knowing how long she would stay with the Song family made her anxious again.
Staying at an inn was an option, but it would make it easy for the people from the Pri Minister Mansion to find her.
Since she narrowly survived, the main wife certainly wouldn’t kill her again, but would take her to the Pri Minister Mansion as a hostage to threaten Su Qing to work for the Pri Minister.
Lin Xiaoyue also knew that the Pri Minister considered Song Wei to be his arch-enemy, and hiding at the Song family might be safe for her, but it would exacerbate the conflict between Song Wei and the Pri Minister.
But at this mont, she had no choice but to be selfish.
——
When Wen Wan returned ho from school, she imdiately went to Lin Xiaoyue’s room.
Lin Xiaoyue had just finished nursing Ah Nuan and placed the little girl back in the cradle. She smiled at Wen Wan.
Wen Wan could sense that her smile was forcefully held up.
"What exactly happened to you?"
She found a spot to sit down, her tone filled with concern.
Lin Xiaoyue, upon hearing this, slowly lowered her head and said, "You might not believe this, but I was sched against by my own family."
Her own family?
Wen Wan silently mulled over those three words.
"It was the people from the Pri Minister Mansion," Lin Xiaoyue said, her expression forlorn. "Yesterday was supposed to be Ah Nuan’s full month celebration. I hadn’t sent out invitations, but I figured people from the big house would co. And sure enough, early in the morning, several sisters-in-law showed up. As soon as they entered, they began mocking overtly and covertly. I have a strong personality and am impatient, so I couldn’t stand it and retorted a few words. Who would have thought that by evening, a big fire would break out? If not for the tily warning from the guards, Ah Nuan and I might have perished in the flas last night."
Wen Wan listened with her heart pounding, "Then... what about Mr. Qi?"
"Mr. Qi is not in the Capital." Lin Xiaoyue shook her head impatiently, "He was transferred to the border area several months ago."
Wen Wan was astonished, "Has he been reinstated?"
"Precisely because among the Su Family mbers who were suspended, he was the first to be reinstated, which made him a target." Lin Xiaoyue frowned, "The Pri Minister wants to use Mr. Qi for his own ends but doesn’t want to get involved directly, so he sent the eldest wife. They intended from the start to start with courtesy before resorting to force. They gave gifts and spoke softly, but I didn’t relent, so by the evening, they resorted to tricks."
After speaking, she looked at Wen Wan, her face full of apology, "I know staying in your house will deepen the conflict between the Pri Minister and Mr. Song, causing you trouble, but I really have nowhere else to go. Once I leave, the eldest wife will surely find a way to bring back to threaten Mr. Qi. Wen Wan, I beg you, no matter what, shelter for a while. I’ll leave as soon as Mr. Qi returns."
Wen Wan saw her about to kneel and quickly supported her, "It’s just staying with us for a while, so stay if you want. As long as you don’t mind our simple als, you can stay as long as you like. As for the trouble you ntioned, my husband and the Pri Minister’s conflict isn’t new; it’s not like if you don’t co here, the Pri Minister won’t resent my husband."
Lin Xiaoyue held her hand, "With your help, I really don’t know what to say."
Wen Wan was not polite, "By helping you now, it’s like you owe a favor. In the future, if sothing happens to us, just don’t stand by and do nothing."
Lin Xiaoyue was montarily stunned, then couldn’t help laughing out loud, "Your unwillingness to suffer a loss is quite unlike your appearance."
Wen Wan had no comnt.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch in this world; she wouldn’t take from others for free, nor would she give without expecting sothing in return.
Wen Wan didn’t return to the main hall; she had dinner with Lin Xiaoyue in her room.
Mrs. Jin ca to deliver the al and brought Jinbao along, saying the little one was looking for his mother frantically.
Wen Wan took her son in her arms, a look of affection flooding her eyes, and asked him, "Jinbao, did you miss your mother?"
The little guy on his mother’s lap pretended not to hear, lowering his head to play with his little hands awkwardly.
When it was ti to eat, Wen Wan didn’t feed him; she handed the small wooden spoon over for him to learn to eat by himself.
Jinbao held the wooden spoon, stirred it in the small bowl, then scooped up a spoonful of egg flower porridge and said "ah" towards Ah Nuan in the cradle.
Lin Xiaoyue didn’t quite understand, looking puzzled at the little one.
Wen Wan looked at him and couldn’t help but laugh, "Your little sister can’t eat yet; you eat it yourself."
"hh～"
Jinbao looked at Wen Wan, shouted once, and didn’t even notice that the porridge in the wooden spoon spilled all over the low table.
"It’s ’sister,’ not ’hh.’" Wen Wan corrected him while cleaning up the low table, "Sister."
Jinbao blinked and shouted again, "hh～"
Wen Wan: "..."
With such a lively little treasure, the atmosphere beca a lot more cheerful, and Lin Xiaoyue felt much more relaxed, smiling at Jinbao, "Little guy, Aunt Lin also wants to eat the porridge you feed, will you feed a spoon?" Saying this, she opened her mouth with an "ah."
Jinbao quickly hugged the small bowl with both hands, dragging it towards himself, looking very anxious to protect his food, which made Lin Xiaoyue burst into laughter.
"Little miser," Wen Wan called him.
Jinbao didn’t understand what it ant, following his mother and repeating, "Little miser～," but his pronunciation was not very clear, sounding a bit funny.
...
After dinner, Wen Wan searched the wardrobe for two sets of clothes she hardly wore and brought them over.
The material couldn’t compare to what Lin Xiaoyue usually wore, but they were stylish.
Lin Xiaoyue liked them a lot, tried them on, and found they fit well enough.
Wen Wan said, "I’m always at Hongwen Academy, and I don’t have the chance to wear other clothes. Anyway, if you leave them for too long, they’ll beco outdated. If you like them, go ahead and wear them, and I can make more next year."
Lin Xiaoyue withdrew her gaze from the bronze mirror and looked at Wen Wan, suddenly expressing her envy, "I really envy you."
"What do you envy about ?" Wen Wan asked with a smile.
Lin Xiaoyue said, "You have a good husband, good in-laws, and your life is simple yet warm, without the scheming of a big house. In short, I envy everything about you."
This incident made Lin Xiaoyue deeply aware of how helpless it is to fight alone.
Like Wen Wan, even if her husband is not around, she at least has her in-laws to rely on. While for herself, her husband is transferred far away, her father-in-law and both mothers-in-law have already passed, and even if they were here, they might not be able to help her much.
In last night’s situation, she really wished she had soone by her side, even to just give her a word of encouragent, so she wouldn’t feel so helpless and despairing.
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