CHAPTER 29: CHAPTER 29: WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

"Yan’er!"

Mrs. Qiu wanted to stop her but it was too late.

Her own daughter had truly become spoiled by her own upbringing. To put it nicely, she was naive; to put it bluntly, she was foolish. Whether Xiao Chunyu knew about it or not, she shouldn’t ask such questions openly.

How should she respond?

"Mother..." Seeing her mother’s reproachful eyes, Qiu Yan felt both wronged and defiant, "It’s true, the Wu family has gone too far!"

"Yan’er, don’t be rude."

Great, what to do with such a silly daughter?

How can you stand on someone else’s turf and talk bad about them?

"Mrs. Qiu, Miss Qiu, thank you both."

Luckily, they told her, otherwise, she would have been the last to know.

"My dear young mistress, right now..."

Mrs. Qiu didn’t even want to utter the words "second young mistress" anymore, seeing how oppressed she had become. Her face was pale and she was utterly haggard, though she wasn’t yet eighteen, she was burdened with the weariness of someone much older.

If things continued like this, it was questionable whether she’d even survive.

"Mrs. Qiu, Miss Qiu, I’m fine. I understand now."

The Wu family didn’t hold the washing-three ceremony for the baby because Xiao Chunyu was Doctor Xiao’s daughter. After the Xiao family’s disgrace and exile, who would hold such a ceremony for her daughter?

Once someone leaves, their importance fades away, not to mention that the Wu family was heartless. If she had given birth to a son, they might have bothered; giving birth to a girl, they didn’t even bother to mention it. At times like these, no one would venture into such murky waters.

"Then take good care of yourself." Mrs. Qiu felt embarrassed to stay any longer. She had brought some supplements and a set of gold necklaces and lockets for the child: "We have some matters to attend to, so we’ll take our leave first."

"Nanny Zhou, please see Mrs. Qiu and Miss Qiu out for me."

"Yes."

Nanny Zhou felt helpless too. She and Molan, Jianlan, had tried everything to keep it a secret, yet nothing beat fate – who would’ve thought Miss Qiu would reveal everything to the second young mistress as soon as she arrived?

"Sister Yu, if there’s anything I can help with, just let me know." Qiu Yan felt sorry for this sister: "With Nuannuan not in the Capital, I’m still here as your sister."

"Alright, thank you."

"Sister Yu..."

"By the way, do you correspond with Nuannuan?"

"Not yet, I haven’t received any letters from her." Qiu Yan was very worried: "According to the plan, they should have already reached Shu City."

Shu City must be a beautiful place, though a bit impoverished, being with family there wouldn’t feel lonely.

Chunyu longed to go to Shu City.

Looking down at her sleeping daughter in her arms, she thought, this little one was brought into the world at the risk of her own life; of course, she couldn’t bear to leave her. But taking her along? She was too young for long journeys.

"Sister Yu, when Nuannuan writes, I’ll surely let you know."

"Alright." Xiao Chunyu said, "You promise me one thing, if you do correspond with Nuannuan, tell her I’ve given birth to a daughter, a very well-behaved daughter, and that all is well at the Wu family."

"Sister Yu!"

"Miss Qiu, compared to grandmother and Nuannuan and their hardships, at least I have a roof over my head, don’t I?"

"Sister Yu."

"Alright, Yan’er, as per the young mistress’s wishes, if Nuannuan writes, tell her the young mistress is all well."

Mrs. Qiu knew very well how Xiao Chunyu really felt.

A daughter married off is accustomed to reporting only the good news, not the bad.

If the Xiao family were still the same as before, she wouldn’t need to hide her hardships; as they were all now like clay idols, revealing Xiao Chunyu’s struggles would only add to their burdens and sorrows, serving no useful purpose.

"Mother, Sister Yu is so pitiful."

In the carriage back to their mansion, Qiu Yan was in tears.

"Mother, why can’t we tell Nuannuan?"

"You, I’ve truly spoiled thee too much."

After analyzing the situation, Qiu Yan understood, though it only made her feel sorrier for Xiao Chunyu.

"Does that mean Sister Yu can only remain like this?"

"It depends on her own thoughts." Mrs. Qiu sighed, "A woman’s life has two chances to change her fate: once at birth, and the second at marriage."

"Can’t I just choose not to marry?"

Qiu Yan thought marriage was terrifying. If she encountered a family like the Wu family, she figured she’d be left with nothing.

"You’re speaking nonsense again." Mrs. Wu laughed in exasperation, "We’ll choose a good family for you."

"Wasn’t the Wu family considered good? Back then, Mr. Xiao and the Lady also chose what they thought was a good family for Sister Chunyu, didn’t they?"

It couldn’t have been terrible; otherwise, why marry their daughter off to them?

"The Wu family wasn’t that great," Mrs. Qiu said, "Whatever the reason, it made the Xiao family settle on the Wu family. Look at the concubines and illegitimate offspring in the Wu family, and see what Miss Wu says. Such a family is rotten from top to bottom, there’s not a single good one among them."

"Then..." Forget it, who knows what Xiao Chunyu thought, marrying into such a family.

"Mother, if I marry, I want to marry someone I like."

"Child of mine," Mrs. Qiu chuckled exasperatedly, "just because you like someone, does it mean they’re good? Some people are all appearances and rotten inside. You shouldn’t marry someone who treats you well; you should marry someone who is truly a good person. Marriage is not just about a man, but about marrying into a family..."

For the first time, the mother and daughter had such a heart-to-heart conversation, and Mrs. Qiu took the opportunity to teach her daughter about the intricacies of the inner house.

"Your father also has concubines, but in our mansion, concubines are merely concubines, and none would dare to overstep their bounds," Mrs. Qiu said, "a household must have rules; otherwise, it becomes chaotic, and such families are best avoided."

"Exactly, the Wu family is truly chaotic." Qiu Yan fumed, "Sister Yu won’t allow us to tell Nuannuan, what is she to do?"

Having to swallow all her pain and sorrow alone, Qiu Yan felt aggrieved for her.

"It depends on her."

Mrs. Qiu thought, indeed, the Xiao family girls were all fine women, it was just that this young mistress had a softer disposition, so she was easily manipulated. If it were her...

Forget it, she couldn’t say this to Yan’er, that girl was too straightforward, she might blurt it all out later.

They say it’s better to dismantle a temple than to break up a marriage, she didn’t want to be blamed for anything.

In the back courtyard of the Wu Mansion, Nanny Zhou and Molan, Jianlan looked at the silent Xiao Chunyu, not knowing what to do.

At this moment, they even wished the little lady would cry a bit, to at least distract the young mistress.

"Nanny Zhou, what do we do?"

"Call the wet nurse over," Nanny Zhou said, "tell her it’s time to feed the baby."

When the wet nurse came and said it was time to feed the baby, Xiao Chunyu mechanically handed over the child without saying a word.

"Miss, if it hurts cry it out," Jianlan choked up, "don’t stay silent, it’s frightening us!"