(Happy Year of the Rooster! I wish everyone good luck and all your wishes come true!) Joy flashed through Wenqing's eyes. She curtsied to Chu Lian and went to look for the ointment. The news of her pregnancy had already been delivered to the old residence when He Changdi left in the morning. Before lunchtime, Countess Jing 'an personally came with some people. Chu Lian hurriedly went out to welcome them. After bringing her to Songtao Court, Countess Jing 'an looked her up and down with a smile. "How come you haven't gained any weight even though you're pregnant?" Chu Lian pulled Countess Jing 'an to sit down. "Mother, I eat two bowls of rice a day now! There's nothing I can do even if I don't gain weight. " Countess Jing 'an was even happier to see her daughter-in-law's rosy complexion and high spirits. "You can eat whatever you want at this time. If you can't find it, let San Lang go find it. You can't let yourself suffer." Chu Lian thought that He Changdi might not be able to find the snacks she wanted to eat. The Great Wu Dynasty didn't have any of the snacks in the modern era. "Mother, I know." "Why did you two wait until now to tell us the news? If we knew earlier, I would've moved in to take care of you. You're a petty person. You can't be careless with your first pregnancy. " Countess Jing 'an was sincerely happy for her son and daughter-in-law. She couldn't count on the eldest and second sons, but she hoped that He Changdi and Chu Lian could have a child soon. Chu Lian didn't hide it. "Mother, I don't need you to take care of me. There are servants here. Also, the fetus wasn't stable before, so we didn't tell you." Countess Jing 'an was in charge of Count Jing' an's estate now and couldn't leave. There was also Matriarch He in the estate, so she couldn't really come to the Anyuan estate to take care of Chu Lian. Countess Jing 'an was shocked when she heard that she almost lost the child. "Did you invite the imperial physician? How is it now? " Chu Lian smiled. "It's fine now. Uncle Miao is here, so there's no need to invite the imperial physician." If they really did invite the imperial physician over, her pregnancy would've been exposed a long time ago. Countess Jing 'an sighed in relief when she heard this. She then reminded Chu Lian sincerely. "You must take good care of your body now that you're pregnant. If you have no other choice, you'd rather not have a child than take care of your health. Don't follow your mother's footsteps. Both of you are still young. Take care of yourself, and you will have children in the future. " These were Countess Jing 'an's heartfelt words. Back then, she disregarded her health and forced herself to have a child. That was how she ended up with a chronic illness and suffered for more than ten years. Of course, Countess Jing 'an wasn't blaming her three sons. How could she not like the flesh that had fallen from her body? She just wanted her daughter-in-law to understand the importance of a healthy woman's body. Chu Lian was very touched. It was not easy for a mother-in-law to say such words. "Mother, don't worry. I'm in good health now." "I'm relieved that you're in good health. Come, let me tell you what you need to pay attention to during your pregnancy." Although Chu Lian had already heard most of what Countess Jing 'an said from the mouths of the senior servants several times, she still patiently listened to everything and committed it to memory. Xiyan served freshly brewed tea to Countess Jing 'an, while Chu Lian only drank honey water. Countess Jing 'an moistened her throat, then dismissed the maidservants beside her. She pulled Chu Lian over to ask the couple some private questions. The corners of Chu Lian's lips twitched. She blushed and shook her head. "Lian 'er, there are some things that I need to tell you. Men can't be spoiled at times like this. Don't be as muddle-headed as other women who take advantage of the fact that you're pregnant to find your husband some kind of concubine. Besides, our family doesn't like that." Chu Lian was amused and bluntly said, "Mother, I'm not that generous. You think too highly of me. It's not easy for me to have a better life while I'm pregnant. It's already good enough that I don't torture my husband. Why would I be so stupid as to give him to someone else? " Countess Jing 'an stroked her hair with satisfaction. "It's good that you understand. We women can't be too reserved with our men sometimes." Although Countess Jing 'an wasn't very astute when it came to housekeeping, it had to be said that she had a way of managing her husband. Even someone as tall and imposing as her father-in-law was tightly controlled by her. "I heard that you're pregnant, so I prepared a lot of things for you. I came in a hurry today, so I'll have someone send them over when you and San Lang return from the manor." Chu Lian didn't refuse and agreed with a smile. Countess Jing 'an Estate. After the third branch moved out, it seemed even more deserted. Especially the Matriarch's Qingxi Hall. He Erlang rarely returned to the manor, and Dalang also left early and returned late. Every day, only Countess Jing 'an and Sister An and Sister Lin would come to the backyard to pay their respects. The Matriarch wasn't close to her two great-granddaughters. If it weren't for Count Jing 'an's disapproval, she would have wanted to move to the manor to live with Sister Ying and her daughter … The Matriarch was now blind and deaf. Her hair had turned even more white, and her body wasn't feeling well every day. It was no wonder that Count Jing 'an didn't allow her to go to the manor. When He Changdi moved out with his wife, the Matriarch had been feeling stifled. It had always been the Matriarch's wish to have a great-grandson. Now that she suddenly received the news that Chu Lian was pregnant, even though the Matriarch and Chu Lian had yet to bury the hatchet, the news still changed her opinion of Chu Lian. She was only three months pregnant, so there was no need to count. She only got it after returning to Shengjing. It was definitely not someone's bastard child. It was the He family's child. After receiving the news that Chu Lian was pregnant, the Matriarch went to the ancestral hall with the help of Senior Servant Liu. She was already so old, but she still had to kneel for two hours and beg Chu Lian to have a son … Even Senior Servant Liu couldn't persuade her. After returning from the ancestral hall, the Matriarch started to prepare things for her unborn great-grandson. Senior Servant Liu saw that she couldn't stay idle and advised, "Matriarch, you don't have to be so anxious. Third Young Madam's child is only three months old! Moreover, we don't know if it's Little Miss or Little Young Master. If we prepare the wrong things, it'll be a waste. " The Matriarch's face turned fierce when she heard Senior Servant Liu's words. "You jinx. What are you saying? It must be a Little Young Master. Senior Servant Zhou, follow my instructions and prepare things for a boy." Senior Servant Liu had no choice but to follow the Matriarch's whims. While everyone else was busy, Mu Xiang was frozen like a statue. She hurriedly ran back to her room and closed the door. Once the door was closed, she couldn't hide the vicious and hateful expression on her face anymore. She had turned from a proper maidservant to an "evil ghost" who had crawled out of hell. "It's not like this. It's clearly not like this!" She leaned against the door and squatted on the ground. She grabbed her hair and stared at the door, as if she was still unwilling to believe the news. In her previous life, she didn't have children. She didn't sleep with He Changdi. After she got together with Xiao Bojian, although the two of them were together many times, she didn't have children. In her previous life, she had always thought that her body wasn't good and it wasn't easy for her to get pregnant. When she opened her eyes and realized that she had been reborn into the body of a maidservant of Matriarch He, she was cold and terrified at first. Later, she even felt a trace of relief because this body was intact. In the future, when she got together with He Changdi, she could bear his children. And now, Chu Lian and He Changdi hadn't had children after being married for half a year, which confirmed her guess in her previous life. But what was going on? She couldn't bear children, so why did she have He Changdi's child? How could this be! In this world, only she could carry on the family line for He Changdi! The more Mu Xiang thought about it, the angrier she got. She wanted to run to Chu Lian and tear her to pieces. Why! That body should be hers! She should be the one marrying He Changdi! Why did that monster have to use her body to live together with He Changdi for a hundred years?! In her anger, Mu Xiang smashed everything in the room that she could. She panted as she leaned on the table and stared coldly at the broken porcelain and other things on the floor. Her gaze was like that of a venomous snake that had its eyes on its prey and was about to kill it! That monster that had taken over her body, she couldn't let her off just like that! In the evening, He Changdi returned. Chu Lian had already ordered people to tidy up. Countess Jing 'an and Chu Lian rode in the same carriage. He Changdi rode a horse and brought a group of guards back to the old residence. Today, everyone in Count Jing 'an's estate had made arrangements. Even He Changjue came back early. When they arrived at Count Jing 'an's estate, Chu Lian and He Changdi greeted Matriarch and her father-in-law. Then, Count Jing' an sat around the large round table and started the family banquet. This meal was joyous and harmonious. Even Matriarch He didn't say anything sour. After the meal, the whole family went to the reception pavilion of Qingxi Hall to drink tea and chat. Perhaps it was because Chu Lian was pregnant, but the Matriarch's complexion looked a little better today. He Changdi hadn't returned to the old residence for a while, so the Matriarch had a good chat with her youngest grandson. The Matriarch's heart ached when she saw that He Changdi's complexion was slightly thinner than before. "Look at you. You don't even know how to take care of yourself when you're living outside. You've become so skinny." Chu Lian was startled but didn't say anything. Matriarch He didn't have any ulterior motives when she said this, but it sounded a little different to the ears of others. It made people feel like she was blaming her, the granddaughter-in-law, for not taking good care of her husband and making him so busy that he became skinny. The expression on He Changdi's cold face didn't change, and his tone of voice was still low. "Grandmother, you're wrong. I haven't become skinny at all." It was rare for He Changdi to bring his wife home, so the Matriarch didn't argue with him. "Good, good. You haven't become skinny at all." Countess Jing 'an hurriedly tried to smooth things over. "I see that San Lang is even more sturdy than before. Mother, don't worry." The whole family talked about other things. Count Jing 'an didn't say much. He just looked at his youngest son and daughter-in-law in front of him with satisfaction in his eyes. Just as the whole family was feeling that everyone was doing well, the Matriarch suddenly said, "Third Son, Third Son's wife, it's fine if you two move out. I can't stop you. It wasn't a big deal in the past. There was only you two in the estate, but it's different now. San Lang's wife is pregnant, so we can't be careless. I'm getting on in years and can't walk anymore. I can't follow you back to the estate, but I can't be at ease with you two being so far away. After thinking about it, I've decided to let Muxiang follow you back. She'll serve San Lang's wife on a daily basis and keep me updated. This way, I can be at ease. " [End of Chapter]