Chapter 58 Finale

Another month passed, and Xie Yi’s belly had grown prominently round. His clothes had to be worn looser to conceal the pregnancy bump, but the overall pregnant aura was impossible to hide completely. His slightly curled long hair, dark as sinking ink, cascaded down his back. His skin was as white as floating snow, but his lips were exceptionally crimson red.

“Be quick and nimble, the family head will be back soon. If the family head sees the room in a mess, you’ll all be in trouble,” Xing Ren directed the other servants.

“The wife-master is not a harsh person, she won’t scold the servants over trivial matters,” Xie Yi said in a deep voice as he supported his belly and stepped over the threshold.

Xing Ren hurriedly came forward to support him, smiling apologetically, “Young master, of course I know the family head is most generous and kind. But if we don’t speak sternly to these servants, they’ll slack off and not do their work.”

Xie Yi’s thin eyebrows swept lightly, but he didn’t say anything more. He tacitly allowed Xing Ren to be overbearing as his servant to manage the other servants on his behalf. He only needed to occasionally appear as the lenient master.

“Alright, help me go outside.”

Today was the day Su Mu would write back to the city, and Xie Yi had risen early.

“Yes.” Xing Ren carefully supported Xie Yi and said, “When other young masters are pregnant, their bodies inevitably become puffy and fat, and their faces also become rounder than before pregnancy. But young master’s figure hasn’t changed at all, and has even become thinner than before.”

Xing Ren’s words weren’t just flattery. As the fetus grew day by day, constantly drawing nutrients from Xie Yi’s body, even though Xie Yi ate supplements desperately, his weight didn’t increase. His figure had actually become thinner than before, and his skin had even become softer than before.

Xie Yi was pleased inwardly, his eye corners tinged with red: “Isn’t that better?”

Many women choose to take in male concubines because their husbands can’t satisfy them during pregnancy. The husbands work hard to produce offspring for their wives’ families, only to be stabbed in the back. Before they can even properly recover after giving birth, they have to rush to fight with the small concubines.

Xing Ren said coquettishly, “Young master is right. When the family head returns and sees you carrying her child, with your charm even more enchanting than before, she will surely be unable to let go of you.”

The two walked forward, and just as they reached the city gate, they encountered a funeral procession. Paper money was scattered all over the street, and the bustling crowd at the city gate parted to make way.

“Tsk tsk tsk, how unlucky,” Xing Ren shielded Xie Yi.

Just as Xie Yi was about to bypass the funeral procession, he suddenly saw a familiar person among the mourners.

“Yan… Yan Zhujun died? How so quickly?” Xing Ren also recognized this as the Yan family’s funeral procession and was shocked. Yan Ting, Feng’er, and Yan Jiyue were walking in the middle of the procession wearing mourning clothes. The coffin was carried by the crowd, passing by people with various expressions.

Su Mu was comfortably lying in the carriage, with Shen Yuxue by her side. On the way back, Shen Yuxue had insisted on slowing down the carriage’s speed out of playfulness. The originally one-month journey had been delayed by half a month due to her sightseeing. A few days ago, when the temperature in the mountains suddenly dropped, Su Mu had given her coat to Shen Yuxue and caught a cold herself.

Shen Yuxue felt extremely guilty and stopped being willful. She obediently attended to Su Mu’s meals and daily needs. Even after Su Mu had recovered, she didn’t change back to her old ways.

At home, she had Xie Yi to serve her, and now outside, she was being served by the young lady. Su Mu was feeling quite pleased. Suddenly, the carriage stopped, and Su Mu opened her eyes and propped herself up: “What’s wrong?”

The female coachman said, “Young miss, madam, the city gate is narrow, and we’ve run into a funeral procession.”

Shen Yuxue waved her hand: “The dead take precedence, let them pass first.”

“Yes.” The female coachman jumped down from the carriage and led the horse by the reins to turn towards the edge of the city.

“Whose funeral is it? Do we know them?” Shen Yuxue asked curiously.

The female coachman answered, “We do know them, it’s the Yan family’s master’s funeral.”

Su Mu suddenly sat up and lifted the curtain. The dark coffin was just passing by. Her eyes flickered for a moment, and she lowered the curtain.

“He’s finally dead, that’s good,” Shen Yuxue smiled. “He was just a burden to his family while alive. Yan Ting had to sell her recipes and shops for his illness, and her son-in-law had to take care of him day and night while often enduring his harsh words. Now that this tormentor is gone, the Yan family must be breathing a sigh of relief. They can finally live in peace from now on.”

Su Mu leaned by the window, her eyes lowered.

She got out of the carriage and watched as the funeral procession walked further and further away. A piece of paper money fluttered to her feet.

In her previous life, she had lain in the coffin, watching Yan Zhujun shed crocodile tears over her corpse. At that time, she had still resented not living as long as the old man. Now, looking at the coffin containing Yan Zhujun’s body, she felt at peace with everything from her previous life.

“Family head! Family head!” Xing Ren shouted loudly, leading Xie Yi through the crowd towards her.

“Xiao Yi.” Su Mu’s smile froze when she saw Xie Yi come out. Suddenly, she noticed Xie Yi’s protruding belly and was momentarily speechless: “…You?”

“I told you earlier, your husband would definitely be waiting for you at home with a big belly, but you didn’t believe me,” Shen Yuxue said softly behind her. In ancient times, there weren’t many contraceptive measures. After a few months of marriage, as long as Xie Yi didn’t have any issues, he would definitely conceive.

“Wife-master.” Xie Yi supported his belly, his eyes blazing and radiant: “A month after you left, the doctor said I was pregnant.”

Su Mu was so shocked she didn’t know what to say: “This… why didn’t you write to tell me for so long?”

Suddenly becoming a mother as soon as she returned home was something Su Mu couldn’t quite process yet.

Xie Yi looked shy and bashful: “I didn’t want to distract you from matters at home, and I wanted to give you a surprise when you returned.” His hand tightly gripped a section of Su Mu’s finger, his voice as light as willow catkins.

Su Mu was both shocked and delighted. Being a first-time mother inevitably made her feel clumsy. She carefully supported him: “Don’t stand here anymore, go back and rest well.”

Xie Yi obediently nodded.

“Yuxue, come and drink at my child’s full moon celebration in a few months,” Su Mu said, turning her head.

Shen Yuxue smiled somewhat desolately, but her voice was carefree: “I know, I’ll definitely bring a gift.”