Chapter 3: 003 Too Much Trouble

Chapter 3: 003. Too Many Troubles

“Mother, have you forgotten why we came here?” Seeing Bai Suihe leave, Gu Antong immediately pulled on Liu Yun’s arm, unwilling to let it go.

“This matter isn’t urgent; we’ll talk about it later. Didn’t you see her complexion was very poor? If something happens to her right now and we’re standing right there, we’ll be implicated.

Your grandmother is here, and she will always be a bit partial to you.”

Gu Antong nodded, “But the jewelry set that matches my outfit is Third Aunt’s dowry. Would she be willing to part with it?”

“You, you don’t need to worry about these things.” Liu Yun tapped her daughter’s forehead and whispered instructions, “Remember to coax your grandmother into a good mood when we go in. Don’t let your Second Aunt be the only one acting sweet and reaping the benefits.”

“I really can’t help that. They are aunt and niece by blood and share the same maternal family,” Gu Antong whispered back…

Bai Suihe knew nothing of this mother and daughter’s conversation. She only wanted to return to her small courtyard as quickly as possible to think about how to prepare for what was coming.

Back in the courtyard, she used fatigue as an excuse and had all the maids and matrons withdraw.

“If I remember correctly, the house raid begins on the tenth day after Gu Kaiyuan returns to the manor. Counting it all up, that’s less than half a month.”

Bai Suihe rested her chin on her hand, feeling very distressed. Aside from waiting for the raid, she had no other good ideas.

The book described how Minister Gu had defected to the Third Prince’s faction, and because of attacks from political rivals, the Gu family was pushed out by the Third Prince to serve as a scapegoat.

The Emperor knew full well that the Gu manor was innocent, but between his son and his ministers, he made his choice. That was why there was a house raid and exile, rather than total extermination.

However, afterward, the Third Prince felt guilty and sent people to provide care. But all that care was tilted toward Gu Antong; as for the rest of them, they were insignificant people whose lives or deaths didn’t matter.

“Everyone else who transmigrates gets a golden finger, so what is mine?” Bai Suihe muttered to herself, “A space? A system? A portal? Or a red envelope group? …~~”

She went through every golden finger she could think of, but there was still no response.

“What kind of sin is this? This is a dead end. Setting off on the road of exile with a big belly—I might as well just slit my throat and end it all.”

As for the room full of jewelry and ornaments, if it were before, she would have certainly enjoyed admiring them. But since none of it would belong to her once the raid happened, looking at them only made her feel more stifled.

She felt a dull pain in her belly. When she touched it, she was shocked—the baby was actually kicking.

She had seen her best friend pregnant and knew this was fetal movement. Back then, she thought it was fun, but now she found it extraordinarily miraculous.

“Be good, baby. Mother will definitely find a way to bring you into this world safely. I certainly won’t let you be like in the book…” Die in the womb… At this moment, she chose to be superstitious and spat a few times to ward off bad luck.

The belly bulged a few more times, as if in response. Bai Suihe stroked it to soothe the baby, and it slowly quieted down.

“Third Young Mistress, I’ve just brought the morning meal from the main kitchen. Shall I put it in the side hall?” Chunxiang asked softly from outside.

“Put it in the side hall; I’ll be right there.” Having been tossed about since waking up early, she was hungry. Bai Suihe decided to fill her stomach first before thinking about anything else.

“Do you know when the Third Young Master will be back?” Fearing her memory might be faulty, Bai Suihe asked Dongmei and the others again.

She hoped that husband would be easy to get along with; otherwise, the days ahead would only be worse.

Although the book said he tried every means to climb to a high position to avenge his wife and never remarried, his previous behavior in the manor had always been to smooth things over. If no tragedy occurred, she really feared he wouldn’t stand on her side.

She would have to think about how to draw a clear line with him later. Divorcing him was impossible and non-existent—it was truly a headache.

“This servant has already asked the steward. The Third Young Master sent a message by carrier pigeon; he should arrive at the manor in five or six days.” Chunxiang served Bai Suihe as she washed her hands, while Dongmei had already finished setting the morning meal with the other maids.

Being served so meticulously—if not for the impending house raid and exile, transmigration would actually be a good thing. These services alone were worth it.

“When the Third Young Master returns and sees that you’ve been ill and lost weight, he will surely feel heartbroken for you,” Dongmei said, placing a bowl of white porridge in front of Bai Suihe. “Third Young Mistress, you must eat more; you can’t lose any more weight.”

“White porridge again.” The entire manor followed the Old Mistress’s preferences. Whatever she liked to eat appeared on everyone’s table the next day. Although there were a few side dishes, it really didn’t whet her appetite.

As for the preferences of a pregnant woman? Well, there were no exceptions in the Third Branch.

Dongmei quickly glanced outside and whispered, “Mistress, I’ve already sent a matron out to buy wontons. They’ll be delivered to the room in a moment. Won’t you eat a little bit now?”

Bai Suihe then remembered this. Her maternal family were merchants, and marrying into the Gu manor was considered marrying up; she was looking for a backer, so her dowry was substantial. They weren’t short on silver, and they had long since bribed the matron at the corner gate, so they never lacked food.

The maids knew her preferences and always arranged these things in advance.

Upon hearing there were wontons, Bai Suihe ate a few bites of the porridge and had them clear it away.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before a bowl of steaming wontons appeared in her room. She finished the entire large bowl with satisfaction, then, under the service of her maids, went for a walk in the courtyard.

Their courtyard had a small garden in the back. Although it was only about 200 square meters, it was a private space, which was much more comfortable than going to the main garden, and she didn’t have to worry about running into people with no sense.

But after only two laps, a matron came to report that the Old Mistress requested her presence.

Day after day, it was truly endless. She had just said she should rest well in the courtyard, and she changed her mind after only a few hours?

Arriving at the main courtyard again, she thought it would just be the Old Mistress, but to her surprise, everyone was there: the First Branch, the Second Branch, and the female lead. All the female masters of the manor were present.

Although the household was said to be small, there were truly a lot of trivial matters.

After bowing to the Old Mistress, she found a seat and sat down on her own, no longer standing there like a timid daughter-in-law waiting to be scolded as she had before.

Xu Yulan had seen Bai Suihe’s behavior earlier and didn’t care. Just as her aunt had said, she had something to rely on now. Once she gave birth to the child, they could settle accounts with her properly. Thinking of this, her eyes couldn’t help but carry a trace of schadenfreude.

Liu Yun of the First Branch was a bit surprised, but seeing her protruding belly and remembering her miserable fainting spell yesterday, she became thoughtful.

“Madam Bai, I called you here because there is something I need to discuss with you.” Since she was the one asking for help, Xu Huizhen’s voice was much softer.

“Please speak, Old Mistress. It’s just that my position is low and my words carry little weight; I fear I may not be of much help.” Bai Suihe tried hard to recall, then looked at Gu Antong with a sudden realization.