Chapter 2: 2. Chapter 2: Adding Insult to Injury

Chapter 2: Adding Insult to Injury

Old Mrs. Qin pointed at Madam Xie and said, "Second Daughter, take Concubine Pan and the others to settle the children first. Madam Wang and Mei Niang will stay in the delivery room to assist. Once everything is settled, come back to help."

"Yes, Mother."

Qin Liuxi directed Chen Pi to lead the group to settle the children, while she and Qihuang moved Madam Gu to the prepared delivery room. At this moment, she felt a slight headache coming on.

Having grown up in a Taoist temple, she was used to being alone and often stayed at the temple. The ancestral home wasn't staffed with many servants; only Qihuang and her sibling were there to manage her small courtyard. There was Uncle Li's family in the residence, but it was only four people: Auntie Li, who managed the kitchen and miscellaneous chores with her daughter Xiaoxue, and Uncle Li, who acted as both housekeeper and gatekeeper, doing everything.

With so few masters in the ancestral home, Qin Liuxi didn't care for commotion, and these few people were sufficient. However, with so many people present now, things were becoming unmanageable.

As they hurriedly placed Madam Gu on the makeshift delivery bed, Qin Liuxi glanced at her, and her heart grew slightly cold.

In just this short time, the dark aura on this third aunt's face had intensified; it was hard to say if she would survive this ordeal.

She looked at the woman's massive belly and reached out to feel her wrist—it was twins.

Truly, adding insult to injury.

Qin Liuxi took the jade pendant hanging from her waist and tied it to Madam Gu's collar. She glanced at Qihuang, who had just returned, without saying a word, and the latter stepped back out again.

Old Mrs. Qin and the others were stunned by this gesture and looked toward Qin Liuxi.

Unfazed, Qin Liuxi said, "This is a Jade Ruyi, consecrated and blessed to ensure my third aunt's safe delivery."

Old Mrs. Qin's expression softened, and a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes.

The woman who had been the first to hold Madam Gu—Madam Wang, Qin Liuxi's legal mother—said, "You are so thoughtful, Xier. Your third aunt will surely be safe, mother and child alike."

She said this, but seeing the frail person on the bed and thinking of the recent upheavals in the family, the anxiety in Madam Wang and the others' eyes grew deeper.

When Qihuang returned to the guest room carrying a small box, she saw everyone looking sorrowful. She tiptoed to Qin Liuxi's side and stood there quietly.

Because of Qin Liuxi, she didn't particularly like the Qin family, but since they had arrived so suddenly and were in such a state of decline—and with this young woman clearly about to go into premature labor—no matter how much she disliked them, she wasn't about to bring bad luck during such a critical moment.

"Has the midwife not arrived yet?" Old Mrs. Qin asked anxiously, looking toward the door several times.

Qin Liuxi said in a cool voice, "It is raining outside and the roads are difficult to travel. Since we sent for her suddenly, she might not be home; it may take some time."

Old Mrs. Qin's lips tightened further.

As they were speaking, several people approached from outside: the Qin family's Second Madam, Madam Xie, and two concubines, one of whom was Qin Liuxi's biological mother, Concubine Wan.

Upon entering the room, Concubine Wan's gaze fell first upon Qin Liuxi.

Qin Liuxi looked back, and mother and daughter locked eyes.

As Concubine Wan looked closer, her brow furrowed with a hint of frustration and confusion.

This daughter had been a chubby little thing when she was born, but how had she grown up to be so thin and frail? If not for that long hair, she might have looked no different from a novice nun.

Qin Liuxi sighed inwardly. Her biological mother must be in her thirties and had already given birth to two children, yet her face remained tender and fair. Even without any makeup, her beauty was undiminished, looking more like an eighteen-year-old girl—both pure and alluring.

Looking at her simple attire, her curves were undeniable; she was a woman to be pitied and admired, truly a stunning concubine, and clearly a favored one.

It seemed she hadn't suffered much in the Qin family; in fact, she lived quite well—so well, in fact, that she seemed to have forgotten she even had a daughter.

Qin Liuxi gave a slight, respectful bow. "Concubine."

Concubine Wan opened her mouth and said, "You are a bit plain-looking; you don't look like me or your brother."

(End of Chapter)