Chapter 165 -

Chapter 165: Chapter

Yimei walked into the warm kitchen, the rich smell of burning firewood instantly replacing the freezing outdoor air.

Madame Bai was already standing near the large stone stove, tying a clean apron around her waist and stirring a giant pot of hot water. When she heard footsteps, she turned around and gave Yimei a bright, gentle smile.

"Yimei, you’re back," Madame Bai said warmly. "I came in to get the morning porridge started so everyone can eat after clearing that mountain of snow."

"Thank you, Mother," Yimei said, walking over to the counter to wash her hands.

She looked around the room. The kitchen was completely quiet and empty except for the two of them. Knowing this was the perfect time to speak, Yimei walked closer to Madame Bai, keeping her voice low.

"Mother," Yimei began, her dark eyes sparkling with a secret. "I think we might be having an addition to the family soon."

The moment those words left Yimei’s mouth, Madame Bai froze dead in her tracks.

CLANG!

The wooden stirring spoon fell straight out of Madame Bai’s hand, splashing right back into the pot of hot water. Her jaw dropped open in pure, unfiltered shock.

She spun around, practically leaping across the small space to grab Yimei’s hands tightly in her own. Her eyes were wide with overwhelming excitement, and her hands were trembling.

"Yimei!" Madame Bai gasped out, her voice rising an octave in sheer delight. "A-Are you pregnant?! Oh my goodness! This is... this is wonderful news!"

Yimei blinked, caught completely off guard as Madame Bai pulled her closer, her face glowing with pure joy.

"Oh, bless the heavens!" Madame Bai babbled on, talking so fast she barely paused to breathe. "To be completely honest with you, Yimei, I was so worried! Seeing Zhengyu in that wheelchair with his broken legs, I kept wondering how on earth you two were going to... well, you know! Do anything like that! But I always knew you were a brilliant girl! I knew you would find a solution or a way around it! Oh, my sweet daughter-in-law, I’m going to be a grandma!"

Yimei stood completely frozen, her dark eyes wide in total disbelief as she listened to her mother-in-law’s wild jump to conclusions.

[BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!] Nine’s hysterical laughter exploded inside Yimei’s head so loudly it nearly gave her a headache. [Host! Look at what you did! She thinks you and Zhengyu did the dirty work on the bed despite his paralyzed legs! I am dying! This is gold!]

Yimei bit the inside of her cheek to stop herself from bursting into a full laugh right in Madame Bai’s face.

"Huh?" Madame Bai asked, her head tilting in complete confusion. "Not you? But... then who is having an addition to the family?"

"Is it An Yulan?" Madame Bai asked, her eyes narrowing as her mind spun out of control. "That girl... I always knew she was a wild one! But Wenliang looks like someone who isn’t even interested in women, you know... he looks like those, what do they call them? Ah, cut sleeves! I’m sure he’s very suspicious, but sister Madame Chen is already finding ways to cover up for him. That’s probably the main reason why she rushed his marriage and everything! Or... wait, is it those two girls, Wenxiu and Shishi? I definitely don’t think those two are even pure anymore..."

Yimei almost choked on her own breath, her eyes widening as Madame Bai just kept going on and on with her wild household gossip.

[PFFFFT! AHAFAHAHA!] Nine rolled around screaming in Yimei’s mind. [Host! Your mother-in-law is an absolute savage! She just called her nephew gay and accused her nieces of being unchaste in three seconds flat! I CANNOT BREATHE!]

Yimei had to quickly hold up both hands to stop Madame Bai before she accused the family cat next.

"Mother! Please, stop guessing!" Yimei laughed softly, shaking her head. "It’s neither of them. It is Madame Zhao."

Madame Bai stopped mid-sentence, her hands dropping to her sides as her jaw hit the floor for the second time. "Madame... Zhao? My husband’s third concubine? Bai Kang and Bai Shu’s mother?!"

"Yes," Yimei said, stepping over to pick up the wooden spoon from the pot and handing it back to her. "I checked her pulse out in the yard just now. She is very weak and freezing, but there is definitely a baby growing inside her."

Madame Bai took the spoon automatically, looking completely stunned. "Goodness me... my husband is getting so old, yet he still has so much energy! After all these years?"

She shook her head with a sigh, though a softer, gentler look soon settled on her face... zhengyu and his mother both think the same huh.

"Poor woman," Madame Bai murmured softly. "Her body has always been so frail. Carrying a baby in this freezing winter without good food or proper heat... it’s going to be very hard on her."

"That’s why I came straight to the kitchen," Yimei said, walking over to the pantry cupboards to pull out a few jars of dried herbs. "Her pulse is very shaky right now. If she stays in the cold or gets stressed out, she could easily lose the baby. I need to brew a strong warm-body medicine for her right away."

"You’re so thoughtful, Yimei," Madame Bai smiled warmly, stirring the pot of porridge again. "Does anyone know about this yet?"

"No," Yimei replied flatly, her eyes sharpening. "And we are keeping it that way for now. If Madame Chen or An Yulan find out, they will definitely cause trouble out of jealousy and ruin her health."

"You’re right," Madame Bai agreed quickly, nodding her head. "Sister Madame Chen would lose her mind if another son or daughter is born to the third branch. We’ll keep it between us until Madame Zhao is safe and strong."

Yimei nodded before they both focused back to what they were doing.

She lit a small separate stove, placed a small clay pot over the fire, and began carefully measuring out ginger, red dates, and special warming herbs.

While the medicine began to simmer and fill the kitchen with a sweet, spicy smell, Qinqin and Rulan came inside, their cheeks bright red and their hands frozen from all the shoveling outside.

"Young Madame! Madame Bai!" Qinqin called out cheerfully, rubbing her cold hands together over the warm stove. "The main path from the bedchambers all the way to the front gate is completely cleared!"

"Good job, girls," Yimei said. "Where are the others?"

Rulan giggled quietly behind her sleeve. "Madame Chen gave up and went back inside her room to cry about her sore back! Second Sister An Yulan is still hiding, but Brother Wenliang is still outside sweeping the rest of the snow because Liu Feng is standing right behind him with a wooden stick!"

Yimei immediately knew zhengyu must have put Lui Feng into that. "Good! Tell Liu Feng not to let him stop until the whole yard is clean."

Once the herbal tea was boiled down into a dark, rich broth, Yimei poured it carefully into a covered wooden bowl. She picked up the tray, along with two hot bowls of fresh porridge.

"I’ll take this to Madame Zhao’s room," Yimei told Madame Bai.

"Go ahead, dear," Madame Bai said warmly. "The girls will assist me with breakfast."

Yimei walked out of the kitchen, carrying the tray across the cleared snow path toward the quiet room of the third branch.

When she pushed the wooden door open, she saw Bai Kang sitting anxiously at the edge of the bed, tightly holding his mother’s cold hand. Madame Zhao was lying under two heavy quilts, her face still pale and pale-red from the fever. Bai Shu was sitting on a small stool nearby, looking worriedly at her mother.

When they saw Yimei walk in with a steaming tray, both Bai Kang and Bai Shu immediately stood up.

"Yimei!" Bai Kang said urgently. "How is my mother? Is it really bad?"

Yimei placed the tray down on the small table near the bed. She looked at Bai Kang, then at Madame Zhao, and gave them a calm, reassuring smile.

"It’s not bad news, Bai Kang," Yimei said softly. She looked right into Madame Zhao’s nervous eyes. "Congratulations, Madame Zhao. You are pregnant."