Chapter 42 (2/2): Oolong, have you taken birth control pills?

“Reporting to the Mistress, I’m from Yunzhi Courtyard…”

Zhang Mama, recognizing Danruo, whispered to Zhu Shi, “She’s the Da Shaofuren’s maid.”

Zhu Shi disliked Shen Youran and was more irritated seeing her maid here.

“So early in the morning, what are you out for?”

Danruo dared not tell the truth and stumbled over her words, “Re-replying to the Mistress, I’m just going to buy some embroidery thread…”

Zhu Shi barely looked at her, but Zhang Mama caught her unease.

Approaching with a sharp gaze, she said, “Why must you buy embroidery thread so early? You seem suspicious. Tell me—what exactly are you doing?”

Danruo shrank her shoulders but persisted, “I’m really just going to buy embroidery thread.”

Zhang Mama scrutinized her from head to toe, finally focusing on the sleeve she was nervously clutching.

Danruo, trapped under her gaze, flinched when Zhang Mama suddenly grabbed her wrist, lifted it, and pulled out a prescription hidden in her sleeve.

“Safflower, Huang Bai, Lithospermum, Curcuma…”

Zhang Mama read off a few herbs she recognized and immediately realized, “Mistress, this is the Bizi Prescription!”

Zhu Shi’s face darkened further.

“Who intends to take this medicine?”

Danruo knew she’d brought trouble to her mistress and quickly knelt.

“Mistress, our Da Shaofuren is still young. Early pregnancy might harm her health. Please understand…”

That was right.

In noble families, it wasn’t uncommon for new brides to delay pregnancy, depending on whether the mother-in-law cared for the daughter-in-law.

Zhu Shi knew Shen Youran was young, but Pei Huaijin was not.

If she sympathized with her husband, she should want children sooner.

“Go tell your mistress that if she wants to take this medicine, she can. If she refuses to bear children, there are plenty willing to do so.”

Zhu Shi tore the prescription from Danruo’s hand, tossed it back, and left with Zhang Mama.

Danruo knelt in front of the Yingbi wall, tears streaming until the Mistress’s carriage disappeared, then wiped her eyes and hurried to the apothecary to get the medicine, bringing it back for the kitchen staff to prepare before trembling back to Yunzhi Courtyard.

Shen Youran didn’t go to Ciyou Courtyard this morning.

The red marks on her neck were impossible to hide, and she had no face to go out and be seen.

She was practicing her aim with a slingshot in the yard when Danruo ran in crying.

“Young Madam, I’ve caused you trouble…”

“What happened?”

Shen Youran handed the slingshot to Qinghe and took a handkerchief to wipe Danruo’s tears.

“Don’t cry, tell me slowly.”

Between sobs, Danruo recounted the encounter with the Mistress in the front courtyard.

“I thought it was nothing serious,” Shen Youran pinched Danruo’s cheek, unconcerned.

“Let her be angry if she wants. I’m the one having the child, not her. If she doesn’t care for me, I’ll care for myself.”

“But…”

Danruo added, “the Mistress also said if Young Madam refuses to have children, there are plenty who would. Does that mean…she wants the Young Master to take a concubine?”

“A newlywed less than two months in, and the Young Master wants a concubine? There’s no family in Jingcheng brave enough to do that! Besides, my father is the Minister of Revenue. Even if she dares sneak someone into Yunzhi Courtyard, I’ll go back to my father’s house. If the Pei family tries to carry me back in a grand sedan chair, I won’t come back. Let’s see who’s more disgraced—me or her…”

Danruo watched her mistress’s fierce determination and quickly smiled through her tears, joining her in slingshot practice.

Pei Huaijin visited the Xiao Fu with gifts and explained the recent cause of Shen Youran’s abdominal pain to Xiao Gugu.

Although he didn’t explicitly say it was due to sabotage, Xiao Gugu was smart and understood the delicate nature of the situation.

Since it was a misunderstanding, she was willing to continue instructing Shen Youran.

They discussed the schedule; Pei Huaijin asked if the lessons could be moved to the afternoon at the Pei residence because the morning was occupied with Shen Youran learning household management from her sister.

“Afternoons are difficult to arrange,” Xiao Gugu said. She was famous in Jingcheng and had many noble students, so her schedule was full.

“Lately, students have increased, so teaching each household individually is exhausting. I plan to rent a residence at Wūyī Lane to gather students in one place for lessons…”

“That sounds good. Have you found a suitable place?”

“I’ve looked at several, but none satisfactory…”

Pei Huaijin recalled that his third uncle had bought a residence on Wūyī Lane for Seventh Young Master Pei.

If Seventh Young Master was willing, they could rent it to Xiao Gugu.

However, he needed to discuss this with Seventh Young Master first.

“I’ll keep an eye out and let you know if I find anything suitable.”

“Thank you.”

After talking, Xiao Gugu prepared to leave, leaving Xiao Ci at home to receive guests.

Xiao Ci brought up the matter of Lu Yi.

“Following the Lu Yi lead, we found he’s heavily involved with that group of bride kidnappers. They’re not ordinary bandits but roaming outlaws with many crimes. The Dali Si is taking this seriously and wants to locate the outlaws’ hideout soon. Your wife may need to cooperate…”

“What kind of cooperation?”

“To avoid alerting them, they will secretly summon her to the Dali Si for questioning…”

Previously, Pei Huaijin had promised to keep Shen Yunshu’s secret, but now the Dali Si was intensifying the investigation.

Shen Youran knew little about Lu Yi and couldn’t help much.

Pei Huaijin had no choice but to tell Xiao Ci the truth.

“There’s something I didn’t tell you before…”

“What?”

“We suspected Lu Yi masterminded the bride kidnapping because he once tried to marry my wife. But I later learned his true target wasn’t my wife but her sister, Shen Yunshu…”

“Shen Yunshu?”

Xiao Ci had met that lady.

In investigating the Lu Yi case, he knew everyone connected.

“Isn’t she Lu Yi’s stepsister?”

“Lu Yi harbors impure intentions toward his stepsister. He approached Youran and proposed marriage to her to force Shen Yunshu into submission…”

“I understand. I’ll report this. In a few days, the Dali Si will come to the Pei residence to escort her. Let her know in advance.”

“She’s a victim of her stepbrother’s harassment. Please don’t embarrass her during questioning…”

“I’ll be there too. Don’t worry…”

When Pei Huaijin returned home, he and his mother arrived in carriages one after another at the gate.

He saw Meng Wanxin step down from his mother’s carriage, pale and with swollen eyes.

It seemed her engagement to Lin Wulang had fallen through.

He withdrew his gaze and entered the residence.

“Stop!” his mother called after him.

“Your cousin is here. She’s suffered so much. As her cousin, how can you not go comfort her?”

Pei Huaijin knew his cousin’s misery was her own doing, unrelated to him.

Moreover, he disapproved of his mother bringing her into the Pei residence.

“Mother took matters into her own hands. This will inevitably offend the Marquis of Changxing Manor. You’d better figure out how to explain it to Father and Grandmother…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle that side. You don’t want to deal with your cousin, but you must handle the matter with the Furen in your own room.”

“What happened to her?”

“Let’s talk in my courtyard.”

Pei Huaijin could only follow his mother to Haitang Courtyard.

Meng Wanxin trailed silently behind Zhu Shi, tears flowing.

Zhu Shi comforted her, “Later, I’ll have someone prepare the room you used to stay in. From now on, you’ll stay here comfortably. I’ll handle everything.”

Meng Wanxin sobbed, “Thank you, Auntie.”

At Haitang Courtyard, Zhu Shi first took Meng Wanxin to a side room to rest, then spoke with Pei Huaijin in the main hall.

“That Lin family are bullies. If I hadn’t gone today, Wanxin’s life would’ve been ruined. That mad Lin Wulang swings between wanting to harm himself and becoming a monk. If he liked that maid so much, why didn’t he marry her sooner? It’d have saved other girls from trouble. Even with his son crazy like this, the Marquis’s wife still wanted Wanxin to stay in the mansion to cover for him. Isn’t that ruining her?”

Pei Huaijin listened quietly.

Though sympathetic to his cousin’s plight, his thoughts drifted to Shen Youran.

Luckily, she hadn’t accepted Lin Wulang’s proposal back then, or she’d be suffering under the Marquis’s household now…

He interrupted his mother’s complaints at the right moment.

“Mother, I want to hear about Youran.”

Zhu Shi was momentarily silenced, her anger stifled.

She took a deep breath.

“I asked you before about heirs. Have you thought about it?”

“I have. But Youran…”

“Do you know what she’s been doing behind your back?”

“What has she done?”

“She’s secretly taking Bizi medicine!”

“Bizi medicine?”

Pei Huaijin was stunned.

“Why would she take that?”

“To avoid having children.”

“She’s still young. I never planned for her to have kids yet. Why would she suddenly take that medicine? When did she start?”

“This morning. The maid around her took the prescription to get medicine and was caught by me and Zhang Mama.”

Pei Huaijin pondered.

Remembering she’d been drunk beyond saving last night, she likely forgot what happened.

Seeing those marks on her body, she must have assumed they consummated their marriage.

Such a foolish girl…

“Mother, I’m going back now.”

Medicine can’t be taken lightly.

They haven’t consummated yet—why take Bizi medicine?

Rushing back to Yunzhi Courtyard, he went straight to the bedchamber where she lay on the bed reading a romance novel.

Seeing him enter, she quickly stuffed the book under her pillow.

Pei Huaijin helped her up and asked, “You took Bizi medicine?”

“Yes.”

Shen Youran thought he was about to scold her and glared, defending herself.

“My mother said having children too early harms health. I don’t want to get pregnant so soon…”

“Who told you to drink that? When? Spit it out.”

“Oh, I’ve been drinking it for a while. Can’t spit it out now,” she slapped his hand away, annoyed. “I told you, I don’t want…”

“So early to get pregnant—what are you doing?”

Pei Huaijin was both angry and amused.

“You can’t even get pregnant. Why take Bizi medicine?”

“What do you mean? How can you be so sure?”

“There was no consummation last night…”

“No consummation?”

Shen Youran was confused.

“But they said you called for water twice…”

“They called twice—once to wipe your face, once to wipe your drool.”

“Wipe drool? I drooled in my sleep?”

“Not your drool.”

Pei Huaijin cleared his throat awkwardly. “It was mine…”

“You drooled?”

Shen Youran connected the dots, looking at the marks on her body and sighed long and low.

“You were so enamored of me you kissed me all over while I was drunk?”

“Cough cough…”

Pei Huaijin blushed at his reckless indulgence last night.

Though she had initiated the kisses, he had thoroughly kissed every inch of her skin.

He admitted, “Sorry, I’ll be more restrained next time…”

“You lecherous pervert!”