All of the idling servants had been chased away, leaving only the people necessary on hand, but the room still felt so narrow.

This originally was a room used by servants after reporting to their master to rest their feet, so it was not so spacious.

The filth had already been cleaned up, so the putrid scent was no longer assailing their noses.

Lady Fang was about to sit down on the brick-bed, but thought about that and snapped to her feet.

Lingzhi who was seated in the stool also stood up.

“Hurry up and sit,” urged Lady Fang.

Lingzhi looked somewhat embarrassed.

“This servant wouldn’t dare,” she answered timidly.

In front of Old Lady and Lady, even the maidservants would at most sit at a small table. She, a servant girl, did not have such qualifications.

“If I tell you to sit, then sit,” said Old Lady Fang from the brick-bed.

Lady Fang smiled at her.

“Sit,” she said gently. Once she saw that Lingzhi had sat down, she continued, “How are you feeling?”

Lingzhi lowered her red face.

“Not well; I just want to throw up,” she said.

As she said it, the feeling really did come. She covered her mouth and turned away. Jinchuan and Lingmin were already standing there with a spittoon. When they sensed her movements, they immediately stepped forward.

Lingzhi vomited a stream of acrid stomach liquid into the spittoon.

Lady Fang had also stood up. Happy, tense, and nervous.

“This is good, this is good,” she repeated.

Concubine Yuan’s lips curled into a smile.

“Lady, you are someone who has raised children. Don’t be worried,” she soothed.

Lady Fang wanted to smile but also cry.

“That was so many years ago; how could I remember?” she said.

Seeing Lady Fang like this, the servant girls and maidservants wanted to laugh but were also understanding.

For Lady Fang, her son having an heir was more exciting than to other mothers.

Old Lady Fang appeared neither sorrowful nor joyous. Instead, she was contemplative.

“When did you feel unwell?” she asked Lingzhi.

Lingzhi thought about it seriously.

She had heard that women who were pregnant liked to sleep and were out of energy.

“I didn’t feel unwell,” she said shyly. “It’s just that for a while I felt more sleepy and slept more.”

“Yes, yes.” Mama Yan, who was in charge of taking care of Lingzhi, corroborated her story. “I thought it was just a spring fatigue.”

She looked very excited.

This was Young Master’s child, the Fang Family’s only incense stick.

Lingzhi had reached heaven in a single bound.

She had thought that taking care of this servant girl was such a chicken rib chore, but now she saw it as a stroke of good fortune.

“And I threw up today; after that I was fine,” she finished up.

“Mama Wan, I must trouble you to look after Lingzhi’s diet,” requested Lady Fang.

Medicine Woman Wan did not answer, and Old Lady Fang coughed lightly.

“Ask another doctor to come see,” she said.

The people in the room were momentarily stunned.

“Old Lady, you don’t believe in my skills,” said Medicine Woman Wan flatly.

“It’s not that I don’t believe you. In my youth, I saw people fake being pregnant,” said Old Lady Fang, looking at Lingzhi. “There were many women who wanted children, so their bodies would produce a response to their desires. They would feel sleepy and throw up and their pulses would change, but in the end it was all fake.”

Instantly, Lingzhi felt uneasy. She stood up.

“This servant would not dare imagine so recklessly,” she said, her voice trembling.

“Aiya, Old Lady I checked for that sort of thing already; it wouldn’t escape my eyes,” Medicine Woman Wan said.

Lady Fang was also somewhat hesitant.

Concubine Yuan nodded in agreement.

Old Lady reacted correctly. After all, it was a much too sudden and incredulous occurrence.

“This is Chengyu’s child.” Old Lady Fang slapped the table. “I cannot tolerate carelessness.”

Lady Fang lost her hesitation and seriously made a sound of confirmation. Medicine Woman Wan muttered to herself but didn’t say anything.

“Mother, I will go and invite the doctor,” said Lady Fang.

Old Lady Fang stopped her.

“Make sure you watch the people in the house and take care of things well. Don’t let them shout noisily.” She frowned, surveying the people in the room.

Concubines Yuan and Su’s expressions turned uneasy when they felt that gaze land on them.

“Lady, whatever you instruct, I will do,” Concubine Yuan said with a smile.

Concubine Su did not say anything.

“You go and find Second Old Master,” said Old Lady Fang. “Tell him what happened so he can find a reliable doctor.”

Concubine Yuan made a sound of confirmation, then rushed out.

Old Lady Fang got off the brick-bed.

“Look after Lingzhi,” she said to Lady Fang. “Move Chengyu over to where I am.”

Lady Fang started.

“No, I can look after them,” she said. Looking at Concubine Su, she added “She has also borne a child; she can help.”

Concubine Su nodded.

“Please instruct me, Lady,” she said.

Old Lady Fang smiled.

“Then you will have your hands full,” she said. She gave her a profound look. “Many things will come your way now.”

Lady Fang’s heart stuttered.

They still hadn’t found the person who wanted to harm them. If they knew Lingzhi was pregnant, they definitely would act.

She could not place this chicken egg into her basket.

“Yes, if Zhenzhen knew about it, she would definitely kick up a fuss.” She affected uneasiness. “She already left here angrily.”

She then saluted Old Lady Fang.

“Then I must trouble you, Mother.”

……………………………..

When Lady Fang left the room, she wouldn’t leave Fang Chengyu on his own. Instead, she called the three Fang sisters to look after him.

Actually, there was nothing to look after. When they came, Fang Chengyu was asleep.

Fang Jinxiu took a moment to peer into the inner chamber.

“What are you looking at? Don’t wake him,” warned Fang Yunxiu.

Fang Jinxiu stood at the moon gate, watching the sleeping Fang Chengyu.

“In recent times, everytime we come see him he’s sleeping. Is he okay? Why do I feel like he’s pretending so that he won’t be interrogated by us.”

Fang Yuxiu did not lift her head from where she was embroidering a handkerchief.

“What do you want to ask Little Brother? Are you going to scold him for being licentious?” She smiled.

Fang Jinxiu actually didn’t know what she wanted to ask him. She walked back in a huff.

“You stop embroidering. You’ve been doing this handkerchief for years,” she nagged.

Fang Yuxiu continued to embroider silently.

“It looks like he’ll just keep pretending,” she said.

Fang Yunxiu ignored her two younger sisters’ squabbling and instead looked out the window.

“Do you think she really is pregnant?” she asked quietly.

Fang Yuxiu seemed not to hear her, engrossed as she was with her handkerchief.

Fang Jinxiu pulled a face.

“‘I’m not her, how would I know,” she said.

At the same time, Head Shopkeeper Song, who had just received word, was hurrying back with Concubine Yuan and a doctor in tow.

“Is it true?” was his first question when he saw Old Lady Fang, looking shocked.

Lady Fang could not stop her tears of happiness.

“Second Uncle, I don’t really know.” She covered up her crying face. “If Chengyu can have a child, I would give up ten years of my life. Even dying now would be okay.”

Head Shopkeeper Song examined her closely. He had lived to such a great age, so naturally he could see whether Lady Fang was faking her emotions or not.

“Hurry and go look,” he said, waving a hand at the doctor.

Old Lady Fang looked on silently. She seemed strong and cool, but her lowered hands were balled up tightly, exposing her true feelings.

If this were some other time, if Head Shopkeeper Song had heard Lady Fang talk about living and dying then, he would have affected the caring senior look and scolded her for her nonsense, then offered a few words of consolation.

But now he only spoke two words before going in, urging the doctor to go and investigate.

It seemed like it was urgent.