Chapter 1850: Chapter 943: Divergence (Part 2)

Lian Manman stepped onto the porch and entered the house. Only after seeing Lian Manman enter did Yan Daopo turn around and leave.

Upon entering the Upper Room, Lian Manman didn’t go straight to Lady Zhang’s room but returned to her own room. The maids brought water, and Lian Manman briefly washed her hands and face, changed her clothes, and then called Shan Xi over.

"...The voice was fluctuating..., something about childbearing medicine, and also mentioned the Third Madam..." Shan Xi reported to Lian Manman what she had overheard.

Lian Manman could only sigh to herself after listening, contemplated for a moment, and then proceeded to Lady Zhang’s room.

"You’ve been gone for quite a while, was there something significant?" Lady Zhang asked when she saw Lian Manman return.

"Nothing major," Lian Manman said, sitting down on the kang, and then roughly recounted the matters she had just dealt with to Lady Zhang.

"That’s good," Lady Zhang replied after hearing this, not asking further. In matters both inside and outside the house, with Lian Shouxin, Wu Lang, and Lian Manman around, there was rarely anything that truly required Lady Zhang’s attention.

Perhaps, when Qin Ruojian comes in and has children with Wu Lang, Lady Zhang would be too preoccupied to think about anything else, Lian Manman thought to herself.

"Mother, where’s that sachet you embroidered yesterday?" Lian Manman asked Lady Zhang.

"I put it away, why?" Lady Zhang inquired.

"I think that sachet goes well with this jacket of mine..." Lian Manman replied.

"You want it? Then I’ll find it for you," Lady Zhang said immediately upon hearing Lian Manman, standing up to look for the sachet.

Lian Manman also got up, and while Lady Zhang opened a box to find the sachet, Lian Manman casually picked up another box behind it.

That was the box where Lady Zhang kept her private stash of money, something both Lian Manman and Xiao Qi were aware of.

Lady Zhang didn’t initially hide her private savings from her children, especially Lian Manman and Xiao Qi. As for Wu Lang, he never paid any attention to such things. However, neither Lian Manman nor Xiao Qi concerned themselves with Lady Zhang’s private stash. When they needed money, they’d ask Lian Shouxin instead, never bothering Lady Zhang.

Yet because she had recently taken Two Strings of Money from her private stash to give to Yan Daopo, Lady Zhang felt slightly guilty and wanted to stop Lian Manman from looking but couldn’t find the words.

Lian Manman opened Lady Zhang’s money box. Lady Zhang wasn’t particularly careful with her silver coins, and since she was prepared for her young daughter or son to occasionally need money from her, the box wasn’t locked. Naturally, Lian Manman opened it with ease.

Lian Manman glanced into Lady Zhang’s money box.

"Mother, why is your money less than before?" Lian Manman asked Lady Zhang.

Knowing that Lian Manman was sharp and wouldn’t be easily deceived, Lady Zhang hesitated but didn’t immediately respond.

"Did you give it to Yan Daopo again?" Lian Manman sighed.

The mother and daughter sat back on the kang, and Lady Zhang then explained to Lian Manman about giving money to Yan Daopo for holding a ritual lamp event.

"...It’s for your Third Aunt," Lady Zhang said to Lian Manman.

This wasn’t entirely untrue, as she was genuinely concerned about Lady Zhao.

"Mother, haven’t I told you before about my Third Aunt?" Lian Manman tried to persuade Lady Zhang, "Whenever she’s invited to come to the Prefecture City, we’ll find the best doctor there to properly examine her. If that doesn’t work, there’s always the Shen Mansion—there’s a doctor who used to be in The Imperial Medical Bureau; we could ask him for help. There’s also Imperial Doctor Shi, he occasionally comes back to the mansion. We could try again to invite him—it would be even better."

Though she said this, Lian Manman didn’t hold much hope for Lady Zhao conceiving.

After marrying Lian Shouli, Lady Zhao hadn’t shown any signs of pregnancy for years before conceiving Lian Yeye. When giving birth to Lian Yeye, Lady Zhao suffered from severe hemorrhaging, almost losing her life. Subsequently, during her postpartum period, she didn’t receive proper care. Since then until now, Lady Zhao has never conceived again.

In recent years, Lady Zhao has seen doctors and taken decoctions, but despite many doses, her belly hasn’t shown any signs of motion. Though doctors haven’t said she’s incapable of conceiving, they’ve consistently diagnosed that Lady Zhao is innately lacking and has been improperly cared for later, making it quite difficult to conceive.

Even if she were to conceive, with Lady Zhao’s physique, a safe delivery would be challenging. Moreover, as Lady Zhao ages, the risks increase.

Lady Zhao and Lian Shouli already have Lian Yeye. Though she’s a girl, she’s their flesh and blood, and Lian Yeye is strong-willed and filial. Rather than risking Lady Zhao’s life to have another child, it would be better for the couple to cherish Lian Yeye and later find her a good match. They would still make a happy family.

In this era, though lineage is essential, there are also households with only daughters that live normally. Take, for example, the Wang family, into which Sanlang married; they are a great example.

And even if we assume there’s no son in the future, Lian Shouli wouldn’t divorce Lady Zhao because of it. Without that worry, Lady Zhao shouldn’t have any psychological burden.

"Seeing a doctor properly and taking the right medicine is better than consuming unknown things that won’t cure and might harm the body," Lian Manman added.

"I agree with what you said. I also want your Third Aunt to visit the Prefecture City for a proper checkup," Lady Zhang replied, "But taking some other medicine wasn’t a big deal. Manman, you can’t dismiss the miracles of gods and Buddha. Didn’t we see it work for someone?"

"Why are there so many who still believe in praying to gods and Buddha? Would everyone be fools? Taking a step back, even if it doesn’t work, it surely won’t do harm either. It just costs a bit of money. But what if it actually works? Wouldn’t that be best?"

...

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555, I climbed up here to say this was originally set for release tomorrow, Ruoyan’s draft; I accidentally slipped and posted it, 555, tomorrow’s draft is gone, still have to write it, scratching the walls...seeking comfort~~~ (To be continued. If you enjoyed this work, feel free to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), with recommendation tickets and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. For mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)