"By the way, I haven't asked you yet. When I came in just now, I saw Sister-in-law Li Shan and Huzhi. Why are they here? It's almost New Year's, shouldn't they be busy at home?" Zhang Xiaoniu asked curiously.
He had been here for a while, and Sister-in-law Li Shan hadn't come out since entering the west wing. Li Hu had also gone in just now. What was going on?
The matter of Li Shan divorcing Lin Ruixue had not spread. Besides them, only the Song family knew about it. Neither family was one to gossip, and Li Shan wouldn't spread it himself, so it was normal that no one knew about it. However, it wouldn't be kept secret for long. By the time of the New Year's greetings on the first day of the lunar month, the whole village would know about it within half a day.
Therefore, Qi Zhenzhen did not hide it from Zhang Xiaoniu and simply explained the matter.
"I know about this. This is a vixen climbing into bed. Many maids in wealthy families do this to become concubines. It's disgusting to hear about it, and I didn't expect such a thing to happen in our village. Li Shan looks like an honest person, but I didn't expect him to be like this," Zhang Xiaoniu said with disgust.
"So, you can't judge a book by its cover. This saying is indeed true," Qi Zhenzhen said.
"Will they both live here from now on?" Zhang Xiaoniu was a little curious.
"Temporarily. After the first month, Sister Ruixue will go to the county town to open a noodle shop," Qi Zhenzhen said. "Then, it will be more convenient for Huzhi and Yige to study."
Zhang Xiaoniu said "oh," "We're not far from the capital. Why not go to the capital? It's more populous and prosperous."
"You know it's populous and prosperous? Do you think you can open a shop in the capital without any status? Dream on!" Qi Zhenzhen glared at him. "Alright, alright, eat your fill and drink your fill, then hurry up and leave. You've finally come back, so hurry back and look after your brothers."
Just as she finished speaking, Zhang Erniu arrived, holding many peach tree branches. He inserted them one by one at the entrance of each room, saying as he did so, "Peach branches ward off evil spirits. Every household will insert them during the New Year."
When he reached the west wing, the door suddenly opened. Lin Ruixue stepped out, not expecting Zhang Erniu to be standing outside the door. Startled, she tripped herself and swayed, about to fall to the ground.
Qi Zhenzhen's heart leaped into her throat. Lin Ruixue was pregnant, and it was freezing cold. If she fell, it would be serious, and there was no doubt she would be injured.
Zhang Erniu instinctively reached out to help her, almost catching her in a full embrace.
Lin Ruixue thanked him with a blush and hurried towards the backyard.
Zhang Erniu glanced at Qi Zhenzhen, shrugged, and indicated that he hadn't meant to be rude. If he hadn't helped, she would have definitely fallen.
The questions asked by the two brothers were the same: why was Lin Ruixue at the Qi family's house?
"Second brother, come on, come on, I'll tell you as we walk." Zhang Xiaoniu mysteriously pulled Zhang Erniu outside.
Qi Zhenzhen knew that Zhang Erniu was steady and wouldn't spread the word even if he knew about it. With him in charge, Zhang Xiaoniu wouldn't dare to act recklessly.
Zhang Xiaoniu spoke vividly, but Zhang Erniu frowned. So, Lin Ruixue had been kicked out by Li Shan? This was too unbelievable. The couple had always lived in harmony. Lin Ruixue was beautiful and capable. He and his elder and third brothers had privately discussed how lucky Li Shan was to have married such a beautiful wife, but unexpectedly, such a beautiful wife wasn't enough to satisfy Li Shan!
Recalling the scene just now, besides panic, there was a hint of sorrow in Lin Ruixue's eyes. Was it because of this matter?
What a shameless person, Zhang Erniu thought, a surge of anger rising in his heart. He wanted to teach Li Shan a lesson and vent her anger.
"Keep this matter buried in your stomach. Don't tell anyone, understand?" Zhang Erniu warned Zhang Xiaoniu.
With a cold and frighteningly serious expression, Zhang Xiaoniu shrank his neck. "If you don't want me to say it, I won't. It's not that strange a thing. We're all in the same village; everyone will know sooner or later."
Everyone will know? She was divorced. What would the villagers think of her?
Zhang Erniu was somewhat annoyed, as if those negative opinions were directed at him.
Zhang Xiaoniu naturally didn't know what his second brother was thinking. He mysteriously took out a money pouch from his embrace. "Second brother, this is the reward money I got for the New Year, from the young lord and the madam. It adds up to ten taels. After the New Year, hurry up and find a matchmaker to find someone for you. The task of continuing the Zhang family line rests on you. Don't act like nothing's wrong. If you and third brother don't get married soon, when I meet a girl I like in the future, I'll be delayed by you."
Zhang Erniu held the money pouch in his hand, his fingers unconsciously stroking it. A thought suddenly popped into his mind: if he proposed to Lin Ruixue, would she agree?
She was capable and beautiful; she probably wouldn't look down on a rough man like him, would she?
No, he was much better than Li Shan. If she could fancy Li Shan, she might fancy him too?
Zhang Erniu's heart beat rapidly, as if he had a nest of rabbits in his chest, anxious and apprehensive.
He couldn't rush this matter. She had just experienced this ordeal and was likely disappointed in men. If he rashly expressed his feelings now, she might misunderstand it as taking advantage of her misfortune.
No rush. Anyway, she was living at Miss Qi's house now, so he could plan slowly.
Lin Ruixue naturally didn't know she was already being coveted. She was currently squatting in the privy with a frown.
She hadn't eaten much at noon, and now her stomach was cramping painfully, causing her to break out in a cold sweat.
After about half an hour of pain, her lower abdomen tightened, and something warm came out.
Lin Ruixue tremblingly wiped herself with straw paper. It was bright red. A large clump of red was in the privy bucket.
She had given birth to Huzhi and knew that bleeding during pregnancy was not good. Now, she wasn't just bleeding; the amount of blood was far greater than her usual menstrual flow. This was clearly a miscarriage.
She padded her underpants with a thick layer of straw paper and, enduring the pain in her lower abdomen, moved back to her room. She got a menstrual pad and, after dealing with it in the privy, went to Madam Yun's room. With a crestfallen expression, she told Madam Yun about the miscarriage.
Madam Yun was greatly alarmed. She touched Lin Ruixue's hand, which was frighteningly cold, and her complexion was also bad. She immediately believed her. She helped Lin Ruixue back to her room, told her to lie down, and sent Qi Zhenzhen to fetch Doctor Mo.
A miscarriage was more damaging to the body than a natural birth, so she couldn't be careless.
After her initial surprise, Qi Zhenzhen was filled with anger. She suspected that Li Shan had hurt her deeply, causing her to become depressed and damage her body. When she first became pregnant, she had fainted, and then this happened. How could she withstand it? The previous behavior was likely to reassure them.
"Mother, don't worry, I'll go and call Doctor Mo right away." Qi Zhenzhen hurried out of the house.