Good Ending: She Swears She Will Not Let Him Die!

Chapter 204: Chapter 203: Whispering

As soon as Du Yunru arrived, she attracted the attention of most people.

The Du Family, without question, with Mrs. Zhen eager to move a bed over for her eldest daughter to rest, continuously remarking on the hardship due to her round belly, making Du Yunru feel a bit embarrassed.

Even the madams and ladies attending the banquet showed great concern.

Gathered together, they talked mostly about which family’s daughter was engaged, or who had given birth to a chubby boy; now with a lively pregnant woman before them, they were all the more reluctant to miss the chance to inquire about her condition and observe her shape, chatting long enough to decide that it was mostly likely a baby boy she was carrying.

Du Yunluo sat beside them covering her mouth to stifle her laughter; she knew well that Du Yunru was carrying a daughter this time.

But since everyone was talking about a prince, as an unmarried girl, she couldn’t join in the fun.

Besides, Mrs. Zhen hoped for Du Yunru to give birth to a son soon; if she opened her mouth to contradict, Mrs. Zhen wouldn’t spare her.

The sun grew a bit harsh, so Mrs. Zhen suggested that Du Yunru retreat to Qinghui Garden for a break, allowing Du Yunluo to seize the opportunity to slip away with her.

The East Cross Courtyard, where Du Yunru lived before getting married, had remained vacant, with someone cleaning it daily; other than fewer furnishings, it was no different from before.

The two sisters sat on the bed talking as they used to.

"It seems Second Aunt is truly happy," Du Yunru said with a smile, "I have to say, she knows when to bend and when to stand firm."

Du Yunluo bit into a green bean cake, smiling, speaking indistinctly, "Of course she’s happy; if she were the least bit unhappy, Fourth Aunt would be the one smiling instead. Third Brother is to marry Jiang Si Niang, and given the Jiang Family’s position, who knows how much fuss Fourth Aunt will make then; if Second Aunt doesn’t savor her current glory, she’ll have to endure it later."

These two sisters-in-law had been comparing against each other for years, Du Yunru knew this well, and considering the Jiang Family’s voluntary proposal for marriage, she asked, "Has the wedding date been set?"

"Fourth Aunt wants to hold it in the fall."

Du Yunru, surprised, widened her eyes to scrutinize Du Yunluo, "By then, you surely won’t be married off; is Fourth Aunt not interested in Anhua Courtyard anymore?"

Liao Family cherished Anhua Courtyard, but if Du Yunlan were to have his wedding in the fall, certainly another courtyard would have to be chosen.

According to Old Mrs. Xia’s disposition, once a new house is selected, they’d settle down there for good, and definitely wouldn’t let Liao Family move Du Yunlan back after Anhua Courtyard is vacated.

Liao Family’s action is effectively giving up Anhua Courtyard.

Propping her chin, Du Yunluo said, "Perhaps she’s realized that even after waiting, Anhua Courtyard still won’t be hers."

Upon speaking, both fell silent.

Du Yunluo thought, maybe Liao Family truly thought so, just like her sister Aunt Liao; waiting for years, the role of legitimate wife wouldn’t land on her head, so what else can one do but come to terms?

The two sisters met rarely and didn’t want to speak of others’ affairs.

Du Yunru inquired about Du Yunluo: "How are things between you and the Princely Heir?"

Du Yunluo blinked.

The incident at the hunting ground wasn’t something Du Yunluo had mentioned to anyone; Mu Lianxiao sneaking over the wall to see her at night wasn’t something to be openly discussed, even if the two were engaged.

A single leak could stir up enough gossip to cause a stir.

Though thick-skinned, Du Yunluo still cared about her reputation; it was rare that both Madam Wu and Mrs. Zhou were satisfied with her, and she didn’t want to mess that up.

That night remained a secret shared only between her and Mu Lianxiao, a memory kept in her heart.

But the incidents at Guoning Temple could be mentioned, albeit briefly.

"It happened to be his birthday then, so I made him a knot," Du Yunluo said.

Du Yunru squinted at her; after years as sisters, how could she not understand Du Yunluo’s nature?

Though she lightly said, "I made him a knot," the matter surely wasn’t as simple as a mere transaction in a store.

Even if Du Yunluo wasn’t detailing it, Du Yunru could guess some of it; she laughed with her eyes bent, "You made him a knot? Did the Princely Heir compliment you?"

"What’s there to compliment about a knot?" Du Yunluo felt a tingling at her neck from her laughter, her mind filled with the memory of weaving jade for Mu Lianxiao, losing herself for a moment before returning to her senses, only to find Du Yunru in a fit of laughter.

Du Yunluo gave her a light glare, saying, "Big sister, when is brother-in-law returning to the capital? I heard from Fourth Brother that when he learned you were pregnant, he was so overjoyed he bumped into a pillar while walking, becoming the laughingstock of the entire academy."

Du Yunru’s face turned crimson instantly, knowing fully well that Du Yunluo had a thick skin.

Grabbing the pillow nearby, she threw it towards Du Yunluo’s face, her cheeks flushed, "Oh, dear! Back to making fun of me again!"

Du Yunluo couldn’t stop laughing, wanting to tease her big sister by tickling her like before, but the sight of her six-month belly stopped her, so she laid on the side table, laughing heartily.

Outside, Du Yunru’s two accompanying mammas exchanged glances.

One sighed, "Our madam only laughs this joyfully when she’s with Fifth Miss."

"Indeed, our madam’s temperament is genuinely good, except for that Second Miss from the Shao Family, who can’t sit still."

"Always putting on a show, never slipping in front of the master and madam, but turning sour on meeting our madam. Why would a sister-in-law compete with her sister-in-law?"

"It’s not a fight between sister-in-law and sister-in-law, clearly it’s over her spring flowers and autumn moon cousin."

"That cousin surely knows how to make moves, with Second Master far away at the academy, staying in the manor reciting poetry, looking at the stars and moon, who is she trying to impress? It’s laughably absurd."

The more enthusiastically the mammas gossiped, the more indiscreet they became, until a pair of embroidered shoes came into view, making them reluctantly look up.

It was Shui Yue.

Shui Yue gave them a faint smile, "What are you chatting about, mammas? Let me hear too."

Shui Yue came on Mrs. Zhen’s behalf to invite Du Yunru and Du Yunluo, as time was almost up, and the bride was to arrive; they needed to be in the joyful hall to watch the newlyweds perform the grand ceremony.

Unbeknownst, upon arrival, Shui Yue overheard the mammas gossiping about the Shao Family, thinking of Du Yunru with her large belly and the hassles coming from the Shao Family unsettled her.

The last time Mrs. Zhen visited Du Yunru, there was an inkling of something amiss, but since Du Yunru hadn’t spoken out, Mrs. Zhen assumed it was her overthinking. Besides, the young, slightly spoiled sister-in-law could at most utter nonsense sometimes, she never thought it was truly troubling.

Upon Shui Yue’s questioning, the two mammas explained everything in detail.

"Miss, it’s just Second Miss and the cousin... everyone else treats our madam exceptionally well, especially the madam, who regards her as a daughter."

Once Shui Yue understood, she hurried things along, raising her voice to call the Du Yunluo sisters out.

Du Yunluo helped Du Yunru over to the joyful hall.

As they just stepped in, bursts of firecrackers sounded from outside, signaling that the procession for fetching the bride from the Xia Family had returned to the manor gates.

The joyful hall grew even livelier.

Standing behind Mrs. Zhen, Du Yunluo waited for a while before seeing Du Yunlang leading with a red silk ribbon, with Xia Anxin, the bride concealed under a veil, entering.

Amidst a wave of congratulatory voices, Du Yunluo seemed somewhat distracted.