Chapter 2: Chapter 2: Adding Insult to Injury
Old Mrs. Qin pointed at Mrs. Xie and said, "It's the second son's family; take Aunt Pan and the rest to settle the children first. Mrs. Wang and Lady Mei will stay and attend in the delivery room. Once they are settled, come over and help."
"Yes, Mother."
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Qin Liuxi instructed Chen Pi to lead the way to settle people, while she and Qi Huang moved Mrs. Gu to the prepared delivery room; now she felt a headache coming on.
Usually, she preferred tranquility and did not like to go out, so the ancestral home did not have many servants arranged, with only the siblings Qi and Huang accompanying her, and Uncle Li's family of four taking care of the house. Aunt Li, with her daughter Xiao Xue, took care of the kitchen and miscellaneous matters, while Uncle Li and a boy called Li Cheng did everything from house managing to gatekeeping.
With few masters in the ancestral home, and Qin Liuxi herself not fond of disturbances, this small number of people had been sufficient. But now, with the sudden influx of people, things seemed inadequate.
They hurriedly placed Mrs. Gu onto the temporarily prepared birthing bed, and Qin Liuxi gave her a look, feeling a chill in her heart.
In just a short while, the black aura on her Third Aunt's face had intensified; it didn't bode well for passing this ordeal.
She looked at her greatly swollen abdomen, touching her wrist; it was twins.
A disaster piled atop another.
Qin Liuxi took off the jade pendant hanging at her waist and tied it on Mrs. Gu's clothing, then glanced at Qi Huang, who had come and gone. Without a word, Qi Huang stepped out again.
Old Mrs. Qin and the others were taken aback at this action and looked towards Qin Liuxi.
With an unchanged expression, Qin Liuxi said, "This is the Jade Ruyi, consecrated and blessed to ensure the Third Aunt's safe delivery."
Old Mrs. Qin's expression softened slightly, and her eyes held a trace of hope.
The woman who first held Mrs. Gu, who was Qin Liuxi's legitimate mother Mrs. Wang, said, "Xixi is thoughtful, your Third Aunt will surely have a safe delivery for mother and child."
Though she said this, the sight of the frail person on the bed and the thought of the recent upheaval in the family deepened the worry in the eyes of Mrs. Wang and others.
When Qi Huang, carrying a small box, returned to the chamber, she saw everyone's distressed faces and tiptoed to Qin Liuxi's side, staying quietly by her.
Because of Qin Liuxi, she wasn't particularly fond of the Qin family. The arrival of the Qin family was so abrupt and pitiable, and seeing the young woman in front of her who was clearly having a premature labor, despite her dislike, she wouldn't add to their troubles.
"Has the midwife not arrived yet?" Old Mrs. Qin was getting anxious, repeatedly glancing towards the door.
Qin Liuxi's voice was cold, "It's raining outside, the roads are not easy to navigate, and we had to summon her on short notice; she might not be home. It's likely there will be a delay."
Old Mrs. Qin's lips tightened even more.
As they were speaking, a few people came from outside—it was the Qin family's Second Madam, Mrs. Xie, and two concubines, one of whom was Qin Liuxi's birth mother, Mrs. Wan.
Upon entering the room, Aunt Wan's gaze first fell on Qin Liuxi.
Qin Liuxi looked back; mother and daughter's eyes met.
Aunt Wan observed closely, her brows knit a little with dissatisfaction and puzzlement.
This daughter of hers was a chubby baby when born; how had she grown up to be so plain? If not for her long hair, she might be mistaken for a nun.
Qin Liuxi inwardly sighed. Her birth mother must be over thirty by now and had two children, yet her face was soft and fair. Even without makeup, she didn't lose a bit of beauty, looking as pure and desiring as a young girl, with her simple attire highlighting her figure—a chest was a chest, a waist a waist—so piteous and lovely. Truly a stunning concubine, and a favored one at that.
It seemed she had not suffered in the Qin household, not at all; in fact, she lived very well, so well she seemed to forget she had a daughter.
Qin Liuxi slightly bent her knee in greeting, "Concubine Mother."
Aunt Wan opened her mouth, "You've grown up a bit ugly, not like me or your brother."