Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Yuan Xuan was boiling soup for Mu Chenyan in the kitchen when he heard his son yelling for him, but the boy did not call him “Big Xuan’zi” this time and sounded rather afraid. Yuan Xuan ran to the hall and gathered him into his arms. He asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Dad, mom just told me that my little sister is in her belly because mom ate her!”
Yan Muyu turned around and peered at Mu Chenyan fearfully.
Mu Chenyan placed her hand on her forehead, her expression darkening.
The little boy really made her sound like the witch from Hansel and Gretel.
Yuan Xuan was momentarily baffled. The handsome man glanced at Mu Chenyan. He said in a deep voice, “What do you mean? What little sister?”
Mu Chenyan rolled her eyes at him. She was so embarrassed that she decided to ignore her son and his father. She merely rose and went to the bedroom.
Yuan Xuan remained glued to the spot. The scholar pondered for several minutes before connecting the dots finally. He was so emotional that his hands trembled when he lifted his son up high to spin him around happily. “You’re going to have a little sister! My little princess is here!”
That would explain why the woman’s appetite had increased during this period of time. She was also more bashful when her husband requested to make love at night. This was the reason.
Yan Muyu was mature for his age, but he was still a child after all. His parents’ current behavior frightened him so much that he nearly cried.
Yuan Xuan regained his composure right away and consoled his son. He used a popular scientific analogy to explain the origins of children to his son.
“Dad, are you saying that you took a tadpole and placed it in mom’s belly? Is it really going to grow up and become a child?”
Yan Muyu looked at himself. He simply could not believe that he used to be a “tadpole”.
“Yes, you could say that!”
“So my parents are frogs…”
Hmm, that…
“How did you put it inside?” Yan Muyu asked another question. Yuan Xuan’s entire body stiffened as he was caught unprepared by the question.
“Umm, I used a syringe to inject it…”
“Did it hurt as much as getting a flu shot?”
Yan Muyu pensively asked. His little face was flushed, and he looked rather scared.
“No, it didn’t hurt. Little Yan, did you cry during your injection?”
“But mom cried when you inserted that thing inside her…” Yan Muyu said cautiously.
Yuan Xuan instantly thought that this little boy had a bright future ahead of him. He just made a dirty joke without batting an eyelid…
*
The Old Mistress was extremely fond of Yan Muyu when he returned. However, she was still a little unhappy about the fact that this child’s last name was Yan.
Her heart was filled with joy when she heard that Mu Chenyan was pregnant again. This baby’s last name would be Yuan regardless whether it was a boy or a girl.
The Old Mistress felt rather remorseful when she recalled her treatment of Mu Chenyan all these years. She also noticed how her grandson had suffered during the years Mu Chenyan was gone.
Now that Mu Chenyan had returned, Yuan Xuan had also regained his former vigor.
The Old Mistress’ grandson had suffered for half of his life. It looked like he treasured this young woman because she was the only person who could make him happy. As his grandmother, her remorse would probably follow her to her grave if she did not come to her senses.
The Old Mistress instructed someone to call Mu Chenyan over. She was going to give her a jade Buddha pendant from her own jewelry box.
“When your grandfather was fighting the bandits that year, he had raided the leader’s lair and seized this item from them. It’s rumored that it belonged to the emperor during the ancient times. Your grandfather’s superiors rewarded him with this jade pendant for his military accomplishments.”
Mu Chenyan looked at that piece of beautiful jade. It was pure and gave off a mysterious glimmer that reminded her of the ancient times. She had seen numerous treasures in the Mu household, but there were only a few with colors and appearances that could rival this jade.
This was definitely an excellent item. She glanced at it a few more times . Doubts stirred in her mind as she thought, ‘Is she going to give it to me?’
Mu Chenyan’s expression did not betray her thoughts. Unlike the other people in the Yuan Family Mansion who worshiped this elderly woman, Mu Chenyan was always indifferent toward her. Nonetheless, she did not resent the old woman.
“Many years have passed since you’ve become a part of the Yuan Family, but I never gave you a decent present. This jade Buddha pendant has been with me for several decades, but I’m giving it to you today. Please consider this as an apology…”
The Old Mistress was on the verge of tears when she said this. She placed the fine piece of jade on Mu Chenyan’s palm.
Mu Chenyan was so stunned by the Old Mistress’ words that her entire body trembled. The slight coolness from the jade Buddha in her palm jerked Mu Chenyan out of her reverie.
A lump formed in her throat. She realized that Yuan Xuan had never told the Old Mistress the truth about Yuan Tangbai’s sacrifice.
Mu Chenyan was filled with uneasiness when she realized that the Old Mistress was apologizing to her without knowing about her true identity.
“Grandmother, why are you giving this away when grandfather gave it to you?”
She tried to decline, but the Old Mistress pressed her palm closed. She murmured, “Men wear the Guanyin while women wear the Buddha. If you keep this close to you, it’ll ensure that your life is peaceful. The Yuan Family cannot endure any trouble anymore. You’ve returned and given the Yuan Family two great-grandchildren. Please don’t hold any grudges against me for the things that I did in the past…”
The Old Mistress took a deep breath as she said that. She sighed, “I’m old, but it’ll be fine for me to die now that I’ve seen Yuan Xuan prosper!”
Mu Chenyan choked back sobs. “Grandmother, please don’t say that…”
…
Mu Chenyan was in low spirits when she returned from Upper Mansion.
Yuan Xuan did not know about the touching moment that happened between those two women. He had merely assumed that Mu Chenyan was in a bad mood because she was bored at home. He suggested taking her shopping so that they could buy some things for their baby.
Mu Chenyan was depressed when she was pregnant with Yan Muyu and did not care about preparing the items for his daily needs.
Wu Meiyun single-handedly made the arrangements for those items after the child was born. Everything from his swaddling clothes to the other items was obviously the best from Capital City. Unfortunately, the child’s mother was not the one who personally prepared those things for him. Mu Chenyan felt that she did not deserve Yan Muyu whenever she recalled this.
When she had this baby, Mu Chenyan decided that she would make up properly for her previous shortcomings.
Yuan Xuan’s suggestion excited her.
Both of them got into his car and went to the shopping mall.
*
Inside the baby products store…
Mu Chenyan was in an awkward predicament again. The saleswoman wanted to know the sex of her baby so that they could decide on a color scheme, but Mu Chenyan had no idea.
“Just recommend us the items for a girl!”
Yuan Xuan made the decision on her behalf. It seemed like he had already decided that he wanted a son and a daughter as soon as possible.
Mu Chenyan did not argue with him. She merely smiled and allowed him to do as he pleased. This man did not hold back when he pampered his son and wife now. He would be incredibly happy if she really gave birth to a girl.
When the saleswoman noticed Yuan Xuan’s dignified manner that made him stand out from the crowd, and the scene of him settling the bill flashed in her mind. He would definitely be an excellent customer who would spend his money extravagantly. The commission that she would earn this afternoon would probably be more than a month’s salary.
The saleswoman became more enthusiastic when she realized this. She spared no effort when she recommended the items to them. Mu Chenyan’s shopping cart was filled to the brim with products for the baby in no time.
The salesperson’s eyes lit up brightly when Yuan Xuan passed her a black card once they had finished shopping.
Mu Chenyan trailed behind them. Many people were lining up to pay, but the cashier gave Yuan Xuan special treatment because he was a priority customer with a black card. A staff member came over and opened another counter just for him so that he could pay.
At this moment, a pregnant woman walked over while pushing her shopping cart. She lined up behind Mu Chenyan.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. This counter was only opened for the customer in front of you and his wife. Please pay at the other counter.” The salesperson politely stopped the pregnant woman.
“Oh? Could you make an exception for me? There are a lot of people there and my legs are already swollen. It’s going to take a long time to line up…” The woman’s voice was soft and gentle. It also sounded strangely familiar.
Mu Chenyan turned and glanced in the direction of the voice. She quietly exclaimed, “Wen Ya!”
The woman was also shocked. Her complexion was pale when she saw Mu Chenyan. Her lips trembled as she said, “Mu Chenyan, you… You’re back?”
