Young Madam Song had always been an easy-going person. As long as she trusted someone, she would do whatever they said.
She raised her sleeve and waved, dismissing the maids serving in the room.
Seizing the rare opportunity, Qi Huan didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Sister-in-law, why did you come up with this idea so quickly?"
"...Isn't this how things are supposed to be?"
"Of course not. Look at Grandfather and Uncle, they don't have concubines."
Young Madam Song hesitated, glancing at her and then around the room. Realizing there were no outsiders, she began to explain.
"You don't know, cousin, but Grandmother was married beneath her station, though her family has fallen on hard times now. Grandmother was a general's daughter, fierce as a tigress. When she was young, Grandfather was once dragged to a brothel by his colleagues. When he came home reeking of rouge and powder, Grandmother chased him around the manor with a knife for several laps."
"How could Grandfather dare to take a concubine?"
"Moreover, Grandmother had a noble status then and was doted on by her family. With their support, she had plenty of confidence."
"As for Father-in-law... his salary is meager."
"Second Brother also contracted tuberculosis. To save money for his treatment and care, Father-in-law became even more frugal..."
Inadvertently, Young Madam Song had spoken her true thoughts.
Realizing this, she quickly tried to remedy the situation: "I misspoke. Let me rephrase that. Father-in-law isn't frugal at all!"
"He's just... economical!"
"...So economical that he thinks keeping concubines wastes both money and food."
After she finished, Qi Huan asked curiously, "How do you know all this, Sister-in-law?"
Young Madam Song's face suddenly flushed: "My husband told me."
When she first married into the Song family, Song Jingcheng had told her about the personality and quirks of everyone in the household. He assured her not to worry, saying that the Song family members were all easy to get along with.
However, Song Jingcheng quickly corrected himself: perhaps he found his family easy to get along with because they were good to him.
He couldn't see things from Young Madam Song's perspective. If she experienced things differently from him and suffered any grievances, he encouraged her to tell him.
They were husband and wife, one flesh, and he would protect her.
He would try to analyze right and wrong from an objective standpoint and actively mediate.
Young Madam Song was the woman he had sincerely sought to marry. For his sake, she had come to a strange family. He would be her most solid support.
It was precisely because Song Jingcheng treated her so well that she wanted to be even better to him.
Even if it broke her heart, she would follow Nanny Xu's advice with grace and dignity, offering Shuyu to Song Jingcheng.
In truth, she didn't want to share her husband with anyone at all.
But Nanny Xu said that among the seven grounds for divorce, the fourth was jealousy.
Such was the custom of the times. If she went against the tide, she would only bring trouble upon herself.
Young Madam Song's heart was filled with bitterness and sourness. Perhaps due to her pregnancy, she found herself crying more easily...
Seeing her suddenly burst into tears, Qi Huan quickly offered her a handkerchief and gently rubbed her back.
"Sister-in-law, do you also not want Brother-in-law to take a concubine?"
Young Madam Song nodded while sobbing.
"Then why did you suddenly think of giving Shuyu a chance?"
"...It was Nanny who reminded me that rather than waiting for my husband to find someone himself, it would be better to proactively suggest Shuyu serve him... It would make me appear dignified and generous."
"Shuyu is Nanny's daughter. We all grew up drinking Nanny's milk together. If not sisters, we're as good as sisters. Compared to others, Shuyu is one of our own, more trustworthy and reliable..."
From her disjointed narrative, Qi Huan, drawing on her intuition honed by reading three hundred novels, keenly deduced that Shuyu and Nanny Xu harbored ill intentions.
Only her sister-in-law, raised to be naive and innocent, would believe them.
Putting herself in Young Madam Song's shoes, Qi Huan could understand why she felt this way.
Her sister-in-law had spent nearly twenty years in close companionship with the mother and daughter, from morning till night.
However, sentiment was no match for reality.
Human greed knows no bounds.
Qi Huan explained her analysis to Young Madam Song.
But Young Madam Song was reluctant to believe it.
She was the eldest daughter who had lost her mother. Her stepmother treated her indifferently. Although she never lacked food or clothing, she received little guidance.
When she fell ill, it was Nanny Xu who stayed up all night to take care of her. When she was bored, it was Shuyu who risked punishment to secretly buy her storybooks.
...
Her childhood, her girlhood, her married life, the first half of her life – all were closely intertwined with them.
She had treated them well. They didn't lack food or drink. The Song family wasn't particularly wealthy. What could they be after?
Qi Huan suggested, "Perhaps they're after love."
"Brother-in-law is handsome and gentle as jade, and he cares for you deeply. As someone close to you, Shuyu sees this most clearly."
"Just now, I noticed Shuyu's cheeks were flushed, and her eyes seemed to hold a pool of spring water. I guess she has already agreed to be Brother-in-law's concubine."
Young Madam Song nodded, "Shuyu has always listened to me."
"Since she's so obedient, why don't you test her, Sister-in-law? Tell her you can't bear to let her become a concubine and want to find someone else to serve Brother-in-law. See how she reacts."
"Also, why don't you ask Brother-in-law directly if he needs a concubine?"
As she spoke, Qi Huan thought to herself:
If Song Jingcheng truly couldn't endure loneliness and slept with another woman while his wife was pregnant, her impression of this brother-in-law would plummet.
She understood the limitations of the era.
But she found it hard to accept the practice of taking a concubine while one's wife was pregnant.
Leaving the topic there, Qi Huan changed the subject to educate Young Madam Song about the benefits and dosage of folic acid.
Actually, it's quite inappropriate to give food to pregnant women.
Even if it's done with good intentions.
But she had heard from the maids that the Song family had previously lost two children, with one being deformed and another similar to what we now know as Down syndrome.
Qi Huan gazed tenderly at Young Madam Song's belly, hoping that every little life could come into this world healthy.
Moreover, everyone in the Song family had been very kind to her.
How could she not repay their kindness in times of need?
But kindness must be premised on self-preservation. She didn't want to leave any hidden dangers, so she opened the small porcelain bottle containing folic acid.
She casually selected one and swallowed it.
"Sister-in-law, anything you consume must be verified by others first. This bottle of medicine is beneficial for pregnant women. After having a doctor check it, remember to take it daily."
Meanwhile, the system, fond of surfing the internet, immediately started searching:
"Mitchell extracted folic acid from spinach. Through the joint efforts of scientists, a supplement for folic acid was developed."
"It's used before pregnancy and during the first three months of pregnancy as a preventive treatment to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in the fetus."
.......
Qi Huan quickly grasped the key point from the flood of information—spinach can also supplement folic acid.
Unfortunately, there was no spinach in the Capital City at this time.
She began to plan.
Once the greenhouse on the farm was built, she would search for spinach seeds to plant.
When the spinach matured, she would sell it to pregnant women at a low price.
To minimize the occurrence of fetal deformities as much as possible.
May every baby come into this world healthy.
At this moment, the system's prompt interrupted her thoughts: "Good deed +1, Points +1."
"Only one point for giving folic acid to a pregnant woman?"
"Host misunderstands. For every folic acid tablet a pregnant woman takes, the host gains one point."
"Then why did you suddenly give me points?"
As soon as Qi Huan asked, she noticed that Young Madam Song had already swallowed a folic acid tablet.
Seeing her look over, Young Madam Song's eyes immediately curved into crescents, her gaze full of trust: "If it's good for the baby, of course I should take it as soon as possible!"
Her cousin wouldn't harm her, especially since she had already tried the medicine herself.
Seeing her innocent expression, Qi Huan couldn't help but sigh inwardly. No wonder Nanny Xu and her daughter had developed ulterior motives.
Although Sister-in-law had a clever face and usually conducted herself properly, her thoughts were actually quite simple.
Very easy to deceive.
