Madam He retreated a few steps, carefully looking over her own daughter.
Although He Zhiran was not wearing the coarse cloth and linen clothes she used to wear, she was also not wearing the previous silks and satins. If it were not for her still stunningly beautiful face, she could easily be ignored in a crowd.
Madam He shook her hands and stroked He Zhiran’s slightly rounder cheeks than before, forcing back her tears and saying:
"Your mother's Ranan has suffered."
Seeing this, He Zhiran hurried to comfort: "Mother, I'm fine, I didn't suffer at all."
Madam He simply did not believe this.
"There must be suffering on the road to exile, right?"
Speaking of the exile journey, He Zhiran really did not know how to explain.
She could only evade the subject.
"Mother, look, my family has built a new house now, and the neighbors on both sides are my sisters-in-law."
If it weren't for also building Mo Hanyue a similar quadrangle courtyard as a dowry, He Zhiran and Mo Jiuye’s yard would be in the farthest west position in a row.
Now there was another quadrangle courtyard sent to Mo Hanyue on the west side of their yard, with relatives on both sides as neighbors.
Madam He had already heard from He Yuanming that the Mo men were not dead, but she did not know the specifics.
When He Zhiran mentioned that the neighbors were her sisters-in-law, she asked with concern: "Is the Mo family situation still good now?"
For Madam He, every Mo man was tall and mighty, and had made great achievements for the Great Shun. She truly hoped that all the Mo men were alive and well.
He Zhiran could hear the subtext in her mother's words.
"Mother, not only are all eight elder brothers of the Mo family alive now, but even my father-in-law has been rescued by my husband and them. The Mo family now is reunited without losing a single person."
This answer was quite shocking to Madam He.
After all, the news that the Mo men had died in battle one after another was known all over the world at that time.
To say that a few had come back from the dead could already be called a miracle.
As a result, her daughter told her that all the Mo sons were alive, and even the old Duke was alive.
After a long while, Madam He finally nodded with both crying and laughing.
"Good, good, as long as everyone is alive and the family can be reunited, suffering a little is also good."
In Madam He’s heart, how good could life be in a place like this?
Her son-in-law and daughter said they were living well, probably just to reassure their parents!
Thinking of how sensible her daughter and son-in-law were, Madam He's heart ached again.
Seeing that Madam He was showing signs of tears welling up again, He Zhiran quickly changed the subject.
“Mother, let me show you our home in the northwest.”
Madam He wiped the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, trying hard to hold back the tears. She then reached out and took her daughter's arm.
"Mother will hold on to you."
Madam He had just been preoccupied with reuniting with her daughter after a long absence, and only now noticed that He Zhiran's belly looked rather large.
As someone who had gone through this before, the first thing she thought of was that her little grandson or granddaughter was too big.
When the baby is too big in the mother's womb, it can easily lead to a difficult birth for the expectant mother.
Thinking of this, Madam He instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
She gripped He Zhiran's hand tightly.
"Ranan, about how much longer until your due date?"
If there was enough time, she would send someone rushing back to the capital to invite the top obstetrician to come to the northwest, so that her daughter's life would have an extra layer of protection.
The fact that He Zhiran was pregnant with twins was only known to the Mo family, and had not been mentioned to outsiders.
When Mo Jiuye went to the capital, in order not to worry his father-in-law and mother-in-law too much, he did not mention this either.
Now her huge belly was right there, and it was impossible to conceal it even if she wanted to.
Especially when He Zhiran noticed that Madam He's expression had become a little off.
She must have seen that her pregnant belly was too big and was worried about the danger during childbirth.
"Mother, I'm carrying twins this time, probably due around July."
"What did you say? Twins..." Madam He's eyes widened, looking incredulous.
Since He Zhiran had chosen to say it, she had anticipated Madam He’s reaction upon hearing it.
She took Madam He’s hand and patted it a few times.
"Don't worry, Mother. Even though I’m carrying twins, I will definitely be able to give birth smoothly."
"How is that possible?" Madam He was so anxious that she blurted out what she was thinking.
As far as she knew, she had only heard of two pregnant women carrying twins, and both had died from dystocia in the end.
Her daughter was surely not going to avoid such a fate.
But she quickly realized she had said the wrong thing, and hastily covered her mouth, changing her words: “No, no, no, there’s enough time in a month. Mother will send someone rushing back to the capital right away.
No matter how much money it takes, we must invite the top obstetrician here.
As long as the top obstetrician is here, you and my grandson will not be in danger."
After saying this, Madam He didn’t wait for her daughter to react before hurriedly walking towards the gate.
She told Zhang San: “Zhang San, rush back to the capital immediately and have the Master use whatever means necessary to bring the top obstetrician here before early July."
Although Madam He was extremely flustered at the moment, she had not completely lost her senses.
While ordering Zhang San to rush back to the capital, she personally took some banknotes out of the luggage in the carriage and handed them to him.
"Don’t worry about money on the road, change horses when they get tired, you must arrive in the capital at the fastest possible speed."
Madam He was so anxious she was about to stretch out her hand and push Zhang San to leave faster.
Seeing this, He Zhiran hurriedly came over to stop her.
"Mother, don't worry, listen to me."
Right now Madam He’s mind was full of how to ensure her daughter’s survival, how could she listen to He Zhiran’s explanation?
She continued urging Zhang San: “Leave now, you can’t delay for a moment on the road.”
“Mother, listen to me, it’s really not as dangerous as you think.”
Seeing that Zhang San had started to unhitch the horses from the carriage, Madam He finally turned to look at He Zhiran again.
"As someone with experience, your mother knows better than you. Matters of life and death cannot be taken lightly."
As she spoke, Madam He cried again, grabbing He Zhiran's hand and choking with sobs:
"Your father and I only have you as a daughter. If something happens to you, how can we still live?"
The fact that they let their daughter marry into the exiled Mo family in the northwest already weighed heavily with guilt on their consciences. If their daughter were now to lose her life due to childbirth, she was afraid she would not be able to go on living.
"Mother, don't assume that just because I’m carrying twins that I haven’t made preparations."
The original host stayed inside the house all day when she was at home, and only liked to read those strange medical books.
So He Zhiran felt that her excuse was very convincing.
Seeing that Madam He was listening, He Zhiran went on.
“Have you forgotten, Mother? I read those medical books every day when I was at home. Don't look down on the books I read. There are methods for safely giving birth to twins in them."
