CHAPTER 442: CHAPTER 410: CLEARLY, I CARE

The two of them sat down in the main room, and Lin Xiaoyue couldn’t wait to unwrap the silk package. When she saw the exquisitely crafted little clothes and tiger head shoes inside, she immediately felt reluctant to put them down. "Oh my, your hands are so skillful!"

Wen Wan said, "I learned it all at Hongwen Academy. Back in my hometown, no one taught me, and I had no understanding of embroidery, let alone different stitching patterns. The things I made were only suitable for country folks to wear and weren’t presentable."

Hearing this, Lin Xiaoyue suddenly stared at Wen Wan without blinking.

Wen Wan felt uneasy under her gaze and touched her own face. "Do I have something dirty on my face?"

"Yes." Lin Xiaoyue nodded.

Wen Wan quickly stood up to look for a mirror.

Lin Xiaoyue pulled her back to sit down. "I haven’t finished talking yet, why are you in such a hurry?"

Realizing that she was being teased by Lin Xiaoyue, Wen Wan looked at her helplessly. "What trick are you up to again?"

Lin Xiaoyue put the little cotton-padded coat and tiger head shoes aside and took Wen Wan’s hand. "What should I do? I find myself getting jealous every time I see you now."

Wen Wan laughed and asked, "Jealous that my second pregnancy is with a big, chubby boy?"

Lin Xiaoyue spat, "Don’t talk nonsense. Wen Wan, be honest with me, did you feel any regret when you left Hongwen Academy midway?"

"Of course there’s some regret, but I think it was worth it." Wen Wan thought of her mischievous yet adorable son at home and felt content.

Lin Xiaoyue released her, turned her head, and fiddled with the little cotton-padded coat Wen Wan made. "You may learn things slowly, but slow work makes fine work. I think if you had continued studying for three years, you would have become very skilled."

"I feel that I’ve learned enough," Wen Wan said. "The female students entering Hongwen Academy either want to learn more things to marry a good husband or are already married, like us, to make up for some basic things. To put it bluntly, to groom ourselves properly, so when we interact with the circle in the future, we won’t be so embarrassed. As for rules and etiquette, the teacher taught almost everything in the first year; the remaining two years focused on skills. Although having many skills isn’t burdensome, I feel it doesn’t make much difference whether I learn them or not since I rarely use them."

"Makes sense!" Lin Xiaoyue agreed wholeheartedly. "I can’t be the only one miserable, with you leaving halfway with me, I feel much more balanced."

Wen Wan: "... So I wasted all that breath just for you to be waiting here for me?"

"What else could I do? Persuade you to go back? Or sympathize by hugging each other and crying?"

Wen Wan: "Whatever I say, you have a response ready."

The two of them were sitting close, and Wen Wan noticed the thick layer of makeup on Lin Xiaoyue’s face. She frowned, "You’ve already had a child, and you still haven’t learned your lesson? When you’re not going out, try not to use these things if you can. Your natural look is fine!"

Wen Wan urged Lin Xiaoyue to wash her face as she spoke.

Lin Xiaoyue refused, "You don’t need to persuade me. Don’t I know myself? It’s boring to stay at home all day, so I have to fuss over this face."

Wen Wan felt that Lin Xiaoyue’s words carried a hint of evasion, "If you don’t wash, I’ll personally take care of it!"

"Alright, alright, I’ll wash, okay?"

Unable to refuse anymore, Lin Xiaoyue asked Jin Zhi to bring hot water and washed off all the makeup on her face.

When she returned with a dried face, Wen Wan noticed her dark circles were heavy, revealing a sense of long-term exhaustion.

Wen Wan was shocked, "What happened to you?"

Seeing Lin Xiaoyue pursing her lips, Wen Wan turned to Jin Zhi, "Is your Granny Qi ill, or did something happen?"

Jin Zhi glanced nervously at Lin Xiaoyue, seeing her lost in thought, and stammered softly, "Granny Qi has been having nightmares and sleeping poorly at night, and she worries excessively when awake. The household doctor dares not prescribe medicine, only recommends burning some calming incense at night, but it doesn’t seem to help much."

Wen Wan grasped the key point, "What kind of dreams are you having?"

Lin Xiaoyue turned her face away, silent for a while before resting her head on Wen Wan’s shoulder and whispering, "I shouldn’t have gone to Fahua Temple or impulsively asked for a fortune slip."

"Why involve fortune slips again?" Wen Wan asked. "Didn’t you say at Fahua Temple that you didn’t believe in it?"

"I don’t believe it, but I’ve been having nightmares about him being killed on the battlefield. Doesn’t that match the fortune slip?"

Wen Wan was speechless, "The fortune slip also implied that you wouldn’t carry this pregnancy to term, but isn’t everything fine now? Listen to me, don’t speculate on frontline matters unless there’s accurate news. Just focus on keeping this child safe; once the fortune slip proves false, it means Mr. Qi is safe over there, understand?"

"Really?" Lin Xiaoyue’s previously dim eyes suddenly lit up.

Wen Wan truly felt her situation was perilous, "As things stand, it’s unlikely you’ll keep the child if this continues. So consider what to do."

Lin Xiaoyue instinctively touched her abdomen, "I’ll try."

She could control her daytime emotions but not the nightmares at night. Each time she woke up from a nightmare, her abdomen would feel uncomfortable, yet the household doctor saw no issues.

Wen Wan turned to Jin Zhi, "In the future, talk to your kitchen to prepare meals conducive to pregnant women’s sleep, and avoid burning that calming incense if possible. Smelling it for long periods isn’t beneficial."

"When the weather is nice, take her out for walks to get fresh air. Staying indoors all day isn’t good; when idle, the mind wanders, and if something really happens, none of you can bear the responsibility."

"I’ve noted it down," Jin Zhi had an inexplicable fondness for this Miss Song.

Instinctively, as long as she was around, nothing seemed insurmountable.

Shifting her focus back to Lin Xiaoyue, Wen Wan advised her, "Instead of overthinking all day, why not find some books and read them to the little one in your belly? Haven’t you always wanted to surpass me? Start your son’s education in the womb for a head start over others. Even if I have a second child, could I catch up to you?"

Lin Xiaoyue laughed out loud at her straightforward arrangement.

Wen Wan was about to blow her top, "How dare you laugh?"

Lin Xiaoyue looked innocent, "If I can’t laugh, do you want me to cry?"

Wen Wan rolled her eyes, "Don’t be cheeky. What I’ve told you, don’t let it go in one ear and out the other, understand? Otherwise, if the child is lost, how will you explain to your husband when he returns?"

Lin Xiaoyue nodded, saying she understood. After playing around for a while, she sobered up, "Wen Wan, can I ask you a question? Answer me honestly, okay?"

"What question?"

"Do you have any reservations towards Mr. Song?"

Wen Wan didn’t understand what she meant, her eyes showing a hint of confusion.

Lin Xiaoyue elaborated, "For example, if you knew he would have multiple wives in the future, would you still fully entrust your feelings to him?"

Wen Wan thought to herself that given her extraordinary abilities, no woman could easily approach Song Wei.

Multiple wives? Not possible.

However, since Lin Xiaoyue asked like this, it meant she was facing such an issue.

"Is Mr. Qi planning to take a concubine?"

"Not for now." Lin Xiaoyue propped her chin with one hand, looking a little upset, "I just feel there’s something missing in our relationship."

She looked at Wen Wan, "When the Champion Scholar Mansion incident happened, I stayed at your house for a while and noticed your interaction with Mr. Song was very special."

"Special?" It was the first time Wen Wan learned their ordinary lifestyle was seen as "special" by others.

Perhaps due to her limited experience, she didn’t understand how other couples interacted.

"I can’t describe it," Lin Xiaoyue recalled the scene she saw back then, "It just felt like you two were the most ordinary yet memorable couple I’ve ever seen. I’m really curious how you make it work so well."

"Can you be honest and tell me what’s troubling you?" Wen Wan interrupted Lin Xiaoyue’s prepared speech.

"...," Lin Xiaoyue paused, her carefully prepared speech interrupted.

"Is it that you and Su Dada have a disagreement, and he wants to take a concubine?"

Other than that, Wen Wan couldn’t think of any other situation.

"No," Lin Xiaoyue said after a while, resting her cheek on one hand, looking somewhat glum, "I just can’t manage my relationship with him well. It always feels like something’s missing between us."

She looked at Wen Wan as she spoke, "Back when the Champion Scholar Mansion had that incident, I stayed at your place for a while. I noticed how you and Mr. Song interacted, and you two were the most ordinary yet unforgettable couple I’ve ever seen. I really want to know, can’t you just be honest and tell me what’s going on with you?"

"..." Lin Xiaoyue’s words were suddenly cut off.

"Is it that you and Su Dada had a disagreement and he wants to take a concubine, right?"

Apart from that, Wen Wan couldn’t guess any other situation.

"No," Lin Xiaoyue hesitated, "It’s just that I have trouble handling my relationship with him, and I feel like there’s something missing between us."

Despite caring deeply inside.