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Liu Zhoucheng effortlessly lifted Little Qiyue and stood up, saying, “Miss Tan, Sister Wan Chunmei, please continue with your work. I’ll take Little Qiyue for a little walk around the estate.”
At that moment, the embroiderers in the room all glanced over at them. Wan Chunmei and Tan Xiaomei, unable to slack off any longer, agreed to let Liu Zhoucheng take Little Qiyue away.
Once they left, the embroiderers began to gossip about the Cao County Magistrate’s household.
Wan Chunmei pretended to focus on her work but was actually listening intently.
The gossip revealed that the late wife of the Cao County Magistrate, Madam Zhuang, had been married to him at a young age, and the two of them had endured many hardships together before finally establishing a solid foundation.
While the County Magistrate was known to be a bit stingy, he was a hardworking man who had participated in several imperial examinations and had only recently secured his official position after years of struggle.
Unfortunately, Madam Zhuang had a tragic fate. She had given birth to only daughters, and after having five girls, the County Magistrate could no longer endure it and took several concubines, hoping to produce a male heir. Eventually, one of his concubines gave birth to another daughter.
Madam Zhuang became pregnant once more, and it was a miracle. Prior to this, she had been gravely ill, and the doctors had predicted she wouldn’t survive for more than a month. But unexpectedly, her condition improved when she found out she was pregnant.
Wan Chunmei, intrigued by the conversation, couldn’t help but ask, “What happened to that child?”
One of the embroiderers replied, “They say the child died shortly after birth. It was considered an unlucky birth.”
Wan Chunmei frowned in disagreement. “No child is a bad omen by nature. It’s the parents who bring them into the world.”
The embroiderer, bowing slightly, spoke in a hushed voice, “You may not know, but the County Magistrate’s wife died shortly after giving birth to that child. Even the County Magistrate’s concubine had a miscarriage because of this child.”
Wan Chunmei wasn’t convinced. “That’s nonsense. I believe the County Magistrate’s wife lived a few extra months because of the child’s blessing, or else she would have passed away much sooner. As for the concubine, whether she was even pregnant is another matter.”
Though Wan Chunmei had never witnessed the inner workings of the estate firsthand, she had heard enough from stories and gossip. The competition among concubines for favor was hardly a rare tale.
The other embroiderers nodded in agreement, finding the story quite plausible.
At that moment, Miao Shi’s mother, Zhang, entered with a plate of pastries. She handed them to Wan Chunmei and Tan Xiaomei and said, “Chunmei, I brought these from the kitchen, just for you and your sister.”
Wan Chunmei, surprised by the gesture, quickly asked, “Aunt Zhang, are we allowed to eat this?”
Aunt Zhang smiled reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Chunmei. These were sent by Liu Zhoucheng himself. County Magistrate Cao won’t mind.”
With that, Wan Chunmei took the pastries and handed them to Tan Xiaomei, who then distributed them among the embroiderers. Everyone thanked them profusely.
Aunt Zhang glanced outside, leaned in, and whispered, “Are you talking about the late Madam?”
Wan Chunmei nodded. “Yes, we are.”
Aunt Zhang glanced outside again and then sat down, lowering her voice. “Actually, you’re right, Chunmei. The people here say that the child who died was an unlucky one, but I believe it was a blessed child.”
Tan Xiaomei, intrigued, asked, “Aunt Zhang, how do you know this?”
Aunt Zhang took a deep breath and replied, “I heard from a little maid who served Madam. She said that when Madam first learned she was pregnant, she went to a temple to make offerings. On her way back, she encountered a monk. The monk told her that this pregnancy wasn’t an ordinary one—it was the reincarnation of a celestial being undergoing tribulation.”
“A celestial being?” Wan Chunmei scoffed, “That sounds like nonsense. There are no such things as celestial beings in this world.”
Tan Xiaomei, however, wasn’t so skeptical. She believed in such things and asked eagerly, “Aunt Zhang, what else did the monk say?”
Aunt Zhang thought for a moment before responding, “The monk said that this celestial being wasn’t just any ordinary one. She was in charge of fate. Whoever treated her well would receive good fortune, while those who treated her poorly would face misfortune. He warned Madam to treat the child well, for it would protect her from harm throughout her life.”