Chapter 58: Nighttime

It was getting close to dinner time, and the workers were finishing up for the day.

Some of them who saw Lu Songnian came over to greet him.

However, these workers weren’t under Lu Songnian’s management. The project was mainly handled by Wen Ruyu, Zhao Shu, the steward Lu Cheng, and Lu Bainian—the only one in the family who wasn’t pursuing studies.

Lu Songnian, being a scholar and a “juren” (provincial-level examinee), was someone the workers were intimidated by. So after a brief greeting and paying their respects, they kept their distance.

Lu Songnian simply nodded and continued strolling around with his son.

But little Lu Qing had short legs and got tired quickly. So Lu Songnian eventually picked him up and headed back.

That evening, the family dined together. Wen Ruyu listened as her daughter-in-law talked about the preparations for Lu Ke’s upcoming wedding.

As for the betrothal gifts, those could be left to Concubine Qian to handle. But the intricacies of the wedding ceremony—those weren’t things Concubine Qian, who had never run the household, could manage. So Wen Ruyu assigned them to her daughter-in-law instead.

Nowadays, Wen Ruyu only reviewed the household’s ledgers to make sure there were no major issues. Her main focus was managing the family businesses.

“Have the invitations been sent to the Xu family yet?” Wen Ruyu asked, just to be sure.

“They were sent long ago, don’t worry, everything’s been arranged,” replied the daughter-in-law.

The Lu and Lin families were about to be joined through marriage. Even if the Lu family didn’t yet have anyone holding official office, the Xu family would still come out of respect for the Lin family.

After all, they lived in the same alley. Not attending the wedding would be unseemly.

Wen Ruyu thought that perhaps she would get to see Qin Fu at the wedding.

Even if not, she could at least chat about her with the matriarch of the Xu family.

After dinner, Wen Ruyu kept the women of the household for conversation.

The men went about their usual routines. Because of the upcoming wedding, Lu Ke had stopped going to the study in the evenings and rarely went out with friends.

As he walked out of the old lady’s courtyard, heading back to his own room, he heard someone calling his name.

The voice was familiar.

He turned and was startled by a figure lurking in the shadows.

The sun had just set. The lamps in the house were lit, but it was still light enough to see. Lu Ke hadn’t yet lit his own lamp.

There was a pale line of white on the edge of the mountains, as dusk gave way to night.

When Lu Ke looked more closely, he realized it was Fen’er.

Glancing around and seeing no one nearby, he forced down a surge of anger and said, “What are you doing here this late? Didn’t we agree to avoid each other for a while?”

Fen’er bit her lip, her voice on the verge of tears. “Third Master, I have something important to tell you.”

Lu Ke frowned, a sense of foreboding rising in his chest. “What is it?”

Sniffling, Fen’er said, “Third Master, I… I’m pregnant.”

Lu Ke’s ears buzzed. The stone path beneath his feet suddenly felt like soft cotton.

The night deepened. The two stood in a shadowy spot. The silence between them made the atmosphere feel even stranger.

He was still stunned when a couple of women passed by, joking and laughing. That snapped him back to reality.

“This isn’t the place to talk. Go wait by the lake where the expansion is happening. I’ll meet you there shortly.”

Fen’er understood. If anyone saw her with Lu Ke, the matriarch would be furious.

She didn’t even want to imagine what her fate would be if the old lady found out she was carrying Lu Ke’s child.

The matriarch was kind-hearted, but Fen’er didn’t dare to gamble.

She’d worked hard to establish a physical relationship with Lu Ke. Now that things had gone this far, she couldn’t let it all go to waste.

Having been with a man like Lu Ke, how could she ever look at the rough country lads again?

Call her calculating or greedy—she didn’t care.

She had set her sights on Lu Ke and didn’t plan to leave him for the rest of her life.

Before anyone could arrive, Fen’er quickly slipped away.

Lu Ke, after calming himself, clasped his hands behind his back and walked forward.

He passed two older women carrying lanterns, chatting and laughing.

Seeing Lu Ke, they quieted immediately and greeted him respectfully. “Third Master.”

He nodded and walked past them.

Before returning to his room, he even stopped by Concubine Qian’s.

She’d caught a cold due to the changing seasons. Though she was better, she was still resting.

After chatting for a bit, Lu Ke asked for some books to be brought to his study.

Concubine Qian asked, “What do you need the books for?”

Lu Ke answered calmly, “Going to the study, of course.”

“But your wedding is so soon. Weren’t you planning to take a break from studying?”

“I don’t want to fall too far behind. Besides, the closer the wedding gets, the less I can sleep. Might as well read.”

She assumed he was just nervous about the upcoming marriage and didn’t insist.

“Have someone bring you a lamp.”

Lu Ke shook his head. “It’s only a few steps, not worth the trouble. I’ll take a lantern myself.”

He took a lantern from a maid and the books from a servant, then headed toward the study.

Concubine Qian worried slightly, but figured he was safe enough at home.

Meanwhile, Lu Ke slipped past people to reach the lake.

Fen’er was already there, looking helpless, waiting for his opinion—though she probably knew it wouldn’t change the outcome.

She wasn’t the only one feeling lost. Lu Ke was also filled with uncertainty.

He had imagined getting married and having children. Watching his older brother’s happy family made him long for it too.

To Lu Ke, the child in Fen’er’s womb wasn’t the problem. It was that the child was in the wrong womb.

“Third Master… what should we do?”

Lu Ke asked, still in disbelief, “Are you sure you’re pregnant? When did this happen?”

“Around three or four months ago, when you went to the capital for the exams.”

Lu Ke was shocked. He held the lantern toward her stomach. “You mean… it’s been four months?”

Fen’er nodded and wiped her tears.

“My period has always been irregular—sometimes every two months. I thought I was just overheated in summer and didn’t eat much. But after missing it for two months straight, I started to worry. Just the other day, I noticed my stomach getting bigger.”

“Did you see a doctor?”

“How could I dare?” she choked. “If my mother found out, she’d kill me. There are too many eyes in the courtyard. If someone told the matriarch… I’d be done for.”

Lu Ke stared at her belly, silent for a while. His eyes held sadness, then hardened with resolve.

“If you’re really pregnant, this child can’t be born. You’ll have to abort.”

His voice was light, his gaze never even meeting hers—but those words crushed all her hopes.

Fen’er’s anxiety turned into silent grief.

She had expected this answer, but hearing it still hurt.

She held her stomach and cried.

Lu Ke frowned.

To comfort her, he reached out and patted her gently.

Fen’er collapsed into his arms, sobbing, “Third Master!”

The child was hers, but she had no say in whether it lived. She didn’t even dare to plead for it.

“Be good. Let this one go. We’ll have children in the future.”

“In a few days, your Third Madam will move in. If anything happens now, we can’t explain it to the Lin family. You know how the matriarch is—she once beat her own son half to death. I’m not even her biological child. If she finds out, I may not survive.”

“I finally became a juren. You know Young Master Xu from the Xu family? He passed the lower-level exam ten years ago and still hasn’t made juren. But if I marry the Lin girl, I’ll have a secure position in Qinghe County.”

“If I rise, you rise with me, right?”

Fen’er wasn’t there to hear about ambition. All she knew was her child was going to die. She could only cry.

Lu Ke, however, remained patient and comforted her for a good quarter of an hour.

When her tears dried up from exhaustion, Lu Ke said, “You haven’t seen a doctor, so nothing is certain. Maybe it’s just a false alarm. Tomorrow, I’ll arrange for someone to examine you. If you are pregnant, we’ll get the medicine to take care of it quickly. It can’t be delayed.”

Fen’er nodded as tears streamed down again, though she was too tired to cry loudly.

Lu Ke saw her agree and relaxed a bit.

“Don’t worry. Once I marry the Lin girl and pass the next exam, I’ll ask the matriarch to take you in. Even if I fail, once my wife is pregnant, I’ll bring you into the household.”

“Third Master…” Fen’er had only been with him this year.

She had given herself to him without ever receiving a clear promise. Now, Lu Ke finally gave her one.

To a love-struck Fen’er, this felt like the beginning of a happy ending.

The pain of losing her child faded with Lu Ke’s soft words.

Seeing her spirits lifted, Lu Ke said gently, “Go back now. Don’t raise suspicion. It’s cold—stay warm. Be careful going back. Don’t fall.”

“I’ll head to the study now. After lunch tomorrow, find a chance to slip out, and I’ll take you to the doctor.”

Fen’er agreed, and they parted.

Lu Ke didn’t walk with her. He watched her leave, standing alone in the autumn wind. The red leaves rustled as they scraped the ground.

His voice echoed faintly in the air:

“Don’t blame your father for being ruthless. If you must blame someone, blame fate for putting you in the wrong womb… just like me.”

That night, Fen’er didn’t go to the matriarch’s room. She quietly returned to her parents’ quarters. She didn’t light a lamp, didn’t make a sound—worried someone would see her red eyes.

She changed and went to bed in silence, tears soaking into the pillow.

---