Chapter 14 – Have You Heard? No Secrets in the Manor…

Liu Ma hesitated, then gently reminded,
“Young Madam, your body is frail. You mustn’t always give in to the Young Master’s ways. Men only think about their own pleasure in that matter—if you can’t handle it, you must speak up.”

Shuhui: “?”

First thing in the morning and she gets run over by this conversation?

She wasn’t some naive girl—she understood what Liu Ma meant. She just couldn’t figure out why the woman suddenly brought it up.

Forget it. No evidence, no need to overthink.

So instead she instructed, “When you’re moving the bed out, leave me one plank.”

That way, if her hands got itchy again, she wouldn’t ruin a new piece of furniture.

---

That afternoon, the rain stopped. Strangely, the sun came out again.

At the lakeside villa on the left, where Fourth Master Qin and his wife lived—

Yao Shanshan, heavily pregnant, brought “first-hand news” to her younger sister-in-law, Wan Qing.

“Really?!”

Wan Qing’s single-lidded eyes bulged wide, making her already plain features look comical.

Yao Shanshan nearly lost her patience. “Don’t shout so loud! What if someone hears?”

Wan Qing quickly covered her mouth, eyes darting left and right. Yao Shanshan felt her brain cells dying from the girl’s stupidity.

Her eldest sister-in-law, Shuhui, looked down on her, ignoring all her attempts to be friendly.
Her third sister-in-law was timid to the point of invisibility, married to an illegitimate son—hardly worth her time.
So out of everyone in this sprawling half-mountain estate, only Wan Qing was left to chat with.

Unfortunately, Wan Qing was such a blockhead that every conversation left Yao Shanshan worried she might trigger premature labor.

“Of course it’s true. The bed was moved out this morning, and just now, Mother-in-law’s people carried in all sorts of fine things.”

Yao Shanshan ground her teeth.

“A month ago they were talking about refusing the marriage license and kicking Shuhui and her daughter out. Now? Ginseng, supplements, tonics—like they cost nothing—all sent to the Bamboo Lodge for Shuhui. In the end, Mother-in-law still favors Big Brother, still favors her eldest son.”

But Wan Qing’s focus was elsewhere: “The bed really collapsed? That bad?”

“……”

“Focus!” Yao Shanshan clutched her belly in frustration. “The point is, Mother-in-law gave Shuhui all those fine things, but none to us! Aren’t we all daughters-in-law? Why such blatant favoritism?”

Every Qin daughter-in-law received the same monthly allowance—200,000. Not a lot, and Second Master never handed over his income.

The money Yao Shanshan had made as an actress years ago was nearly gone. Nowadays she lived tightly, watching every scrap of value in the household.

Wan Qing was different—her family was one of the richest upstarts in Hong Kong. She wasn’t short of money.

“Second Sister-in-law, don’t be angry. Don’t upset the baby. I’ve got supplements too—you can take some home.”

Yao Shanshan’s face darkened further. Asking a younger sister-in-law for food? How humiliating.

She stood abruptly. “I can’t talk with you. You don’t understand—I’m not lacking in things. I’m demanding fairness!”

Wan Qing tried to stop her, but Shanshan waved her hand.

“Here’s something else—you’ll like this. At the international business summit in November, Shuhui will attend the opening gala. None of us have ever enjoyed such an honor.”

With that, she stormed out.

Wan Qing scratched her head as she watched her leave. Why did Second Sister-in-law always get angry over the strangest things?

Mother-in-law had also been quietly giving her supplements during her pregnancy. She never thought it unfair.

If Shuhui got to attend the gala, it was only because Big Brother was powerful. Why wasn’t Second Sister-in-law angry at her own husband for being useless?

Such a strange woman.

Yao Shanshan left burning with resentment, even snapping several blooming tree peonies along the garden path.

Behind her, Qin Ying came by, sneezing furiously. He caught a glimpse of her back. “Was that Second Brother’s wife?”

A servant replied, “It should be, Young Master.”

Qin Ying opened his mouth to say more—but another fit of sneezes cut him off.

“Go call the doctor. The weather’s turned cold these past two days—I think I’ve caught a chill.”

---

At the Bamboo Lodge, Lian Minfang’s gifts arrived just as Shuhui was finishing a phone call and coaxing Suining to eat.

That morning, when Suining woke to find herself back in her own little bed, she remembered last night’s events and felt utterly betrayed.

Her tiny head had its own stubborn streak. She sat on the bed bawling endlessly.

Shuhui coaxed for ages, but nothing worked.

Finally she called Qin Yushen, forcing him to apologize and promise to sleep with Suining every night from now on.

Only then did the little girl calm down enough to eat between hiccupped sobs.

“Haah…”

Shuhui sighed, wiping food from the corner of her daughter’s mouth. Raising a child was no easy task.

In her past life, she had missed these years entirely. Suining’s formative personality ended up mirroring Qin Yushen’s—excellent, but cold and silent.

She didn’t want her daughter unhappy again. So this time, she was willing to indulge her.

“Young Madam,” Liu Ma entered with a bright smile. “The main house sent over all sorts of tonics—fresh seafood from the fishing port, live poultry, even free-range hens. Madam said it’s for your health.”

“…Who sent it?” Shuhui couldn’t believe her ears.

“Madam herself. Tonight we can make abalone, sea cucumber, and chicken stew—”

“Stop right there.”

The last thing she needed was a nosebleed. Her premature birth had left her constitution weak and blood-deficient—such heavy tonics would do more harm than good.

Slow herbal medicine and gentle diet therapy were the right path.

She had no idea what possessed Lian Minfang this time. In her past life, the woman had made a big show of sending supplements—only to start pressuring her into early labor the next day…

“Put it all in the kitchen. Let Ningning and Qin Yushen eat it. I’ll stick to my prescribed diet.”

“Yes, Young Madam.”

---

By dusk, Qin Yushen had already come home early from work—drawing curious looks from the entire secretarial department.

As soon as the boss left, the atmosphere instantly relaxed.

[Secretaries’ Group Chat (12)]

Gina: Cold-faced workaholic demon of capitalism—why did Qin President leave early today? Assistant Zhang, spill! @Zhang Sheng

Leo: Hahahaha, I thought it was just me who noticed! The great Qin left before sunset! 😂

Zhang Sheng: Power of a single call from the Madam 😏 Anyway, he said we can wrap up early too. Everyone’s free to leave! 💪

Cloe: 🎉🎉🎉

Lin Wenran: Did Qin President personally say we could leave?

Lin Wenran: Is everyone seriously leaving?

Lin Wenran: Also, why gossip about his private life? Who says it’s because of his wife? Maybe he had other business.

Lin Wenran: (cute smile.jpg)

…

Lin Wenran’s comments killed the group chat on the spot.

An annoyed Gina immediately created a new group.