Chapter 7 : Past Events

Since moving to the old house, Jiang Yunshu’s life had been arranged meticulously. Her meals were healthy, she rested well to nurture the baby, and every detail was attended to.

Even her work had to be set aside under Xu Shuping’s repeated reminders and urgings.

Jiang Yunshu was really bored, but fortunately, Grandma Fu had a variety of precious flowers and plants in the courtyard, so she took over the task of watering the flowers and feeding the fish from Grandma Fu.

After watering the flowers and plants, a light sweat formed on Jiang Yunshu’s forehead, and she felt much better.

The weather was just right, so she stretched and sat in a wicker chair, picking up a book titled ‘The Classic of Tea’.

While engrossed in her reading, she suddenly felt something rubbing against her legs. Looking down, she saw the little white cat.

Jiang Yunshu put the book down and reached out to pet the cat’s head, but a hurried voice stopped her.

“Xiao Shu, don’t touch the cat!”

Jiang Yunshu looked up and saw Xu Shuping walking quickly toward her.

“You’re pregnant now, so you need to be careful about everything.”

Jiang Yunshu helplessly said, “Mom, it’s okay, the cat doesn’t scratch people. Don’t be too nervous.”

“That’s not okay. The first three months are the most important period for the baby’s development. Cats can carry toxoplasmosis, which is dangerous for pregnant women,” Xu Shuping said, instructing the maid to carry the cat away.

She sat down next to Jiang Yunshu, glanced at the watering can on the floor, furrowed her brows, and spoke in a tone of gentle concern.

“Xiao Shu, how many times have I told you? The tasks of watering the flowers and weeding should be left to the gardener. If you do it yourself, you’ll sweat, and what if you catch a cold?”

“Mom, I’m healthy, and I’m not that fragile,” Jiang Yunshu said. “Now I’m being waited on hand and foot, and if I don’t do anything, I’ll become lazy. Besides, the pregnancy books say that pregnant women need to exercise properly. It’s good for the baby.”

Xu Shuping sighed, “Of course you need to exercise, but in the first three months, it’s best to rest. After the first trimester, I’ll hire a professional yoga teacher to come to the house. Doing yoga with the teacher can help reduce swelling and improve blood circulation in the pelvis. It will also make labor easier when the time comes.”

Jiang Yunshu nodded, “Thanks, Mom. You really think of everything. You’ve been working so hard taking care of me.”

Xu Shuping smiled, her gaze falling on Jiang Yunshu’s belly. “It’s all for the baby, it’s not hard.”

She sighed deeply. “Back in the day, I gave birth to Chengze all by myself. I went through a difficult pregnancy. Finally, after all those hard times, I thought I’d raise him well, but he got close to others. Who would have thought the son I carried for ten months would think I was his father’s mistress and indirectly caused the death of his half-brother?”

Jiang Yunshu was surprised to hear Xu Shuping’s lament and didn’t know how to respond.

From what she knew, Xu Shuping was Fu Jingkun’s second wife. Fu Jingkun divorced his first wife after their son Fu Chengsheng was born because of marital issues. But Fu Jingkun hadn’t finalized the divorce until after Fu Chengze was born.

After just divorcing his first wife, Fu Jingkun remarried Xu Shuping, adding a younger son to the family. Xu Shuping was called a homewrecker, and Fu Chengze was labeled as an illegitimate child.

Fu Jingkun clarified the matter publicly, supporting Xu Shuping and Fu Chengze, even calling on his ex-wife to explain herself. But his ex-wife didn’t say a word and simply posted their divorce certificate, causing public opinion to shift in her favor.

Xu Shuping felt wronged and publicly criticized Fu Jingkun’s ex-wife for guiding the public opinion, which led to more media and public backlash.

Eventually, the matter died down, but it flared up again when Fu Chengze became the CEO of the Fu Corporation a few years ago.

At a charity gala, a reporter deliberately brought up this topic to stir up controversy. Xu Shuping lost her temper when asked, “Who do you think is more capable of running Fu Corporation, your son or Fu Chengsheng?” She retorted, “What’s wrong with comparing a deceased person to my son?”

That night, the media exploded, bringing up past events. An anonymous tipster revealed that Xu Shuping had said at Fu Chengsheng’s memorial service that Fu Jingkun’s ex-wife had been evil, and her son was now avenging her.

Although Xu Shuping had indeed said those words, they were taken out of context, and she was speaking out of anger and emotion.

As Fu Chengsheng had been groomed as the heir to the Fu family, Xu Shuping had to respond under public pressure. However, as soon as she released a statement denying the rumors, an audio clip surfaced to prove otherwise.

Even though Xu Shuping claimed the audio was edited, she expressed her regret about Fu Chengsheng’s tragic death.

But her malicious image had already been ingrained in the public’s mind, and no one believed her.

This controversy lingered for a long time until it finally quieted down in the past year or two.

Seeing Xu Shuping in tears, Jiang Yunshu hurriedly handed her a tissue and comforted her.

“Mom, how could Chengze think like that? He’s a person who can distinguish right from wrong, and he wouldn’t follow what others say. We need to trust Chengze.”

Xu Shuping wiped her tears and sighed. “Xiao Shu, you don’t understand. He had a very close relationship with his older brother. Since the two boys became adults, Fu Chengsheng was always groomed to be the Fu family heir. I thought this wasn’t fair to Chengze, and I secretly pushed him to try harder. But Chengze insisted on going to the Aviation University. I spoke up a few times, and then he started distancing himself from me.”

Jiang Yunshu pressed her lips together, choosing her words carefully. “Mom, but Chengze really wants to be a rescue pilot.”

Upon hearing this, Xu Shuping’s tone became more forceful. “Why would he want to be a rescue pilot instead of inheriting the family business? That job is exhausting, dangerous, and full of risk. Is he trying to throw his life away?”

Jiang Yunshu fell silent.

She really wanted to say that there are people in the world who choose these careers without hesitation, soldiers protecting the borders, firefighters fighting against the flames, doctors working tirelessly, they are ordinary people, but they deserve our respect.

But she didn’t want to argue with Xu Shuping, knowing it wouldn’t change her mind.

Seeing Jiang Yunshu stay silent, Xu Shuping sighed again and took her hand.

“Xiao Shu, my tone wasn’t directed at you. I’m just feeling frustrated inside.”

Jiang Yunshu smiled understandingly. “Mom, I know. You weren’t mad at me.”

Entering the living room, Grandma Fu called Jiang Yunshu over.

“Have some fruit.” Grandma Fu pushed a fruit plate toward her and handed her a beautiful box. “Open it and see.”

Jiang Yunshu opened the box to find a translucent, cool, and lustrous white jade bracelet.

“Do you like it?” Grandma Fu asked.

Jiang Yunshu nodded, “It’s beautiful.”

Grandma Fu took the bracelet out of the box and directly put it on Jiang Yunshu’s wrist, nodding in satisfaction. “It really is beautiful.”

Jiang Yunshu’s grandmother was a professional antique collector and appraiser. Growing up around her, Jiang Yunshu had learned a lot about jade and could immediately tell that this bracelet was very valuable.

“Grandma, this is too expensive. You already gave me a jade bracelet before. I can’t accept another one.”

Grandma Fu didn’t let her take it off. “What’s so expensive about it? Accept it, or else Grandma won’t be happy.”

“Thank you, Grandma.” Jiang Yunshu didn’t insist any further. “Then I’ll accept it.”

Grandma Fu smiled warmly, reaching out to pat Jiang Yunshu’s head. “That’s better. Grandma loves you and wants to give you all the best things.”