Becoming the Villain's Discarded Wife
Chapter 442: Fetal Movement

Chapter 442: Chapter 442: Fetal Movement

The four words struck him like a thunderbolt, causing Shi’er to choke on his breath, knowing that something significant must have occurred in Yan City.

"Shi’er, what shall we do?"

A look of anxiety spread across Shen Miaomiao’s face. The thought of Yan City being a thousand miles away from Kyoto, and Nanzhi pregnant there, made her feel an unbearable throbbing in her head.

"Miaomiao, calm down first." Shi’er pulled his wife into his embrace, blinking away the tears in her eyes.

"But, but Sister Nanzhi and them..." Shen Miaomiao’s worries escalated, fearing that something terrible had indeed happened.

She understood Sister Nanzhi’s character well; she would hide things from her in usual times, reluctant to cause her to worry. Sending such an urgent message now must certainly mean something serious had happened.

"Miaomiao." Shi’er put on a serious face, just looking at his distressed wife in his arms.

He knew well about the close relationship between his wife and his sister-in-law, but they couldn’t afford to panic now.

He was as anxious as Miyamiao about the trouble in Yan City.

Given the famine, their natural response should be finding ways to transport grain there.

"You can’t rush. You get it? Since my sister-in-law sent the message, it means something went wrong in Yan City. She would tell us because we could help. If you’re in a frenzy like this, not only will you not be any help, but you’ll also delay the important things," Shi’er spoke earnestly, wanting to soothe his wife as quickly as possible.

"Right, I can’t rush. I can’t rush." Shen Miaomiao nodded, struggling to gain control over her emotions.

"Now you should calm down. I’ll have Adai send a message back asking for the details. You have someone go to the grain shops in Kyoto to see what they can find out. If there’s a problem, we’ll need to prepare to transport some grain there."

"Alright."

The couple figured out their thoughts, momentarily relieving their panic.

If something serious indeed happened in Yan City, they would need to stay calm and be well-prepared.

On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, there was heavy snowfall.

The huge snowflakes were gently swirling, covering the myriad of city lights in Yan City. The bustling marketplace suddenly fell silent, with only the large red character of "luck" pasted on the door being unusually eye-catching.

Looking at the returning caravan, Shen Wenchen felt a throbbing in his forehead.

"General, I failed you. I...I only managed to bring back this much grain."

He who returned was a subordinate Shen Wenchen had sent out to buy grain.

His once black hair was now frosted over, his face deathly pale.

Behind him were six gaunt government officials and five heavily loaded wagons.

The grain they brought back was far from sufficient.

But, seeing their current condition, Shen Wenchen found himself unable to reprimand them.

Times were hard, he couldn’t place the blame on others.

"It’s good enough that you’re back," Shen Wenchen placed his hand on his shoulder, spoke in a deep voice.

Conditions in Xiejiang were even worse than theirs, naturally, they were unwilling to continue shipping out grain. It wasn’t easy to buy grain now; they might not have this opportunity later.

Looking at the significantly reduced number of men, his heart grew heavier.

"I failed you, General, Tu Sheng and Zhuzi, they all...all died..."

Men are said to shed blood, not tears. But when he thought of his companions, who had lived and died together, laughed and talked together, now reduced to meaningless corpses, he couldn’t help himself.

Tears fell and froze into ice flowers on the ground.

"What happened..."

Shen Wenchen’s adam’s apple bobbed up and down, it took him a long while to ask the four-word question.

"I led them towards Huaiyang. Although grain is expensive there, they were willing to sell some of it. Everything was going well, but on our way back, we ran into river bandits. The bandit situation in Huaiyang is serious, after a struggle, none of them... none of them survived."

Dark clouds drifted over the moon. The bright moonlight reflected on the snow, illuminating the surrounding scene.

On the wagons, one could still see faint bloodstains, and the people who knelt on the ground were all covered with bruises.

The night itself was freezing, and with gusts of wind coming and going, one could see their frostbitten black and purple hands.

"Let’s get inside first."

Shen Wenchen narrowed his eyes, his hands in his sleeves clenching into tight fists.

Huaiyang, huh...

On the twenty-second day of the twelfth lunar month, it was sunny.

In such rare sunny weather, Ma Po carefully assisted Nanzhi out of the courtyard.

Feeling the warm sunlight on her face, Nanzhi closed her eyes in comfort.

What a beautiful day it was.

It was a rare opportunity for her to go out and enjoy the sunlight.

Red plums were in full bloom in the courtyard, looking at them, Ma Po also felt a slight comfort in her heart.

The mistress had been out and about for the past few days, fretting every day about this and that. It wasn’t good for the child in her belly.

Today, with its rare good weather.

"Ma Po, I’m going to need you to look after Zhiyu and Xiaomi for me today."

As it neared the end of the year, school was out. It was cold outside, and she didn’t want the children running about.

"Mistress, take a rest today," Ma Po sighed, seeing the thoughts in her eyes.

It was admirable to care for the people, but the mistress’s pregnancy was unstable, how could she withstand such strenuous labor?

If it were up to her, the store was operated by Manager Ping and Liao Da, why did the mistress insist on going in person every day?

"The weather is so nice today, perfect for going out." Nanzhi waved off her concerns, and before she said more, she felt a tiny twinge in her lower abdomen. It seemed like the child in her womb was stretching its legs after waking up. Suddenly, her face filled with surprise.

Did...did the child in her belly just move?

Seeing her changing expression, Ma Po thought that she was having stomach pain and quickly stepped forward to support her.

"Mistress, are you feeling discomfort anywhere?"

"I felt... he just moved."

Nanzhi looked overjoyed; her hands gently caressed her protruding belly, anticipating the child’s second movement.

It seemed that the child was responding to its mother’s anticipation, and there was another small movement in Nanzhi’s belly.

Feeling his movements, Nanzhi could barely contain the joy in her heart.

"Mistress, please return to your room and rest. I will send someone to inform the master of this good news."

Ma Po was, of course, thrilled. They always say that pregnant women should take good care of themselves during the first three months, but ever since she arrived at the residence, the mistress had been unwell.

At first, she would vomit whatever she ate. When it was at its worst, she could vomit bile even after drinking a sip of water. Afterward, she stopped vomiting, but she still had no appetite.

She hadn’t mentioned the baby’s movements to avoid worrying the mistress. But now, this sudden movement meant that the child in the mistress’s belly was healthy and not weak as she’d feared.

"No need, I’ll go and tell him myself." Nanzhi shook her head, a broad smile on her face.

This is the best news recently.

It’s not just Ma Po who is scared, she herself is also worried about the baby in her belly.

She is not from this world, then what about the child in her belly?

She’s afraid that the plot will harm him, so she didn’t dare to go out before and was willing only to hide in the residence.

But it’s different now. The child in her belly is very healthy. She wants to tell this to Shen Wenchen, to feel the baby’s vitality together with him.