Shen Xiaoyan returned to the back courtyard. She first went to the main house and saw that the three children were all asleep on the kang bed, and the wet nurses were doing needlework nearby. This put her at ease.
She asked the wet nurses, who said they had already eaten. Shen Xiaoyan then instructed them to keep a close eye on the children and went out of the main house to the west side room.
By the door of the west side room, Huo Ying was sitting in the corridor, working on a small garment. Seeing Shen Xiaoyan approach, she quickly stood up and paid her respects.
"Greetings, Madam."
"Has Big Sister gone to bed? Has she eaten?" Shen Xiaoyan stopped and asked.
"I just took the food in. Madam is eating," Huo Ying replied with a smile.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded and walked into the west side room.
The west side room was very different from its previous bare state. It was decorated warmly and elegantly everywhere. Whether it was the curtains or the tablecloths, warm colors were used, giving a very cozy feeling.
Shen Xiaoyan had to marvel at how well Yue Qingxin could decorate. This was likely related to the upbringing she received from a young age.
"Is that my sister visiting?" Yue Qingxin's voice came from inside the room, filled with joy.
Shen Xiaoyan responded and quickly walked into the room.
"Why didn't you hurry back to your room to rest? What are you doing here?" Yue Qingxin said with a gentle chiding tone.
Yue Qingxin was sitting on the kang bed, with a kang table in front of her laden with dishes. The food on the table was very familiar to Shen Xiaoyan, as she had been eating it for almost a month.
Although there were many types of confinement meals researched initially, no matter how many, it was impossible to have different meals every day, and many seasonings were unusable. The dishes, when cooked, all tasted similar.
Therefore, Shen Xiaoyan had no appetite for this table of food at the moment.
"It's been a long time since I've seen you, Sister. I missed you, and my little nephew. I really want to see him, so I came," Shen Xiaoyan said as she walked over to the wet nurse.
The wet nurse was sitting at the end of the kang, holding a red swaddled baby. Shen Xiaoyan walked over and peeked into the swaddle. She saw a fair-skinned baby with its eyes open, looking at her.
"So cute," Shen Xiaoyan said, her eyes curving into crescents with a smile. She reached out and took the baby into her arms.
"What about your three? Haven't you seen enough?" Yue Qingxin said with a smile.
"It's different. This is your child, Sister. He naturally resembles you. When I see him, I can imagine what you looked like when you were little," Shen Xiaoyan said, looking down at the baby in her arms and explaining softly to Yue Qingxin.
"A'Han also says he looks like me," Yue Qingxin said, a happy, gentle smile on her face.
"I just heard from Huo Ying that Xu Xiao'e is here again? What is she here for? And what she said, Xiaoyan, don't take it to heart. She just can't stand to see others do better than her," Yue Qingxin frowned, recalling Huo Ying's earlier reply.
"I don't care. What is she? It's not worth getting angry over her," Shen Xiaoyan said indifferently.
Yue Qingxin also laughed, agreeing that it was indeed not worth getting angry over such a person.
"Exactly. I think we should find a way to resolve this matter once and for all. Otherwise, if she keeps coming back from time to time, it's too annoying," Yue Qingxin still suggested.
"I know. Don't worry about it, Sister. I will definitely find a way to deal with her once and for all," Shen Xiaoyan reassured her.
Shen Xiaoyan stayed with Yue Qingxin for lunch. Afterward, she told Yue Qingxin to rest well and then went to the front.
The tables in the front had already been cleared. Some people had left, and only a few remained, chatting together.
Shen Xiaoyan saw Madam Pan still sitting there and walked over. "Aunt, don't leave yet. I have something I want to ask you."
Madam Pan saw Shen Xiaoyan's serious expression and knew she had something important to discuss, so she nodded in agreement.
After another half-day, all the guests had finally been seen off. Shen Xiaoyan then went to the back courtyard with Madam Pan.
"Xiaoyan, what is it? Just tell Auntie," Madam Pan asked eagerly as soon as she sat down.
Shen Xiaoyan smiled gently. "Auntie, don't be anxious. I just want to ask if you know if there are any other people in my mother's family, meaning my paternal grandfather's family, or any other relatives."
Madam Pan's expression faltered slightly, clearly not expecting Shen Xiaoyan to ask such a question.
"It's been so long, I can barely remember," Madam Pan said with a laugh after a moment of daze.
"It's alright. If you can remember, that's best. If not, there's nothing that can be done."
Shen Xiaoyan hadn't held out much hope, but she was still unwilling to give up and wanted to ask.
Madam Pan sat there recalling, while Shen Xiaoyan sat quietly, waiting. Although she was a little anxious in her heart, she didn't show it on her face.
"I remember now," Madam Pan suddenly said.
"Remember what?" Shen Xiaoyan asked eagerly.
"Speaking of which, the first time I met your mother was when your father brought her back," Madam Pan recalled. "The whole village knew about it. Your father went on a trip and brought your mother back, telling your grandfather he wanted to marry your mother."
"Your mother was beautiful. Not just in the surrounding villages, but even in town, I've never seen a woman as beautiful as your mother. It's a pity..."
At this point, Madam Pan's face showed a look of regret.
"A pity what?"
"It's a pity that your mother's mind wasn't quite clear. Everyone said she was a bit foolish," Madam Pan said, shaking her head.
Foolish...
Shen Xiaoyan remembered what the woman had said earlier. She had also said her mother was foolish. Perhaps she had misunderstood at the time, and the woman meant her mother was mentally foolish, not foolish for marrying Shen Cheng?
"She loved to laugh but didn't talk much. She gave birth to you eight months after marrying your father. Everyone says seven months is barely viable, but you survived well. Now you're married and have children. If your mother knew, she would surely smile in heaven," Madam Pan said, smiling.
Gave birth to her in eight months?
Shen Xiaoyan was shocked. Her first thought was, could she not be Shen Cheng's child?
"After giving birth to you, your mother held you all day and took you everywhere. Once I was chatting with her and asked where she was from and if she had any family, she said she couldn't remember anything," Madam Pan sighed.
Couldn't remember? Was it amnesia?
Shen Xiaoyan became even more curious about her mother's identity. A beauty, and a beautiful woman with amnesia, why did she meet Shen Cheng?
And why did she marry Shen Cheng? She even had two children with him, which Shen Xiaoyan found incredible.
What if she wasn't Shen Cheng's child?
What if, when Shen Cheng met her mother, her mother was already pregnant with her? Then it would explain why Shen Cheng treated her so badly.
But what about Xiaoming? Xiaoming was only 12 this year. He was born and raised in the Shen family by her mother. Could he be Shen Cheng's child?
Once the seed of doubt was planted, it quickly took root and sprouted.
Various fragments of Shen Xiaoyan's memories surfaced continuously. Judging from Shen Cheng's attitude towards her and her brother, they were very likely not Shen Cheng's children.
Otherwise, if Shen Cheng so doted on a beauty like Zhen Shi, who was her mother, and brought her back to marry her when he met her outside, why would he treat the children born to him so poorly after her death?
There was only one explanation for all of this: Shen Cheng was not the biological father of her and Shen Xiaoming, which was why Shen Cheng treated them badly.
"Xiaoyan, what's wrong?" Madam Pan asked, seeing Shen Xiaoyan's face constantly changing.
"It's nothing. Thank you, Auntie. My mother... was she happy during those years? I was too young then, I don't remember anything."
"Your mother always had a smile on her face. She was cheerful to everyone and kind to people. I never saw her argue with your father. It's just..."
"Just what?"
"It's just that when I watched them, I always felt like there was a gap between her and your father, like they weren't very close," Madam Pan said slowly after carefully choosing her words.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded thoughtfully, increasingly convinced that her idea was correct.
After seeing Madam Pan off, Shen Xiaoyan sat alone on the kang bed, contemplating. She recalled all the scenes she could remember. It seemed that Zhen Shi and Shen Cheng did have a gap between them.
At home, the two of them rarely spoke. They basically did their own things.
Even when they slept at night, Zhen Shi slept in the same room as her, while Shen Cheng...
Shen Cheng slept in another room.
Shen Xiaoyan suddenly stood up, feeling that her idea had been validated. Wasn't this the best evidence?
But how did Xiaoming come about?
If he wasn't Shen Cheng's child, then how did Xiaoming come about?
"Mimi, I heard the servants say you haven't eaten anything. Why are you not taking care of yourself like this?"