Fu Lian looked nonchalant, his voice cold and deep. "She is A Nian's fiancée. Please respect his choice, little aunt."
Fu Shuyi met Fu Lian's gaze. A flicker of annoyance flashed across her eyes but was quickly replaced by disdain.
She snorted. "I don't know where he found this vixen. Does she deserve to marry into our Fu family? It's just that A Nian left too soon. Otherwise, I'd ask him myself."
With that, she flounced off.
After this farce ended, Fu Lian pointed to the mourning hall in the front hall and told Wen Baozhu to offer paper money to Fu Nian.
She hung her head and tossed paper money into the brazier listlessly, remaining meek and silent throughout.
Everyone in the Fu family, whether distant or close relatives, or servants, whispered about Wen Baozhu's identity.
But she just knelt there, motionless.
After a while, several monks in cassocks came to chant scriptures for Fu Nian's salvation until the whole ceremony was over.
It wasn't until evening that the funeral banquet began.
The Fu family members sat at the same long table, taking their seats according to seniority. Wen Baozhu consciously sat in the most remote and corner position of the table.
No one cared about her, or rather, there was no need to.
The head of the Fu family, Fu Qi Shan, who was also Fu Lian and Fu Nian's father, passed away due to illness a few years ago. Now, the responsibility of controlling the power of the Fu family was in the hands of Li Wenshu.
The internal situation of the Fu family was complex. The huge interests caused by the intricate clan relationships made everyone covetous.
Strangely enough, this group of people with ulterior motives could still sit down and have a reunion dinner with smiling faces.
Halfway through the meal, Li Wenshu, who was sitting in the main seat, slowly put down her chopsticks. Her gaze slowly fell on Wen Baozhu's face, and she said kindly, "Baozhu, have you been to the hospital for a check - up recently? Is the baby okay?"
As soon as she said this, the whole room was in an uproar.
Wen Baozhu looked up instinctively, her eyes filled with shock.
Baby? Where did she get a baby?
She restrained herself from looking at Fu Lian immediately and instead quietly observed the man's solemn gaze from the corner of her eye.
Everyone's eyes were now fixed on Wen Baozhu. She felt as if countless sharp swords were stabbing at her.
She was stunned for a long time before she slowly heard her own voice saying, "... The doctor said that all the indicators are normal, and the baby is very healthy."
She was lying.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Fu Lian's eyebrows gradually darkened. It was hard to tell what kind of emotions were in his eyes.
Li Wenshu just smiled slightly and nodded at her with satisfaction.
Her gaze swept across the faces of every Fu family member at the table. She raised her glass with a smile. "We've been so busy with A Nian's funeral recently that I haven't had the chance to share this happy event with our own family."
"From now on, our Fu family will have an heir, and A Nian will have an heir!"
Only then did everyone react. They quickly suppressed their complex emotions, put on happy smiles again, and raised their glasses.
Wen Baozhu wasn't good at lying. Her heart was still pounding.
The servants of the Fu family were good at observing people's expressions. None of them had been willing to pay attention to Wen Baozhu before, but now they rushed forward obsequiously and replaced the cold water in her glass with warm water.
The atmosphere at the dinner table became extremely relaxed. Everyone seemed to open their chatterboxes and started talking about various things that had happened recently, creating a harmonious atmosphere of a loving family.
Only Fu Shuyi kept staring at Wen Baozhu. Her snake - like gaze made Wen Baozhu feel uncomfortable, so she kept her head down.
After dinner, Li Wenshu called Wen Baozhu to a room on the second floor alone.
She specifically told the servants to guard well and not let anyone disturb them.
When Wen Baozhu entered, Li Wenshu was trying on jewelry in front of the dressing table. She held up a green jade bracelet. It looked very pure through the light and should be made of glass - like jade, which was very expensive.
Li Wenshu suddenly turned to Wen Baozhu and asked, "Is it beautiful?"
Wen Baozhu said, "It's very beautiful. It suits you very well, madam."
Li Wenshu shook her head with a smile and motioned her to come closer, looking kind. "If you like it, I'll give it to you."
With that, she took Wen Baozhu's hand and tried to put the jade bracelet on it.
Wen Baozhu had a small frame, but the jade bracelet was even smaller. When she pushed it onto her hand, it almost crushed her hand bones.
"Does it hurt?" Li Wenshu asked gently.
Her voice was always gentle, but she didn't loosen her grip. Without any aids to put on the bracelet, Wen Baozhu's eyes were filled with tears from the pain.
But she gritted her teeth and endured the stabbing pain that tightened bit by bit.
The stabbing pain from the skin to the bone was like thousands of swords piercing her heart, but Wen Baozhu didn't even dare to say a single word of "pain", not even shake her head.
This expensive jade bracelet that didn't fit her wrist was forced onto her wrist bit by bit, as if scraping her bones.
The moment the smooth jade bracelet slid onto her wrist bone, this torture finally ended.
Wen Baozhu felt that her back was completely soaked with sweat. Her originally fair and smooth back of the hand and the area between her thumb and index finger were now covered with a large patch of purple and red bruises, looking extremely hideous.
Wen Baozhu's voice trembled as she thanked, "... Thank you, madam."
It was really interesting to survive in a wealthy family. She had just been tortured to the point of extreme pain, but now she still had to be grateful and say thank you.
Li Wenshu smiled satisfactorily. Her gaze moved away from Wen Baozhu's hand, and she clapped her hands. "You're the daughter - in - law of the Fu family. Just take what's given to you."
Even if it hurt, she had to take it.
After this small punishment, Li Wenshu finally got to the point.
"I heard from Aunt Jiang that there's still no sign of pregnancy?"
"... Yes."
"This is really a difficult problem." Li Wenshu showed a troubled look. "I've already spread the news today. If there's still no baby in your belly, how will others view you when your belly gets bigger?"
Li Wenshu was of noble status and naturally couldn't be as straightforward as Aunt Jiang, but the meaning was the same.
They were both mocking her for not being able to conceive and give birth to a child.
Wen Baozhu lowered her eyes, her lips tightening. "Madam, I will continue to work hard."
Li Wenshu glanced at her imperceptibly, her tone showing dissatisfaction. "All talk and no action. How do I know if you've been working hard? Aunt Jiang told me clearly that you don't cooperate in bed every time. How can you have a baby like this?"
Wen Baozhu felt ashamed.
She felt her face burning, even more painful than the slap Fu Shuyi had given her before.
She didn't know before, but now she knew: Aunt Jiang not only taught her postures and folk remedies for conception but also listened to the wall between her and Fu Lian every night, so she knew that she always had a hard time getting into the mood.
This made her feel a little dazed. She felt as if she wasn't a human being but a breeding machine being observed all the time.
Soon, a servant knocked on the door and came in, holding a bowl of freshly served soup. The liquid inside was black, and a strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine wafted out.
Wen Baozhu tightened her lips.
"Miss Wen, drink it while it's hot."
The servant held the bowl in front of Wen Baozhu, indicating for her to take it.