Recently, Su Xianyu had been visiting the old mansion more and more frequently. Every time, she was respectful, humble, and well - mannered. Feng Lan's attitude towards her gradually changed.
Ruan Sisi watched in the shadows, her hands clenching tightly in anger.
This old hag! I've been flattering her for so many days, but Su Xianyu has only been here for a short time, and she's already beaming from ear to ear.
Thinking of Feng Lan's recent heart - palpitations problem, an idea popped into her mind. She quietly placed the medicine bottle in the drawer in the corner of the windowsill.
She had planned to step in and offer help when everyone couldn't find the medicine later. But unexpectedly, when Feng Lan had an attack, Su Xianyu wasn't home yet.
That bitch got the upper hand again!
Watching the relationship between the two get closer, Ruan Sisi was so angry that her teeth were itching. But for the moment, she couldn't think of a way to disrupt it.
"Mom Zhang said that the young mistress is having a stable pregnancy. The doctor said the baby is very healthy during the check - up a few days ago."
"Yes, the old mistress asked someone to find the jade lock in the storage room yesterday. She said it's for the young mistress's baby."
The jade lock... Ruan Sisi suddenly turned around and looked at the brocade box on the dressing table.
Inside lay a gold lock, which Feng Lan had given her when she first came. It was engraved with the words "May you live a long and prosperous life".
Although it was quite valuable, it was far less precious than the jade lock, which was priceless in the market.
Moreover, since Su Xianyu had been visiting frequently recently, Feng Lan had never mentioned the baby to her again.
Ruan Sisi walked up to the mirror and stared blankly at her sallow face.
Because the pregnancy term was wrong, in order to make her belly look smaller, she wore a corset every day. It hurt even when she turned over at night.
To please Feng Lan, she also learned to make soup, but was always told that it wasn't as light and palatable as Su Xianyu's.
Even the amulet she had fetched from the temple last time was just casually put into the storage room by Feng Lan, while Feng Lan wore the one Su Xianyu had fetched.
The panic in Ruan Sisi's heart began to grow like wild grass.
She originally thought that as long as she held on to the "blood of the Feng family" card, she might be able to gradually get rid of Su Xianyu. But now it seemed that Feng Lan's heart had already tilted.
Early the next morning, Feng Lan asked Mom Zhang to send the newly - arrived potted Phalaenopsis to Su Xianyu. She specifically instructed, "This is a new variety. Let the young mistress take a good look at it. It'll make her happy."
When passing by the east wing, Mom Zhang didn't even stop or give Ruan Sisi a glance.
Fine! These snobbish people! Now even the servants dare to look down on me!
Back in her room, Ruan Sisi couldn't bear it any longer.
She opened the dressing table and rummaged under it to find the bottle of medicine she had brought back from Country E.
The foreign label on the bottle had been torn off. Inside were the hormone pills she used to regulate her menstruation before. The doctor had said that pregnant women mustn't touch them as they could induce uterine contractions.
This was originally meant to deal with Su Xianyu, but now she didn't care anymore.
As long as she had a "premature birth" and the baby was born earlier, Feng Lan's attention would surely return to her, right?
Premature babies needed careful care. Feng Lan couldn't just ignore the grandson she had been waiting for so long, could she?
She must give birth to the eldest grandson of the Feng family before Su Xianyu!
Ruan Sisi poured out three pills and swallowed them with the cold water in the cup.
The pills got stuck in her throat, making her frown due to the bitterness. But a strange sense of pleasure welled up in her heart.
Before long, a dull pain indeed came from her lower abdomen.
At first, it was like the dull pain during menstruation, and then it got worse and worse, as if a blunt knife was stirring inside.
Ruan Sisi curled up on the ground in pain. Cold sweat soaked through her clothes, but she gritted her teeth and didn't call for help.
She wanted to be "found" when the pain was at its worst to make it seem more realistic.
It wasn't until she heard Feng Lan's voice in the yard that she finally let out a cry, "Auntie! Auntie, save me! My stomach hurts..."
Hearing the cries, Feng Lan and Mom Zhang rushed over. When they opened the door, they saw her curled up in a pool of blood, her face as pale as paper.
Mom Zhang covered her mouth in shock, and Feng Lan's face also changed. She shouted sharply, "Call an ambulance quickly!"
In the chaos, Ruan Sisi grabbed Feng Lan's trouser leg. She was in so much pain that she could hardly speak clearly, "Auntie... the baby... save the baby..."
The baby boy born prematurely by Ruan Sisi was finally saved.
He stayed in the incubator for a week before finally being out of danger. But his weight still couldn't keep up. The doctor said he needed to be taken care of extremely carefully.
Feng Lan visited the hospital twice. Each time she came back, her face was grimmer. She murmured to Mom Zhang, "That baby cries like a kitten. I'm afraid a gust of wind would blow him away. He doesn't look like a member of the Feng family at all."
Mom Zhang could only comfort her, "Don't worry, old mistress. My niece - in - law also had a premature baby. The baby was only a little over three pounds at first, but now at the age of three, he's as strong as a calf."
"Alas, I hope so."
---
Ruan Sisi was lying on the hospital bed, looking at the wrinkled baby in the incubator. Her nails dug deeply into her palm.
She had a "premature birth" more than two months earlier than the due date, but only she knew that the baby was actually supposed to be born around this time.
But why was he still so useless, so thin and small, looking sickly!
Just as Ruan Sisi was feeling annoyed, she suddenly heard the words "genetic screening" and her pupils shrank sharply.
The nurse was standing beside the incubator, saying briskly, "It's recommended that premature babies have a genetic test to check for congenital diseases. The baby's grandmother has already signed the consent form."
Her mind went blank with a buzz, but she forced a weak smile on her face, "Nurse, the baby is so small. Will drawing blood hurt him?"
"It's just a little heel blood. It's okay." When the nurse turned around to prepare the instruments, Ruan Sisi quietly pressed the call bell.
Fortunately, she had talked to the nurse - aide in advance and given her 5,000 yuan, asking her to cause some trouble at the "critical moment".
Sure enough, the nurse - aide rushed in with a disinfection tray. When she entered the room, she "accidentally" knocked over the nurse's instrument tray, and the alcohol cotton balls scattered all over the floor.
"Oops! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" The nurse - aide was in a hurry to clean up. Taking advantage of the chaos, she dropped a cotton swab dipped in iodine beside the blood - collection needle.
When the nurse frowned and complained, Ruan Sisi suddenly covered her chest and coughed loudly, "I... I can't breathe... Nurse, come and have a look at me quickly!"
In the chaos, no one noticed that the blood - collection needle with iodine on it was thrown into the trash can and a new one was taken.
The chaotic scene made the baby cry loudly, and the heart - rate monitor gave out a shrill alarm.
The doctor rushed over. After the examination, he said that the baby had a serious stress reaction and couldn't have blood drawn for the time being. So the matter was put on hold.
That night, Ruan Sisi called Feng Lan for a video chat. She was sitting beside the hospital bed, wiping away her tears.
"Auntie, the nurse said today that they wanted to draw the baby's blood. I was so worried."
"Look how small he is. How can he stand the torture? What if he becomes even weaker after the blood is drawn..."
Looking at her red eyes and thinking of the baby's purple - faced crying, most of Feng Lan's hesitation faded away.
She valued "bloodline" most in her life, but she also couldn't bear to see the newly - born baby suffer.
Moreover, Ruan Sisi had been calling her "Auntie" these days and had put herself in a very low position. Finally, she relented, "Okay, raise him first. We'll talk about it after the full - moon."
Ruan Sisi secretly let out a sigh of relief, but she knew this was only a temporary solution and couldn't last long. She had to think of a thorough solution as soon as possible...
Finally, after the confinement period, Ruan Sisi couldn't wait to carry the baby back to the old mansion, hoping to let him show his face in front of Feng Lan more often.
But before she could knock on the door, she heard Feng Lan's voice from the study, "Xiaoyu has a good temper and is reliable. After the baby is born, she'll have to shoulder more responsibilities in the family."
Feng Lin on the other side was a bit puzzled. As the baby's biological parents, he and Xiaoyu would surely take good care of the baby. Why did she mention "shoulder responsibilities"?
"Auntie, don't worry. I'll take good care of Xiaoyu and our baby."
"Alas, what I'm saying is..."