Rebirth of a Farming Wife

Su Wenyue swallowed hard. These past two days, she had been so anxious about Han Yu’s situation that she lost all appetite. It wasn’t until Han Yu returned that she felt hungry, devouring more food than usual in one go, as if her appetite had grown. She had already eaten before she came here now.

Despite having just eaten before bed, she now drank porridge, consumed two cages of soup dumplings, a large bowl of soup, and a variety of pastries. If Aunt Li hadn’t intervened, Su Wenyue would have continued eating. Spotting a few plates of pastries on the table, her hunger pangs returned. She snuck a glance, careful not to let Han Yu notice, otherwise she would definitely have nothing to eat. If it weren’t for Han Yu’s strict orders, the servants would not be so vigilant in their watch.

As she thought this, Su Wenyue couldn’t help but sneak another peek at the pastries on the table. At this moment, Han Yu’s mind was preoccupied with other matters, so he didn’t notice her odd behavior, but he did think about the documents still lying on the table. He had to put them away before his daughter-in-law found them or she would be worried sick.

“Why don’t you sit here for a while? I’ll be finished soon, and I’ll have Aunt Li come in to look after you,” he suggested.

“No need, I’m just sitting here, not doing anything. Why should Aunt Li come in? Besides, aren’t you here? Go do what you need to, I’ll be fine on my own,” Su Wenyue hurriedly responded, knowing that if Aunt Li came to cater to her, she could kiss those pastries goodbye.

“All right then, sit tight and call me if you need anything.” Han Yu said, then placed a cushion on the chair for Su Wenyue to lean against comfortably before he went to attend to his matters.

Seeing Han Yu walk away, Su Wenyue let out a sigh of relief, scolding herself for being so weak, all jittery over a few plates of pastries. She was really falling from grace.

Having mostly dealt with his affairs for the day, Han Yu put everything away securely. Glancing over at Su Wenyue, he saw her joyfully nibbling on the pastries from the table. Shaking his head helplessly, he wondered how his daughter-in-law had turned into such a foodie. Aunt Li had even mentioned that the daughter-in-law had already eaten before coming. Apparently, sitting here alone was all for the sake of those pastries.

“Lady Yue, Aunt Li just mentioned you had plenty to eat earlier. Why are you indulging in pastries again? You are barely seven months along, and your stomach is already so large. You really can’t eat any more!” Han Yu’s tone was full of helplessness as he approached, taking away the remaining pastries. His daughter-in-law surreptitiously grabbed two more pieces, and when he looked at her, she quickly stuffed them into her mouth, her cheeks puffing out like a squirrel’s.

“My daughter-in-law, you really are…” Han Yu sighed.

What was she, really? Seeing Han Yu like this, Su Wenyue didn’t try to defend herself. Her gaze lingered on the dishes that Han Yu had taken away, feeling helpless. She didn’t want to be like this, but she couldn’t resist the urge to eat. Maybe it was because the child in her stomach needed nutrition, which explained her constant desire for food.

“I really am hungry. Whatever I eat is just digested by the child in my stomach.” Su Wenyue firmly believed her recent gluttony was due to the child.

Han Yu looked at his daughter-in-law’s unusually large stomach and felt there was some truth to it. Although her stomach was growing, she wasn’t gaining weight anywhere else; in fact, she seemed even slimmer than before. It looked as if all the food was going straight to her stomach. That was why Han Yu needed to restrict her eating—if the weight was on her body, it would be fine, but it all went to her stomach, which could make childbirth much harder.

“My daughter-in-law, I know carrying a child is uncomfortable, but we have less than two months to go. Let’s just bear with it. Once the child is born, you can eat anything you want.”

Su Wenyue gave Han Yu a look. There was no need for him to say it—she had already been looking forward to the child’s birth, for these days were difficult to endure.

Since that day, Han Yu became utterly consumed by work. Although he had always been busy, he used to spend his evenings with Su Wenyue. But now, he was gone from dawn till dusk, and sometimes he even brought strangers home to discuss matters in the study. Su Wenyue wanted to ask about it, but Han Yu would only talk briefly about unimportant things before clamming up. She knew he didn’t want her to worry, but being kept in the dark only made her more inclined to imagine things.

Yet, even if Han Yu didn’t tell her, Su Wenyue had other ways of finding out. Women also had their own social circles, sometimes even learning news faster than Han Yu received from the military camp. However, due to her pregnancy, she hadn’t been out and about for a while, so she was somewhat out of the loop.

“Grandma Chen, take my post to the Liu Family. Say that I’m bored and would like someone to talk to. If Madam Liu has the time, ask her to come over,” Su Wenyue decided, remembering she hadn’t seen Madame Liu Zhao for a while—likely due to the recent rumors making her cautious. Furthermore, with the Currency Reform affecting them, the Liu Family were evidently struggling; they were even reluctant to rent a horse carriage to give their birthday felicitations to the County magistrate’s wife in the County Town, a sign of financial difficulty. It seemed life had become harder.

Su Wenyue asked Xiao Xi to prepare some food, rice, flour, vegetables, and meat, dividing it into several portions. She also bagged some sweet potatoes, separating them as well, planning to send these to Han Yu’s subordinates later. She remembered Han Yu saying that his subordinates were having a hard time due to the Currency Reform and that the Imperial Court was delaying army provisions. Since these men were willing to follow Han Yu, it would be beneficial for him if she took care of their families—they would be even more loyal and assist Han Yu better.

As for the colleagues close to Han Yu, it wasn’t appropriate to send things over so brashly. She would have to wait for the right opportunity, lest it lead to misunderstandings, making it seem as if she looked down on them, which would only cause trouble.

Madame Liu Zhao had also been worried about household affairs, and hearing that Madame He had been turned away by Su Wenyue for asking for food did not help. Considering the state of her own home, Madame Liu Zhao had lessened her visits. But upon receiving Su Wenyue’s invitation, she knew Su Wenyue regarded her differently from others and hurriedly set off for the Han Family.

When Madame Liu Zhao arrived, Su Wenyue quickly ordered tea and pastries to be served,

“Sister-in-law, you finally came. These days, our Han Yu is so busy with who knows what, leaving at dawn and returning late. Being pregnant, I can’t go out much, leaving me bored at home. So I had to ask my sister-in-law over for a chat. I hope you don’t mind the trouble,” she said.

“What are you saying? I’d love to come over for a cup of tea. But, speaking of which, my own husband has been unbelievably busy these days as well,” Madame Liu Zhao replied.