mesbooks Chapter 227 Huan'er was born prematurely.
Chapter 227 Huan'er was born prematurely.
A cloud of dust rose from the official road. Sun Lan was extremely anxious, her steps hurried and chaotic as she rushed towards the capital.
Her hair was disheveled, her forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and her temples were damp. At this moment, she was filled with anxiety, her heart pounding wildly in her chest as if it would burst out of her chest.
In order to get to the capital as soon as possible, she disregarded the fatigue of the journey and hurried along without stopping for a moment.
Having finally reached the city gate of the capital, Sun Lan staggered to a stop, supporting herself on her knees with her hands, panting heavily, each breath accompanied by violent heaving.
Just as she was catching her breath, she glanced up and a familiar figure came into view.
Not far away, Su Wan'er stood in front of the vendors, her figure graceful, carefully selecting exquisite hairpins. Her slender fingers gently caressed the shimmering ornaments, her movements elegant, while her other hand unconsciously rested lightly on her protruding "fake belly".
Sun Lan's eyes widened, a hint of surprise flashing in them. Then, she excitedly waved her arms and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Princess Su!" Her voice was particularly loud in the bustling market.
Upon hearing the shout, Su Wan'er froze, nearly dropping the hairpin in her hand.
She slowly turned her head, her face instantly turning deathly pale, her eyes filled with panic.
Seeing Sun Lan walking towards her, she subconsciously frowned and looked around in a panic, as if searching for a way to escape.
But she quickly composed herself, took a deep breath, and walked towards Sun Lan with feigned composure, though her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner unease.
Suppressing her inner turmoil, Su Wan'er strode up to Sun Lan, her brows furrowed, her face filled with impatience and disdain. She coldly scrutinized Sun Lan, as if she were an intruder who had no sense of propriety.
"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you not to come out unless it's important?" Su Wan'er's tone was icy, carrying an unquestionable authority. Her chin was slightly raised, and her eyes were full of disdain.
Sun Lan trembled at her appearance, her voice involuntarily lowering as she stammered, "Your...Your Highness," she nervously clutched the hem of her dress, not daring to lift her head, "call...call her..."
"What's wrong with Huan'er?" Upon hearing this, Su Wan'er's expression changed drastically, and she anxiously asked, her originally cold eyes now showing a hint of panic.
Sun Lan swallowed hard, trying to calm her breathing, her voice so low it was almost inaudible: "Huan'er went into labor before she was full..."
"What?!" Su Wan'er's eyes widened, the color draining from her face instantly. Fear and worry surged into her heart. She subconsciously covered her "fake belly," swaying as if she almost lost her balance.
Upon hearing this, Su Wan'er cried out in horror, "How could this be!" Her voice was shrill and filled with endless panic.
But as soon as she said it, she snapped back to reality, quickly looked around, and saw that the pedestrians around her were still busy with their own things and no one had noticed what was going on. She breathed a sigh of relief.
She closed her eyes tightly, took a few deep breaths, and tried her best to suppress her surging emotions and calm herself down. Once she was calm, she looked at Sun Lan with a scrutinizing and urgent look in her eyes, and asked calmly, "What exactly happened?"
Sun Lan's eyes instantly reddened, tears welling up in them, her voice trembling with sobs, full of helplessness and distress: "When I got up this morning, I saw Huan'er lying on the ground, curled up in a ball, her hands tightly clutching her stomach, covered in sweat, her face pale, and groaning in pain. I was so scared that I was completely at a loss and had no idea what to do."
As she spoke, Sun Lan's shoulders trembled slightly, as if she were recalling that terrible scene again.
Upon hearing this, Su Wan'er's eyes widened in anger, and she questioned Sun Lan, "How did you take care of her?! Didn't I say that everything had to be absolutely perfect?! How could this happen?!"
Sun Lan knelt down with a thud, slapping her cheeks repeatedly as she cried out, "I... I don't know either... Uh... It's all my fault, I didn't take good care of Huan'er, I deserve to die!"
Su Wan'er was extremely anxious and had no time to blame her. She quickly said, "Alright, alright, don't blame yourself. I'll go with you to take a look!"
After saying that, Su Wan'er followed Sun Lan and hurriedly headed towards that remote and deserted place. Her steps were quick and her expression was solemn, filled with worry for Huan'er.
On this side: in a remote place, a dilapidated house, filled with a damp and rotten smell. The roof was broken in several places, and sunlight streamed through the cracks, forming beams of light of varying thickness, in which dust swirled and danced.
The room was empty except for a broken table with missing legs, barely propped up by bricks, on which were several chipped rough porcelain bowls, with some murky water stains remaining.
A few bundles of moldy straw were piled in the corner, serving as the only "furniture." The house was bare, revealing its desolation and bleakness.
Huan'er lay weakly on the bed, her face as pale as paper, devoid of any color, her hair soaked with sweat and clinging to her face. She struggled to sit up slightly, her movements so gentle as if afraid of disturbing the sleeping baby beside her.
Looking at the baby's rosy, wrinkled little face in the swaddling clothes, her eyes instantly softened, and she naturally radiated a motherly glow.
Her hand trembled as she reached out and gently stroked her child's face, as if touching the most precious treasure in the world. A weak yet blissful smile appeared on her lips as she murmured, "My child, you have finally come into this world. From now on, no matter how difficult the days may be, your mother will protect you and accompany you as you grow up." Her voice was soft, yet filled with boundless maternal love and unwavering determination.
Outside, Su Wan'er and Sun Lan's footsteps approached. With a creak, the dilapidated wooden door was slowly pushed open, and Sun Lan stepped into the house first, calling out eagerly, "Huan'er, I'm back!"
Huan'er heard the voice and struggled to look up. When she saw that it was Su Wan'er following behind Sun Lan, her already pale face turned even whiter. Her eyes widened in disbelief and shock, and she blurted out, "Your Highness?"
She instinctively tried to get up and bow, but her weak postpartum body wouldn't obey her commands. As soon as she moved slightly, she gasped in pain and fell heavily back onto the bed.
Seeing this, Su Wan'er quickly walked over, steadily supporting Huan'er with both hands. Her brows furrowed slightly, and she said softly with a face full of heartache, "Huan'er, no need for formalities, lie down quickly!"
Huan'er leaned against the bedside and asked weakly, "Why has the Princess come?"
Su Wan'er didn't answer immediately, but instead bent down to look at the baby in the swaddling clothes. The moment she saw the child, an uncontrollable excitement flashed in her eyes, and her hands trembled slightly as she reached out to gently stroke the baby's little face.
Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, which streamed down her cheeks as she murmured, "My child, my child..." She tried to suppress the surging emotions within her, but her trembling shoulders betrayed her overwhelming feelings.
After a while, Su Wan'er calmed down a bit and looked at Huan'er, her voice tinged with urgency: "Is this... a boy or a girl?"
Sun Lan spoke up first: "Your Highness, he's a man!"
Upon hearing this, Su Wan'er's face instantly lit up with a joyful smile, and she murmured to herself, "Hehe, I have a son, I have a son!"
Upon hearing these words, Huan'er's heart tightened, and a wave of sorrow washed over her. She silently looked at the child, her eyes filled with reluctance and helplessness.
Su Wan'er slowly stretched out her hands, her movements as gentle as if she were holding a rare treasure, and carefully lifted the child from the swaddling clothes.
She held the child tightly in her arms, lowered her head slightly, her eyes full of tenderness, and carefully examined the child's little face inch by inch, as if she wanted to engrave this little face into her heart.
Tears welled up in her eyes, her lips trembled slightly, and she murmured excitedly, "My son, you've finally come! Do you know how long I've waited for you?"
Her voice had a strong nasal tone, full of the joy and emotion of becoming a new mother.
Then, she raised her head and looked at Huan'er lying on the bed, her face beaming with an unconcealed smile: "Huan'er, thank you! With this child, my position in the Prince's mansion will be as secure as Mount Tai. The Prince will definitely look at me differently, and I will finally no longer have to be subservient to others."
Huan'er opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but her throat felt like it was choked by something, and she swallowed the words back. Her eyes reddened slightly.
A hint of loneliness and reluctance flashed in her eyes, but Su Wan'er, who was overjoyed at the moment, did not notice Huan'er's strangeness at all. She was still immersed in the joy of her impending status as a mother because of her child, and was playing with the child in her arms.