A Good Country Wife

The doctor checked Zhao Lingxiang’s pulse and clearly sensed something amiss, but someone had already cautioned him beforehand, so he dared not speak carelessly. He casually mentioned, "From the pulse, it seems the mistress is somewhat weak, showing signs of a possible miscarriage. She needs to be well taken care of, as there is already a child in her womb. She must be more cautious in her actions and cannot afford to be too casual. She must particularly avoid any extreme joy, anger, or impatience, etc."

The doctor went into detail about other prohibitions and instructed Zhao Lingxiang on matters to pay attention to on a daily basis, then followed the servant outside to prescribe medicine.

The doctor’s diagnosis made the head of the Wei Family suspect that Mistress Zhao had brought this near-miss with the child upon herself. Previously, when the doctor checked her pulse, both the mistress and the child in her womb were said to be healthy. Now all of a sudden, there was an issue. He had already disagreed with Mistress Zhao showing off in front of the other women in the backyard every day, the fact that she did not take proper care of her health. Being pregnant, yet still competing with the other women in the backyard, attending tea parties, had led to her current condition.

When the head of the Wei Family saw Zhao Lingxiang lying weakly in bed, far from offering comfort, he scolded her harshly. Only after he confined her to her room did he depart with his wife. As Madame Wei left, she cast a disdainful glance at Zhao Lingxiang, deeming such a brainless woman unworthy of competing with her.

After Zhao Lingxiang became pregnant, she was treated much better. Members of the Wei Family often went to the Wei Residence to check on her, but with the household in such turmoil these days, and with urgent pressures leaving no time to spare, they had no idea that something had happened to Zhao Lingxiang. Now, they were all focused on catching the thief. Moreover, ever since Zhao Jingen had taken that fall, his health had worsened. Despite attentive care from Zhao Dahuo and his wife, Zhao Jingen could sometimes get out of bed, but mostly he was confined to it, struggling even with self-care, let alone working in the fields as he used to. Madame Wei had even started to worry herself grey.

The thief who stole money on the night of Zhao Xingxin’s wedding was never caught, and after that, strange things kept occurring in the Zhao Family’s old house. Items would go missing every few days. At first, they thought it was a mistake, assuming objects had been misplaced or lost, but as it continued, they realized something was amiss. Today something would be missing from the house, tomorrow another item. Even Fragrant Soap and earrings, and other small items frequently vanished—truly bizarre.

Furthermore, everyone noticed a pattern: whenever something went missing, Madame Chen, Zhao Xing’s wife, was often nearby. It was difficult for people not to suspect her, especially since these odd occurrences had started after she married into the family.

However, despite the suspicions, as a newlywed in the family, it wasn’t easy to make any accusations, particularly since Zhao Xing was protective of his wife, to the point where not even his mother could lightly criticize her, let alone anyone else. If Zhao Xing knew of their suspicions, it would certainly cause a commotion, unless tangible evidence was found. But Madame Chen was cunning—perhaps aware that she was under suspicion—she acted with great caution, never giving anyone grounds for accusation. Madame Jin even secretly searched through Madame Chen’s trunk, finding nothing at all, leaving everyone uncertain if it was a mistake or perhaps the thefts weren’t actually Madame Chen’s doing.