HCB Chapter 259 Rebirth
Chapter 259 Rebirth
Before anyone in the room could react, Qiu Rui, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, grabbed Qiao Qingshu's hand and smiled.
"Shu'er, you're pregnant! That's wonderful!"
Qiao Qingshu also snapped out of her daze and muttered to herself,
"Pregnant? I'm pregnant?"
She couldn't help but look at Xiao Zhijie, only to see that he was somewhat excited. He stepped forward and grabbed Qiao Qingshu's arm, laughing.
"Yes, we have a child, Qingshu!"
He excitedly stood up again and gave Qiao Anlan a hug.
Qiao Anlan clapped her hands with a joyful expression.
"Great! Great! Today is truly a double celebration! This is wonderful!"
Everyone inside burst into laughter.
At this moment, Qiao Qingqiao and Zhou Quanshu, a married couple who had just arrived, also rushed to the backyard.
As soon as she entered the house, Qiao Qingqiao asked with great concern,
"How is my older sister? Is she alright?"
Standing at the door, Qiao Anlan said with a grin,
"Second sister, it's alright. Shu'er is just like you."
Qiao Qingqiao frowned, puzzled, and asked in confusion,
"What do you mean by that, brother? What do you mean, 'same as me'?"
Qiao Anlan pointed to Qiao Qingqiao's already protruding belly and laughed, but Qiao Qingqiao was still stunned and didn't understand.
Zhou Quanshu, however, understood and said with a smile,
"Madam, my elder brother must mean that your sister Shu is also pregnant."
Qiao Qingqiao was startled and hurried to the bedside, grasping Qiao Qingshu's hand and asking in disbelief,
"Is it really true?"
Qiao Qingshu nodded shyly, while Qiao Qingqiao clapped her hands excitedly.
"Great, great, great! This is wonderful!"
She touched her own big belly, then reached out and touched Qiao Qingshu's still flat stomach, and couldn't help but smile.
Everyone inside was beaming with joy.
When they left the Qiao family, Xiao Zhijie supported Qiao Qingshu almost every step of the way, and even when they arrived at the Xiao family's gate, he wouldn't let her get down and walk on her own.
Instead, he picked her up horizontally and carried her straight back to his own yard.
Qiao Qingshu was a little embarrassed and buried her head in Xiao Zhijie's neck.
After settling Qiao Qingshu to sleep, Xiao Zhijie stayed by her side almost every step of the way, covering her with a blanket and watching her sleeping face.
He was overjoyed and grateful, feeling that all of this was truly hard-won.
every other day
Xiao Zhijie and Qiao Qingshu went to the small bamboo forest to tell their parents the good news.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw Huan'er and Jiu'er packing their luggage. Qiao Qingshu went into the house with some confusion and saw Bai Chanzi also packing her luggage.
She stepped forward and asked.
"Mother, where are you going?"
Just then, Qiao Jishen happened to come in from outside carrying a package and continued the conversation.
"Your mother and I plan to travel the world, so as to avoid spending our days in the bamboo forest year after year."
Although the bamboo forest is serene, it can become quite boring after a while.
Bai Chanzi smiled and took Qiao Qingshu's hand, saying...
“Good child, your mother and father have finally been together, and we cherish this time together. We hope to spend the rest of our lives together more happily.”
Qiao Qingshu nodded. Her parents were in good health and at the right age. If they could travel and enjoy the scenery, it would truly be a great pleasure in life.
How could she possibly stop her? She said with a smile.
“I completely agree, it’s a very good idea.”
Bai Chanzi asked again.
"Is there something you need from my mother today?"
Qiao Qingshu naturally wouldn't hide anything and said directly,
"I'm just pregnant and wanted to tell my parents the good news."
Qiao Jishen was still packing his things when he hurriedly dropped them and came over, saying excitedly,
"Really? Shu'er, you're pregnant?"
Bai Chanzi was overjoyed and grabbed her hand.
"Good boy, are you really pregnant?"
Xiao Zhijie put his arm around Qiao Qingshu's waist, pulled her closer, and laughed.
"Yes, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Shu'er is already over a month old."
Qiao Jishen suddenly looked at Bai Chanzi and said,
"Chanzi, shall we go?"
Bai Chanzi hesitated. Her daughter was pregnant, and she naturally wanted to be by her side. It was the young girl's first pregnancy, and she was bound to have a lot to know. She couldn't rest easy without a woman by her side to take care of her.
Qiao Qingshu interrupted them,
"No, no, no, you should still leave. Pregnancy is nothing to worry about. The Xiao family has a lot of maids and servants who can't even take care of you all. You don't need to worry about it."
Bai Chanzi hesitated for a moment, then said...
"Let's not go yet. This is your first pregnancy, and you're not even three months along yet. Let me help you settle the baby in first."
Seeing that her mother insisted on staying, Qiao Qingshu had no choice but to back down and say...
"Then you can leave once the baby is settled in its position."
Qiao Jishen then spoke up,
“Alright, we’ll go out once Shu’er’s pregnancy is stable, and we’ll come back to help when Shu’er is about to give birth.”
After much discussion, both sides agreed to the proposal.
Just then, Xiao Caiwei came in from outside and overheard their conversation. She went up to offer her congratulations.
Qiao Qingshu noticed that although Xiao Caiwei had a smile on her face, a faint sadness appeared in her eyes.
She glanced at Bai Chanzi, who whispered,
"We've already tried to persuade them, please try again."
After saying this, everyone left, leaving only Xiao Caiwei and Qiao Qingshu, the husband and wife.
The bodies of the Empress and Consort Xiande were barely cold when the old emperor began selecting embroiderers from across the country and successively bestowed titles upon several concubines.
Throughout history, emperors have been known for their ruthlessness; those at the pinnacle of power seem to be cold-hearted.
Consort Xiande's palace was occupied by Consort Yu, who was originally Consort Yu, and Consort Yu was even promoted to the rank of Virtuous Consort.
The loneliness and sorrow in Xiao Caiwei's eyes must have stemmed from this.
Qiao Qingshu opened her mouth as if to say something, but Xiao Caiwei instead spoke up with a smile.
"In retrospect, it was a wise move for me to fake my death and leave the palace. No matter how many days and nights of passionate love I shared, it could not win back the king's unchanging heart. I have long seen through it all."
Xiao Caiwei's face showed both weariness and relief after experiencing countless trials.
“He loves me, I believe, but I doubt that love is much. After all, there are three thousand beauties in the harem, how many can I have? When I first entered the palace and met him, I was just a young girl, and I promised to be with him for life. But the older I get and the more I see, the more absurd that idea is.”
With a soft sigh, Xiao Caiwei continued,
"Fortunately, I have come to my senses and have been reborn."
He turned to look at Xiao Zhijie, a smile appearing on his face.
"My son, will you blame your mother?"
Xiao Zhijie shook his head. He had long seen through his mother's helplessness. Whether it was switching her out of the palace or faking her death later, his mother had her reasons.
He knew his mother loved him, and that was enough.
A hint of heartache appeared on his face.
"Mother, what can your son do for you?"
Xiao Caiwei's dim eyes suddenly lifted, and a bright smile appeared on her face.
"When I was a young lady in the Xiao family, I loved medicine. I studied under an old doctor for three years. If I hadn't been selected to enter the palace, I would definitely have practiced medicine. Now that I think about it, I don't know anything else, so it would be better to be a country doctor."