It's time for dinner.

Since the war, Liu Dingmao went to the government every once in a while to be busy, and the eldest lady simply instructed the housekeeper to change the dining rules of the house, so that there was no need to wait for the master to come back, and there was no need for everyone to get together to eat.

Lan Rui carried the food that belonged to their Shuanghe Garden, a large wooden tray, a clay pot on the plate, half a jar of green vegetables and coarse rice porridge in the crockpot, and two small coarse rye flour steamed buns. That's all for the meal.

When she passed by Lan Xin in the middle courtyard and Lan Ju in Mu Fengju, Lan Rui saw that their plates were full of food, and there were even braised colorful phoenixes, dry pot buns and other precious food. It's just that there are few and simple ones for Shuanghe Garden, where is this for a pregnant woman to eat, that is, she, a little girl, may not be able to barely coax her stomach to eat alone.

Lan Rui didn't dare to say anything, entered the house, put the plate on the table, served a bowl of soup while it was hot, tore up the steamed buns and soaked them in the soup, and brought them to the third aunt's pillow to feed her.

The third aunt slowly opened her eyes and sniffed the food, "It's cabbage and clear water porridge again, and it's coarse steamed buns again?"

Lan Rui held back the tears in her eyes, "Third aunt, no matter what it is, let's fill our stomachs first." You can't starve your little brother. ”

The third aunt was too stunned, closed her eyes and thought about it, opened her eyes, and smiled bitterly: "This child, I'm afraid it's hard to protect - why hasn't the master come here for a few days?"

Lan Rui was a little surprised, and quickly wiped her tears, "Master, my lord is busy, I heard that the war in the southwest is getting tighter and tighter, and the government is forcing people like us to contribute money, the master is old, and there is no young son who can go to the battlefield, so he can only pay money to eliminate the disaster, and he has already paid twice for silver, and the eldest lady is on fire for this, saying that sooner or later the Liu family will be all scavenged clean - no, she specially ordered the kitchen to reduce the food in each room, saying that the rich will be poor, and the water will flow for a long time." ”

At this time, a trace of resentment flashed in Lan Rui's good-looking eyes: "She said so nicely, why is the food in their middle courtyard still so good? I just saw several tables of rice brought in, and Aunt Jiu is there, it's not just a big fish and big meat! It's just that you can bully us people! Others are just fine, but she knows that you are pregnant, how can you reduce the food, isn't it ......?"

The third aunt's eyes flashed with a layer of hope: "What about Mother Qiao, does she have any news? She has been gone for a few days, and it is said that she should have arrived at that place a long time ago——"

Lan Rui shook her head: "No news." The slave is worried now, this Qiao mother will not lose our money and run away, so she didn't go to the dumb aunt at all. ”

"No, it won't. The third aunt shook her head too much, her eyes firm, "She will go to the dumb aunt." Because her son still needs help. Besides, our little silver is not worth it for Mama Qiao. I'm just worried now, that place is too far away, Qiao's mother is a woman's family, and there is chaos outside, and it is not easy for her to find that place. I can't afford to wait here—"

As he spoke, he reached out and touched his stomach.

The child sat quietly in her belly.

The third aunt was a little surprised: "Lan Rui, why hasn't the child moved in the past two days? He suddenly stopped kicking me, and he didn't turn over?" Could it be ......?"

"He must be tired - he also wants to take a good rest! This kid hurts people, and he is also afraid that you will be tired, and he knows that you can't eat well, so he also saves some energy, and is reluctant to toss his mother!" Lan Rui hurriedly explained.

The third aunt smiled too much, squeezing out a bitter smile on her pale face, "I hope so." ”

Two coarse noodle steamed buns and half a can of clear soup were all eaten and drunk by the third aunt.

After eating, the third aunt found that Lan Rui hadn't eaten.

"The slave and maid ate it in the kitchen. Lan Rui hurriedly explained, pretending to be very full and wiping her mouth.

"That's good. The third aunt laughed too much, "But why do I still feel hungry? After drinking this clear soup and cabbage, my stomach will swell for a while, and I will feel more and more hungry." ”

Lan Rui forced back the tears surging in her eyes, "That means that the brother in your belly is strong and is competing with you for food." When Ming'er is born, he must be a good brother with a future. ”

Lan Rui said and went out, sent the dishes to the kitchen, there was nothing to eat in the kitchen, she didn't dare to make it herself, there was hot water in the pot to wash the dishes and chopsticks, she scooped up and drank four large bowls, felt that her stomach was full, and then rushed back to Shuanghe Garden.

In the middle of the night, the third aunt turned over and shouted to Lan Rui: "Is there anything else to eat? I'm so hungry!"

Lan Rui climbed up, turned over a little violently, and there was a burst of flowers in front of her eyes, and her eyes were full of gold stars.

Lan Rui held her head and rested, got up and took a bowl of cold water, "Third aunt, it's the middle of the night, and if you want to eat, you have to wait until dawn to start breakfast, let's drink some water to suppress hunger first, okay?"

The clear water poured into the lips of the third aunt, she slowly drank a few sips, and the clear water slowly flowed out along the corners of her mouth.

"I'm so hungry—" The third aunt sighed and muttered, "Go and see, has the master come back—have you inquired, does Mother Qiao have a letter? Why hasn't she come back? Lan Rui, I can't live for her to come back, right?"

Lan Rui's eyes were filled with tears, she was so hungry than the third aunt that she couldn't stand still.

"The master is back, but he has already rested in Mufengju. You know that Aunt Jiu is too domineering, and she doesn't allow others to disturb her in the middle of the night, and most of them will be driven out-as long as Mother Qiao has news, the slave will definitely tell you as soon as possible-"

The third aunt squirmed too much, and suddenly shouted: "Take a look, am I red?

Lan Rui knelt down and reached out to touch it, raised a hand from the quilt, and looked close to the light, her little white hand was slimy and full of blood.

"Ahh

"I can't keep it—I knew I couldn't keep it—" The third aunt sighed as she gritted her teeth.

"The slave and maid go and beg the master! Find the doctor to take a look-" Lan Rui got up, but after taking three steps, she was dizzy and slowly fell down.

When Lan Rui woke up again, she crawled to the third aunt's pillow, it was already dark outside, and by the bright light, Lan Rui saw that the third aunt's face was like gold paper, but her eyes were open, and she even squeezed out a little smile: "It's gone—I couldn't keep him." Don't cry, we're going to live – we have to live. ”

She was so weak that she closed her eyes when she finished speaking.

Lan Rui took out a small fetus from the third aunt's bed, because of the extreme malnutrition recently, the child was very thin, and the small body was already cold and hard.

Lan Rui wrapped the child in a ball of silk and put it on the table, her eyes were dizzy again, she felt in a daze that she should go to the master, tell him the news of the third aunt's miscarriage, and should go to the kitchen to serve food, breakfast time should be up, if you don't miss the meal, you have to be hungry until dinner...... But she was too tired to get up and walk.

Unexpectedly, Master Liu came to Shuanghe Garden by himself.

When he pushed the door in, he saw two sleeping master and servant.

Then the doctor was also invited.

After some diagnosis and treatment, the doctor came to a conclusion: "The third aunt is too weak and her qi and blood are too deficient, which leads to the miscarriage of the child." Now the child is gone, but the third aunt is too fine, as long as she takes care of herself, she will get better. ”

Bird's nest porridge was delivered from the kitchen.

Lan Rui knelt beside the pillow with tears in her eyes and fed the third aunt.

"Didn't you keep telling you to take care of your body, how could you be like that?" Liu Dingmao looked at the third aunt and asked, there was pity in his tone, but there was also a little bit of complaint, he saw that the dead child was a boy, he felt regretful, and a boy was not saved.

"Master, are you blaming the concubine for not being able to keep the child?" the third aunt asked suddenly.

Liu Dingmao shook his head in distress, "Don't think nonsense, just take care of it." You're still young, it's not too late to take care of your body and conceive another one. ”

After saying that, Master Liu got up and left, and Mu Fengju's maid came to say that Brother Bao woke up, and he didn't see the old man crying and refused to eat.

The old man left, and Lan Rui's tears finally couldn't help falling big ones. "Third aunt, why don't you tell the master, it's the eldest lady who withholds rations, and the little brother in your belly is starving to death!"

The third aunt raised her hand to wipe Lan Rui's face, and she could still laugh: "What are you crying for? It's useless! You can see how ruthless this man is! Now that the matter has come to this, what's the use of me just telling him the truth? If he really feels sorry for me, after the last accident, he should ask me every day to care about me and tell his subordinates not to treat me harshly. But he didn't do it, the one in the middle courtyard was his original partner, he couldn't afford to mess with it, Mu Fengju was the new favorite and gave birth to a son, and he had to accompany him day and night. Only a person like me is a mustard-like existence, where does he cherish me today, he just feels sorry for the blood of his Liu family. I suddenly understood, and I felt that she was right, we are women, and we are really unreliable to consolidate our lifelong happiness by giving birth to men. I'm not going to give him any more children, I'm going to live on my own. ”

Lan Rui nodded, tears falling like rain, but squeezed out a relieved smile, "The slave also understands, it is useless to blindly endure, we can only put our lives into it in the end! As long as we get better quickly and raise our bodies to be strong and solid, we will have a chance." ”

The third aunt nodded too and began to eat bird's nest in a big gulp.