Mrs. Bai, however, did not relax because of Bai Suihe’s words, "He Er, is that son-in-law really reliable?"

She now started to suspect, could it be that this foolish daughter of hers was deceived by the son-in-law?

Taking out all the silver at the bottom of the chest to purchase supplies and then handing them over to the son-in-law, how could this not be imprudent?

"..." Bai Suihe blinked her eyes, realizing it’s not easy to be the scapegoat, even her character was being questioned.

"You, you’re just too kind-hearted, you shouldn’t have hurried to let people do these things." Mrs. Bai became increasingly convinced that her suspicion was correct, "It’s essential to be cautious of others, if preparations need to be made, shouldn’t it be the Gu Mansion’s own expense?"

Bai Suihe did not expect the excuse she came up with yesterday to have such a big flaw, "Mother, you make a good point, but the silver is already spent, what should we do now?"

"Here’s what we’ll do," Mrs. Bai felt both frustrated at her daughter’s naivete and glad she came today, "Didn’t you send someone to your villa? Tell those attendants to guard it, don’t rush to hand over the supplies to your son-in-law."

In truth, Mrs. Bai wasn’t focused on those thousands of taels of silver, she just wanted her daughter to learn to be cautious. Even a pillow partner shouldn’t be fully entrusted.

Initially, she thought a disaster was imminent, but now she was beginning to doubt if there were other motives behind the son-in-law’s actions.

"Mother, don’t worry, the truth of the matter will be clear in less than half a month. If nothing happens then, aren’t there still a few shops under my name not rented out? We’ll use them as general stores."

Never did Bai Suihe expect Mrs. Bai to be suspicious of Gu Kaiyuan, and now she could only let him take the blame.

Gu Kaiyuan, who set out early to travel, sneezed several times, prompting Lin Hua and Lin Wei outside the carriage to stop immediately, "Master, have you caught a cold? There’s a town up ahead, should we stop by a pharmacy?"

Gu Kaiyuan shook his head, "My health is fine, let’s keep going. Let’s try to reach the city by afternoon."

Near their destination, Gu Kaiyuan knew the situation couldn’t be changed, so he planned to make preparations early.

The conversation with Bai Suihe eased Mrs. Bai’s worries a bit. The ten thousand taels of silver notes she initially brought were not taken out, and if her foolish daughter was deceived, she’d have something to fall back on.

Seeing the swelling belly, the topic shifted, "How’s the baby in your belly? Is everything alright with your body?"

Bai Suihe gently touched her stomach, her face brightening, "The baby is doing well, quite considerate to his mother."

"That’s good. It’s time to prepare the wet nurse and midwife, perhaps I should casually mention this when I visit the old madam later to ensure everything’s ready in advance."

Mrs. Bai felt even more dissatisfied with the Gu Mansion; within a few months, a child will be born, yet nothing had been prepared in advance.

"How about letting Nanny Wu come over to assist you for a while? After all, she’s someone I trust and having her by your side would ease my concerns."

"Mother, Nanny Wu is an old hand by your side and still helps with so many outside matters. Having her here would be somewhat beneath her.

Don’t worry, we have Dongmei and others, and I’m planning to promote a few attendants from the suite."

Bai Suihe knew Mrs. Bai couldn’t do without Nanny Wu and since she’s not the original host, she could fool Dongmei and Chunxiang, but dared not show her flaws in front of Nanny Wu.

"As long as you know how to handle it, just act cautiously in the future. Should the Gu Mansion indeed face difficulty, how could I not support you?

You’re pregnant now, don’t overthink."

Looking again at Bai Suihe’s belly, Mrs. Bai sighed inwardly, knowing concern can often lead to chaos, and perhaps He Er is being paranoid due to her pregnancy.

Once the child is born, everything will be fine; she dared not stir Bai Suihe further, lest it backfires.

Bai Suihe was unaware of Mrs. Bai’s internal musings. After chatting for a while, the two had a meal together, and then Mrs. Bai took her leave to return home.

Mrs. Bai had responsibilities at the Bai Mansion to attend to as the matriarch, so she couldn’t stay long.

After seeing her out of the mansion, Bai Suihe returned to her courtyard, letting out a deep sigh, knowing this might be their last meeting as mother and daughter.

"Miss, would you like to rest?" Dongmei cleared the table of pastries and replaced them with a platter of fruits; ever since the pregnancy, the lady loved the fragrance of fruits.

"Yes, rest. You all have been busy all day; you don’t need to stay around to serve me." Bai Suihe knew the two maids had been running around without a break.

"Allow me to assist you to rest," Dongmei insisted, recalling the physician’s advice that pregnant women should rest more, although Miss seemed somewhat uncooperative.

...

On returning home, Mrs. Bai immediately summoned Nanny Wu, "You must be attentive to the eldest miss during these days, agree with whatever she wants to do."

Nanny Wu, "...Madam?"

"That silly girl is probably just showing some pregnancy symptoms, usually, she tends to overthink. Just go along with it, I’m still counting on her to give me a clever grandchild."

Despite her words, she secretly approved of making contingency plans, just in case the Gu Family truly faced difficulties and her daughter needed a way out.

Supporting her head in frustration, she could only feel resentment towards Mr. Bai, if he had listened to her then, settling on a family equally matched, life would not be so difficult.

With so many rules at the Gu Family, they turned a once carefree girl into someone with a different temperament.

Thinking about becoming a grandmother, Mrs. Bai’s eyes shone with anticipation, her daughter and son-in-law are both attractive, and their child is bound to be good-looking; perhaps Mrs. Gu would soften seeing the child.

☆

Mrs. Bai’s visit today became the topic of conversation throughout the Gu Mansion.

Servants who received her gifts were all smiles while those who missed out regretted it, planning to ensure a chance meeting the next time she visits.

Xu Yulan toyed with the bracelet in her hand, initially joyful, but hearing the servants’ discussions left her feeling uncomfortable.

As another married daughter, her own family would scour her for valuable items every time they visited, unlike Ms. Bai, casually gifting a bracelet worth hundreds of taels.

"Second madam," Bicao, having received gifts from both sides today, donned all her new earrings and rings; this reward was the most lavish since joining the second madam’s service.

"The sun’s setting, should I fetch a cloak for you?"

"No need, I’m heading back," Yulan glanced at Bicao, preparing to leave, her eyes shifted, "Bicao, suddenly I feel a little stomachache?"

Bicao immediately looked worried, "Second madam, I’ll fetch the doctor right away."

"Help me back to my courtyard first," Yulan appeared weak, "It might just be my period arriving early, but the pain is unbearable."

Given Bicao’s limited strength alone, she called over some nearby maids to help cautiously escort Xu Yulan back.