Different Fates for Expectant Mothers
The group quickly settled the matter: if Eugene Jr. and Belle really ended up together, they'd all help keep it a secret from Eugene Warren's parents.
But everyone knew in their hearts—Eugene Warren chasing after Belle was no easy feat. Whether it would work out in the end, no one could say for sure.
Night fell. Lily Evans first went to chat with Cynthia Wu. Mark Hunter said he'd already found a wet nurse in Clearwater City, ready to come over once the baby was born. The midwife was found by Margaret Evans in a neighboring village—just to be safe, she hired two, in case one couldn't make it at the last minute.
Baby clothes, diapers, all those things were prepared. Dr. Wu doted on his daughter, so there was no shortage of nourishing herbs. Cynthia Wu glowed with health and looked radiant, which put Lily Evans at ease.
Lily Evans always felt that childbirth in ancient times was terrifying. If there was a difficult labor and no way to do a caesarean, it could easily be a death sentence.
So these days, Lily Evans was especially nervous about Cynthia Wu.
"Lily, look at you—so nervous. If people didn't know better, they'd think I'm carrying your baby." Cynthia Wu watched Lily Evans checking all the birth supplies again, and if anything was missing, she'd immediately have Belle send someone to buy it.
"Well, isn't it my baby? When it's born, it'll have to call me godmother!" Lily Evans grinned, leaned in, and touched Cynthia Wu's belly. Suddenly, she felt a kick, stared in surprise, and said, "Wow, this kid! Not even born yet and already kicking their godmother—such a little rascal!"
"That's right, especially naughty—these past two days, it's been extra lively." Cynthia Wu stroked her belly and said, "My dad says, judging by the date, I'm almost due. This kid probably can't wait to meet their godmother."
Cynthia Wu was truly blessed—both her family and in-laws adored her, and her husband was reliable. She was happy beyond measure. But another pregnant woman in the village wasn't so lucky.
At the Evans family home, Lila Green, heavily pregnant, shut the door and hid away, sneakily counting the money her old flame made selling vegetables.
Muttering numbers to herself, Lila Green clumsily jotted them down in a little ledger.
She wasn't very literate—back when she worked in the brothel, she forced herself to learn a few poems to raise her value. Now, keeping accounts was a real challenge for her.
"Tsk, that old fool is actually honest enough—not pocketing my money! Heh, Lily Evans's family's business is a real goldmine, making this much. The whole Evans family are idiots, not getting into this trade. Serves them right to be poor forever!" Lila Green finished counting—two hundred and twenty coins, all earned in just a few days. She planned to save up enough copper to exchange it for silver in Clearwater City—smaller and easier to hide.
Outside, Helen Parker knocked on the door, her tone sour: "Hiding in the house all day and not working—what are you up to? Lazy daughter-in-law, come eat!"
Lila Green hid the coins, yanked open the door, and, clutching her belly, snapped at Mrs. Zhao: "What's with all the yelling? See this? This is the Evans family's precious great-grandchild! If you keep shouting and scare my son, you'll have me to answer to!"
After snapping at her mother-in-law, Lila Green barged into the dining room, belly out, not caring if the elders had arrived. She grabbed her chopsticks and started eating, quickly stuffing all the bits of meat on the table into her own mouth.
When Grandma Evans and Old Master Evans came in, they saw Lila Green shoving the last piece of meat into her mouth.
Grandma Evans was so furious she nearly fainted. That meat was something she'd shamelessly begged from Evans Sanyun's family—she hadn't even tasted a bite, and now Lila Green, that spendthrift granddaughter-in-law, had eaten it all.