The Marquis of Quling remained silent for a moment, then stepped toward Shen Shuangshuang, reaching out—but Xiang Meimei stopped him.
“Marquis, Shuangshuang is a young lady. You should avoid touching her. Besides, she’s very ill. If anything happens while you’re near her, how could that be proper?”
Her words struck a chord with the Marquis, who valued his own body highly. He immediately withdrew his hand and said in a deep voice, “Take her back to the courtyard and settle her in a clean room. When Master Zhang arrives, bring her directly to him.”
Lady Zhou wanted to argue, but the Marquis shot her a stern glare. “The reputation of the house comes first! If outsiders find out we treat our children harshly, where would my face be?”
Lady Zhou didn’t dare speak again, only scowling at Xiang Meimei as servants carried Shen Shuangshuang back to the Third Branch’s courtyard.
No sooner had she been placed in bed than Master Zhang arrived.
He checked her pulse, examined her tongue, and frowned. “Madam, Fifth Miss has caught a severe cold, compounded by extreme hunger, triggering a high fever. If treatment had been delayed even half a day, her foundational health could have been damaged, and her ability to bear children in the future might be affected.”
Everyone present froze at his words.
Xiang Meimei burst into tears. “Master Zhang, you must save my daughter! She’s so young. If she can’t bear children, how could she survive in the future?”
The Marquis’ face darkened. He cleared his throat. “Do your best to treat her. Anything you need—herbs, medicine—just ask.”
Master Zhang nodded and wrote a prescription. “I’ll gather the herbs immediately. After boiling them, Fifth Miss should drink the decoction hot. Use warm water to sponge her down and lower the fever. Additionally, she’s weak and must be properly nourished—chicken soup and bird’s nest cannot be skipped.”
The Marquis waved to his steward to fetch the herbs, then turned to Lady Zhou. “From today onward, the Third Branch’s monthly provisions are doubled. Take good care of Fifth Miss. If I hear of anyone mistreating the Third Branch again, I’ll deal with you myself!”
Lady Zhou clenched her teeth in compliance, inwardly seething against Xiang Meimei and Shen Shuangshuang.
Once everyone else had left, Shen Shuangshuang sat up in bed, sticking out her tongue. “Mom, how was my performance? When Master Zhang said I might not be able to bear children, I almost laughed out loud.”
“You scared me to death!” Xiang Meimei patted her. “But it worked. Your grandfather is fully on our side now.”
Shen Shuangshuang sipped some spiritual spring water, and her temperature quickly dropped.
Leaning against the headboard and gazing out the window, she said, “This is only the first step. Shen Jiaojiao won’t give up easily. By the way, Dad—how’s he doing?”
Just then, Shen Yaozong’s voice was heard outside, whining: “Ouch… my waist… it hurts so much…”
They hurried out and saw him sprawled on the bed, face contorted in pain.
“Dad, what’s wrong?” Shen Shuangshuang checked his wound. “Is the spring water not working?”
“It’s working, don’t worry. It doesn’t hurt at all.” He opened his eyes, sneaking a smile. “I’m just performing for the others. When the steward brought the monthly provisions, I made sure to call out loud.”
Xiang Meimei rolled her eyes. “You’re even better at acting than Shuangshuang. By the way, the Marquis just sent twenty taels of silver and said the Third Branch’s monthly provisions are now calculated at five taels each.”
“Five taels?” Shen Shuangshuang’s eyes lit up. “We can buy quite a few things with that. But we can’t spend recklessly; we need to save it for when it might be needed.”
For the next few days, Shen Shuangshuang stayed in the courtyard, pretending to recover.
Xiang Meimei made chicken soup every day, using spiritual spring water and free-range chickens from the space. Shen Shuangshuang’s health improved daily, and her complexion became rosy.
One evening, as Shen Shuangshuang brought a bowl of bird’s nest porridge to Xiang Meimei, she noticed something.
“Mom, isn’t your belly looking a little… too big?”
Gently touching her mother’s stomach, she said, “In the original memories, it wasn’t twins. Something feels off.”
Xiang Meimei sighed. “I’ve felt it too. The past few days, there seems to be movement on both sides—one kick on the left, another on the right.”
Shen Shuangshuang suddenly remembered the portable ultrasound in the space. She had bought it on a whim while stocking supplies, never expecting to use it now.
“Mom, come into the space with me. I’ll check.”
Inside, Shen Shuangshuang pulled out the ultrasound device.
When the screen lit up, both saw it clearly: two small gestational sacs resting safely in the uterus.
“Oh my god… twins!”
Xiang Meimei covered her mouth, tears welling in both joy and shock.
“Shuangshuang, we’re going to have two babies!”
Shen Shuangshuang was far calmer, frowning. “Mom, this is too dangerous in ancient times. Your body is weak, and it’s twins. You must be extremely careful. From now on, except for going to the toilet, you must stay in bed. I’ll take care of everything—eating, drinking, even your bathroom needs.”
“That’s overkill,” Xiang Meimei laughed, patting her hand. “I’ve seen many twin births in hospitals. As long as you take care, there’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s different!” Shen Shuangshuang panicked. “No cesareans in ancient times. What if complications arise? I have the anesthetic and surgical tools in the space, but I’ve never actually used them!”
Just then, Shen Yaozong entered the space for water. Hearing this, he hurried over.
“Twins? Really?”
Learning it was true, he was even more anxious than Xiang Meimei. “Listen to Shuangshuang. You must stay in bed. Don’t worry about anything at home.”
From that day, the Third Branch’s courtyard entered a state of “top-level alert.”
Shen Shuangshuang pulled out prenatal milk powder and folic acid from the space, monitoring Xiang Meimei’s intake daily.
Shen Yaozong took charge of “watch duty,” loudly coughing whenever outsiders approached to alert the house.
That night, after tucking Xiang Meimei into bed, Shen Shuangshuang quietly returned to the space.
Sitting on the warehouse steps, she stared at the mountains of modern supplies, troubled.
Cartons of instant noodles bore cartoon designs, shampoo bottles were bright blue, even soy sauce barrels read “XX Brand Soy Sauce.” These items could never be used openly in the Marquisate.
“We need to stock items usable in ancient times,” she thought. “The original memories don’t say when the house will be ransacked, but I have a feeling it’s soon. Lady Zhou and Shen Jiaojiao are so arrogant, they might have offended some powerful figure.”
She touched the necklace around her neck and remembered the “teleport” feature of the space, which could move it within a one-kilometer radius.
“Perfect. I’ll take the space to town tonight and stock up.”
Acting immediately, Shen Shuangshuang pulled out an old set of coarse cloth male clothes for Shen Yaozong, tied her hair into a ponytail, and darkened her face with ash—looking exactly like a delicate little servant.