Aristocratic families value face, and there aren't many families that would be so foolish as to have a bastard before the wife gets married. However, it is common to have three or five servants around him. In this era, having only one maid before marriage can be considered a good man, but it is precisely because he is a good man that he will unconsciously want to get more.
Hua Zhi understood Hua Qin's discomfort, but as a modern person she didn't know how to persuade her to accept or resist. If she accepted it, she would feel aggrieved. If she resisted, how could a person resist the world? When she was engaged to Shen Qi, wasn't she also planning to be a virtuous wife in line with the times
But the premise is that she has no romantic feelings for Shen Qi. If Yan Xi wants to take a concubine in the future... they will probably just break up.
Hua Zhi's mind wandered when she thought of that man. Did he, like other men, think that having a concubine was the normal life
"Eldest sister, what should I do?"
Hua Zhi was brought back to her senses by the whispers in her ear. She was silent for a moment before she said, "Ask your brother-in-law what he thinks. If he cares about you, why would he have other thoughts when you are feeling uncomfortable during your pregnancy? If he has this idea himself and you can stop him today but not in the future, then it is not worth it for you to become embarrassed for him. Of course, if you want to be a virtuous wife, I support you."
Hua Qin sat up straight and stared at her elder sister. She thought her elder sister would be angry and feel sorry for her...
Hua Zhi smiled and said, "There are many things in this world that are within human reach, but there are also a few things that even the most capable people cannot do, such as making two people fall in love, or making one person absolutely loyal to another. We can only control our own hearts. When someone else's heart is willing to be given to you, it is yours. If he wants to take it back one day, you can't keep it. But there is one thing we can definitely do."
Hua Zhi gathered her confused cousin's hair and said gently, "We can love ourselves more. Only when we have more love can we have more energy to love others and withstand the hurt."
Hua Qin's eyes lit up, "If I love myself, I don't want to take a concubine for him."
"Then I won't accept it."
"But my mother-in-law will say that I am jealous and unvirtuous, and I will be in a difficult situation in the Cai family."
"So what? Which woman dares to say that she is not jealous? Who doesn't want to be loved by her husband alone? If you have a hard time because of this reason, it only means that your man doesn't care about you. If he cares about you enough, he will say that he doesn't agree to take a concubine. How can the Cai family blame you? If he lets you bear all this alone, it means that he wants to take a concubine. If a man wants to have a beautiful woman with red sleeves, can you stop him? Since it is a matter of time, why bother to stop him? It is better to fulfill his wish and let yourself go."
Hua Qin stared at her elder sister blankly, thinking that what she said was too reasonable, but also too cunning. She lowered her head and touched her belly, which had not yet shown, and said, "I have a child..."
"Well, you have a child."
"With a child, my position will be unshakable."
"… kindness."
"I can have more children..." Hua Qin's tears fell, and she raised her head, "But children are children, not my husband."
Hua Zhi sighed, walked forward, embraced her and patted her gently but didn't know what to say. She was already meddling too much and couldn't interfere with Hua Qin's decisions anymore. This was her life and she had to make all the decisions herself so that she wouldn't regret it.
Tears soaked through her clothes, and the warm feeling on her shoulders was not pleasant. Hua Zhi couldn't let a pregnant woman be too distressed, so she brought up a topic that Hua Qin couldn't help thinking about, "The midwife that Fourth Aunt hired when she gave birth was very good. I'll ask someone to invite her. If she can be with you now, that would be the best. Even if not, you need to set a time. As for the wet nurse, I'll ask someone to find one later. Is the one in your brother-in-law's room honest?"
Hua Qin's crying stopped unconsciously, but her voice was still choked with sobs, "I don't care about your little tricks."
"Where are the other members of the Cai family?"
“There are always some.”
Hua Zhi nodded, not surprised. "Ask Qingxiang to go back and ask your mother or grandmother for two trustworthy maids. You are a twin now, so you can be more careful. The Cai family can't say anything to you. If you have any minor illness, try not to take medicine. It's harmful to the child. I'll ask Shaoyao to visit you every once in a while."
Hua Qin nodded repeatedly. She had never seen Shaoyao, but this name had long been known throughout the Hua family. They all knew that she was a female doctor with superb medical skills.
Hua Zhi gave some detailed instructions, and Hua Qin's uneasiness gradually disappeared after her elder sister's series of arrangements, and her mood also calmed down.
It was already late, but the rain showed no sign of stopping. Hua Zhi could no longer stay, so she stood up and said, "If anything happens, send someone to find me anytime. Don't panic. For the sake of the child, you have to be open-minded. Only when you are well can the child be well."
"Yes, I understand."
"I'm going back first. Just lie down. You don't need to send me off."
Hua Qin, who was about to throw off the quilt and get out of bed, obediently stretched her feet back to where they were, "Goodbye, elder sister."
Hua Zhi nodded and walked out the door. Nian Qiu opened the door, Qingxiang was guarding outside the house, and everyone else stepped away.
"Eldest sister."
Hua Zhi turned around.
"I'll think about what you said." Hua Qin forced a smile, "I know my elder sister won't hurt me, so what she said must make sense."
Hua Zhi's heart softened, "I'm glad you can let it go."
Not long after saying goodbye to Mrs. Cai, Cai Zhiming caught up with him. Hua Zhi was not surprised. Although she had only met him a few times, she could tell that he was not a bookworm.
"It's still early, brother-in-law, you don't need to see me off."
Cai Zhiming smiled bitterly, "Eldest sister knows exactly why I came here."
"I don't know, brother-in-law, you might as well explain it more clearly." Hua Zhi smiled faintly, her eyes were calm and indifferent, as if she really didn't know anything and didn't care.
What else could Cai Zhiming do? If it was his mother-in-law who came today, he would not be so nervous, but since it was the older girl who came, he spoke subconsciously more carefully. It was not that he was afraid of this person, but he knew that she could not be fooled. Even if he really wanted to find an excuse, he had to find a nice one. His mother-in-law could not do anything to him, but the older girl might not.
"Aqin... doesn't believe me." Once this sentence came out, the following words came out more smoothly, "I remember when she had her period, so I guessed a little about the days when she said she was not feeling well, but I can't be sure."
"Why doesn't she believe you?"
Cai Zhiming was silent for a moment, "She thinks too much..."
"It's because you didn't give her a sense of security that she instinctively distrusts you." Hua Zhi interrupted him, "You don't need to come to me to find out what Sister Qin said. I won't interfere in your affairs. But I want to remind my brother-in-law that the love between husband and wife is for a lifetime, and the respect between husband and wife is also for a lifetime. The decision of how to spend your life is in your hands."
Hua Zhi leaned forward and said, "Goodbye."