Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 88

The matter began when Lu Yu promised Liu Yun that she would quit her job at the dockside warehouse once the house was sold.

Lu Yu even arranged for a middleman to view the house, but after the middleman inspected it, he told them the house could not be sold.

The house had been mortgaged to a pawnshop for a loan, so they had to first repay the loan and redeem the deed from the pawnshop before it could be sold.

At this point, Liu Yun had no choice but to drop the plan to sell the house for the time being, focusing instead on saving enough money quickly to repay the loan first.

She had considered asking Lu Sheng for a loan and returning the money after the house was sold, but after thinking it over, Liu Yun felt they had already troubled Lu Sheng many times and couldn’t bring herself to ask.

Since the house couldn’t be sold, and it was sitting empty, they might as well live in it themselves for now.

The thirtieth of June was an auspicious day, and Liu Yun and Lu Yu set it as the date for their move into the new house.

With Liu Yun pregnant, Lu Yu took charge of the move, even hiring two maids specifically to clean the house thoroughly, inside and out, without letting Liu Yun lift a finger.

After seeing off the cleaning maids, Liu Yun noticed the time and asked Lu Yu to go wash up and change into clean clothes.

Later that evening, Qi Nan and Lu Sheng would come over for a housewarming dinner.

While Lu Yu was bathing, Liu Yun meticulously looked around the room.

Although she had once wanted to sell the house, now that she was actually moving in, she still felt a sense of joy.

The maids had cleaned relatively well, but some corners were missed, especially the newly built bookshelves, which still had some dust that hadn’t been wiped clean.

Liu Yun took a cloth, removed the items from the bookshelf, wiped it again, and put the books back.

The reason Liu Yun was literate was that her father was a Xiucai (scholar), but her father had died of illness when she was eight. Later, her mother remarried, and her stepfather, to save up a dowry for his youngest daughter, sold Liu Yun to the Lu family for a marriage intended to ward off bad luck (Chongxi).

In previous years, whenever they had spare money after selling the grain, Liu Yun would buy a book. Some others were gifts from Lu Yu after she started working.

Liu Yun reorganized the books and saw a slightly yellowed small booklet of the Three Character Classic.

This book was the first one Liu Yun bought after selling grain in the second year of her marriage into the Lu family, specifically purchased to teach Lu Yu to read.

Recalling the past, the look in Liu Yun’s eyes softened unconsciously.

Although Lu Yu was mischievous as a child, she was very sensible and would rush to do any chore around the house she could manage.

Knowing her love for reading, Lu Yu once went up the mountain to dig out a wild bee’s nest, getting stung repeatedly, just to sell the honey to earn money to buy a book Liu Yun had long held back from buying.

The Three Character Classic booklet had many black fingerprints because the family couldn’t afford a brush. Liu Yun had burned fine tree branches, letting Lu Yu practice writing on the ground, and the black smudges were the charcoal ash Lu Yu had grabbed as a child.

Lu Yu was quick-witted and learned to read quickly, but stopped after only learning the characters. She claimed she didn’t like reading, but Liu Yun knew it was because the family didn’t have money for her to continue.

Most of the Lu family’s money had been spent on treating Lu Yu’s elder brother’s illness. After her mother-in-law passed away, the family was left with only a dilapidated thatched cottage and two mu of land.

The yield from just the two mu of land was only barely enough for Lu Yu and Liu Yun to eat and stay warm. To also support Lu Yu’s studies would have made life very difficult.

Faced with the choice between continuing her studies and going out to work early to earn money and lighten the family’s burden, Lu Yu chose the latter.

For over ten years, the two relied on each other, walking together until today. When Liu Yun looked back on those hard times, she always felt warmth and sweetness outweighed the hardship and bitterness.

But the moment she flipped open the booklet, Liu Yun’s heart turned cold.

Tucked inside the booklet was a land deed, a land deed without any loan or mortgage against it.

The location and size written on the deed were exactly for the place she was standing in right now.

Trembling, Liu Yun picked up the deed and looked at it again meticulously, unable to believe her eyes.

All the information matched, and the date on the deed was the day before Lu Yu had told her the house was mortgaged.

Lu Yu had lied to her!

This was a complete, unencumbered deed.

Lu Yu’s story about pawning the house for a fifty tael loan was all a lie!

Knowing that mortgaging the house was false, Lu Yu had gone to great lengths, even bringing a middleman to view the house, to trick her into believing the loan had to be repaid before the house could be sold.

Liu Yun, no matter how foolish, understood the reason behind it.

Realizing this, Liu Yun was overcome with anger, her vision went black, and she fainted.

Lu Sheng and Qi Nan had not yet reached Liu Yun’s door when they saw Lu Yu rushing out of the house, carrying Liu Yun on her back with a panicked expression.

Lu Yu’s outer garment was stained with spots of blood, and the Liu Yun on her back was pale.

“What’s wrong?!” Lu Sheng quickly stepped forward to ask.

“I… I don’t know, I, I don’t know either.”

After bathing, Lu Yu found Liu Yun collapsed on the ground, the lower half of her trousers soaked with blood. She was terrified out of her wits.

Seeing the blood seeping from the lower half of Liu Yun’s trousers, Lu Yu immediately understood.

Lu Yu was not very tall, and carrying Liu Yun was strenuous. Bumping her all the way to the clinic on her back would only worsen Liu Yun’s condition.

“You can’t do it like this. Quick, let Sister Nan carry Sister Yun. She has long legs and great strength, she’ll run faster.”

Qi Nan was quick to react. Before Lu Sheng could finish, she immediately took Liu Yun in her arms and ran all the way to the clinic.

At the clinic, the doctor’s expression changed even before taking her pulse, and he said directly, “The child probably won’t be saved.”

Lu Yu had been in a daze since leaving the house. Hearing the doctor’s words was like being struck by lightning.

The child was gone!

“Please check her quickly! We only need to save the mother, as long as the adult is safe.” Lu Sheng quickly asked, “Please prescribe any medicine needed, just save the person.”

With Lu Sheng’s urging, the doctor quickly took her pulse and prescribed medicine. “Fortunately, the pregnancy was not far along. The adult is fine, but a miscarriage is very taxing on the body and requires a good recovery.”

Hearing the doctor’s words, Lu Yu finally regained her composure and followed to pay the consultation fee and medicine costs.

The doctor prescribed two pills. After Lu Yu helped feed them to Liu Yun, she woke up in less than half an hour.

“Yun’er, are you awake?” Lu Yu tightly held Liu Yun’s hand, her eyes filled with distress. “Do you still feel uncomfortable anywhere?”

A sharp pain in her lower abdomen and the cold wetness between her legs made Liu Yun’s heart clench. She nervously asked, “The child, how is the child?”

Lu Yu dropped her head in shame.

A loud boom went off in Liu Yun’s head. Her vision turned white, and she couldn’t hear any sound.

The child was gone!

Her child was gone!!

“Yun’er, Yun’er, what’s wrong, don’t scare me.” Lu Yu’s voice was filled with a desperate cry.

After an unknown period, Liu Yun slowly began to see the surroundings clearly. She turned her head and looked directly at Lu Yu.

“Once you’ve recovered, we’ll try for another one.” Lu Yu quickly took her hand, comforting her gently.

Liu Yun did not reply, just looked at her quietly. Lu Yu felt a pang of panic under her gaze. “Yun’er?”

Liu Yun pulled her hand out of Lu Yu’s grasp, seemingly ignoring Lu Yu’s words. Her gaze passed over her and fixed on Lu Sheng behind her. “Xiao Sheng, could you take me in for a few days?”

She didn’t want to go back to that house right now, and she didn’t want to see Lu Yu.

“Yun’er, what are you saying?” Lu Yu was alarmed and reached out to grab her hand again, but Liu Yun avoided it.

Although Lu Sheng didn’t know what happened between the two, given the current situation, it was best to accommodate Liu Yun, who was the patient.

She pulled Lu Yu aside and advised, “She is too weak right now, don’t make her upset and harm her body further. Let her stay at my place for a couple of days. When she calms down, you can comfort her properly.”

Lu Yu looked at Liu Yun upon hearing this. Liu Yun was half-bowed, staring intently at her lower abdomen.

“Thank you, Sister Sheng.” Lu Yu averted her eyes and sighed heavily.

“Go home and find her two changes of clean clothes,” Lu Sheng instructed, seeing her state.

“Yes, yes!” Lu Yu nodded repeatedly and ran home.

Liu Yun was unable to get out of bed and walk around casually. Lu Sheng asked Qi Nan to help hire an ox-cart to take her back to her house.

Since Lu Sheng had moved into the main house, the East wing had been empty. Lu Sheng went to get quilts, and Lu Yu quickly helped arrange the bedding and helped Liu Yun wash up.

Liu Yun silently accepted the help. Once she was clean, she lay on the bed and closed her eyes, refusing to look at Lu Yu anymore.

Since leaving the clinic, Liu Yun had not spoken a word, except to thank Lu Sheng.

Lu Yu knew she didn’t want to see her. She sat in the room for a while, then went out and stood guard outside the courtyard gate.

As the sun was setting in the west, Lu Sheng went out and bought a hen to make chicken soup for Liu Yun.

Lu Sheng kept Qi Nan for dinner, and after they ate, she went to Lu Zheng’s house to pick up her daughter.

Liu Yun’s miscarriage meant she would need time to recover, which put Lu Sheng’s planned trip to Qingzhou on hold.

Early the next morning, Lu Sheng wrote a letter to Qi Zhenshu, briefly mentioning Liu Yun’s situation and that she would be delayed in coming to Qingzhou.

The Provincial Exam (Xiangshi) was scheduled for late August. Lu Sheng thought that if necessary, she would wait until August to go to Qingzhou, stay for a longer period, and return after accompanying Qi Zhenshu through the exam.

By August, after Qi Zhenshu’s exam, the large Qu starter for the brewery should be ready for fermentation, and they could start brewing new wine. She would follow the process once, and the rest could be left to Lu Huacheng.

Finally, by waiting for the wine to be ready in March and September of the following year, the Lu Family Winery would truly have two signature wines that others could not easily replicate.

In the future, wherever Qi Zhenshu went as an official, she would be able to sell the Lu family’s wine there.

Lu Sheng handed the written letter to the delivery messenger. As soon as she returned home, she saw Lu Yu at the door.

Lu Yu’s eyes were dark, a clear sign she hadn’t slept well the previous night. Lu Sheng felt a pang of sympathy. “Have you had breakfast?”

Lu Yu paused, then gently shook her head.

“I made congee. You eat some first, then take a bowl to Liu Yun.”

“Thank you, Sister Sheng.” Lu Yu forced a smile, but it looked strained.

Having witnessed Lu Yu and Liu Yun’s journey since leaving Lu’er Village until now, Lu Sheng knew how difficult it had been.

Although Liu Yun hadn’t spoken, Lu Sheng had observed her disappointed attitude towards Lu Yu since yesterday and vaguely guessed that Liu Yun’s distress was not just about losing the child.

Half a month ago, Liu Yun had happily told Lu Sheng that Lu Yu was going to quit her job at the dockside warehouse.

But Lu Yu was still working as the warehouse supervisor. Lu Sheng suspected it had something to do with this.

“Lu Yu,” she called out, pausing.

Lu Yu turned her head.

“Have you encountered any trouble at the warehouse?” Lu Sheng asked tentatively.

If Governor Peng was truly the kind of person rumored, Lu Sheng felt that it wouldn’t be simple for Lu Yu to just quit.

Lu Yu paused again, then shook her head, denying it. “No.”

“Mm, that’s good then.” Lu Sheng looked at her, her expression serious. “If you do run into trouble, tell us. Many hands make light work; we can always find a good solution.”

Lu Sheng didn’t know how deeply involved Lu Yu was, but if she could help, she was willing to try.

“Thank you, Sister Sheng, I understand.” Lu Yu lowered her eyes slightly, avoiding Lu Sheng’s gaze.

Lu Sheng had said what she needed to say. She said no more and went inside to wake her daughter.

As she led her daughter out, just as they reached the courtyard, she heard a sharp, clear slap come from the East wing.

“Mama.” The little one was startled and tugged at Lu Sheng’s hand.

“Aunty must have accidentally dropped a cup.” Lu Sheng stroked the child’s head and pointed to the small stone table in the courtyard, coaxing her, “Mama bought your favorite sugar cake. Go eat it by yourself, okay, darling? Mama is going to check on Aunty.”

“Okay.” The little one nodded and obediently sat down at the table to eat breakfast.

Lu Sheng turned to the East wing.

“Get out!” Liu Yun sat on the bed, her face pale with anger, pointing towards the door. “Lu Yu! I’m telling you again, I don’t want to see you!”

From the moment she saw that land deed, Liu Yun’s heart had been utterly chilled.

She had never imagined that Lu Yu would lie to her, and more than once.

The loan to buy the house was fake, the talk of selling the house was fake, and the matter of quitting her job was certainly no longer credible.

Once trust was shattered, Liu Yun no longer believed anything Lu Yu said.

Furthermore, what Liu Yun dared not even think about was: Where exactly did Lu Yu get this house? Stepping back further, even if she bought the house herself, where did the fifty tael for the purchase come from?

It was because of this that Liu Yun had fainted from anger and lost her child.

“I was wrong, I truly know I was wrong.” Lu Yu held her hand, kneeling by Liu Yun’s bed and refusing to leave.

Seeing this scene, Lu Sheng did not step inside.

After breakfast, Lu Sheng took her daughter out. As soon as they reached the door, she ran into someone unexpected: Ruan Ru.

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