Chapter 2 — A Woman Who Can't Change

I finally got off the cold foot of the bed. The rough piece of fabric came off. The blood on her body was half dried, and a thin red thread was still tied to her umbilical cord. That is the thread of peace that you woven with your own hands when you were pregnant with me. She once said that when a child is born, she must use this thread to tie the first knot. In my previous life, when I died, I never saw that thread. Thai Chi brought me to the bed. A-Nang reached out her hand to receive me. Her hands trembled. But the movement of hugging me was extremely steady. I pressed myself against her chest, smelled the scent of blood, and also smelled the familiar scent of medicine on her body. I suddenly stopped crying. Mrs. A bowed her head to look at me. Behind my right ear there is a small mole. She raised her hand and touched it lightly. Tears fell straight down my forehead.

“This is my child.”

Old lady Bui immediately said:

“Young children have many moles on their bodies, you can't just rely on that to randomly admit it!”

A lady raised her eyes.

“When I was seven months pregnant with her, I dreamed that there was a red dot behind her ear.”

“I told my mother personally.”

Old lady Bui opened her mouth, momentarily speechless. A Nuong continued:

"At that time, people still said, it was a mole of wealth."

The room is quieter. The midwife almost buried her head in the ground. Mrs. Bui's face turned blue and white. She suddenly rushed in front of A Nuong's bed.

“Van Hanh, I am your biological mother!”

“Will I harm you?”

"Nhuoc Vi also has the Ta family's bloodline. She was miserable and had no biological mother to protect her when she was born."

“I am the Marquis, raising anyone is not raising me?”

A looked at her.

“So you immediately exchanged my daughter for her?”

Old Lady Bui's crying stopped. She immediately changed her words.

“What can I change!”

“They are just children of relatives.”

“Why do you need to speak so harshly?”

A hug me tightly.

“My child is not something for others to change their fate for.”

Old Lady Bui's eyes flashed with anger.

“Don't forget, you were able to marry into the Marquis Palace thanks to the Ta family's support!”

"Now my brother's family is in trouble, what if I lend a hand?"

The lady did not immediately respond. She looked at the midwife.

“Who changed the gold-embroidered diaper just now?”

The midwife's whole body went limp.

“My lady, spare your life!”

Old lady Bui stepped forward and slapped the midwife hard in the face.

“Sir, you said something nonsense!”

The midwife was knocked to the ground, the corner of her mouth was bleeding. A Nuong said coldly:

“Thai Chi, go invite Marquis.”

Thai Chi was just about to stand up. Mrs. Bui grabbed her.

“Don't go!”

That shout was too urgent. Even she herself was stunned. A Nuong raised her eyes and looked at her.

“Why not?”

Old lady Bui tightened Thai Chi's sleeve.

“The baby just gave birth, the room is full of blood, why did you alarm the Marquis?”

“Bad things at home should not be spread outside.”

A nun said:

“This is not a bad thing in the house.”

She stopped for a moment.

“This is a child thief.”

As soon as the two words finished, the skin on Mrs. Bui's face twitched. She turned to look at Thai Chi, her eyes became fierce.

"If you dare step out of this door, your whole family won't be able to live."

Thai Chi stiffened in place. A-Nang doesn't force her anymore. She just hugged me, leaning back on the pillow. His face was pale as if he had lost all his strength. Mrs. Bui thought she was scared. She immediately breathed a sigh of relief, carried Lieu Nhuoc Vi and went out.

“I will hold this child for now Go."

“You go to sleep, when you wake up you'll understand.”

A lowered her eyes.

“Okay.”

Old lady Bui stopped walking. She didn't believe that Mrs. A would give in so easily. But Ms. A had already closed her eyes, as if she really couldn't stand it anymore. Old lady Bui smiled coldly and carried Lieu Nhuoc Vi out of the interior. The curtains just came down. Mrs. A immediately opened her eyes. She looked at Thai Chi. The voice was so low that only we could hear it.

“Follow her.”

Thai Chi gritted her teeth and nodded. She went around the side door and went out. Not long after, Mrs. Bui's deliberately condescending voice came from outside.

“Bring the real baby in a rough cloth wrapper.”

“Do not leave anyone alive.”

03

When Thai Chi turned back, his face was bloodless. She knelt in front of the bed, her lips trembling constantly.

“Madam, I asked Mama Lieu to prepare the carriage.”

“She said she had to take her to the village outside the city before dawn.”

"It's also said that the well in Trang Tu is very deep and clean."

Nuong A's arm that was hugging me suddenly tightened. I was in so much pain that I groaned softly. She immediately relaxed, bowed her head and kissed my forehead.

“Minh Duong, don't be afraid.”

This is the first time in this life I heard my name. Tham Minh Duong. In his previous life, this name was occupied by Lieu Nhuoc Vi for sixteen years. When I died, the Marquis was holding a burial ceremony for her. The whole capital said that the Tham family girl had a noble status and was cherished like gold and jade. No one knew that Tham Minh Duong actually died in the firewood room. A Nuong handed me over to Thai Chi.

“Wrap her well.”

Thai Chi wiped her tears and nodded. Mrs. A propped herself up and got out of bed. She had just given birth, her feet had just touched the ground, blood was already dripping down the hem of her dress. Thai Chi panicked and tried to help. Mrs. A raised her hand to stop him.

“Come to the front yard to invite Marquis.”

Thai Chi quickly said:

“The old lady has sent someone to guard the door.”

A looked towards the window.

“Follow the small chef's path.”

Thai Chi hugged me and shook her head.

“The slave has left, what should you do, ma'am?”

A lady looked out the door.

“She hasn't dared to kill me yet.”

“She still needs me to nod.”

As soon as the words ended, the curtains were lifted. Mrs. Bui returned. Behind her is Mama Lieu and two tall, strong women. Lieu Nhuoc Vi was wrapped in a diaper embroidered with gold thread, sleeping soundly. When Mrs. Bui saw Thai Chi hugging me, her face immediately darkened.

“I knew right away you wouldn't settle down.”

A stood next to the bed, her face as white as paper. She did not avoid it.

“Where do you intend to take my child?”

Old lady Bui smiled coldly.

"I'm so sick that I'm confused."

“This is my child.”

She brought Lieu Nhuoc Vi forward. Mrs. A didn't even look.

“There is a birthmark on the back of the neck, there is no red mole behind the ear, the umbilical cord is not tied with a thread of peace.”

“It was not born from me.”

Old lady Bui raised her voice.

“What do you know!”

“The midwife said, when the baby was born, his whole body was covered in blood, no one could see clearly!”

A lady looked at the midwife. The midwife knelt by the door, her whole body limp. Mrs. Bui shouted:

“You say it!”

The midwife bowed her head in fear.

“The child the lady gave birth to was the one in the diaper embroidered with gold thread.”

A proud look appeared on Mrs. Bui's face. Mrs. A laughed again. She took out a small pair of scissors from under her pillow. The scissors still have half a piece of red thread wrapped around them.

“Midwife.”

“Who is this thread? cut?"

The midwife's face immediately turned white. A Nuong said:

“Before the birth, I told you that after the child is born, the thread of peace must be knotted by me myself, and then you can cut it.”

“Just now on the umbilical cord of the baby wrapped in rough cloth was this thread.”

“As for the baby in the diaper embroidered with gold thread, the umbilical cord has nothing.”

The midwife's lips trembled. Old lady Bui kicked her hard.

“You dare bite the landlord!”

A lady put the scissors on the table. Her voice was very calm.

“There's no need to scare her, mother.”

“I still have witnesses.”

Old lady Bui was stunned. Immediately afterwards, urgent footsteps were heard outside. Thai Chi led Tham Nghien Chu in. The Marquis was still wearing court clothes, obviously just running from the front yard. As soon as he entered the door, he saw a pool of blood on the ground. Then I saw A Nuong standing. His face immediately changed.

“Van Hanh!”

Don't fall down. She looked at him.

“The Marquis arrived just in time.”

Old lady Bui quickly cried first.

“Son-in-law, quickly take care of it!”

“After he was born, he went crazy and insisted that his biological daughter was not his child!”

“You still want to put a mongrel from outside into the Marquis Palace!”

Tham Nghien Chu frowned. His eyes fell on me. I was hugged by Thai Chi and wrapped in a rough cloth. So small and pitiful. Old Lady Bui brought Lieu Nhuoc Vi before him again.

“Look, this is the Tham family's bloodline.”

“The diapers are embroidered with gold thread, the midwife also accepted them.”

"But he refused to accept it!"

Tham Nghien Chu did not immediately accept it. He looked at A Nuong.

“Say it.”

Just two words. A Nuong's eye sockets turned red, but quickly suppressed it. She in turn clearly stated the red thread, the scissors, the diaper and the lipstick mole behind the ear. Each sentence is short.