Time slowly passed. Not long after the autumn tea was harvested, winter arrived. This year's winter came particurly early, and before the lunar November even began, the rain had been falling incessantly from the eaves and tree branches. Winter wasn't the season for tea picking, and Gao Lide spent more time at home than before.

  In contrast, Pei Wen was still busy with his career, expanding the factory, buying nd next to it, and starting major construction projects to build a new machine room. Since he had drawn the building pns himself, he insisted on adhering to his own standards, refusing to alter the designs. As a result, he personally supervised the construction work, staying busy and completely unaware of the passage of time, immersed in his work.

  In his veins, the male-driven entrepreneurial ambition was burning and driving him, turning him into a high-powered engine. Holding Han Yan, he had once said, "You bring me luck and stability, Han Yan; you are my fortune, my strength; I love you."

  Han Yan would smile sweetly, lost in this feeling of love. Keep going, Pei Wen! Do it, Pei Wen! Develop your future, Pei Wen! Don't let your little wife hold you back; you are a man!

  However, at the same time, Old Madam Bai did not loosen her grip on Han Yan. She began calling Han Yan to her room every day, wanting her to stay in front of her, doing needlework, knitting, or reading to her. She openly told Han Yan, "You′d better stay in front of me. I have to protect my son's reputation!"

  "Old Madam!" Han Yan called out with a pale face.

  "Don't say anything!" Old Madam Bai stopped her. "I understand you! I completely understand what kind of person you are." Han Yan no longer tried to expin. As time passed, she began to feel a sense of exhaustion. Let it be. She complied with Old Madam Bai, not arguing, not expining. When Pei Wen was not home, she was just a machine, a ghost. She allowed Madam Bai to scold and reprimand her, becoming numb to it.

  Her numbness only seemed to provoke Old Madam Bai further. She called her a lifeless, rubbery person, shameless, and without dignity. No matter what, Han Yan only gazed at her with her rge, vacant eyes, then sighed softly, lowering her head slowly. Old Madam Bai became even angrier, feeling insulted and disrespected. Han Yan's demeanor made it seem as though she was unworthy of attention, not even worth a response. She began telling the neighboring old madams:

  "My daughter-in-w, no matter how much you talk to her, she′s like a wooden figure. She only talks and ughs in front of men. Originally, with her background..." For such remarks, Han Yan usually ignored them. However, the rumors about her quickly spread.

  The Bai family was an extremely wealthy household, and even the smallest matters could make news, let alone issues between men and women! So, when spring arrived the next year and the spring tea-picking season began, the tea-picking girls would sing a little song:

  "She was a Cinderel, a Cinderel,Her eyes were rge, her brows long.Her long hair, like the waves in the sea,She lived beside the broken stove!

  Her steps were light as a swallow.Her voice could echo through the beams.Her bright eyes would make your soul fly away!

  One day, she followed that white horse prince,And walked into the pace walls! Walked into the pace walls!Wearing fine silk and satin, eating beautiful fruits and tea,Living in, living in—the deep courtyard of the Hanyan Vil!"

  It was unclear who had written this little song, as Han Yan lived a secluded life and rarely showed herself to others. As a result, she became the subject of myth and legend.

  Fortunately, the lyrics held no malice toward her, so she didn′t mind too much.

  Moreover, another matter completely diverted her attention, bringing her a sense of obsession, enchantment, and hopeful joy. Since winter, she had discovered that she was going to be a mother.

  Han Yan's pregnancy made Pei Wen ecstatic. He was already over thirty, and it was the age when he should have become a father. He eagerly awaited the arrival of the little life, pampered her, indulged her, and didn′t allow her to do anything. He saw the glow on her face that had long been absent, secretly hoping that the new life would bring her health and happiness.

  However, Old Madam Bai felt no joy upon hearing the news. In private, she said to Pei Wen, "Pay more attention to your wife! You're at the factory all day, leaving your young wife at home, and at home, there just happens to be a young man!"

  "Mom!" Pei Wen frowned and excimed, "What are you implying?"

  "I'm not implying anything; I'm just telling you the facts!"

  "What facts?" Pei Wen asked, suspicious.

  "Han Yan has something on her mind," Mrs. Bai deliberately shifted the topic. "I think she just can't stand being constrained."

  "What do you know, Mom?" Pei Wen pressed, his eyes fixed on her.

  "You observe for yourself," Mrs. Bai hummed lightly. "I don′t want to interfere in your marriage. I'm not the kind of meddlesome old woman!"

  "But you must know something!" Pei Wen's stubborn temper fred up. Old Madam Bai's ambiguous attitude only increased his suspicion. He said angrily, "Tell me, Mom!"

  "No, I don′t know anything." Old Madam Bai turned her head away. "I just see them often holding hands and talking."

  "Holding hands?" Pei Wen snorted, his voice thick with a nasal tone, his eyes wide open. "That's nothing," Old Madam Bai deliberately looked out the window with a casual expression. "Or perhaps it's quite normal. Li De is your good friend, so of course, he's also her good friend. In today′s social circles, men and women don′t worry about such things. Moreover, they have common interests!"

  "Common interests?"

  "One likes roses, the other is an expert in agriculture. They work together, pnting flowers, getting rid of pests, talking, and ughing—it′s inevitable. You don′t have to make a big deal out of it! I think they just get along well, that's all."

  "Oh, really?" Pei Wen said, holding back his anger, as a multitude of doubts surged in his heart. No wonder she seemed so troubled; no wonder she never left Hanyan Vil! No wonder her eyes were always filled with tears! And... and... she had asked to work at the factory—had she tried? Had she been trying to escape an inappropriate retionship?

  The more he thought about it, the more agitated and uneasy he became. But in the end, he shook his head and said, "I don't believe they would do anything. Han Yan isn′t like that; it′s impossible!"

  "Of course," Old Madam Bai said dismissively. "But the thing is, emotions are too delicate, and there′s no logic to them."

  This was true, and Pei Wen′s unease deepened. He didn′t say anything to Han Yan, but he became irritable, suspicious, and hard to deal with. Han Yan immediately sensed his change, though she didn′t say anything either. Yet, a heavy, oppressive gloom had settled between them.

  After the difficult and nausea-filled early stages of her pregnancy passed, the weather gradually became warmer. With the change in climate and the physiological effects of pregnancy, Han Yan′s emotions became highly unstable. Meanwhile, Old Madam Bai′s attitude toward her grew even more harsh. She no longer cared about preserving Han Yan′s dignity and openly humiliated her in front of the servants and Gao Lide. Han Yan continued to endure it, but the frustration and resentment building up inside her grew increasingly intense, like a volcano that had accumuted so much heat it was bound to erupt one day.