Yan Xia silently prayed for her granddaughter in her heart.

"After dinner, Mom will take you for a walk. Did you sneak a snack? I've been keeping an eye on you lately and not letting you eat snacks, but your face looks rounder."

Xiaohe lowered her head in fright.

His face was almost buried in the bowl.

"No, no, Mother~"

Yan Xia smiled indulgently.

“It’s not that I’m afraid you’ll eat snacks, but I’m worried that if you gain too much weight, it will be difficult for you to give birth. But since you like to eat, I won’t interfere. You can decide for yourself. Also, you have to take a walk every day until you give birth. I’ll be with you.”

"Okay, Mom."

Xiaohe breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she was going to get scolded.

She didn't know what was wrong with her. She had never been a glutton before, so why couldn't she control her appetite after getting pregnant?

She wants to eat everything she sees, and she's not picky about food; she loves everything—sour, spicy, bitter, and salty.

Is she pregnant with a glutton?

...

After dinner, as dusk fell, Yan Xia took her daughter-in-law and Xiao Ji for a walk at the end of the village.

There are too many people at the village entrance, and some people always stick to her when they see her, trying to build a relationship with her. Yan Xia doesn't want to be bothered, so she rarely goes to the village entrance.

In ancient times, there were no streetlights, and the moonlight was dim tonight. Yan Xia had Xiao Ji carry a hand-held lantern used for the New Year, with a picture of abundance every year painted on it.

An oil lamp was placed inside to light the way.

The three of them strolled leisurely at the foot of the mountain.

They chatted as they walked from the foot of the high mountain to the edge of the low hill.

After walking around like this once, the time will be almost up.

"Mother, when will we let the flower farmers go into the mountains?"

"In mid-to-late March, after the roses have sprouted and grown roots, let them take care of them."

Yan Xia said softly.

Even young rose seedlings can be dug up and hidden on one's person, making them difficult to spot.

She couldn't possibly have the flower farmers searched every time they went into or out of the mountains.

When the rose grows roots and thorns.

When the volume increases, there is naturally no need to guard against it.

"However, before that, Mother plans to go deep into the mountains to clean up the animals."

Yan Xia continued, saying that she originally wanted to talk about the big insect, the wolf, and the grizzly bear, but she was afraid of scaring her daughter-in-law and Xiao Ji, so she immediately changed her mind.

High mountains are ultimately dangerous, and the rose plantation is located on the outskirts near the deep mountains. If a wild animal were to appear and something were to happen to these flower farmers, Yan Xia would be cursed to death by the villagers, and they might even try to extort money from her.

The pharmacy sold realgar powder, and Yan Xia bought a large bag.

She plans to scatter some rose petals around the rose plantation in a few days, and then go deep into the mountains to collect some wild animal droppings and pile them up near the plantation.

If you encounter a wild beast, you must either hunt it down or lure it to the other side of the mountain.

In short, it is imperative to ensure the safety of flower growers.

"Mother, when are you going?"

Xiaohe was a little worried.

"The day after tomorrow, don't worry, Mom is just going to check on things, it'll be fine."

Just as Yan Xia finished speaking and was about to go back, she suddenly felt someone staring at her from behind.

She turned her head.

There was no one behind her, and apart from the rustling of leaves in the wind, there was no sound. Yan Xia felt a little uneasy.

She quickly led her daughter-in-law and Xiao Ji home.

Just as the three disappeared from sight, a figure emerged from behind a large tree as thick as a grown man's back.

It was Luo Jingui. His eyes were filled with a fierce light. He had been eating bitter vegetables and ash paste for many days. His cheeks were sunken, his face was almost devoid of flesh, and his cheekbones were high and protruding, making him look like a murderer.

Luo Jingui watched Yan Xia leave until she was out of sight before turning around and walking home.

"Dad, where have you been? Can you help wash the pots and dishes? I'm not feeling well, and I need to chop some wood so we won't have any firewood to cook tomorrow."

Zhao Yuefang's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and she was already five and a half months pregnant. Worried that her father-in-law and husband would suspect something, she would wrap a long piece of linen tightly around her belly every day. After a while, she felt extremely uncomfortable.

Therefore, Zhao Yuefang's face turned slightly pale.

Her voice was weak, and her once beautiful face looked haggard from the fatigue of the past few days. In addition, her pregnancy had caused her to develop many spots and pimples.

It's heartbreaking to see her like this, but unfortunately, standing opposite her is the heartless Luo Jingui.

"Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Don't think you can act like a princess just because you paid a lot of money when you built the house. Wash it yourself if you want, or throw it away and nobody else can eat it!"

Luo Jingui hadn't done much work in previous years; Cui Siniu had taken care of everything at home and outside.

Since Cui Siniu went to jail, his life hasn't been very good either.

His daughter-in-law, Zhao Yuefang, is completely unaccustomed to housework; he has to help her cook every day, otherwise the food she makes is worse than dog poop and practically inedible.

Having just finished dinner, he went out for a stroll to digest his food and then went to visit the widow in the village. He happened to see Yan Xia, which made him very unhappy. When he returned, his daughter-in-law pointed at him and demanded that he do chores.

Luo Jingui was furious and didn't even give her a kind look.

He grumbled and went back to his room to sleep.

When you close the door, slam it shut.

They almost knocked this simple little house down.

The sound startled Zhao Yuefang.

Tears streamed down her face.

But the fetal movements she felt inside her belly made Zhao Yuefang hold back her tears.

"My child, don't be afraid. Mother is here. Mother will protect you and will definitely give birth to you safely. No matter how tired or how hard it is, Mother is not afraid."

She silently returned to the wooden shed and washed the pots and pans. It was a bit cold at night, and her hands were red from being immersed in the icy water. After washing the pots, pans, and chopsticks, she chopped some firewood under the dim moonlight for later use.

She didn't go back to her room to sleep until she felt increasingly unwell. If Zhao Yuefang's own mother were here, she would probably be shocked.

Her spoiled, lazy daughter, who refused to endure hardship, suddenly became pregnant, and her appearance changed drastically.

The next day, after eating the pig-slop-like breakfast prepared by his daughter-in-law, Luo Jingui took a wood-chopping knife and headed straight for the low mountain.

I stayed there for a whole day.

He didn't come down with his machete until evening.

"Dad, where's the firewood you chopped?"

Zhao Yuefang found it strange that her father-in-law had gone to Aishan for a whole day, but came down without taking anything with him.

"What the hell am I going to chop firewood for? There's plenty at home. I'm going to take care of some important business."

After speaking vaguely, Luo Jingui slurped down the thin porridge in his hand.

It had no flavor whatsoever, neither sweet nor salty, but rather a bitter taste that choked my throat. After finishing a bowl, my stomach still felt empty.

He then poured another full bowl of water into the bowl and drank it all in one gulp, pretending to drink soup.

He then threw the bowl down and went back inside.

He didn't even glance at Zhao Yuefang from beginning to end.

Poor Zhao Yuefang had no choice but to take the wooden basin to the pond again to fetch water, and then carry it to the shed to wash the pots and pans.

After a flurry of activity, I had already broken a sweat.

The moonlight is quite bright tonight.

The temperature is a bit higher than yesterday.

Zhao Yuefang hasn't taken a bath in a long time.