"Dad, Mom. Come back now. I'll finish cooking this dish and we can eat." Xuemei said to Liu's father and mother who walked into the kitchen.

"The food is ready, you can eat first. I'll take two eggs to see Wu Zhiqing. Otherwise, your father and I will not be at ease." Liu's mother said.

…

"Mother, is there any serious problem with Wu Zhiqing?" asked Liu's father.

"It shouldn't be a big deal. She said that she was sweating and taking off clothes frequently while working these days. She didn't pay attention to keeping warm, and the sudden change of temperature allowed the cold air to enter her body. She might have caught a cold. I just saw that her face was pale, but she looked much better. I think Wu Zhiqing should recover slowly after resting for a while." Liu's mother replied.

"Okay, that's good. Mother, I'll keep the rice and dishes warm on the stove for you. Please sit for a while. I'll bring them to you." Father Liu said.

Mother Liu followed Father Liu out of the main hall and said, "Forget it, I can just go to the kitchen and eat. Why bother with all that?"

…

"Xuemei, is that the educated youth from your village, the one who asked you to borrow sugar coupons before?" Zhang Aiping put down the needlework in her hands and pointed to a place not far away.

Xuemei stood up and took a look before nodding and saying, "Yes, it's Wu, the educated youth from our village. But why would she go to the alcohol and tobacco group? Is she looking for He Ping?"

Zhang Aiping looked at the bewildered Xuemei and asked, "You don't know?"

Xuemei asked doubtfully, "What should I know, Sister Zhang?"

Xuemei had been sewing clothes with her head down during this time, when no one was buying anything. Liu's mother and father had just finished the commune's task yesterday afternoon, but Liujia Village had finished two days ahead of schedule, and the commune had even praised Liu's father.

Zhang Aiping thought for a moment and said, "That's right. Lately, you've been busy making clothes whenever you have free time. You haven't paid attention to the gossip about our supply and marketing cooperative for a long time."

"Sister Zhang, is there any news recently that I don't know?" Xuemei asked curiously.

Zhang Aiping looked at Wu Lian and He Ping and said, "Several of our colleagues have seen Wu, the educated youth from your village, coming to see He Ping several times in the past few days. It is said that someone saw them arguing in the woods behind the supply and marketing cooperative the day before yesterday."

Xuemei said uncertainly, "That means Wu Zhiqing and He Ping are dating."

"That's right. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are dating. But He Ping doesn't admit it. He says that Wu Zhiqing from your village is always pestering him and he has refused her several times but to no avail. In order not to hurt Wu Zhiqing's reputation, he didn't refuse to contact her in front of everyone." Sister Zhang said disdainfully.

"Isn't He Ping playing tricks on Wu Zhiqing?" Xuemei said unhappily.

"She's hanging out with that educated young woman Wu from your village. You'd better remind her. However, in my opinion, maybe they are both willing to fight and be beaten. I always feel that that educated young woman Wu from your village is not a good person. A girl is not reserved at all and sticks to men every day. Isn't this lowering her own value?" Sister Zhang said with some disdain.

Xuemei sighed and continued making clothes. "Okay, whether she appreciates it or not, I'll tell her what I know. After all, she's an educated youth from our village. It's up to her to decide what to do."

Not long after Xuemei got home from get off work, He Wenting came with He Jing.

"Xuemei, is your mother at home? We have something to tell you and discuss with you." He Wanting said hurriedly while pulling He Jing.

Xuemei hurried to the kitchen to call Liu's mother, asked Liu's father to watch over the food, and then took Liu's mother and He Wanting's sister into her room.

After closing the door, he said to He Wanting, "Wanting, you can tell me what you want now."

He Wanting opened her mouth several times but couldn't say anything. She pinched herself and said, "Aunt Li, my sister and I found out that Wu Lian is pregnant."

When Xuemei heard this, she felt her heartbeat stop for a second, as if she couldn't believe her ears. She stared at He Wanting with shock on her face.

Mother Liu was also shocked, but she was much more relaxed than Xuemei. After a second of hesitation, she asked, "Big He Zhiqing, Little He Zhiqing, this concerns a girl's reputation, you can't say anything careless!"

"Aunt Li, we're not talking nonsense. The day after Wu Lian fainted on Stone Mountain, she went to the hospital and got several packets of Chinese medicine. She drank it every day until yesterday.

But we found that she was a little strange these days. She felt like vomiting when she smelled something with a strong odor. She said it was because her stomach had caught a cold recently.

"But her appetite has changed a lot, just like when my aunt was pregnant with my cousin, she loved sour and chopped chili peppers, but Wu Lian used to be terrified of spicy food," said He Wanting.

Mother Liu frowned and said, "Eating spicy food is addictive. Wu Zhiqing may not have eaten much chili before, and now she ate too much all at once, which made her stomach uncomfortable and she vomited. Maybe she's not pregnant, you're just overthinking it."

"Aunt Li, my sister and I thought we were overthinking it. But I found out that Wu Zhiqing's last period was before the autumn harvest. Now it's the end of November. We've been here for more than two months, but she still hasn't had her period.

This morning, my sister and I went to the commune post office to mail something home. We passed an alleyway and spotted Wu Lian and He Ping hiding inside, talking. We left quickly, fearing they might find out. But before we left, we heard Wu Lian say she wasn't looking well. After returning, my sister and I thought about it and decided to tell you about this. The more we thought about it, the more we felt Wu Lian might be pregnant. "He Wenting whispered," he said.

After listening to this, Liu's mother was silent for a moment before she said, "Okay, I understand. I'll discuss this with Xuemei's father tonight. But until the results come out, Elder He Zhiqing and Younger He Zhiqing, don't tell anyone else, and don't show anything in front of Wu Zhiqing. You absolutely mustn't alert the enemy. Just treat her as you normally would."

The He Wanting sisters quickly nodded in agreement.

After He Wanting and her sister left, Xuemei said, "Mom, do you think this story about Wu Zhiqing is true? Or are Wanting and the others just worrying too much?"

"It's hard to say now. I'm going to discuss it with your father tonight and see what to do. By the way, is that He Ping your colleague?" Liu's mother sighed.

"Yes, he's the son of the deputy director of our supply and marketing cooperative. I heard about it from Sister Zhang today. Recently, Wu Zhiqing has been visiting He Ping frequently, and everyone thinks they are dating. Sister Zhang also asked me to persuade Wu Zhiqing, saying that He Ping is just playing with her. But given the situation now, it's not easy for me to say anything." Xuemei replied.

"Okay, let's go eat first. Your father should have prepared the meal. Don't worry about this matter. Your father and I will handle it." said Liu's mother.