As Wang Qin walked, she thought that whether it was money or lives, they had no choice but to comply with the other party's demands. Her daughter had gotten herself into a huge mess, and she just hoped that the other party's demands would be simple. If they hadn't just had a fight, she would have already begged them on her knees.

Liu Zhaodi was worried about her son and couldn't care less about them. She became increasingly anxious because she knew the family didn't have money for medical treatment.

...

Qiao Xiaoni returned home and told everyone what had happened, then sat down and drank the plain water in her cup.

Qiao Tianli was already quite drunk, and after hearing what Qiao Xiaoni said, he became so angry that he kept slapping his chest.

"What a misfortune for our family! How could we have given birth to such a spendthrift daughter? What will we do if this gets out of hand?"

How could she cut off a person's genitals?

Qiao Sunshi: "Such a big thing has happened, won't we have to pay a lot of money? That spendthrift brat! Why doesn't she just die?"

The elderly couple's reaction was observed by everyone, who felt that they were somewhat heartless.

Qiao Haisheng: "Fortunately, the person has been sent to the hospital. As long as the person is alive, the rest should be easier to discuss."

Qiao Hainan slapped his thigh: "I think this is difficult to solve. The stab wound is not in any other place. What if the person is crippled?"

Then there are the medical expenses, which will be a huge sum of money.

Qiao Sunshi nudged Qiao Tianli: "We can't pay this money. Let the second son's family figure it out themselves. We're not going to fill this huge hole."

Qiao Tianli thought about his second son's contributions to the family over the years: "Let's talk about it after the results come out."

He thought that if the problem was too big, he would have no choice but to disregard his father-son relationship, since he didn't have much money of his own and could only give so much.

Zhang Ru and Tao Chunfang pulled Qiao Xiaoni to her bedroom. Once the door was closed, only the three of them remained in the room.

Zhang Ru: "What happened today was so thrilling, it felt like watching a movie."

"Isn't that right?" Tao Chunfang took off her shoes and sat down on the kang (heated brick bed). "Third Aunt, don't stand, come sit next to me. Your belly is bigger than mine!"

Qiao Xiaoni picked up the thermos on the table, poured a cup of water for each of the two pregnant women, then poured another cup for herself, and carried it over on a tray to the kang (a heated brick bed).

Tao Chunfang and Zhang Ru are less than ten years apart in age, so there is no generation gap in their communication. However, due to her status as an elder, she rarely speaks in front of others.

Because of the pregnancy, the two actually had more to talk about, and their relationship became closer than before.

Zhang Ru touched her belly and said, "The doctor told me this is a boy, but I actually wanted a daughter. Sons aren't as affectionate. They just stick to their mothers when they're little, but they're closer to their wives when they grow up."

“You can’t say that. Some sons are very filial too!” Tao Chunfang replied with a smile. “My first child was a daughter, and she’s quite well-behaved now. She can help with all sorts of chores.”

However, she will marry someone else after she grows up. Ultimately, it's more likely that my son will stay with me, so I hope this baby will be a son.

This time next year, I should be lying on the kang (a heated brick bed), and just thinking about it makes me happy.

She only told Zhang Ru about her pregnancy, just wanting to talk to someone and chat about the baby; she'd been feeling really stifled these past few days.

Qiao Xiaoni glanced at the clock, and seeing that it was almost five o'clock, she turned to them and said, "A day has passed in the blink of an eye. Have you had lunch yet? Is there anything you want to eat? I'll make you something. Right now, you two are the most important people in the family, and everyone else has to step aside."