Wang Zhi felt somewhat superfluous standing there, so she smiled and said, "Mother-in-law, you and Insect Mother have a good chat. I'll go and get back to work!"

Aunt Li glanced at her but didn't say anything.

After everyone left, Li Sheng glared at Li Chongniang, shoved her with his index finger, and said coldly, "Since marrying into the Chen family, I haven't seen you give them a single benefit. Now you still side with them. Don't you even know who your father was?"

Caught off guard by the push, Li Chongniang stumbled to the side, a look of grievance on her face. "Mother, I didn't! The Chen family has only gotten a little better in the last two months. We almost lost our lives to the plague before!"

Aunt Li continued, "I told you you're stupid and you won't admit it! The plague was so dangerous, and you didn't even run away. You're pregnant and staying here, are you trying to kill yourself?"

"Mother, you can't run away! If you run, you'll be beheaded!" Li Chongniang explained, "The Zhao family who lived next door got infected with the plague and ran to Guanshi Village, but they were caught. I heard they're in jail and will be executed this autumn!"

Aunt Li's expression softened a bit after hearing this.

She craned her neck to look at the child inside and said, "Boy or girl? Bring it over so I can see."

Li Chongniang's hand trembled slightly, and she answered weakly, "It's...it's a girl!"

The gentle expression that had just appeared on Aunt Li's face vanished again. She pointed at Li Chongniang and muttered, "Li Chongniang, Li Chongniang, how could you be so useless? You gave birth to a girl!"

"Tell me, what's the use of having a girl? She can't lift a finger or carry anything, and you'll have to send her away to someone else's house when she grows up! What if she's heartless and can't give you anything? What good is she?"

Li Chongniang lowered her head, not daring to speak.

She felt that her mother wasn't blaming the child, but rather blaming her for not bringing any benefits to the family.