She is now at home taking care of the baby. Because the pregnancy reaction is too severe, she can only lie in bed every day. At most, she gets out of bed and walks around. She feels very bored, so she asks Ning Tang to bring her some books so that she can read them in bed to pass the time.
As soon as Ning Tang arrived at the Wu family, he smelled a pungent smell of Chinese medicine. "Caiwei, what are you cooking at home?" Why does it smell so bad?
Zhou Caiwei replied, "I don't know. My mother-in-law cooked it. Let's not talk about that. You're finally here. Come and talk to me. I'm so bored."
Ning Tang asked her, "Are you still feeling dizzy, nauseous, and want to vomit?"
Zhou Caiwei said, "Yeah, I didn't expect the pregnancy reaction to be so intense. If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant."
Having said that, she touched her belly with a happy look on her face.
Ning Tang smiled and didn't expose her. "You can eat some sour dates or suck on some sour plums or olives. It can help stop the vomiting."
Zhou Caiwei nodded. "I know." A sweet smile appeared on her face as she touched her belly. "I don't know if this baby is a boy or a girl."
Ning Tang smiled and said, "Do you want a boy or a girl?"
Zhou Caiwei thought for a moment and said firmly, "Give birth to a girl. I like girls. They are well-behaved, cute and caring, unlike boys who are naughty and mischievous."
As a teacher, she had seen too many mischievous little boys who loved to get into trouble, and she worried about this every day. "If only I had a child like your daughter, Erniu, who is so beautiful and sings so well, she'd almost become a little star on our island."
"Why don't you just give birth to a child like the first and third children?" Ning Tang said.
Zhou Caiwei was amused. "Want to give birth to a baby like the first and third baby? He'll be on the roof and make trouble every day. I won't have anything to do but clean up his mess."
Before Ning Tang could reply, Zhou Caiwei's mother-in-law, Miao Xiaofeng, emerged from the kitchen, holding a bowl of dark liquid. She pouted and said, "Why give birth to a girl? Can a girl carry on the family line? Listen to me, if you're going to give birth, give birth to a boy."
Zhou Caiwei pursed her lips and whispered, "Sex or girl? It's the same."
Miao Xiaofeng stuffed the porcelain bowl into Zhou Caiwei's hand, glanced at her stomach, and put on a kind smile on her face, "Drink it quickly."
After she finished speaking, she turned to look at Ning Tang, "You are Xiao Ning, right? I heard Caiwei mention you."
Ning Tang smiled politely, "Hello, Auntie."
"Yeah." Miao Xiaofeng nodded. "I heard that you've never had a child?"
Ning Tang raised an eyebrow, "Well, Auntie, what's wrong?"
Miao Xiaofeng shook her head in disapproval, "How can a woman not have a child of her own? Think about it, without a child of your own, who would remember you a hundred years from now?"
Ning Tang smiled and said, "Auntie, please tell me, do you still remember the name of your grandfather's great-grandfather?"
Miao Xiaofeng was stunned, and without thinking, she said, "My grandfather's grandfather's grandfather lived in the last century. How could I remember his name?"
Ning Tang clapped his hands, "That's it," and laughed, "Auntie, you said it yourself. Without your own children, who would remember you a hundred years later? Auntie, didn't your great-grandfather-in-law have his own children? How did you come here then? As a descendant, how come you don't remember your great-grandfather-in-law's name? That's not right."
Zhou Caiwei couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Miao Xiaofeng grunted and choked for a long time, unable to articulate a clear answer. She glared and said, "Anyway, a woman is incomplete if she doesn't give birth to a child."
How could it be? Talking like that was too rude. Zhou Caiwei stamped her feet and yelled, "Mom!"
Miao Xiaofeng glared at her and said, "What's wrong with you? Take your medicine quickly."
"Oh." Zhou Caiwei pursed her lips, responded, and brought the porcelain bowl to her mouth.
Ning Tang looked at the dark liquid in the porcelain bowl. For some reason, his heart skipped a beat. He looked at Miao Xiaofeng and asked, "Auntie, what is this you gave Caiwei to drink?"
When mentioning this, Miao Xiaofeng's face was filled with an endlessly gentle smile, and she said softly, "This is a medicine to preserve pregnancy."
Zhou Caiwei pinched her nose, took a few sips, and stuck out her tongue. "It's so bitter, even more bitter than bitter coffee."
"It's bitter, then don't drink it." Ning Tang took the bowl away from her mouth. "There's a saying that goes, 'All medicines are three parts poison.'"
After saying that, he smiled at Miao Xiaofeng and said, "Auntie, don't you think that this is something you put into your mouth? You can't drink it carelessly. Who knows if it will harm you?"
A trace of obvious panic flashed across Miao Xiaofeng's face, and she stuttered, "How, how is it possible? It's something that can harm people." She paused, "You're young and don't understand. This thing is actually a good thing."
Ning Tang curled up the corners of her mouth, "It's a good thing. Auntie, can you show me the residue? Let me see it too."
As she spoke, she walked towards the kitchen. "To be honest, my grandfather is an old Chinese medicine doctor. When I first started elementary school, I knew a lot of Chinese medicine and countless prescriptions."
This was of course to fool Miao Xiaofeng. How would Ning Tang know anything about Chinese medicine?
Because Miao Xiaofeng's behavior was too strange, she wanted to see what kind of medicinal residue it was. Even if she couldn't tell the difference, she could secretly hide some and show it to someone who knew about it.
When Miao Xiaofeng heard that Ning Tang's grandfather was an 'old Chinese doctor', her expression suddenly turned extremely grim. She stepped forward and placed her burly body firmly in front of her. "Xiao Ning, the doctor who gave me the medicine said that this is a secret recipe passed down in their family for generations and can't be shown to others. If someone learns it, how will they make money from it?"
There was no way Miao Xiaofeng could stop Ning Tang. He dodged past her and scurried towards the kitchen. "Auntie, I'll buy it from you, okay? I can pay double the price. I just want to see this mysterious 'pregnancy-preserving medicine'."
Seeing Ning Tang was about to go to the kitchen, Miao Xiaofeng suddenly became anxious. She stepped forward and grabbed Ning Tang's arm tightly. With a ferocious look on her face, she shouted, "Don't go!"
As if she felt that she was being too obvious and harsh, she chuckled and said, "I, I mean, it's not good for you to barge into other people's homes like this."
When Miao Xiaofeng said this, he stared at Ning Tang intently. The flesh on his cheekbones jumped twice, and the corners of his mouth were curved upwards, which looked weird no matter how you looked at it, and particularly scary.
Even Zhou Caiwei could tell something was wrong, and looked at Miao Xiaofeng in surprise. "Mom, what on earth did you give me to drink?"
She put the porcelain bowl on the table, and a few drops of black liquid in the bowl splashed onto the back of her hand. It was obviously cold, but she inexplicably felt it was a little hot.
At this point, Miao Xiaofeng had no choice but to speak out. She pursed her lips and said, "What I gave you to drink was not actually 'pregnancy-preserving medicine', but 'sex-changing medicine'."
"What are 'pregnancy preservation' and 'fetal change'?" Zhou Caiwei was a little confused and didn't react for a moment.
Ning Tang had a bad feeling when she heard about the term 'reincarnation'. Sure enough, Miao Xiaofeng confirmed it. She said mysteriously, "This 'reincarnation' can transform a female fetus into a male. Just drink it. If you're pregnant with a boy, it's fine. If it's a girl, it will become a boy. So, isn't it amazing?"
After hearing this, Ning Tang felt it was extremely absurd.
What do you mean by being able to change a male fetus into a female? Who in their right mind would believe this?
However, in modern times, when she returned to the countryside, she heard her grandmother say that there was a kind of "sex-changing medicine" that was popular in her grandmother's village. The rhetoric was the same as Miao Xiaofeng's, saying that drinking it could change a woman from a girl to a boy.
At that time, many people believed this and bought this so-called "sex-changing medicine" from bad doctors at high prices, and gave it to their pregnant women at home, thinking that they could really give birth to a boy. Unexpectedly, after ten months of pregnancy, when the child was born, the boy's genitals were deformed, and the girl actually grew "that thing", but it was completely useless and not normal at all. It was so tiny that it looked like an extra piece of meat.
Ning Tang was curious later and did some research. It was said that this "sex-changing drug" contained a large amount of hormones. Under the action of the hormones, the baby girl would grow "that thing", but in fact the internal reproductive system was still female. This was called "pseudohermaphroditism".
Ning Tang's heart skipped a beat and he looked at the black liquid in the porcelain bowl. Could this be what Miao Xiaofeng gave Zhou Caiwei to drink?
Now that everything was said, Miao Xiaofeng simply said it all at once without hiding anything. "I originally wanted to tell you directly, but since you and Dahui don't believe in this, and now you're not allowed to engage in feudal superstitions, I can only come here secretly."
She picked up the porcelain bowl with one hand, and pulled Zhou Caiwei with the other, trying to put the bowl close to her mouth. "Caiwei, just drink it obediently. I'm your mother-in-law, how could I harm you?"
Zhou Caiwei tried her best to resist, but what could she do? She could not match Miao Xiaofeng's strength.
At the critical moment, Ning Tang stepped forward and knocked over the porcelain bowl with one palm, and the black medicine juice spilled all over the floor.
Miao Xiaofeng stared at the medicinal juice on the ground, her eyes wide open. She sat down on the ground and began to cry, "Oh my God, my reincarnation medicine! I spent a lot of money to buy this from a miracle doctor. I only have this one dose. Pay for it, pay for it!"
Wu Dahui returned from the army. As soon as he arrived at the door, he saw Miao Xiaofeng sitting on the ground. He was stunned and asked, "Mom, what are you doing?"
When Miao Xiaofeng saw her son coming back, she stopped crying and quickly patted her butt and stood up. "Son, take care of it for me! It's her!" Pointing at Ning Tang, "She spilled the reincarnation potion I worked so hard to make!"
Complaining about Ning Tang wasn't enough; she also wanted to blame Zhou Caiwei. "And your wife, I asked her to drink a sex-changing potion, but she refused to drink it, like she was drinking something else. She's so stupid! This is something you can't even get by praying to the gods. Do you know how many people are waiting in line to buy it?"
Wu Dahui was confused by her series of questions and frowned, "Tell me slowly."
Miao Xiaofeng pursed her lips and recounted what had happened, focusing on describing how hard it was to obtain this "fetal rebirth medicine". What about Zhou Caiwei? What about her? She was ignorant. What about Ning Tang? What about her? She was meddling in other people's business. She had good intentions but was treated like a donkey's liver and lungs. She was simply ungrateful and didn't know how to appreciate a good person's kindness.
Wu Dahui's brows furrowed as he listened, and he quickly asked Zhou Caiwei, "Caiwei, how much of the medicine did you drink?"
Zhou Caiwei had just finished asking Ning Tang to induce vomiting. Her voice was hoarse, "No, I didn't drink much." She pointed to the ground and said, "Luckily, Xiao Ning was quick and basically knocked it all over the floor."
Wu Dahui breathed a sigh of relief. "This sounds like something that could harm people. Even though you only drank a little, you can't be careless. I'll take a day off tomorrow and go to the hospital with you for a checkup so I can rest assured."
After saying that, he nodded apologetically to Ning Tang, his eyes full of gratitude, "Thank you, Xiao Ning."
After Zhou Caiwei drank the medicine, even after inducing vomiting, she felt her throat burning, her stomach aching, and her whole body shivering. She looked at Miao Xiaofeng with hatred in her eyes, and took her anger out on Wu Dahui. She angrily said, "You don't have to accompany me." She looked at Ning Tang and pleaded softly, "Xiao Ning, please accompany me."
The only person she can and dares to trust now is Ning Tang.
Ning Tang patted her back soothingly and replied, "Okay, I'll go with you." He nodded implicitly at Wu Dahui, telling him not to worry.
She also realized that Wu Dahui was probably unaware of this matter and it was Miao Xiaofeng's idea alone.
But it was not easy to tell Zhou Caiwei this. Zhou Caiwei was now stimulated and had a bit of a stress reaction. No matter what, Miao Xiaofeng was Wu Dahui's biological mother. It was normal for her not to want to see these two people.
Ning Tang stood up and poured a glass of boiled water for Zhou Caiwei. Zhou Caiwei took the boiled water, rinsed her mouth, and felt that the bitter taste of medicine in her mouth was a little lighter.
Seeing that his wife was fine, Wu Dahui looked at Miao Xiaofeng and angrily said, "Mom, how could you give Caiwei some kind of reincarnation drug? What if something goes wrong? You're... you're practicing feudal superstition."
"What feudal superstition? The miracle doctor said this medicine is very useful for changing one's sex life." Miao Xiaofeng rolled her eyes and lowered her voice mysteriously, "In our village, I know of more than ten families who gave birth to sons by taking this. And those are sons, male, the lifeblood of the family line!"
Wu Dahui was furious and slammed the sofa handle with a crisp sound. "I don't want it? Son, Mom, I've told you so many times, it doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl!"
"Bah!" Miao Xiaofeng spat in Wu Dahui's face, pointing at Zhou Caiwei and saying hatefully, "Years ago, a hen that didn't lay eggs couldn't give birth to babies. You told me that having children was all about fate and there was no need to rush. Okay, I'll wait, wait, wait. You're almost forty. In our village, people your age already have grandchildren."
She put her hands on her hips and said, "Now that I've finally gotten pregnant, you're telling me it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl. Ugh, do you believe that? These days, everyone's saying things like 'it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or a girl' and 'gender equality'. Everyone goes out and says they're progressive and believe in this, but in reality, if you don't have a son, people will point at you and call you a childless person, and you won't dare say a word."
Wu Dahui had never thought of it this way. He looked at Miao Xiaofeng, extremely disappointed. "Mom, are girls no longer your grandchildren? Don't you often bring things back to grandpa and grandma? Do you have to take that damned sex-changing medicine to turn all girls into boys? Then let me ask you, if everyone in the world has given birth to boys, who will give birth in the future? Who will give birth to the son you so-called to carry on the family line?"
Miao Xiaofeng was stunned. She had obviously never thought about this question. She stammered, "I, I don't care. Anyway, no matter who gives birth to a girl, you can't give birth to a girl."
Wu Dahui's face was cold and he remained indifferent.
Seeing this, Miao Xiaofeng rolled her eyes and resorted to the strategy of playing the victim. She slapped her thigh and began to wipe away her tears. "Dahui, I'm doing this for your own good. Think about it. You're almost forty years old. The baby in Caiwei's belly might be the only child you'll have in your life. Your father and I only have you as our son. If you don't give birth to a son, how can our family line continue? If you give birth to a daughter, won't our family be extinct?"
Wu Dahui just thought it was ridiculous, "Then let's cut it off." He looked at Zhou Caiwei, "Caiwei, do you still feel uncomfortable in your stomach?"
Zhou Caiwei turned her head away and didn't look at him.
Wu Dahui took a deep breath and said, "Mom, I'll book a train ticket for you tomorrow. You can go back."
Miao Xiaofeng looked incredulous and asked in shock, "What? You want to? Drive me away?"
"Right." Wu Dahui made up his mind. "Caiwei doesn't need you to take care of her. We can handle it on our own. You're old anyway, so you should work less and take care of your health more."
Ever since Miao Xiaofeng came, there has been no peace at home, with chaos every day. Not only did she sow discord between herself and Caiwei, but now she has even come up with something like the fetal rebirth medicine. If she is not allowed to leave, this family will sooner or later break up.
Miao Xiaofeng looked at Wu Dahui, then at Zhou Caiwei, and said through gritted teeth, "Okay, okay, okay, I really gave birth to a filial son who only wants a wife and not a mother."
After saying that, he stomped his feet and rushed upstairs, saying as he walked, "No? If you chase me away, I'll leave by myself. Don't ask me to come back in the future, you two?!"
Miao Xiaofeng packed her luggage that day and left by train the next day.
As soon as she left, Zhou Caiwei finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The reason why Zhou Caiwei had an unstable fetus was most likely caused by Miao Xiaofeng. As soon as she came, she started saying that the feng shui was bad here and that place, and forced Zhou Caiwei and Wu Dahui to sleep in separate rooms, saying that pregnant women had evil spirits and would ruin Wu Dahui's fortune.
In short, she keeps doing this and that and never stops. Zhou Caiwei is really annoyed by her.
On the day Miao Xiaofeng passed away, Ning Tang accompanied Zhou Caiwei to the hospital.
The doctor confirmed that the sex-changing drug is harmful and can cause reproductive organ deformities in babies.
Zhou Caiwei and Wu Dahui were immediately frightened. Fortunately, Ning Tang arrived in time, was vigilant, and asked a few more questions, so that Miao Xiaofeng did not make a big mistake.
Fortunately, because of Ning Tang's obstruction, Zhou Caiwei only drank a few sips and induced vomiting in time, so she vomited out the medicine shortly after it entered her stomach.
After the doctor's examination, Zhou Caiwei was not seriously injured and the child was fine, so everyone was happy.
Zhou Caiwei pulled Ning Tang closer and said gratefully, "Xiao Ning, if it weren't for you, I would have drunk that reincarnation potion."
In that case, she would give birth to a child with deformed reproductive organs, just as the doctor said. What would happen to the child when he grew up? How would he deal with it? Wouldn't he hate her as a mother and Miao Xiaofeng as his grandmother?
Thinking of this, Zhou Caiwei felt a little scared.
Ning Tang waved his hand and said, "Don't be so quick to thank me. Remember to be more careful next time and don't drink everything. This time it's a reincarnation potion, what if it's poison next time?"
Zhou Caiwei nodded heavily, "Don't worry, next time I will be more careful. When someone gives me food, I will definitely ask what it is before eating it."
In fact, we can't blame Zhou Caiwei entirely on her negligence. After all, who could have imagined that Miao Xiaofeng, her own mother-in-law, out of ignorance and feudal superstition, would let Zhou Caiwei take this harmful reincarnation drug for the purpose of "changing from female to male" and "continuing the family line"?
Ning Tang used this incident as a negative example to teach Da Wa and Er Niu a lesson, "...Remember, don't have the intention to harm others, but be wary of them. If a stranger gives you something to eat, you must be very careful."
Thinking of how Miao Xiaofeng wasn't a 'stranger' to Zhou Caiwei, Ning Tang paused. "Even if your father and I brought you something to eat, you couldn't just swallow it without thinking."
Erniu tilted her head and said, "But mom, you and dad won't harm us."
Big Boy said, "That's right, we don't even need to think about what you give us, we just eat it directly."
Chen Lie said, "If it's ordinary food, it's fine. But if it's something like the strange medicine that Grandma Zhou Caiwei gave you, you have to think carefully before taking it."
"Why?" Erniu still didn't understand.
Ning Tang said, "Because your father and I are not omniscient and omnipotent, there are times when we don't understand things and times when we are fooled. In short, remember, you have to be more careful in everything you do."
"Oh." Big Boy responded.
Seeing that Da Wa and Er Niu still looked like they didn't take it seriously, Ning Tang said solemnly, "I'm not trying to lie to you or scare you. There are so many bad people out there now, and the tricks they use are endless, making it hard to guard against them."
Erniu asked, "How will they deceive us?"
"There are many methods, such as medicine. There is one kind of medicine that can help infertile women have children. It is said that you need to go to the temple to ask for a Taoist talisman, burn the talisman, mix the talisman with water and drink it, and you will be able to have children after drinking it." Ning Tang said.
Erniu nodded, then shook her head. "This is just a trick for fools. If you can't have a baby, going to the hospital to see a doctor or praying to the gods is useless."
Ning Tang said, "Besides these two drugs, there's also that kind of drug that can cause people to faint." She thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember the first time we returned to Shangang Village, we ran into the kidnapper who wanted to abduct Su Guangzong on the train?"
Big Boy said, "Yes." He remembered.
At that time, the police officer also taught them that children should not follow strangers casually.
Ning Tang continued, "What if the bad guys didn't trick Su Guangzong into abducting him, but used drugs that could make people unconscious?"
Chen Lie: "Imagine you're on a train alone, without a water bottle, and you're extremely thirsty. A kind-looking woman, or a young, handsome, or beautiful man or woman, says they have some water and can give you a sip. Would you drink it or not?"
Erniu hesitated and said, "I think I can drink it."
Chen Lie said, "Then you've fallen into a trap. This water has been spiked with drugs. You'll pass out soon after drinking it. Then you'll be able to let those scammers do whatever they want."
Ning Tang said, "Even if it's not food you can eat, and he gave you his own enamel pot, you still have to be careful. What if he smeared a layer of drug on the bottom of the enamel pot, and you don't know it?"
When Da Wa and Er Niu thought of this possibility, they immediately felt goose bumps and shuddered. "It's too scary. It's impossible to guard against it."
Ning Tang concluded, "So, no matter where you are or what you do, you have to be more careful. You have to know that in this world, there are just as many good people as bad ones."
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