Jiang Jianhua held the ginger tea bowl tightly, his fingertips burning red from the heat, but he didn't let go.
The brown sugar slowly dissolved in the hot water, and the sweet aroma mixed with the spicy smell of ginger wafted up. She suddenly covered her mouth with a "whoosh" and rushed outside.
Yu Xia stood up, her apron strap brushing against the stove and knocking over the porcelain bowl containing hawthorns.
Red berries rolled all over the ground, but she didn't bother to pick them up: "Second sister-in-law's reaction..."
She suddenly grabbed Yun Tangyin's hand, her palm burning hot. "Yinyin, do you remember what Dr. Zhang said?"
Yun Tangyin's heart skipped a beat, and she glanced at the calendar on the stove.
Jiang Jianhua's period should have started last month.
“Mom, I’ll go and fetch Dr. Zhang.” Yun Tangyin suddenly spoke, her voice trembling slightly. “Just say… just say that Second Sister-in-law isn’t feeling well.”
Song Yushuang paused in her act of cracking sunflower seeds, the shells slipping from her fingers: "Could it be..."
Yun Tangyin ran into the yard, her cotton shoes crunching on the snow. "I'm going right now! Dr. Zhang's house is nearby!"
When Jiang Jianhua returned from the outhouse, his face was as white as a sheet.
She looked at the hawthorns scattered on the ground, then suddenly squatted down to pick them up, not even noticing the thorns pricking her fingertips and drawing blood: "How did they fall like that..."
Yu Xia quickly pulled her up and stuffed a wad of cotton into her hand: "Don't pick it up, the ground is cold."
She helped Jiang Jianhua sit down next to Song Yushuang, saying, "You sit still, I'll go and cook you some millet porridge to soothe your stomach."
Yun Tangyin's voice came from outside the door: "Dr. Zhang, please come in quickly! My second sister-in-law's condition..."
Dr. Zhang walked in carrying his medicine kit, his white coat covered in snow.
She had barely sat down when Jiang Jianhua grabbed her wrist with such force that it felt like he was going to crush her bones: "Dr. Zhang, do I have some kind of strange illness?"
As Dr. Zhang took Yu Xia's pulse, his brows slowly relaxed. Suddenly, he looked up at her and asked, "Has your husband been sleeping with you lately?"
Jiang Jianhua's face flushed red, and he stammered, "It happened a few times a while ago."
"That's right." Dr. Zhang let go of her hand and rummaged through the medicine box. "Congratulations, you're two months pregnant."
"What?!" Jiang Jianhua jumped up, knocking the kang table so hard it shook, and the ginger tea bowl shattered on the floor. "I...I'm pregnant?"
Yu Xia dropped the porridge spoon into the pot with a clatter, splashing millet all over her apron: "Really? Dr. Zhang, you're not mistaken?"
“It’s definitely right.” Dr. Zhang took out a small medicine bottle and handed it to her. “This is folic acid. Take one tablet every day. Be careful for the first three months. Don’t overexert yourself and don’t touch cold water.”
She suddenly remembered something and glanced at Yun Tangyin, "You have to keep eating too, Acheng asked me to keep an eye on you."
Yun Tangyin's face flushed red. She added some firewood to the stove, and the firelight cast her shadow on the wall, making it sway.
Song Yushuang suddenly slapped her thigh, tears almost falling: "Thank God! If that kid Yuanshan knew, he'd be ecstatic!"
She slipped a red cloth bag into Jiang Jianhua's hand, saying, "This is for you."
Jiang Jianhua clutched the heavy cloth bag, then suddenly burst into laughter, but tears welled up in his eyes as he laughed: "I thought... I thought I had no hope in this lifetime."
She suddenly grabbed Yu Xia's hand, "Sister-in-law, I used to bicker with you all the time, don't take it to heart."
Yu Xia wiped away her tears and ladled a spoonful of porridge into her bowl: "Silly girl, why are you talking nonsense when we're family?"
She added a spoonful of brown sugar to the porridge. "Eat some quickly, to fill your stomach."
When Fu Yuanshan carried a load of firewood into the house, he bumped into Jiang Jianhua, who was rubbing his belly and laughing.
He leaned the carrying pole against the wall, his frosty gaze sweeping over the mess on the table—the shattered porcelain bowl, the scattered hawthorns, and the red cloth-wrapped item in Jiang Jianhua's hand.
"I heard a commotion outside the door. What happened?" He took off his frozen scarf, his tone icy.
Just as Song Yushuang was about to speak, Jiang Jianhua suddenly grabbed her hand, his fingertips trembling violently: "It's nothing."
Fu Yuanshan's gaze fell on her face, his brows furrowing: "Why is your face so pale?"
"She probably caught a cold," Yu Xia quickly smoothed things over, adding firewood to the stove. "I made millet porridge for my second sister-in-law, drink it while it's hot."
Fu Yuanshan didn't move. He walked straight up to Jiang Jianhua and suddenly grabbed her wrist.
The pressure was much stronger than when Dr. Zhang took her pulse, causing her to gasp in pain: "What are you doing?"
"I'm asking you, are you pregnant?" His voice was extremely low, like a sharpened knife. "Has Dr. Zhang been here?"
Jiang Jianhua's face drained of color instantly, and he bit his lip, remaining silent.
The crackling flames in the stove made the sinister look in Fu Yuanshan's eyes even more intense.
"Speak!" He abruptly flung her hand away, and Jiang Jianhua staggered, letting out a muffled groan of pain.
This scene left Yu Xia and Yun Tangyin standing to the side, unsure of what to say.
Song Yushuang's gaze swept over the two men's faces, but in the end, she decided to listen to what Fu Yuanshan had to say first.
"So what if I am?" She suddenly looked up, tears mixed with stubbornness. "Fu Yuanshan, I'm pregnant with your child, aren't you happy?"
"Happy?" Fu Yuanshan suddenly laughed, but his laughter was full of coldness. "Let me tell you, this child is not acceptable!"
Song Yu crushed the melon seed shells in his hands with a "crack": "What nonsense are you talking about? Those are your own flesh and blood!"
"Her own flesh and blood?" Fu Yuanshan suddenly raised his voice. "She couldn't give birth to her first child back then. She bled half a basin. The doctor said that if she got pregnant again, she would lose her life! Who among you will die in her place?"
Yun Tangyin was originally prepared to slap him and yell at him.
Hearing this, she stopped.
If Jiang Jianhua is unable to have children due to health reasons, then that is indeed a problem...
Jiang Jianhua stood there, stunned, tears streaming down his face.
Finally gritting his teeth, Jiang Jianhua shoved Fu Yuanshan aside and roared, "I'm going to have this child! Even if he dies, it's none of your business!"
She used some force but failed to push Fu Yuanshan; instead, she stumbled a few steps.
Yu Xia reached out to support Jiang Jianhua, frowning as she looked at Fu Yuanshan: "I'm not trying to criticize you, but we can work together to find a solution to our problems. How can you talk like that when she's carrying your child?"
Song Yushuang nodded and slapped Fu Yuanshan on the shoulder: "That's your wife. You can't even say nice things to her, and you still have the nerve to yell at her? Go, go and coax her!"
Fu Yuanshan then frowned and looked at Jiang Jianhua, who was shedding tears.
Reluctantly, he lowered his head and patted Jiang Jianhua's arm.
Just when everyone thought it was all over...
Fu Yuanshan suddenly spoke with a cold face: "Go to the medical team and get some medicine when you have time, and get rid of this child."
These words exploded in the room like a thunderclap, and Yun Tangyin immediately frowned.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com