Chapter 26 This child can only be Zhao Qingda's.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked at the obsessive light burning in Zhao Fei's eyes.
A wave of panic washed over her instantly.
Her legs buckled, and she knelt down straight down in front of Zhao Fei!
"Big brother! I'm begging you!"
She looked up, her face streaked with tears, her voice filled with anguish: "This child...this child can only, must be Zhao Qingda's! I'm begging you, brother!"
She was afraid; she didn't have the courage to take that step.
She feared being scorned by everyone, but she feared even more that she would ruin Zhao Fei's peaceful life.
Zhao Fei was so startled by her kneeling that he took a half step back and quickly pulled her up.
He gripped her arm very hard, making it ache.
He was filled with anguish and anger: "Xiaoxiao! You want me... you want me to watch my child call someone else 'Dad'? And it has to be a scumbag like Zhao Qingda?! Is that fair to me? Is that fair to my child?!"
He pulled Wen Xiaoxiao up, but she still kept her head down.
She was too ashamed to face Zhao Fei; from the very beginning, her motives were impure.
Her shoulders slumped: "Brother... if you really care about me, really care about the child... then... then accept that this child is Zhao Qingda's. Only in this way can the child be born legitimately, and only then... only then can the child have a place in this family. Only then... only then can I... only then can I... catch my breath a little."
She looked at him almost pleadingly, "Otherwise... what should we do? Elope? Or let everyone know this is a 'bastard'? Big brother, I really..."
She didn't finish her sentence, but Zhao Fei understood.
He might be able to bear the cost of eloping, but what about her?
What about the baby in her womb?
Born with an unclear and ambiguous background, living in discrimination?
Just as the two were at an impasse, the courtyard gate rang.
Zhao Qingda strolled in, carrying a net bag full of canned oranges.
Upon entering the main room, one could see Zhao Fei and Wen Xiaoxiao standing face to face, both looking extremely unnatural, with tear stains still visible on Wen Xiaoxiao's face.
"What are you doing here?" Zhao Qingda glanced at them, his tone carrying his usual impatience.
Zhao Fei took a deep breath, turned around, his face barely maintaining a calm expression, even managing a stiff hint of concern:
"Oh, Qingda's back. I just got here and saw that Xiaoxiao was vomiting badly and didn't look well, so I came to check on her."
His gaze swept over the canned food in Zhao Qingda's hand. "What is this...?"
Zhao Qingda said "Oh," his attention quickly shifting as he waved the can in his hand: "I bought this for her. She was vomiting, so she should eat some of this to calm down."
As he spoke, his gaze casually swept over the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) and the open cardboard box next to it.
He paused for a moment, then leaned closer and picked up the pregnancy test strip that showed two clear red lines.
He turned sharply to Wen Xiaoxiao, his voice even cracking: "You...you're really pregnant?! Is it?! This...is this pregnant?!"
Wen Xiaoxiao lowered her eyes, her nails digging deeply into her palms, and nodded gently.
"Oh my God!" Zhao Qingda slapped his thigh and grinned, his smile almost reaching his ears.
He turned to Zhao Fei excitedly, so excited he was almost incoherent: "Big brother! Did you hear that? Xiaoxiao is pregnant! I'm going to be a dad! Haha!"
He waved the pregnancy test as if it were some kind of prestigious medal.
Zhao Fei looked at Zhao Qingda's smug and arrogant face.
I could only feel my jaw clenching so hard it was making a grinding sound, and the muscles in my cheeks were twitching slightly.
He used immense willpower to squeeze out two dry, hard words: "...Congratulations."
After saying that, he turned around abruptly, strode out of the east wing, almost smashed open the door of the main room, and then slammed it shut with a loud bang.
The loud crash from the door startled a flock of sparrows that were roosting in the yard.
Zhao Qingda was startled by the sound of the door slamming, but his elation quickly overshadowed his displeasure.
"Crazy..." he muttered, then turned to Wen Xiaoxiao with a beaming smile, his attitude completely changing.
"Xiaoxiao! Sit down! Sit down! Don't stand! Be careful in the future! What do you want to eat? Besides canned food, what else do you want to eat? I'll go buy it tomorrow! Don't do any housework! I'll take care of it! The tailor shop... maybe you shouldn't go there for now? Just stay home and rest!"
Wen Xiaoxiao was forced to sit on the edge of the kang like a puppet, listening to his rare attempts to please her and his excited chatter, but her heart was cold and numb.
She looked at Zhao Qingda's radiant face, beaming with joy at becoming a father, and then recalled Zhao Fei's pained figure as he left.
My stomach churned again.
The next day, Li Yugu returned with Zhao Yidi, who was having a great time.
Upon entering the hospital, Zhao Qingda couldn't wait to announce this "huge good news".
Li Yugu was taken aback at first, then cried out "Ouch!" almost dropping what he was holding. His face instantly blossomed into a radiant smile, and he clasped his hands together, bowing repeatedly to the sky.
"Thank God! Thank our ancestors! It's finally here! It's finally here!"
Her eyes welled up with tears of excitement. Holding Wen Xiaoxiao's hand as if she were looking at a rare treasure, she kept repeating, "Good girl," "Thank you for your hard work," "That's great now..."
Although Zhao Yidi didn't quite understand, seeing how happy her grandmother and uncle were, she clapped her hands and laughed as well.
Wenbin, who had just returned from the pig farm and still smelled of pigs,
Upon hearing the news, he was first stunned for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh, a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile spreading across his dark face: "Great news! Girl! This is fantastic news!"
He pulled Wen Xiaoxiao aside, lowered his voice, and advised, "Xiaoxiao, things will be better once you have a child! Men, once they have children, they settle down and know how to take care of their families! Look at how Qingda behaved today, he's like a completely different person! From now on, live a good life together!"
Listening to her older brother's sincere consolation that he was genuinely happy for her, Wen Xiaoxiao felt as if she had a whole bitter pill in her mouth, so bitter it made her numb, but she couldn't utter a single word.
She could only manage a weak smile and nod slightly.
Zhao Qingda was indeed a changed man. Although he was still a bit impulsive, he actually started to take the initiative to do housework and showed unprecedented "concern" for Wen Xiaoxiao's food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Li Yugu treated Wen Xiaoxiao as a key person to protect, taking meticulous care of her daily life, and his smile never left his face.
Only Wen Xiaoxiao herself knew that the child in her womb, which everyone was looking forward to, was the cruelest proof of the insurmountable chasm between her and Zhao Fei.
Since slamming the door and leaving that day, Zhao Fei has been working from dawn till dusk, devoting almost all his energy to the pig farm.
Only when he occasionally returned late at night, the gaze he cast into the dark east wing revealed his inner pain and torment.
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