Chapter 30 Wang Juan Comes to the Door
In July, the air was stifling and stuffy from early morning, like a steamer.
Li Yugu got up before dawn and busied himself in the kitchen.
I cooked a pot of millet porridge, made a few pancakes, and sliced a small dish of pickled vegetables.
Once the meal was ready, she went to the window of the east wing and called out through the window, "Xiaoxiao, get up and eat."
After a long while, Wen Xiaoxiao, with her enormous belly, finally managed to move out with difficulty.
I'm almost eight months pregnant, and my belly is incredibly big and sagging. I feel breathless and have heart palpitations even after walking just a few steps.
Sitting at the small dining table, Wen Xiaoxiao had just picked up her bowl when she felt a tightness in her stomach.
He managed to swallow two mouthfuls of porridge and chew half a piece of bread, but he couldn't eat anymore.
"Mom, I'm full, you guys eat." She put down her chopsticks and unconsciously rubbed her lower back.
Li Yugu glanced at her and sighed, "How can you eat so little? You're eating for one person, but three people are trying to make up for it."
"I really can't eat anymore, I feel so full." Wen Xiaoxiao shook her head. What made it even more difficult for her to talk about was that going to the toilet had become a huge problem lately.
My belly is too big to squat down, and I always have to work up a sweat and suffer terribly every time.
The sound of a van engine came from outside the door; Zhao Fei had returned.
He parked the car and unloaded several large watermelons from the back seat.
Li Yugu had finished lunch with Zhao Yidi and they were getting ready to take a nap.
Zhao Yidi obediently told Wen Xiaoxiao, "Second Aunt, I'm going to sleep," and then took her grandmother's hand and went into the west wing.
Zhao Fei drew water from the well and poured it over the watermelon.
After a while, he picked one, and with a swift motion, he sliced it open with a "snap," revealing a red-fleshed, black-seeded fruit, brimming with juice.
He cut a large piece and walked over to the chair where Wen Xiaoxiao was sitting.
"Xiaoxiao, it's hot. Have a slice of watermelon to cool down. It's freshly soaked and refreshing."
Wen Xiaoxiao was sewing a small piece of clothing when she looked up and said, "Big brother, you eat it. I don't want to eat it. It's too sweet and will only make me feel worse."
She hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice, "Besides... now it's so hard to squat down to use the toilet."
Zhao Fei paused, a hint of heartache flashing in his eyes.
He didn't try to persuade him any further, only saying, "Then leave it here, take it when you want to eat it." He then silently ate the watermelon himself.
In the afternoon, Wen Xiaoxiao still forced herself to go to the tailor shop in town every other day to deliver the finished work and pick up the new one.
She pedaled the sewing machine even harder, daring not to rest for too long despite her aching back and waist.
She must save as much as she can while she still can.
In the evening, Zhao Fei drove his van back again.
This time, he took a wooden stool with clear varnish off the car.
He placed the stool at the door of Wen Xiaoxiao's room and called her out to see.
When Wen Xiaoxiao came out and saw it, she was stunned.
"This..." Wen Xiaoxiao didn't react for a moment.
Zhao Fei said calmly, "Didn't you say you couldn't squat down? Use this from now on, it'll be more convenient to sit down."
Just then, Li Yugu came out of the house and saw it, his eyes widening in surprise.
She walked over, looked at Zhao Fei, then at Wen Xiaoxiao, her expression changing several times before finally managing an unnatural smile: "Brother, you're... too thoughtful."
His words carried a clear probing tone.
She always felt that her brother-in-law was treating his sister-in-law a little too well.
They used to deliver food and other necessities, but now they're even considering such private matters?
Zhao Fei didn't even flinch. He bent down and moved the stool further into the house, his voice low: "Auntie, you're overthinking it. If Qingda were home, would I have to worry about these things? He's a husband; doesn't he know his own wife's situation?"
He straightened up and dusted off his hands. "I just saw Xiaoxiao suffering so much, and Qingda is no help. I can't just watch her suffer."
One sentence struck a chord with Li Yugu.
She thought of her son, who hadn't been home for a month, and fell silent.
Wen Xiaoxiao's eyes suddenly welled up with tears as she looked at the stool with a hole in the middle.
She whispered "Thank you, brother," her voice slightly choked, and quickly turned and went inside.
A few days later, Wenbin arrived.
During his half-day off work, he brought two pounds of brown sugar cake to visit his sister.
Upon entering, I saw Wen Xiaoxiao, with a frighteningly large pregnant belly, still operating a sewing machine.
Wenbin, this honest and kind man, immediately had tears in his eyes.
He rubbed his hands, unsure whether to stand or sit in the room.
After Wen Xiaoxiao stopped to catch her breath, he took out a handkerchief from his pocket.
"Hey girl, take this." Wenbin stuffed the money into Wen Xiaoxiao's hand, his fingers rough and carrying the distinctive smell of the pig farm.
Wen Xiaoxiao touched it and found at least several hundred yuan. She was shocked: "Brother, I don't want it, you keep it! You're already in your thirties, you need to save money to get married!"
Wenbin grinned, his chapped lips twisting into a bitter smile: "What's the point of getting a wife? I'm an old man, owning neither a house nor a plot of land. I work on a pig farm. What girl would want me? Don't worry about it. Take this money and have a baby. Raising a baby costs money everywhere. Don't shortchange yourself and the baby."
He looked at his sister's huge belly with pure tenderness in his eyes, "I'll stay with you like this and help you raise the child. That's better than anything else."
Wen Xiaoxiao could no longer hold back her tears, which streamed down her face.
That afternoon, Wen Xiaoxiao was sitting in the yard, laboriously washing a large basin of clothes.
Suddenly, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Zhao Qingda, who had been missing for a long time, staggered in.
He spotted Wen Xiaoxiao immediately, his gaze sweeping over her stomach before he asked vaguely, "Um... how many months pregnant?"
Wen Xiaoxiao said, "I'm almost eight months pregnant. The doctor said that I could give birth at any time after eight months."
"Oh," Zhao Qingda replied absentmindedly.
Wen Xiaoxiao put down the clothes she was holding, stood up while supporting her back, and said, "Qingda, I need to prepare money for giving birth, as well as clothes and blankets for the baby... Could you give me some money?"
She tried to keep her voice calm, carrying a last glimmer of hope.
A flicker of panic and embarrassment crossed Zhao Qingda's face. He habitually lied, "Money? I don't have any money! My tire is flat, I just had it replaced, and I still owe the repair shop money! My pockets are emptier than my face!"
He was indeed uneasy, as Wang Juan controlled the money very tightly, and most of it was in her hands.
Seeing his evasive gaze, Wen Xiaoxiao's heart sank to the bottom.
She stopped talking and silently sat down again.
Zhao Qingda paced around the house for a moment, then said awkwardly, "I have something to do, I'll be going now." He then left home as if fleeing.
He went straight back to the small courtyard where Wang Juan lived.
Wang Juan is also seven months pregnant, her belly is protruding, and she is reclining on a deck chair eating sunflower seeds.
He didn't even lift his eyelids when Zhao Qingda returned.
Zhao Qingda sidled up to her, forcing a smile: "Juan'er, I need to talk to you about something. Wen Xiaoxiao... is about to give birth, and she doesn't have any money on hand. Could you give me a thousand yuan first? I'll take it to her; after all, she's a member of the Zhao family..."
Before he could finish speaking, Wang Juan bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on! "What?!" She sat bolt upright, scattering sunflower seeds all over the floor. "Zhao Qingda! You heartless bastard! I secretly got you pregnant and had your child, and you want money? You want money back? Dream on!"
She grew angrier and angrier as she spoke, grabbing an enamel mug and smashing it against the wall instead of Zhao Qingda. "I can't live like this anymore! I'm not going to live anymore! I'll take your son and jump into the river with me!" she yelled, trying to rush out the door.
Zhao Qingda was terrified and quickly hugged her, coaxing her repeatedly, "Okay, okay, I won't give it to you! I won't mention it again, alright? Don't get angry, or you'll hurt our son!"
After much persuasion, they finally calmed Wang Juan down. Naturally, she never dared to mention the money again.
Although Wang Juan was persuaded to stop, she kept her anger inside and became more and more frustrated.
Who is Wen Xiaoxiao? She's a woman who couldn't conceive for two years and now, by some incredible stroke of luck, got pregnant.
You think you're worthy to compete with her? You want money too?
No, she had to teach that woman a lesson and make her face reality!
The next morning, she walked out of the house with her seven-month pregnant belly, looking very proud and confident, and went straight to Zhao Qingda's courtyard house.
The gate to the courtyard was not closed, and Li Yugu was drying bed sheets in the yard.
Looking up, I saw an unfamiliar young woman standing at the door with a pregnant belly, and I wondered whose relative she was.
When Wang Juan stepped in, Li Yugu saw her face and her obvious pregnant belly. His mind went blank, and the bed sheet in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
"You...you still have the nerve to come here?" Li Yugu's voice trembled.
Wang Juan stood still, her voice crisp and clear, as if afraid the neighbors wouldn't hear: "Why shouldn't I come?"
She paused deliberately, patted her stomach, and said, "The one inside is from your Zhao family, Qingda's son! I'm here today to make things clear!"
Li Yugu felt dizzy, as if he had been struck by lightning. Looking at Wang Juan's belly and then at her self-righteous face, he didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Hearing the noise, Wen Xiaoxiao, who was inside the house, came out, supporting herself on the door frame.
When she saw Wang Juan, her face turned as white as paper, and her stomach suddenly clenched.
"Wang Juan! You shameless slut! How dare you come to my door!"
Wen Xiaoxiao screamed, her voice cracking with emotion.
Wang Juan wasn't going to back down either, and immediately retorted: "Who are you calling shameless? You're just a useless bastard! You can't have children yourself, but you won't let your man have them with someone else? Let me tell you, Qingda has been with me for a long time, he doesn't care about you at all! If you know what's good for you, get out of here!"
"Bullshit! This is my house! You thief! You slut who stole people! You dare to come here pretending to be human with a bastard in your belly? Get out!" Wen Xiaoxiao was trembling with anger, pointing at the door.
Li Yugu then realized that Wang Juan's behavior was a slap in the face to the entire Zhao family!
She slapped her thigh and joined the fray: "You shameless bastard! Get out! Get out of our Zhao family! Our Zhao family doesn't accept a slut like you! We don't accept the bastard in your belly!"
Two pregnant women started arguing, and with a mother-in-law who was furious, the yard was instantly thrown into chaos.
He was spitting everywhere, spewing out all sorts of nasty things.
The neighbors were startled and began to peek and point.
Wang Juan was alone after all, and facing the curses of two people, she felt embarrassed and blushed.
But she stubbornly insisted, "Fine! You're ruthless! Let's see how long you can keep up this act! Once I give birth to my son, you'll all be sorry!"
She uttered those harsh words, then turned and swayed away.
Watching Wang Juan disappear through the door, all the strength Wen Xiaoxiao had been holding on for just moments before vanished instantly.
A series of sharp, throbbing pains came from her lower abdomen. Her legs went weak, and she could no longer support herself. She slowly slid down the door frame and fell to the ground, clutching her stomach tightly with both hands.
"Xiaoxiao!" Li Yugu cried out in surprise, rushing over to help her, but his legs gave way and he almost fell.
Looking at her fallen daughter-in-law, she slapped her thigh and burst into loud sobs: "My God! What sins have I committed! Zhao Qingda, you bastard! You heartless scoundrel! You've ruined this family!..."
The courtyard and its surroundings were in complete disarray.
Only Wen Xiaoxiao clutched her stomach, thinking, "The baby must not be hurt..."
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