Chapter 165 A Bloodbath Caused by a Bowl of Wonton
That evening, when the Sheng family elders and Xu Chenglin returned to the small building, they learned that Zhang Zhaodi was pregnant.
While they were genuinely happy for the Zhang family, they were also worried that the young couple had not yet announced any good news.
Grandpa Sheng and Xu Chenglin are men, so even if they were anxious, they couldn't show it in front of Sheng An.
Grandma Sheng had no such concerns. She called Sheng An into her room and asked, "An'an, tell Grandma the truth, is there really a problem with Jin Nian's health?"
The grandson-in-law is tall and handsome, and he and An'an are inseparable every day; they seem like a perfect match.
The young couple had been married for a year but still had no children. There must be a reason, right?
While they are still young, they can get medical treatment as soon as possible if they have any problems.
Sheng An guessed that her grandmother would ask about the child tonight, so she simply repeated what she had said to Xu Cuilian and her mother-in-law that afternoon: "Jin Nian's health is fine. She is not pregnant because the time is not right. Many couples have been married for several years before they have a child."
Grandma Sheng sighed inwardly, gently stroking her granddaughter's rosy cheeks with her withered hand: "Grandma was too anxious. There's no rush with the child, no rush at all..."
Sheng An held her grandmother's hand and shook it: "Jin Nian and I are not in a hurry, so please don't worry or get anxious. We will definitely have a child. Just don't find it noisy when the time comes."
Grandma Sheng smiled and said, "Just thinking about you and Jin Nian having a child who looks like a little fairy child under the Bodhisattva's seat makes me so happy, how could I possibly complain about the noise?"
While she's still relatively healthy, if An'an can give birth sooner, she can help take care of the baby and save the young couple from worrying about childcare.
"Don't worry, Grandma, I'll definitely make sure you get to hold your great-grandson."
Sheng An affectionately nuzzled the old lady's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her increasingly thin and frail body: "You and Grandpa must take good care of yourselves and live to be a hundred years old, watching your great-grandson grow up."
Grandma Sheng smiled and patted her granddaughter's leg lightly: "Alright, alright, we two old folks will definitely take good care of ourselves and watch our An'an grow up."
After that, they continued living their lives as usual, and the three elderly people did not mention the child to the young couple.
When Zhang Zhaodi was three months pregnant, Zhang Daikui came to her door with a silly grin on his face to announce the good news.
The following day, following the custom of Qingzhou, Sheng'an delivered a basket of eggs and an old hen to the Zhang family.
When delivering the gift, they ran into Zhang's mother, who was also there to deliver eggs and an old hen.
Seeing Sheng An bring so many eggs, Zhang's mother kept thanking her daughter on her behalf, and held Sheng An's hand gratefully, saying, "You are practically a matchmaker for Zhao Di and Da Kui. If it weren't for you as a friend, Zhao Di wouldn't have been able to marry into such a good family!"
Zhao Di was her first child and only daughter. She was pampered by her family from a young age, and they always hoped that Zhao Di would find a good husband when she grew up.
Breaking off the engagement with the Liu family was a last resort, and it was fortunate that she resolutely did so; otherwise, if Zhao Di had been trapped in that den of wolves and tigers in the Liu family, she would have had no hope for the rest of her life.
Now, when the Liu family is mentioned, Zhang's mother says with great satisfaction, "Liu Yong is no good. He seemed so sincere and devoted to his cousin back then, but in just one year, things have turned out so badly. He even tells people he regrets marrying his cousin. Bah!"
Zhang Zhaodi said helplessly, "Mother, it's all in the past. Whether they were good or bad, let's just live our own lives."
Zhang's mother disagreed: "That won't do. I have to keep an eye on him and see him make a fool of himself, so that everyone knows that it's because his Liu family is unlucky that they can't marry a wife as good as my daughter."
Sheng An suppressed a laugh and chimed in, "Right, right, we're just killing time anyway, so what's the harm in watching someone else make a fool of themselves?"
These words struck a chord with Zhang's mother, who slapped her thigh and exclaimed, "That's right! I wouldn't feel guilty watching the Liu family make a fool of themselves!"
Zhang Zhaodi had no choice but to go with her mother.
The three chatted and laughed for a while, then Zhang's mother suddenly asked, "Do you know that Liu Huazhi miscarried a while ago?"
Sheng An and Zhang Zhaodi were both taken aback, looked at each other, and then shook their heads in unison: "We don't know."
Zhang's mother immediately perked up and recounted the events leading up to Liu Huazhi's miscarriage:
"Her husband moved to the city with her, and she set up a stall on the street to sell wontons. Little did she know that her wontons were made with rotten meat. A young woman who was newly pregnant ate them and got diarrhea, which caused her to miscarry. Her husband came straight to her door and kicked her in the womb, causing her to lose her baby."
At this point, Zhang's mother sighed and shook her head: "What a tragedy!"
Sheng An was utterly stunned. He never imagined that a small wonton stall could prevent two unborn children from ever being born and seeing the world.
Recalling the last time Sheng An encountered Liu Huazhi at her stall and the cleanliness of the stall, he couldn't help but shake his head: "I saw her once before and thought her business wouldn't last long. Who knew something so outrageous would happen?"
Hygiene is very important in the catering industry, and Sheng Yuan has never had any problems under the personal supervision of Sheng An.
She was also worried that her three elders were habitually frugal and reluctant to throw away stale ingredients, which might upset the guests' stomachs, so she reminded them every now and then.
The three elders listened to their advice and never sold leftover wontons or steamed buns. They also bought fresh ingredients every day.
As a result, the snack shop has a stable business, with regular customers from the neighborhood coming to eat every day, and no one has ever gotten sick from eating there.
Zhang Zhaodi also found it outrageous and pressed for details: "How was it resolved in the end? Such a big matter, wouldn't the two families argue for a while?"
Zhang's mother nodded: "They're arguing about it, it's even gone to the government. That woman has no evidence to prove that she got sick from eating wontons. Her husband kicked Liu Huazhi's unborn child, and everyone on the street saw it."
Ultimately, the government ruled that the couple should compensate Liu Huazhi with ten taels of silver. If they refused, the man of the house would be flogged and forced to do hard labor for several months.
Compared to being beaten and forced into hard labor, paying compensation was much easier.
The Liu family is shameless. Before they could even enjoy the ten taels of silver, they took five taels from them under the pretext of helping out. This caused a huge scene at Liu Huazhi's in-laws' house.
Otherwise, the villagers wouldn't know that this had happened.
Sheng An and Zhang Zhaodi were shocked again. Even though they disliked Liu Huazhi, they couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her.
Zhang Zhaodi murmured, "Peng Chunlan used to treat Liu Huazhi so well. Whenever there was something good in the house, she would always give it to her daughter. How could things have changed so much in such a short time?"
Zhang's mother casually remarked, "What's so strange about that? A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. No matter how much you love your daughter, she'll become someone else's wife. She's not as important as the son who stays at home."
Realizing her slip of the tongue, she quickly explained, fearing her daughter might misunderstand:
“Zhao Di, you’re different. Even though you’re married, your father and I have never treated you like an outsider. Your mother has kept the room you used to live in for you and hasn’t let your three younger brothers move in separately.”
Zhang Zhaodi took her arm and leaned on her shoulder, saying coquettishly, "I know."
Seeing such a beautiful mother-daughter relationship, it would be impossible for Sheng An, whose parents had a weak bond with her, not to feel envious.
However, the thought of living with her grandparents and receiving their care and love over the years made her feel at peace.
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