With a loving expression and an incredibly gentle voice, she softly asked, "Is my baby awake?" Her tone was full of tenderness.
If Shen Xiaoxiao were to wake up, she would be surprised to find that her neighbor had also opened his eyes.
Because it was pitch black all around and nothing could be seen clearly, the eyes only opened briefly before slowly closing again.
At the same time, the neighbor seemed to be reaching out a small hand, groping for something nearby. When his fingertips touched something soft, he couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
"This is my own brother, born of the same mother! I never imagined that I, once a mighty and illustrious soldier, would become such a weak and helpless child. This world is truly full of fantastical elements!"
"He was alone in his past life, but now he has a twin brother." As he thought about this, drowsiness gradually crept over him, and he fell into a deep sleep again.
Quite by chance, just as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep, Shen Xiaoxiao on the other side stretched lazily and woke up.
Shen Xiaoxiao blinked her sleepy eyes, opened her mouth wide and let out a long yawn, then turned over and soon fell into a deep sleep again.
Ma Aning, who had been waiting quietly, received no response. She figured the child was still fast asleep, so she quietly went to bed to rest. Perhaps because she was too tired, she soon fell asleep as well.
In her sleep, Ma Aning vaguely felt someone gently embracing her beside her. A familiar scent wafted into her nostrils, instantly relaxing her tense body.
Enveloped in this reassuring atmosphere, her sleep became increasingly deep and sweet.
Shen Zishan felt extremely content at this moment, after all, it was not easy to hold his wife tightly in his arms again. He slept soundly through the night, and time passed quietly.
As the first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room through the window, Ma Aning slowly opened her eyes. She looked around somewhat blankly at first, then her gaze fell on the man beside her who was holding her tightly.
She smiled slightly and raised her hand to gently stroke Shen Zishan's eyebrows and nose. However, just as her fingers were about to touch his thin lips, Shen Zishan suddenly opened his eyes and nimbly reached out to grab Ma Aning's small hand.
"Wife, you're awake!" Shen Zishan said softly, placing a deep kiss on her smooth forehead before sitting up with a smile.
"How did you get here? When did you arrive?" Ma Aning looked at Shen Zishan, who had suddenly appeared before her, with a face full of doubt and couldn't help but ask.
"Hehe, honey, I came over right after having dinner at home yesterday! I came especially to pick you up and take you home."
Shen Zishan's face was beaming with joy as he chuckled and said.
Then, he leaned closer to Ma Aning, gently stroked her hair, and whispered, "Wife, don't worry, you won't have to worry about being bullied anymore."
I've already talked to my parents. Once we get back, you don't need to worry about anything; just focus on getting better during your pregnancy. As for household expenses, I'll set aside a third of my salary for our household needs."
Hearing Shen Zishan's thoughtful words, Ma Aning was overjoyed, but at the same time, a hint of worry still lingered in her eyes. It seemed there were still some things weighing on her mind.
Seeing this, Shen Zishan quickly pulled his beloved into a warm embrace and comforted her, "Wife, I know what you're worried about. But don't worry, my father told me to give Mother another chance, to let her change her ways and treat you well. I promise, my mother will treat you well this time!"
A discordant voice suddenly rang out: "Hmph, look what I heard as soon as I woke up! My father, who is so blindly filial, actually believed Grandpa's nonsense."
If you ask me, Grandpa is the most calculating person in our family! He always makes Grandma the villain, and then whenever Grandma loses control, he'll pretend to be the peacemaker.
"How utterly despicable!" The speaker was Shen Xiaoxiao, her voice filled with indignation.
“After my mother passed away in my previous life, my father’s job was taken by my grandmother and given to my uncle. There was a famine, and there was not much food at home. My grandfather separated my father and me and gave us only a few dozen kilograms of grain.”
“After my father was no longer of any use, my grandfather didn’t put any effort into him. He didn’t give him a single penny, and a few dozen kilograms of grain were not enough to feed us. We almost starved to death. Fortunately, my maternal grandparents and uncles helped us out, otherwise we would not have grown up.”
The couple heard their daughter's heartfelt words early in the morning, realizing that not only had they lost their jobs, but they had also been forcibly separated from their families and had gained nothing.
Shen Zishan stared at Ma Aning with a solemn expression. He saw that the latter's eyes were red and she looked like she was about to cry at any moment.
"Brother Shan, think carefully about whether what she said is true or not?"
Ma Aning mumbled a question, her voice somewhat slurred due to her agitation.
Meanwhile, the baby in her belly was half asleep when she was woken up by her parents' voices.
After listening for a while, I realized that my parents must have heard what I had just said and were discussing it quietly.
Thinking of this, Shen Xiaoxiao yawned widely, then turned over and drifted back to sleep.
Shortly after Shen Xiaoxiao fell asleep, her neighbor next to her stirred slightly.
The neighbor had overheard Chen Xiaoxiao's thoughts. He thought to himself, "I never expected that I could hear what he was thinking."
"Judging from her words, it seems that my parents are in a rather difficult situation now."
Thinking this, the neighbor sighed, then closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Shen Zishan's face grew increasingly grim. "Wife, it's all true. Some things didn't seem like much before, but now that I think about them, they feel very wrong."
Ma Aning comforted Shen Zishan, hugging him and saying, "Don't be afraid, you still have us."
Shen Zishan was even more heartbroken now. "Wife, I'm family with them, why are you treating me like this? My eldest and second brothers are their children, but am I not one too?"
"Brother Shan, these things also depend on fate. Parents and children don't have that kind of fate."
After listening to Ma Aning's words, he said, "Wife, what do you suggest? I'll do whatever you say."
"Brother Shan, do you still have any expectations for your family?" Ma Aning asked cautiously.
"It would be a lie to say I have no expectations. I don't know what to do next either," Shen Zishan said, rubbing his hair in frustration.
"Brother Shan, I feel like you're going to lose your job eventually. Can we find a way to sell it without your parents knowing?" Ma Aning suggested.
"You mean you sold it secretly?" Shen Zishan pondered.
"Wife, I still want to see just how heartless my parents are." Shen Zishan's eyes revealed a resolute look.
"Brother Shan, what are you trying to do? Don't do anything foolish," Ma Aning said anxiously.
"Don't worry, how could I possibly joke about my precious health?"
Shen Zishan gently stroked Ma Aning's hair, his tone full of comfort and tenderness, and slowly began to speak.
“I already have a plan, just like you said before, I’m going to sell my job. It just so happens that the director of our factory has been wanting to find a stable job for his son, isn’t this perfect?”
“I plan to transfer this job to him. Then, I’ll spread the word that I accidentally offended someone at the factory and got fired. That should cover my tracks.”
Shen Zishan smiled and explained to Ma Aning.
He then continued, "Oh, and after this is all done, I'll pretend I can't handle the shock of losing my job, get drunk, and accidentally trip and fall."
"Of course, it's just a minor injury to my leg. It won't actually break, otherwise you'd be so worried." As he said this, Shen Zishan playfully winked at Ma Aning.
However, despite hearing Shen Zishan describe the entire plan in such detail, Ma Aning's eyes still revealed deep worry and unease.
She bit her lip tightly, her brows furrowed slightly, as if she still had many concerns in her heart.
Seeing Ma Aning's worried expression, Shen Zishan quickly and gently embraced her, softly comforting her, "Wife, don't look so gloomy. Trust me, okay? I will be very, very careful."
"I will absolutely not let myself get into any serious trouble. As long as my parents still want to scheme against us, we will just live our own lives and pay a little bit of retirement money. I won't care about anything else."
After saying that, he hugged Ma Aning even tighter, as if he wanted to use his embrace to dispel all her fear and worry, as well as his sadness over the possible betrayal by his loved ones.
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