The next day, when he woke up and saw Wen Xiaomei lying naked beside him, he knew what had happened the night before without even thinking. He lay there in silence, as if possessed by a ghost.
It had all been a matter of thin air, but now that it had been pierced, Tang Boyi felt less entangled and depressed. He and Shumei were from two different worlds. No matter how much he persisted, it was just like flowers in the mirror and the moon in the water, visible but untouchable. This was the best of both worlds, wasn't it?! Wen Xiaomei had accidentally shattered Tang Boyi's unrealistic fantasy.
Just as Wen Dazui had said, after that night, Tang Boyi and Wen Xiaomei lived a real married life, treating each other with respect and going out together. Neither of them mentioned anything about that night.
A few months later, news broke that Wen Xiaomei was pregnant. Wen Xiaomei was already overweight, and her appetite was even better with her pregnancy, so her weight kept creeping up. Before she was five months pregnant, she had already gained over 30 pounds, going from over 180 pounds to over 210 pounds. The weight, combined with the baby in her belly, made it incredibly difficult for her to move around.
Tang Boyi was truly a thoughtful and considerate man. Not only did he cook for Wen Xiaomei, he even helped her to the bathroom. Neighbors were envious, and some even regretted not marrying their daughters to him.
Here, they were all in harmony, the envy of others. On the other side, Shumei and Jizong also appeared to be in love on the surface, but it was all just a facade, their hearts already riddled with holes. Jizong, in particular, would become depressed and drink to drown his sorrows at the slightest provocation.
One day, Kang Shumei went to the storage room to buy something. Wen Dazui deliberately told Shumei the news that his sister was pregnant. She just wanted to disgust Shumei.
"Zhang's wife! I have good news for you! My sister is pregnant. She's Tang Boyi's wife. Liu Erniang helped to check it out and said it's likely to be a boy. My sister said we should go to her house tonight to celebrate her pregnancy. Your Ji Zong and Boyi are good friends, so why don't you ask your Ji Zong to come along?"
"Pregnant? So soon? Congratulations, we're not going." Shumei felt bad after hearing that. How could she dare to agree to go? She was fine, but how could Jizong be so upset? She made a few excuses and quickly slipped away.
"Hey! Don't go! I haven't finished yet!" After just a few words, Shumei ran away. Wen Dazui was not satisfied at all. He chased her out from behind the counter and kept shouting.
Shumei thought a lot along the way, and finally she decided to pretend to be ignorant even though she knew the truth. As long as Jizong didn't mention it, she would pretend that she knew nothing.
But after all, she and Tang Boyi had grown up together, so it would be a bit unfair if she didn't go to congratulate him. So she secretly went to visit him while Ji Zong was away.
The days passed on a precarious pace, and Shumei was deeply worried. They say a home without children isn't complete. She carefully maintained the family, fearing that a single mistake would disrupt the existing peace.
In the blink of an eye, several months passed. Just after the Spring Festival, before the Lantern Festival, Wen Xiaomei's stomach started to react.
Tang Boyi rushed to the south of the village to find Liu Erniang, the midwife. Wen Dazui, upon hearing the news, also came to help. Tang Boyi stood by unprepared, besides being extremely anxious, he really didn't know how he could help.
Wen Xiaomei was screaming on the bed like a pig being slaughtered, "Sister, I don't want to have a baby anymore, I don't want to have a baby anymore. This is unbearable for a human being. This is not something a human being should do. Ouch! It's coming again. It hurts... it hurts..."
Wen Dazui stayed by the bed, holding her hand tightly. "Silly sister, this is not something a human would do. Did you come out of a stone? It's okay, just bear with it and it will pass. Come on!"
"I say, wife of the Tang family, can you please use the strength you use to scream? A child won't be born just by screaming loudly, so use more force!" Liu Erniang was very anxious when she heard Wen Xiaomei's screams!
"How do I use it? I don't know how!"
"Can you go to the bathroom?"
“Yes!”
"That's right. Just think of it as if you've eaten too many chili peppers and have constipation. Just let go and pull hard."
"Ah, ah, ah..." Wen Xiaomei screamed and pushed harder after hearing what Liu Erniang said.
Because Wen Xiaomei was too heavy to use any strength, and the baby in her belly was too large, the birth took only a day and a night. Tang Boyi fell asleep in his chair while waiting, and Liu Erniang was sweating profusely from anxiety.
“Wow wow wow…”
Finally, the baby's cry was heard, and the baby was finally born.
"It's born, it's born, it's a big fat boy." Liu Erniang held up the newborn baby with her blood-stained hands and shouted excitedly.
Tang Boyi woke up from his sleep and ran to the bed excitedly. Looking at the little guy moving around, he was so excited that he burst into tears of joy. So this is what it feels like to be a father for the first time. I was so happy that I wanted to cry.
Liu Erniang skillfully wrapped the child and placed her in a bamboo crib that had been prepared for her. She then began to stop the bleeding and clean Wen Xiaomei's lower body.
Tang Boyi squatted beside the bamboo bed, looking at his own flesh and blood. He wanted to reach out and gently touch the child, but he immediately withdrew his hand. The child was so delicate, and he was afraid that his rough hands would hurt the child.
"Oh no, I'm bleeding." Liu Erniang screamed loudly, waking up Tang Boyi who was still immersed in joy.
"Liu Erniang, is my wife okay?" Tang Boyi ran to the bedside anxiously. It was obvious that he was really worried about Wen Xiaomei's safety.
"Something's wrong! The blood is flowing like a thread and it can't be stopped. Boyi! You'd better be prepared. I think your wife is in great danger." Liu Erniang said as she grabbed the straw paper beside her to stop the bleeding for Wen Xiaomei.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
