Pregnant
The town's cultural center is a Soviet-style building with peeling paint. When you walk in, you can smell a mixture of paper and mildew.
Yu Chunsheng started his printing factory right away. To secure orders, he had to run around doing business every day, so Xu Tangmian could only take care of the family and at least make sure he had a hot meal.
After a busy early stage of entrepreneurship, Xu Tangmian finally managed to find some time to visit the cultural center under the pretext of researching local educational history. The person in charge of the archives was an old scholar with black-rimmed glasses.
He adjusted his glasses and looked Xu Tangmian up and down before leading her with trembling steps into a dimly lit room.
The old man's keychain jingled as he took one out and opened the door to the archives. He pointed to a row of cabinets inside and said, "They're all here. Take a look for yourself."
Xu Tangmian nodded her thanks, walked to the bookshelf, randomly picked up a documentary book, and sat by the window, trying to find clues from the past among the yellowed pages.
The sky suddenly cleared, and the sunlight, carrying the Tyndall effect, shone in, casting a streak of orange-white dust onto the reddish-brown desk.
Xu Tangmian shifted her position to avoid direct sunlight, but out of the corner of her eye she caught the old scholar's furtive glance.
Some of the pages were already brittle. Xu Tangmian followed the table of contents to the section on "Major Deeds of Educated Youth" and found a row of tiny words at the bottom.
"...Kong Lin and others were internally criticized for their conduct, and their information was transferred to their superiors."
The information was on the next page. Xu Tangmian casually flipped through it and suddenly a striking black-and-white photograph was right in front of her.
"Ah!!" she screamed in fright.
The old scholar rushed over, his face filled with anxiety: "What's wrong?!"
"N-nothing, there's just a mouse." Xu Tangmian made up a lie to cover it up, then hurriedly closed the book and put it back, leaving the old scholar muttering to himself, "How could there be a mouse?"
Xu Tangmian felt ice-cold all over and walked out of the Cultural Palace with unsteady steps.
When they reached a secluded spot, she finally collapsed, leaning against the wall and trembling uncontrollably.
She dared not look any further, but the black and white photo lingered in her mind.
It was a portrait taken from above, with the person in the picture slightly tilting their head and their eyes blurred with black mosaic strips. But since they had been together day and night, how could she not recognize that it was Yu Chunsheng!
There was a shadow on the corner of his mouth, his mouth was slightly open, and there was a smudge near his ear, just as Dr. Xu had said; there were several abrasions on his side, and his nose seemed to be broken.
The photo only showed his upper body. In her memory, Yu Chunsheng had light, thin muscles on his chest and abdomen, not the skinny, bony figure in the photo, covered in bruises.
Even more noticeable was the obvious ligature mark on his neck, and several blisters near the mole close to his Adam's apple. The two thin strands of straw rope were carelessly tossed near his neck.
She used that kind of rope to carry books, and every few minutes she had to switch hands to carry them. It was thin and rough, and it hurt a lot when it rubbed against her skin.
At the bottom of the photo is a line of small print: "Evidence left at the scene of the suicide of a person with improper conduct out of fear of punishment."
Xu Tangmian couldn't help but burst into tears, burying her head in her knees, her shoulders heaving, barely able to breathe.
She dared not delve any further; Li Youlan and the others' behavior at the funeral spoke volumes.
Why? Why is she Xu Zhilian's granddaughter?! Why would he do this?! Isn't Kong Lin his good brother?!
A deep sense of guilt mixed with confusion filled Xu Tangmian's heart; she didn't know how to face Yu Chunsheng.
Since she met him, except for recently, she has hardly ever given him a kind look. She argues with him all the time and has never let him have a comfortable life.
Why are all those people with the surname Xu such scoundrels?
She remembered the first time Yu Chunsheng yelled at her. It was because the principal wouldn't approve her letter of introduction, and when she got back, she took her anger out on him. He angrily told her, "I don't owe you anything!"
Later, he took the initiative to ease the tension, but she threw a tantrum and overturned the table, dumping all the food on the table when most people were starving.
Yu Chunsheng called her a capitalist, and in his anger, he threatened to hang her from a street lamp. She retorted without thinking, "You can hang yourself, but I won't."
Good heavens, what did she just say?!
Xu Tangmian was so angry that he slapped himself several times. He felt a little better when he tasted blood in his mouth, but this was far from enough to make up for the pain he had suffered.
What should she do? What should she do?
Xu Tangmian panicked, her feet felt like they were walking on cotton, and she almost stumbled as she walked.
Seeing her like this, passersby scattered. Finally, someone stopped her when she bumped into the third person.
The man, dressed in a dignified police uniform, noticed her disheveled appearance and looked down at her. He then saw the handprint on her face and blood at the corner of her mouth, and immediately became furious. He shrieked, "This is outrageous! In a society governed by law, who beat you like this? I'll stand up for you!"
Xu Tangmian held on to her last breath, determined to get home. She couldn't collapse on the road. But when she looked up and saw a policewoman, her breath caught in her throat, and she finally collapsed forward.
A hint of panic flickered across the policewoman's solemn face. She shook her, calling out, "Comrade! Comrade!"
A crowd gathered on the roadside, and the policewoman flagged down a car and, together with the driver, helped her into the back seat. "To the hospital, quick!"
Xu Tangmian woke up quickly, and the smell of disinfectant made her frown slightly.
The policeman who was pacing back and forth suddenly stopped and shook the policewoman next to him. "Xiao Lin, look, is he awake?"
A policewoman named Kobayashi rushed in, "You're awake? That's great! Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Xu Tangmian shook her head, lifted the covers, and was about to get out of bed.
The policewoman quickly stopped her: "Hey, don't rush, let's wait for the doctor to arrive. You should rest." She squinted at Xu Tangmian and said, "Didn't you get your marriage certificate here before? You look familiar."
Xu Tangmian recalled for a moment, then asked with some doubt, "You are... the policewoman who gave me the flowers?"
Officer Lin clapped her hands in surprise, "Oh! It really is you? Where's your husband? Why hasn't he come yet?" Suddenly her expression changed, "Did he beat you up like this? Don't be afraid, my senior brother and I are here, no one dares to bully you!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Yu Chunsheng, who had somehow received the news, rushed over. He had already run to the next room, but when he seemed to catch a glimpse of Xu Tangmian out of the corner of his eye, he turned back.
He rushed over in a panic, almost bumping into the bedside, and stroked Xu Tangmian's face with a pained expression, saying sternly, "Who beat you up like this?"
Xu Tangmian was too embarrassed to admit to the police that she had slapped herself in a fit of madness, so she could only shake her head and remain silent.
Yu Chunsheng turned to the police again, "What happened?"
The two officers waved their hands in unison, saying, "We brought her here because we saw her collapsed on the roadside with injuries. You'll have to ask her for details yourself."
Yu Chunsheng turned around again, "What exactly happened? Weren't you supposed to be going to the library to study?"
Before Xu Tangmian could answer, a doctor in a white coat walked in and looked at Yu Chunsheng, asking, "Are you a patient's family member?"
Yu Chunsheng nodded. "I'm her husband. Can she be discharged from the hospital now? Does she have any other injuries?"
The doctor shook his head. "It's just a minor superficial injury. She can go home and apply some ointment. However, you should pay attention to her emotional state. The patient's pregnancy is currently unstable, and there are signs of miscarriage."
"Wait a minute!" Yu Chunsheng interrupted, frowning. "What fetal signs?"
The doctor was somewhat surprised, "Didn't you know your wife was over a month pregnant? How could you, as a husband, beat her like this!"
“I’m not…” Yu Chunsheng frowned at Xu Tangmian, “Are you pregnant?”
Xu Tangmian looked completely bewildered. "Why are you looking at me like that? I don't know either."
The policewoman couldn't stand it anymore and reached out to pull Yu Chunsheng aside, earnestly advising him: "He's still your husband, no matter what. Even if you have a conflict, you can't resort to violence. Besides, she's pregnant now. As a man, you should be more considerate."
Yu Chunsheng was speechless: "I really didn't hit her... Yes, I have been neglecting her a bit lately, but... Oh dear! This..."
He was flustered and confused, unable to speak clearly. He squatted down next to Xu Tangmian, somewhat excited, but when he saw the injury on her face, he couldn't be happy anymore: "What happened? How did you get this injury?"
Xu Tangmian sighed, "It's nothing serious, so don't ask. I'll tell you when I get back."
"Okay, okay, I won't ask anymore." Yu Chunsheng quickly shut up, then looked at the doctor and said excitedly, "Can...can she be discharged now? Should we observe her a little longer?"
The doctor nodded. "Discharge is no problem. If you're still worried, it would be safer to observe for two more days."
"Then let's observe for two more days." Yu Chunsheng walked excitedly to the policeman and bowed deeply: "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Why thank us? It's what we should do." The policewoman said with a smile, "It's really fate. My senior colleague and I handled your marriage registration, and now we're witnessing your becoming a father."
"It's still early." Yu Chunsheng was a little embarrassed, then turned back to look at Xu Tangmian affectionately, and couldn't help but take her hand and kiss it lightly.
Xu Tangmian had mixed feelings, but she smiled and said, "Then why don't we invite the two officers to have a celebratory drink when the baby is born?"
“We’ll definitely go,” the male police officer replied with a smile.
Since Xu Tangmian was alright and her family had arrived, the police left.
Only the couple remained in the ward. Xu Tangmian shifted her position to sit up, and Yu Chunsheng quickly pulled out a pillow to support her back.
“Let’s go home,” she said.
"Let's observe for another two days," Yu Chunsheng said with a worried look. "Now you should tell me how you got injured? How did it happen?"
Xu Tangmian remained silent, raised her hand and covered his face, caressed it for a while, then slid it to his neck, gently rubbing his Adam's apple and the black mole with her fingertips.
Yu Chunsheng's Adam's apple bobbed once, his face flushed slightly, and he said in a low voice, "We're in the hospital, don't touch me."
He cleared his throat and said seriously, "Don't change the subject! I know I'm useless and can't help you much, but how can I stand idly by when my own wife has been beaten? Tell me..."
“I typed it myself,” Xu Tangmian interrupted him.
"What?" Yu Chunsheng didn't react at first, but smiled and took her hand. "Stop fooling around."
“I wasn’t arguing with you.” Xu Tangmian said slowly, “I went to the cultural center and saw the local county annals and some photos.”
"What photo?"
“Your portrait,” Xu Tangmian said, then spat a few times, “is from the Kong Lin.”
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