Chapter 143 : Abnormal Child

After hearing what Zhou Yanwen said, Xu Yaqiu was so angry that she nearly vomited blood.

She clutched her stomach and said, “Mom, I… my stomach hurts.”

Qian Haixia was startled and hurried to help her.

Zhou Yanwen turned his face away and said, “Mom, don’t bother with her, she’s just pretending.”

Qian Haixia glared at Zhou Yanwen and said, “Why don’t you come and help her? Yaqiu is right. She’s pregnant with your child. If you don’t take care of it, who will?”

The meal was delayed. Because of Zhou Yanwen’s words, the Zhou family went to the hospital at noon for a thorough examination of Xu Yaqiu.

At first, Xu Yaqiu was indeed pretending. She just wanted Zhou Yanwen to be nervous about her and hoped the whole family would praise and accommodate her.

However, when Qian Haixia accompanied her for the B-ultrasound, the doctor examined her for a long time, which made Qian Haixia nervous.

“Doctor, is the baby okay?”

The young female doctor adjusted her glasses and said, “Please wait a moment. I’ll ask our director to come and take a look.”

This made both Qian Haixia and Xu Yaqiu even more anxious.

After a while, several doctors came to the ultrasound room and gathered around.

Qian Haixia and Xu Yaqiu could hear them speaking in low voices.

Qian Haixia’s heart raced.

After some time, it seemed like they had reached a consensus.

The director of obstetrics turned to Qian Haixia and Xu Yaqiu and said, “Pregnant women who come for a B-ultrasound at this stage can also undergo an NT examination. NT is the nuchal translucency test, which measures the thickness of the layer at the back of the fetus’ neck. This helps assess the risk of fetal diseases.”

“Of course, this test has only become widely known in the past two years, so you may not have heard of it. I need to explain it thoroughly. We just measured the NT value of the fetus, and it is 6.3 mm, which is significantly above the normal range.”

Qian Haixia’s heart skipped a beat when she heard this. Regardless of her feelings toward Xu Yaqiu, this child was still something she had hoped for.

“Doctor, if this value is abnormal, what will it mean? Is my child sick? What disease?”

Xu Yaqiu sat up, a look of dissatisfaction on her face.

“How could my child be sick? I don’t believe it. You doctors just want to make more money. Tell me, what’s your real motive? Are you trying to get us to buy more tests and spend more money?”

The doctors in the room looked at Xu Yaqiu helplessly.

The obstetrics director, remaining calm, continued, “It is our responsibility to inform the pregnant woman and her family of potential risks. As for what you said about making more money, that is not our intention.”

“This NT value is seriously above the normal range, which means that the fetus may have congenital malformations. These could include, but are not limited to, congenital heart disease and other developmental abnormalities.”

“In short, we do not recommend continuing with this pregnancy.”

Hearing these last words was like a lightning strike to Qian Haixia and Xu Yaqiu.

Xu Yaqiu quickly got up and started putting on her shoes. “No, this is my child. I must have it! Why should I give up this child just because you said something after seeing an ultrasound? Are all doctors like this?”

The obstetrics director looked at Qian Haixia and said, “You are a family member of the pregnant woman. We’re only giving our advice. We cannot make the decision for you. Ultimately, the decision is in your hands.”

Xu Yaqiu said angrily, “Mom, don’t listen to their nonsense. My child is fine, and no one is making me give up on it!”

Qian Haixia was also reluctant, but after considering the situation, she felt there was no reason for the doctor to lie.

If the child truly had developmental issues, it would be better not to keep it. Giving birth to a child with such conditions would bring pain to both the child and the parents.

“Yaqiu, how about this? Let’s go to another hospital and see what other doctors say. If the result is the same, then we should not keep this child. You’re young, take good care of yourself and try to get pregnant again in the future.”

Xu Yaqiu’s eyes widened. “I won’t go. They’re all liars. I want this child. It sounds nice to have another baby. When can I get pregnant with the second one?”

She was relying on this child to secure her place in the Zhou family, so how could she possibly consider aborting it?

After saying that, she stormed out.

Qian Haixia sighed, “Doctor, based on the value you just mentioned, what is the probability of developmental abnormality?”

The obstetrics director replied, “The increase in this value indicates that the lymphatic return in the fetus’ neck is obstructed, and it is highly likely that the baby will not survive. If you really can’t bear to do it, you can wait until the baby is a little older to see how it progresses. However, if you choose to remove the baby then, it will be very painful, and it will be no different from giving birth normally.”

“Thank you, doctor. We’ll think about it.”

After leaving the hospital, Xu Yaqiu looked dejected.

Qian Haixia shared what the doctor had said with her family, and Zhou Ping also suggested that the fetus should be removed, as what they needed was a healthy child.

Zhou Yanwen became even happier after hearing this, as he had no feelings for the child in the first place.

Xu Yaqiu had been using the pregnancy to manipulate others, but if she got rid of the baby, what would she do? Maybe this would give him an excuse to divorce her!

Xu Yaqiu covered her belly and said, “This child is mine, it’s in my belly, no one can do anything to her. I don’t believe what the doctor said, I just don’t believe it!”

With her acting like this, there was nothing anyone could do.

Qian Haixia said, “Then wait a little longer, wait until later in the pregnancy and see what happens. If it doesn’t work, then remove it.”

After Fang Xiaoluo and the others finished their meal, Gao Cen went back to work, and Shen Zheng took Fang Xiaoluo to the department store.

“We’re going to the bus station. Why are we here? Is something missing at home?” Fang Xiaoluo asked.

Shen Zheng replied, “I’m going to visit my parents-in-law, so I need to bring some things with me.”

When they came out of the department store, Fang Xiaoluo looked at the pile of things and said, “You may have some misunderstandings about certain things.”

Shen Zheng smiled and said, “It’s okay, everything can be put aside.”

The two arrived at Honghe Village. Shen Haiping, Shen Jinxia, and Yu Xiaopang were waiting at the entrance of the village.

When they saw them get out of the car, they rushed over quickly.

“Mom, you’re with Dad. Why didn’t you come back at noon?” Shen Jinxia asked, her little head tilted up.

Fang Xiaoluo said, “I had some things to do at noon and just finished them.”

Behind the two adults, three little kids were carrying things and walking toward Fang’s house.

On the way, Shen Zheng asked, “Where are Haifeng and Feixu?”

Shen Haiping blinked and said, “Well… Big Brother and Brother Feixu are working hard and seriously on their homework.”

Shen Zheng raised his eyebrows, “They are quite studious.”

Shen Jinxia chimed in, “Big Brother and Feixu are amazing. They write so many big characters every day and do so many math problems. But Big Brother said this morning that today is the last day, so they’re free now.”

“Free?” Shen Zheng didn’t quite understand.

Yu Xiaopang added, “Yes, my brother and Haifeng are very good. They weren’t punished the past two days. My aunt said they got all the questions right.”