Chapter 7: The House

Jiang Cuihua’s face turned red with anger upon hearing those words. “What utter nonsense! Who in the village doesn’t know my daughter is a good girl? Your mother-in-law really treated you like that? If she bullied you so badly, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Jiang Cuihua had always believed that the Gu family only started mistreating Liu Yinyin after Gu Cheng’s passing. She never imagined…

That her daughter had been suffering in the Gu household all along.

“I… I didn’t dare,” Liu Yinyin replied. It wasn’t exactly a matter of pride, and given her naturally timid personality, she never had the courage to tell her family about it.

“That wretched old woman!” Jiang Cuihua gritted her teeth in fury. She cursed her own bad judgment—how had she managed to marry her daughter into such a horrible family?

“In any case, the child cannot be sent to the Gu family,” Liu Yinyin suppressed the anger surging in her heart and said, “If they find out I’m pregnant, they’ll probably refuse to acknowledge the child as Gu Cheng’s.”

Knowing the Gu family’s ways, they would likely accuse her of having an affair and claim the child wasn’t part of their bloodline.

A child without its parents around would never have a good life in the Gu household.

“Then what do we do? If you give birth to this child, how will you—how will a single woman—manage to raise it on your own?”

Besides, Jiang Cuihua still hoped her daughter could find a good husband. If she had a child, arranging another marriage would become much more difficult.

Liu Yinyin, however, remained optimistic. “The hardest part will be the first couple of years. I still have some money on me; I should be able to get by.”

Jiang Cuihua frowned deeply. “Having and raising a child is not as simple as you think.”

As harsh as it sounded, she still believed that not having the baby would be the better choice. After all, raising a child alone was an unimaginable struggle for a woman.

But Liu Yinyin had already made up her mind. There was no point in persuading her any further—Jiang Cuihua was afraid her daughter would end up resenting her for it.

“There’s something else,” Liu Yinyin said, shifting the topic to another matter on her mind. “Mom, I remember there’s an empty house in the village. Do you think if I ask the village chief, he might let me stay there?”

The house she was referring to was at the edge of the village. It used to belong to an elderly man who had no children or relatives.

A couple of years ago, the old man passed away, leaving the house abandoned.

However… many people in the village had their eyes on it. She wasn’t sure if she could get it.

“What? You’re thinking of moving out?” Jiang Cuihua was startled by her daughter’s suggestion. Worried, she asked, “We have rooms at home. Why do you want to move out? Is it because of your second sister-in-law? Don’t worry, I’ll talk to her…”

“It’s not because of her. And it’s not just for a day or two,” Liu Yinyin interrupted, fully aware of their living situation. “Third Brother is already at the age where he should be getting married, yet he’s still sleeping in the main hall. If he doesn’t have a room of his own, what girl would agree to marry him?”

Their family had only four rooms. Liu Yinyin’s parents occupied one, her two older brothers each had one, and the last one was hers.

If her third brother wanted to get married, he would need his own space. It wasn’t as if they could expect a newlywed couple to sleep in the main hall.

As for her second sister-in-law’s opinion, Liu Yinyin honestly didn’t care. Whether she was happy about it or not had nothing to do with her.

Jiang Cuihua sighed. “Your father and I have already discussed it. We plan to build another room behind the house. There’s no need for you to move out.”

“Forget it, Mom. Think about it… if I have a son, I can’t expect him to grow up living here forever, right? Finding a place of my own means giving him a home, too.”

Liu Yinyin genuinely didn’t want to burden her family.

Her third brother was going to get married, and building another house would cost a fortune. If they had to take on such an expense, wouldn’t her parents end up borrowing money from everywhere?

There was no need for that.

It would be better for Liu Yinyin to move out on her own—it would be beneficial for everyone.

Seeing that Jiang Cuihua still wanted to say something, Liu Yinyin continued persuading her, “Mom, even if I move out, I’ll still be in the same village. It’s not far. If you and Dad are worried, you can visit me anytime.”

Hearing this, Jiang Cuihua let out a sigh. What Liu Yinyin said wasn’t unreasonable. It wasn’t a long-term solution for her daughter to keep living at home.

She and her husband were getting older. There would come a day when they couldn’t take care of things anymore. Their daughter couldn’t live under her brothers’ roof forever, could she?

“Well then… let your father talk to the village chief. If it doesn’t work out, we won’t bring it up again. You can stay at home in peace.”

Liu Yinyin quickly nodded. “Alright. Mom, I’ll leave it to you to explain things to Dad.”

Jiang Cuihua was an impatient person. During their midday break, she told Liu Laifu about the situation.

Upon learning that their daughter was pregnant, Liu Laifu wasn’t particularly happy either. But as a man, he didn’t say much.

In the evening, Liu Yinyin was helping in the kitchen, tending the fire.

After finishing work, Liu Laifu called his daughter outside and told her, “The village chief is home from work now. Come with me to his house so we can ask about the house.”

“Alright.” Hearing this, Liu Yinyin felt both excited and nervous. As they walked, she couldn’t help but ask, “Dad, do you think the village chief will agree to let me stay there?”

Her father glanced at her and asked in return, “You really want to move out that badly?”

Otherwise, why did she look so thrilled?

Liu Yinyin: “…”

She quickly wiped the smile off her face and forced an awkward grin. “Not at all. Living at home is much more comfortable than living outside.”

Yeah, right!

Liu Yinyin was blatantly lying with a straight face. She had long been planning to move out.

It wasn’t for any grand reason—just for freedom! She had a system, and if she lived on her own, she could cook whatever she wanted without worrying about others noticing.

The house at the edge of the village was perfect. It was the only house in that area, far from the other houses in the village.

If she cooked delicious food there in the future, it wouldn’t be easy for others to find out.

Liu Laifu remained silent for a moment. After a long pause, he finally said, “That house… if someone else asked the village chief for it, it would probably be impossible. But you… you might actually have a chance.”

Liu Yinyin was puzzled. “Why?”

Why was it impossible for others, but possible for her?

“The village chief…” Liu Laifu sighed. “He used to be a soldier too.”

Liu Yinyin: “…”

Oh. She never expected that Gu Cheng’s status as a former soldier would actually bring her and the baby a benefit one day.

The village chief’s house was one of only two brick houses in Liu Village. The rest were all adobe houses, making his home look rather grand in comparison.

When Liu Yinyin and her father arrived, they saw the village chief, Liu Changquan, sitting under the eaves, resting with a long smoking pipe in his hand.

“Village Chief,” Liu Laifu greeted him, leading Liu Yinyin into the house.