Chapter 104

It felt like a mouthful of blood was about to be spat out.

If Liu Cuifang didn’t know Feng Shishi so well, she might have thought this was deliberate.

In just a few words, Feng Shishi had not only revealed her pregnancy but also exposed the fact that she wasn’t a native-born girl from the compound.

This was tantamount to telling Zhao Yongsen that she was an unwelcome burden, brought to the compound by her mother and never truly valued.

Could she still hope for Zhao Yongsen and Zhou Xiaohong to treat her well in the future after this?

The worst part was that she had only disclosed her pregnancy to Feng Shishi to gain sympathy. She had even stressed that it must be kept secret, but Feng Shishi used it to lecture Zhao Yongsen instead.

It was over.

Liu Cuifang felt utterly doomed.

Her instincts proved correct. Upon hearing about her pregnancy from Feng Shishi, Zhao Yongsen’s expression turned terrifyingly angry, as though his eyes were about to spit fire.

Zhao Yongsen had never truly been with Liu Cuifang. That last time hadn’t even come to fruition.

And now she was pregnant?

Then whose child was she carrying?

Previously, neither Zhao Yongsen nor Zhou Xiaohong could understand why Liu Cuifang had changed her mind—why she not only dropped the charges but also agreed to marry him.

Now they had their answer.

“Liu Cuifang, you’d better give me an explanation,” Zhao Yongsen said, his fury palpable and his gaze murderous.

Feng Shishi, baffled, interjected, “Cuifang just married you. The wedding banquet isn’t even over yet, and you’re already treating her like this? How can she expect you to be good to her in the future?”

“If you dare to yell at Cuifang again, be careful—I’ll report you to the commune!”

Feng Shishi wanted to continue, but Liu Cuifang was about to lose it.

She regretted saving Feng Shishi from Shen Guixiang and her son that day. She should’ve stood by and watched Feng Shishi perish.

With one sentence, Feng Shishi had destroyed all of her careful planning.

But for now, soothing Zhao Yongsen was the top priority.

If she couldn’t calm him down today, there would be serious consequences.

“Enough, Shishi. This is between me and my husband. Can you please stay out of it?”

Feng Shishi looked aggrieved, her face full of indignation.

Feng Shishi looked aggrieved.

Liu Cuifang patiently tried to soothe her, “Why don’t you step outside for a bit? I need to speak with my husband.”

Liu Cuifang looked at her with pleading eyes. Feng Shishi hesitated, but remembering how Liu Cuifang had once helped her, she reluctantly decided to leave the room.

As Feng Shishi stepped outside, Zhou Xiaohong immediately grabbed her to show off to the relatives, boasting about how Feng Shishi was a good friend of the daughter-in-law. Meanwhile, in the bride’s room, Zhao Yongsen nearly strangled Liu Cuifang.

“You shameless fox, tell me who the child is really from!”

“If you dare make me wear a green hat, you might as well not live!”

“Cough, cough, let go of me!”

Liu Cuifang, nearly suffocating from his grip, responded, “Fine, we’re both better off dead. Let the commune catch you and put you in jail for this. They might even give you a bullet.”

Zhao Yongsen was now much calmer.

He threatened, “If I get taken back to the commune and charged with being a hooligan, you won’t be able to escape the shame either. The whole Red Flag Brigade will know that the child in your belly is a bastard.”

“So, let’s calm down. The best option for both of us is to get married.”

Liu Cuifang reminded him, “Once I get rid of this child, I can go to the commune anytime and file for a divorce. That way, you won’t be charged as a hooligan, and it’s a win-win, don’t you think?”

“Zhao Yongsen, if word gets out that the child in my belly is a bastard, neither of us will come out looking good. There are plenty of people in the brigade waiting to make fun of you!”

Zhao Yongsen finally deflated.

Just as Liu Cuifang had said, their marriage was the best choice.

He had already offended Tang Jinghe, and being sent to the commune last time was likely orchestrated by him. Tang Yunling had an uncle who was an officer in the military, and it was said that he was classmates with a cadre from the commune.

As long as Liu Cuifang didn’t press charges for what had happened, all the risks could be avoided.

His expression twisted with frustration: “You think you can divorce me, Liu Cuifang? Don’t be delusional.”

“I can’t swallow the insult of you putting a green hat on me. You have to give me something in return for me agreeing to go along with your plan.”

Liu Cuifang asked, “What’s the deal?”

“I can overlook the child for now, but in the future, when you go back to the city, you’ll have to take me with you to the capital and let me eat the state-provided grain.”

“You’re crazy!”

Liu Cuifang retorted. “I don’t want this child.”

“No, you do want it!”

Only if Liu Cuifang had the child could Zhao Yongsen use it as leverage to control her.

Otherwise, when the intellectuals returned to the city, Liu Cuifang could easily leave them behind without a second thought.

Otherwise, when the intellectuals return to the city, Liu Cuifang could just leave them all behind without saying a word and run off.

Originally, Zhao Yongsen got involved with Liu Cuifang hoping to take advantage of the situation, using her to rise up and live off the state-provided grain.

For this goal, he could tolerate wearing a green hat and accepting Liu Cuifang’s illegitimate child.

That was, until Liu Cuifang became pregnant with his child.

Then, he found a way to use the situation to control her once again.

Thus, Liu Cuifang, with no other choice, reluctantly made a temporary agreement with Zhao Yongsen.

And all of this was thanks to her good friend, Feng Shishi.

Although Liu Cuifang showed no signs of resentment during the wedding toast, she secretly harbored a grudge against Feng Shishi, who had caused her so much trouble.

Meanwhile, Feng Shishi was upset because Liu Cuifang had given her the cold shoulder.

She had been speaking up for Liu Cuifang.

She had meant well for Liu Cuifang.

Now, the two of them exchanged fake smiles, shook hands, and after a not-so-lavish wedding banquet, Feng Shishi returned to the Xiangyang Brigade feeling depressed.

What she didn’t know was that as she took a shortcut back to the Xiangyang Brigade, someone had been following her from a distance, and only when she reached a populated area did the figure stop watching her, its greedy gaze slowly withdrawing.

Even though the figure stopped following her, it felt as though an invisible brand had been left on her, an impression that couldn’t be erased…

As the New Year approached, Lu Baiwei’s pregnancy became more obvious.

When she was a child at the Tang family’s house, Lu Baiwei and her cousin Tang Yunling eagerly looked forward to the New Year, especially to make rice puff candy.

They would take steamed and dried glutinous rice, fry it in oil, then mix it with syrup. Sometimes, they’d even add a bit of osmanthus oil to make the candy sweeter and richer.

Children loved sweets, and so the Tang family’s children looked forward to the New Year the most.

Now, the ones looking forward to making rice puff candy were the little Tang children, along with Xiao Ranzi and He Yunqi.

Typically, they would make rice puff candy around the 28th or 29th of the lunar year.

In early December, He Ting and her cousin Tang Yuanliang had gone up the mountain a few times.

Winter was the best time for hunting. This time, they not only caught two wild boars but also wild goats and muntjacs. One boar was sent to the county town for Shen Junqian to handle, while the rest was shared between He Ting, Tang Yuanliang’s family, and her uncle Tang Jingshan’s family.

Lu Baiwei rubbed salt into the pork, then asked He Ting to call Tang Yuanliang over to help her build an earthen stove to smoke the bacon.

Since they had already started preparing for the New Year by buying peanuts, melon seeds, and other goods, and since Tang Yuanliang’s and her uncle’s families would be making rice puff candy in a few days, along with the little Tang children and He Yunqi, who were eagerly waiting, Lu Baiwei decided to make the rice puff candy on the 26th, ahead of schedule.