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Sun Shi’s scream made Su Zhi both angry and amused. It wasn’t that she was heartless, indifferent to a pregnant woman having difficulties before her, but rather she simply didn’t believe Sun Shi was truly in distress. Sun Shi had been sitting fine just moments ago, so how could she suddenly be having trouble? It seemed more like a ploy for attention now that she saw no benefits coming her way.
Sitting beside Sun Shi, Shen Ziping was pondering the truth behind Su Zhi’s words when Sun Shi’s sudden outburst startled him. He wondered what was wrong with this woman until Sun Shi discreetly nudged him, prompting him to quickly join in the act.
“Wife! Wife! Are you alright? Is our son okay? Oh, you mustn’t have any issues; our son is still in your belly!”
Sun Shi was furious, thinking to herself, “This man, always thinking about his son. Does he wish for my demise?” Out of Shen’s five sons, four is caring, except him. She felt she had married into a family where she was unappreciated, which only fueled her louder cries.
“Ouch! It’s killing me! I can’t bear it anymore, it’s killing me!”
As Sun Shi screamed and twisted Shen Ziping in frustration, he misunderstood her intentions, thinking she was causing trouble for him. Immediately, he started shouting at Su Zhi and Shen Zi’an.
“Fourth Brother! If anything happens to your third sister-in-law today, I won’t let you off the hook! You said your wife isn’t jinxed, but what else could this be? She’s been sitting here for a while, and now she’s having trouble again?! Why bring up the sacred beast when it’s a wolf? Why scare her with that?!”
Su Zhi thought, “What kind of behavior is this? Coming to my house to stir up trouble, and when that fails, pretending to have pregnancy issues here. Blaming us? I won’t take that blame.” With a huff, she continued, “Since Third Brother and Third Sister-in-law already know I’m supposedly jinxed and came here willingly, what’s that got to do with me? I didn’t invite you; you came on your own. After hearing your words, you better never step foot in my house again. We can’t bear this responsibility!”
Seeing their mother clutching her stomach and crying out loud, the fourth and fifth grandsons, frightened by her louder screams, kept calling out to her. Those unaware might have thought Sun Shi was truly in distress. The third grandson glanced at his parents and then ran towards Su Zhi.
“I’ll kill you, you jinx! I’ll kill you, you jinx! You caused harm to my mother! You harmed my brother! I’ll kill you! Once you’re gone, I’ll strike it rich! I’ll kill you!”
Su Zhi was taken aback when the third grandson, a young child, rushed forward to attack. She instinctively took a step back. Fortunately, Shen Zi’an acted swiftly, seizing the third son before he could reach her. Though she wasn’t struck, her retreat led her to bump into a wall, causing her to wince in pain. Seeing this, Shen Zi’an felt sorry, pushed the third son aside, and then moved to support Su Zhi.
“Wife, are you okay? Does it hurt?”
Su Zhi shook her head, glancing at the third grandson on the ground, who was still glaring at her fiercely. She thought about how terrifying superstitions in ancient times could be, turning an innocent child into someone so aggressive. She decided that the third grandson should have less contact with them in the future; he clearly didn’t understand the severity of his actions.
“Fourth Brother! How dare you hit my son! I’ll fight you to the end!”
Shen Ziping, realizing Sun Shi’s act, ignored her. He picked up his son and yelled at Shen Zi’an, but he didn’t advance further. He didn’t dare lay a hand on Shen Zi’an, only hoping that this commotion might somehow lead to some benefits from him. His wife and son had suffered injustices, and he was certain to gain something from this chaos.
“Enough! Stop arguing at a time like this! Neither one of you is giving me peace of mind!” Shen Youfu bellowed. Turning to Shen Ziping, he instructed, “Ziping, quickly call for the physician for your wife!”
Shen Ziping acknowledged and went to fetch the physician, thinking to himself that since this trouble happened at their place, they would have to cover the medical expenses. Whether or not it was truly a case of difficulty in pregnancy, he wasn’t worried. When a woman complains of stomach pain, the physician wouldn’t dismiss it.
Shen Zhang shi went to comfort Sun Shi and instructed Su Zhi, “Zi’an’s wife, your third sister-in-law is experiencing pregnancy complications here. Tidy up the bed for her to rest, and once the physician arrives and treats her, we’ll see if she can be moved. Help me support her.”
Su Zhi thought Shen Zhang shi’s words lacked any sense of request; they seemed more like demands. She found it unfair and wondered why they assumed she would comply without question. This was her home; why shouldn’t they ask if she agreed to let Sun Shi stay? Shen Zhang shi wasn’t showing any kindness. It seemed like she wanted them to stay and wait for the physician, with the costs undoubtedly falling on them. This arrangement would further solidify the link between Sun Shi’s pregnancy troubles and their family.
Su Zhi didn’t want to be taken advantage of by this family. If she gave in now, in the future, any issues with Sun Shi’s pregnancy might be blamed on her. She didn’t want to deal with such consequences. Su Zhi’s eyes widened, a look of panic on her face. She grabbed Shen Zi’an and started to back away, shouting loudly, “Ah! There’s a snake! Third Sister-in-law, there’s a snake behind you! It’s a long one!”
“Ah—Snake—!”
Sun Shi had been moaning in pain when she suddenly heard Su Zhi’s louder scream about a snake behind her. Being extremely afraid of snakes, she immediately jumped up, exclaiming, “Snake! Where’s the snake? Don’t bite me!”
In her panic, Sun Shi swiftly ran several steps away. Shen Zhang shi, who had been standing beside her trying to calm her down, was pushed and fell to the ground, letting out a cry of pain. Sun Shi, feeling safer by the door, turned around and realized there was no sign of a snake on the ground. Seeing Su Zhi standing there with a half-smile, she understood that she had been tricked.
Laughter erupted from outside, followed by the sudden opening of the door, causing several people to rush in, with a couple of them falling to the ground upon entering.
Inside the house, everyone looked outside and saw a crowd gathered, all there to witness the commotion.
It turned out that when Shen Ziping went out, in a bid to attract attention, he falsely claimed that Shen Zi’an and his wife had upset his wife to the point of pregnancy complications, and that he was going to fetch the doctor. After saying this, he didn’t close the door, and as a result, people rushed in. In rural areas, if a household had something interesting happening and the door was left open, it was an invitation for others to come in and watch.
“Zhao Xiaomei! How dare you deceive me! I’ll fight you to the end!”
Sun Shi’s face flushed red with embarrassment. Being exposed in her act was already humiliating, but pushing her mother-in-law and neglecting the child beside her to save herself only made matters worse. She could feel her father-in-law’s glare, as if he wanted to strike her down. Now that her shameful act had been laughed at by so many, she felt a surge of anger. Sun Shi found Su Zhi’s smiling face particularly detestable and wished she could scratch it. She had never experienced such humiliation in her life.
Shen Zi’an stood in front of Su Zhi, blocking Sun Shi from reaching his wife. Frowning, he warned, “Third Sister-in-law! You owe us an explanation for your deception! If you dare lay a hand on my wife, don’t blame me for intervening!”
Sun Shi, still reeling from her anger, dared not advance upon seeing Shen Zi’an’s stern expression. She could only glare at Su Zhi, considering her as her jinx.
Su Zhi, suppressing a smile, said, “Third Sister-in-law, I must have mistaken something for a snake earlier. It’s impossible for a snake to be here now; they don’t come out in the cold weather. Seeing you looking lively and not showing any signs of pregnancy troubles, I have no regrets.”
Observing this embarrassing scene, Shen Youfu scolded, “Sun Shi! Stop this nonsense! Help your mother up! We’ll settle this later!”
Sun Shi immediately lowered her head, helped Shen Zhang shi up, and repeatedly apologized. Shen Zhang shi fell quite hard, unable to speak due to the pain. She wanted to scold Sun Shi but hesitated, not wanting to become a laughingstock in front of Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi. She felt that she had not only lost any chance of obtaining money but had also lost all her dignity in the process.
“Father, Mother, although Third Sister-in-law seems fine now, her complexion doesn’t look good. Mother needs to rest too. It’s best for you to go home and rest,” Su Zhi said, subtly signaling the guests to leave. In this battle of deception today, she considered herself victorious and was in a good mood, but she found the presence of these individuals quite tiresome.
Shen Youfu retorted angrily, “What’s the rush? Third Son is calling the physician. Let the physician check on your mother before leaving. What if something unexpected happens?”
Shen Zi’an added, “I’m not worried about Mother, but I’m concerned that Third Sister-in-law might have pregnancy troubles again!”
Listening to Shen Zi’an emphasize the word ‘again’ so strongly, Su Zhi struggled to suppress a smile. She realized Shen Zi’an was capable of being sardonic too. Seeing Sun Shi’s face alternating between red and pale, Su Zhi felt quite pleased.
The spectators burst into laughter again. Enraged, Sun Shi glared at them and exclaimed, “Why are you laughing? You barged into someone’s yard without even asking! This is trespassing!”
Someone in the crowd retorted, “If we talk about trespassing, no one does it more than you. At least we don’t fake illnesses when entering this yard!” This remark sparked another round of laughter.
Shen Youfu scolded Sun Shi, “Shut your mouth!”
At this Moment, Shen Ziping shouted from outside, “How did all of you get in? Did I invite you in? Move aside, move aside, let us through! If we’re late and something happens to the child in my wife’s belly, you won’t be able to escape! Wife, I’ve called the physician! Are you alright?”
Shen Ziping entered while calling out, rushing to assist Sun Shi. However, he was met with a stern gaze from Shen Zhang shi, leading to laughter from the onlookers. Realizing the situation, he saw Sun Shi standing with her head lowered in silence, and he knew the truth had come to light. Feeling dejected, he wilted.
The physician was encountered by Shen Ziping on the way, explaining the prompt arrival.
When the physician inquired who needed treatment, Sun Shi naturally retreated to the side.
Understanding that with so many witnesses to Sun Shi’s deception, the chances of obtaining money were slim, Shen Zhang shi decided to avoid further scrutiny. Refusing the physician’s assistance, she bid farewell to Shen Zi’an and Su Zhi, ending the commotion.