Chapter 72

Li Aifeng was caught off guard by the slap and clutched her face and screamed, “You, how could you hit me?!”

Mother Sun, however, was no longer her usual amiable self. With a cold smile, she said, “I hit you because you’re a thief! A country bumpkin will always be a country bumpkin. Even after coming to town, you’re still low-class, like a dog that can’t stop eating shit! Spit out my dumplings!”

Mother Sun spat out the words “low-class” with utter contempt. The self-confidence that Li Aifeng had painstakingly built up in front of the Sun family was shattered by her insults.

Before coming to town, Li Aifeng had proudly told the women in her village that she was going to town to enjoy the good life. But now, after eating a few measly dumplings, she was being cursed out by Mother Sun like a shrew from the countryside and told to get out.

But there was no way Li Aifeng was going to leave quietly.

The real reason she had stolen the dumplings was partly because she couldn’t resist, having rarely eaten such delicacies in the countryside. When she saw them, she couldn’t help but eat her fill. But another part of her motive was revenge. Mother Sun had treated her like a maid, so she had secretly eaten the Sun family’s dumplings. After all, which maid would dare to eat the master’s food?

If caught, that would be considered stealing!

But she was different—her daughter was married to a Sun, so she was family. Wasn’t it only natural for a mother to eat her daughter’s dumplings?

So, when Li Aifeng devoured the dumplings, she did it with a hidden sense of revenge against Mother Sun. She was strong and hearty, able to eat and drink a lot, and she had wolfed down all six dumplings in one go. Glutinous rice, however, is known to be hard to swallow.

Li Aifeng found a jar of malted milk in the Sun family’s five-drawer cabinet and made herself a big mug of it. She gulped it down and, finding the taste quite good, decided to stuff the jar into her bag to take home and drink later.

After that, Li Aifeng began quarreling with Mother Sun, and the argument quickly escalated from a war of words to physical violence.

When women fight, it’s usually the same three moves—hair pulling, choking, and slapping.

Mother Sun, who wasn’t as tough as Li Aifeng, who had been working in the fields for years, quickly found herself at a disadvantage.

Several neighbors in the family compound heard the commotion and opened their doors to watch the spectacle.

Mother Sun, who was the neighborhood committee leader, was pinned down and beaten by Li Aifeng. The noise woke up Lin Hongna, who was resting inside. She came out holding her pregnant belly, only to find her mother-in-law and her own mother fighting on the floor, cursing each other with filthy language.

Lin Hongna looked very upset and tried to intervene.

But neither Mother Sun nor Li Aifeng paid her any mind. Li Aifeng grabbed onto Mother Sun’s hair and wouldn’t let go, causing Mother Sun’s face to contort in pain as she clawed at Li Aifeng’s face.

Li Aifeng let out a scream, covered her face, and leaned back, just as Mother Sun kicked her in the stomach. Li Aifeng’s head collided with Lin Hongna’s pregnant belly, who was unfortunately standing right behind her.

Lin Hongna felt a sharp, agonizing pain in her abdomen, as if something was being forcefully pulled downward. Blood started trickling down her legs. Mother Sun didn’t notice this and was about to continue fighting with Li Aifeng.

Li Aifeng felt something sticky on her hands, and when she looked down, she saw her hands covered in blood.

Meanwhile, Lin Hongna had collapsed to the ground, unconscious, with a pool of blood beneath her abdomen.

Li Aifeng screamed in panic and started shaking Lin Hongna, “Nana, Nana, what’s wrong? Don’t scare your mother!”

Mother Sun quickly said, “She’s about to give birth! Get her to the hospital!”

The two middle-aged women stopped fighting and, hearing Mother Sun’s shout, the neighbors who had been hiding behind their doors quickly came out to help. After all, this was a matter of life and death.

If something happened to Lin Hongna and the news spread that there were two deaths in the compound, the neighbors would all feel unlucky.

Together, they managed to carry the unconscious Lin Hongna and rushed her to the town clinic.

The next morning, after a night of pain, Lin Hongna gave birth prematurely to a son weighing less than four pounds.

Although the long-awaited grandson had arrived, the baby was born with a bluish-purple complexion and a pale face. Due to the clinic’s poor conditions, the baby was immediately transferred to the provincial hospital for emergency care. The Sun family members were all worried sick. When Mother Sun saw the baby and heard the doctor say that he might not survive, she fainted on the spot.

So now, with Lin Hongna still lying in the delivery room, Mother Sun had also passed out.

As for the troublemaker Li Aifeng, she overheard bits of the conversation in the hospital and realized her grandson was in critical condition. Seeing the Sun family members looking at her with murderous intent, she felt a chill down her spine. Terrified, she ran back to the Sun family’s home, grabbed ten yuan, packed her belongings, and fled back to the Dongfanghong Production Team.

This was a matter of the Sun family’s lineage, so the entire family went to the provincial capital, leaving only Sun Jiarong to stay at the town hospital to care for Mother Sun and Lin Hongna.

After two days of treatment at the provincial hospital, the Sun family’s grandson finally pulled through. Just as the family was starting to breathe a sigh of relief, the doctor’s next words made their hearts skip a beat.

“This child was born prematurely and suffered severe trauma while in the womb. He has a lung infection and is very weak. He’ll need careful care as he grows up, and even if he survives, he won’t be able to do any physical labor. You need to be prepared for this…”

The doctor’s words were blunt, essentially saying that the child would be a sickly burden, taking three steps forward and needing to rest every time. How could such a child bring honor to the Sun family?

Sun Jiayu couldn’t hold back and started cursing Li Aifeng in the hospital, blaming her for being the cause of her precious nephew’s condition.

Father Sun sat silently on a bench in the hospital, tears falling without a sound.

Sun Jialiang, on the other hand, looked at his son lying in the hospital bed with tubes all over his body, and felt a deep pain in his heart.

Though he wasn’t a good husband, Sun Jialiang was still a father, and this was his first child. Only a father could truly understand the feelings of being one.

Sun Jialiang stayed by his son’s side in the hospital for three days, not sleeping at night, afraid that his son might pass away the moment he closed his eyes.

Father Sun noticed this and, seeing how his son was now behaving, felt somewhat reassured by the blood connection between them.

Three days later, when the child’s condition finally stabilized, Sun Jiayu brought up the matter of how to deal with the culprit, Li Aifeng.

With a stubbled face, Sun Jialiang squeezed out two words through gritted teeth.

“Call the police!”

Anyone who dared to harm his son would have to face the law, no matter who they were.

Sun Jiayu wholeheartedly agreed.

Father Sun remained silent for a moment before sighing and nodding in agreement.

In those days, people were generally honest and upright. The government encouraged self-reliance and hard work to build a better life, and people took pride in being industrious and self-sufficient. If someone in a family was a thief, they would be publicly shamed and ridiculed.

Moreover, theft was a serious crime, and in Li Aifeng’s case, where theft had caused injury to others, the crime was even more severe.

During these few days after returning home, Li Aifeng was on edge, knowing she had caused trouble. She knew the Sun family wouldn’t show her any mercy, but she held onto a glimmer of hope.

Maybe, just maybe, her grandson would be fine, and the Sun family would be so relieved that they wouldn’t pursue the matter. After all, there’s an old saying that goes, “Babies born at seven months live, those born at eight months don’t.” Her grandson had been in her daughter’s womb for seven months. Maybe in a few years, she could go and apologize, and the family could still live harmoniously.

But Li Aifeng was deluding herself. She couldn’t sleep well at night, her dreams filled with terrifying images. Sometimes she saw a bloody baby lying there, other times it was the Sun family coming to kill her. In just a few days, Li Aifeng had become a shadow of her former self, looking haggard and worn out.

When a few young officers in public security uniforms arrived at the Dongfanghong Production Team, Li Aifeng seemed to have been startled. Upon seeing the police, her face changed color, and trembling, she was taken away by the officers.

Lin Daguo was taken aback, and Lin Hongwu chased after them.

Li Aifeng’s voice was sharp as she kicked and struggled, “I haven’t committed any crime! Why are you arresting me? Hongwu, save me!”

The officers, all tall and strong, easily handled the struggling Li Aifeng as if she were a small chick, hardly worth mentioning.

The villagers of Dongfanghong Production Team saw the commotion and gathered around, pretending to be taking a stroll but actually stretching their necks to see what was going on with the Lin family.

The officers put Li Aifeng into the police car, and everyone watched with wide eyes, stunned.

It was a big deal—Li Aifeng was going to jail!

*

Another May had arrived, marking the second year since Lin Yao had traveled to this time.

Last year, Lin Yao was still a newlywed, having barely seen her cheap husband.

This year, she was carrying Deputy Director Gu’s child, and the twists of fate in life were truly unpredictable.

The summer came unusually early this year. By May, the heat had already risen to the treetops. In the middle of the day, the Gujiaao village was shrouded in heat, and the elm leaves outside were curling from the heat.

The vigorous steel production campaign outside had temporarily stopped.

The reason was simple—the weather had become unbearably hot in recent days.

The sudden high temperatures, combined with the intense heat from the steel production furnaces, with orange flames scorching the earth, created waves of heat that could make people faint. Within just a few days, many members of the commune had suffered heatstroke and been sent to the hospital.

The higher-ups had no choice but to suspend the steel production campaign.

Zhang Cuilan was worried these days. Lin Yao was at home, eating and drinking well and full of energy, so she wasn’t worried about her.

What worried her as a mother was her second daughter, Gu Chunmei.

Gu Chunmei’s pregnancy had been growing for over seven months, entering the final stage of pregnancy, with only a few weeks left before delivery.

Gu Chunmei’s suffering had begun. Her belly was unusually large, and the growing uterus pressed on her stomach, reducing its capacity and causing acid reflux, so she vomited everything she ate.

She had visited the health clinic and seen the doctor.

Mother Xu had originally thought her daughter-in-law was carrying twins, but the doctor laughed, saying there was only one heartbeat—where would the twins come from? The baby was just large because Gu Chunmei had a big appetite during pregnancy, and Mother Xu had been making sure she got plenty of nourishment. At home, any oily or rich food was given to Gu Chunmei, while others couldn’t eat it. Naturally, her belly grew larger.

Unlike Lin Yao, Gu Chunmei didn’t keep up with daily walks at home.

Mother Xu regretted her lack of education, not knowing the proper approach, and ended up causing her daughter-in-law to be unable to eat or sleep properly.

The county health clinic had no good solutions, only advising Gu Chunmei to get glucose injections at the hospital, use a pillow for sleeping, maintain daily exercise, drink light, nutritious food, and eat smaller, more frequent meals if she couldn’t eat much at once.

Lin Yao visited Gu Chunmei once. The sisters, seeing each other after several months of pregnancy struggles, couldn’t help but shed tears and embrace each other.

Da Tou Brother, this conspicuous guy, is also trying to be attentive to his wife, bringing her water and coming over to check on her from time to time.

Seeing him, Gu Chunmei’s anger flared up. If it weren’t for having a child for this man, would she have to suffer so much?

So Xu Xiangqian was scolded by his wife.

Gu Shi’an remained quietly on the sidelines, acting as a background presence.

In the evening, Zhang Cuilan stayed at the hospital to care for her daughter, and Gu Mancang, feeling uneasy, stayed as well.

Gu Shi’an and his wife returned home, and Gu Shidong, who was wilted from the heat, was thrilled to see his elder brother and sister-in-law.

Lin Yao had sat in a donkey cart for a long time, her backside sore, feeling thirsty and hungry, with the baby in her belly kicking around.

There was little to eat at home, so Gu Shi’an boiled two eggs and poured some cool boiled water. Lin Yao quickly ate the two eggs and drank a glass of sweet cool water. Afterward, she got up and planned to take a walk.

Gu Shidong hurried over, “Sister-in-law, I’ll support you. I’ll support you.”

Lin Yao smiled, “Oh, our Dongzi has grown up.”

Dongzi grinned.

In the afternoon, Lin Yao found out that the little rascal was craving rabbit meat, wanting to ask his sister-in-law to have his brother kill a rabbit to cook.

Now, the Gu family had about twenty rabbits of all sizes. With so many rabbits, they ate several baskets of wild vegetables daily. Dongzi had cut grass in the morning, and by noon, the rabbits had eaten it all. The little rascal sighed and had to carry more grass in the afternoon, tired and complaining to his sister-in-law.

Rabbits breed quickly, so Lin Yao didn’t plan to keep too many—just enough to eat.

In the yard, Gu Shi’an rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong, long arms as he fetched water, chopped firewood, and fed the rabbits.

Lin Yao chose two plump rabbits and had Deputy Director Gu slaughter them. One would be braised, and the other steamed.

The rabbits hadn’t been slaughtered yet, but Dongzi’s saliva was almost falling out.

Lin Yao was also craving meat. It had been half a month since she had eaten any.

The elderly people in the Gujiaao village said that pregnant women should not eat rabbit meat, fearing that the child would be born with a cleft lip.

So, when a family in the village occasionally caught a wild rabbit, everyone would gather around the table to grab the rabbit meat while the pregnant woman stayed in the room and couldn’t eat.

Eating it would be bad for the baby in the womb. They said it was for the sake of the baby and the family’s future generations that they didn’t let the pregnant woman eat meat.

What nonsense.

Cleft lips are a congenital defect caused by genetic factors. It’s possible that it’s due to poor genes in the family, not because of eating rabbit meat.

Besides, in times of famine, having rabbit meat is already a blessing.

Still indulging in feudal superstitions and paternalistic remarks. If anyone babbles nonsense in front of Lin Yao, they’re going to get a beating.

Earlier, Aunt Huaihua from the village sent the Gu family some preserved mustard greens. Preserved mustard greens stewed with meat taste absolutely delicious.

In return, Zhang Cuilan sent a handful of peas picked from her garden. By evening, the kitchen was filled with the mouth-watering aroma of preserved mustard greens stewed with rabbit meat. The mint transplanted into the yard was growing lush and green.

Lin Yao watered the mint and took a break under the loquat tree. The loquat tree, with its thick foliage, resembled a large umbrella. Gu Shi’an set up a small table for his wife, with two bamboo chairs, and placed fruits and tea on it. Daju, the family cat, lay beside her, and the chickens clucked around the fence outside. Lin Yao sat on the bamboo chair, gazing through the fence at the rolling green mountains and waters in the distance. It truly evoked the feeling of “picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely gazing at the southern mountains.”

In the evening, the family enjoyed preserved mustard greens stewed with potatoes, eating until their mouths were greasy.

Lin Yao, holding her belly and feeling satisfied, enjoyed the meal. Gu Shi’an, after indulging a little with his increasingly plump wife, was also very content.

Lin Yao’s eyes were red, regretting her earlier words and wondering why she had said anything to that man. A pregnant woman can do that…

This is what you call “shooting yourself in the foot.”

Unable to sleep, Lin Yao tossed and turned. While her husband was sleeping with his eyes closed, she stretched out her soft little hand to pinch him. After several attempts, he remained unmoved, completely unaffected.

Gu Shi’an smiled in the dark, turned over, and extended his arm, pulling Lin Yao back into his embrace.

“…….”

In June, Yunshui County received the good news: Gu Chunmei had given birth!