Xue Niang felt ashamed. Wasn't she already weak? It was just that she had experienced too much and had become hardened, cruel to villains and to herself.
"Linglong, the child in your belly... I heard you call out Zhong Liang that day? Who is he?"
"You misheard, Xue Niang. Don't ask. This child... will probably never see his father in this lifetime."
Qu Linglong did not wish to say more, a flicker of sadness in her eyes.
"Can I touch it?" Xue Niang stared at the bulging belly, finding it so magical.
Qu Linglong placed her hand on her belly, maternal radiance evident at this moment. "He's moving a lot in there. I think it's a boy, very mischievous."
Indeed! Xue Niang's eyes lit up. Her hand moved with the swell of the belly. It was truly miraculous, a small life within, connected to Linglong.
"Xue Niang, since you like children so much, why don't you have one with Brother Xiao!"
"Can I?" Xue Niang looked at her expectantly.
"Yes, you're still a bit weak, but much better than before. With a bit more time to recover, you'll be perfectly fine."
Xue Niang recalled Xiao Shan saying they would discuss it when winter arrived. That was two months away. She was sure she could regain her health.
The door opened, and Xiao Shan entered, looking refreshed. His beard was shaved clean, making him appear less rugged, and more pleasing to the eye the longer one looked.
"How is it? No problems?"
"As long as Brother Xiao doesn't overexert himself, Xue Niang's body will recover even faster. You must have been exhausted yesterday; your pulse is a bit weak today," Qu Linglong teased boldly.
As long as Xue Niang was there, she feared nothing. She remembered how he had rushed to the clinic that day, looking as if he wanted to tear her apart. It had truly frightened her to death.
If anything happened to Xue Niang, she had no doubt he would make her accompany her in death.
A man who has lost his reason is the most terrifying.
Xue Niang blushed and pinched Qu Linglong. Xiao Shan, however, remained calm. He glanced at her casually and said gruffly, "You've seen her. Hurry up and go. The carriage is waiting outside!"
So heartless! Qu Linglong pouted.
"I've saved up some eggs. Linglong, take some with you." Xue Niang hurried to the kitchen to find eggs.
"Oh, no need, Xue Niang. Keep them for yourself to nourish your body!"
Qu Linglong, hampered by her condition, could not stop her in time and could only quickly climb into the carriage.
"Xiao Shan!" Xue Niang ran out with the basket, staring and calling him as the carriage began to move.
Xiao Shan reluctantly took the basket, his long legs striding quickly to place it onto the carriage. "What are you running for? If it's given to you, accept it properly!"
This was practically forcing gifts upon someone.
"Wife-slave," Qu Linglong muttered.
Xiao Shan disdained to reply. He returned to the doorway and saw Xue Niang still standing there, watching the departing carriage. Her slender frame looked somewhat frail. He frowned deeply. "What's so interesting? It's getting cold. Why are you standing here like a fool?"
"A Shan, whose child is Linglong carrying? Is it my eldest brother's?"
Damn it, this Qu Linglong, couldn't she hide her tracks better?
"How would I know that? Your eldest brother is notorious for having many women and harming quite a few people. Even if it were his, he wouldn't acknowledge it."
Huh?
Xue Niang's eyes widened. Was her eldest brother truly such a person? Although she had only met him a few times, she remembered him as a very kind person.
"Alright! Never mind these things. You go rest inside. I'm going to find the village chief."
This time, the village chief had handled Xue Niang's disappearance reasonably well. Because he had led people to search the mountain but found nothing, he was gossiped about by the villagers. He had even specifically explained to the villagers that Xue Niang was recuperating at a friend's place in the city.
He, Xiao Shan, owed no favors. The village chief's actions were merely to curry favor with him, all for the sake of hunting matters. With winter approaching, and after another round of taxes, some families might truly face death.
Consider it an act of accumulating good karma.
After Xiao Shan left, Xue Niang went inside and put on another layer of clothing, intending to check on the cabbage she had planted.
Upon arriving at the field, she saw that after all these days, not a single sprout had emerged. Had she planted it incorrectly?
Xue Niang dug into the soil to examine it and discovered the truth. It wasn't that they hadn't grown; they had clearly been pulled out!
Pulling out the seedlings wouldn't be enough to eat. This definitely wasn't for food; it was deliberate malice!
Who would be so heartless?
She and Xiao Shan had worked hard for a whole morning to plant them. Now, it was a bit late to replant them.
There were always a few wicked souls in this village.
"I pulled them out!"
A slightly sinister female voice suddenly appearing startled Xue Niang. She turned around and saw a gaunt face with dark circles under her eyes.
It was Chen Dong's wife.
How had she become like this? She looked as if she had aged several years overnight. Her skin was dull and lusterless, like a flower deprived of water, showing signs of decay. The floral ornament in her hair had also faded and turned white, making her indistinguishable from the other village women.
Her eyes, filled with exhaustion, now gleamed with a hint of excitement.
"What do you mean? Why did you pull out my vegetables?"
Xue Niang watched the woman before her with caution.
Su Peilan looked at the increasingly radiant Xue Niang, consumed by envy. She herself had been like this once. Who in the village hadn't praised her beauty? In the early days of her marriage, any young man or adult male in the village who encountered her on the road would stare with wide eyes. She, too, had walked with the pride of a swan, her head held high.
But now? She walked with her head bowed and shoulders hunched. When she heard people gossiping in groups, she assumed they were talking about her. Before, she feared being spoken of for not being able to conceive. Now that she was pregnant, it was with an illegitimate child. Chen Dong said he would treat her well, yet he constantly reminded her of her infidelity, of the dirty truth.
She was being driven mad.
She was now filled with jealousy, jealous of this fortunate woman before her. Xue Niang was merely a purchased slave, once ugly and thin, but now nurtured by Xiao Shan to be like a delicate flower. Su Peilan wished to be cherished by a man like that.
But that was impossible. As long as Chen Dong was alive, she would forever be Chen Dong's wife.
"Madam Xiao, I'm not asking for anything else. Please ask Xiao Shan to protect me. I'm pregnant, but Chen Dong is not a man. He tortures me every day, and I really can't take it anymore."
Every time she was tortured, she would think of the scene in the mountains when Xiao Shan rescued her. He had appeared like a god, saving her from darkness.
His imposing physique, his powerful fists – the memory made her tremble with excitement. She had fantasized about lying in his broad embrace countless times, to the point of obsession.
Last night, in her dream, she had accidentally called out Xiao Shan's name, and Chen Dong had tortured her mercilessly.
He used his hands, a wooden stick... Thinking about it made her body tremble uncontrollably.
"Madam Xiao, Xiao Shan loves you so much; he will surely listen to you. I won't ruin your reputation, truly. Just pity me and ask him to visit me occasionally at night, so Chen Dong will be more restrained..."
"Get out! You lunatic! Get out!"
Disgusting creature! The very name Xiao Shan, spoken by her lips, made Xue Niang feel sickened!