After the argument, Lin Qingyue was pulled by Auntie Liu to her house. She wanted to bring some grain over, but Auntie Liu refused.
“Sister, don’t stand on ceremony with me. I just can’t stand seeing you bullied like this. By the way, was what you said just now really true?”
Auntie Liu still couldn’t quite believe it, after all, Lin Qingyue was heavily pregnant and exactly at the time when she needed care.
Lin Qingyue gave a weak smile: “Auntie Liu, you heard it too. Gu Niancheng and Yao Hongyan are having an affair. I… I really can’t go on living with him.”
“Ah, sister, but this…”
There had never been a divorce in their village before. Even the old Village Chief might not agree to it.
In all the surrounding villages, if one person got divorced, they’d become famous throughout the entire town.
“Actually, right now I just want my child to be safe and healthy.”
Lin Qingyue lowered her head and stroked her belly. The baby was very active, and she could feel its movements from time to time.
In her previous life, the child had been born prematurely around this time. She had to avoid her daughter’s fate of dying young.
“Sister Qingyue, I’m a mother too, and I understand how you feel. But you’re only twenty-two now, still young. If you have to raise a child on your own in the future, it’ll be a burden for you.”
“And later, if you want to find a man and settle down, they’ll care about that too.” Auntie Liu advised her, and Lin Qingyue knew she meant well.
“Auntie Liu, I understand what you’re saying, but this is my own flesh and blood. I won’t give up on her.”
“I’ll raise her well and see her grow up.”
In her previous life, how much hardship and suffering had she endured for the sake of the Gu family? Now that she’d been given a second life, with the experience from before, she believed she would live better than she had in her past life.
Auntie Liu was a good person. She had helped Lin Qingyue several times in her previous life and had even subtly reminded her to think more about herself. Unfortunately, back then her heart was completely devoted to Gu Niancheng, and she hadn’t understood.
In this life, she wouldn’t mind giving Auntie Liu a helping hand in return.
“Alright, as long as you’ve thought it through. If you need anything, just tell your auntie. I don’t have much ability, but I’ll help however I can.”
When mealtime came, Lin Qingyue wanted to go back, but Auntie Liu insisted she stay.
“Just sit here and keep me company. I’ll go cook.”
“You’re eating at my place today.”
Lin Qingyue quickly followed her into the kitchen: “Auntie, I’m actually a great cook. Why don’t you try my cooking instead?”
Auntie Liu chuckled: “You’re pregnant! How could I let you cook?”
“It’s not hard labor. I used to cook all the meals at home.”
She had served that whole family, plus fed the chickens and pigs. The ridiculous thing was, not a single person in the Gu family ever said a good word about her.
“Then let’s cook together, the two of us.”
Back in her previous life, Lin Qingyue’s cooking at this time was barely edible at best. But later, she had sold snacks, boxed lunches, and even opened a small restaurant. She had done almost every kind of dirty, tiring work, and that was how her cooking skills had been honed.
To save money, she could handle cooking for twenty or thirty tables of guests all by herself.
“Sister Qingyue, your cooking is really something!”
The potatoes had barely gone into the pot when an unprecedented aroma wafted up. Auntie Liu sniffed the air—why had her own stewed potatoes never smelled this good before?
“It’s just passable, that’s all!”
Lin Qingyue smiled faintly. This was only stewed potatoes—she knew how to make so many more dishes than this!
Unfortunately, this was the standard in the countryside during the 1980s. Most people only cooked one dish per meal, and some could only gnaw on pickled vegetables!
When it was time to eat, Auntie Liu’s daughter, Gu Xiaoyu, also came back. Seeing Lin Qingyue, she was full of surprise.
She had been to her grandmother’s house and was shocked when she returned to hear about Lin Qingyue’s big scene.
“Qingyue, you’re amazing.”
“By the way, are you really not going to want that scumbag Gu Niancheng anymore?”
Gu Xiaoyu was seventeen this year, slightly plump, and looked a bit sturdy. However, this kind of figure was still quite sought after in the countryside.
She could work hard and was good at bearing children.
“Scumbag?” Lin Qingyue gave a bitter smile. “That description is actually quite fitting.”
“Hmph, he’s married and still has unclear relations with other women—if that’s not a scumbag, what is?”
“It’s just lucky that the policies outside have loosened now. If this had been a couple of years earlier, both of them would have been paraded through the streets with placards around their necks.”
Engaging in improper relations between men and women was a very serious offense. Both parties would be considered to have problematic thoughts.
“But, will the Gu family agree to it?”
“And that young widow—she can’t do anything right, just acts coy with men. Whoever marries her would be bringing home an ancestor to worship.”
“Can’t food shut your mouth?”
Auntie Liu was afraid Lin Qingyue would feel upset and glared fiercely at her daughter.
“I’m fine, Auntie. Actually, there’s something else I’d like to ask you for help with.”
“You see, my belly is big now, and I’m very heavy and clumsy. I definitely can’t manage alone at home, so I wanted to ask Xiaoyu to come over and sleep with me.”
She was afraid that if labor started at night, the pain might leave her without the strength to go find the midwife.
Since she hadn’t reached her due date yet, she couldn’t go to the hospital early and wait either.
However, in the next few days, she needed to walk more and stay active, so she could suffer less during childbirth.
“Sure, no problem.”
Auntie Liu agreed cheerfully, and Xiaoyu excitedly grabbed Lin Qingyue’s arm:
“Great, sister, why don’t you come stay at my house? I have my own room—it’s not like there’s no space.”
This…
Lin Qingyue hesitated. The doctor said the baby had already descended into the pelvis and would likely be born soon, but giving birth at someone else’s house was still inappropriate.
“Xiaoyu is right, come stay at our house! If that clueless Gu Niancheng comes looking for trouble again, we can look out for you.” Auntie Liu also urged.
In the end, Lin Qingyue still didn’t agree, only asking Gu Xiaoyu to come over at night to sleep with her.
As for Gu Niancheng, he also wanted to come home, but Lin Qingyue simply ignored him.
However, some people just can’t change their ways. On the third day, Gu Niancheng hurried back and charged straight at Lin Qingyue.
Lin Qingyue’s gaze turned cold, and she quickly dodged.
“Qingyue, your due date is only a few days away—let’s have the baby early, alright?”
“I just asked Granny Wang, and she said babies born a few days early are smaller, so you won’t suffer as much during delivery.”
“You’re my wife, and I care about you—that’s why I don’t want you to suffer.” Gu Niancheng spoke with heartfelt sincerity, and the concern in his eyes didn’t seem fake.
“Gu Niancheng, you’re an educated person too. Do you know why the ancients said ‘ten months of pregnancy, and the fruit falls when ripe’?”
“Why do people wait for labor to start naturally before giving birth, rather than delivering early?”
Gu Niancheng’s face turned pale, and his lips trembled.
“Because, the longer the baby stays in the mother’s body, the better its physical development will be.”
“This is your flesh and blood too. It’s not even time for the baby to be born, yet you want it to come early. Gu Niancheng, are you even human?”
“Qingyue, I’m just afraid. You saw how dangerous it was when Hongyan gave birth. If you gave birth earlier, you definitely wouldn’t…” Gu Niancheng hurriedly defended himself, putting on a show of being entirely concerned for her.
Lin Qingyue lowered her head, her tone even more dejected: “Gu Niancheng, let’s get a divorce.”
“Since you can’t let her go, then I’ll voluntarily step aside and make room for you.”
As she spoke, Lin Qingyue raised her head: “Where’s our marriage certificate? Tomorrow we’ll go to town and file for divorce!”
As she said this, tears welled in Lin Qingyue’s eyes, but her gaze was exceptionally resolute.
“No way!”
Gu Niancheng refused without a second thought: “Lin Qingyue, you’re still carrying my child. I won’t divorce you.”
“Gu Niancheng, where’s the marriage certificate?”
“If you won’t give it to me, I’ll go to town and ask. Even without the marriage certificate, we can still get a divorce.”
“After all, everyone in the village knows about you and The Young Widow. It won’t be hard to find out—I have plenty of witnesses.”
“You…” Gu Niancheng rushed forward, trying to grab Lin Qingyue again.
But Lin Qingyue dodged nimbly.
“Qingyue, I told you, I won’t divorce you.”
On this point, Gu Niancheng was surprisingly stubborn.
“Why? Gu Niancheng, the one you truly care about in your heart is clearly Yao Hongyan. Why won’t you divorce me? Is our marriage not legal? Did we never actually get the marriage certificate last time?”