Lin Qingyue was stunned speechless. She couldn’t believe her ears as she turned to look at the old lady. “Granny, what did you just say?”
When she had been stopped earlier, Lin Qingyue had already felt uneasy. These three people were clearly not ordinary.
But the old lady’s words clearly indicated she knew them.
The old lady gripped Lin Qingyue’s arm tightly, her voice carrying a hint of smug pride as if seeking credit. “Grandson, look, this is your wife. Honestly, you’re a grown man now—you should be keeping a proper eye on your wife instead of making me go out to find her for you!”
Lin Qingyue couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. What was this old lady talking about? Anyone listening would think she had been deceiving an elderly woman.
“Um, comrade, I’m not familiar with this old lady. We just happened to run into each other!”
Lin Qingyue explained in a low voice, but the old lady refused to let go of her arm. “Granddaughter-in-law, did my grandson do something to upset you? If he ever bullies you in the future, you just tell me, and I’ll give him a beating for you! And you’re carrying a big belly now—you can’t just go running around carelessly!”
Lin Qingyue… had originally wanted to use her pregnancy as an excuse, but it turned out the old lady was also fixated on her belly.
“Grandma!”
The man at the front finally spoke, his voice carrying obvious helplessness.
“You went running off without a word—I was worried!”
“I didn’t just run off! I went out to find you a wife!” The old lady said it with complete confidence, even straightening her back.
The man stepped forward, his voice distant yet polite. “Comrade, thank you for bringing my grandmother back.”
Lin Qingyue tried to pull her hand free, but the old lady’s grip was surprisingly strong. She tugged several times without budging an inch.
“Granny, I really don’t know your grandson!”
She had been living in the countryside for the past few years, and her trips to town could be counted on one hand. There was no way she could know the man before her.
But the old lady wouldn’t listen. “Granddaughter-in-law, are you abandoning me and my grandson?”
The old lady’s eyes grew red as she spoke.
“I…”
Lin Qingyue was being held back and looked at the man with a troubled expression.
The man furrowed his brows, took two steps forward, and looked down at the two of them from above.
“Grandma, come home with me.”
“No! I want to stay with my granddaughter-in-law! Wherever she goes, I go!”
Lin Qingyue???
“Commander, why don’t we just bring her along?”
A baby-faced man behind him spoke up with a smile, trying to smooth things over.
The man’s expression grew colder, but he couldn’t bear to use force against the old lady.
“Little comrade, are you here in the provincial city on business?” The baby-faced man sidled up and asked with a grin.
The female comrade’s clothes still had patches on them—clearly from a nearby village. Few people in the city wore patched clothes these days.
Still, the young woman didn’t look very old. Country folks really did marry early, didn’t they?
“I’m here for a prenatal checkup.”
Lin Qingyue’s belly was already quite large. She looked down at her swollen stomach. “I’m close to my due date and wasn’t feeling too reassured, so I wanted to come in for a checkup.”
“Granddaughter-in-law, Granny will come with you!”
The moment the old lady heard about the prenatal checkup, her eyes lit up with excitement. “I want to see my little great-grandchild!”
Lin Qingyue was still stuck with the old lady, and along with her grandson and his group, they all headed to the city hospital together.
“The baby is very healthy and developing well,” the ultrasound doctor said in a gentle voice. “The baby has already descended into the pelvis. Don’t travel far from home recently—your due date will likely come early.”
“If you feel any discomfort in your abdomen, you can check into the hospital early. Since this is your first pregnancy, you have no experience, so you should still be careful.”
Lin Qingyue was still worried. “Doctor, I’ve been having dreams these past few days saying that my daughter will be born with problems. Could you take a closer look for me?”
The doctor’s smile grew even warmer. “This is very normal. Many people experience this—they become even more anxious as labor approaches. Remember to relax and not put too much pressure on yourself. The baby is very healthy.”
Only then did Lin Qingyue feel at ease. As long as the baby was fine, that was all that mattered.
The doctor tore off some tissue and handed it over. Lin Qingyue carefully wiped her belly, pulled her clothes down, and tried to get up.
But her belly was too big—she tried several times and couldn’t manage it.
“Comrade, don’t you see your wife can’t get up? Come over and help her up quickly.”
The man standing outside the door stiffened slightly when called out to. Lin Qingyue quickly explained:
“Doctor, you’ve misunderstood. He’s not—”
Before Lin Qingyue could finish her sentence, the man had already strode in and reached out to support Lin Qingyue’s arm.
“You—”
“Get up first.”
The man’s voice was deep and carried a faint coolness.
With the man’s help, Lin Qingyue finally managed to get up.
“Comrade, your wife worked so hard to carry your child—is that easy? You need to be gentler with your wife.”
The doctor chattered on as the man helped Lin Qingyue walk out.
By now, it was almost closing time, and there were few people outside.
“Comrade, I’m sorry about earlier—I got you mistaken for someone else.” Lin Qingyue apologized awkwardly. The man’s voice was slightly cool:
“Comrade Lin, where is your husband?”
“I… he’s dead!”
Lin Qingyue wanted to say she had no husband, but on second thought, that wouldn’t be appropriate. This was the 1980s, and relationships between men and women were strictly regulated.
If she were pregnant out of wedlock, her reputation would be completely ruined. It was better to say her husband had died.
“A while ago, I was injured, and it’s unlikely I’ll ever be able to have children.”
“Somehow, this news reached my grandmother’s ears. The old lady couldn’t bear the shock, and her mind has been unclear ever since.”
Lin Qingyue was stunned—she hadn’t expected the man to explain himself to her.
“I… comrade—”
“Fu Nianzhou!”
Lin Qingyue looked up in confusion. The man repeated himself: “Fu Nianzhou. You can call me by my name.”
“Then I’ll just call you Brother Fu. I only happened to find your grandmother on the road to the provincial capital—you don’t need to thank me.”
“I’m done with my checkup too. I’ll be heading back tomorrow.”
The man’s gaze fell lightly on Lin Qingyue as he gave a soft “Mm.”
“I’ve booked a hotel for you, right outside the hospital.”
“No need to trouble yourself—I have my own money.”
Lin Qingyue quickly refused. This man was too cold; she didn’t want any connection with him.
“It’s already booked. You brought my grandmother back—consider it a thank-you.”
Fine. She needed a place to stay tonight anyway.
“Let’s go eat first. You’ve been running around all day—you must be hungry.”
The man’s voice was still cold, but his arrangements were considerate.
“No need. I still have money on me.”
Lin Qingyue didn’t want too much involvement with these people.
“Come along. You’re far along in your pregnancy now—you can’t be left alone.”
…
Gu Niancheng carried the Young Widow out and happened to see that the oxcart had already left.
He hurried to chase after them, still able to make out the faint trail of the oxcart in the distance. But no matter how long he shouted, the cart only sped away faster.
With someone still cradled in his arms, Gu Niancheng nearly ran himself to death.
“Aiyo, Gu Niancheng, why are you still here? Your wife’s stomach is hurting—looks like she’s gone into early labor, and you didn’t even go with her?” Auntie Liu had nothing but contempt for a man like Gu Niancheng, who showed not a shred of responsibility.