Lu Dapo’s face went pale when she saw the village doctor reach out to check her daughter’s pulse, and she hurriedly blocked him.
“No!”
Jiang Nuan handed the thing she was holding to a nearby aunt, then yanked Lu Dapo aside with one hand and pulled Lu Rou’s arm in front of Doctor Zhang.
Lu Rou glared at Jiang Nuan, but she was too weak from blood loss to do anything.
She could only watch helplessly as the doctor examined her pulse, her mind in chaos.
She had already lost face that day. If anyone discovered she was pregnant, it would be even worse.
Soon, Doctor Zhang withdrew his hands, stroked his beard, and frowned at Lu Rou.
“You are indeed pregnant—at least three months along based on your pulse.”
Given the prior scandal, the villagers quickly accepted this and spat at Lu Rou in disgust.
“Shameless wretch! Such a woman should be paraded through the village as a warning to others!”
“I say she deserves to be executed! Living is a disgrace to Lotus Village!”
Lu Rou’s face and hair were covered in spit.
She shrank her head, trembling like a rat caught in a trap.
Doctor Zhang frowned. In his long medical career, he had seen many cases of unmarried pregnancy, usually due to rape. But this—the child of a woman having an affair with her stepbrother—was something only monsters would do.
Still, as a doctor, he warned:
“Judging by the blood loss, the child probably cannot be saved. Hurry to the hospital, or the mother may not survive either.”
Lu Rou’s vision darkened, and she fainted.
“Rou Rou!” Lu Dapo cried, crawling over and pleading with Doctor Zhang to save her daughter.
Doctor Zhang sighed. “Too much blood lost. I can give her two injections to try to stop it, but she must get to a hospital quickly.”
Lu Dapo panicked and quickly signaled Lu Daqiang, who had been hiding in the crowd, to come help.
“Go borrow a flatbed cart—we’re taking Rou Rou to the county hospital now!”
Lu Daqiang glared at the fainted woman, impatience flashing in his eyes.
“Why aren’t you moving?!” Lu Dapo shoved him. “Go borrow a cart!”
Lu Daqiang looked troubled. With their reputation ruined, who would lend them a cart, especially with a woman having a miscarriage? In rural areas, this was considered extremely unlucky—no one would lend them anything.
Lu Dapo, watching her daughter bleed, yelled at him: “You can’t figure it out?! A grown man and you’re useless!”
Lu Daqiang was embarrassed and quickly nodded: “Fine, fine, I’ll go borrow one.”
“Wait!” Jiang Nuan stopped him. “You’re not going anywhere.”
Lu Dapo glared. “What are you doing? If anything happens to Rou Rou because of you, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!”
Jiang Nuan’s lips curved slowly. “Your precious daughter slept with her stepbrother and got pregnant. If she dies, why should I care?”
Then she looked at Lu Daqiang. “Two choices:
Go with me now and get a divorce—no police involved.
Stay and save Lu Rou, then face the police afterward.”
She looked calmly at Lu Dapo.
The longer they delayed, the higher the chance Lu Rou would die. Jiang Nuan wanted Lu Dapo to feel the panic.
Lu Dapo’s hair stood on end, but she confidently said, “Divorce? That’s nothing compared to Rou Rou’s life. Daqiang, how could you…?”
“I’ll go divorce her!” Lu Daqiang quickly made his choice. A woman’s life mattered less than his future.
Once they went to the police station, Jiang Nuan would have him at her mercy. As long as he kept his job, other women would throw themselves at him.
Lu Dapo glared at Lu Daqiang in disbelief. “You beast! Rou Rou is in this state because of you! And now you just ignore her? Are you even human?!”
Lu Daqiang, thinking only of his future, was impatient. “Everyone looks out for themselves. If I lose this job, how will I support Rou Rou and the child? How will I support you in your old age? Try to understand.”
Lu Dapo’s vision darkened. Pointing at Lu Daqiang, she seethed, “You… heartless man!” Realizing she couldn’t rely on him, she decided to take matters into her own hands.
“Doctor Zhang, please give my daughter the injections—I’ll be back soon,” Lu Dapo hurriedly instructed, and Lu Daqiang carried Lu Rou back inside.
Jiang Nuan cleared her throat. Lu Daqiang immediately withdrew his hand, muttering: “Mom, moving her now could make her bleed more—better leave her here.”
Lu Dapo saw his uselessness and Jiang Nuan’s calm demeanor, wishing she could eat her alive. Unable to move Lu Daqiang or carry her daughter herself, she left quickly, leaving Lu Rou on the cold ground while Doctor Zhang gave her the injections.
The villagers craned their necks to watch.
Jiang Nuan went to Lu Lin’s room to get pen and paper.
Seeing her storm in, the man’s dark eyes flickered, then returned to their usual icy calm.
Jiang Nuan, remembering that it had been Lu Lin in bed with her on her wedding night, slowed her steps.
“Um… can I borrow a pen and paper?”
She avoided his gaze. She had just moved all of Lu Daqiang’s room’s belongings here, including pen and paper, but now it seemed missing.
As she wondered, a hand appeared—long, scarred, strong.
“Here,” he said, his voice low and slightly hoarse. He extended his arm, trying to appear normal.
Jiang Nuan saw the pen and paper in his hand and met his deep, unreadable black eyes.
In that moment, memories of her previous life flashed:
“You were carrying my brother Lu Lin’s child.”“The one who saved you and slept with you on your wedding night was him.”
Lu Lin noticed something was off and tensed. “Are you… okay?”
Jiang Nuan realized she was sweating like she had been submerged in water. She forced a stiff smile. “I’m fine, thank you.”
He shook his head. She took the items. Their fingers brushed. Jiang Nuan quickly looked away, not daring to meet his gaze.
Lu Lin’s eyes followed her hurried departure, his fingers lingering on the memory of their touch.
“Right,” Jiang Nuan suddenly turned back…