The wind swirled dried leaves around the yard, making a rustling sound.
Su Wan stood frozen in place, one hand pressed against her stomach.
Lei Deshui’s words—“eat more sour food”—kept echoing in her mind like they had taken root and refused to leave.
Pale face, nausea, sleepiness…
These were all things she had heard gossiping village women mention before.
Signs of pregnancy.
Her heart pounded violently, as if it were about to burst out of her chest.
She subconsciously looked back at the high wall, almost imagining she could still see that man’s meaningful gaze as he left.
Had he already noticed?
Su Wan took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She silently counted the days.
Her last monthly cycle had come at the beginning of last month. This month…
It was already near the end, and her “old friend” still hadn’t arrived.
Half a month late.
And then there were those nights—in the stormy wheat field, in the melon shed—Lei Deshui’s fierce, almost desperate possession of her…
Every time, there had been no protection.
Her legs weakened, and she slowly slid down against the earthen wall.
A huge wave of fear mixed with an indescribable, hidden joy washed over her.
The joy was that she was not the “infertile hen” Zhang Guihua always called her.
Her body wasn’t the problem—it was Wang Dajun’s “seed” that was useless.
But immediately after, fear clamped down on her throat like an ice-cold hand.
This child… had a forbidden origin.
If the Wang family found out she was carrying a “wild man’s child,” especially the child of Lei Deshui, the village tyrant…
Su Wan shivered.
Zhang Guihua would skin her alive. Wang Dajun would beat her to death. Even the entire village’s gossip could drown her.
This wasn’t a blessing.
It was a death sentence.
“Su Wan! Where have you died off to?!”
Zhang Guihua’s sharp scolding came from the front yard.
“The sun is already high in the sky and you’re still not cooking? Trying to starve me to death?!”
Su Wan snapped back to reality.
She quickly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead and forced those chaotic thoughts down.
“I’m coming.”
She answered and forced herself up, brushing dust off her clothes before heading to the kitchen.
The familiar smell of oil smoke hit her as soon as she entered.
Normally it was tolerable—but today, it suddenly made her stomach churn.
She endured the nausea, scooped water, and began washing the pot.
The water was ice-cold, numbing her fingers.
She opened the lard jar.
The strong greasy smell acted like a trigger—
“Ugh—”
She gagged uncontrollably.
Acid rose in her throat. It felt like her organs were twisting.
She quickly turned away, bending over and gasping for air.
But the nausea only worsened.
“Ugh… ugh…”
Two more suppressed dry heaves escaped her.
At that moment, the kitchen doorway darkened.
Zhang Guihua had appeared.
She stood there holding sunflower seeds, her sharp eyes locking onto Su Wan’s hunched figure.
“What’s wrong with you?”
She stepped inside, scrutinizing her face closely.
Su Wan startled and quickly straightened up, wiping her mouth.
“I… I just have an itchy throat.”
She avoided eye contact.
Zhang Guihua said nothing at first, but her calculating eyes scanned Su Wan from head to toe.
Her pale face.
Her protective hand over her stomach.
Suddenly, Zhang Guihua’s eyes lit up.
Brightly—almost frighteningly so.
“You… could it be…”
Her voice trembled with excitement.
She grabbed Su Wan’s wrist tightly, nails digging in.
“Are you pregnant?! Are you pregnant?!”
Su Wan froze completely.
Her face turned even paler.
“Mother… what are you talking about…”
She tried to pull her hand back, but Zhang Guihua held on tightly.
“Don’t play dumb!”
Zhang Guihua’s wrinkled face twisted into a look of wild joy.
“I know this! I’ve given birth before—I can tell! This nausea, this face… it’s exactly like when I had Dajun!”
She grew more and more excited.
In her mind, it had to be Wang Ergou’s “success.”
Even if he was a fool, even if things had gone wrong afterward, it didn’t matter—what mattered was that the Wang family might finally have an heir.
“Oh heavens! The heavens have eyes!”
She released Su Wan’s hand, clasped her own hands together, and bowed toward the ceiling.
“Our Wang family finally has an heir!”
Su Wan looked at her frenzied joy, her heart turning completely cold.
She was trapped.
“I’m not…”
She tried to explain, her voice trembling.
“I just caught a chill last night… ate some cold sweet potatoes…”
“Bullshit!”
Zhang Guihua snapped her head back, her expression turning vicious.
“Cold sweet potatoes make you vomit like this? Do you think I’m stupid?”
She stepped closer, spitting directly onto Su Wan’s face.
This is a good thing! You jinx, what are you hiding? Don’t you want to give birth to a child for our Wang family?
“No… really not…”
Su Wan retreated step by step until she reached the stove, with no way to retreat.
“Whether or not you are, we’ll know after finding a doctor!”
Zhang Guihua’s eyes darted around, and she made a decisive decision.
She reached out to grab Su Wan, “Let’s go! Follow me to find Old Liu at the east end of the village! Let him take your pulse!”
Old Liu is the barefoot doctor in the village and also a distant relative of Zhang Guihua.
If they went, he would definitely feel a pregnancy pulse.
At that time, even if Su Wan had a hundred mouths, she wouldn’t be able to explain it!
Moreover, according to the days, the child’s months are not right!
Wang Ergou entered the house half a month ago, but this child… is obviously earlier than that!
If Old Liu takes her pulse and says that the child is already a month old, wouldn’t that be exposed?
Su Wan’s mind buzzed, and fear exploded instantly.
She must not go!
Going would be a dead end!
“I’m not going!”
Su Wan didn’t know where the strength came from, and suddenly甩开 Zhang Guihua’s hand.
She grabbed the edge of the stove tightly, her knuckles turning white.
“I’m not sick, I’m not seeing a doctor! I’m not going!”
Zhang Guihua didn’t expect that Su Wan, who was usually docile, dared to resist, and was stunned for a moment, then burst into anger.
“You’ve rebelled! You have to go even if you don’t want to!”
Zhang Guihua’s shrewish energy came up, rolled up her sleeves and rushed up to grab Su Wan’s hair.
“If this belly is my eldest grandson, if anything happens to him, I’ll skin you alive! Hurry up and come with me!”
“I’m not going! Help!”
Su Wan struggled desperately, waving her hands randomly, trying to push Zhang Guihua away.
The kitchen was in chaos.
Pots and pans were knocked over on the ground, making harsh noises.
“Pa!”
Zhang Guihua slapped Su Wan on the shoulder and dragged her arm out.
“You little bitch, you don’t know what’s good for you, do you? Today, I’ll tie you up and take you away!”
Su Wan was dragged staggeringly, and the cloth shoes on her feet were worn out.
She looked at the courtyard gate, her eyes full of despair.
Once she walked out of this door and entered Old Liu’s clinic, Su Wan’s reputation, along with the child in her belly, and Lei Deshui, would all be finished.
She can’t go.
She can’t go even if she dies!
Su Wan gritted her teeth, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a kitchen knife placed on the edge of the stove.
At that moment, she even wanted to take the knife and fight this old hag.
But this thought only flashed through her mind.
No, if she killed someone, the child would not be able to live.
Just as the two were pulling each other in the middle of the yard, a flash of inspiration came to Su Wan’s mind.
Since she couldn’t resist, she could only outsmart her.
She looked at Zhang Guihua’s hideous face, and hardened her heart.
“Aiyo—”
Su Wan suddenly let out a painful groan.
She no longer fell backward, but followed Zhang Guihua’s strength and pounced forward, her whole body limp and fell down.
“Oh no! My stomach…”
Su Wan covered her stomach, curled up on the ground, with an extremely painful expression on her face.
Zhang Guihua was pulling hard, and suddenly her hand felt light, and she almost sat down on her butt.
Looking back, Su Wan had already fallen to the ground, her face as white as paper, and her forehead was covered with cold sweat (actually, she was scared).
“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”
Zhang Guihua was startled, and half of the fierce energy just now disappeared.
Although she hated Su Wan, she cared more about the flesh in Su Wan’s belly!
If she fell and lost it, wouldn’t she be heartbroken?
“My stomach hurts… Mom, my stomach hurts so much…”
Su Wan shouted weakly, her voice as thin as a gossamer, as if she was about to die in the next second.
“Oh my ancestor!”
Zhang Guihua quickly let go of her hand, squatted down and wanted to help Su Wan, but didn’t dare to move.
“Don’t move, don’t move! Did you have a miscarriage?”
Zhang Guihua was so anxious that she slapped her thighs, and didn’t dare to mention pulling Su Wan to the clinic again.
If she dragged Su Wan and caused her to lose the child, then she would be a sinner of the Wang family.
“Dajun! Dajun! Where did you die! Come out!”
Zhang Guihua shouted into the house, her voice tearing her throat.
Wang Dajun was lying on the bed in a daze. Hearing his mother’s pig-killing cry, he was so frightened that he ran out without putting on his shoes properly.
“What’s wrong, Mom? What happened?”
“Quick! Carry your wife into the house! Gently! Don’t jostle my eldest grandson!”
Zhang Guihua pointed at Wang Dajun, her face full of nervousness.
When Wang Dajun heard “eldest grandson”, his eyes straightened.
“Preg… pregnant?”
He didn’t bother to ask any more questions, and quickly bent down to pick up Su Wan.
Su Wan closed her eyes and pretended to be dead, relaxing her body as much as possible, allowing Wang Dajun to carry her into the east room, onto the heated bed that was only allowed to be slept on during the New Year.
“Dajun, you watch her, don’t let her move around! I’ll go and invite Old Liu over!”
Zhang Guihua instructed, turned around and ran out, her legs and feet were so agile that she didn’t look like an old lady in her fifties at all.
Su Wan lay on the bed, listening to Zhang Guihua’s footsteps fading away.
She breathed a sigh of relief in her heart.
The first level was considered to have passed.
But this was just a delaying tactic.
When Old Liu came, as long as he took her pulse, she would still be exposed.
What to do?
Su Wan’s heart was beating wildly, and her mind was racing.
She had to create some kind of illusion to get through this.
And she had to make Old Liu unable to tell that she was pregnant.
What way could prove that she wasn’t pregnant?
Su Wan suddenly opened her eyes, her gaze falling on the needle and thread basket on the bed.