Cheng Su returned to her in-laws’ ho after delivering festival gifts at her mother’s place. She stayed there until after dinner. When she arrived, everyone was still having their al.
"Why so late?" Mother Qi wasn’t pleased.
"My third uncle ca back for the festival, so we chatted a bit. You all go ahead and eat; I’ve already had dinner. I’m going to boil so water for a bath," Cheng Su explained with a smile.
"The fire in the coal stove hasn’t gone out. Just replace it with a water pot and add a coal briquette," Mother Qi said without further comnt, then added, "There’s soup left in the kitchen. Help yourself to it!"
"Okay!"
Cheng Su hadn’t expected her mother-in-law to be so considerate, but it was probably because of the prospect of her having a grandson that she was being rewarded!
These days, everyone liked to use coal briquettes for boiling soup and water, primarily because it was convenient and cost-effective. The Qi family was no exception; the kitchen was piled high with coal briquettes!
The coal stove was set at the kitchen entrance. Cheng Su took a pair of tongs to add another honeycomb coal, and then she took the soup that had been left for her. Instead of going back to the main room, she sat in the kitchen to drink it.
Just as she took a sip, Qi Fenglian rushed in like a gust of wind.
"Elder sister, are you full?" Cheng Su was a bit taken aback.
Qi Fenglian glanced outside and spoke with a face full of urgency, "Sothing big has happened!"
Cheng Su was taken aback. Sothing big? What could it be?
"You guessed it. That troubleso girl, it’s likely true..." Qi Fenglian sounded disdainful, her face reddening.
Cheng Su understood and lowered her voice, "Are you talking about Fengping?"
"I tested her a few tis last night. Later, I got impatient and asked her directly," Qi Fenglian said coldly. "I asked her if she was involved with soone. At first, she was evasive and wouldn’t admit it. But then I told her that soone had already seen them, and she finally admitted it, stamring."
"Then I asked her how far along they were, whether she had been deceived into giving herself away. She still wouldn’t admit it, and said I was ddling. And guess what, when I asked when her period last ca, she initially didn’t get it, counted on her fingers. Tell , how could anyone be so clueless?" Qi Fenglian said, gnashing her teeth in anger.
Cheng Su also turned pale. Just hearing this made her feel chilly inside. If she even needed to count to know when her period last ca, how could things be alright?
"And then?" Cheng Su’s voice shook a little.
This wasn’t just her problem; it concerned the whole Qi family. An unplanned pregnancy could make them the laughingstock of the entire community. In a more conservative village, she might even get pelted with stones or thrown into a pig cage.
Qi Fenglian continued, "She said it’s been almost half a year since her last period." She sat down heavily, looking dumbstruck. "Honestly, there’s no need for her to count; just looking at her belly and figure, I could probably guess."
Having had a child herself, Qi Fengping’s condition looked like four or five months along at least. And to think she just thought the girl was gaining weight. But it turned out like this.
What are they going to do now? This troubleso girl has caused a stir!
"Is, is it confird?" Cheng Su suddenly felt a bitter taste in her throat.
Qi Fenglian shook her head. "With auntie around, I didn’t dare take her for a check-up, afraid she’d notice sothing and spread the news."
"We have to confirm it. We need to know if she’s really pregnant or if there’s sothing else going on in her belly!" Cheng Su said anxiously.
"Isn’t that why I’m at a loss here, waiting for you to get ho and decide!" Qi Fenglian said. "That troubleso girl is scared out of her wits, hiding in her room all day."
Cheng Su was speechless. After thinking it over, she said, "How about this? Tomorrow’s the festival, right? We can use the pretext of going to the county to buy food and take her to the county hospital for a check-up?"
Qi Fenglian had been waiting for Cheng Su to make a decision. Hearing this, she nodded hastily.
Hearing footsteps outside, both of them fell silent, not saying another word.
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