Country Love: Xie Dajiao, 37, is pregnant!

"Don't make a sound."

Zhao Si lowered his voice and glanced at where Yu Tian's mother was:

"Yingzi, here's a thousand yuan. Take it back to your dad. This year hasn't been easy for him either. He's been either throwing a feast or getting scammed. As his daughter, you should give him something for the New Year. We can't put you in the middle and make things difficult for you. Give this money to your dad and say it's from you. Let him have some fun during the New Year."

Liu Ying touched the money in her pocket, her nose tingled, and tears almost fell. She quickly lowered her head and pretended to button her clothes.

She knew in her heart that Zhao Si usually had to calculate when buying a bag of salt, but now he took it without hesitation, all because he was thinking of her.

Seeing that everything was packed, Zhao Yutian picked up his things and said:

"Let's go, Yingzi, let's get there soon. Be careful, the road is slippery and hard to walk on."

Liu Ying walked to the door, lifted her foot, and then put it down heavily again.

Looking at the clean snow track in the yard, at the old couple Zhao Si in the house, and then at the heavy thousand yuan in her pocket, she could no longer hold back. She ran out a few steps, squatted down the steps, buried her face in her knees, and tears streamed down her face. Her shoulders trembled as she cried.

"What's wrong, Yingzi?"

Zhao Yutian quickly threw the things on the ground, squatted down, and patted her on the back:

"Why are you crying? Is your stomach upset?"

Yutian's mother also jogged over, squatted down beside her, and gently patted her back:

"What's wrong, girl? Why are you crying? I was so anxious when I found out you were pregnant. I couldn't stand anything. It'll be fine after this period. Don't cry. It makes me feel bad too. Tell me what you want to eat, and I'll make it for you when you get back."

Liu Ying raised her head, her face covered in tears, and sobbed as she said:

"Mom... please don't be so good to me... I don't deserve your kindness..."

"What on earth is going on?"

Zhao Yutian was extremely anxious:

"Why are you saying that? If I'm not good to you, who else would I be good to? Why are you crying?"

Liu Ying took a deep breath, bit her lip, and shook her head:

"Yutian...I have something to tell you, can...can you forgive me?"

"What forgiveness? Just tell me." Zhao Yutian was even more confused.

"I'm not pregnant!"

Liu Ying's voice wasn't loud, but it was like a thunderclap, leaving Zhao Yutian stunned and speechless for a long time.

"Stop talking nonsense, Yingzi, it's the New Year." He chuckled awkwardly, but the laughter sounded strange no matter how you looked at it.

"I'm not making this up."

Liu Ying cried even harder:

"I went home a while ago and got my period. I thought I had miscarried. Later, I went to the hospital for a checkup, and the doctor said I wasn't pregnant at all. It was just that my endocrine system was out of wheezing. They said I had a false pregnancy before. I don't know what happened... I don't have any children now."

"I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but my dad wouldn't let me, saying I should keep it a secret for now. But you've all been so good to me, I just couldn't hold it in any longer..."

Zhao Yutian suddenly became furious, his face turning bright red, and roared:

"What?! Not pregnant? What have you been doing all this time?! What kind of people are you, the Liu family? Look at the mess you've made of our family while you were pregnant! You've been playing us for fools!"

"Yutian! What are you yelling about during the New Year?!"

Yutian's mother quickly grabbed his arm:

"Let's talk this out, what's with all the arguing?"

"Can I not shout?"

Zhao Yutian stomped his feet in anger, pointing at Liu Ying:

"Isn't this a joke?! So the whole family revolves around you, treating you like royalty, and it's all for nothing? I'm going to find Liu Neng! I'll ask him how he taught you!"

He turned and rushed out of the courtyard. Just as he reached the gate, he heard Zhao Si shout:

"Yutian, you come back here! Get out of the house!"

Zhao Si was squatting on the steps. He had heard everything that had just been said, and his brows were furrowed tightly, as if they were tied in a knot.

Zhao Yutian stood at the door, panting heavily as he looked at him:

"Dad! Did you hear that? She's not pregnant at all! Our whole family has been fooled!"

Zhao Si didn't say anything, but lifted his foot and threw his cotton shoe at him, which hit right at his feet.

"I told you to get out of the house! Didn't you hear me?!"

Zhao Yutian was trembling with anger. He kicked the door hard, making a loud bang, then turned and walked into the house, shouting as he went:

"What the hell is going on?! What kind of mess is this?! How are we supposed to celebrate the New Year?!"

The courtyard fell silent instantly, with only Liu Ying's suppressed sobs and Yu Tian's mother's soft words of comfort drifting out intermittently.

Zhao Si squatted down by the wall, threw his cigarette butt into the snow, stubbed it out with his foot, took off his hat, rubbed his head with both hands, and didn't move for a long time, just squatting there.

Zhao Si let out a long sigh, his voice low and deep, as if all his energy had been drained away.

"well……"

Zhao Yutian stormed in, collapsing onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed). He grabbed a thick quilt from the side and pulled it over his head, wrapping himself up like a silkworm cocoon. He didn't utter a sound, only the quilt billowing slightly with each breath.

After Liu Ying came in, she stood on the ground, her shoulders trembling, tears streaming down her face. She wanted to comfort Zhao Yutian, but didn't know how to start.

Yutian's mother brought in two bowls of hot millet porridge. Seeing that she couldn't persuade Liu Ying, she put the bowls on the table and tugged at Liu Ying's arm:

"Yingzi, let's eat first. It's the New Year, we can talk about anything after we eat. What if you get sick from starving?"

Liu Ying shook her head:

"Mom, I'm not hungry, you guys eat."

"Look at you, child."

Yutian's mother wanted to persuade him further, but Zhao Yutian suddenly turned over on the kang (a heated brick bed), and the quilt slammed down with a loud thud, silencing both mother and son instantly.

Zhao Si squatted by the gate wall for half a day until his legs went numb, and he staggered when he stood up.

My heart is heavy. This whole thing at home during the Lunar New Year is making me really reluctant to go inside. I'm also afraid of hearing the crying inside and getting upset.

He walked to the gate, put on his shoes, and walked aimlessly along the village road with his hands in his pockets, kicking up snowdrifts by the roadside with his head down, until his shoes were covered in white.

Just as I strolled to Xie Guangkun's front gate, a shout came from the yard:

"Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother, stop right there!"

Xie Guangkun, wearing a cotton-padded coat, came running out of the yard; he had just been shoveling snow.

Xie Guangkun blocked his way and looked him up and down:

"What's wrong? Why are you looking so downcast in your second year of junior high? Did you get into a fight with someone?"

"fine."

Zhao Si rubbed his hands together, hissing, and was about to walk around it.

"Hey, hey, stop right there!"

Xie Guangkun grabbed his arm, and his grip was quite strong:

"You're definitely up to something! It's written all over your face, why are you hiding it from me? Tell me, what's going on?"

Zhao Si was pulled so hard he couldn't break free. He sighed, squatted down against the wall, took out a cigarette case from his pocket, and lit it after a long while with trembling hands.

He spoke in a hoarse voice, and smoke drifted out:

"Liu Ying... is not pregnant."

"What?!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Guangkun also squatted down, almost sitting on the snow:

"Not pregnant? The whole village knows she's pregnant, so it's all a lie?"

"Who knows? They say it's a hormonal imbalance, but they don't really understand it themselves."

Zhao Si took a drag of his cigarette, inhaling too quickly and coughing so hard that tears welled up in his eyes.

"Our whole family treated her like royalty, but in the end it was all for nothing. I'm too ashamed to tell anyone."

Xie Guangkun patted him on the shoulder and advised:

"Hey, if you're not pregnant, you're not pregnant. You're still young. You can have another one later. Don't take it too seriously, it's the New Year."

"No...that's not how it is."

Zhao Si shook his head:

At Liu Neng's house, Liu Ying's mother was preparing dishes. There were four dishes on the table, and she was still preparing them.

Liu Neng paced back and forth on the ground with his hands behind his back, glancing at the gate of the courtyard every now and then. His heels clattered on the brick floor like a donkey pulling a millstone.

"It's almost noon, why aren't they back yet?"

He stopped and nudged Liu Yingniang:

"Call Yingzi and ask what happened. Is the road difficult to travel on? Make sure she doesn't slip into the ditch again."

Liu Ying picked up the landline receiver, and it rang for quite a while before she answered.

Liu Ying sounded like she had just been crying; her voice was very nasal.

"Yingzi, why aren't you back yet? The food's getting cold, we're waiting for you."

"Mom, I'm not going back."

Liu Ying's voice was very soft:

"I told Yutian and the others everything."