Chapter 11: Confirming the Pregnancy

Although Zhan Xinyue was still an unmarried young girl, she had seen other relatives in her family who had been pregnant. The symptoms they exhibited were exactly the same as those currently troubling Xie Jinyu.

Xie Jinyu stared at her flat abdomen in disbelief and murmured, “That’s impossible, isn’t it?”

After all, she and Ye Changzheng had only been together three nights. And now... pregnant?

How could that be?

Zhan Xinyue found nothing impossible about it.

“Why don’t you see Teacher Yan tonight and have her check your pulse?”

Xie Jinyu still found it hard to accept what Zhan Xinyue said and replied softly, “Maybe I just caught a chill from the cold wind, and my stomach is upset.”

She packed the dried fish into her bag, then discussed the magazine’s submission guidelines with Zhan Xinyue.

“Xinyue, if you have time, you can come to the cowshed and find me.”

Zhan Xinyue hesitated, “Would that be inconvenient?”

She currently lived at the young intellectuals’ settlement, surrounded by many people and distractions, which wasn’t very conducive to writing.

“No, not at all,” Xie Jinyu said warmly, eager to build a friendship with Zhan Xinyue. “You could even give me some feedback on my drafts.”

“All right,” Zhan Xinyue agreed.

After dinner, the young intellectuals were preparing to return to their settlement. They called for Zhan Xinyue, who then bid farewell to Xie Jinyu and returned to the settlement laughing and chatting with them.

Xie Jinyu finished her meal of pickled vegetable and tofu quickly and returned to the cowshed with Yan Hongying.

Winter nights were long and the days short. As soon as darkness fell, Yan Hongying and Xie Jinyu went to bed early.

Zhan Xinyue’s words stirred waves of turmoil in Xie Jinyu’s heart.

She folded her hands gently over her lower abdomen.

Was she really pregnant?

Would she ever be fortunate enough in this life to have a child of her own?

Her eyes instinctively flicked to the empty pillow beside her, filled with anxiety and unease.

If she really was pregnant, she would have to be extra cautious in everything she did.

In the blink of an eye, it was the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month.

***

The eighth day of the twelfth month was the day Chen Wanru and Lu Qianjin were getting married.

Chen Wanru’s family lived far away, so it wasn’t feasible for her to marry from her hometown. The village party secretary discussed with the young intellectuals at the settlement and arranged for Chen Wanru to marry from there.

Zhan Xinyue and the others had all become like family to Chen Wanru, who was very proud and made sure Lu Qianjin’s family prepared two extra banquet tables for the young intellectuals.

Xie Jinyu hadn’t planned to attend the wedding, but when the village party secretary personally invited Yan Hongying, they couldn’t afford to offend him and reluctantly went to the banquet.

The village party secretary was well-liked; apart from the villagers, village heads from neighboring villages and some district officials also came to Lu Qianjin’s wedding.

Chen Wanru wore a floral padded jacket and a bright red flower, standing beside Lu Qianjin like a colorful butterfly.

The banquet was personally arranged by a master chef recommended by the party secretary, with tables and chairs borrowed from the village school.

Though guests didn’t arrive empty-handed, their gifts were modest — a liter of rice, a pair of socks — still considered presents.

The young intellectuals pooled money to give Chen Wanru a thermos decorated with the character for “joy.”

Xie Jinyu and Yan Hongying, feeling awkward, offered only fifty cents as a gift.

They took their seats. The wedding banquet in Yuejin Village was a traditional Sichuan-style feast.

Crispy fried dough with brown sugar was served first as a dry appetizer.

Then came the traditional nine large dishes: knife-tip meatballs, longan meat, sweet rice, steamed crispy pork, steamed pork knuckle, steamed chicken, salted roast pork, stuffed bowls, and steamed fish.

Each person was served a bowl of sour cabbage tofu noodle soup midway, and the meal ended with a plate of bean sprouts mixed with vermicelli.

For villagers who rarely saw meat, a wedding banquet was an occasion to eat heartily.

Yan Hongying, worried that Xie Jinyu’s shy nature might prevent her from taking enough food, kept serving her dishes, afraid she’d miss out.

The village party secretary led the newlyweds around to toast. Xie Jinyu and Yan Hongying put down their chopsticks respectfully.

The host made some polite remarks, and the couple handed out wedding candies and cigarettes.

Chen Wanru triumphantly offered a candy to Xie Jinyu. “Xie Jinyu, I never got to drink your wedding wine, but you must drink a toast to mine…”

“I can’t drink alcohol.”

Chen Wanru pressed a cup of wine toward her.

“Xie Jinyu, do you look down on me? Or on my father-in-law?”

At the neighboring table, Zhan Xinyue saw Chen Wanru trying to force wine on Xie Jinyu. She stood beside her and intervened, “Chen Wanru, Xie Jinyu is pregnant. She can’t drink.”

Chen Wanru’s voice suddenly rose, “Xie Jinyu, you’re pregnant?”

Xie Jinyu thought about the relatives who should have come a week ago but didn’t—this pregnancy was probably true.

Yan Hongying reached out and felt Xie Jinyu’s pulse. Her solemn expression changed instantly.

“How long do you plan to keep this from me, child?”

***

Xie Jinyu smiled shyly, “I heard you’re not supposed to tell anyone in the first three months.”

Chen Wanru glanced at Zhan Xinyue, secretly cursing her for ruining her plans.

She realized why Xie Jinyu had been so distant lately — it must be because Zhan Xinyue had been saying bad things about her.

No, she couldn’t let Zhan Xinyue ruin things for her.

“Xie Jinyu, now that you have Xinyue as your new friend, do you no longer want me as your good friend?” Chen Wanru placed a hand on her hip, smiling brightly. “How about we arrange a childhood betrothal?”

The village party secretary’s face darkened immediately. “We should go to the next table now.”

Chen Wanru hadn’t expected him to spoil her moment.

He was thinking that since he had invited officials from the district and other villages to celebrate, if rumors spread that Chen Wanru and his son had been involved before marriage, where would he save face?

As Chen Wanru and Lu Qianjin left, the other villagers congratulated Yan Hongying on becoming a great-grandmother.

The banquet ended.

The village party secretary invited a film projectionist from the district to show a movie in the courtyard.

Fearing Chen Wanru might try to cause more trouble, Xie Jinyu invited Zhan Xinyue and Yan Hongying back to the cowshed with her.

Along the way, Zhan Xinyue awkwardly apologized.

“Xie Jinyu, I’m sorry. I spoke too hastily and revealed your pregnancy.”

Xie Jinyu knew well that if not for Zhan Xinyue stepping in, Chen Wanru, with her stubborn nature, would have probably forced her to drink more.

They had grown up together, and no one knew Chen Wanru’s drinking capacity better than Xie Jinyu.

If she got drunk, it would give Chen Wanru the perfect opportunity to harm her.

Back in her room, Xie Jinyu handed Zhan Xinyue a novel she had written using her past life as material.

“Xinyue, take a look at this manuscript.”

By candlelight, Zhan Xinyue read every word carefully.

When she finished, she slammed the table in anger.

“A cheating man deserves to be struck by thunder! Xie Jinyu, what happens next? Does he get his comeuppance?”

Drowsy Xie Jinyu was jolted awake by Zhan Xinyue’s outburst.

Rubbing her eyes, she looked earnestly at Zhan Xinyue and asked, “If you knew the heroine, would you tell her the man she longs for will turn bad? Would you advise her not to choose him?”