CHAPTER 174: CHAPTER 174: THE SECRET OF LIU FAMILY’S AUNT (3)

Li Xing’an, afraid she might be bullied by the village ruffians, insisted on going with her.

"Are you slacking off again?" The Second Young Master shouted at him, carrying a fish basket.

"You’re talking nonsense, I’m just worried that the third sister might encounter some bad guys. After we’re done, I’ll go to the mountains on the other side of the village for a while," Li Xing’an retorted indignantly, "Maybe I can catch a rabbit."

"Just don’t come back empty-handed."

"Mind your own business!" Li Xing’an rolled his eyes.

Li Yuzhu was speechless, "Let’s go, third brother, it will get hot when the sun rises higher."

"Coming." Li Xing’an slung Li Yuzhu’s basket over his back and headed towards Taohua River Village with her.

The morning was cool, and they walked quickly, arriving at the village in no time.

.

Early in the morning, around the ponds in the village, women squatting by the water to wash clothes or vegetables could be seen everywhere.

The men, on the other hand, were carrying water.

Liu Da Niu’s aunt was also squatting by the pond, washing vegetables.

After washing two handfuls of vegetables, she suddenly started to retch.

The elderly woman washing clothes beside her asked, "Chen Family’s, what’s wrong with you?"

Aunt Liu frowned, "Could it be that I’ve eaten leftovers? I ate a bit of soup noodles left over from last night this morning, and now I’m like this."

The elderly woman exclaimed, "In this hot weather, can you eat overnight soup? Quickly take some medicine, or you’ll end up with diarrhea and vomiting."

Aunt Liu bore with the discomfort in her stomach, hurriedly washing the vegetables, "Auntie, you’re right, I’ll go get some medicine now."

The old woman laughed and said, "Your husband works as a long-term laborer for a rich family in the county, earning two to three taels of silver a month, and several dozen taels a year. With all that money, why skimp on things? If you ruin your stomach, you’ll end up spending money on medicine."

Aunt Liu retched again, "Sigh, I’m not skimping, the soup noodles were brought back by my mother-in-law from the market yesterday, I couldn’t bear to throw them away, it would hurt her feelings."

"You keep Hu Zi well, your mother-in-law likes you, even brings you food when she goes to the market. I’ve lived for decades, my mother-in-law only ever asked me for food, never cared if I’ve eaten well," the elderly woman shook her head.

Aunt Liu finished washing the vegetables and hurried away from the pond.

But she had only walked a short distance when she felt the urge to vomit again.

She took a breath, leaning against a tree, retching for a while, but nothing came out.

"Ah, ugh—" Ahead, next to a dirt slope, Liu Da Niu was also leaning against a tree, retching.

Aunt Liu angrily said, "You silly girl, why are you imitating me?"

Liu Da Niu was carrying a basket filled with vegetables, having just returned from picking them in the field.

"Aunt? I’m not imitating you, I’ve been like this lately. My mom said that when you’re pregnant, it’s like this," Liu Da Niu said, looking at Aunt Liu, wiping her mouth with her sleeve, blinking her eyes, "Aunt, are you... are you pregnant too?"

Aunt Liu was not even thirty, and her youngest child was only two years old, so it would be perfectly normal to be pregnant.

But her husband was often away in the county, only returning during the New Year and Mid-Autumn Festival. Saying she was pregnant was undoubtedly an insult to her.

"You’re talking nonsense! Your mother is pregnant!" Aunt Liu cursed in anger.

Liu Da Niu said blankly, "My mother wants to be pregnant, but her health hasn’t been good lately. She can only try next year."

"Your father is the one who’s pregnant!" Aunt Liu cursed in anger again.

But another wave of stomach acid overwhelmed her, leaving her in no mood to curse. Aunt Liu picked up the basket of vegetables and hurried home.

Liu Da Niu looked back at her retreating figure, frowning in confusion.

"It really looks like pregnancy symptoms," she muttered to herself.

She only occasionally felt like vomiting in the morning, but now that it had been mentioned, she constantly felt the urge to vomit, and Aunt Liu was nearly tortured by the dry heaves.

She could hardly make it home, stopping to catch her breath every few steps.

When Li Yuzhu reached the village, she bumped into Aunt Liu, who was retching while leaning against a tree.

Out of professional curiosity, Li Yuzhu wanted to know what illness Aunt Liu had.

She walked over and asked, "Isn’t this Da Niu’s aunt? What’s wrong with you?"

Aunt Liu turned around and saw it was Li Yuzhu.

She said grumpily, "What’s it to you?"

"Hey, why are you being so unappreciative of my kindness? I know medicine, I can help you see what’s wrong."

"Your mother is the one who’s sick, I just ate something bad," Aunt Liu retched a couple more times.

Li Yuzhu looked at her face, puzzled, "If you eat something bad, you’d be vomiting terribly. Why are you just dry heaving with nothing coming out? It doesn’t make sense, you have something else wrong."

"You’re the one with a problem, mind your own business!" Aunt Liu reached out to push her.

Li Xing’an reached out and pulled Li Yuzhu aside, "You woman are really sick, showing concern for you out of good heart, yet you accuse people of meddling, may you die of your illness!"

Liu Guta wanted to leave, but her stomach felt too uncomfortable, so she squatted down and started to vomit.

Li Yuzhu became even more curious, reaching out to take her pulse.

At this moment, she discovered something unusual.

Liu Guta shook off her hand, "If I’m sick, I’ll naturally find another doctor, why would I turn to you, little girl? Go away!"

Li Yuzhu squinted her eyes, and to confirm her suspicion, she quietly activated the CT machine to check.

Soon, she got her answer.

Liu Guta was pregnant, over a month along.

She smiled and said, "Congratulations, Da Niu Guta, you’re pregnant, the child in your belly is over forty days old."

As soon as these words dropped, Liu Guta’s face turned deathly pale.

Even the corners of her lips trembled.

"Nonsense... nonsense!" She picked up a basket full of vegetables and ran off quickly.

"Illness indeed! Why be unhappy about having a child?" Li Xing’an sneered coldly.

Li Yuzhu’s eyes flickered slightly, looking at Li Xing’an, "A married woman having a child but refusing to acknowledge it, what does that suggest?"

Li Xing’an’s eyes widened, "She is carrying the child of an adulterer?" After saying that, he regretted it, how could he discuss such a filthy topic with his sister? "Ah, whatever, it’s her business. Let’s go invite Miss Chai."

"Hmm, let’s go." Li Yuzhu said.

She was only curious about why Liu Guta was vomiting, regarding the child, she couldn’t care less.

Liu Guta went back home, her mother-in-law noticed her pale face and asked her with concern, what was wrong?

Liu Guta calmed down and said, "It must be from the soup noodles you bought yesterday, I’ve been vomiting all morning, likely upset my stomach."

"Then you should hurry and see a doctor." Her mother-in-law urged her, "I’ll watch the kids, you go quickly to see the doctor."

"Got it." Liu Guta entered her bedroom, grabbed a few broken silver pieces and some scattered copper coins, and hurried out the door.

She didn’t go to see a doctor but quietly went to a widower’s house.

Why the bad luck, only three times, and it led to pregnancy?

The man isn’t even home, what to do now?

.

Li Yuzhu and Li Xing’an continued walking, reaching Miss Chai’s residence.

The door of the house was open, inside the courtyard, another nanny, Granny Zhou, was sweeping the front yard.

Seeing the Li siblings arrive, she said happily, "Miss Li is here?" Then nodded towards Li Xing’an, "Li Sanlang."

"I’m looking for your young lady, is she home?" Li Yuzhu smiled and asked.

"Yes, yes, yes, our young lady doesn’t go out much." Granny Zhou put down the broom and ran inside to call for Nanny Jiang, "Jiang Family’s, Miss Li is looking for Miss Chai."

Nanny Jiang came over with a smile and invited Li Yuzhu inside.

Li Xing’an, being a man, sat as per usual in the pavilion in the courtyard.

Li Yuzhu followed Nanny Jiang into Miss Chai’s room.

Miss Chai was painting again.

She put down the brush, smiling as she walked toward Li Yuzhu, "Oh? Why are you visiting me so early today?"

"My mother said she wants to invite you to our house for tea, as a token of gratitude." Li Yuzhu smiled and said, "Afraid you’d go out, so I came early to invite you. What day are you free? We’ll arrange it."

Miss Chai was pleasantly surprised, "I’m free every day, how about tomorrow? If I go today, your house must be quite busy. I’ll come tomorrow morning, how about that?"

Li Yuzhu smiled, "Alright, we’ll be waiting for you."

After the Li siblings left, Miss Chai immediately called to Nanny Jiang, "Nanny Jiang, quickly help me check the clothes and jewelry for going out."

"All the young lady’s clothes are lovely, and the jewelry is this year’s style, no need to choose, they all look good." Nanny Jiang laughed.

Going to a villager’s house for tea, why is their young lady acting as if it’s a matchmaking event?

"That’s no good, I can’t dress casually." Miss Chai picked through a pile of clothes, "Don’t underestimate the Li Family because they fled here, but I can tell, they were once a family of scholars.

The mistress of the house must also come from a scholarly family, so I won’t wear these extravagant and flashy clothes, nor wear too much jewelry, it’s too gauche!"

After going through them, Miss Chai picked a nearly new lotus-colored summer shirt.

The hem and collar were only adorned with some twigs and bamboo embroidered with silver thread.

The jewelry she chose was just a simple jade hairpin and a pair of pebble-sized pearl earrings, no other accessories.