Chapter 121: Get A Divorce Quickly
At that point, she was only about twenty days pregnant. Zhang Xiaohui herself did not realize, but Gu Qingyao knew.
She had been observing Zhang Xiaohui for the past few days!
In order to understand what was going on in the Zhang family, she often went over in the middle of the night to eavesdrop on them. It was during one of these nightly eavesdropping sessions that she found out that the Zhang family wanted Zhang Xiaohui to get a divorce.
Anyway, she had the interspace, so she was not worried that someone would discover her.
That night, she secretly took Zhang Xiaohui’s pulse, and realized that Zhang Xiaohui was already pregnant!
Gu Qingyao was so startled she immediately went to make up a dose of the best medicine that would ensure a safe pregnancy. Then Gu Qingyao knocked Zhang Xiaohui out and poured the entire dose down her throat.
At that point, Old Madam Zhang was making Zhang Xiaohui work hard every day. What if the baby was harmed?
She must be a “filial” daughter and ensure the child’s safety!
She also gave Zhang Xiaohui a little something so that she would immediately show signs typical of early pregnancy. She was not yet showing any signs of pregnancy, so Gu Qingyao was not sure when she would realize she was pregnant!
Gu Qingyao did not want to wait any longer!
She came home, very pleased with herself.
The next morning, Zhang Xiaohui slept until it was very late. She usually woke up at dawn to do her chores and the Zhang family would wait for her to finish cooking breakfast before they got up.
But today, there was no sign of movement for a long time.
Old Madam Zhang and her three daughters-in-law came over to take a look. They were furious when they found Zhang Xiaohui still in bed!
“Bitch, what time is it? You’re still lying in bed? Do you want your mother to starve to death?”
Old Madam Zhang rushed over and dragged Zhang Xiaohui out of bed.
At that moment, Zhang Xiaohui was dizzy and her entire body felt languid. She swayed a little and was immediately overwhelmed with nausea. She hurriedly covered her mouth and ran outside, where she vomited all over the ground.
But this was the first time, and the Zhang family did not think much about it. They chivvied Zhang Xiaohui to cook, do the laundry, sweep the yard and so on.
Zhang Xiaohui was kept busy all morning, then cooked in the afternoon. She vomited again when everyone was eating!
This time, she almost fainted.
Only then did everyone realize that something was amiss with Zhang Xiaohui.
“What’s the matter with you?”
Zhang Xiaohui did not reply. She felt rather dull!
Because this feeling was very similar to how she felt when she was pregnant with Gu Ruoqing!
Could it be that she was pregnant again?
With Wang Guozhu’s child?
Old Madam Zhang paid close attention to matters related to childbearing. When she was young, she had difficulties bearing children. Although she had four children later on, she had found it difficult to get pregnant at first, so she was very sensitive to these matters.
Later on, when her sons got married, their wives either failed to get pregnant, or suffered from miscarriages. So she paid even closer attention. As a result, she was the first to think of pregnancy when she saw Zhang Xiaohui’s behavior.
She went to look for Zhang Xiaohui immediately after her meal.
“How many months has it been since your last period?”
Zhang Xiaohui was taken aback, but she understood her mother’s meaning.
“I… I had my period last month. This month’s period… should come within the next few days, but… but it hasn’t come yet!”
Gu Yunshen had left two months ago. Based on the timing, if she was really pregnant, then the child definitely did not belong to Gu Yunshen.
Zhang Xiaohui in particular was certain that the child did not belong to Gu Yunshen.
Because Gu Yunshen had never touched her, even after so many years of marriage.
The year that she was pregnant with Gu Ruoqing, she had sought Wang Guozhu’s help to find some alcohol to get Gu Yunshen drunk. Then she pretended that something had happened between them. That was how she had concealed the origins of her pregnancy!
Now she was pregnant again, the child definitely belonged to Wang Guozhu!
When Old Madam Zhang heard that, she said, “In that case, you better divorce Gu Yunshen quickly!”
Chapter 122: Father Gu Is Back (1)
They had nothing but disdain for the Gu family.
So if there was a better choice, Old Madam Zhang and Zhang Xiaohui would abandon the Gu family without hesitation.
They had married Zhang Xiaohui to the Gu family because they saw that the Gu family’s sons were rich and often sent good things back. Their own family had always been desperately poor, which was why they had chosen Gu Yunshen.
The exceptional times had not yet begun and landlords and background were not such a big deal. The Gu family had always been doctors and were fairly stable. So they allowed Zhang Xiaohui to marry Gu Yunshen.
After all, Zhang Xiaohui was only a daughter. Even if she married someone from a poor background, it would not affect the Zhang family’s status. All they required was for her to bring back good things back from the Gu family.
But as the years passed, they grew increasingly contemptuous of the Gu family.
Gu Yunshen had remained at home to take care of the old folks. The brothers who had moved away had more and more children and they sent fewer and fewer things back. It was completely insufficient to satisfy the Zhang family’s growing appetites.
Zhang Xiaohui was fairly good-looking. In the village, she was considered one of the prettier ones. Also, she had not done very much work during her years in the Gu family, so she was much better-looking than the other women of her age in the brigade.
Old Madam Zhang increasingly felt that it was a pity to have married her pretty daughter to a bumpkin like Gu Yunshen. She gradually realized the advantages of living in the city and was filled with regret that she had not arranged a marriage for Zhang Xiaohui that would allow her to move to the city.
Now that an opportunity like this had arrived, Old Madam Zhang was delighted!
Although the relationships between men and women were governed strictly in these times, people also simultaneously advocated free love and freedom of choice in marriage. Although divorces were not common, they were widely accepted.
So in Zhang Xiaohui’s situation, Old Madam Zhang immediately thought of quickly divorcing Gu Yunshen.
Zhang Xiaohui was delighted to hear her mention divorcing Gu Yunshen. She said, “Mother, I’ll divorce Gu Yunshen. That man is useless. I have not benefited at all from my many years of marriage to him.
“There’s no point going on like that. I want to get married and move to the city, where there are monthly rations of goods and food. Then I will often buy fine grain for you, Mother, and you can eat meat more frequently!”
These were words that Old Madam Zhang loved to hear. She immediately patted Zhang Xiaohui’s hand and said, “You’re so filial!”
Zhang Xiaohui was overjoyed to hear that. She had not been favored when she was young, and had always longed for her parents’ love and attention. Even after she had grown up, she was always thrilled whenever Old Madam Zhang paid her the slightest attention.
She bowed to her parents’ every wish. To her, as long as it made her parents happy, it was her duty to be filial to them, to take care of her older brother, and support her nephews.
Old Madam Zhang said, “Gu Yunshen is away now. You must quickly find a way to get him to return, so that you can divorce him and remarry immediately. That way, the child won’t be affected when it’s born. Right now, no one can tell. When the child is born, you can say it was born a little earlier, so no one will suspect.”
Zhang Xiaohui was very happy. “Mother, don’t worry. I’ll certainly find a way to quickly divorce Gu Yunshen.”
Old Madam Zhang nodded. “Gu Yunshen’s side is easy to deal with because they’re just a bunch of landlords. He won’t dare to disobey. But are you sure that Guozhu will get a divorce and marry you?”
She had been back for so many days. Of course, Old Madam Zhang had found out who Zhang Xiaohui’s man was. Zhang Xiaohui told Old Madam Zhang everything, so Old Madam Zhang already knew that the man was Wang Guozhu.
Her daughter had liked this man previously, and had been together with him before she married Gu Yunshen. Old Madam Zhang had even helped to arrange it!
At that time, she had benefited greatly from Wang Guozhu.
Chapter 123: Father Gu Is Back (2)
Zhang Xiaohui nodded and said, “He will. Guozhu doesn’t want to be with Zhou Hong any longer. He says she’s a shrew and not at all feminine. She has a fierce temper and is very domineering. He can’t stand her any longer!
“Also, Zhou Hong has only given him one daughter. His daughter cannot carry on his family name, and his biggest regret is not having a son.”
Old Madam Zhang nodded. “Then that should be easy to arrange. Tell you what, since you are now pregnant, Guozhu will certainly get a divorce. For the sake of your unborn child, he certainly won’t allow you to suffer. If you can give him a son, it will give you a firm foothold in the Wang family, and then you will always be a city dweller.”
When she thought of the joys of city living that she had experienced a while ago, Zhang Xiaohui grew impatient. She hurriedly said, “Mother, in that case, I will look for Guozhu tomorrow and tell him the good news. Then he can quickly divorce his wife and I can marry him as soon as possible. After a while, it will become apparent that I’m pregnant.”
This was a big deal and Old Madam Zhang attached much importance to this point. She nodded and said, “Alright, you should hurry over tomorrow. Now that you’re pregnant, you don’t need to work in the afternoon. I’ll ask your sisters-in-law to manage. You must rest and take good care of the baby.”
Zhang Xiaohui was touched. Her mother was so good to her.
Sure enough, Zhang Xiaohui did not do any work that afternoon. The next morning, Old Madam Zhang and Zhang Xiaohui went to the town to look for Wang Guozhu.
When Wang Guozhu knew that Zhang Xiaohui was pregnant, he could barely contain himself!
He wanted a son, he desperately wanted a son!
To him, a filial and sensible woman like Zhang Xiaohui would make an ideal wife. No one could stand a shrew like Zhou Hong.
Also, he knew that Zhou Hong had a lover and despised him, so he had been thinking about a divorce for a long time.
Wang Guozhu immediately sent Zhang Xiaohui home to take care of herself, while he went to arrange his divorce from Zhou Hong.
Gu Qingyao had been paying close attention to the Zhang family’s situation. She saw Zhang Xiaohui and Old Madam Zhang go to town in the morning. When they returned, their faces were radiant with delight. It looked like their discussion with Wang Guozhu had gone well!
Gu Qingyao grew agitated. This was good news!
Now that Wang Guozhu’s side was settled, that left Gu Yunshen’s. Both Old Madam Zhang and Zhang Xiaohui knew that the sooner the matter was dealt with, the better. The new year was coming and they could only get married next year, at best. As time passed, her pregnancy would show.
She knew that the two old folks in the Gu family seldom went anywhere. They were always together with the old men and women in the cow shed and they stayed near the shed, surrounded by others.
Zhang Xiaohui disliked the place because it was too smelly, so she could not be bothered to go there. She was also very nauseous and often felt like vomiting. The moment she smelt that odor, she could not help but vomit.
But she had no choice. She needed to look for Gu Qingyao.
Similarly, Gu Qingyao was never at home during the day. She spent her days mingling with the brigade, always looking for one family or another to play with. Anyway, it was the end of the year, and everyone was free. They were all holed up at home during the winter.
Today, the sun was out, and Gu Qingyao, Chen Goudan, Chen Xiaocao and a few of their little friends were sunning themselves at the doorway, sewing with some older women.
Zhang Xiaohui came over and was about to say something when Gu Qingyao exclaimed in delight, “Mother…”
Chapter 124: Father Gu Is Back (3)
Gu Qingyao smiled brightly. “Mother, how have you been at Grandmother’s house? Grandmother has been very good to you lately! When you went back previously, Grandmother always made you do a lot of work. In fact, you did everything. But I heard recently that Grandmother has been treating you very well and you don’t have to do anything. All you have to do is rest and take care of yourself. Is that right? That’s wonderful!”
The older women all turned to look at Zhang Xiaohui when they heard that. All of them looked curious and a few of the sharper ones glanced at her stomach.
Old Madam Zhang was a mean old woman. This was strange.
She previously treated Zhang Xiaohui like a coolie, summoning her all the time, and ordering her around like a maid. Zhang Xiaohui never had a break when she was at her mother’s house.
She did the laundry, cooked, and took care of the children every day. Then she swept the yard and took care of the entire family’s every need. But strangely enough, Zhang Xiaohui did it willingly.
The older women did not approve, but at the same time, they could not help but admire Old Madam Zhang’s ability to raise such an obedient daughter.
But as Gu Qingyao said, Old Madam Zhang seemed to have turned over a new leaf recently, and was suddenly very nice to Zhang Xiaohui.
She did not allow Zhang Xiaohui to do anything. The latter merely sauntered around the house all day. Zhang Xiaohui had even been going around boasting that her mother doted on her!
It was unbelievable!
More importantly, they heard that Zhang Xiaohui had been seen vomiting. It was almost as if she was pregnant!
Although there was nothing amiss in what Gu Qingyao said, Zhang Xiaohui could not help feeling uneasy when she saw Gu Qingyao’s brilliant smile. But she could not be bothered to deal with Gu Qingyao. She only wanted to break away from the Gu family as soon as possible.
“Where’s your father? Make him hurry home. It’s almost the new year, why isn’t he back yet?”
Gu Qingyao continued to smile, “Mother, you’re finally missing Father! I’ve been missing him for a long time. He’s been away for more than two months, but you haven’t mentioned him until now. I thought you didn’t miss him!”
Everyone around them pricked up their ears. They looked at Gu Qingyao’s pretty and naive face and shook their heads. Poor child!
Zhang Xiaohui was rather short-tempered and impatient of late, and she grew irritable when Gu Qingyao did not answer her question. “I asked you when your father is coming back. No, in fact, ask him to hurry back. It’s almost the new year, why is he still lingering outside? Ask him to hurry up and come home.”
Gu Qingyao said, “Father has no time to come back! Fourth Elder Brother sent a letter saying that he still has unfinished matters. The leaders want Father to stay for a little longer and help the patients there! He thinks it will be a few more months before Father is back! Possibly not until the start of spring next year.”
“What?” Zhang Xiaohui immediately screamed. “The start of spring next year?”
Gu Qingyao was shocked. She said with a quiver, “Ye-yes! Father cannot possibly refuse to help in this situation. Father has to go along with their arrangements! Father is a doctor, surely he can’t keep his patients waiting?”
The start of spring was next year, and based on what Gu Qingyao said, it would be a few more months before Gu Yunshen was back. How could she wait that long?
By then, she would obviously be pregnant and everyone would know that this was not Gu Yunshen’s child. Improper relationships between a man and a woman would be punished.
“Impossible!” Zhang Xiaohui screamed. “Hurry up and make your father come back!”
Her ferocious expression made Gu Qingyao jump. She turned pale and shrank back when Zhang Xiaohui shouted at her.
When the older ladies around saw what was going on, Aunt Lin, who was rather hot-tempered said, “Why are you shouting at the child for no reason? She hasn’t done anything to offend you!”
Chapter 125: Father Gu Is Back (4)
Because of Zhang Xiaohui’s conduct during this time, almost everyone in the brigade thought poorly of her. After all, people in these times were simple and unsophisticated. No one could stand someone like Zhang Xiaohui.
Given her situation, she would be in deep trouble if their suspicions were confirmed.
Then the entire brigade’s reputation would be affected. Wang Mingtao had not said anything so far, so everyone only speculated privately. Without proof, they would not say anything openly.
But they definitely detested Zhang Xiaohui.
Aunt Lin’s family was a big one and her husband had many brothers. She herself had several sons and no one in the brigade dared to offend them. Aunt Lin was hot-tempered and had a sharp tongue, but got on well with everyone in the brigade.
Zhang Xiaohui was unhappy that someone had scolded her. “I only shouted at my own child, I didn’t do anything to her. Hurry up and make your father come back.”
Gu Qingyao looked innocent and said helplessly, “But, Elder Brother said that Father doesn’t have time now…”
“No, he must come back immediately. Otherwise, you wait and see how I deal with you!”
“Mother…”
“Go write a letter. He’s been gone for so long, does he still want his family or not? Let me tell you, he had better come back within the next few days. Do you hear me?”
Gu Qingyao was terrified when faced with the stormy-looking Zhang Xiaohui. She did not dare to say anything, but only looked at her timidly.
When she was done speaking, Zhang Xiaohui grunted coldly and left.
Gu Qingyao would not ask her father to come home immediately. Let Zhang Xiaohui wait awhile, until she was desperate.
The new year was almost here. Gu Qingyao began her preparations. Although her father’s matters were still unresolved, he must still celebrate the new year with them.
Mo Beihan still had not left and Gu Qingyao wondered about it. She was playing in the brigade that day, and happened to see Mo Beihan returning on his bicycle, bracing himself against the cold wind.
“Elder Brother Beihan!”
She hurried over. Mo Beihan smiled when he saw her. “Yao Yao, it’s so cold. Why aren’t you at home?”
“It’s such a sunny day that I came out to play! We’re all sunning ourselves and I’m making a quilted jacket for Xiaocao.”
She looked at Mo Beihan and asked, “Elder Brother Beihan, is everything… alright with your job?”
He had said that he would be leaving soon, but that was a long time ago, and now it was almost the new year, but Mo Beihan was still here.
However, he seemed very busy of late, and often left the village. Sometimes she went for days without seeing him.
Mo Beihan laughed, “No need to worry. Nothing is wrong. I just received news that I don’t have to go back… for now.”
He had some work to do here, so he did not have to go back for now.
Gu Qingyao was surprised to hear that!
She seldom asked about Mo Beihan’s work. In any case, she understood without asking that it was top secret.
“That’s great. Can you spend the new year at home?”
“Mhm!”
Gu Qingyao’s smile grew even brighter. She lowered her voice and said, “I’ve finished knitting your sweater. Come with me later and get it!”
Mo Beihan had been looking forward to this. “Okay!”
“Gu Qingyao!”
As they were talking, an infuriated Zhang Xiaohui came looking for her again.
Gu Qingyao had been lingering within the brigade for the last few days and was always surrounded by people. Zhang Xiaohui had looked for her several times and now she was here again.
“Where’s your father? Why isn’t he back yet?”
Zhang Xiaohui could barely wait any longer.
Gu Qingyao said, “I’ve already told you, Father is not coming back until the spring of next year!”
“Shut up. Make him come back immediately. Go now, do you hear me?”
As Zhang Xiaohui spoke, she rushed over and grabbed Gu Qingyao’s braids.
“Ah…”