Chapter 80

 That scene was truly bizarre, and Baoning's heart started racing, her fingertips feeling cold. Pei Yuan pulled her into his arms and said unhappily, "Sister-in-law, why are you here in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

Bao Ning finally realized that the woman was Su Mingyou. Indeed, there is no second woman pregnant in Zhuangzi.

Yuanzi saw Baoning, screamed, and ran down from the bed, throwing herself into her arms.

Su Mingyu slowly turned around, and Baoning saw her face, pale to the point of being eerie. She is very thin, with arms and legs as slender as reeds, and only her belly protrudes. Even though her face is beautiful, it cannot hide this oddity. Bao Ning had a gut feeling that the woman in front of her was not simple, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what made her so complicated.

Bao Ning, be alert.

Pei Yuan pulled Bao Ning and Yuan Zi behind him to shield them. He stepped forward and said coldly, "Sister-in-law, haven't you come to your senses yet?"

"This child," Su Mingyou stared intently at the shadow of the round object behind him, "does this child resemble the father or the mother?"

Pei Yuan frowned and asked, "What does sister-in-law mean?"

"Does he resemble his father more, or his mother more?" Su Mingyou slowly walked three steps in front of Yuanzi, crouched down, looked into his eyes, and asked him, "Has anyone said you don't look like your father? Has anyone ever doubted it?"What if you are not your father's child? Would your mother be killed?" Will she be drowned in a pig cage, despised by thousands, because the child she gave birth to is not your father's child?"

Pei Yuan looked at her cautiously, while Su Mingyou seemed to have lost her soul, completely different from her usual composure and dignity in the daylight, speaking words he couldn't understand.

Baoning pulled Yuanzi into her arms, and Yuanzi dared not cry anymore, biting her lip tightly.

Su Mingyao slowly asked, "So, do you resemble Father more, or Mother more?"

"Big sister!" Pei Yuan couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "If you keep this up, I can only throw you into the Li Lake to wake you up!"

Su Mingyou shook slightly and suddenly stood up. Her rationality returned, and a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes as she glanced at the trembling Yuanzi and then at the solemn Pei Yuan. She said urgently, "Fourth brother, let me explain..."

She still can't explain it.

Baoning tried to smooth things over, saying, "Sister-in-law must be too tired from the day; she just dozed off."

Su Mingyu glanced at her gratefully and quickly said, "Yes, Fourth Brother, I was just having a nightmare. I'm really sorry for waking you all up in the middle of the night." After she finished speaking, she reached out to touch the round child's face, "Don't be afraid, Auntie won't hurt you..."

Yuanzi escaped from her, and Su Mingyou's hand awkwardly froze in place.

She swallowed, stood up straight, and said to Pei Yuan with a serious expression, "Fourth brother, I have been married to your elder brother for more than four years now, and I know a lot of things. I also understand your concerns." You are worried that I have had contact with Pei Xiao, aren't you? I haven't, never have." You can check, I have never done anything against you, I won't now, and I won't in the future."

Baoning thought that Su Mingyu was indeed as clever as the rumors said.

Because of her words, Pei Yuan's expression indeed relaxed a lot. He said lightly, "Sister-in-law, you should rest early. We will go to sleep as well." Su Mingyao responded with a good remark.

Baoning also bid her farewell, worried that Yuanzai had been frightened. She waved to take him outside to sleep with her and Peiyuan.

Watching them all leave, Su Mingyou let out a big sigh of relief, leaning back against the wall, his forehead already drenched in cold sweat.

She touched her belly and murmured, "My child, do you look more like your father or your mother?"

"Make sure you don't end up like grandpa; if someone recognizes you, what will you do then?"

……

The next morning, Baoning got up early and prepared a very hearty breakfast.

First, it's for the round dumplings, and second, today is the day of Pei Yuan's detoxification. Bao Ning feels sorry for him and wants to give him something good to eat.

A large plate of steamed river shrimp, a basket of crab roe buns, lean meat congee, shredded chicken salad, and sweet and sour cucumber salad.

Halfway through the meal, Chen Jia came by and said there was news from the Lihu government office. Yesterday, no one reported to the authorities that their child was missing, but they have already arranged for personnel to conduct door-to-door checks, and they expect to have results within five days. Lihu is not very large, and it's quite far from the surrounding cities and counties. Yuanzi's home should be in Lihu Town, so it shouldn't be hard to find.

Bao Ning instructed Chen Jia to get some reward money from the government office to encourage them to put in more effort.Chen Jia received the order and went out.

Pei Yuan leisurely peeled the shrimp, tossing the shrimp meat into the Baoning bowl, and glanced at Yuanzi.He won't be able to go home these days. I thought he would be somewhat sad about it, but Yuanzi seems completely unfazed and is eating heartily.He seems to not want to go home at all, nor does he want his parents.

"Yuanzi." Pei Yuan called his name, and Yuanzi looked over, calling him "Daddy" in a sweet, childish voice.

Pei Yuan smiled, not pressing him to change his words, but instead gently picked up some food for him and asked, "Is your family not good to you?"

Yuanzi thought for a moment and shook her head.

"Is that good for you?"

Yuanzi still shook his head.

Pei Yuan reached out to touch the garlic, lowered his head to peel it, and casually asked, "So is it good or bad, after all?"

"I think," Yuanzi stammered, her eyes shining brightly, "I want to stay here!"

He spoke unclearly, and it took Pei Yuan a lot of effort to understand what he was saying. He exchanged a surprised glance with Bao Ning.

Baoning asked, "Why is that?"

Yuanzi has stopped talking.

Pei Yuan blew on the garlic skin at his fingertips and suddenly thought of a guess. He asked Bao Ning, "Do you think this child was abused at home and ran away?"

"It can't be...," Baoning pressed her lips together, "Let's wait a few days for news from the government. If those really are the kind of parents, then let's just take Yuanzi back. We can't just send her back to the wolf's den."

"Don't." Pei Yuan stopped him, took a bite of garlic, and lowered his head to drink his porridge. "If I can have my own son, there's no need to pick up someone else's leftovers."

Bao Ning took a breath and gently pushed his arm: "Don't always say things like that in front of the child."

"Alright, alright." Pei Yuan said helplessly, "Can't we just leave it at that?"

They were talking when suddenly a fierce barking of dogs came from outside, accompanied by a woman's scream. The barking of the mastiff shook the mountains, and Pei Yuan's hand trembled, causing the remaining half of the garlic clove to fall to the ground.

Baoning hurriedly ran outside to take a look.

Su Mingyu stood dazed at the door, five steps away from her, Jixiang barked wildly, spitting foam. Old Liu waved her stick to the ground to block, saying, "Jixiang, Jixiang, stop biting! What will we do if you scare the lady?"

Jixiang didn't listen at all; it wasn't tied up, and with a kick of its hind legs, it pounced forward and tore Su Mingyu's skirt to shreds in one bite.

Aunt Liu was so frightened that she dropped her stick and rushed forward, using her body to pin down Jixiang.

Su Mingyao, still shaken, fell to the ground, clutching the remaining half of her skirt. Fortunately, she was wearing an underskirt underneath, so her legs were unharmed.

Aunt Liu, plump in figure, pressed down on the auspicious item and shouted at the stunned servant beside her, "Quick, go get some rope!"

"Big sister, are you okay?" Bao Ning came to her senses and quickly ran over to help Su Mingyou up, supporting her as they walked into the house. "Does your stomach hurt? Let me call a doctor for you!"

"It's nothing." Su Mingyou smiled at her with a pale face, "I just need to rest for a while."

Bao Ning apologetically said, "Sister-in-law, I didn't know you were back. Jixiang is wild and hard to tame. If I had known you were coming, I would have tied it up."

Pei Yuan stood by, remaining silent all along. Yuanzi was still eating, with half a bun stuffed in her mouth, her eyes fixed on Su Mingyou. Suddenly, she said, "Dogs only bite bad people."

Everyone present was stunned. Su Mingyu's expression was hard to describe, and holding his stomach, he said, "What does this child mean by this?"

"Children speak without reservation." Bao Ning signaled Pei Yuan to take the round dumplings into the inner room to eat, then turned back to comfort Su Ming You, saying, "Children mimic what they hear; it’s likely just some nonsense they picked up from somewhere and are saying it here. Don’t take it to heart," The round dumpling got lost on the street yesterday, and the parents are still looking for it at the government office. It's staying at our house for now."

Su Mingyu smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth and said, "It's better to find out early. The child's identity is unclear, and keeping them at home might invite gossip."

Bao Ning echoed her and asked, "Sister-in-law, are you really okay, or would it be better to see a doctor?"

Su Mingyao waved his hand. Baoning also fell silent. The atmosphere became extremely awkward for a moment.

Qiu Lingyan is a cautionary tale for Baoning; after going through that incident, Baoning always remains wary of others. Regarding this sister-in-law who was picked up, she never intended to have a close relationship with her, so naturally, she didn't show excessive concern. Bao Ning thought to herself that serving Su Mingyou at home while giving birth to children, enjoying good food and drink, and living without illness or disaster was her duty. As for other merits, she doesn't want them either.

"I just wanted to come and see you. After what happened last night, I couldn't sit still, so I came to apologize."Su Mingyu awkwardly broke the silence, saying, "I didn't expect you to have a dog, and to run into you while you were eating, what a coincidence."

Bao Ning asked, "Have you eaten, sister-in-law?"

"......ate."

There's nothing to say again.

Pei Yuan came out from the inner room. Hearing the conversation, he stood behind Bao Ning and asked, "Sister-in-law, would you like to eat a bit more?"

Su Mingyu said, "I can't eat anymore."

She was truly embarrassed, feeling that this couple seemed to have nothing to say to her, and not wanting to make things awkward, she hurriedly said her goodbyes and left.

Pei Yuan had someone escort her.

After all this fuss, the food has gone cold, but thankfully everyone is full. I instructed Liu Mama to clear the table, and Baoning took Pei Yuan along to take care of the children.

Pei Yuan lay on the bed sideways, twisting the cord of the jade pendant around his waist in his hand, half-lifting his eyelids to watch them.

Baoning took out her slingshot again, grabbed a handful of small beans, and drew several circles with lime five steps away. She competed with the circles to see whose beans could land inside them, and whoever did would win.

Yuanzi was having a great time, Baoning was also happy, but Peiyuanmu had a sullen face, thinking to himself that these two were really boring to the core.

Throwing beans and picking them up, in no time both of them were sweating profusely from playing. Pei Yuan shifted in the bed and patted the bed board, saying, "Come over and rest, I'll tell you a story."

Bao Ning ran over, nestling in his arms, while Pei Yuan wrapped his arm around her shoulder. Yuanzi sat cross-legged beside, gazing eagerly at Pei Yuan.

"I'll tell you a ghost story." 

Pei Yuan curled his lips into a smile, his fingers dancing on Bao Ning's shoulder, and asked, "Have you ever seen a spider?"

Bao Ning said, "Of course I've seen it."Yuanzi nodded as well.

"Some spiders are poisonous, and if a person accidentally eats a poisonous spider, they could die.""But there is a type of spider that, although poisonous, won't kill you if you eat it; instead, you'll become a spider person." 

Pei Yuan slowly said, "Once upon a time, there was a scholar who went to the capital to take an exam. One night, it rained, and as he walked through the desolate mountains and wilderness, he spotted a dilapidated temple and hurriedly took shelter inside." The scholar has no money, and he has eaten all his rations, so he can only eat the offerings in the temple. However, he does not know that these fruits are not for honoring Buddha, but for honoring a kind of spider." It is rumored that the village at the foot of the mountain is cursed by spiders, and one day, these spiders will kill them all."

Bao Ning nervously clutched Pei Yuan's sleeve and asked, "What happens next?"

"In the fruit that the scholar ate, there happened to be a spider about to lay eggs; he swallowed the mother spider and at that moment thought, 'Hmm, a bit sweet.'"

Baoning asked, "And then what?"

"He finished eating and then went to sleep. But unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, his throat suddenly became tighter and tighter, and he couldn't speak. After waking up in shock, he hurriedly used his fingers to dig, and ended up pulling out a mass of red spider silk.""The scholar was terrified, continuously reaching out, but the cobwebs in his throat grew thicker and thicker, and he slowly found it harder to breathe."

Bao Ning asked, "Is he dead?"

"Later, the scholar's left arm snapped with a crack, and his leg broke as well." At the place of the severed limb, two very thin, segmented spider legs quickly grew out, covered with short, coarse hairs. The left side of his belly gradually grew larger, becoming swollen and blood-red, resembling the belly of a spider, expanding. And his left cheek, his eyes are like a big round bell." He became Spider-Man, learning to walk like a spider, extremely quickly, and he could also climb on walls."

Baoning asked, "And then what?"

Pei Yuan lazily said, "Then he went down the mountain and ate all the people in that village, and that was the end of the story."

Bao Ning almost couldn't catch his breath. Just thinking about that strange appearance of the spider person makes her break out in a cold sweat. It's so terrifying.

Bao Ning hurried to check on Yuanzi, worried that he might be frightened by Pei Yuan's inexplicable spider story. Just as he was about to pull him into his arms to comfort him, he met his incredulous gaze.

Yuanzi shook her head firmly and said, "No way, eating spiders won't kill you, nor will it turn you into a spider person."

His words were surprisingly clear and concise, like the speech of a five-year-old child.

Pei Yuan asked with great interest, "Why?"

Yuanzi said, "I, I have eaten a lot."

"Are you sleepy and talking in your sleep?" Baoning laughed. She looked outside at the sky, the sun at its highest point, and said, "It's time for a nap."

She tidied up the clothes for the little round one and took his small hand, leading him to the side room: "Come on, Auntie will take you to sleep."

Yuanzi obediently went.

While Yuanzi was sleeping, Baoning took out a plump leech to give Peiyuan his second detoxification of the month. They have already gotten used to this process. Aside from the initial pain, everything else is fine. Pei Yuan still has the energy to chat with Bao Ning. The blood sucked out by the leech is still a deep black color, showing no change compared to the last time.

Every time at this moment, Baoning would worry whether Aunt Mei's method was actually effective, and how much longer Pei Yuan's body could hold up. Will he suddenly just collapse? No one can say for sure.

But there’s no other way. I can only accompany him for one day at a time; perhaps when we reach the mountain, there will be a way forward.

The leech, full of blood, fell onto the blanket. Due to blood loss, Pei Yuan felt weak and closed his eyes for a short rest. Bao ning went to arrange those medicine jars.

When Yuanzi woke up and stumbled in, no one noticed.

He went over to Pei Yuan's side, saw the fat black leech, picked it up to take a look, and without a second thought, put it in his mouth.


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