“An old hen is quite valuable; she really is generous, isn’t she?”
“Of course! I’ve seen it for myself. She brings all sorts of delicious food for her daughter-in-law every day. I even chatted with that mother-in-law; if it weren’t for the doctor saying not to blindly supplement her diet, she would be stewing a chicken daily.”
The listeners were drooling at the thought; that was an old hen! Although people’s living conditions have improved a lot, it’s still a luxury to have a chicken every day. An old hen, glistening with fat and freshness—never mind a pregnant woman; even an ordinary person would crave it.
Even Zhou Qianqian, lying in bed, couldn’t help but swallow. Her husband’s salary wasn’t very high, but it was definitely more than an ordinary soldier’s. Yet, he never let her manage any money. She had to maintain the same diet during her pregnancy as before and still had to cook and wash for him while carrying her baby.
Although others did the same, at least their husbands cared for them and were willing to hand over their earnings.
“And there’s more!” The gossiping woman seemed afraid the listeners weren’t stimulated enough and added, “Yesterday, the pregnant woman in bed eight casually mentioned to her husband that she felt like eating small river shrimp. It was just a casual remark—I was there! Just that one sentence; she didn’t even ask for it!”
The person who was listening agreed, “But it’s the middle of winter. Not to mention how expensive small river shrimp are, even if she had money, it wouldn’t be easy to buy them. Even if she craved them, she probably wouldn’t ask for them.”
“Exactly!”
This woman, encouraged by the agreement, got even more animated in her storytelling. “She just mentioned it casually, and this morning, bright and early, her mother-in-law brought small river shrimp over, saying she just happened to run into them. How could there be so many coincidences? She must have heard her daughter-in-law express her craving and specifically went out to buy them.”
The one who was listening was astonished: “Can there really be such a good mother-in-law in the world? You’re not mistaking her; that must be her biological mother!”
“No! I clarified everything the first day they arrived. She is definitely her mother-in-law. And let me tell you, her husband is a soldier, and he treats his wife so well! When bed eight’s leg was swollen, he sat on the edge of the bed massaging it. When I walked by, he had already been massaging for over an hour and hadn’t stopped. Bed nine’s husband mocked him, and you know what he said?”
The listener was completely intrigued, seeing that she was building suspense, and hurriedly urged, “What did he say? Come on, hurry up and tell us!”
The gossiping woman finally relented at their eagerness, echoing Lin Shiheng’s words: “This is my wife, bearing my child and suffering. I’m her husband; isn’t it perfectly normal for me to give her a massage?”
“Oh my!!”
At this, everyone nearby gasped in admiration. “This man really loves his wife.”
“Yes! Not only do the men care, but the mother-in-law also does. How fortunate she is!”
“Why can’t I have such a good mother-in-law? When my sister gave birth, her in-laws weren’t around to help. Meanwhile, I have nothing to do at home but still had to beg for the opportunity to help. When her daughter gave birth, she didn’t even think twice about sending me, her sister-in-law, to care for her!”
“Hey, can a mother-in-law and a daughter be the same? Just being allowed to come is already a big deal.”
“How lucky is bed eight to have such a wonderful mother-in-law?”
Zhou Qianqian, who was originally lying in bed, felt uncomfortable upon hearing them talk about how caring bed eight’s husband was, especially since he was a soldier too.
Her mother-in-law had come as well, but it was to see her son. Zhou Qianqian was scared because her pregnancy was unstable and needed her mother-in-law to help, but she was criticized for being physically weak, leading to worries about the unborn child.
Originally, her husband agreed to accompany her to the hospital, but now since his mother was here, he took some days off to take her around, forgetting that his daughter-in-law was lying in the hospital.
Zhou Qianqian felt resentful but lost her confidence upon hearing her mother-in-law say she consulted a fortune-teller in the village before coming, who predicted that this pregnancy would be a girl. Suddenly, her morale was crushed.
Why would it be a girl? She forced herself to eat more sour foods, believing that sour means a girl. It should be a boy!
And now, she was alone in a hospital bed, unable to afford anything good to eat. Meanwhile, bed eight was being pampered by a husband and mother-in-law, and her husband was a soldier.
Why was she being treated so differently?
The women continued to chatter about how well bed eight was taken care of, how gentle she was, and even mentioned how her mother-in-law was willing to run her foot bath. Zhou Qianqian suddenly recalled how her own mother-in-law had asked her to get the water for her foot bath when she was in pain yesterday.
Both were daughters-in-law, with husbands that were soldiers; why was the treatment so different?
As the discussion continued, Zhou Qianqian interjected, “Doesn’t her mother-in-law think she’s having a boy?”
The woman who was speaking excitedly paused, “No, since they moved in, I haven’t heard them mention the baby’s gender.”
“I bet her mother-in-law thinks her daughter-in-law is having a boy, which is why she’s being so attentive.”
At this, Zhou Qianqian remembered He Xuezhu.
She heard that He Xuezhu’s husband had achieved remarkable success multiple times and was directly rewarded with cash. He used that money to buy a house, moving in with his wife and mother. It had been over a month since Zhou Qianqian last saw her.
Counting the days, she must be about to give birth.
Even if Li Chunhua acted as if she liked this daughter-in-law, Zhou Qianqian remained convinced that what she learned was true: Li Chunhua liked boys and was treating He Xuezhu well because she believed she was carrying a boy.
She refused to think of the possibility that Li Chunhua genuinely cared for He Xuezhu as a daughter. Such thoughts would only deepen her feelings of resentment about her own situation.
Convinced that Li Chunhua was being kind to He Xuezhu merely because she wanted a grandson, Zhou Qianqian maliciously thought it would be best if He Xuezhu gave birth to a girl, letting her experience the bitter taste of falling from grace.