Chapter 239: Because I've been caught in the rain myself, I always want to hold an umbrella for others

This is freshwater fish. Who brought it?

It's Grandpa; Grandpa said he went fishing at the reservoir with friends.

Oh, I see; no wonder.

Which tastes better, freshwater fish or sea fish?

Brother, what do you say?

Never mind, I'll handle the fish guts.

Lu Xiu Bai gave one chop, and soon all the dirty stuff in the fish's belly flowed out.

Having learned from experience, he now deliberately avoids the gallbladder when he cuts.

He's also afraid of eating too much bitter gall.

"Tangyuan, huh? I haven't seen it around lately."

To be honest, everyone treats Tangyuan like family; otherwise we wouldn't constantly think of good things and give Tangyuan a share.

"Tangyuan, maybe the weather's gotten cold; feline animals tend to hibernate deep down, right?"

Shen Man changed the subject, brushing it aside.

Tangyuan had gone out alone before and came back with the deed of a diamond.

So the two grown men just thought Tangyuan went out to play, not thinking much of it.

In winter, eating a mixed fish hot pot is simply the best.

Some fish bellies still have seeds; the one who killed them was Lu Xiu Bai, and he wasn't scared, nor were the other three.

It's like eating spicy rabbit heads; the rabbits are indeed cute, but once made into spicy, numbing rabbit heads, they're delicious.

Likewise, when a mixed fish pot with fish roe is sprinkled with cilantro and served, the aroma can make you drool.

"Let's eat."

At the call, the four sat down.

By old custom, first serve each wife a bowl of rice, then the two grown men.

The fish roe and fish bubbles are so tender; eating them feels soft, glutinous, and tasty—delicious!

Because lemon was added, there's only a faint fruit fragrance, no fishy smell.

Pei Yan Ting was swamped this afternoon; now she feels drained, scoops a few spoonfuls of fish soup over rice, gulps down several bites, and her hunger eases considerably.

"Sis, you don't know, but this afternoon the hospital got a lot of kids with diarrhea and military wives."

"Lately, you should take it easy; for now we don't know if it's a water source issue or a food problem......"

"Ah, I get it, sis-in-law; we have a well at home, so it's not a big issue—could it be that drinking unboiled tap water caused this?"

"I've seen this happen several times before; some military wives find boiling water troublesome and coal expensive, so they just drink tap water straight......"

Shen Man first agreed, then grew doubtful.

In some military wives' understanding, tap water is clean water.

This is a misconception; tap water isn't very clean and needs to be boiled before drinking.

Otherwise, there could be worm eggs and other microorganisms in it, and the disinfectant powder added to tap water isn't fully food-grade......

"This really is a problem; tomorrow I'll find time to see the director and report. If it's a tap water issue, we'll need to mobilize together with the hospital and the Military Region Political Commissar's office to spread the word......"

Pei Yan Ting takes this seriously; if we don't nip it in the bud now, future troubles will be endless.

The aunt and daughter-in-law share a topic, chatting so easily that they overlook the two who can't get a word in......

Actually, both are mindful that they're at the dinner table, so they avoid bringing up the rather nauseating topic of roundworms.

Deworming medicine is no joke.

It's Shen Man; as a child she also once received a favor from a Hong Kong star, which let her eat pagoda candy.

Otherwise, the roundworms in one's stomach really are a nightmare for many kids born in the '80s and '90s.

Because I've been caught in the rain myself, I always want to hold an umbrella for others.

Some people, because they've been rained on, just want to tear everyone's umbrellas apart.

Yuan Qingqing in the fishing village is like this now—feeling unwell, she finds everyone disagreeable.

"Damn it, I told you not to sneak food, yet you can't help yourself?"

"I'm carrying your child; when the kid's hungry, how can I resist?"

"The child in your belly might not even be mine—don't speak so definitively."

"If it's not yours, whose is it? Don't you dare slander me!"

Again and again, every night this couple argues, giving many villagers a free show.

"Lin Zhendong, are you even a man?!"

"Yuan Qingqing, you don't know whether I'm a man or not?"

"From now on, stop using the child to pressure me; I'll tell you, if you give birth to a girl, my parents won't let you set foot in my home!"

"You bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"

"Thud——"

"Bang bang bang——"

For a moment, the noise from the small house was deafening; many villagers passing by stopped to watch for a while.

Is this still an Educated Youth?

Cultured people, isn't arguing and fighting just like a shrew swearing in the street?

What's more, both are lazy gluttons, six of one, half a dozen of the other; now they have a kid—how will they manage their lives from now on?

Yuan Qingqing is the type who makes one mistake after another; you can't blame outsiders, only her own lack of ability.

Other women would avoid that man at all costs, but she treats him as a treasure.

Not only did she marry him, she also worked to support this man.

And what was Lin Zhendong doing?

He loafed and cheated, failing to earn work points properly, instead relying on a woman to support him.

He felt no shame, but took pride in it.

Now Yuan Qingqing's reputation at the Educated Youth compound and in the village is utterly foul.

As he said, the child in her belly could belong to anyone....

Yuan Qingqing regretted it; if she had known earlier, she wouldn't have married Lin Zhendong.

Back when Sister Qianqian asked her, what was her purpose in choosing to marry Lin Zhendong?

What reason compelled her to choose him?

She naively thought that he liked her and she liked him, that they were together because of love, and after marriage they just needed to get along.

Things turned out contrary to her wishes; after marriage their life got worse and worse, to the point of letting her have an ambiguous relationship with another man in exchange for food.

Has their notorious reputation become solely her problem?

Absolutely not!

「Hit me! You're hitting my belly—you don't want your own flesh and blood, then don't want it! 」

「I'm telling you, we're done! 」

「Tch, go ahead and hit—do you think I'm scared? 」

「Hit! 」

「You brought this on yourself! 」

「Ah—」

Following a shrill wail, the villagers couldn't stand either.

Don't cause a death!

Thus the crowd rushed into the room, seeing Yuan Qingqing clutching her belly and sitting slumped on the ground.

Then looking at Lin Zhendong, who stood there dazedly staring at his own hands, they didn't know what to say.

「Ah, blood! 」

「So much blood! 」

「Help, my stomach hurts so much! 」

「Oh no, the pregnant woman has disturbed her qi—quick, quick, take her to the Military Region Hospital! 」

「Lin Educated Youth, even a tiger doesn't eat its own cub—how could you lay such a heavy hand on your wife! 」

「I, 」

Lin Zhendong's head felt foggy; yeah, how could he lay such a heavy hand on his own wife?

What if the child in her belly really is his?

「Don't just stand there stupidly—hurry and save her! 」

「Hey. 」