"Hmm..."

Xue Ning was very nervous, even though she knew Wang Cuiping and the others were not around.

After a while, she straightened her clothes and said irritably, "Didn’t you say you brought me some food made by Mom?"

"Yeah, that’s why I brought Mom here."

"You... Good thing you’re smart enough to think of an excuse, or else I wouldn’t have the face to see anyone."

"Well, actually, I initially wanted to tell the truth."

Xue Ning shivered, "No way! Even if we take it to our graves, this secret must never come out, you hear me?"

"I can’t, I’m afraid I can’t hold it in!"

"Ahh, you must hold it in!"

"Then..."

Li Yang reached out his hand.

But Xue Ning slapped it away, "No way! Mom and Dad might come back any minute, let’s wait a bit longer..."

...

...

For Xue Ning, this was the best outcome.

Shifting the responsibility to a non-existent boyfriend relieved her of any psychological burden.

Seeing Wang Cuiping busy in the kitchen after returning, she already started reminiscing about the taste of home-cooked meals.

Li Likun was also helping out, which was rare before.

Li Yang joined them, asking, "Mom, need any help?"

"Just wait to eat; go do whatever you need to in the afternoon, you don’t need to worry about this. By the way, leave your access card with us; I need to go out to buy something later."

"What do you want to buy? I can get it."

"Bed sheets and covers, and a few sets of clothes to change into."

"Huh? You’re not leaving tomorrow? Planning to stay here indefinitely?"

Wang Cuiping rolled her eyes, "Leave? With your sister like this, I wouldn’t eat or sleep well if I went home."

"Then take her with you..."

Li Likun interjected, "The county hospital is no good, they even had a death not too long ago. Jiangbei Hospital is better, in case we need anything when the baby comes? Your mom and I plan to stay here; there’s nothing much going on at home anyway, we’ll wait until the baby is born."

"Huh? Someone died?"

"Yeah."

Li Likun clearly didn’t want to elaborate, given the conditions, he certainly didn’t want to take any risks.

Li Yang whispered on the side, "I thought you were worried Ning would embarrass you if she went back."

Li Likun got furious hearing this!

"What nonsense are you talking about? No matter what, Ningning’s child is still my grandchild, and if we can’t find his father, I’ll raise him as my own! Who cares about embarrassment? I was even planning to host a banquet back home!"

"Oh, oh, that’s good then."

Xue Ning listened from the living room, her mood already lifting, even more than ever before.

Initially, when they said they wouldn’t go back, she did think as Li Yang suggested, that her parents were afraid of embarrassment.

Now it seems like that’s not the case.

Li Likun continued, "It happened just a few days ago, the whole county was talking about it. A man in his forties had a tumor on his left leg, went to the county hospital for surgery, and the doctor mistakenly opened up his right leg... After realizing the error, they just wrapped it up, gave him anesthesia on the left leg, and operated then and there... Didn’t even make it off the operating table, he died right there..."

If this hadn’t happened, Li Likun wouldn’t be so worried, but it did just days ago. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Plus, with Li Yang mentioning Xue Ning’s poor health, they were bound to be concerned.

Who cares about embarrassment? They already have Li Yang, their son, why worry about such a small matter?

From Li Likun’s point of view, eventually, they will find that scoundrel and break his leg!

For now, let’s not ask questions until the baby is safely delivered.

Soon, the meal was prepared, though it was already close to one in the afternoon.

But for Xue Ning, every bite was immensely satisfying.

You can tell whether someone cares from these small details.

"Mom, how about I go shopping with you later? I’ll help pick out clothes for you..."

She became excited.

Wang Cuiping said, "Sure, come walk around with us, you shouldn’t stay home doing nothing after getting pregnant, or it will make childbirth more painful. From now on, after meals, I’ll accompany you for walks in the neighborhood."

"Mm, okay."

After the meal, Li Likun was washing the dishes, while Wang Cuiping held Xue Ning’s examination report, looking through it.

Upon seeing a recent ultrasound image, she smiled and said, "Yangyang, look at this little one’s face, you can even see the nose and eyes now..."

The joy in Wang Cuiping’s eyes was undeniably genuine.

Even though this event initially discomforted them, thinking further, having a child soon seemed not too bad.

Kids are so adorable; even having a couple more wouldn’t be a bother.

It’s too boring at home anyway.

"Already at twenty-five weeks, there are only about a hundred days left... Mid-autumn on the lunar calendar, what good weather, such a good time, neither cold nor hot, and by the New Year, the child will be three months old, less prone to sickness..."

"A boy would be nice, boys take after their mothers, girls after their dads. His dad is no good, can’t have a girl inheriting his traits."

Li Yang asked from the side, "Mom, what if it’s a girl?"

"Girls are fine too; just educate them well, anyone can change."

Li Yang continued to ask, "So which is better, a boy or a girl?"

Wang Cuiping responded irritably, "Having both a boy and a girl would be best. You don’t just have one child, we didn’t have a choice before. But now, you should have at least two, regardless of gender, so they have siblings, at least company."

Upon hearing this, Xue Ning hesitated and said, "Mom, I don’t want to get married anymore."

"That can’t be, don’t worry about the child, we can help you raise them, so the child won’t become your burden. Get married when it’s time."

Xue Ning looked to Li Yang for help; only he could make sense of this situation.

This guy, always ready with a lie.