Chapter 136

Chapter 136

Seeing his mother lying on the ground in pain, covered in snow, Yu Song burst into tears. Nearby, the little girl who had been happily playing hopscotch was also stunned by the situation and started crying uncontrollably.

Xu Yuqing was shocked by this sudden turn of events and quickly let go of Yu Song, rushing over to help both of them up.

Thankfully, thankfully, no one died. Supporting Xu Yuqing, they struggled to their feet, one holding her stomach and the other her back. Wang He's heart almost stopped beating as she touched her belly, still trembling with fear. She turned to Yan Lan with tears streaming down her face, "Sister Yan, thank you so much today. Otherwise, my child and I would have surely perished."

As she spoke, tears continued to fall, showing how terrified she was.

Hearing Wang He's voice, Yan Lan slowly regained her composure. Thankfully, the thick snow cushioned her fall, otherwise her back might have been broken.

She twisted a bit, seemingly unharmed, and gave Xu Yuqing a reassuring look.

"Sister-in-law, I'm fine. But it's snowing, so we should avoid working if possible. If you were alone at home, leaving aside the danger to both of us, just think about Fangfang. She wouldn't know what to do and would be terrified."

As she said this, she looked at the two sobbing children; Yu Song's face was red from crying, frozen in place, not daring to move.

Xu Yuqing felt her heart break seeing Yu Song cry so much. She carefully walked over with Yan Lan, who gathered the two children into her arms. Having experienced pregnancy herself, she knew exactly how it felt.

Why did she insist on doing work? And Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang doesn't seem like someone who neglects his family.

Wang He was also terrified, her regret overwhelming like a flood, "I understand, I won't do it again."

Just thinking about being alone at home with only her daughter, if something happened to her, how frightened her daughter would be!

Looking at the clothes by her feet, she shuddered and moved away. Her husband had told her not to do such tasks, but she thought it was still early in the pregnancy and wanted to help.

But she never intended to risk her life.

If he remarried and looked at Fangfang, her tears fell even harder.

Seeing her like this, Xu Yuqing felt sorry for her and sighed, her anger dissipating. She went over to support her, "Go hug your child."

Wang He nodded through her tears, leaning on Xu Yuqing's hand, and limped over to embrace her child.

Yan Lan and Yu Song, who had just calmed down, couldn't help crying again when they heard the mother and child's sobs. The courtyard was filled with cries.

Xu Yuqing's eyes also welled up. It had been too close; any mistake could have cost a life. She glanced at the time; it was nearly noon. She decided against going to the Military District to find Wang He's husband and instead helped the two crying adults inside.

She led the two children in, wiping their sweat with a handkerchief to prevent them from catching a cold.

After all the commotion, the house quieted down, except for Wang He's occasional sobs. Yan Lan sat next to her, patting her back comfortingly. They hadn't interacted much before, but now she felt compelled to console her.

"Sister-in-law, it's good that everything is fine. We need to be more careful. Giving birth is already exhausting enough. After a brush with death, anything your husband does is worth it. Don't worry about him."

She spoke earnestly, fearing Wang He might still make similar mistakes.

Fortunately, Wang He wasn't foolish. She nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I understand. If I were gone, he'd remarry. What would happen to Fangfang?"

She wiped her tears, speaking sorrowfully.

Xu Yuqing comforted the little girl, wiping away her tears. From her bag, she took out two candies Liu Ruan had given her—fruit-flavored hard candies. "Come on, stop crying. Your mom is fine. Here, one candy each, then play some more."

"Okay." The little girl, with her pigtails, nodded obediently, her chubby cheeks showing she was well-cared for.

Xu Yuqing gently stroked her cheek. Seeing the children happy again, she sat next to Yan Lan, exchanging a glance with her.

Yan Lan didn't want to leave Wang He alone after such a dangerous incident. She also wanted to see what Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang thought, since he couldn't even take care of his wife properly.

If it were Wenyao, she wouldn't let him make her do laundry while pregnant. She'd hit him with a stick.

The three women sat quietly, chatting about mundane topics until the door opened, and they all looked up.

Xu Yuqing saw Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang, not tall but sturdy, wearing thick clothes and smoking a cigarette.

The sight of the cigarette instantly irritated Xu Yuqing. Although there was no awareness about avoiding smoking around pregnant women at the time, the strong smell was uncomfortable even for non-pregnant people.

Especially for a pregnant woman.

Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang was stunned upon entering his home, seeing three women, his wife with swollen eyes, looking like she had been bullied.

He didn't assume his wife was bullied by Yan Lan and Xu Yuqing but thought they had helped her. He walked over, his voice booming, making Xu Yuqing's ears hurt.

"Wife! What happened? Who bullied you? Speak! Was it Old Zhou? I'll go and teach him a lesson!"

Clearly a rough man, but seeing his concern, Xu Yuqing's anger subsided slightly, though she still disliked his smoking.

Yan Lan and Xu Yuqing remained silent. Wang He, who had been holding back, burst into tears again, explaining the whole incident clearly. Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang was shocked and grateful, immediately kneeling before Yan Lan and bowing his head.

"Sister Yan, you're our savior! Without you, I'd have lost my wife!"

He choked out.

Wang He cried along, holding her stomach.

Yan Lan was startled, feeling overwhelmed by the couple's gratitude. She and Xu Yuqing quickly helped him up. Her back still ached, "Deputy Regiment Commander, I stayed here not to hear your thanks. You know how hard it is for women to bear children."

Deputy Regiment Commander Zhang nodded vigorously, "Yes, yes, I understand. Rest assured, I will do all the household chores and never let her do any work!"

Yan Lan saw him like this and the anger in her heart dissipated. She could still explain clearly.

"Then we'll be going. My mom is waiting for us at home." After saying this, she directly called out to Yu Song and gave Xu Yuqing a meaningful look, planning to go home.

But Deputy Commander Zhang was deeply grateful and stopped Yan Lan, "Why don't you stay for dinner at our place! I'll cook; I'm very good at cooking."

Xu Yuqing quickly waved her hands, "No need, we've already prepared food at home."

She smiled awkwardly.

Wang He also held him back, regaining her composure. They couldn’t cause trouble for others; there would be plenty of opportunities to express gratitude later.

What’s the rush now?

Wang He didn’t dare to go into the courtyard, holding her belly as she bid farewell to Xu Yuqing and Yan Lan. Xu Yuqing held Yu Song's hand with one hand and Yan Lan's with the other, walking leisurely towards the Yu family's house.

Seeing Yan Lan holding her waist, Xu Yuqing felt uneasy, "Sister Yan Lan, are you okay?" It seemed quite serious.

Yan Lan shook her head, seeing their home ahead, "I’m fine. It’s just an old injury from dancing. Later, Old Yu will rub some medicine on it for me. Sigh, poor Sister Wang, heavily pregnant and still taking care of the child without any help from the elders."

The situation today was too dangerous.

Xu Yuqing nodded, feeling scared after the fact, "Indeed."

Yan Lan glanced at Yu Song, "Song, why don’t you invite your sister over to our house next time instead of going to her place? Let Auntie rest well."

Yu Song looked dejected, as did both children. He nodded and responded softly.

Seeing his demeanor, Xu Yuqing had no choice. The two went out happily but returned dejected. As soon as the elderly lady opened the door, she was stunned, "What happened! Did Song get bullied?! Why so long!"

Her face full of worry, she immediately picked up Yu Song and checked him carefully.

Yan Lan, panting, walked to the long chair and sat down, "Nothing, it’s just that Sister Wang, who is heavily pregnant, was doing laundry and almost had an accident. We were scared."

Ah, the elderly lady looked surprised, coming over, "It’s not like the old days; why do such tiring work? Let the men do it; it’s hard on women."

As she spoke, she noticed her daughter holding her waist, "What happened? Did you fall?"

Yan Lan waved her hand, "Nothing."

The elderly lady wasn’t reassured and quickly looked at Xu Yuqing, who smiled gently, not wanting to worry the elder. Fortunately, Yu Wenyao returned, followed by Xie Junli.

With the two men entering, the house became lively. Yu Song, originally dejected, perked up upon seeing Xie Junli and clung to him, wanting to be held.

Both Yu Wenyao and Xie Junli were sensitive individuals, having investigated many things. They exchanged a glance, "What happened, son? Did you make your mom angry?"

Yan Lan, just relaxing, heard this and got angry, wanting to throw a shoe, "Tsk, tsk, shut your mouth. My son is very obedient!"

Seeing her angry expression, Yu Wenyao quickly raised his hands in surrender, "Honey, honey, I was wrong. What happened then?"

Xie Junli, puzzled, held Yu Song and sat beside Xu Yuqing. They exchanged a glance, and Xu Yuqing couldn’t help but laugh, leaning against Xie Junli’s shoulder. She had been scared earlier but had to calm down.

Now thinking about it, she still felt shaken.

Yan Lan told Yu Wenyao to shut up, but the elderly lady was still in the kitchen, ears sharp, "Nothing, play with your son. Dinner will be ready soon."

Seeing his wife’s look, Yu Wenyao understood but couldn’t help laughing when he saw his son being held obediently by Xie Junli and Little Xu leaning on his shoulder, "You three seem like a family."

As he said this, he tried to reach out to hug Yu Song, but Yu Song turned away and clung tighter to Xie Junli.

Just as Yu Wenyao was about to get angry, the elderly lady called out, "Dinner’s ready!"