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Xingxing was initially a bit confused, but after Bai Xiaofeng's explanation, she understood and became excited too: "Is Auntie Feng going to have a little brother? Is Xingxing going to be a big sister now?"

Bai Xiaofeng laughed: "It's a little sister. Auntie Feng wants a little girl just as sweet and sensible as our Xingxing!"

She then said in a hushed, secretive tone to Wei Pozi: "Mother, I even dreamed of a snake coiling around my arm the other day. Don’t they say dreaming of snakes is a sign of pregnancy? This must mean my wish will come true—I’ll have a beautiful little girl!... Remember when I was pregnant with Liu Ge'er and Gui Ge'er, I suffered terrible nausea. But this time, I haven’t felt sick at all—which just goes to show it's a sweet, adorable little girl just like our Xingxing!"

Wei Pozi was thrilled by her words and nodded eagerly in agreement.

A granddaughter—how wonderful!

The family already had too many boys, and right now, she adored having little granddaughters. If her second daughter-in-law could give her another granddaughter, she’d be the hero of the Yu family!

Xingxing tilted her little head, she thought, hesitating. But seeing how happy her grandmother and Auntie Feng were, she kept it to herself.

She... she had a faint feeling... that Auntie Feng’s baby was actually a little brother.

Oh well!

Brothers or sisters are both great!

Xingxing thought happily—the happiest part was that she was going to be a big sister!

Her brothers had always looked out for her, and now she wanted to be a good big sister and take care of her little brother too!

...

The news of Bai Xiaofeng’s pregnancy caused quite a stir in the Yu family.

Li Chunhua was green with envy.

After giving birth to her second child, she had only been pregnant once more, but unfortunately, the pregnancy didn't take and she’d miscarried before three months.

Since then—nearly seven or eight years now—she hadn’t conceived again.

She had secretly sought medical advice, but the doctors in the county all said she was in good health from years of farm work and there was no major issue. If she wasn’t getting pregnant, it was probably just not meant to be yet.

Li Chunhua could only resign herself to it.

At least her second sister-in-law hadn’t conceived again after having two boys either, so she wasn’t alone in this.

But now, to her surprise, Bai Xiaofeng had gone and gotten pregnant without a word!

How lucky!

Yet Li Chunhua had no idea that while she was currently envious of someone else’s pregnancy, in just a couple of days, she’d be driven up the wall by another pregnancy.

Chapter 65: Another Pregnancy

It was a bright, sunny day.

Yu Laotou had been taking the Yu family’s strongest workers to work at the villa estate, and they had just received their wages—a heavy pouch full of copper coins.

On top of that, with the recent happy news of Bai Xiaofeng’s pregnancy, Wei Pozi, with a wave of her hand, gave Li Chunhua a generous handful of coins to buy some ribs from the village butcher for soup.

"Your father and your husband have been working hard, and the boys have been burning the candle at both ends for school, then coming home to study. They must be exhausted," Wei Pozi said. "And your second sister-in-law—pregnancy takes it out of a woman. Get some pork liver too."

Once Old Mrs. Yu had finished explaining, Li Chunhua agreed, slung a bamboo basket over her shoulder, and set off.

After buying the ribs and pork liver, she was hauling back the heavy bamboo basket when, at a turn in the village, she slammed right into someone running full-tilt from the opposite direction, almost sending everything flying!

"Watch where you're going!" Li Chunhua steadied herself, quickly checking the basket's contents to ensure nothing had spilled before turning to angrily confront the careless fool.

Before she could even see who it was, the other person recognized her, crying out "Eldest sister!" and flung herself into Li Chunhua's arms.

Li Chunhua stood stunned for a heartbeat before realizing it was her fourth sister, Li Donghua!

"Donghua, what... what's wrong?" Li Donghua was sobbing her heart out in her arms, leaving Li Chunhua flustered.

Was it their parents? Had something happened? Or what?

Li Chunhua went cold all over.

Li Donghua tearfully lifted her head: "Zhao Zhaodi is pregnant!"

For a moment, Li Chunhua drew a blank on who Zhao Zhaodi was.

After a pause, she remembered—wasn't that the girl from the neighboring village that her adopted brother Li Jinnan fancied?

Pregnant?!

Li Chunhua's head spun as she whispered, "Is it... Jinnan's?"

Li Donghua broke down crying: "Who else could it be!... Now that Zhao Zhaodi's carrying his child, the Zhaos are using it to force me to marry their simpleton son!"

Li Chunhua's temples pounded; she was momentarily at a loss.

"Hey now, don't cry," Li Chunhua grasped Li Donghua's arms. "Come home with me first. We'll talk there."

Li Donghua nodded tearfully and followed Li Chunhua back to the Yu family home.

Wei Pozi was feeding chickens in the yard with Xingxing when she saw Li Chunhua return with a sobbing young girl. She paused.

"This is..."

Wei Pozi hadn't seen Li Donghua in years. The girl had grown up, looking quite different from childhood. It was natural she didn't recognize her.

"Mother, this is my fourth sister, Donghua." Li Chunhua set down the bamboo basket in the kitchen and led Li Donghua to Wei Pozi, anxiously explaining the situation.

"Pregnant?" Wei Pozi's eyebrows shot up, just as shocked.

This was scandalous—no proper matchmaker!

Li Donghua was crying like her heart would break: "Auntie, I don't want to marry that Zhao family idiot! But now that Zhao Zhaodi carries Li Jinnan's child, she's as good as married into our family. My parents are helpless—I was hiding at my second sister's home, but the Zhaos showed up right at my second sister's home and tried to haul me off to be wed that very night! ...If not for my second sister and brother-in-law intervening, I wouldn't have escaped to come here."

With that, Li Donghua knelt before Wei Pozi, begging through her sobs, "Auntie, please save me!"