Chapter 53: Miscarriage After the College Entrance Exam

Chapter 53: The Canceled College Entrance Exam

"I saw it," Zhang Xiaohu said. "We all saw it in the classroom."

Qin Zihang had brought Song Fenglan's own homework to school and even showed it to his classmates.

If even a grown-up like his mom had homework, then kids like them definitely had to do theirs too.

Qin Zihang made him look at it repeatedly, and Zhang Xiaohu obliged.

"..." Song Fenglan dreaded the thought of what would happen if she had carelessly given Qin Zihang incorrect answers. If he showed them to other kids, it might be fine, but if adults who knew better saw them, wouldn’t they think she was slacking?

Song Fenglan felt relieved again that she had Qin Yizhou copy down the correct answers instead of writing something wrong.

Since when was homework something to brag about?

Song Fenglan didn’t quite understand a child’s thought process—it blew her mind.

"Ahem." Song Fenglan cleared her throat lightly. It was time for her son to stop showing off her homework. "Hangbao."

"Mom!"—Qin Zihang’s eyes lit up the moment he saw her. "Mom, I showed your homework to all my classmates, and even the teacher saw it. The teacher said you’re amazing and that even a grown-up like you has to do homework, so we elementary school kids should take ours even more seriously."

Qin Zihang was beaming with pride—his teacher had praised his mom too.

Song Fenglan felt conflicted. She had thought her son was just showing her homework to his classmates, but he had even shown the teacher. She looked down at him, but he didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong with it.

"Mom, all my classmates know you’re going to take the college entrance exam now," Qin Zihang said. "Soon, I’ll have a *college-student mom*!"

"..." Anyone who didn’t know better might think Qin Zihang was replacing his mom with a college student! Song Fenglan looked at her son’s eager expression and naturally couldn’t say no. "You must be cold—let’s head home."

"I’m not cold—my hands are warm!" Qin Zihang held out his hand for his mom to hold, letting her feel the warmth in his palm.

"Auntie, I’m heading back now," Zhang Xiaohu said, waving goodbye.

"Alright, walk carefully," Song Fenglan replied.

That evening, Qin Zihang insisted on watching Song Fenglan do her homework again. He even urged her to take it out so they could work on it together.

"Mom, let’s do it together! Let’s do it together!" Qin Zihang said.

"..." Song Fenglan had planned to go to the study and let Qin Yizhou handle it. If she sat in the living room with her son, she’d have to do it herself. "These chairs are too tiny for me! They’re fine for you, but for me, they’re too short—it’ll make me hunch, and that won’t look good."

"Huh?" Qin Zihang looked at his mom. "I’ll give you my little stool!"

"That won’t work either—Mom’s too tall," Song Fenglan said. "Do you want me to become ugly? Do you want people to laugh at me outside?"

"No!" Qin Zihang would never want his mom to be laughed at.

"Good. You do your homework here, and let Dad keep you company. He can check your work," Song Fenglan said.

Once he was asleep, though, Qin Yizhou could write a little. If they finished today, they could show it to Qin Zihang tomorrow. She’d write a bit too, so they could get him off their backs.

In all her years, even her birth parents had never pushed her this hard to study. But now, she had a son who kept hounding her to do her homework properly.

"Okay," Qin Zihang grumbled. "Mom, you have to do your homework well."

"Of course. No TV in there—Mom’s *totally* not tempted!" Song Fenglan said.

"I *did* my homework!" Qin Zihang lied, though he’d clearly been eyeing the TV.

"Right, done with homework," Song Fenglan said. "We all did our homework properly. Recently, Xiao Hu hasn’t come over to play with you. He leaves so early—did you two have a fight?"

Song Fenglan thought about it. Before, Zhang Xiaohu would stay much longer and never left this quickly.

"Mom’s studying for the college entrance exam, and Xiao Hu’s mom said he shouldn’t disturb you," Qin Zihang replied. "I also have to watch you do your homework, so I don’t have time to play with him."

"..." Song Fenglan gave her son a thumbs-up. "You two are something else."

Homework or not, Song Fenglan just felt her son was too good at watching people. She glanced at Qin Yizhou, who shook his head—it wasn’t him who made the kid like this.

At the research institute, Song Fenglan sat in the cafeteria for lunch, with Professor Su across from her.

Professor Su had heard what Qin Zihang’s been up to from Mrs. Su. She said Qin Zihang always insisted on watching Song Fenglan do her homework and even took her homework outside to show people.

"Did Hangbao watch you do your homework again last night?" Professor Su joked. "He’s worried you won’t pass the college entrance exam. He’s already told everyone you’re going to university."

"Yes, he watched me again," Song Fenglan sighed. "It’s making me want to work late. But if I do, and he’s still awake when I get back, he’ll pester me to do homework, and it’ll be too late. So I have his dad write some, I write some, and we show him a little every day."

"He can’t understand it," Professor Su said.

"No, he can’t, but we can’t make it too obvious either," Song Fenglan replied. "We still have to make it look neat and proper. Uncle, you can’t tell him—if he finds out, he’ll throw a tantrum."

"He won’t notice himself?" Professor Su asked.

"We keep the study door closed, and we only write after he’s asleep," Song Fenglan said. Copying the questions, sometimes even skipping them and just writing the answers. The two of them hid it from their son, worried he’d see—it felt like they were stealing.

She wished the exam would come sooner so Qin Zihang would stop watching her so closely.

"He’s still keeping an eye on me. It’s not just a phase," Song Fenglan said. "It feels like more than that. His teacher gives him homework, and then he checks if I’ve done mine too."

Basically: if he had homework, his mom had to have homework too.

Song Fenglan didn’t dare say she didn’t have a teacher giving her homework, afraid her son might get the wrong idea. So she and her husband made sure to prepare assignments for Qin Zihang to see, so he’d stay encouraged to do his own properly.

"Exactly. Homework isn’t something you finish in three minutes. You finish today’s, and there’s more tomorrow," Professor Su said. "Hangbao’s going places."

"..." Song Fenglan smirked. Oh, he had potential alright—enough to keep an eye on his mom’s homework.

Many had signed up for the college entrance exam, all studying hard, each hoping to pass.

Fan Yani stared at the textbook, thinking the material was impossible for any human to learn.

When Yue Hongwei returned home, he saw Fan Yani poring over her book and asked, "How much have you learned?"

"I’m just there to make up the numbers," Fan Yani said. "I figured, if I take the exam and pass, great. If not, no loss."

"It’s fine," Yue Hongwei said. "I can support our family."

"And you’ll have to," Fan Yani nodded. "I’m showing more now, so I’ve stopped working at the cafeteria for now."

"No problem," Yue Hongwei had no objections.

Fan Yani was pregnant and still trying to study. The temporary job didn’t pay much anyway—someone else could take it.

Yue Hongwei didn’t want Fan Yani working hard. Even if she didn’t have a job, it was fine. Fan Yani was thinking ahead—after next year’s reform and opening up, by the following year, they could start a small business.

She could use this time to have the baby and raise it, then start selling homemade cookies and cakes after the reforms. At least it’d be some income. It wasn’t about proving her independence right now.

"Aunt Fang always says she was back to work days after giving birth, that people these days are soft," Fan Yani said.

"That's her, not us. Times have changed—we can’t measure things by the old ways anymore," Yue Hongwei said. "Life’s easier now—no point going back to suffering."

"I think so too," Fan Yani replied. "With my grades... I’ll probably fail—it’s more about giving it a shot."

Before, when Fan Yani read historical novels, some female leads always wanted to go into business rather than take the college entrance exam. At the time, Fan Yani thought the female lead's mindset was wrong—how could they not think about the exam? The exam could change your whole life; it was the fairest path. Now, looking back, perhaps the female lead had self-awareness—not everyone could pass the exam.

If the female lead had attended college in her past life and still refused to take the exam or go to university, then she was no good. But if the female lead had poor academic performance in her past life and chose not to take the exam in this life, opting for something else instead, that was normal—skipping the struggle.

Now, after studying the material for a while, Fan Yani had this thought: the material’s tough—really tricky to grasp. Studying alone, with hardly anyone to ask—even if she did ask, others might not know the answers.

"Hangbao is adorable. He even shows off his mom’s homework to people," Fan Yani said, thinking of Qin Zihang's cute little face. She wished she could have a kid that cute someday. "Do you prefer boys or girls?"

"Boys, girls—it’s all the same," Yue Hongwei said. "You know I grew up without family."

Fan Yani had no in-laws above her, no one demanding she must have a son. Even if she had a daughter, it wouldn’t matter—Yue Hongwei would treat their daughter well.

"That's the right attitude," Fan Yani said. "If it's a girl, I'll buy her pretty clothes."

Fan Yani couldn’t possibly ask Song Fenglan to make clothes for her child—no way. Song Fenglan was too busy, so Fan Yani would have to make or buy the clothes herself. You’ve gotta know where to draw the line and not always expect others to do things for them.

"Every time I see Hangbao, I wish I could have a child like him—well-behaved, sensible, and adorable," Fan Yani said. "Loves school, hardly any trouble at all."

"That’s also because his parents raised him well," Yue Hongwei said, knowing his family couldn’t compare to Qin Yizhou’s. "Professor Su’s wife even helps take care of the child."

Which child could be like Qin Zihang, surrounded by so many outstanding people? At such a young age, he had seen more than many adults. His family had a radio and a TV—things many other households didn’t.

"True," Fan Yani nodded. "In that regard, we really can’t compare. But we can do other things, strive to give our child the best. We should compare with ourselves, not others."

Fan Yani thought her family was already better off than many—there was no point always comparing upwards, as there would always be someone better. Surpass one, and there’d still be others above.

Qin’s second sister received the books borrowed from Song Fenglan and her husband. She did read them—to say she didn’t want to return to the city would be a lie. Once, Qin Yizhou had suggested giving her money to see if she could buy a job and return, but she refused.

Among the Qin family, Qin Yizhou was one of the better ones.

Qin’s second sister worried that buying a job might affect Qin Yizhou. Besides, her family wasn’t lacking money to buy her a job—her parents simply refused. The Qins had made their stance clear: they didn’t want her back in the city, preferring she stay in the countryside to uphold the family’s reputation.

What a crock. Qin’s second sister had suffered so much in the countryside—married, had children, with no family around. Her husband was alright, treated her fine, but what did it matter? They were broke as hell.

Her husband’s relatives didn’t want her taking the college entrance exam, afraid she’d abandon him if she returned to the city. Her husband didn’t stop her, though—they had a child. Even if she left him, she’d still have to care for the child. If she truly abandoned the child, well, that’d just be the way things go.

"Your brother... Yi Zhou sent some money, left it with me," Qin’s second brother-in-law said, watching his wife read. He fished the money out of his pocket.

Besides this time, Qin Yizhou had sent money a few times before. Since Qin’s second sister refused, he sent it to her husband instead, telling him not to mention it. Qin Yizhou had his own wife and child—the amounts weren’t large, just a little something to help out when things got tight.

"How many times has he sent you money?" Qin’s second sister asked.

"Three or four times a year," her husband replied.

"And you actually took it?" she said. "He has a wife and child, his own struggles—and you took it?"

"He wouldn’t take no for an answer. Said you were struggling, that it wasn’t a big deal," her husband said with a slight nod. With how things were, with their kid having it rough, he’d taken the money. "We’ll pay him back once we earn more. You’re taking the exam—you should eat better. If you pass and return to the city, you’ll need money."

"Afraid I’ll leave alone?" Qin’s second sister glanced at the money on the table.

She snorted. Qin Yizhou was foolish—the rest of the Qin family ignored her, so why did he bother? She’d heard the Qins walked all over Qin Yizhou’s wife. Though she hadn’t returned to the city, she still had contacts there, keeping in touch through letters now and then.

She’d always said the Qins were mostly rotten—phony, selfish through and through.

Their father seemed decent enough, a war vet, but still a country bumpkin deep down. His head stuck in the past.

"I'll take part of it, and you keep the rest," Qin Erjie said. "If I go back for the college entrance exam, you’ll come with me."

"Me too?" Qin Erjie’s husband looked at her.

"Yes, it's the capital, not some other place," Qin Erjie said. "The capital—a thriving city. If we can go back, we should go back."

Qin Erjie had always wanted to return and never once considered abandoning her return. She was reluctant to take too much money from Qin Yizhou because she felt he shouldn’t have to shoulder this—it should have been their parents or Da-ge Qin who helped her. But those people hadn’t done much to support her.

Qin Erjie never forgot her parents' attitude toward her or the words her eldest sister-in-law, Tian Keshu, had said to her. They claimed that a family like theirs had to keep up appearances—with several children, someone had to answer the call to be an educated youth. It was about showing their family’s ideological awareness. They even said the city was chaotic and that it was better for Qin Erjie to stay in the countryside.

Better off in the countryside? Qin Erjie knew the truth—they just didn’t want her to return to the city. They wanted her to stay in the countryside forever.

"Will we have a place to stay if we go?" Qin Erjie’s husband asked.

"If we go, we’d have no trouble finding a spot," Qin Erjie said. The Qin family had plenty of space—they could just move in.

Qin Erjie thought that Da-ge Qin even had his own house. If those people wouldn’t let her stay in the main family home, then she could stay in Da-ge Qin’s place. As for Qin Yizhou’s house, she didn’t consider it. If she wanted to stay there, he’d probably let her.

But how was that fair? Always making the youngest one suffer. What kind of logic was that?

Just because someone treated her well, did that mean she had to make them sacrifice more?

That morning, Song Fenglan was having breakfast at home. She wasn’t going to work today—it was her day off.

"Mom, will eating eggs flunk my exams?" Qin Zihang asked hesitantly, staring at the boiled egg.

"Who said that?" Song Fenglan asked. She had never said anything like that.

"Xiao Hu said so," Qin Zihang replied. "He said eating eggs makes you flunk, and his mom doesn’t let him eat many."

"..." Song Fenglan knew Fatty Auntie pinched pennies, but she couldn’t blame her. There were many expenses at home, and Zhang Chenghai still sent money back to their hometown. Fatty Auntie didn’t have much to spare for eggs.

Their hens weren’t laying much, and with two children, they couldn’t afford to eat them every day.

Fatty Auntie must have told Zhang Xiaohu that to keep him from asking for eggs.

"We tough it out," Song Fenglan said. "Eggs won’t jinx your tests. Eat, you eat, we all eat."

"We tough it out," Qin Zihang said, taking a bite of the boiled egg Song Fenglan had peeled for him.

Song Fenglan had explained it to Qin Zihang, who then told Zhang Xiaohu. Soon after, Zhang Xiaohu started whining for Fatty Auntie to give him boiled eggs, saying he could tough it out too.

"..." Song Fenglan could hear Zhang Xiaohu’s voice next door.

No guilt nagged at her—she had told the truth. It was just kids talking... She couldn’t be blamed for this. She couldn’t stop her child from eating eggs when they had them at home. It wasn’t like they were running low.

A little later, Zhang Xiaohu came over with a red nose.

"My mom said she’ll give me eggs when Auntie takes her exam and doesn’t flunk," Zhang Xiaohu sniffled. Why couldn’t his mom just give him eggs now?

Song Fenglan thought Fatty Auntie was smart to stall it like that. But it was fine—things would look up soon enough.

"Auntie, when are you taking your exam?" Zhang Xiaohu asked. "Can’t you take it tomorrow? Or today?"

"It’ll be in a few days," Song Fenglan said.

"Auntie, you’d better ace it," Zhang Xiaohu sniffled. "If you pass, I can get my eggs."

*Footnote: During the Cultural Revolution, young urbanites were sent to rural areas as "educated youth" to undergo labor and ideological re-education.*

"Alright." Song Fenglan wondered why Zhang Xiaohu didn't mention that Qin Zihang hadn't scored zero, so they could all have eggs.

Everyone was so focused on Song Fenglan taking the college entrance exam, yet she was less nervous than they were.

Fang Xudong left the military and was transferred to work at a nearby police station. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to stay in the army, but Political Commissar Zhao had made a valid point—if he remained, his prospects wouldn’t improve, and with new recruits coming in, he couldn’t stay forever. He wasn’t going anywhere, and it was better to take a good position at the police station while he had the chance.

Old Lady Fang wasn’t pleased with Fang Xudong’s new job. "Why not the Grain Bureau?" she asked.

At the time, many people considered the Grain Bureau a desirable workplace, with lots of side benefits.

"I don’t want to go there," Fang Xudong said. He glanced at his mother, whose thinking was a bit backward, and worried she might cause trouble later. Places with too many perks were best avoided; he preferred somewhere he could do practical work. "Mom, the police station is good. We can keep living here."

Fang Xudong thought this arrangement was ideal—no need to relocate. Having spent years in Nan City, he wanted to stay. If he could remain in the city, he would. Though he had done well in the military, without much schooling, moving up was hard. The police station was a better fit.

"Mom, we can’t just choose any unit we want," Fang Xudong said. "Landing this job is already pretty good. Unless you’d rather we return to our hometown?"

"No, we should stay here," Old Lady Fang quickly replied. They couldn’t go back.

She valued Fang Xudong’s salary—she could even skim some money to send to her younger son, whose wife had given her a chubby, healthy grandson. Old Lady Fang didn’t return to care for the baby because she figured staying with Fang Xudong saved money. There was no income back home, but here, she could send stuff home now and then.

When Song Fenglan learned about Fang Xudong’s transfer, she asked Qin Yizhou in their room, "This isn't about us, is it?"

"No," Qin Yizhou said. "Fang Xudong was already at the age for transfer. Things just lined up that way. He’ll be working at the police station in our neighborhood and still living nearby."

"Working in the city is better," Song Fenglan remarked. If Fang Xudong had returned to his hometown, it wouldn’t have been as good.

"Right," Qin Yizhou agreed. "Even without anyone telling him, Fang Xudong knows where it’s better to stay. Here, the pay is higher, he can keep living in the same place, and there’s less hassle. The police station isn’t as strict, so he can manage family matters more easily."

"That’s not necessarily true. Beat cops have it rough too," Song Fenglan said. "They have to deal with all kinds of petty stuff, not just what the neighborhood office handles."

"He’s not the only one transferred this time. Others went to the Grain Bureau instead of the police station."

"..." Song Fenglan understood—those people thought the Grain Bureau was better. "What about you? Will you have to transfer someday too?"

"Not now, but who knows about the future?" Qin Yizhou couldn’t predict what lay ahead. Of course, he hoped to keep wearing his military uniform.

"Wearing this uniform..." Song Fenglan knew what Qin Yizhou was thinking. It was fine if he stayed in the military. She didn’t need him to go into business or become a police officer—he could keep doing what he wanted. "I’ll keep working at my unit too. This way, we won’t lack anything."

She was content with their life. Both had salaries, plus the dowry from her family. They wouldn’t struggle.

"You..."

"If you ever quit, you can be my bodyguard," Song Fenglan joked.

"Even if I don’t quit, I’ll still be your bodyguard," Qin Yizhou said, holding her hand and gazing intently at his wife. "I'll always be your husband."

Soon, it was time for the college entrance exam. Early that morning, Qin Zihang was even more excited than Song Fenglan. "Mom, Mom, wake up! You’ll be late! Hurry!"

Afraid she’d oversleep, he was up before six and started calling for her. The test was at a school nearby—not far at all. Many schools had closed to free up classrooms for the exam, even elementary schools like Qin Zihang’s.

This year, tons of people had signed up—not just city residents but also educated youth from the countryside. Some from nearby villages had come to take the exam. The college entrance exam wasn’t just any test; it required tight security.

While Song Fenglan took the exam, Qin Zihang and his father waited outside.

Qin Yizhou suggested Qin Zihang stay home instead of waiting so early, but the kid wouldn't budge. Unable to persuade him, Qin Yizhou stayed with him. He wasn’t worried about his wife—he knew her capabilities. She was a top researcher at the institute.

When Song Fenglan came out of the testing center, she saw Qin Zihang there waiting.

"Mom, here's some water," Qin Zihang handed the water bottle hanging around his neck to his mother.

"Are you cold?" Song Fenglan asked Qin Zihang.

"No, not at all. The water is still warm—I held it against my chest," Qin Zihang replied.

"I was asking if *you* were cold, not the water," Song Fenglan said with amusement.

"Oh, me? I'm not cold," Qin Zihang said. "Mom, let's go home to eat. After lunch, you can take a nap before coming back for the exam."

Qin Zihang thought he would keep a close watch and make sure his mother woke up on time—he wouldn’t let her oversleep.

"Alright," Song Fenglan nodded.

Fan Yani, heavily pregnant, walked out of the exam hall, with Yue Hongwei having taken time off to accompany her. When Fan Yani saw the test paper, she was totally lost—the words looked familiar, but strung together, she couldn’t make much sense of them.

Oh well, it’s the effort that counts.

Fan Yani could only console herself with that thought. Her original goal was simply to participate in the first reinstated college entrance exams—to experience it firsthand. Later, she could tell her child about this historic exam.

Come to think of it, her unborn baby was part of it too.

Fan Yani wore a faint smile. Seeing his wife so cheerful, Yue Hongwei asked, "Did you do well?"

"No," Fan Yani said. "I couldn’t answer many of the questions—I was just along for the ride. But it felt so novel, taking the exam with our baby inside me. Later, I can tell them, 'You were part of the first college entrance exam too.'"

"Yeah, that’s true," Yue Hongwei said after thinking it over.

Neither of them had expected Fan Yani to achieve outstanding results. This was the first time the college entrance exams were reinstated, and the registration requirements weren’t too strict—many people could sign up. In Fan Yani’s past life, she wouldn’t have been able to take the exam directly without even finishing elementary school. Even if she had, it would’ve been an adult education exam.

Fan Yani looked around and saw some people looking dejected. Then she spotted Li Hui, whose expression was clearly not good.

"Sister-in-law," Fan Yani said as she approached Li Hui. "Where’s Brother?"

"He’s back at the base," Li Hui replied.

Li Hui hadn’t asked Guo Peng to take leave to accompany her. She looked at Yue Hongwei beside Fan Yani—he was really good to his wife, taking time off just to escort her.

"That’s how it ought to be," Fan Yani said. "We’re adults—it’s not like we need an escort. If I weren’t pregnant, my husband wouldn’t have worried, and he wouldn’t have needed to take leave."

"I’m going home—there’s another exam this afternoon," Li Hui replied, not wanting to chat with Fan Yani.

"Sister-in-law, are you eating at the canteen?" Fan Yani asked. "We’re headed there too—we can go together."

"..." Li Hui glanced at her. "No, I’m going home to eat."

"Are you making your own food?" Fan Yani said. "That’s fine too, that’s fine."

She almost said homemade food was cleaner but thankfully stopped herself. After all, the canteen in the residential compound was quite clean. If she slipped up and someone heard, it’d be bad—she didn’t want people thinking she had complaints about the staff. She had no issues with them.

Li Hui sped up to get away—she wanted to leave quickly and not listen to Fan Yani’s chatter.

Fan Yani didn’t ask Li Hui how she had done on the exam. When she had been studying, she had gone to Li Hui for help a few times. Fan Yani picked up on Li Hui’s impatience and also realized that Li Hui’s academic level wasn’t high—she likely wouldn’t pass.

Just wait—once the results came out, they’d know. It might be before or after the New Year. Most likely, the results would be released gradually by the end of the year, along with the admission notices.

Fan Yani knew her poor score meant she likely wouldn’t make the cut. No one would steal her spot, but she wondered if others might impersonate candidates elsewhere. These things happened in the shadows—hidden and corrupt.

This kind of thing occurred all over the country, in different places.

Those people teamed up to pull off such shady schemes, and Fan Yani had no clue who might be impersonating someone. With her big belly, she couldn’t stop these things. Fan Yani wasn’t about to make waves—she wouldn’t stir up trouble.

And it wasn’t just Fan Yani—Song Fenglan wasn’t going to kick up a fuss either.

Making accusations without proof was pointless. At most, Song Fenglan would give Professor Su and the others a heads-up not to let anyone impersonate others, and that would be it.

That wasn’t Song Fenglan’s problem to worry about. She just needed to focus on her own stuff.

When Song Fenglan’s family returned home, Mrs. Su already had dinner ready. Knowing that Qin Yizhou and his son had gone to the exam site to wait for Song Fenglan, Mrs. Su had come over to cook so Song Fenglan could have a meal as soon as she got back.

On the second night of the college entrance exams, Song Fenglan went to the research institute to handle an emergency and didn’t get home till past midnight. On the third day, she continued with the exams. Song Fenglan wasn’t too worn out by it—for her, the exam content was relatively simple, though Chinese and biology tripped her up a little, as they weren’t her strong suits.

Before she could even head home, someone from the lab was already waiting for her, asking her to come over. Song Fenglan had to go to the institute first, telling Qin Yizhou and their son to go home ahead of her—she would return later.

"Mom," Qin Zihang watched his mother’s departing figure, his heart sinking a little. He had prepared a small cake for her, hoping they could eat it together when she got home, but now she had to go to work.

"Let’s head back first," Qin Yizhou picked up Qin Zihang.

"Mom didn’t come home," Qin Zihang said, upset.

"Mom has important work to do," Qin Yizhou said. "We’ll head back and wait for her at home. She’ll come back later."

"Okay," Qin Zihang replied.

Mrs. Su set the dishes on the table and noticed Song Fenglan wasn’t there. "That busy, huh?" Mrs. Su said.

"She went to work," Qin Yizhou said.

"Even with the gaokao going on, his wife couldn’t catch a break," Qin Yizhou sighed.

"We’ll keep this cake for Feng Lan—she can have it when she gets back," Mrs. Su said. Originally, it was meant to celebrate Song Fenglan finishing the exams, but now that wasn’t possible. Still, it was fine—they could eat it when her exam results came out.

"I made this with Dad," Qin Zihang said.

He had specifically worked on it with his father today, fumbling their way through it before finally pulling it off. Qin Zihang had wanted his mother to see it sooner, but she had gone to work again.

"Mom will be back soon," Mrs. Su understood Qin Zihang’s feelings. On her birthday, she had waited for her husband, who had promised to return but didn’t until the day was over. It wasn’t his fault—there was just too much work at the institute.

Song Fenglan had to juggle the college entrance exams and her work responsibilities—she was truly swamped.

"I’ll wait for Mom," Qin Zihang sat there, looking miserable but dead set on waiting for his mom.

"Eat something first, then wait after you’ve eaten," Mrs. Su said.

"Eat something with your aunt," Qin Yizhou said. "You can have the cake when Mom comes back."

"Fine," Qin Zihang nodded. Since his aunt was here, he had to eat with her.

After the exams ended, Li Hui was crushed—the exams had wrecked her. Those questions were downright brutal, far too hard. Physically and mentally exhausted, Li Hui had pictured herself flying through the test and scoring high.

Now, she was at her lowest. Before, she had dreamed of getting into a good university, but now, at this point, she’d take any college that’d have her.

When Guo Peng returned home, he saw Li Hui’s unhappy expression. "What’s wrong? Didn’t do well? It’s done—no use stressing till the scores come out."

"You’re home early for once," Li Hui said.

"You just finished your exams—figured I’d swing by to see how you’re holding up," Guo Peng replied.

"The college entrance exams are over, do I still need you to be here for me?" Li Hui said irritably, glancing at Fan Yani’s husband who had been picking her up and dropping her off these past few days. Even if she weren’t pregnant, for something as important as the college entrance exams, Guo Peng should have come home earlier.

"I’ve been busy these days," Guo Peng replied, sensing Li Hui's displeasure. "Didn’t I already tell you? You said I should focus on my work..."

"I told you to go, but you really just went off and ignored me," Li Hui snapped. "Even your brother-in-law knows to pick up your sister."

"Fan Yani is pregnant..."

"I’m not pregnant, there’s no baby in my belly, so you can just..."

"Don’t be angry, don’t be angry," Guo Peng quickly said.

"I... I have cramps," Li Hui’s face suddenly turned very pale.

Guo Peng rushed her to the hospital, where the doctor told them that Li Hui was losing the baby.

At that moment, Guo Peng was stunned. He hadn’t known she was pregnant, let alone that she would miscarry now. He begged the doctor to save the baby, but the doctor couldn’t.

Li Hui’s body had long been weakened by her poor health habits. She’d always struggled to conceive, and even when she did, it was hard to carry the baby to term. Li Hui hadn’t known she was pregnant. She had been pulling all-nighters for exams, and her mood had been terrible.

During the college entrance exams, Li Hui couldn’t solve the problems, which made her even more agitated. The stress was crushing. She was desperate to ace the exams, unwilling to accept failure.

She also resented her husband for not being there for her. She overthought everything—one moment feeling this was wrong, the next feeling that was wrong.

If Shi Guilan had been around, Li Hui could have talked and laughed with her more. But Shi Guilan wasn’t here, and Li Hui couldn’t call her cousin too often either. Without her job in the cultural troupe, Li Hui had already been feeling deeply depressed. She felt like her life was stuck, with no light at the end of the tunnel.

"Is there really no way?" Guo Peng was devastated—this was his and Li Hui’s first child. When the doctor came out of the operating room, he rushed forward to ask.

The doctor could only shake his head helplessly. The baby was gone. Just… gone.

"Your wife..." the doctor hesitated.

"What?" Guo Peng’s heart clenched. "What’s wrong with her?"

"I’m afraid you’ll need to brace yourselves. Given her physical condition, she’ll likely struggle to get pregnant again," the doctor told Guo Peng honestly. "Even if she does, she might miscarry again, unable to carry the baby to term."

"How is that possible? How?" Guo Peng stared at the doctor in disbelief. "She’s healthy, she..."

"What did she do before?" the doctor asked.

"She danced in a cultural troupe," Guo Peng said.

"Most likely, she underate to stay thin, which led to this situation," the doctor explained. "She needs to focus on recuperation."

"If she rests, will she get better?" Guo Peng asked urgently.

"Rest alone won’t fix this."

The doctor continued, "She’s fragile now. You’ll need to decide if she should be told."