Free Web NovelChapter 406: Chapter 404: A Fine Cabbage Snatched by a Pig
The first day of the Lunar New Year passed pleasantly at the Sun Family’s.
In the evening, Cao Qiu, Sun Zhuzi, Sun Jiasheng, and Wei Hong took Sun Ting home.
Lin Shan, Chen Fengjiao, Lin Sui’er, and Lin Zheng also went home.
The second day of the New Year is traditionally for visiting one’s maternal uncle.
Now that Gu’er and Sun Jiaming were married, they didn’t have to follow that custom. Besides, Gu’er had no desire to visit Cao Qiu’s relatives. As for her mother Chen Fengjiao’s family home, not only was it far away, but Gu’er wouldn’t have gone even if it were nearby.
Lin Shuying took her two children to the Lin Family’s.
Gu’er had wanted to go at first. Her father, Lin Shan, was only going to be home for eight days, and she wanted to spend more time with him. But light snow began to fall that morning, and for some reason, she felt lazy and lost all desire to go out.
Li Zhi finally managed to escape from his house. The moment he arrived, he started complaining nonstop. He said if he hadn’t gotten out today, his mom would have dragged him to his maternal grandmother’s house to be nagged by a horde of women about blind dates and finding a wife. The very thought made his skin crawl. So, while Li Ting went along, he just drove them to his grandmother’s, dropped them off without even getting out of the car, and bolted.
He also grumbled that with Dingzi and Liu Yuan both getting married, he’d have no one left to hang out with.
Hearing Li Zhi say that, Gu’er realized it was true.
Liu Yuan and Bai Xiaohua were set to marry on March 20th, just over three months away. Dingzi and Marina had planned their wedding for the eighth day of the fifth lunar month, which was in five months. Both of them would be married in the first half of the year.
Liu Yuan’s case was straightforward enough, but Marina was from the Soviet Union. With the internal turmoil there not likely to end anytime soon, it was impossible for her and Dingzi to get a marriage certificate for the foreseeable future. Marina said she didn’t mind. As long as she could be with Dingzi, she was fine with anything.
Grandma Dingzi suggested they just have a traditional wedding—host a banquet, invite everyone, and treat the feast as the marriage itself. So, they set the date for their wedding banquet for the eighth day of the fifth lunar month. As for the official certificate, they would get it whenever it became possible. The main thing was to give them a proper status and let everyone know they were husband and wife. This would allow Marina and Dingzi to be together openly and properly.
So, it was true. Liu Yuan and Dingzi were both getting married this year, which really did leave Li Zhi all by himself.
"You’d better hurry up," Sun Jiaming teased.
"Otherwise, by the time our kids are old enough to run errands, you’ll still be single. What will you do when they ask, ’Uncle Zhi, why don’t you have a wife? Is it ’cause no one wants you?’ Let’s see how you answer that."
"You think I don’t want to? All the good ones have been snatched up by you guys! I want to find someone too, but I just haven’t met anyone I click with. It’s true what they say—all the best cabbages get eaten by pigs."
Li Zhi was starting to feel genuinely anxious. Every day he saw how in sync Sun Jiaming and Gu’er were, and now Dingzi had Marina. He was the only one left, the last man standing. He was getting desperate, but what good would that do? He wanted to find someone special, too; he just hadn’t met her yet.
"You’re the pig."
Sun Jiaming glared at Li Zhi, and Dingzi shot him a death glare too.
"Slip of the tongue, slip of the tongue! I wasn’t talking about you guys, I meant other people."
Li Zhi hastily backpedaled. It really had been a slip of the tongue.
"It’s just not your time yet," Gu’er interjected, trying to smooth things over. She knew Li Zhi hadn’t meant any harm. "Look at Dingzi. We all thought you would get married before him, but he still managed to get ahead of you. Don’t worry. Your person could show up at any time."
Dingzi nodded and glanced at Marina, who looked back at him. Her eyes sparkled, and his gaze softened.
"You’re right," Li Zhi said. "I’m not going to think about it anymore. It’s the New Year, let’s not spoil the mood. How about a game of cards? I may not be able to beat you guys at finding a wife, but maybe my luck is better at the table. I could clean you all out!"
Li Zhi suggested a game, and so the four of them started playing mahjong.
Marina sat beside Dingzi as he taught her how to play. She found the game incredibly difficult but also very interesting. She watched with great enthusiasm, finding it even more exciting than playing herself.
By the end of the game, Dingzi hadn’t managed a big win. In fact, he lost a little, which made him grumble in frustration.
From the third to the eighth day of the New Year, they were constantly visiting one family or another. It was all about having fun and feasting.
On the eighth day, it was time for Lin Shan to return to work. Gu’er and Sun Jiaming saw him off. As she watched her father’s car drive away, Gu’er’s heart felt heavy. Her period should have started around the fifth, but as of today, it still hadn’t come.
Her cycle was usually quite regular, never off by more than a day or two. But this time, it was three days late. On top of that, her breasts weren’t tender and she had no cramps whatsoever. There were none of the usual signs it was about to start.
’Could I be pregnant?’
But it had only been three days; it wasn’t certain. Gu’er didn’t dare say a word. By the tenth day, when it still hadn’t come, Gu’er felt it was almost certain she was pregnant.
But it wasn’t like you could just go out and buy a pregnancy test back then. And even if she could, after only a few days, it might not be accurate. So Gu’er had no choice but to wait, her heart filled with anxious uncertainty, until the fifteenth day arrived.
The fifteenth was the Lantern Festival. The family had already prepared large, red lanterns, which Sun Jiaming hung outside the windows, creating a very festive atmosphere.
Sitting on the sofa, Gu’er’s hand instinctively came to rest on her abdomen. ’If I’m right, I must be pregnant. It’s been ten days now. My period can be late, but never this late.’
’Is there really a life growing inside me? Maybe it happened that day... but it’s hard to be sure. Either way, there’s a little life in here now.’
It was her and Sun Jiaming’s child. At this thought, Gu’er’s expression softened, and a smile graced her lips.
’But what if this child turns out like Zhang Juan? What would I do then?’
The moment she thought of Zhang Juan, panic set in again.
’No, it won’t be like that. Sun Jiaming and I would never have a child like that. I’ll be sure to teach them properly. And Sun Jiaming, he’ll be a good father. He’ll teach our child too. We won’t let them turn out bad.’
Gu’er shook her head repeatedly, trying to banish the thought.
"Gu, what’s gotten into you? One minute you’re smiling, the next you’re scowling, and now you’re shaking your head?" Cao Qiu had been about to say something to Gu’er but paused when she saw her daughter-in-law’s rapidly changing expressions.
"It’s nothing. Just thinking about something."
Since nothing was confirmed, Gu’er didn’t feel it was right to say anything yet.
A thought suddenly struck Sun Jiaming. He’d seen Gu’er rest her hand on her belly earlier. Thinking back, it seemed like it had been a while since she’d had her period. He’d even been mentally preparing to make her brown sugar water and give her some space when it came, but he hadn’t heard her mention it at all recently. And every night, the two of them were still...
’Could Gu’er be pregnant?’
The moment the thought occurred to him, a joyful expression spread across Sun Jiaming’s face. He wanted to ask, but since Gu’er hadn’t said anything, he worried he might be mistaken. He knew how eager his mother was for a grandchild. If he brought it up and it turned out to be a false alarm, Gu’er would surely feel terrible. ’Better to wait and ask her privately to be sure,’ he decided.
Even though he decided to keep quiet, his subsequent actions became far more cautious. Every time Gu’er moved, he would hover by her side, terrified she might bump into something or trip.
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