Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
I never expected that Gu Xiang would still be awake at this late hour, but I was even more concerned that my message had disturbed his rest. I felt regretful and apologized, "I'm really sorry for bothering you. It's all my fault."
"What happened?" Gu Xiang replied almost instantly, his response concise.
I found myself at a loss for words. I had intended to seek solace from Gu Xiang, but the sudden shock I experienced earlier had truly altered my emotions, leaving me feeling guilty about my abrupt behavior.
"I'm really sorry; I don't have anything important to say. I didn't mean to disturb you like this. I'm truly sorry."
"You didn't disturb me. Go ahead, what's wrong?"
Compared to the earlier text that felt somewhat stiff, this one was clearly much softer.
At that moment, I desperately needed someone to confide in about my frustrations. They were nightmares that had accumulated over time, manifesting repeatedly in my life. I was struggling to distinguish between reality and dreams, feeling utterly powerless.
Slowly, I began typing out my thoughts to Gu Xiang. He would respond with a simple "Hmm" or another single word after receiving my messages, never interrupting or disappearing.
I considered myself a fast typist, but it still took me nearly an hour to express my grievances.
Looking at the densely packed text in the message box, I glanced back over what I had just sent. Some of the words felt unfamiliar, even though they had been sent only moments ago.
It seemed that I had accumulated too many worries and pains; releasing them all at once was no easy feat.
Finally, after sending the last message, Gu Xiang took a while to reply. His previous responses reassured me that he wouldn't suddenly disappear. Patiently waiting, Gu Xiang indeed responded with a long message.
After a little while longer, Gu Xiang sent another text. It felt as if we had switched roles; now he was the one sharing while I listened. Seeing the screen filled with his words brought me some comfort.
As our conversation drew to a close, Gu Xiang's tone shifted again as he reminded me to take my medication on time and not to slack off. His tone returned to its earlier stiffness, as if… he had become a different person.
I am very grateful to him, and I appreciate his hard work in sharing these burdens with me, even though my attitude towards him was poor before.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Gu. You've really helped me a lot. I owe you a favor, and when you need it, I will definitely repay you."
"Well, rest now."
The conversation ended, and I didn’t want to disturb Gu Xiang any further. It was already morning, and soon Wang Xu would wake up. When he did, I planned to pretend to be asleep to shorten the time spent with relatives here, reducing the chances of being discovered.
Before long, Wang Xu indeed woke up. After struggling for a bit, I felt the commotion on his side of the bed gradually quiet down deliberately.
At this moment, Wang Xu must have been paying attention to me; it was the most critical time for me to pretend to be asleep.
Not realizing it was fine, but once I did, I became even more nervous. It wasn’t until I heard Wang Xu getting out of bed that I finally relaxed.
Earlier, I said I didn’t know Wang Xu had acting talent; now I realize I am the same. This feeling is like walking on a knife's edge—every step is uncomfortable.
Wang Xu soon left the room. The rural morning was quite lively; the roosters had started crowing and dogs barking early on. It was already hard for me to fall asleep, and now it was even worse.
I wanted to take some medicine but found there was no water in the room. Taking out the pills from under the mattress, I could only put them directly in my mouth. Before swallowing, the bitterness began to spread throughout my mouth. I frowned and felt like throwing up but held it back, reminding myself to endure.
No matter how long I lingered in the room pretending to be asleep, it still didn’t work. When Wang Xu quietly came back into the room to wake me up, I was still wide awake.
I feigned a look of discomfort as if just waking up. As soon as our eyes met, he was startled, and panic surged through me—what happened?
"Wife, what's wrong with you?!"
"What do you mean what's wrong?"
"You have really heavy dark circles under your eyes. Did you not sleep well or did you not sleep at all?"
I was taken aback, having completely forgotten about the dark circles. Wang Xu's strange expression must be due to how bad I looked.
I forced myself to appear calm and replied in surprise, "No way! I slept quite soundly last night. If you hadn't called me, I might still be asleep. Do I really look that bad? Are my dark circles that heavy?"
Wang Xu nodded.
"I don't know, maybe it's a change due to pregnancy. I should ask Mom later; she might know."
"Are you really not suffering from insomnia?" Wang Xu asked, half in disbelief.
"Of course not! Aside from you snoring and waking me up a few times, I slept pretty well. This mattress is quite comfortable," I said, trying to maintain my composure and hide any signs of fatigue.
Wang Xu suddenly realized and smiled apologetically, "It's all my fault. I was too tired and disturbed your rest. I'll make sure to control myself tonight."
"Okay then. Let me sleep a little longer; I'm still a bit sleepy."
"But what about lunch…"
"I'll skip lunch. You should go downstairs quickly; otherwise, our relatives will wonder what we're doing in here. When I wake up and feel hungry, I'll call you."
"Alright then, but remember to call me when you wake up if you want something to eat. We have everything prepared at home."
Finally, I managed to get Wang Xu to leave me alone. Staying in the room all the time wasn't a solution anyway. Just as I was preparing to get up, the door suddenly turned, and I quickly lay back down, pretending to still be asleep.
Footsteps came in one after another. I initially thought it was just Wang Xu, but judging by the sound of the footsteps, there were at least three or four people!
“Zhuang Jun, Zhuang Jun.” I felt my shoulder being shaken vigorously, and beside me, Wang Xu's dissatisfied voice reminded, “Aunt, be gentle. Zhuang Jun is still sleeping.”
“You child, now that you have a wife, you know to care for others. I got it, I’ll be gentle.”
“Alright, let’s skip it. Aunt, I’ll call her.”
In just a minute, the person beside me had changed to Wang Xu. He leaned close to my ear and softly called, “Wife, wife, wake up.”
I took a moment to gather myself before slowly opening my eyes. I pretended to be surprised as I looked around at the people present. Along with Wang Xu, four pairs of eyes were fixed on me. My mother-in-law wasn’t there, but judging by their expressions, it didn’t seem like anything serious had happened.
“What’s going on? Why are there so many people?”
With so many people here to wake me up, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
“It’s like this, Zhuang Jun. My aunt said that since you’re pregnant now, you should move around more. They plan to take a stroll in the back mountain as a walk and wanted you to get up and eat before joining them. It’s just a casual outing; if you get tired, you can come back.”
“I was just sleeping! You woke me up for this?” My tension eased slightly but then turned into irritation. What was Wang Xu thinking?
Seeing that I was unhappy, Wang Xu pouted and quickly tugged at his aunt’s sleeve. “Auntie, look at this! You said you would back me up; I can’t say anything more.”
Wang Xu’s words made the other women in the room burst into laughter. His aunt chuckled before looking at me and saying, “Xiao Jun, don’t be angry. This was all our idea; we’re all women in the family who just want to gather together for some fun. Wang Xu was worried you’d be upset, so we came to support him. When we were pregnant like you, we loved to sleep too, but sleeping too much isn’t good for your health. You haven’t eaten breakfast or lunch; eat something first to warm your stomach. What do you think of what Auntie said?”
Wang Xu’s aunt was the most articulate and assertive among them. With her saying this, I knew I couldn’t stay in bed any longer. Although she seemed to be asking for my opinion, ultimately I had no other choice; after all, they had come in such force.
“Fine.”
Wang Xu sighed in relief. I shot him a glare before slowly getting up. After washing up a bit, I went downstairs and sat among the crowd for breakfast while being introduced to various dishes that were good for the baby and nourishing for the body. They all claimed that these foods helped them give birth to healthy babies one after another.
The voices of those who gave birth to sons were raised high, while those who had daughters remained silent, pursing their lips and forcing smiles, their faces showing some displeasure, but they endured it nonetheless.
I don't know about other places, but in Wang Xu's hometown, there is a clear preference for sons over daughters. Having a son is like receiving a gold medal; one's status changes entirely, and the confidence in speaking is naturally different. Although Wang Xu's mother raised him alone, the saying "a mother is valued by her child" holds true, and her confidence in speaking clearly shows her affection for Wang Xu.
I have never been pregnant and don't know the situation. Right now, I feel somewhat nauseous even eating certain things. After finally finishing my meal, several of Wang Xu's aunts pulled me outside, suggesting we take a walk to breathe in some fresh country air to feel more energized.
Wang Xu's mother had not appeared at all; I wondered what she was doing. Initially, they didn't want Wang Xu to accompany me, but he insisted on coming along, saying he was worried about my health. We were teased for showing affection in front of everyone. I forced a laugh while Wang Xu scratched his head, blushing.
So our group of six headed outside, all of them being Wang Xu's aunts. The conversation naturally revolved around me, with them occasionally praising me and teasing Wang Xu. He laughed heartily at the teasing while I felt like I was on high alert, afraid that I might say something wrong that would raise suspicion.
Regarding this point, I had prepared thoroughly beforehand and didn't reveal any flaws. I maintained an ordinary demeanor as if we were just chatting casually, which I hoped would continue.
After walking around for a while without seeing Wang Xu's mother, I wondered why she hadn't come. Little did I know that upon returning to the courtyard, I found her laughing heartily at the entrance. Her cheerful laughter could be heard from outside, but when I walked in, I was surprised to see she had someone with her.
A bad premonition washed over me as I stepped through the door; my heart sank further with each step.
Upon seeing me return, Wang Xu's mother smiled with her eyes squinted: "Zhuang Jun! You're back! How was it? Did you have fun? Come over and meet Dr. Li."
Comment 0 Comment Count