At that point, everyone understood what the final twist was. Lu Xingzhi said, âIn the end, she must have given birth to a daughter.â
Lu Xiaoxiao did not shake her head or nod. She continued to speak slowly. âPerhaps it was because she was stressed out. The woman went into labor, but it was a difficult one. When the old woman saw it, she immediately called for someone to take her daughter-in-law to the county hospital. When she paid the hospital fees, she did not even blink. She was afraid that the doctor would not treat her daughter-in-law well, so she even gave the chief surgeon a red packet. She waited outside the delivery room for as long as her daughter-in-law stayed there.â
Everyone waited quietly for the story to continue; only then did Lu Xiaoxiaoâs voice begin to change. âBrother is right; the foolish wife gave birth to a daughter.â
The three peopleâs expressions suddenly stiffened. Even though they had guessed it, they still broke out in a sweat when they heard it.
âShe was hoping for a grandson, but in the end, she had a granddaughter. That old woman must have been mad with anger.â Lu Yuqing sighed. âFor someone like her, she might as well be as cold and indifferent as before the woman was pregnant. The greater the hope, the more terrible the disappointment.â
âYes, Sister is right.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Lu Xiaoxiao imitated Lu Yuqingâs tone and sighed. âThe doctor carried the child out of the delivery room and handed her to the old woman. When the old woman heard that it was a daughter, she grabbed the doctorâs arm and shouted that the doctor had swapped her grandson. The doctor had carried her grandson away and replaced him with a girl to fool her. She was so mad that she wanted the doctor to take her to her grandson. Even the neighbors could not stop her. My friendâs mother said that the old woman had scratched them and left several bloody marks when they tried to pull her away.â
âIt was only her first child, so what if she had a girl? They could have continued to try for another baby if she wanted a grandson so badly. She believed the fortune-teller, right? And the fortune-teller said that her daughter-in-law would have a son in her life. Perhaps the second or third baby would be a son.â Jiang Yao curled her lips and replied, âXingzhi even insisted that I give birth to a daughter.â
âNot all families are as open-minded as ours.â
Lu Yuqing smiled. âIâm a girl, and my grandparents doted on me. Itâs a pity that they all died so early. They passed away not long after Xingzhi was born.â
âMy father only has one daughter. Look how happy he is every day.â Lu Xiaoxiao did not have a tail. If she had one, she would definitely wag it proudly. âMy dad is also open-minded. Those people who advise my dad to marry another wife and have a son, I curse them every time I see them.â
âWhat happened after that?â
Lu Xingzhi reached out and held Jiang Yaoâs hand. He pinched her gloved hand in the palm of his hand and asked, âDidnât you say that she had a daughter? What about the child? Did the woman take her?â
âNoâ¦â
Lu Xiaoxiao shook her head and heaved a sigh. Then, she said, âThe child died.â
âDied from illness?â Jiang Yao asked.
âNot really.â
Lu Xiaoxiao continued to shake her head. âJust listen to me. That old woman caused such a ruckus in the hospital. Even the doctors couldnât do anything for her. After the woman woke up in the ward, the old woman pointed at her and scolded her in front of everyone else. She said that she was a jinx who gave birth to a little slut and wasted so many of her good things. She even spent so much money on her. She said that if she had known that the woman would give birth to a slut, she wouldnât have let her eat anything even if she poured all the food out!â