Farm Tough Girl
Chapter 348 - 348 349 He Wont Come Back_1

Chapter 348: Chapter 349 He Won’t Come Back_1 Chapter 348: Chapter 349 He Won’t Come Back_1 Dabao’s Mother’s eyes were swollen from crying as she sobbed and kept saying, “Mother, you have to believe me, I really wasn’t violated, this child must be Shouzhuo’s.”

“Pah! You shameless woman, even now you’re trying to argue your way out. I spared you before because I believed what you said! Now that you’re showing, you claim it’s Shouzhuo’s, how could our Xu Family produce such a shameless daughter-in-law?!”

Dabao’s Mother was at a loss for words. Xu Shuzhuo rarely came home in the first place, and who would have expected her to get pregnant just at the time he did return? And precisely at this crucial moment, in a situation fit for gossip, how could the Jin Clan admit it was a child of the Xu Family?

Shouzhuo, speak up! I told you this woman couldn’t stay from the start. Even if the Village Head said no killing, I said just divorce her, but you had to be soft-hearted and couldn’t bear to do it. Now she’s slapped you with such a huge green hat, how can you swallow this grievance?”

Looking at his wife’s aggrieved expression, Shouzhuo felt helpless too, “Mother, Qiao Muniang is not someone who lies. If she says she hasn’t been defiled, then this child should be ours. Why do you have to cling to this belief?”

“Should be? Can you be sure now? She isn’t the one who lies, so am I the liar now? She didn’t tell us the truth because she feared losing face! Are you implying you want this child to be born? Aren’t you afraid of the villagers poking fun at our family behind our backs?”

Xu Shuzhuo was also angered and retorted, “Who in the village has poked fun at our family? It’s all you saying this. When I returned from the prefectural city this time, everyone I met said Qiao Muniang was upright and a good woman. It’s the fact that you were the first to push your daughter-in-law out to be bullied by others that people like to poke at the Xu Family’s backbone!”

Jin Clan’s eyes bulged, “So now you’re blaming me?! You actually want to be utterly estranged from me because of this lowly woman? It’s true what they say, a man forgets his mother as soon as he has a wife. Isn’t everything I’m doing for our Xu Family? When have I ever been harsh to our Dabao? It’s because I feel that this child is my own grandson, but the one inside her is definitely a bastard!”

“Mother, that’s not what I mean. Now that Qiao Muniang is pregnant, what else can we do? Otherwise, when the child is born, we could do a blood test to identify the family, couldn’t we?” Xu Shuzhuo said promptly.

“So the child still has to be born? And if it turns out not to be our family’s, how will others mock us then?”

“But if we don’t keep the child now, what will the villagers think? After all, everyone is saying that Qiao Muniang hasn’t been defiled and they all believe the child is of our Xu Family. If we kill our own child, wouldn’t that be a heart-chilling act?”

The Jin Clan had to admit there was some sense in his words; they couldn’t just go around saying they wanted to abort the child because Dabao’s Mother was carrying a bastard, could they? But waiting for the child to be born and then doing a blood test – if it truly was Xu Shuzhuo’s child, well and good, but if not? What was the point of raising a child only to find out it wasn’t his?

At this thought, the Jin Clan hardened her heart and said, “Then let it be clear, if the child turns out not to be of our Xu Family, we’ll let the Village Head submerge and drown it in the pig cage! It’s a bastard either way; our Xu Family cannot keep it!”

Dabao’s Mother trembled with fear upon hearing Jin Clan’s words. Although she knew the child had to be of the Xu Family, just the slightest possibility of danger to the child made her feel a sudden shock.

“Alright, we’ll do as Mother says,” Xu Shuzhuo agreed readily. He and Dabao’s Mother had been husband and wife for so many years; they understood each other’s temperament better than anyone. Dabao’s Mother had never lied; if she said it was his child, then it definitely was.

Dabao’s Mother clasped Xu Shuzhuo’s hand gratefully; her husband’s trust allowed her to persist in this household until now.

Muniang, who was in the embroidery room, saw Dabao’s Mother and approached her with a few questions, “Is your mother-in-law giving you a hard time? Is everything alright with this matter?”

However, Dabao’s Mother seemed to be in a good mood, smiling, “No, my husband believes in me, insisting that I give birth to the child. My mother-in-law hasn’t said much more.”

Muniang breathed a sigh of relief, “That’s good then. Don’t mind your mother-in-law. Just take good care of yourself. After all, this child is what’s most important now.”

“Indeed, Shouzhuo trusts me, and I owe him an explanation. No matter what, I will protect this child with all my might,” Dabao’s Mother said with a warm glow on her face, her eyes brimming with contentment.

Muniang teased, “Tell me about it. You and your husband really have a good relationship. Hardly seeing each other throughout the year, and yet after so many years of marriage, the affection is still so strong. So many people in the village are jealous, aren’t they?”

Blushing, Dabao’s Mother chuckled and rebuked, “Don’t talk nonsense.”

But then they heard a snide woman intentionally say, “It’s great that your husband trusts you, but the key is to not slap your own face in the future. After all, who knows whose child it really is?”

Muniang’s face darkened in an instant, “Are you saying such cold words out of jealousy that someone else has a good husband? It’s because she has the qualities that her husband likes!”

The woman got angry when she heard this, implying she lacked qualities? But she was still afraid of Qiao Muniang, so she didn’t dare to say more, and walked away with a glare.

Muniang comforted Dabao’s Mother with a few words. However, Dabao’s Mother just laughed it off, not taking it to heart, as she was good-natured and could tolerate snide remarks from others.

After staying in the embroidery room for a while, Muniang left without wanting to get in the way of everyone’s work. Walking on the road, she couldn’t help but look towards the entrance of the village, feeling a pang of loneliness in her heart. It had been so long, and yet Yu Ze still hadn’t returned. Day after day she waited, her heart filled with anxiety.

Just as she approached her doorstep, several figures swiftly landed in front of her.

Upon clearly seeing who it was, Muniang rolled her eyes, “Why are you still in Chatu Town? Is Qilian Kingdom so idle? You’ve been out for so long, aren’t you afraid your royal throne will be taken?” Shouldn’t a prince be doing his utmost to fight for the throne when the old emperor in the palace is still alive? What are you doing loitering around this broken mountain village?

Nangong Qian wasn’t upset by her words. Instead, he curled his lips and asked, “Aren’t you curious why I’m here?”

“Not curious,” Muniang replied, ready to choke anyone to death without any compensation.

With a smile that wasn’t quite a smile, Nangong Qian said, “Are you waiting for Yu Ze to return?”

“Am I waiting for you?” Muniang raised an eyebrow.

After a complex look at Muniang, Nangong Qian said, “If he was going to come back, he should have already returned by now.”

Muniang’s pupils contracted sharply, “What do you mean by that?!”

“In the chaos of the battle, he went alone into the enemy camp to save a woman and now is surrounded in the mountains. Do you think he can make it back?”

Muniang’s mind reeled, her thoughts uncontrollably drifting to that woman who tormented her heart and soul, “Who?”