Mr Zheng slept peacefully till the next morning so he wasn't aware of last night event. The room was quiet and the windows were slightly opened allowing cool morning breeze enter slowly. Outside, chickens could be heard clucking while villagers voices drifted from afar.
His sister's daughter, Wang Lihua, had brought chicken soup for him to drink. The aroma filled the room lightly. Mr Zheng slowly sat up and accepted the bowl. His face still looked pale and weak.
"You worked hard," he muttered tiredly.
Wang Lihua smiled gently and shook her head humbly, "Uncle should rest properly."
After watching him finish the soup, she quietly took the bowl and left the room.
Soon, she dished another bowl and walked toward Zheng Shanshan's room.
Inside, the voices were low and hoarse. Madame Zheng finally understood why her daughter had fainted. Zheng Shanshan was almost a month pregnant. She was discussing with the doctor if there was a way to get rid of the pregnancy at this early stage. "Is there any way," her voice cracked, "to get rid of it now? At this early stage?"
The doctor frowned deeply. He looked at the sleeping Zheng Shanshan on the bed before replying slowly, "there are ways but the risks are also there."
Hearing this Madame Zheng's body shook involuntarily.
"What if the bleeding doesn't stop? What if her body becomes weak afterwards? Can your family bear such consequences?" The doctor asked each question at once leaving
Madame Zheng's face to turn pale.
It's not that she doesn't know the consequences but... After some seconds, she suddenly knelt down before him, tears fell from her eyes instantly, "Doctor please, please help salvage my daughter's reputation. She's still unmarried. If my husband hears this matter clearly," she covered her face and cried bitterly, her whole body shaking from the cry, "I'm afraid he won't survive the shock." She cried more bitterly.
The doctor became silent. His brows tightened as if he was struggling internally. He opened his mouth slightly, wanting to speak, when suddenly a knock sounded outside the door. Madame Zheng hurriedly wiped her tears and stood up quickly. She signaled the doctor with her eyes.
The doctor understood immediately and began gathering his tools properly, he bowed slightly and quietly left the room.
At the same time, Wang Lihua entered carrying the bowl of chicken soup carefully.
She was a gentle looking girl with soft brows and bright eyes. Her movements were quiet and proper.
"Aunt," she greeted softly.
Madame Zheng only nodded unhappily. She placed the bowl of soup on the stool and left immediately. After the door closed, Madame Zheng slowly looked toward her daughter's abdomen. Her expression twisted slowly with fury and resentment. Inside that stomach was the evidence of shame.
At this moment she truly wished she could strangle the growing foetus with her own hands. Unfortunately the child was inside Zheng Shanshan's belly. She could only grit her teeth bitterly and think of other ways. Since Zheng Shanshan was still asleep, Madame Zheng angrily drank the soup herself. After finishing, she covered her daughter properly with the blanket before leaving the room quietly.
At this time, news of the pregnancy had not spread yet. Only a handful of people knew.
Madame Zheng returned to her room, changed clothes and wore a cloak covering most of her face. She carried several bottles of water and quietly exited the Zheng family residence.
The morning sun was already becoming hot.
She walked quickly without speaking to anyone. Not many villagers were outside yet anyway. The road stretched forward quietly. As she kept walking, she slowly left their village and entered another village near the mountains called Zhao Village. The journey took one hour. By the time she arrived, sweat had already covered her forehead and neck. She finally stopped before a courtyard house. The front yard was filled with beautiful colourful flowers, red ones, pink ones, white ones. The flowers swayed gently under the breeze making the courtyard look peaceful and lively. Madame Zheng stared at them briefly before knocking again.
Knock knock knock.
Soon enough, a rough elderly female voice sounded from inside.
"Who is knocking so hard at my door?"
The wooden door slowly opened. An old woman in her early sixties appeared. Her hair was already streaked with grey but her eyes were bright and warm. The moment she saw Madame Zheng, her expression softened immediately, warmth spread through her eyes. The woman stare caused Madame Zheng to become emotional and cry.
"Come inside first," the old woman said gently while moving aside.
Madame Zheng lowered her head and entered quietly. The courtyard was large and clean. On both left and right sides stood four rooms neatly arranged. At the far end was the kitchen area and washroom. There was also a small resting place outside with bamboo chairs and a small wooden table. The environment looked very peaceful. Only the middle of the courtyard looked slightly messy because of the blossom tree standing there. Its flowers had fallen everywhere across the ground. But instead of looking dirty, it made the place feel calm and heavenly.
Flower pots of different sizes lined the front of the rooms. Different flowers bloomed beautifully everywhere. It was obvious this old woman truly loved flowers.
The old woman brought Madame Zheng into one of the rooms and told her to rest first before leaving to boil water for tea. Madame Zheng looked around quietly. The room was simple but clean. The familiar scent inside made her eyes become red again. She slowly laid on the bed. After some minutes, exhaustion overtook her and she unknowingly fell asleep.
When the old woman returned carrying hot water, she noticed Madame Zheng already sleeping. Even while asleep, traces of girliness still remained on her face making her look like the little daughter who used to follow behind her years ago. The old woman sighed softly with pity. She gently closed the door and returned to her own room to continue knitting. Beside her was a large basket filled with knitted peonies.
Every flower was handmade by her patiently.
There were fifty pieces already completed. Different sized cardigans hung neatly on ropes tied across the room for hanging clothes.This was how she earned some money quietly.
Time slowly passed. About an hour later, a knock sounded outside the room again. Warm gentleness filled the old woman's eyes immediately.
"Come in."
The sliding door slowly opened. Madame Zheng entered quietly, bowed toward her mother and sat properly on the soft floor cushion. Old Madame Zhao smiled softly.
She brought out the thermos flask used for storing hot water and handed it toward Madame Zheng to brew tea. Madame Zheng quietly accepted it. She carefully brewed tea for the two of them while Old Madame Zhao slowly cleared aside her knitting materials, fully prepared to listen.
The tea aroma slowly spread through the room. Madame Zheng served her mother first respectfully. She waited till Old Madame Zhao took a sip and nodded before taking her own cup. After sleeping earlier and now drinking warm tea, Madame Zheng finally felt slightly refreshed.
"What happened?" Old madame Zhao the woman in her sixties, Madame Zheng's mother asked.
"Can't I just come to see you?" Madame Zheng laughed anxiously.
Old Madame Zhao's eye showed some mirth as she sipped tea carefully again, "do I look so old that it made you cry?" She teased mischievously.
"Oh!" On recalling the scene of she crying after seeing her mother, Madame Zheng blushed slightly from embarrassment before sighing sadly again.
Old Madame Zhao's expression slowly became serious. "What happened?" she asked again softly.
The moment she remembered why she came, Madame Zheng's eyes reddened again. Tears gathered instantly. How could she tell her mother that her unmarried daughter was pregnant and the father was a married man?
Old Madame Zhao looked at her worriedly as she asked, "do you need money? Is your husband severely ill?"
The concern in her mother's voice instantly broke the little control Madame Zheng had left. Tears streamed down her face, "oh mother, I have failed, I have failed." She bent down and cried against the floor bitterly.
Old Madame Zhao hurried over immediately and hugged her daughter tightly. She truly did not understand what happened. "What made you fail?" she asked warmly while brushing Madame Zheng's hair gently like before.
Feeling that familiar warmth again, Madame Zheng suddenly felt like the young girl who always ran crying into her mother's arms years ago.
"Mother," she cried weakly, "Shan'er is pregnant."