Chapter 2: "Hubby, I’m Pregnant"

Ye Taoyao swallowed the last remaining fragment of the peony petal. It worked perfectly, stopping the bleeding completely and calming the sharp pain in her belly.

Steadying herself against a low wooden stool, she slowly stood up to take in her surroundings. She was inside a dilapidated mud-brick room with a single window and a lone door. There was a wooden bed right beside her and a stool.

The furniture was incredibly sparse. A wooden wardrobe, about as tall as a person, stood at the head of the bed. Near the window sat a square table with a matching chair. The original owner’s washing items and a cracked mirror were placed on top of it; she likely had to clear them away whenever she actually needed to use the table.

This place was undeniably in poor condition.

Worse still, her current situation was quite perilous. The root of the problem lay with the novel’s female lead, who had previously confronted the original owner. Using the excuse that the original owner was uneducated and would only hold the hero back, the female lead had pressured her into running away back to the countryside.

Taoyao didn’t even know what to say. If the original owner hadn’t been so deeply in love with the hero, and so profoundly insecure about being unworthy of her childhood sweetheart, the female lead would never have succeeded in driving her off.

As things stood, the most urgent crisis was that the original owner was scheduled to marry a hunchbacked, widowed older man. In the original timeline, this marriage led to severe domestic abuse and a lifetime of misery. By the time she finally crossed paths with her childhood sweetheart again, it was far too late, and their lives had completely diverged.

Taoyao truly couldn’t comprehend why, despite being given a second chance at life through rebirth, the original owner had still chosen the exact same tragic path.

Since she couldn’t understand it, she decided to stop dwelling on it. Taoyao walked over to the only mirror in the room to look at herself. The original owner truly looked plain. Because she couldn’t read and viewed herself as nothing more than a simple country girl with sallow skin and drab clothes, everyone in her village called her a plain Jane. This constant labeling was exactly why she felt like a burden to the hero.

Examining the body closely, Taoyao noted that she was far too thin, her complexion was dull, and she lacked any striking features. This was a stark contrast to Taoyao’s true form as a peony spirit, where she naturally carried a sweet fragrance, possessed flawless skin, and knew exactly how to charm men without even trying. Taoyao had never experienced the kind of love the original owner had, a quiet, lifelong devotion that asked for absolutely nothing in return. Yet, it was this incredibly fierce, bone-deep love that had generated enough golden light to break the shackles on Taoyao’s soul. She had truly never encountered someone like this before.

Taoyao leaned against the square table and peered out the window. She noticed a woman and a man walking around outside. The man looked to be just over five feet tall, with a pronounced hunchback. Due to his physical condition, he walked with a noticeable limp.

With their wedding day fast approaching, this widowed man was likely terrified that she might run away, so he kept people watching the house at all times.

In truth, the original owner had no way to escape anyway. For one thing, she had agreed to this marriage herself. This was the 1970s, a time when social movements were active and the local authorities were incredibly strict about relationships between men and women. For an unmarried woman to be pregnant in this era meant being dragged out and publicly denounced. After weighing her options, the original owner had accepted the marriage. In her past life, she mistakenly believed that because the man had a hunchback and a limp, he would be honest and treat her and the child well. She didn’t realize that a physical disability does not guarantee a healthy mindset. This time around, Taoyao knew the original owner had only given in because she felt trapped by her circumstances.

The second reason she couldn’t escape was the location. This was a remote mountain village, making it incredibly difficult to travel. Even if she managed to run away, wandering around without a proper household registration or a travel permit from the authorities was a dead end. Furthermore, she had absolutely no money on her, making it impossible to change her fate. With guards watching her every move, escaping was as difficult as growing wings and flying away.

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Taoyao reached out and knocked sharply on the windowpane.

“Yaoyao, what’s wrong?”

The widowed man actually cared about her quite a bit right now. Hearing her knock, he quickly pushed the door open and stepped inside. Seeing her standing there, he limped over with a smile and asked, “Are you feeling unwell?”

This man didn’t even reach the original owner’s shoulder. Like most villagers, he had no idea how to dress well, but that was the least of his faults. The real problem was that he was incredibly brutal when he beat his wife. In the original novel, the owner was a frequent victim of his domestic violence. Even her brilliant son was regularly beaten throughout his childhood. The only reason the original owner finally gained some peace was because her son turned out to be a natural soldier; at thirteen years old, he used his bare fists to beat his stepfather into submission. However, because her son eventually had to leave for the military, the original owner still suffered immensely whenever he was away.

Furthermore, this husband was terrified that she would leave him. After they had a daughter together, he constantly pressured her to bear him a son. She never did, but the money, supply coupons, and bicycles her military son sent home were constantly stolen by the husband’s son from his first marriage. To describe the original owner’s life as a living hell would be an understatement.

Taoyao had zero patience for this type of man, but right now, she needed to use him to get outside and make a phone call.

Adopting a thoroughly displeased expression, Taoyao grumbled, “We are about to get married, but look at what I’m wearing! I don’t have a single piece of red clothing, nor do I have a bright red flower for my hair. This doesn’t feel like a wedding at all, it feels more like a funeral!”

Hearing her complain about wanting wedding supplies, the man thought it over and actually seemed quite pleased. “Then what do you want to do, Yaoyao?”

Taoyao held out her hand flatly. “Give me some money.”

The man’s expression shifted. His biggest fear was that she would run away, so the request for money made him hesitate.

Taoyao stepped forward and gave him a sharp kick. “Give me the money so I can buy a red hair flower, and you go get a red bridal jacket ready. I want to see these things before the wedding day.”

Surprisingly, her demanding attitude worked well on him. Since she only asked for a hair flower, it wouldn’t cost much, and there was no way she could flee with just that. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a single yuan note, and handed it to her, asking anxiously, “Is… is this enough?”

Taoyao rolled her eyes at him. “It’s just for one red flower. How much could it possibly cost?”

Clutching the money, she adjusted her blouse and walked straight out the door right in front of him.

“Yaoyao, let me go with you.” Worried that she might escape, he was uncomfortable letting her out of his sight.

Taoyao pulled off her shoe and hurled it straight at him. “Do you have nothing better to do? If you don’t go and get my red bridal jacket ready this instant, don’t even think about marrying me!”

After snapping at him, she ordered him to bring her shoe back.

The man’s name was Lei Zhentian. Hearing her words, he actually felt a wave of satisfaction, convinced she truly intended to marry him. He hurried over to deliver the shoe and said, “Alright, I’ll go get it ready immediately. Where are you going to buy the hair flower?”

Taoyao put her shoe back on and replied matter-of-factly, “How many places in this village even sell them? Come pick me up in an hour.”

The more casual and demanding she acted, the more reassured he felt. He nodded quickly and asked if she wanted him to find someone to keep her company.

Taoyao flatly refused. Holding the money, she walked boldly past him and the other woman, heading straight out of the courtyard.

The village telephone was located at the village committee headquarters, right next to the state-owned supply store.

Most of the people in this area shared the surname Lei, including the village chief. Lei Zhentian was a distant relative of the chief’s family, which was exactly why it was so difficult for the original owner to escape this place.

It took Taoyao nearly twenty minutes to walk to the committee headquarters. The person managing the telephone was the village chief’s wife, who naturally favored Lei Zhentian.

Looking at Taoyao, the chief’s wife asked with rare gentleness, “Comrade Ye, what brings you here?”

Taoyao pointed toward the telephone. “I need to make a call.”

“Well, about that…”

“About what? Are you keeping me prisoner here? This is the money he gave me. Do you think I could have walked out if he hadn’t agreed to it?” Taoyao thrust the one-yuan note toward the woman, explaining that she wanted to call some old friends to see if they could attend the wedding.

The entire village knew she was an orphan with no family, and as for the child she was carrying, it was publicly claimed to be Lei Zhentian’s. Since she was getting married, it would indeed look strange if absolutely no one from her side showed up.

After a moment of hesitation, the chief’s wife took the money and allowed her to use the phone. Fearing that Taoyao wouldn’t know how to operate it, she offered to help.

Taoyao gave her a critical look. “I’m calling my best friend, and we’re going to talk about private, womanly things. You aren’t planning to eavesdrop and report back to him, are you? If my friends end up not coming, I’ll be the laughingstock of the village. Are you doing this on purpose just to see me embarrassed?”

She spoke so sharply that she made the chief’s wife look like an absolute villain.

This thoroughly offended the woman. She was, after all, the village chief’s wife. Even if the whole village shared the surname Lei, it didn’t mean they were all bad people.

Bristling with anger, the chief’s wife waved her sleeve dismissively. “Fine! Who cares to listen to your chatter anyway? I’ll stand over there. Just call me when you’re finished, alright?”

The chief’s wife had never been insulted like this before. She walked away steaming with resentment, silently resolving that even if the girl didn’t know how to dial the numbers, she wouldn’t lift a finger to help her.

Once the woman had walked away, Taoyao positioned her back to block the view from the outside. She picked up the receiver and dialed the number the original owner had shared.

As luck would have it, when the call first went through, the person who answered sounded like a military political officer. He asked for her location and whom she was trying to reach.

Taoyao kept her message incredibly brief. “I am looking for Gu Jincheng. Tell him that if he is too slow, he’ll be dealing with lives lost. Don’t blame me.”

With that, she hung up immediately. She didn’t say much, but she made sure the name and the critical nature of the situation were perfectly clear.

The political officer on the other end was left holding a dead line, thoroughly thrown into a panic by her abrupt words. He yelled into the receiver a few times, but there was only silence. He was left completely stressed about what on earth was going on?

However, he knew Gu Jincheng well. Since the matter involved potential loss of life, the officer immediately dispatched a guard to contact him. Gu Jincheng had actually been sent out on a mission two months ago and hadn’t officially returned to active duty yet. But military phone lines were restricted to urgent matters, so this couldn’t be ignored. They needed to verify the caller and the situation; if Gu Jincheng’s family was truly in danger, the military would have to step in and resolve it even if he wasn’t present. Understanding the urgency, the officer issued the fastest command possible to track him down.

By sheer coincidence, Gu Jincheng had just returned from his mission around midnight the previous evening and hadn’t even had the chance to debrief yet. The guard found him quickly, informing him that someone had called for him regarding a life-or-death matter.

Gu Jincheng only had his elderly mother and his childhood foster sister, Ye Yaotao, back in his hometown. His mother’s health had been poor for years. Panicking, he scrambled into his clothes and rushed to the political officer’s headquarters to return the call.

However, when he checked the origin, the call hadn’t come from his hometown at all, but rather from a remote mountainous region. A dark foreboding washed over him. He tried calling back, but the line went unanswered, which nearly drove him mad with worry.

Taoyao, of course, was doing this intentionally. She waited for the phone to ring a few times and disconnect before she dialed his number once more.

When the line connected, she first confirmed his identity. “Hello, I am Ye Yaotao. I am looking for Gu Jincheng.”

There was a brief pause on the other end before a deep voice replied, “Little sister, it’s me. It’s your brother.”

Taoyao felt the residual emotions of the body react strongly to his voice; the single word “brother” brought a sudden sting to her nose and an urge to cry.

Steeling herself, she decided to shift her approach and use a different title. “Hubby, I’m pregnant. If you don’t come, it’ll be two lives gone.”

Gu Jincheng froze, completely stunned. It took him a long moment to find his voice. “What did you say?”

Taoyao feigned anger. “Don’t tell me you forgot what happened that night! If you don’t come, you can just come and collect our bodies.” She didn’t bother offering a long explanation. “I am about to be forced to marry a hunchbacked, widowed older man. He is incredibly violent and beats people terribly. You can just come collect my corpse then.”

This time, the man on the other end completely panicked. “Where are you?” he demanded urgently.

“Lei Village, Yang County, Jin City, An Province,” Taoyao replied. “Look for Lei Zhentian. I am being locked up and can’t get out. The wedding is in five days. Figure it out yourself.”

True to her word, she hung up the phone immediately after delivering the explosive news, leaving the man on the other end absolutely frantic with worry.