Chapter 19
【Extra】 Actually, I don't hate Qiangzi.
I escaped from my home and my father crippled me, causing me to roll down the mountain cliff.
If it weren't for Qiangzi bringing me back, I would have died.
He would carry me on his back every day to see a doctor about my leg, all the way from one end of the village to the other, such a long journey.
He even told the people in the village that I was his wife.
I didn't think too much about it, I gave myself to him just for a chance to live, I didn't want any status.
The doctor said my body was too weak and needed proper nourishment, so my mom killed a chicken at night.
I never thought in my life that I would have an entire chicken leg, and someone would tell me to eat more.
No one has ever cared about me before.
Qiangzi's family are all good people.
I cried while eating, feeling that I would willingly die for them.
With my limp leg, my family doesn't even ask me to do any work.
My younger sister-in-law would occasionally bring me some fresh fruits from the field, I don't know where she picked them, they were sour and delicious.
She doesn't talk much, but always steals glances at me, sometimes urging me to eat less.
But every time I eat a little more, both Qiangzi and my mother would be very happy.
"I think this is the only thing I can do...
I never thought I could get pregnant, especially since the doctors said it was impossible.
Qiangzi said he couldn't bear to see me suffer, so we never used protection.
This is truly a child blessed by the heavens.
After meeting Qiangzi, I have felt the protection of the Bodhisattva every day.
I touch my belly and tell the baby how much its father and mother love it, and how much we look forward to its arrival.
I tell it all my fantasies.
This pregnancy hasn't been easy, and there are customs in my hometown that require waiting until the third month for the fetus to settle.
It was difficult to wait for three months, but I finally told Qiangzi the good news.
He didn't seem happy, and had a heavy heart.
That night, he sent me to rest and I eavesdropped from the corner on the second floor.
I wanted to know what was bothering him.
Was it that he wasn't ready to be a father, or that we didn't have enough money to raise a child? I heard Qiangzi say, 'It's only been three months.
She has so much flesh on her body that even a child the size of a rat might not be found! Didn't the eldest sister just have a shallow experience a couple of times?' 'When he realizes something is wrong, we will already have the money in hand.
We can just do this one last deal!' It must be me that Qiangzi was talking about.
He wants to sell me.
The baby in my belly suddenly kicked me, causing unbearable pain.
I returned to the room and passed out on the bed.
In the middle of the night, Qiangzi woke me up.
He smelled strongly of smoke, and must have been troubled, right? He didn't speak to me, but cleared the grass in front of him and glanced at me.
I think he is a good person, and I guessed what they were probably going to do.
But I truly don't mind.
I don't want to escape, I just want to see him one last time.
As my blood flowed out little by little, I stared at him, wanting to say goodbye.
I have spent two good years in this home, and these memories will be enough for a lifetime.
Suddenly, my stomach started to ache intensely.
Someone said to me, 'You are a liar.' 'Dad never loved me, he never anticipated my arrival!' It was my child in my belly.
I had envisioned too much of a future for it, weaving a too beautiful dream.
It struggled intensely, filled with hatred.
I was willing to die, but it wasn't.
My child turned into a vengeful spirit and made a deal with the butcher.
My soul was trapped in my body, providing nourishment, as I watched my child seek revenge against its father step by step.
It spoke to me, just as I used to speak to it every day.
'Mom, look, Dad doesn't recognize you at all, and he doesn't love you.' 'He can treat you like this and he can treat others like this too.
Your past together is not worth mentioning.' 'You see, Dad can also sacrifice for another woman.' I am like the child I once carried, able to only listen and watch, but unable to speak.
This is the punishment given to me by my child."