The day of delivery was drawing closer.
My figure had already started to look a little unusual.
"Hey, girl, your flatbreads sold pretty fast today. Heading home?"
Auntie Li greeted me warmly.
She was a street vendor too, usually selling little handicrafts.
"Mm-hmm, Auntie Li. I saved a flatbread for you." I set one down at her stall.
"Look at you, being so thoughtful." She cheerfully accepted it. "I'll bring you some vegetables when I get home. They're from my own fields, anyway."
"Thank you." I smiled sweetly.
Just then, someone else came over.
It was Wang Ni, a brash, outgoing woman who acted like she knew everyone. "Oh, it's Xiaoyao. Did you save a flatbread for me?"
Auntie Li furrowed her brows.
I smiled sweetly and handed over my own flatbread. "There's one left. If you like it, you can have it."
Wang Ni stopped eating and slapped me on the shoulder.
She hit me hard.
My face went white on the spot.
"Xiaoyao, you're such a sweetheart. Come visit me sometime." Wang Ni wore a faint smile as she took a bite. Once no one was around, she suddenly spat it out. "Disgusting. And she thinks she can steal my second uncle's business."
Wang Ni walked farther and farther away.
Even Auntie Li could tell something was wrong with my complexion.
I shook my head to reassure her. Only after reaching a secluded spot did I brace myself against a tree, one hand gripping my waist as I lowered my head in pain.
If I hadn't known what she was like, and if I hadn't kept my pregnancy a secret from everyone else, I would've thought she'd done it on purpose.
That slap had really landed. Without the system, I probably would've gone into premature labor.
I could