Shopkeeper Wang was extremely fascinated by the two ice lamps, so he hurriedly took two porcelain bowls from the kitchen, filled them with lamp oil, put them in the ice trough, and lit them.
The light reflected off the ice, making it sparkle and look beautiful.
Just as he was feeling smug, he suddenly heard Wang Xiaohua's voice, "Dad, why are you turning on the lamp in broad daylight?"
Shopkeeper Wang turned his head and saw Wang Xiaohua with a big belly and a basket in her hand. He was so frightened that he quickly stepped forward to help her up.
"My God! How did you get back in this freezing weather?"
Wang Xiaohua handed him the earthen basket, saying, "These are some freshly made candied fruits and braised meat. I thought the Lantern Festival was coming soon, so I brought them to you."
Shopkeeper Wang glared at her, "You child... what are you going to do with these? If your stepmother-in-law finds out, she'll start nagging you again."
Wang Xiaohua scoffed lightly, saying disdainfully, "She hasn't even been here as long as I have, how dare she criticize me?"
Shopkeeper Wang helped her into the cosmetics shop. The Xiaohua, seeing her daughter return, was both happy and annoyed. "You're due in a few months, so don't keep running back and forth."
"It's okay..." Wang Xiaohua sat down on the stool, supporting her back.
Xiaohua took off her own coat, rolled it up, and placed it on Wang Xiaohua's lower back, muttering, "Don't be so naive. Childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman."
"Alright, alright... I'll have Anzhi take my pulse later, is that alright?"
Xiaohua poked her head with her finger, "I can't argue with you, I'll settle the score with you after the baby is born."
Wang Xiaohua clutched her head and cried out in pain. The family of three chatted for a while longer. Before leaving, Wang Xiaohua went to the Anzhi Hall, Anzhi Hall there happened to be a patient.
Meng Anzhi gestured for her to sit on the soft couch and wait a while.
After taking Meng Anzhi's pulse, Zhou Xiaosi said, "Master... it's due to coldness and dampness in the body."
After her follow-up visit, Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "The diagnosis is fine. Can you write a prescription for me to take a look?"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Xiaosi picked up his pen, wrote out the prescription, and handed it over.
Meng Anzhi examined the prescription, added another ingredient, and then handed it to the woman, saying, "Take this prescription for five days, and you should be almost cured."
The woman took the medicine and said with a smile, "I'll get my medicine from the Anzhi Hall. Anzhi Hall's herbs are good; two doses should be enough to see results."
Zhou Xiaosi took the prescription and led the woman to the counter to get the medicine. Seeing a chair was available, Wang Xiaohua, supporting her back, walked over. "How are you? Busy lately?"
"It's alright..." Meng Anzhi smiled as she stood up, walked to her side, and reached out to touch her belly. "Almost seven months along, right?"
"Hmm..." Wang Xiaohua smiled gently, "This child is always restless, kicking and punching in my belly, sometimes making my stomach hurt."
Meng Anzhi took her hand and checked her pulse. "It's nothing... Just walk around in the yard more often; it'll be good for childbirth."
Wang Xiaohua withdrew her hand, supported her belly, leaned against the table, and complained, "Didn't my father-in-law remarry?"
"What's wrong? Did she upset you?" Meng Anzhi took out a small winnowing basket and peeled walnuts for Wang Xiaohua.
Wang Xiaohua, holding a walnut kernel, twisted her body and said to her, "My stepmother-in-law is no pushover. She has a daughter who's married, isn't she?"
Seeing me bring candied fruit from home, she also packed a big bag for her daughter. I thought, given my father-in-law's stingy nature, they'd probably fight. Guess what...
Meng Anzhi asked cooperatively, "What's wrong?"
Wang Xiaohua popped a walnut kernel into her mouth and mumbled, "My father-in-law didn't say a word. But when I take something to my parents' house, he makes a scene."
His second wife... eats and drinks better than I do now."
Meng Anzhi smiled but didn't say anything, and continued peeling walnuts.
While eating, Wang Xiaohua complained, "My husband works from morning till night, and all the money he earns goes to my father-in-law."
Even a donkey pulling a millstone gets a couple of days off, so my husband is even less capable than a donkey! When I said that... my father-in-law just said, "Candied fruit sells fast during the New Year, there's nothing we can do about it..."
Wang Xiaohua clicked her tongue twice, "Even if this family is incredibly busy, her new daughter-in-law won't lift a finger."
Meng Anzhi, peeling walnuts, asked in bewilderment, "Weren't you supposed to separate the family? Haven't you done it yet??"
Wang Xiaohua patted her belly, "What's there to say... My father-in-law has been overjoyed ever since he found out I'm having a boy... I just don't know how long his joy will last."
As she spoke, she leaned closer to Meng Anzhi and whispered, "Do you think a woman in her thirties can still get pregnant? My mother-in-law is thirty-eight this year, and I'm always afraid she'll give me another son."
"Earning the family fortune is secondary; my main concern is that my son will suffer mistreatment in the future. Everyone says uncles beat nephews, but I've never heard of a nephew beating his uncle."
Meng Anzhi smiled and said, "As long as your period continues, getting pregnant is only a matter of time."
Wang Xiaohua leaned back in her chair, stroking her large pregnant belly, and murmured, "Son, you'd better be strong, or your stepmother will take all the family property."
Meng Anzhi, "You're pregnant now, don't think about so much, just focus on nourishing your baby..."
Wang Xiaohua took a deep breath. "I can only focus on my pregnancy now," she said, standing up with her hands on the table. "Alright, I need to go back and cook for my husband."
As she was about to leave, Meng Anzhi quickly stopped her and poured all the walnuts from the winnowing basket into her earthen basket. "Eat a couple when you get home; it's good for your health."
"Hey, thanks..." Wang Xiaohua, carrying her earthen basket, walked out with a smile.
Meng Anzhi sat behind the desk, staring blankly at the walnut shell.
Jin Shanyao walked in from the backyard, her gaze sweeping over the shop. "Gone?"
"Hmm." Meng Anzhi tossed the walnut shells into the winnowing basket, then suddenly asked, "Auntie, are there many like Sister Xiaohua?"
"What kind?" Jin Shanyao asked as she removed the septum from the walnut shell and placed it on the table.
Meng Anzhi helped her process the walnut shells. "It's just... calculating and living life at the same time. Afraid of her stepmother's grudge, yet afraid to turn against her. Her son isn't even born yet, and she's already worrying about the future."
"You go out and take a walk, and eight out of ten will be like this," Jin Shanyao said, tossing the peeled walnut shells back into the winnowing basket.
Seeing her distressed expression, he asked, "Are you heartbroken?"
Meng Anzhi nodded, "Sister Xiaohua used to be so nice, always laughing and joking... She would eat whatever Auntie cooked, but now she's heavily pregnant and still has to cook for others."
Jin Shanyao patted her head and laughed, " Anzhi, don't judge others by your own standards."
Wang Xiaohua and her husband are deeply in love, and now their child is about to be born... For her, this is life, the same life as most women.
Meng Anzhi suddenly realized, "Oh right... how could she know what Sister Xiaohua was really thinking?"
Seeing that she had put the wood into her mouth, Jin Shanyao suppressed a laugh and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Meng Anzhi chewed on a piece of taffy and mumbled, "I was thinking... about what Sister Xiaohua said today, whether she herself feels bitter about it."
Jin Shanyao chuckled, "Did you taste anything bitter in your mouth?"
Meng Anzhi was slightly taken aback. The bitterness of the septum immediately filled her mouth. She quickly bent down and spat it out a few times.
"Auntie, I'm going to empty the walnut shells." She said, picking up the winnowing basket and walking towards the backyard.