Old Su glared at Su Xiaofeng, wishing he could whip his unfilial daughter to death. Did she understand what having this child meant?
"You can keep the child if you want, but who is the father? If he dares not marry you, I'll kill him with a hoe."
"Right, who is this man? Where is he from?" Although He Ximei felt somewhat disappointed, she still asked the question.
Su Xiaofeng shook her head: "I don't know."
A breath caught in Old Su's throat as he considered the possibility that Xiaofeng had been forced.
Who was the damned culprit? If he found out, he would definitely hoe them for bullying his daughter.
"Father," Su Xiaofeng called softly, "Dad, please let me keep it. I promise I will earn good money in the future and won't let anyone laugh at our family."
Their family was already the poorest in the village, and now with her unwed pregnancy, the villagers would surely relish in their misfortune.
"Su Xiaofeng." Old Su, holding the bamboo whip, called out to her with an imposing tone, "If you really want to keep this child, it's not... It's not okay." Seeing his daughter acting coquettishly towards him, Old Su's heart softened after all.
He Ximei perked up her ears to listen.
"Dad, you're saying?"
"Go away for a while, and come back after this has blown over." That was the best solution he could think of: to tell others that Xiaofeng had aborted the child and gone to the provincial city to work.
"I don't agree." He Ximei certainly wouldn't agree; she had hopes of having a proper talk with Xiaofeng, and if Xiaofeng agreed to marry Li Family's younger brother...
"Put out the thought of Xiaofeng marrying into the Li Family; I would never agree to it, even in death." Old Su cared about his face and stood firm on this matter.
Hearing Old Su's words, He Ximei felt a blockage in her heart: "I didn't say anything. Old Su, I'll just wait for you to find Pengzi a bride."
Pengzi was not Old Su's biological son, and since Pengzi's real father didn't take care of him, He Ximei couldn't expect Old Su to actually find a wife for Pengzi.
She pressed her temples, realizing that this family's problems were truly abundant.
"Dad, Aunt, my older brother is strong and hardworking. If we had money at home, we could definitely find him a wife. The problem now is that we're too poor, so no one is willing to marry into our family. But if we had money, surely someone would be willing to come, don't you think?" Poverty was the root of all problems. To solve these issues, it boiled down to two words – earning money.
"Nonsense." He Ximei snorted coldly: "Your father has injured his hand; he can't do heavy work, and light work doesn't pay. Now we rely solely on me raising a few pigs for some money. I had hoped to marry you off, perhaps to bring in some money, or to use you to find a match for your brother, but I didn't expect... Alas, now you're pregnant, and our family's life is only going to get tougher."
Pengzi wasn't smart enough; he could help out at home, but going out to earn money was out of the question. Old Su was injured and couldn't do the money-making manual labor, only managing light tasks that earned a pittance each month. What use was that?
A family of four, relying entirely on raising two pigs, was bound to be poor.
"Life will get better over time." Accepting the inevitable, she had come here and was determined to make a life for herself.
"That's easier said than done." Just as He Ximei was about to say more, she suddenly noticed that Xiaofeng seemed different today.
Before, whenever Xiaofeng came home, she wouldn't say a word, which was depressingly frightening.
Su Xiaofeng yawned; just waking up, she had already dealt with a bunch of people, and now she was truly hungry. Ignoring He Ximei's puzzled look, she went to the kitchen on her own: "I'll go make some porridge."
With a wound on her head and pregnant, it was best to have some liquid food to fill her stomach for now.
Watching her enter the kitchen, He Ximei and Old Su exchanged a glance.
"If Xiaofeng wants to keep it, let her keep it. It is her own path she has chosen, and if it becomes difficult, she can't blame me." He had said she should abort, but she wanted to keep it. When the road becomes impassable, she would realize her choice was wrong.
Some paths, once chosen, must be walked to the end, even if they bleed. Old Su wanted to convey this idea to Su Xiaofeng, but found she was already busy in the kitchen.
"You always spoil her." He Ximei pursed her lips.
For an unwed woman wanting to have a child, how could such a path possibly be easy?