"I feel like mom has been off these past few days. That look in her eyes is always so gloomy; it’s quite frightening. Go and find out what’s really going on, will you?"
Gu Lao’er was deep in sleep, lost in a foggy dream. Hearing Huang Xiangwen’s mumbling, he waved his hand as if shooing away a fly and mumbled, "Only your head is full of troubles. Go figure it out yourself."
"Hey, I’m talking serious here. Something’s off with mom." Huang Xiangwen raised her voice and yelled into Gu Lao’er’s ear. Startled by her yell, Gu Lao’er jolted awake instantly and sat up straight, all traces of sleepiness gone.
With his beautiful dream interrupted, Gu Lao’er’s face showed anger as he shouted at Huang Xiangwen, "What’s with you, woman, making noise in the middle of the night? Do you have to wake up the whole family to be satisfied?"
Huang Xiangwen glanced outside and quickly shrank her neck, not wanting to stir up everyone in the house. Mom was already not herself; she didn’t want to add fuel to the fire now.
Yet, she retorted without admitting defeat, "And what’s with you yelling so loudly?"
"Talk if there’s something to talk about; then sleep." Recently, it was the busy harvest season, and Gu Lao’er really had no energy to argue. He still had to go to the fields the next day.
Huang Xiangwen steadied her voice and whispered lowly, "I’m saying mom has been weird these past two days, her eyes look sinister and scary."
Thinking it was some trivial issue, Gu Lao’er said irritably, "Didn’t you know mom went to Jisheng Hall a few days ago? It must be that damned girl who upset her."
Huang Xiangwen, who always understood the Huang family situations well, felt that wasn’t the whole story. She shook her head and said, "No, if it was just being upset by that girl, she would come back, rant about it, and let off some steam. But she’s been quiet, just having that gloomy look; definitely something’s not right."
With Huang Xiangwen’s reminder, it seemed like something was indeed amiss.
Gu Lao’er sat up again.
"So what do you think is wrong with mom?"
Huang Xiangwen said, "How would I know? I’ve been staying at home lately, taking care of Qianqian, not stepping foot outside. You’re often out and about; take some time to keep an eye on mom."
Gu Lao’er found it strange and said in shock, "Isn’t mom with you guys at home every day?"
Hearing Gu Lao’er say this, Huang Xiangwen was even more surprised.
"When is mom ever at home? Doesn’t she go to the fields with you every day?"
"No... No, she doesn’t!"
Both of them finally realized that something was definitely wrong.
If Mrs. Huang wasn’t at home and wasn’t in the fields, then where had she gone?
Where had Mrs. Huang gone? Naturally, she had gone to confirm Gu Youyou’s words.
Just as Gu Youyou had said, pregnant women shouldn’t have such severe vomiting reactions so early on. If Lei Qianqian was indeed pregnant, it most certainly wasn’t with a child from the Gu family.
Seeing that the household’s workers had all gone to toil in the fields, Mrs. Huang, who had been unnervingly silent for days, finally spoke up.
"Qianqian, you’ve been vomiting so badly, how will this do? You’re throwing up everything you eat; you’ll starve my great-grandson. Here’s what we’ll do, after you’ve eaten and are full, come with me. We’ll have the doctor take a look and figure out what can be done to stop the vomiting," she said.
She took note of Lei Qianqian’s face turning noticeably pale.
Humph, something was definitely fishy.
Yet, Huang Xiangwen looked at Mrs. Huang with a peculiar expression on her face.
She was usually so stingy, and now she was taking the initiative to suggest Qianqian see a doctor?
"Grandma, it’s not necessary, right? The vomiting will pass in a few days." Qianqian said, always understanding.
Huang Xiangwen also smiled and said, "There’s no medicine that can stop pregnancy-related vomiting, ah. The doctor can’t help with that either, mom!"