Zhi Xia held the child leaning on the car seat. As the car slowly moved, she seemed to see two familiar figures through the window.
The man looked somewhat hunched. Although he was only in his forties, his hair was already half white.
The woman he supported was gaunt and feeble. Her once gentle and beautiful face was so emaciated that her cheekbones protruded. The bright eyes also showed a sickly and turbid state.
These two people were none other than Liang Zhiwei and Zhao Jingyun, who had not seen each other for a long time.
If nothing unexpected happened, Zhao Jingyun's life was nearing its end, while Liang Zhiwei had been paying the price for what he had done before, immersed in regret for the rest of his life.
Illness and remorse would accompany the rest of his life.
They walked into the hospital. As the car moved, Zhi Xia's line of sight was also blocked outside.
Back home, Old Pei was still very surprised. "Why did you come back so soon? I was just discussing with your grandfather to go to the hospital to see you in a while."
"It's better to recuperate at home than in the hospital, and it's more convenient." At home, Sister Zhang can help take care of her, and her grandparents next door are also close by in case anything happens.
"That's true." Old Pei waited for Pei Jing to take the child out before taking the child from his hands, affectionately calling the lovely grandchild.
The triplets were one year and two months old, having just learned to walk steadily. Hearing the sound of the car, they came out of the room with their elder brother and sister, swaying like a group of ducklings.
Guo Momo also came out of the living room with her bulging belly, smiling to reveal a mouthful of white teeth. "Little sister-in-law, you're back. I was just saying I wanted to go to the hospital with grandpa to see you, now I don't have to run there, that saves us some trouble."
She and Pei JianGuo also had their own family. She had tried to coax her father-in-law to get her a job, whether it was a formal or temporary position, at least it would give her something to do and save some money.
But Wang Yue still refused to accept her. She held the money firmly in her own hands. Pei Jianguo felt that he had become an adult after getting married, and he was also unwilling to accept handouts from his father-in-law. The two of them had been able to survive until now thanks to the betrothal gifts she had secretly kept for herself, without letting her own family know.
Although Pei JianGuo also had a salary, he had been spending money liberally. He didn't bring anything with him from his previous home, so he had to buy new clothes and everything else from scratch. There was a big difference between one person spending money versus two people spending.
Life was not easy for Guo Momo either.
In winter, seeing her wearing thin clothes, Zhi Xia gave her two cotton-padded jackets.
She had grown up wearing her siblings’ hand-me-downs. Compared to those, what Zhi Xia gave her were at least 80 percent new. There was even a new one that didn’t fit anymore because of her growing belly, so Zhi Xia just gave it to her. She was overjoyed.
She didn’t know that Zhi Xia was afraid that she would feel embarrassed about wearing second-hand clothes. If not for that, there was no way she would go out of her way to do something like this a second time.
Fortunately, compared to the past, Guo Momo felt that life now still held promise.
"You're also pregnant. It's best not to run around. Just take care of yourself." Under the public gaze, Zhi Xia rejected Pei Jing's attempt to carry her. She supported him carefully as they walked back into the room.
The quilts on the bed were fluffy and still warm from the blazing sun.
Old Pei looked at Little Six for a while. Newborns were the cutest. But the other slightly older children were making too much noise. Afraid it would disturb Zhi Xia’s rest, he reluctantly put Little Six down to lead the other mischievous grandchildren out.
Now that the children could walk, it did have its advantages. Whenever Old Pei had nothing to do, he enjoyed showing off his grandchildren to others. He would walk in front with a line of ducklings behind him, proudly soaking in the envious gazes of onlookers.
Guo Momo came here very often, at least twice a week. Sometimes she would stay for dinner.
Knowing Zhi Xia was always aloof with her, she also kept her distance and only occasionally chatted casually. But she talked with Old Pei very frequently, doing even better than Zhi Xia in that regard.
Seeing Old Pei take the children out, Guo Momo tactfully left so as not to intrude on the couple.
Pei Jing's brow furrowed slightly. “Does she come here every day?” Because the few times he came back, it seemed he had seen Guo Momo around.
"Not every day. She comes about twice a week to accompany my dad in conversation." Zhi Xia sighed helplessly. "I feel she's also had it quite hard. Wang Yue still refuses to accept her. And now pregnant, your nephew doesn't seem very considerate either."
"What's wrong with Pei Jianguo now?" He reflexively felt that Pei Jianguo must have done something again. After all, he had those memories for context.
"I don't pay attention to or deliberately understand their matters. But your nephew always dresses sharply whenever he comes over. Wang Yue didn't let him take anything away, so they could only buy everything new from scratch. That's understandable. But last winter, Guo Momo didn’t even have a thick piece of clothing. When it got cold, Dad gave her fabric tickets to buy cloth. I also gave her two cotton-padded jackets before she barely got by. Now almost five or six months pregnant, the clothes she's wearing were made before she conceived. I estimate she won't be able to wear them much longer."
Pei Jing didn't say anything more, but from his expression, it seemed he had taken this matter to heart.
He also didn't tell Zhi Xia that he immediately called Pei Yong afterwards.
This was the first time Pei Yong looked for Wang Yue after the divorce. He blew up at them. Pei Jianguo didn't get spared either.
Perhaps because he was not close with his son, he seldom talked about anything. He would often ask if his son needed anything after the difficult marriage. But Pei Jianguo declined each time. Pei Yong thought he had matured and become sensible after getting married.
But who knew that while Pei Jianguo didn't lack anything himself, he failed to see his wife's plight.
Moreover, Guo Momo had coerced him into marriage in the first place. She was weak in front of him and didn't dare make any requests. On the contrary, she made all kinds of excuses for him.
After getting scolded over the phone, Pei Jianguo came home gloomily.
Guo Momo had also returned from Old Pei’s place, carrying a string of fried dough twists.
Old Pei had bought them that afternoon when he took the children out. He deliberately set some aside for her.
"You're back from work? I went to grandpa's today. My sister-in-law gave birth to another son. The little guy looks pretty cute. Grandpa bought fried dough twists and told me to bring some back. I got held up a bit on the way and haven't had the chance to make dinner yet. What do you want to eat?"
Seeing her return happily, Pei Jianguo would normally share about his day. But after the scolding today, his face was not good.
"Did you complain to my dad?" Pei Jianguo thought, his father hadn't been back in a while, how would he know about his matters? "Momo, if you lack anything, just tell me. No need to look for my dad."
