9 Cesarean Section Birth Nine

Children are the sole bond between husband and wife.

When Li’s father mentioned the child, he hoped that the Luo family would show some mercy for the child’s sake and not utterly destroy the child’s father. It was not meant as a severance of ties with the Luo family. Seeing the expression and tone on Luo Meiniang’s face when she spoke of sending the child back, there was no reluctance at all—how could he have truly agreed to such words?

“The child carries the blood of the Li family; I cannot bear it...”

Chu Yunli brusquely interrupted him, “The child belongs to Li Hualin. He, as the biological father, showed no mercy to the child. You, as the grandfather, need not worry so much.”

Li’s father was heartbroken and exclaimed, “Meiniang, your words are truly hurtful. You are Hualin’s wife, my daughter-in-law. From the day you married my son, I regarded you as my own daughter. I worry not only that the child might suffer from the mutual harm between parents but also for you!” He implored sincerely, “Look outside—how many children have lost one or both parents? They are despised and grow up with troubled temperaments. Especially your husband and you...”

He clutched his chest, “When I think of this, I can barely eat. Meiniang, for the child’s sake, please stop this.”

Standing nearby, Li Huaping chimed in. Li’s mother, pale and still recovering from fainting, also urged, “You and Hualin have been married for many years; squabbles happen. If you truly cannot live together, you can separate. There’s no need to become mortal enemies and make life unbearable for the child. You are the mother; every mother fears her child cannot grow up well. If Hualin goes to prison, will the child have a father behind bars? Is that a good thing? Remember, if the father is a criminal, the child cannot take the imperial exams. You are pushing your own child into the fire! Meiniang, please wake up!”

Chu Yunli turned her head to look at her: “By your logic, should I just obediently meet death, then?”

Li’s mother was momentarily speechless.

“No one wishes for things to come to this.” Li’s father’s face was grave. “Had I known earlier about Hualin’s despicable deeds, I would have stopped him!”

Chu Yunli did not want to know whether Li’s father could have stopped his son. The events had transpired—Luo Meiniang had died, and Li Hualin owed the Luo family three lives. Such matters could not be wiped away with a few words.

She waved her hand, “If you truly worry about the child, then Li Hualin could plead not guilty.”

If he did not plead guilty, he would not be punished, and thus not a criminal.

The Li family’s eyes brightened. Li’s mother earnestly asked, “Are you willing to forgive?”

Only if the victim does not pursue the matter can the offender have a chance to escape punishment.

Chu Yunli turned to her again: “I already said, if Li Hualin were to die on the executioner’s table, I would no longer hold grudges.”

Li’s mother was silent.

The matter circled back to the start.

If Li Hualin had been willing to die, things would not have escalated to court today.

Li’s father was greatly shaken. After all that had happened, he looked exhausted. Chu Yunli glanced at him and instructed the coachman to send him home first.

The Li family wanted to have a proper conversation with Luo’s father, but before they could approach, the carriage had already driven away. There was nothing to discuss with Luo Meiniang. Rather than waste time there, it was better to return and seek help by other means.

Zhang Yingying had not left either. After the Li family departed, she stepped forward, “Madam, there is nothing between me and the gentleman.”

Chu Yunli straightened her sleeves, prepared to board the carriage without looking back, and said, “You need not say pointless things. If you are truly innocent, the authorities will not wrongly accuse you, and I will apologize to you.”

Seeing this, Zhang Yingying’s heart sank halfway. In ordinary families, a woman sent to prison—even if only for two or three days—would have her reputation ruined. And for her... if she were truly convicted, it would be at least three to five years. Though she might not lose her life, her life afterwards would be miserable, effectively ruined.

After much thought, she decided it was better not to go.

To avoid imprisonment, Luo Meiniang must not press charges.

But Luo Meiniang’s demeanor clearly showed she intended to pursue the matter to the end. Zhang Yingying grew increasingly anxious. As the onlookers dispersed, the gate was almost empty. Gritting her teeth, she knelt down on the ground, “Madam, I was wrong. Please be magnanimous and spare me this once! I will never dare again... I beg you...”

As she spoke, she repeatedly kowtowed to the ground.

Perhaps fearing Chu Yunli wouldn’t forgive her, she kowtowed so forcefully that her forehead turned bruised and purple.

Chu Yunli watched coldly and did not stop her but accepted the gesture calmly. She asked, “Did you know beforehand that Li Hualin would harm me?”

Zhang Yingying was stunned, then quickly shook her head, “I did not know! If you don’t believe me, I can swear by heaven, even by my child. I have many faults, but I would never harm anyone. Had I known, I would have stopped it. If I couldn’t, I would have secretly warned you, truly! Hualin knew my nature well, so he never told me anything, not even a hint. Just two days before your delivery, I was still happily anticipating our life together...”

Realizing her words were ill-chosen, she added, “I heard you had difficulty in childbirth and felt happy then, but I would never have harmed you. Believe me!”

Chu Yunli replied coldly, “Even if you did not know, he harmed me because of you. I barely survived. You bear responsibility too. If you want me to spare you, that is impossible. Stop begging and enjoy your last few carefree days. Soon enough, you will join Li Hualin in prison.” Saying this, her mood lifted somewhat, tilting her head, “I am a person who likes to bring things to a happy ending. Consider this helping you two lovers finally be together. No need to thank me.”

She smiled slightly, waved cheerfully, and boarded the carriage.

Watching the carriage drive away, Zhang Yingying felt her whole body stiffen. After a long moment, she recovered composure and struggled to return to her husband’s rural home.

Along the way, Zhang Yingying was dazed. Only when she stood by the fence and looked at the quiet courtyard at dusk—the very mud and wooden house she once despised—did she long to live here for a lifetime. Lost in thought, tears streamed down her face.

At that moment, a woman carrying a child came out. Seeing Zhang Yingying at the gate, she was startled, then joyous, “Yingying, you’re back?” As she spoke, she hurried to open the door, “Why didn’t you send word before coming? Come inside quickly, don’t stand there foolishly. It’s been days; don’t you want to see the child?”

She brought the child over to Zhang Yingying.

Seeing the innocent child, especially the child’s smiling face, Zhang Yingying’s tears fell harder. She hurried to wipe them away, but the more she wiped, the more tears came, until her entire hand was soaked.

Zhou’s mother noticed something was wrong and asked with concern, “Yingying, what happened? Was your work as a wet nurse in the city not going well? Were you bullied?”

Seeing Zhang Yingying only crying without speaking, she hurriedly asked, “Who bullied you? Tell me clearly. I will help you get justice! Was it your employer?”

She reached out and pulled Zhang Yingying into the yard, “That employer was slick-talking and clearly not a good man. I wanted to advise you back then but feared you would be unhappy...” As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief, “If it’s not working out, we won’t do it. We have a few acres of land at home; we will not starve.”

Zhang Yingying had once despised the dull rural life, but now, that life was a dream beyond reach. She cried even more bitterly.

After comforting her for some time and once her tears subsided, Zhou’s mother tentatively said, “There’s something I want to discuss with you. As for this child, perhaps we shouldn’t adopt him after all?”

Zhang Yingying was speechless.

At this moment, the Li family likely wanted nothing to do with the child and would never come here.

“No adoption.” If she wanted to send him away, she couldn’t.

When Zhang Yingying first found out she was pregnant, she sought out Li Hualin, who promised he would never let the child grow up in a rural home, that he would provide a way out.

Now that he was in trouble himself, those promises were naturally void. Tears welled again in her eyes. “Mother, I have wronged you.”

Zhou’s mother was surprised by her apology. Her daughter-in-law was strong-willed and usually only made others weep for her; she had never seen her so heartbroken. Seeing the tears flowing, Zhou’s mother grew uneasy. “What actually happened?”

Zhang Yingying, too ashamed to admit her affair and the lawsuit by the wife, only said, “Mother, I leave the child in your care from now on.”

Hearing this, Zhou’s mother was even more uneasy. “You want to leave? Where will you go? Yingying, this child is your flesh and blood, the closest person to you in this world. You cannot abandon him.”

“I don’t want to be apart from him either,” Zhang Yingying wept bitterly. “Mother, my life is so hard!”

Her wailing was loud and disruptive. For now, no neighbors had come, but it was only a matter of time.

Zhou’s mother wanted to comfort her but was interrupted as the door to the side room opened. A pale young man appeared, annoyed, “It’s so noisy. If you don’t stop crying, get out... *cough cough cough*...”

He coughed again, growing paler, “I’ve been bedridden for years, taken many medicines. My parents are exhausted caring for me. Sometimes I don’t want to live. If I die, my parents will have an easier life. I don’t want to be a burden, and I won’t tolerate anyone preventing them from living peacefully. You can go wherever you want, but take the child with you. Don’t cry here—it’s bad luck!”

Zhang Yingying had been holding back all day, afraid to offend these people. But with her family, she never held back and despised this sickly man. Seeing him have a coughing fit, her suppressed anger burst forth, and she shouted, “Who gave you the right to despise me?”

“Get out!” Zhou Ning pointed outside. “Take this bastard far away. If you leave him here alone, I’ll strangle him myself. I’ve lived long enough. At worst, I’ll die for him.”

His eyes were fierce. Zhang Yingying recoiled, tripped, and fell, scraping her hand on the dirt, which bled. She cried even harder, “Even you bully me, Zhou Ning, you’re not a man!”

Zhou Ning had often been insulted like this. No man could bear such words, and it caused endless quarrels between them. Though seriously ill and weak in bed, he was already a burden to his parents and did not want to cause them more trouble or gossip. Usually, he was the one who compromised first.

Today, however, he would no longer endure, “No matter who I am, I never hid my intentions when proposing marriage. If you didn’t want it, you could have refused. Since you agreed, you are my wife. But what have you done? You ran off to cheat and even brought back an illegitimate child. Now you want to put this bastard into the Zhou family? Do you really think we are that kind-hearted?”

He waved his hand, “If the child stays here, you’ll be coming to collect his corpse later.”

Zhang Yingying turned pale.

She looked to Zhou’s mother, about to plead, but Zhou Ning spoke first, “Even if my mother loves the child, she can overlook things. There’s too much to do both inside and outside the house; she can’t watch the child every moment.”

That was true.

Zhou’s mother disapproved, glancing at her son.

Zhou Ning ignored her, looking disdainfully at Zhang Yingying, sneering, “You seem quite attached to that scoundrel. Don’t you protect his child? Go beg him... Don’t tell me you’ve already been abandoned by him?”

Zhang Yingying saw the coldness in his eyes and knew he hated the child to his very bones. If possible, he would truly harm the child.

The child could not stay here!

Thinking this, Zhang Yingying staggered to her feet and fled the village without caring about the onlookers.

She hurried nonstop, reaching the city before nightfall, and headed straight to the Li family.

At the Li home, the atmosphere was heavy. Yang Shi despised her brother-in-law Li Hualin, believing he was a drag on the family.

Yang Shi had borne two sons and a daughter; their futures depended on how much wealth the Li father and sons could amass. Now, instead of building wealth, it was being lost. Just thinking about it made her anxious. Li Hualin was like dog excrement on their feet—stinking for sure, but the degree depended on whether anyone bothered to clean the shoes. So even if they wanted to ignore him, they had to deal with him.

“Father, with all due respect, you’ve spoiled the second brother too much. If he hadn’t been allowed to marry in and been kept under your watchful eye, none of this would have happened.”

Li’s father was frustrated, unable to find a way to plead for mercy, and unwilling to argue with his daughter-in-law. Li’s mother, however, was different. No matter how reckless her son was, she would never let others blame him and snapped angrily, “You didn’t stop him from marrying in back then. Also, you encouraged this! Don’t spout nonsense here.”

Marrying a son into the family was something only poor families did. The Li family could afford to raise their sons and would never have agreed to such an outrageous matter. Li’s mother never consented to this and could only reluctantly accept it because everyone else agreed. Even though her son lived well in the Luo household, she always felt he suffered there. Now, with a death on his hands, seeing her son’s life ruined, how could she not hate?

She hated the Luo father and daughter for being unrelenting, hated her son and eldest brother for allowing the marriage, and hated the eldest daughter-in-law who facilitated it. Growing angrier, she said, “They say an unvirtuous wife brings disaster for three generations. I think you are that unvirtuous one—blind for silver, forgetting kin, bringing ruin to the Li family... I was truly blind to marry you to Huaping.”

Yang Shi’s eyes reddened. When daughter-in-law and mother-in-law argued, it was unfilial; once her mouth opened, she lost. She quietly tugged on Li Huaping’s sleeve.

Li Huaping sighed helplessly, “Mother, let’s not dwell on the past. The marriage was an opportunity for Hualin. He lived well these years. When Uncle Luo is gone, he will be the head of household, with more property than the eldest son. That’s a good thing. It’s Hualin’s greed that caused problems. This cannot be blamed on the child’s mother. Hualin was spoiled by you all and acted recklessly, even daring to commit murder.”

“You still defend your brother despite all this? Do you have a heart?” Li’s mother scolded.

Li Huaping said no more. Talking to his mother was pointless—if you reasoned, she spoke of family; if you spoke of family, she changed the subject. In the end, it was always his fault.

At that moment, Zhang Yingying arrived.

Hearing the steward say she had come, the people inside exchanged glances. Li’s mother hated everyone who caused her son’s imprisonment, including Zhang Yingying. She immediately became furious, “If not for her, Hualin wouldn’t have killed anyone. She’s a temptress...”

Growing louder in anger but unwilling to let her go, Li’s mother changed her tone, “Let her in. Today, I must ask her how she seduced Hualin.”

Since she had come crying to the door, refusing to let her in could cause a scene. Li’s father did not stop it. Soon, Zhang Yingying entered. Facing the sharp eyes of the Li family, her legs gave way and she knelt, “Please save the child. Zhou Ning wants to kill him. If left there, he will die... He carries Hualin’s blood. You cannot ignore him.”

Before Li’s father could speak, Yang Shi said, “You are Zhou’s wife but claim the child belongs to Li’s family? Where’s the proof? I never agreed to adopt the child before. Back then, Hualin was not in trouble, and one more mouth wouldn’t matter. Now, with all the scandal, the Li family will not accept a child of a disgraced father.” She glanced at the couple, “This child cannot be accepted!”

Yang Shi’s own children were grown; she was assertive and unafraid to offend the elders, often blunt in recent years.

Zhang Yingying panicked, “He really is Hualin’s child. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Hualin.”

Yang Shi retorted, “Raising a child is nothing compared to murder. Hualin killed for you; raising the child is no problem. Our family’s downfall is because of you. How dare you come here?”

Her words stoked Li’s mother’s fury further. Finding insults insufficient, she lunged and grabbed Zhang Yingying’s hair, beginning to scratch fiercely.

The room filled with Zhang Yingying’s screams and pleas.

The sky darkened; the chilling sounds were interrupted by the steward announcing, “Second Young Mistress has arrived.”

Li Hualin was called “son-in-law” by the Luo family but was the second young master in the Li household. Luo Meiniang was the second young mistress.

Everyone was stunned. Li’s father hurriedly said, “Invite her in quickly.”

Her arrival surely meant something to discuss, likely involving Li Hualin. Having room to negotiate was good.

They said first meetings bring some goodwill; with appeals to emotion and reason, they might persuade her to withdraw the lawsuit... or at least spare their son’s life.

Chu Yunli was in a good mood today. She had secretly dispatched someone to watch the Li family. Hearing Zhang Yingying had come, she arrived immediately. Entering the room, she saw Zhang Yingying tearful and the Li family earnest. Smiling, she said, “What a lively scene! Am I disturbing you?”

“No,” despite Li’s mother having just verbally abused Luo Meiniang, facing her former daughter-in-law, she showed no hatred and even smiled, “This woman was troubling us, and I was just about to kick her out... Meiniang, you’re frail. If there’s anything, just send someone. We can discuss it without you coming all this way.”

Chu Yunli waved her hand, “Nothing serious. I just heard Zhang Yingying arrived crying and wanted to see why. As a woman, if Li Hualin killed me for her, she must be more important to him than I am. One must learn throughout life. I came to gain some insight.”

She tilted her head, looking at the dodging eyes of Zhang Yingying, and sighed, “This tear-streaked face is truly pitiable. I don’t think I can learn from it. This visit was in vain.”

Zhang Yingying, hearing her sarcasm, dared not lose her temper. She insisted, “I really didn’t mean to harm you. It was all Li Hualin’s doing!” At this, she burst into tears, “I never felt his affection was so deep, nor did I expect him to kill for me. Had I known his nature, I would never have gotten involved with him...”

Such a heavy burden of emotion was unbearable.

Chu Yunli raised an eyebrow, “When you met him, did you not know he was married?”

Zhang Yingying’s crying halted, “I knew, but I never expected him to kill his wife for me!”

Chu Yunli pressed further, “Did you ever want to marry him? Did you show him you wished to be his wife?”

Zhang Yingying was silent.

Li Hualin was the wealthiest man she knew. She sought a comfortable life; being his wife meant prosperity. Could she not have thought that?

Chu Yunli scoffed, “So you did think about it. He must have done it to fulfill your wishes. You sowed the seeds; now you must reap the fruit. Why keep denying it?”

Zhang Yingying was speechless.