Ch 137: No Pain, No Gain?
After the ceremony ended, Xiao Qiang changed into a qipao with a bright red base and a gold-threaded phoenix design. Her abdomen was slightly swollen, but this didn’t detract from the alluring beauty the qipao displayed on her tall figure.
Mu Yang wore a white suit today, impeccably clean. Whether it was due to lifts in his shoes or not, he seemed taller today.
By the time he reached their table, he had already drunk quite a bit of alcohol. The bride and groom were both slightly tipsy. The bridesmaids and groomsmen followed behind, one carrying a wine pot, the other a wine glass, with the photographer bringing up the rear.
Xiao Qiang reached out to Xiao Yao, her cheeks flushed, a smile full of happiness. “Let’s take a picture together?”
Xiao Yao readily stood up and came to Xiao Qiang’s side. She wore a white one-piece dress today, her recently cut shoulder-length hair falling over her shoulders, with light makeup. Although her beauty surpassed the bride’s, her simple attire was overshadowed by the bride’s vibrant red qipao.
Xiao Yao was well aware of the hierarchy, and even more aware of how competitive Xiao Qiang was. If she dressed in a way that overshadowed Xiao Qiang today, causing her to lose face, she feared their sisterhood would be ruined, and Xiao Qiang would resent her for life.
It was precisely because of this that Xiao Qiang, understanding Xiao Yao’s deliberate choice of attire, happily invited her to take a photo together.
After the two sisters took a picture together, Zhuang Lingyun and Mu Yang each took a picture with their wives, resulting in a group photo of four.
Mu Yang received two freshly poured glasses of wine from the groomsman, handing one to Zhuang Lingyun and keeping one for himself. He said, “Xiao Qiang can’t drink, please forgive me. I offer this toast to you.”
Zhuang Lingyun smiled indifferently, tilted his glass to clink with Mu Yang’s, and drank it down. Zhuang Lingyun thought the two would move on to the next group, and was about to pull Xiao Yao back to their seats, but unexpectedly Mu Yang offered another glass of wine to Xiao Yao.
“This one, I offer to you on behalf of Xiao Qiang. I wish you… I wish you all the best… increasingly…” His words trailed off, his gaze at Xiao Yao revealing he was somewhat intoxicated, but not to the point of slurring his speech.
Yet, facing Xiao Yao, he suddenly found himself at a loss for words. The guests at the table were originally watching them, and Mu Yang’s hesitation inevitably piqued their curiosity and drew more attention.
Some might suspect that Mu Yang found the girl attractive and was captivated by her; or that there was something between them. Otherwise, why would the groom offer a toast and then give well wishes to a guest?
Wasn’t that reversed? This would make Xiao Qiang lose face.
Zhuang Lingyun wouldn’t feel comfortable either.
Fortunately, Mu Yang’s pause wasn’t long. He then continued, as if his tongue were tied, “…a happy marriage and a harmonious family!”
Xiao Yao, who had been anxious, felt relieved after hearing the latter part of his toast, and smiled, not daring to look at Xiao Qiang. Xiao Yao returned the toast, “I also wish you both a happy marriage, many children, and a happy family.”
She was about to drink along with Mu Yang’s rhythm when a hand suddenly snatched the glass from her lips. “You can’t drink either, forgot?”
Xiao Yao’s heart skipped a beat, and she nodded repeatedly. This interruption reminded her of a major taboo. She was currently taking the Chinese medicine prescribed by Old Madam Ju, which prohibited alcohol; she couldn’t touch even a drop, and couldn’t consume any food or facial products containing alcohol.
Thankfully, Zhuang Lingyun reminded her. Xiao Yao quickly said, “I forgot, then you drink it for me.”
Zhuang Lingyun glanced at her, gave a faint “Mm,” looked at Mu Yang, didn’t clink glasses this time, but drank the entire glass down, handed the empty glass over, and then pulled Xiao Yao back to their seats.
Xiao Qiang maintained a smile throughout. When leaving, she patted Xiao Yao’s shoulder. Although she didn’t say a word, Xiao Yao felt a chilling sensation down her spine.
Mu Yang also knew he had acted inappropriately. Although he quickly recovered, outsiders couldn’t see anything amiss, but Xiao Qiang probably wouldn’t be happy.
To be fair, he had indeed let go of his obsession with Xiao Yao, but isn’t there a saying: What you can’t have is always the best.
Although he had let go, the memory still remained in his heart. When he didn’t see her, everything was fine. But upon seeing her, he couldn’t help but reminisce and feel regret.
But that wasn’t love, merely a memory.
The person he would spend the rest of his life with was Xiao Qiang. He had promised to be with her, and he had taken the initiative to take responsibility and marry her home. Therefore, Mu Yang had never considered abandoning her. Since his wife was angry, he naturally had to appease her.
After a round of toasts, while Xiao Qiang went to the restroom, he cornered her in the women’s restroom and “sincerely” confessed and apologized to his wife.
——
After the banquet, Xiao Yao drove, taking Zhuang Lingyun, who had drunk two glasses of wine, to pick up Yan Nian from his dance class. They had an appointment with the cardiology professor at the Provincial Hospital for an afternoon consultation and couldn’t be late.
The timing was perfect. Xiao Yao parked in front of the dance academy, Yan Nian just finished his class, and they picked up the lovely little one and headed straight to the Provincial Hospital.
Professor Zhang Shu was a cardiology professor, under fifty years old, with over thirty years of extensive clinical experience, specializing in difficult and complicated cases. The number of awards and honors he had received was countless, he was extremely famous domestically, and getting an appointment with him was incredibly difficult.
Even through a friend’s connection, it took a week for their young Yan Nian to get an appointment, so they absolutely could not be late.
Fortunately, the traffic was clear, and they arrived half an hour early.
After the child was sent in for examination, Yan Nian was well-behaved and cooperative, neither crying nor making a fuss. Professor Zhang did not disappoint, giving a definite answer—he could cure this illness.
This was undoubtedly great news. Xiao Yao was so moved that she almost cried. Young Yan Nian, while still young, vaguely understood something and was also happy, unaware of the pain of the surgery and the suffering that would follow.
But Xiao Yao believed that as long as they got through this, their hardships would turn into happiness, and their family could be together happily.
——
Bai Yujing returned to New Zealand before early winter arrived. However, Old Madam Ju, who had been tricked into coming with her, stayed at Xiao Yao’s opposite building. Not only that, Old Madam Ju’s son, daughter-in-law, and three young grandsons were also brought over to live together.
The young couple Sang Jia, who originally lived there, moved away, their new location unknown.
Zhuang Lingyun mentioned that Bai Yujing had given the villa to Old Madam Ju as a down payment. All subsequent medicinal costs would be provided by Zhuang Lingyun, and he would also pay her a monthly fee.
If things went well, there would be a generous final payment. The exact amount of the final payment was unclear, but with a villa worth tens of millions as a down payment, the final payment wouldn’t be small either.
Xiao Yao found it painful to even think about it. Bai Yujing had really gone all out, showing her determination to cure her problematic belly.
Time flew, and two months passed.
Xiao Yao swallowed handfuls of pills every day, like chewing wax, difficult to swallow. Her stomach showed no reaction, but her libido increased significantly, with a 『insatiable』 feeling.
Xiao Yao even suspected that aphrodisiacs were added to the medicine. Zhuang Lingyun had angrily gone to confront Old Madam Ju.
But Old Madam Ju ignored him, only saying, 『No effort, no harvest?』
Xiao Yao enjoyed it, but Zhuang Lingyun really couldn’t keep up. He couldn’t bear to refuse, and as a result, he lost a lot of weight in a short time.
He could only catch a break for a few days when Xiao Yao had her menstruation.
This time, he finally experienced the feeling of Xiao Yao’s helplessness, a bittersweet happiness.
Towards the end of the year, her usually punctual menstruation was suddenly delayed for a week.
The couple, who were closely monitoring this aspect, eagerly bought a bunch of pregnancy tests and put them in the bathroom, testing morning, noon, and night, determined not to give up until they saw two red lines.
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