At Uncle Li's house at that time, only Cheng You and Old Mrs. Li were present.
Zhao Jianguo rushed in with Zhou Yunru in his arms, like a headless fly, shouting, "Uncle Li! Uncle Li, save me!"
Cheng You ran out from the herbal medicine room, "Uncle Li has gone to another village to see a patient."
Zhao Jianguo was filled with despair. His knees landed on the ground with a thud, and he muttered, "What should we do? What can we do..."
Cheng You also panicked. Although she had followed Uncle Li for some time, she was still a novice when it came to medical treatment.
"Or... Brother Zhao, why don't you put Sister-in-law down first? I... I'll take a look for you."
She felt very uneasy, wondering if this was considered practicing medicine without a license.
Zhao Jianguo could not afford to worry about such things at this moment. He carried Zhou Yunru directly into the room and laid her flat.
Besides Uncle Li, his only other option was to go to the commune's health clinic.
However, the health clinic was still quite a distance away, and Zhou Yunru might not last that long.
Cheng You looked at Zhou Yunru's pale face and the fine sweat on her forehead. She first asked some questions.
"Sister-in-law, where does it hurt? How long has it been hurting, and did you feel anything before?"
Zhou Yunru lifted her clothes and pointed to a spot.
"For the past few days, I've felt a dull ache in my abdomen, but it was very slight, so I didn't pay much attention," she said weakly.
Cheng You was startled. This situation felt somewhat familiar.
She thought carefully. A pregnant woman had come to Uncle Li's a couple of days ago, only two months pregnant, and seemed to have the same symptoms.
"Have you started your period?"
Zhou Yunru looked a bit embarrassed when asked this question directly. She stammered, "I started a few days ago, but it was just a little, and then it stopped."
Ever since her last miscarriage, her menstrual cycle had been very irregular, so she hadn't paid much attention.
Cheng You became even more certain that she was pregnant but showing signs of miscarriage.
This situation was identical to the pregnant woman who had come a few days prior. Uncle Li had even given her acupuncture and told her to rest in bed for a few days.
The problem was, Cheng You didn't know how to perform acupuncture.
After thinking for a while, Cheng You said, "Sister-in-law, please wait a moment. I'll make you some malted milk essence."
Zhao Jianguo looked at her anxiously, his voice urgent, "What malted milk essence? Cheng You, just give her some medicine!"
Cheng You hurriedly turned to get water, "Brother Zhao, I'm not a doctor. How can I prescribe medicine!"
She didn't add much malted milk essence, but she did add two drops of the condensed dew.
"Sister-in-law, have some water first. Don't get too agitated. You'll be fine if you rest."
Zhao Jianguo was furious. "My wife is in so much pain, and you just tell her to rest for a while?"
Cheng You ignored him and gave Zhou Yunru a few sips of water.
Seeing him reach out to stop her again, Cheng You began to lose patience.
"If I say it's fine, it's fine. Otherwise, you can treat her yourself, and I won't bother!"
Zhou Yunru smiled weakly, "Jianguo, I'm fine. Maybe I'll feel better after resting for a while. Don't be too anxious."
Zhao Jianguo, a burly man, had his eyes reddened.
How could he not be anxious?
Cheng You fed Zhou Yunru the malted milk essence spoonful by spoonful, her heart still pounding rapidly.
She herself was unsure if the condensed dew would be effective for Zhou Yunru.
But miraculously, Zhou Yunru's complexion gradually improved.
The pain in her abdomen subsided considerably.
Zhou Yunru smiled, "You know, it actually seems to have helped."
Cheng You let out a sigh of relief, her expression becoming serious. "Brother Zhao, even though Sister-in-law is feeling a bit better, you should still go to the health clinic for a check-up, because Sister-in-law might be pregnant."
"Pregnant!" Zhao Jianguo and Zhou Yunru looked at her in unison.
Cheng You nodded, "But this is just my guess. After all, I'm not a doctor. Sister-in-law's condition might be a sign of miscarriage. After you get checked at the health clinic, you should stay in bed and rest during this period. Avoid any strenuous activity."
The news of a pregnancy alone made their heads spin.
Hearing about a "miscarriage" again almost plunged Zhao Jianguo and his wife into despair.
Their first child had been miscarried, which had become an eternal pain in their hearts.
Furthermore, due to that miscarriage, Zhou Yunru's health had never been good since, making it difficult for her to conceive.
Now, hearing that their second child was also in danger, Zhao Jianguo was close to tears.
"It's my fault! It's all my fault!"
If only they had separated the family sooner...
He knew very well how Wang Hongxia treated Zhou Yunru, but he was too weak to protect his own wife.
Zhou Yunru cried in his arms, "It's not your fault, it's not..."
Cheng You felt a pang of sympathy. She knew a little about the Zhao family's situation.
Everyone in the village knew that a person like Wang Hongxia had tormented her daughter-in-law to the point of miscarriage, though they didn't say it aloud.
Feeling a surge of compassion, she said, "Brother Zhao, in Sister-in-law's current condition, she should not do any work and should rest in bed. But the most important thing is to provide her with a good living environment and allow her to conceive with peace of mind. Her body has been harmed before, and this pregnancy must be well nurtured."
Her words were quite clear, urging him to protect his wife and not let his mother bully her.
Zhou Yunru bit her lip and looked at Cheng You.
Fortunately, she hadn't married into the old Zhao family. Such a kind girl deserved better.
Zhao Jianguo wiped away his tears and nodded. "I understand! Cheng You, I won't forget your kindness. If you ever need anything, come directly to me, and I'll help you in any way I can!"
Cheng You waved her hands repeatedly, "I haven't done much. As long as Sister-in-law and the baby are alright, that's all that matters."
Zhou Yunru also clasped her hand and squeezed it gently, "Cheng You, Sister-in-law thanks you."
Zhao Jianguo carried Zhou Yunru home, putting the matter of family separation aside for the moment.
He told Wang Hongxia about Zhou Yunru's possible pregnancy and asked her for money to go to the health clinic for an examination.
Cheng Tao, however, chuckled, "Perhaps Sister-in-law is afraid of being scolded by Mom, so she's deliberately claiming to be pregnant to avoid a scolding, and then using this opportunity to get money from Big Brother to prepare for the family separation. It's killing two birds with one stone."
When Wang Hongxia heard this, the anger that had subsided flared up again.
"Zhao Jianguo! You're completely infatuated! You've forgotten your mother after marrying a wife. You might as well disown me and sever your mother-son relationship from now on!"
Zhao Jianguo's eyes widened with fury, and he glared fiercely at Cheng Tao.
"What has my wife done to deserve you stirring up trouble like this!"
Zhao Yunlin immediately shielded Cheng Tao behind him. "Big Brother, how can you speak like that! It was you and Sister-in-law who were in the wrong in the first place. Why bring up family separation out of the blue and anger Mom and Dad so much. And now you're lying. Everyone knows Sister-in-law can't get pregnant, but you insist on bringing this up to anger Mom."
Zhao Jianguo's face turned ashen with anger. He was poor at arguing and didn't know how to retort.
But his strong muscles tensed, and his fists clenched, making it almost impossible to control his rage.
"Zhao Yunlin, you are an absolute beast!"
He had given up his chance to go to school, worked hard and earned money to support this younger brother's education.
And this was the result, raising such a person.