Chapter 194: I Am Pregnant
Su Zhaozhao thought of all the posts she’d scrolled through online. She never imagined something like this would one day happen to her.
But she wasn’t about to be pushed around.
Su Zhaozhao’s gaze swept over the other passengers. They were all enjoying the show.
Some were even trying to persuade her. "Come on, you’re a young woman, and you’re obviously healthy. Climbing up and down is no problem for you, so just give your bunk to this lady."
"Yeah, you’re by yourself, and she has a child with her."
Of course, a few people did speak up for Su Zhaozhao. "But the young woman doesn’t want to. It’s her spot, so it’s hers. You can’t just force her to switch."
Listening to the chattering around her, Su Zhaozhao stroked her belly. "Are you the only one with a child? I have one too, so it’s not convenient for me to be climbing up and down."
She pointed to her flat stomach, telling a bald-faced lie.
Her expression was exceptionally serious, and she met everyone’s gazes without flinching. Because of this, almost everyone believed that Su Zhaozhao was pregnant.
The woman had thought that, by bringing her child along, she could surely find some soft-hearted girl to switch bunks with her.
She hadn’t expected Su Zhaozhao to refuse, let alone claim she was pregnant too.
But she’d already given birth to two children; she could tell what a pregnant woman looked like with a single glance!
This girl in front of her was young and had the air of a maiden, not a mother at all.
"Don’t make up such lies just to keep your spot."
"I’m not!" Su Zhaozhao glared at her. "Leave me alone... I think I’m going to be sick."
As she spoke, Su Zhaozhao suddenly gagged.
The crowd gasped at the sight. The onlookers who had been enjoying the drama began to disperse.
After all, if she really was pregnant, and it seemed to be in the early stages, they couldn’t afford to be responsible if something went wrong.
The woman holding the child froze, then shot a look at Su Zhaozhao before leaving, muttering under her breath.
Su Zhaozhao rolled her eyes as she watched the woman leave. ’Trying to guilt-trip me?’
’If I weren’t so tired, I wouldn’t have pretended to be pregnant.’
Su Zhaozhao lay down on the bunk, pulled the covers over herself, and quickly fell asleep.
She thought it wouldn’t be so easy to fall asleep, but the rocking of the train brought a wave of exhaustion over her.
’It feels like it’s been ages since I’ve traveled this far. Last time was on a hard seat, and I barely got any rest. This time, I’ll probably be able to sleep well.’
At six in the evening, Xie Huaizheng came looking for Su Zhaozhao, carrying the thermal food jar with the meal she had packed that morning.
Since they had eaten late in the morning, they had saved this meal for the evening.
When Xie Huaizheng arrived, he saw Su Zhaozhao lying on the bunk. He couldn’t help but lean in and call to her, "Zhaozhao, time to wake up."
Su Zhaozhao groggily opened her eyes.
The older man in the opposite bunk immediately looked at Xie Huaizheng. "Your wife?"
Xie Huaizheng nodded.
"If you two are traveling together, why aren’t you in the same car? She’s pregnant," he couldn’t help but chide Xie Huaizheng.
Xie Huaizheng: ?
A middle-aged woman sitting on a folding seat in the aisle, cracking sunflower seeds, chimed in, "That’s right. Your wife was nearly bullied just now. She’s newly pregnant, isn’t she? It’s not showing yet. How could you have the heart to leave her in a car all by herself? Are you even a man?"
Xie Huaizheng: ?
He immediately turned to Su Zhaozhao, his gaze sharp as he scanned her up and down.
Xie Huaizheng’s stare gave Su Zhaozhao goosebumps. She quickly covered his mouth and whispered in his ear, "I’ll explain later."
They sat down beside the bunk to eat.
Su Zhaozhao had made stir-fried carrots and pork, scrambled eggs with cucumber, and braised pork ribs that morning.
It was still steaming hot, and the aroma instantly filled the air.
The surrounding passengers couldn’t help but stare, and some couldn’t stop themselves from swallowing.
’It smells so good! So, so good!’
’How can it smell this good?’
Someone who was gnawing on a raw cucumber suddenly felt that the vegetable in their hand had lost all its flavor.
Su Zhaozhao and Xie Huaizheng sat facing each other as they ate. He asked what had happened earlier, and she told him.
Then, she leaned close and whispered in his ear, "To avoid any more trouble, I told them I was pregnant. Just play along, okay?"
Xie Huaizheng faltered. "How could you lie about something like that?"
"Is it really that bad? You didn’t see that woman’s face. She was trying to guilt-trip me. No way was I letting that happen."
Xie Huaizheng’s gaze drifted to Su Zhaozhao’s stomach. "Speaking of which... have we been careful these last few times?"
He only knew that he had been a little... wild.
At his words, Su Zhaozhao couldn’t help but glance down at her own stomach, her mind suddenly filled with thoughts of self-fulfilling prophecies.
’No, no, no, that’s absolutely impossible!’
Su Zhaozhao immediately shot Xie Huaizheng a glare. "Don’t you dare scare me!"
’She wasn’t ready to be a mother just yet.’
A slight smile played on Xie Huaizheng’s thin lips. He reached out and patted Su Zhaozhao’s belly. "Well, after that meal, you look even more pregnant."
Su Zhaozhao glanced down at her stomach. ’Oh, right. I’m pregnant with a baby made of carrots, cucumber, and pork ribs.’
After they finished eating, Xie Huaizheng went to wash the container. He brought it back to her, then sat and chatted for a while before returning to his own car.
After Xie Huaizheng left, the woman who had been cracking seeds immediately spoke to Su Zhaozhao. "Is that your man? He’s quite handsome, you know. Tall and well-built."
People are naturally drawn to beautiful things. Who doesn’t like handsome men and beautiful women?
She had thought Su Zhaozhao herself was pretty, but she hadn’t expected her husband to be so handsome as well.
"He is," Su Zhaozhao said with a smile.
"I’m so envious of you two," the woman said with a smile. "Ah, to be young. It’s truly enviable."
Su Zhaozhao detected a hint of sadness in her tone and replied, "Ma’am, every age has its own charms. You’re wonderful just as you are."
"Is that so?" The woman seemed taken aback for a moment, then she gave Su Zhaozhao a genuine smile.
It was just a small episode, and Su Zhaozhao didn’t dwell on it. She just hoped time would pass more quickly.
Trains in this era weren’t as safe as their modern counterparts; at the very least, there were quite a few petty thieves and pickpockets.
Her sleeper car had fewer people, so it was a bit better. The compartment door would also be locked at night, and there was an attendant on duty.
It was a significant improvement over the noisy hard-sleeper cars she had taken before.
Still, she found herself desperately wishing to get off the train sooner.
But once they reached Jiang City, she would have to part ways with Xie Huaizheng. She was going to her maternal grandparents’ house first.
Xie Huaizheng, on the other hand, had to go on a mission first. At this thought, Su Zhaozhao felt a pang of reluctance.