The water was heated, and he cooled it with his breath before serving it to Zhan Jingchun.
Miss Zhan wasn't thirsty at all and only took a sip before refusing to drink more.
"I need to go to the toilet."
It was already completely dark outside. Peng Fei held up a torch and helped her to go outside to relieve herself.
Zhan Jingchun didn't really need to go to the toilet; she just wanted to torment him, to make him unhappy. She squatted on the ground for a long time.
"You're watching me, and I can't go."
It wasn't the first time he had seen her like this, so why couldn't she go today?
Peng Fei wanted to ask, but he didn't dare to provoke her, so he took a step back towards the house.
"Is this okay?"
His constant yielding made her every outburst feel like a punch landing on cotton, unable to vent her anger, which made her feel uncomfortable.
Zhan Jingchun would rather he argued with her, at least then he could make things clear. Who was he trying to make feel wronged?
She disliked him even more!
She pulled up her pants and stood up, walking furiously into the woods.
"I don't want to see you. As soon as I see you, I feel uncomfortable everywhere! Wait here, I'm going further in!"
This time, Peng Fei couldn't just let her be.
The woods were deep, and the dew was heavy at night, which was when snakes and insects liked to come out.
She was delicate and precious; what if something bit her...
Peng Fei wanted to follow, but Zhan Jingchun turned back and yelled at him forcefully.
"Don't follow me, aren't you annoyed? It's so dark, and I'm only going to the toilet. Can I still run away? If you follow me again, I'll jump off!"
He didn't know why she was throwing such an inexplicable tantrum, but he knew that acting like this was bad for the child and bad for her health. He was so scared that he didn't dare to move.
"Alright, alright, I won't follow. I'll wait for you here. Don't go too far. The woods are deep, be careful of snakes."
It would be good if there were snakes!
Zhan Jingchun walked quickly, angrily thinking: If more snakes, a few big pythons, came and bit me to death, I wouldn't be able to live like this ghost day anymore!
Her anger surged. She walked quickly, pushing aside branches on both sides with her hands and kicking at the weeds under her feet.
As she kicked, she bumped into something sharp, and a sharp pain shot up her leg.
It felt like being pricked by a poisoned needle. After the sharp sting, the pain immediately spread upwards to her calf, making her feel like she couldn't move.
She had said she wanted to die, but when she truly encountered trouble, her first thought was of Peng Fei.
Her leg was too painful to stand on. Before she fell, she let out a yell.
"Peng Fei!"
Hearing her scream, Peng Fei rushed inside.
He had only run a few steps when he saw a mottled snake slither past his feet.
He guessed what had happened almost instantly.
Without taking the time to find Zhan Jingchun first, he chased after the snake.
Zhan Jingchun lay alone in the grass. It took Peng Fei several minutes to return and pick her up.
Her entire right leg was numb, and her heart was pounding wildly. Her first thought was of the child.
What if she had been bitten by something? If she were poisoned, would the child be alright?
Her mind was a mess of emotions.
After all, it was her first child, and she had been with it daily for two months. It would be false to say she had no feelings for it.
But then she thought, perhaps it was for the best if she couldn't keep it. In such a world, its arrival would only bring more trouble.
Lost in thought, Peng Fei carried her back to the room.
He placed her on the bed and, without a word, tore at her pant leg.
The snake had already been caught, killed, and thrown aside. Fang Fang, knowing what had happened, watched nervously from the side.
Peng Fei tore open her pant leg, found the bite mark, and immediately began sucking the blood.
But it wasn't like in the movies, where you could suck out a lot of blood.
Just a little bit, and her leg was already badly bruised.
Peng Fei knew how potent this snake's venom was. They couldn't stay there tonight. He took her clothes, grabbed Zhan Jingchun, and put her on his back. He left everything else behind and ordered Fang Fang.
"Take this, and hurry!"
After a few hours of travel, before anything else could be settled, his sister-in-law had been severely injured.
Fang Fang could anticipate the storm that would follow, but even if the sky fell, they would have to endure it.
She didn't want her sister-in-law to be in danger.
Holding the torch, she cleared the path ahead unevenly, just as she had when they arrived.
Peng Fei ran with Zhan Jingchun on his back.
Branches constantly slapped against him, catching in his hair and on his face.
Zhan Jingchun couldn't feel his pain, but she could hear his pounding heart like a drum and feel the sweat dripping from his back.
Her anger finally subsided.
She really enjoyed watching him suffer; she relished the taste of revenge.
It seemed to be very serious; it had even scared Peng Fei so much.
She even thought maliciously: What would Peng Fei do if both she and the child couldn't be saved? Losing his wife and soldiers, would he be so angry he died?
Her consciousness grew increasingly hazy. She didn't know what Peng Fei would do, but she knew that no matter what happened, he deserved it.
This was karma.
Zhan Jingchun didn't know when she returned home or what happened afterward.
When she woke up again, it was already dawn.
Peng Fei wasn't in the room. She could only hear Peng's mother working in the yard while cursing her loudly.
She had a strong constitution, having survived. She was back in this ghost town, endlessly enduring veiled insults.
Zhan Jingchun sneered at fate's trickery and wanted to check her wound.
As soon as she moved, she felt a warmth beneath her.
What was happening? She was bleeding?
This sensation felt so familiar.
She couldn't get up and wanted to know what had happened, so she called for Peng Fei.
As soon as she opened her mouth, she realized how weak she was; she didn't have the strength to shout.
But even so, Peng Fei, who was guarding the door, heard the movement immediately and rushed in.
Seeing that she had finally woken up, although her face was pale, her eyes were still bright. His nose twitched, and he almost shed tears.
"Chun Chun, you're awake? How are you, does it still hurt?"
Zhan Jingchun didn't feel pain, only discomfort.
"I think I'm bleeding..."
Peng Fei understood from her expression where she was referring to. He paused.
"I know. Mom helped put something there... Should it be changed? I'll get you paper."
What did she mean?
Helped put something there, and he would get paper?
She shouldn't have been bleeding.
Zhan Jingchun stopped him.
"What happened to me? Is the child gone?"
Her question pierced Peng Fei's heart with pain.
Zhan Jingchun had been lying down for two days. She had been poisoned and was severely injured, needing medicine.
But once she took that medicine, the child couldn't be saved; it was gone two days ago.
For the past two days, his mother had been cursing daily.
She cursed her as a jinx, a bringer of misfortune, saying they should never have bought her. She cursed Peng Fei for being useless, for taking her out, for treating her well. Ever since she came into the house, nothing had gone smoothly.
Peng Fei also felt distressed.
He didn't know what was wrong with him; compared to others, his life was so much harder.
But he still didn't want his mother to curse her and hurt her. He would rather argue with his mother than let her suffer. He stayed by her side daily.
"Your health is more important. You can have another child later. Don't be sad. I'll go get the paper."