She rose slowly and walked toward the courtyard, where she could hear the voices of her mother, her elder brothers, and her father's second wife. They were all talking at once, their words tangled and heavy, because every one of them was shaken by the terrible news that had just reached them.
Her own heart had not been at ease for days. She was already overwhelmed by worry over her husband, who was lying in the hospital after a serious accident two nights earlier. He had been returning from his younger brother's wedding when it happened.
It was as though her ears were suddenly pulled toward the words of her eldest brother, 𝐋𝐞𝐞. She heard him speaking, but she could not fully understand what he was saying. She needed to hear it clearly.
She reached the doorway, pulled aside the curtain, and stepped out, staring at them one after the other. Her eyes were pale and sunken from days of anxiety and sleeplessness.
They were all staring back at her as well. Every face was filled with grief and pity. A woman losing her husband at such a young age was heartbreaking...especially with a child already growing inside her.
She looked at her mother and saw how she lowered her head, tears threatening to fall, unable to meet her daughter's eyes. She then turned directly to her father's second wife and asked,
"𝐴𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦, 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑙𝑜𝑜𝑘 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?
𝐼𝑠 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡?
𝑊ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑?"
She turned to her brothers who stood silently before her.
"𝐿𝑒𝑒 𝐺𝑒𝑔𝑒, 𝐊𝐚𝐢 𝐺𝑒𝑔𝑒…
𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑒𝑡 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?
𝐼𝑠 𝐙𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮 𝑢𝑛𝑤𝑒𝑙𝑙 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛?"
Kai took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and looked at her with the restrained sorrow of a man trying to stay strong. He said quietly,
"𝐉𝐢𝐞𝐝𝐢… 𝑎𝑓𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙, 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐥𝐢 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦."
He did not even finish the sentence before she turned sharply to look at him, her face filled with disbelief and dread. Her voice trembled as she said,
"𝐼 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙𝑦.
𝐼 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑐𝑎𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛.
𝐴𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑒 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑? 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑛𝑜𝑤? 𝑁𝑜𝑤?"
Aunty quickly held her with compassion and said,
"𝐽𝑖𝑒𝑑𝑖, 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑡ℎ 𝑖𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑗𝑜𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑡."
Her eyes turned red as tears struggled to fall, but stubbornness held them back. She cut Aunty off, saying,
"𝐴𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦, 𝐼 𝑙𝑒𝑓𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑠𝑙𝑒𝑒𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔.
𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑠 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑦.
𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑...𝑑𝑒𝑎𝑑 𝑚𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟. 𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑚 𝐼 𝑠𝑢𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑝𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠?"
Kai raised his voice slightly, firm but pained.
"𝐽𝑖𝑒𝑑𝑖, 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠.𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑤𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑡𝑜𝑙𝑑 𝑆𝑎𝑛𝑙𝑖 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑝𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑤𝑎𝑦, 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑤 ℎ𝑖𝑚 𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑙𝑖𝑒𝑟.
𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑒𝑑.𝑆𝑎𝑛𝑙𝑖 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑛𝑒. 𝐻𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑛𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟 𝑤𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛."
She stared at his mouth as it moved, her head spinning. Her heart slammed violently against her chest as though it would burst out. She looked at her mother and saw the truth written clearly on her face. She looked back at Kai and saw the same certainty.
She swallowed hard, her throat burning. Without a word, she turned and rushed into her mother's room. She grabbed the long coat she had removed earlier and slipped it on.
She didn't take her phone or money. She shoved her feet into slippers...one hers, one her mother's...without noticing, and hurried toward the door. She wasn't aware of where she stepped. All she wanted was to reach the hospital.
Aunty quickly grabbed her scarf and followed, calling her name. Her mother turned to Lee and said,
"𝐹𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦. 𝐼 𝑑𝑜𝑢𝑏𝑡 𝑒𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑚 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑦."
Lee ran after them. When he caught up on the road, he quickly handed Aunty some money.
"𝐻𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑎 𝑡𝑎𝑥𝑖, 𝐴𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦.
𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑐ℎ her 𝑐𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑒𝑙𝑦.
𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑟𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑡𝑎𝑙. 𝑇𝑒𝑙𝑙 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑦 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑛𝑔."
Aunty hurried to Jiedi, who was walking fast without awareness. She held her hand tightly, calling her name. A taxi appeared in front of them, and they immediately got in. Aunty told the driver the hospital name.
Jiedi's body trembled uncontrollably. Her hands and legs shook nonstop.
The moment they arrived at the hospital, Jiedi jumped out of the car before it fully stopped and rushed toward the emergency ward where Sanli had been. From a distance, Sanli's relatives...men and women...saw her approaching in distress, barely aware of her surroundings. Their own grief deepened at the sight of her, and many of them burst into fresh tears for their lost loved one.
As she drew closer, she scanned their faces one by one. When she saw Sanli's mother crying uncontrollably, half her strength drained away. She ran into the room and rushed to his bed...only to find his lifeless body covered with the bedsheet she had brought for him that very morning.
She looked at his tall frame, his outstretched hands, unable to believe it. She reached out, pulled back the sheet, and came face to face with his calm, handsome features.
Her heart struck violently without warning. Her eyes closed as she began to collapse. Aunty quickly caught her, calling her name, but Jiedi could not hear her. She was slipping into unconsciousness. Sanli's mother rushed forward, crying,
"𝑇𝑎𝑘𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟 ℎ𝑜𝑚𝑒. 𝐷𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑜 𝑎 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑠𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛...𝑠ℎ𝑒'𝑠 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑔𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑡."
Jiedi struggled weakly. She could not imagine leaving Sanli's body behind. But she had no strength to resist or speak. Her lips were sealed, as though glued together.
Still staring at her husband's body, she was gently pulled away and taken outside. She was placed into a taxi with Aunty and Sanli's younger sister, and they headed to Sanli's family home.
When they arrived, she barely made it into the courtyard before her body gave way. She collapsed to the ground, blood running down her legs.
Panic erupted.
They rushed to lift her and carried her into Sanli's mother's room, while Aunty screamed her name in fear and desperation.
She was bleeding heavily...so much that it was clear beyond doubt that she had lost the pregnancy. There was no attempt to rush her back to the hospital. Aunty and an elderly woman from the family helped her until the bleeding finally stopped and she was somewhat cleaned up.
The loud wailing that suddenly filled the house confirmed the arrival of Sanli's body. The moment Jiedi heard the cries, she shut her eyes in unbearable pain. Whatever remained inside her body go away completely, and a deep, broken cry...raw and full of agony...burst from her chest.
Aunty, who was beside her, moved closer and held her with compassion as she heard the depth of her sobbing.
Jiedi cried uncontrollably, her heart torn apart by the loss of her husband...the father of her child...and the pregnancy she had carried with so much hope.
So they were meant to leave this world together. That was why Sanli had loved the unborn child so deeply...it was meant to accompany him on his final journey.
She paid no attention to her own condition. With difficulty, she forced herself to stand and made her way into Sanli's mother's bathroom. Her hands and legs shook violently as she washed herself, barely able to remain standing.
When she came out, she took the shawl Aunty offered her and wrapped it around herself. A sudden wave of dizziness and severe abdominal pain bent her nearly double, but she refused to sit. She walked straight into the courtyard, still wearing her coat, hearing the echoes of Sanli's relatives crying throughout the house.
She went to the room where his body had been laid out for washing. She collapsed in front of him and began to cry again, calling his name over and over in a broken voice.
No matter how much they tried to pull her away, they failed. Her grief was overwhelming...her heart burning with the pain of losing the man she loved deeply. Now he had left her behind in a harsh world where everyone looked out only for themselves.
𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝, 𝐙𝐮𝐥𝐨𝐮? She knew there was no one in either family who would truly stand up for him the way Sanli had supported and protected them.
When it was time to wash Sanli's body, they finally managed to remove her from the room with great difficulty. By then, a sudden high fever had seized her, and fresh bleeding started again. It was at that moment everyone fully understood that she had miscarried.
She was not taken to the hospital. Instead, she was laid on her bed in the house. She and Sanli had lived with his parents because neither family was well-off. They shared a single room, with a small sitting area and a bathroom attached. She lay there struggling through pain and weakness while Sanli's body was taken away for burial.
A neighbor named 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐮, a traditional birth attendant, was called to examine Jiedi. She confirmed that the pregnancy was completely lost. The house sank deeper into mourning as they began caring for Jiedi.
Because of her fragile condition and the constant stream of visitors, Aunty had no choice but to stay with her. She moved in and remained by her side, since Jiedi's own mother could not come to stay.
Jiedi suffered greatly during her recovery. Even two days after Sanli's death, she could not stop crying. Sanli had been a good husband, a responsible father, and a devoted son to his parents.
Within just two days, she wasted away...physically and emotionally...overwhelmed by grief and the severe pain in her abdomen caused by the miscarriage.
***
Two weeks passed after the mourning period ended, yet nothing changed for her. Instead, a deeper depression took hold. She could not escape the grief of losing her husband. Aunty remained with her throughout this time and planned to stay until Jiedi completed her mourning period, after which they would return home together.
Zulou had been staying with Jiedi's mother ever since Sanli was hospitalized, even before his death. So most days, it was just Jiedi and Aunty alone in the room.
Their food came from the small kitchen Sanli had once stocked. When it ran out, no one replaced it. Occasionally, they were given food from the larger household, but it was rarely enough for both of them.
Often, if Aunty ate in the morning, she would give up lunch for the rest of the day so Jiedi could eat. And when food arrived at night, Jiedi would say she was full and leave it for Aunty instead.
From that point on, life began to tighten around them. When Aunty noticed that both of them were growing thin from hunger...like displaced refugees...she went to inform Jiedi's mother. Together, they decided to speak to Lee and Kai about helping Jiedi with food.
For a while, they helped modestly...giving her small amounts of money every two days.
At first, this allowed her to buy food and basic necessities like soap. But over time, even that support stopped. Lee and Kai had their own families and responsibilities, and gradually, Jiedi was forgotten.
Three months and some weeks after Sanli's death, Jiedi's life had completely turned upside down. Sanli's mother was struggling herself. Sanli had been the only child who truly cared for and supported her, so she could not bear Jiedi's burden either. In the house, everyone focused on their own survival.
Jiedi grew painfully thin. Her appearance changed drastically...her neck lengthened, her nose seemed sharper, and her eyes protruded as though searching desperately in darkness. Yet she and Aunty were already familiar with poverty. Hunger alone did not frighten Aunty as much as Jiedi's broken spirit did. She knew that once the mourning period ended and they returned home, Jiedi would be stepping into an entirely new and uncertain chapter of life.
On the other hand, ever since Jiedi lost her pregnancy at the time of Sanli's death, she had never truly felt well again. Persistent abdominal pain troubled her constantly. At times, the pain became so severe that she felt as though her life was slipping away. Yet she never went to the hospital...there was simply no money.
She did not even tell Aunty, who lived with her, because she did not want to worry her. If Aunty and her mother found out, they would only panic, and there would still be no solution.
Crushed by grief, hardship, and overwhelming sorrow, she eventually completed her mourning period. Preparations began for her return to her family home.
Sanli's mother broke down in fresh tears when Jiedi was about to leave. In her heart, she wished she had the means to continue caring for Sanli's wife and his child, whom she loved dearly. But she simply did not have the capacity. She loved Zulou deeply as well, yet she could not keep him. That was why she never suggested taking him in. If Sanli's father 𝐖𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐮𝐚 had still been alive, she knew he would never have allowed Jiedi and Zulou to leave.
Jiedi herself understood that poverty was the reason Sanli's mother did not insist on keeping Zulou. Since Sanli's death, even feeding herself had become a struggle. It was better for Zulou to remain with his mother, because no matter how difficult life became, Jiedi would do everything within her power to care for her child.
✨✨✨
When Jiedi returned to her family home, she had no choice but to stay in Aunty's room with her. There was no extra room in the house. The entire house consisted of only two rooms and a bathroom in the courtyard...one room belonged to their mother, and the other to Aunty.
Even when their father was alive, that had been their arrangement. Whenever he slept in their mother's room, Jiedi stayed with Aunty, and when he stayed in Aunty's room, she slept with her mother. That was how she grew up until he passed away, and later she got married.
Her return home marked the beginning of a new and exhausting daily struggle. Neither Aunty nor their mother had a stable source of income. Their mother sold flowers, while Aunty sold food spices.
While Jiedi was away observing her mourning period, Aunty's small business collapsed. The capital was already limited, and whatever little they had was spent during that difficult period. Now, only her mother's work provided some support, but even that was barely enough. Life was extremely hard, especially since Sanli had been the one supporting them all. Their brothers had never truly helped; they focused only on their own wives and children.
Aunty had never had children of her own, which was why she had raised Jiedi from childhood. Jiedi was also the only daughter in the family; all their mother's other children were male. There had been 𝐍𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐢, who passed away months earlier, and then Kai and Lee, both of whom were married with nearly five children each.
Jiedi, the youngest, had remained unmarried for a long time because there was no responsible suitor. She stayed at home until she was almost twenty-eight before she met Sanli. They loved each other deeply, married, and Sanli took on the responsibility of supporting her family according to his ability.
Neither Lee nor Kai ever took full responsibility for caring for their mother. Occasionally, after several days, they might give a small amount of money...sometimes two hundred, sometimes five hundred...and considered that a great effort, even expecting prayers in return. Aunty knew the truth: they relied on Sanli to shoulder the burden, even though he himself was not wealthy. He simply had a generous heart.
Kai worked as a teacher at a nearby government high school. He had been teaching for almost ten years, yet his life had not improved in any meaningful way. Lee, on the other hand, tried many trades without committing to any single one. However, he focused mostly on real estate brokerage, which brought him better income than Kai. Eventually, he ventured into politics...not because he expected to win, but because a political sponsor encouraged him to run so the party could benefit financially. Knowing there was money involved, Lee entered politics without hesitation.
When Kai realized there were financial gains to be made, he supported Lee, hoping to benefit if things worked out.
As for Jiedi, she saw clearly that life offered her no easy path. Zulou was already old enough to be in school. Before Sanli's death, he had dreamed of enrolling his son in school. Now everything had fallen apart, but Jiedi still held onto that dream. She wanted Zulou to receive an education so he could have a better future.
Meanwhile, Aunty and their mother lived day by day, constantly calculating how they would eat. Some days they had food, other days they did not. Sometimes it took four or five days just to gather enough money to prepare a single day meal.
Left with no choice, Jiedi sold her mattress...the only one she had brought back with her. She also gathered old kitchen utensils and took them to the secondhand market. With the small money she earned, she bought food supplies and returned home.
With what remained, she started a small business selling rice cakes and Tofu. Aunty, despite her age and limited strength, helped Jiedi...especially with the tofu, which was the most demanding work.
By heaven's grace, the business slowly gained customers. In the beginning, it was extremely difficult. Few people bought from them because they were not known. There was hardly a day Jiedi didn't get burned, and her hands and feet bore many scars. Sometimes even her face suffered burns when the oil splashed carelessly. Still, they were no longer entirely dependent on others. They could at least manage their daily meals, even if nothing more.
Eventually, Aunty and Jiedi had to divide the work. The workload became too heavy. In the mornings, they sold tea and rice cake together. By afternoon, they expanded beyond tofu to include boil sweet potatoes and Cassava cakes. Aunty handled the morning tea and fried snacks, while Jiedi focused on tofu and the rest during the day. All of it involved intense heat and exhausting labor.
Their mother was not in good health, so they never allowed her to participate in the business. Since their father's death, her health had been unstable. She suffered from high blood pressure and diabetes and lived carefully, managing her strength as best she could.
Through all this, Jiedi managed to enroll Zulou in a government elementary school. Every day, she walked him there and returned home on foot. When school closed, she went back again to bring him home. The distance was long, but she endured it.
By the first school break, Jiedi was completely worn out. Every day she took Zulou to school, picked him up, and then rushed back to continue her business. Eventually, Aunty began taking Zulou to school before returning to help with work, especially since another woman in the neighborhood had started a similar business and competition had increased.
As Aunty's workload grew heavier and exhaustion caught up with her...leaving her little rest..there were times when their mother had to step in gently to help. They depended entirely on the business now, and any small relief mattered.
That was how their life continued...held together by effort, sacrifice, and endurance.
***
For a long time, life continued for them without any major change, until their mother fell ill and became bedridden. This forced Jiedi and Aunty to work even harder. Aunty's strength was also declining, while Zulou's schooling had progressed...he was now in second grade.
Even Jiedi herself was not always in good health. From time to time, her abdominal pain returned, troubling her as it always had. By a strange twist of fate, since she lost her pregnancy at the time of Sanli's death, she had not experienced a menstrual cycle again.
She mentioned this to Aunty, who told her that some women experience such changes, especially after complications like miscarriage. Aunty added that her cycle might only return properly after she remarried.
With that explanation, Jiedi pushed aside her worries about her missing cycle and focused on finding another source of income. Their current business was no longer profitable...almost everyone in the neighborhood had started similar work, and customers had become scarce.
When no new business succeeded and every attempt failed, and with her savings drained by household expenses, Jiedi had no choice but to accept domestic work in a wealthy neighborhood. Aunty's younger cousin helped her secure the job.
Once she started working, life improved slightly, as they now depended on her salary. However, not long after, the family she worked for relocated abroad with their children.
Jiedi was suddenly unemployed again.
Unable to remain idle, she sought help from the same cousin, who was preparing to travel to 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐪𝐢𝐧𝐠 for work. She offered Jiedi another opportunity.
"𝑇ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑛𝑜 𝑗𝑜𝑏𝑠 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑛𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝐶ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑞𝑖𝑛𝑔," she explained. "𝑌𝑜𝑢 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑘 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒, 𝐼 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑙𝑒𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑦 𝑚𝑒 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑎𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒."
With no other option and given their desperate situation, Jiedi agreed.
When she informed Aunty, there was resistance at first. But after the cousin explained that it was only a job in a newly opened high-end restaurant, with decent accommodation provided by the management, they eventually consented and entrusted Jiedi to her care...even though Jiedi was no longer a child.
Before leaving, Jiedi received a generous sum from 𝐴𝑢𝑛𝑡𝑦'𝑠 cousin. She used it to buy sufficient food supplies for her mother and Aunty. She also had two sets of school uniforms sewn for Zulou, bought him new shoes and slippers, and purchased new schoolbooks.
With the remaining money, she bought bathing soap, laundry detergent, and supplies for their small home business. She handed the rest of the money to Aunty for safekeeping.
Neither Lee nor Kai attempted to stop her from leaving. Politics had consumed their attention, and Kai had even resigned from his teaching job after seeing that there was money to be made elsewhere.
***
𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐪𝐢𝐧𝐠
At first, Jiedi struggled with the demands of her new life and work. The hotel was newly opened, and the staff were overworked. Those who did not speak English were assigned to kitchen duties.
The long hours and lack of rest initially made her heart sink. But when she received her first salary and saw the amount, all her exhaustion and worries faded away. She threw herself into her work wholeheartedly.
Because of her diligence, honesty, and respectful behavior, she was promoted within two months. She was moved from the kitchen to the service department...delivering meals to guests' rooms upon request. Her workload became much lighter.
Her accommodation was paid for directly from her salary, with rent deducted monthly. This gave her peace of mind, especially since she was able to send money home to Aunty every month.
The comfort, rest, and stability she enjoyed began to reflect in her appearance. She ate well...hotel meals rich in meat and variety...and gradually, her body changed.
Aunty's cousin remained in the kitchen department, where she excelled in preparing various dishes. Her skill was so valued that she was never transferred. She earned a good income because of how much the management appreciated her work.
With rest, proper meals, and peace of mind, Jiedi's body filled out. She gained healthy weight, and the dullness in her skin faded, replaced by a natural glow. At first, she was surprised by the change, but as she realized it was due to her improved life, she began to enjoy it. She even felt hopeful again, believing she could one day remarry.
Over time, she became familiar with her surroundings, the streets, and nearby areas, as she often went out to shop. She even bought traditional medicine and sent it to her mother, who frequently complained of body pains...despite claiming she felt better. Jiedi sensed they only said so to ease her worries.
She also regularly sent small gifts to Zulou whenever she transferred money home.
Nearly a year into her new life in Chongqing, Jiedi noticed something deeply unsettling. She was not certain, so she decided to visit a small clinic near their neighborhood.
Two days after payday, she set out for the clinic to be examined. She had begun to feel movements in her abdomen...clear and unmistakable.
At first, she assumed the changes were simply weight gain, as those around her often joked that she had become plump.
But now she felt it clearly.
For the past five days, the movements had grown stronger...turning and shifting in a way she recognized too well.
It was no longer a doubt.
She was certain it was the movement of a growing child.
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫
𝐋𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞, 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐩𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐮𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐢𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭.😀
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬...𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐫? 𝐖𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐢 𝐬𝐚𝐰 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐝𝐧'𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞... 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐁𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭'𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐢 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐢𝐟 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬.