Chapter 136

The two also gladly accepted it.

Looking at the closed door, Pei Jing stood up and walked towards ZhiXia, gently placing his big hand on ZhiXia's belly to greet the child.

"Have you been sleeping well these past few days? Have the little ones been bothering you?" Pei Jing knew that the later it got in the pregnancy, the harder it was for her to sleep at night, especially with the children moving around in her belly like monkeys.

In the days prior, he had accompanied her every night, feeling distressed yet helpless.

"Still the same." ZhiXia spread her hands helplessly, "But they really know how to endure in my belly. I didn't expect them to wait until you came on vacation."

Pei Jing hoped that ZhiXia would give birth in these two days, because he only had half a month of time. The earlier the children were born, the more days he could spend with her and the children.

"Oh right, is the person my third brother saved also in the army? What does he do? And were those two thugs captured?" The previous conversation wasn't very clear, so ZhiXia still had many guesses in her mind.

"They were caught. Attempted rape and assault with a deadly weapon, the punishment for these two won't be light." It was also unfortunate for Shen Hongxing. The two thugs were local ruffians from a nearby village. They happened to come across Shen Hongxing walking alone on the road with a package on her back. They thought that even if they did something to her, she was just a woman and could only swallow the bitter pill. They didn't expect to fail so badly.

Indeed, if An ZhiXian and Pei Meng hadn't happened to pass by that day, even if Shen Hongxing was really taken advantage of, she wouldn't have dared to publicly accuse them. The world was that harsh on women. No one would care whether you were the real victim. Others would just gossip, pushing people into desperation.

It was good that they were caught. ZhiXia felt relieved.

Regarding the identity of the rescued person, Pei Jing didn't say, so ZhiXia didn't dwell on it.

After Zhou Granny and the other two women took a stroll around the yard, Pei Jing brought water for ZhiXia to take a bath. ZhiXia could also bathe in her space, but didn't dare do it too often with so many people around, afraid of being discovered.

After it warmed up in early spring, Pei Jing had also set up a bathing area next to the kitchen. However, he didn't allow her to bathe alone, after all, it wasn't safe being heavily pregnant.

There was also the issue that she couldn't bend over, and it was very tiring, especially after her belly grew bigger over the past two months. She couldn't even look down to see her feet, and could only have him help her.

At first she felt very shy, but after getting used to it, it was fine.

Once in the room, Zhou Granny secretly said to Zhou Nan, "The husband ZhiXia found isn't bad. Men who can take such good care of their wives are rare."

Zhou Nan had also seen it. When ZhiXia first got married, it really left them all confused, especially since the groom was Pei Jing.

But now it seemed that this was actually quite good.

Pei Jing had been mature and steady since childhood. He was a child that never needed others to worry about him. Adding to the relationship between their two families, there was no need to worry about ZhiXia being mistreated in the Pei family either.

This child had suffered since she was little. Being matched with someone like Pei Jing who cherished her was also lucky.

"He's pretty good. It's just that I've been a little worried about ZhiXia's belly these past few days, but didn't dare ask." Zhou Nan thought over and over before quietly telling Zhou Granny her doubts, "Mom, isn't ZhiXia only seven months pregnant? But she said the birth is imminent. Isn't that a bit early?"

Zhou Granny had been a midwife her whole life and had delivered countless babies. How could she not tell how many months pregnant ZhiXia actually was.

She looked at her grandson sitting to the side, and pulled Zhou Nan back to the room. "You silly girl, I tell you that you're silly but you really don't have any brains. You've given birth to four or five children yourself and still can't tell. Your daughter's belly doesn't look like it's seven months along. I'm afraid it's from before the wedding..."

After all, everyone knew very clearly when ZhiXia and Pei Jing got married.

The military people might not know, but they understood very well.

"No wonder they rushed the wedding so urgently back then. How did I not think of this earlier?" Zhou Nan was devastated and suddenly turned around, "No, I have to ask about this."

She had felt that Pei Jing was very reliable before, but for him to get a girl over a generation younger than him pregnant before marriage, and that girl was her daughter no less, she now felt that he was unreliable no matter what. Zhou Granny hurriedly stopped her, "If you go ask now, what will you ask? Won't you just be creating awkwardness for the children and yourself for no reason?"

"But mom, how can I just pretend not to know?" Zhou Nan said painfully.

"You do have to pretend not to know! Zhou Nan, use your pig brain and think carefully for me. If your in-laws were able to agree to this marriage, they probably already knew about it long ago. Did they say anything about it?" Zhou Granny suddenly recalled ZhiXia's situation when she first arrived at their home and said, "When ZhiXia first came to the Zhou family, her clothes showed signs of being torn. We were suspicious of her background at the time and didn't pay much attention to this detail. But thinking back now, she was probably already...back then."

Zhou Granny really hoped that her guess was wrong. But based on the timing, ZhiXia's belly size really could match up, it was just right.

Zhou Nan instantly felt dizzy and collapsed limply to the ground. "That can't be. If it had happened back then, the child couldn't possibly be Pei Jing's. Why would he marry ZhiXia? And recognize the child as his own?"

In Zhou Nan's impression, Pei Jing had just returned home back then and was quite seriously injured. They had all gone to see him.

"Stop guessing blindly. These are all just our own speculations. There's no solid evidence. Listen to mom, pretend you don't know anything about this. Things will continue as they have been. Look at how affectionate those two children are. Isn't that enough? What's the point of worrying so much?" Zhou Granny believed that no matter whether the child was Pei Jing's or not, since he had recognized the child as his own, he must have his own reasons.

Or perhaps Pei Jing was just an escape route arranged by Grandpa An for ZhiXia. After all, Grandpa Pei owed Grandpa An a huge favor. Using one son to repay that favor now wasn't a big deal.

Zhou Granny and Zhou Nan's minds were in turmoil, which led to Zhou Nan feeling guilty every time she saw Pei Jing later on. No matter how she thought about it, she felt the child couldn't possibly be his, and instead felt guilty towards him.

It wasn't until many years later, when the child grew older and looked more and more like his father, that Zhou Nan's guilt was finally suppressed. Instead, she liked Pei Jing less and less the more she looked at him.

After all, Zhou Granny had been a midwife her whole life. Zhou Nan had complete trust in her judgment about the size of a pregnant belly. There was no way she could be wrong.

Of course, Zhou Granny could discern it, and An ZhiXian's eyes weren't blind either.

At that time, doctors were quite versatile, often being transferred between departments, especially with the shortage of talent. Although he wasn't in obstetrics and gynecology, he had basic knowledge.

Thus, after sending ZhiXia back to her room, Pei Jing was called out by An ZhiXian to talk.

He was emotionally detached, not prone to over-expressing like his fourth brother. But that didn't mean he would let others bully his younger sister.

Unlike what Zhou Granny and Zhou Nan speculated, Pei Jing was unlikely to be someone Grandpa had arranged to take responsibility. An ZhiXian had never considered that possibility.

They were all men. He understood this much. Pei Jing had been arrogant since childhood too. How could he possibly become someone else's fallback guy?