The Evil Mother-in-law: Torment Children, Work Hard, Be Rich!-Chapter 345: Labor Pains

Just as the sky was lightening, Tong Pandi began to feel pain in her belly.

She bore it silently, not daring to make a sound.

The experiences of her previous life made her distrust anyone in the Wu Family.

Tong Pandi lay on the bed, her forehead sweating from the pain. She bit the corner of the blanket, trying her best to endure, only moaning when she couldn’t bear it any longer.

"Mother."

Her daughter, Duo’er, lay beside Tong Pandi, reaching out her small hand to touch her mother’s forehead.

"I’ll go find Dad, Grandpa, and Grandma." Duo’er, frightened by her mother’s groans, spoke with a sob in her voice.

"Duo’er, come back. Mommy is fine. Get a bowl of water for Mommy." Tong Pandi said, enduring the pain.

Duo’er tiptoed and fetched a bowl of water for Tong Pandi.

Tong Pandi drank it all in one gulp and, gasping, said, "Duo’er, Mommy is fine. Don’t tell Dad or Grandpa and Grandma."

Duo’er asked, "Mom, are you going to have a little brother?"

Tong Pandi touched her belly and said gently, "Duo’er, it’s a little sister in here."

Duo’er didn’t understand.

Both Dad and Grandpa and Grandma said Mom was carrying a little brother.

Why did Mom say it was a little sister?

She often heard her grandparents say it would have been better if she were a boy. Every time they scolded Mom, they called her a hen that cannot lay eggs. She didn’t understand why they scolded like that. Her aunt told her that Mom couldn’t have a son and was naturally a hen that couldn’t lay eggs.

Duo’er naively thought that if Mom were carrying a little brother, her grandparents wouldn’t scold Mom, nor would they scold her.

She hoped Mom would have a little brother.

But it seemed like Mom wanted a little sister more.

Another wave of intense pain hit, and Tong Pandi trembled in agony.

Would her aunt come after receiving her message?

This life, her aunt was entirely different from the last. This time, she had even become a village princess.

Last time, when her parents-in-law visited her aunt to reconnect, to her surprise, her aunt didn’t acknowledge them.

Not only did she refuse to acknowledge the Wu Family, but she also cut ties with the Tong Family.

She learned from Tong Zhaodi that her aunt’s temper remained bad as before, only that her bad temper now spared no one, even Tong Fusheng and Tong Zhijie were not recognized.

She was shocked and uncertain about her aunt’s attitude toward her.

The reason why her aunt treated her well before was entirely because of her being the daughter of her maternal family.

Now that her aunt refused to acknowledge her father, could she still acknowledge her?

"What time of day is it, still sleeping? You’re just a sow bought by the Wu Family to give birth, lying in the pen, not getting up just because you’re pregnant. Who’s such a lazy pig?" Tong Pandi’s mother-in-law, Mrs. Qiao, stood by the pigsty, cursing furiously.

Everyone in the Wu Family knew that when she cursed the pregnant sow in the pen, she was actually cursing her daughter-in-law.

A few days ago, Tong Pandi would have argued back with her from behind the window.

But now, Tong Pandi’s belly hurt too much, she didn’t have the strength to argue.

Mrs. Qiao, seeing she wasn’t answering back, cursed even more vigorously.

"Who doesn’t know how to give birth? Whether it’s a sow or a woman, it’s natural to give birth. What, just because you gave birth, you think you’re the Wu Family’s hero? Dream on, if this one’s still a girl, how can you count as part of the Wu Family?"

"If you have the capability, get your parents to pay fifty taels of silver to buy you back. If you can’t, then have a son to pay the debt."

"In the history of the Wu Family, every first-time daughter-in-law gave birth to a son. Only yours is the exception. If this one isn’t a boy, take the divorce papers and leave."

...

Mrs. Qiao truly wanted to divorce Tong Pandi.

Though she gave birth to a daughter before, Tong Pandi worked hard in the Wu Family, letting her get beaten and scolded.

The current Tong Pandi behaved nothing like a daughter-in-law of the Wu Family, and anyone who saw her would know the family was in turmoil.

Even knowing that the Wu Family wanted a grandson, she defiantly boasted her big belly, saying this one was best a girl, as if cursing the Wu Family to end.

A few days ago, her son cursed her and kicked her twice, and she almost cut him with a knife in the middle of the night.

What kind of family would want this daughter-in-law?

If her village-princess aunt were willing to acknowledge the Wu Family, that would be one thing.

The problem was, not only did her aunt refuse to acknowledge them, but she also hugely humiliated the Wu Family.

In recent days, she’d quietly asked someone to find a new wife for her son. Given her husband was the village chief, it wasn’t an unmarried young maiden as a new daughter-in-law that she would accept. Once Tong Pandi finished giving birth, she’d make her give up the room to the new wife.

Tong Pandi’s belly hurt more from Mrs. Qiao’s provocation.

She silently prayed that her aunt would come upon receiving her message.

In the afternoon, the sky grew more overcast, and Tong Pandi’s belly hurt more and more.

Her due date was supposed to be in five days. In her previous life, it was brought forward to today because she slipped while helping her mother-in-law with the chamber pot, causing a premature labor.

What about this life?

Why was it still today?

Did fighting with her husband a few days ago cause the premature labor?

She was both worried and delighted. Worried about whether her aunt would come to protect her and delighted that her daughter, previously drowned, might meet her alive.

This time, she would protect her little daughter with all her might.

"Mom, I’ll call Dad." Duo’er was truly scared.

"Listen to Mommy. Don’t." Tong Pandi gave a weak smile.

She was already too much in pain to move.

Don’t call, don’t tell anyone.

She didn’t know if in the previous life, the midwife was involved in the drowning, or if the child was taken out and drowned after being born. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

All she knew was that she couldn’t trust anyone in the Wu Family.

Tong Pandi felt a flow of water below her.

Having already given birth to Duo’er, she knew what that meant — her water broke.

Another wave of pain hit, causing her to scream in agony.

Each pang more painful than the last, Tong Pandi’s moans grew louder and louder.

Soon, Tong Pandi’s consciousness started to blur.

With tears on her face, the terrified Duo’er ran to the main room, shouting, "Grandma, Mom... Mom fainted from the pain... It’s the little brother... the little brother is coming."

Mrs. Qiao set down her teacup and said, "Kids always panic. Giving birth won’t kill her."

Mrs. Qiao wondered why, when it wasn’t time yet, Tong Pandi would faint from pain, unless she was pretending.

Despite such thoughts, the grandson remained the priority.

Tong Pandi could faint or even die from pain, but her grandson wouldn’t suffer any mishap.

Mrs. Qiao instructed a maid to check on Tong Pandi. The maid returned, saying Tong Pandi seemed about to deliver early.

Peeved, Mrs. Qiao called for Tong Pandi’s husband, Wu Musheng, to fetch the midwife.

For the safe arrival of the grandson, the whole family buzzed with activity — boiling water, preparing scissors, and getting blankets ready.

Tong Pandi’s room was set up as a delivery room.

Once the midwife was called, the village chief, Wu Ren, returned home as well.

Wu Ren and Mrs. Qiao discussed for a bit, then sent a nanny in to instruct the midwife on a few things.

The midwife understood immediately.

This was to preserve the son and dispose of the mother.

Ma Wenpo’s fame wasn’t limited to Black Dragon Pond, even the big households in Pingchuan County preferred her midwifery skills.

She was often called to the great houses in Pingchuan County to deliver babies.

She had seen many such shady dealings in wealthy households, where they would discreetly end the mother’s life during childbirth.

Recently, she heard about Mrs. Qiao arranging a new wife for Wu Musheng.

As for the life of the mother, she had no time to care; after all, those paying her were the village chief and Mrs. Qiao, and she naturally had to consider their interests.

Tong Pandi braced herself and, upon seeing Ma Wenpo, widened her eyes in terror.

It was Ma Wenpo who delivered her in her previous life.

Was she fated to repeat her last life’s fate?

She didn’t believe it.

Since the heavens granted her the chance to start anew, there was no reason she would lose her little daughter again.