Reborn as a Tough Army Wife-Chapter 718 - 713: Xu He Likes Courting Disaster

Shuanzi raised his eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised as to why Xu He seemed to no longer stay with the Luo Family. However, he easily guessed that the Luo Family must have discovered something.

With that realization, Shuanzi felt he had gained some advantage. His lips curled slightly, and when he looked up at Xu He again, he seemed impatient, "Didn’t I give you a large sum of money? Don’t tell me you plan to take it for nothing."

Shuanzi’s impatience and grandiose attitude made Xu He’s heart skip a beat, and for some reason, she sensed something different about Shuanzi today compared to last time.

Last time, although Shuanzi was also domineering, he seemed somewhat suppressed by her, but today, Shuanzi appeared fearless.

Xu He didn’t know why, but she felt uneasy inside.

She tried to argue with Shuanzi, "That was..."

But Shuanzi didn’t let her finish and waved her off impatiently, "Use that money for now. Once the child is born, you won’t be shorted."

"No..."

"If you don’t agree, then we are done." At this point, impatience was plastered all over Shuanzi’s face as he looked at Xu He. His tone carried a vague threat, "Xu He, there hasn’t been anyone who dares to threaten me, Shuanzi, ever since I was a child."

Although Xu He felt defiant and had an intuition that Shuanzi was going back on his word—because they had agreed that the money was just a deposit to be kept with her—it now seemed like Shuanzi was treating it as her payment for giving birth to the child.

This was not the outcome Xu He wanted, but she also knew that annoying Shuanzi now would only leave her stranded without support from either side.

After all, things had changed. Last time she might have had the option to go back to the Luo Family, but not anymore. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

So, no matter what, she had to agree for the time being.

Luckily for her, the money Shuanzi had given her was quite substantial. Even if she were to give birth, it really wouldn’t cost that much.

Thus, Xu He was quite compliant, "Okay, if that’s what you say, I’ll do as you say."

Shuanzi nodded slightly, seemingly very pleased with Xu He’s sense of propriety.

Still, he warned her, "Don’t forget, I said one month last time. Now there’s only half a month left. Don’t miss the deadline."

"I understand."

After leaving Shuanzi, Xu He dared not go back to the Luo Family’s place right away. Although Luo Cuilan gave her a five-day ultimatum, Luo Cuilan’s word had never been reliable—who knew if she might reveal the truth to Zhou Yunmei the moment Xu He stepped out the door.

If Zhou Yunmei really found out, going back there might well mean a dead end for Xu He.

Therefore, Xu He thought, starting from now, if it’s possible not to go back to the Luo Family, she would try her best not to.

This way, she wouldn’t have to face the Luo Family’s people, and she could also arrange the childbirth matters.

If possible, Xu He wanted to handle this matter independently—as it would look bad if it got out, so the fewer people who knew, the better. But she couldn’t do it all by herself. After some consideration, she called her mother, Duan Fenghua, in the village to come over, telling her that she was about to give birth and needed Duan Fenghua to take care of her.

Duan Fenghua had only Xu He as her daughter and valued her greatly. The day after Xu He’s call, she arrived in the city from home.

Xu He went to the train station to pick her up. When Duan Fenghua saw Xu He, pregnant and alone, coming to meet her, she immediately complained angrily, "What good are the people from the Luo Family, letting you travel such a distance alone with a big belly?"

"Mom, this is..." Xu He didn’t know how to explain everything to Duan Fenghua, so she reached out to take Duan Fenghua’s bag, a bit embarrassingly saying, "Let’s go back to the hostel first, I have something to tell you."

When she heard they were going to a hostel, Duan Fenghua made a fuss again, "Why stay in a hostel? Haven’t you been living at Luo Zhiming’s place? And didn’t your mother-in-law come early too?"

It was crowded at the train station, and Xu He didn’t know how to explain to Duan Fenghua, so she waited until they got to the hostel before telling her everything, including Shuanzi wanting her to have the child and that he would marry her after the birth. Of course, she didn’t mention Shuanzi’s rush for the child, worried that Duan Fenghua would object.

Duan Fenghua wasn’t foolish; while she didn’t know the full truth because Xu He had hidden a lot, Xu He’s hesitant speech made Duan Fenghua somewhat understand the situation.

However, she thought simply and only worried that Shuanzi was toying with Xu He, only wanting the son. So she advised Xu He, "Hehua, don’t be foolish. With someone like Shuanzi, I can tell that he only wants the child, not the mother. If he really wanted to marry you, he would have done so already. Waiting until you have given birth probably means he will discard you afterward."

Xu He didn’t dare reveal the agreement between her and Shuanzi, and she knew that Duan Fenghua made sense, but she was also desperate as she told Duan Fenghua, "Mom, I have no choice now. The Luo Family knows about the child. If I go back, they won’t take me in. I can only take the risk and bet on the future of my child after he is born—he will need someone to care for him."

Duan Fenghua was more resolute as she replied, "If you can’t go back to the Luo Family, then don’t. Raising the child is not a big deal. If worse comes to worst, after the child is born your father and I will take care of him. I don’t want you to belittle yourself by following that Shuanzi."

Despite all her misdeeds, Xu He was filial to her parents. She also needed to find an excuse to convince Duan Fenghua. She shook her head, sighed, and said, "It’s not possible, Mom. You and Dad are getting old, and our family’s livelihood is just getting by. If we add a child to the mix, you’ll be burdened for life. Besides, I’m in this situation; who else would want me in this lifetime? If Shuanzi marries me, I’ll be provided for, at least in terms of food and clothing. That would be a decent destination for me."

She paused, then added, "Besides, his request is simple—he just wants a son. We have checked in the hospital, and the doctor confirmed it’s a boy. We don’t have much to worry about, so don’t be concerned."

Duan Fenghua was not as articulate as Xu He; even though she knew it was improper in her heart, she didn’t know how to refute it, and in the end, she still tried to persuade, "Hehua..."

"Mom, I’ve made up my mind." Xu He interrupted Duan Fenghua, then started crying, "I don’t want to go back to the village and be gossiped about by everyone, saying Xu He was abandoned by Luo Zhiming."

Chapter 714