127: Chapter 127 Parents-in-law who favor sons over daughters

Cao Kun took the bouquet and sniffed it; a fresh fragrance assailed his nostrils.

Holding the bouquet, Cao Kun stood in the flower shop.

Sunlight shone through the glass window, dancing on the petals and casting dappled light and shadows on the ground.

The air was filled with the scent of flowers, mixed with the smell of soil and green leaves.

It was very warm and peaceful.

He thought of those girls: Xiao Li, Xiao Yun, Lin Xiaoyan, Wang Tingting, Liu Qian, and Zhang Yue.

Their lives had once fallen into darkness, but now, they had finally seen the light again.

Perhaps there would still be pain and nightmares, but at least they were free.

They could breathe fresh air, see the sunlight, and plan for the future.

That was enough.

Cao Kun paid for the flowers, left the shop, and placed the bouquet on the passenger seat.

He did not go home but drove to the riverbank instead.

The riverbank was lively in the evening.

There were elderly people taking walks, young people jogging, and children playing.

Couples snuggled on benches, watching the sunset.

Cao Kun parked the car and walked to the riverbank railing.

The river water flowed slowly, reflecting the sunset glow, turning everything golden.

He took out the bouquet and tossed the flowers into the river, one by one.

Lilies, carnations, and sunflowers.

White ones, pink ones, yellow ones.

The flowers floated on the river surface, drifting slowly away with the current like tiny lanterns, floating toward the distance.

In memory of Xiao Mei.

In memory of all the lives lost in the darkness.

And also to bless all those who have walked out of the darkness.

The sunset had completely faded, leaving only a final trace of afterglow on the horizon.

The lights came on, and the night in Zhongzhou descended once again.

But tonight, the night seemed a little gentler than usual.

Cao Kun stood there for a long time, until the river breeze grew cold, before turning back to his car.

When passing by No. 89 Xinglong Street, he saw that the house had been sealed off, with a seal pasted on the door.

The devil's den that had once imprisoned the girls was now empty, like a giant corpse lying in the darkness.

No one would ever suffer there again.

...

Time flew by.

It had soon been half a month since Cao Kun rescued the girls.

The time had come for a new year.

Cao Kun looked back at the past.

His originally chaotic life, due to the arrival of the system, had not only gained the favor of many beauties but also made him a multi-millionaire, making his life incredibly wonderful.

Cao Kun looked to the future, hoping that in the new year, he would continue to work hard and create new brilliance.

Cao Kun's life was incredibly comfortable.

In Xianghe Homeland, more than ten kilometers away from Cao Kun.

Xiao Baihe, however, was living in extreme misery.

Xiao Baihe was 32 years old this year.

She was beautiful, with a curvaceous figure, and especially when she smiled, she could steal a man's soul; she was a real beauty.

However, her fate was very tragic.

Xiao Baihe still clearly remembered the spring when she was twenty-three.

At that time, she had waist-length jet-black hair, skin so fair it seemed translucent, almond-shaped eyes that curved when she smiled, and two shallow dimples beside her lips.

Everyone said she was beautiful, and the people coming to propose marriage had worn out her doorstep.

But in the end, she chose Chen Jianjun.

A truck driver who was ordinary in appearance but honest and hardworking.

At the time, her parents had some reservations.

Her father agreed with the marriage, saying: "Jianjun is a sincere person; you won't suffer if you follow him."

Her mother was a bit hesitant: "I heard his parents aren't very easy to get along with..."

"Which family's in-laws don't have a temper? Lily is sensible and can handle it well."

Her father made the final decision.

Twenty-three-year-old Xiao Baihe was full of longing for marriage.

The wedding was very simple, with eight banquet tables set up in the village.

On their wedding night, Chen Jianjun held her hand and said clumsily but sincerely: "Lily, I will treat you well for the rest of my life."

The initial days were sweet.

Chen Jianjun drove long distances and could earn four or five thousand a month, always handing it over to her neatly.

He wasn't good with words, but he expressed his love through actions.

In winter, he would fill a hot water bottle for her in advance, and in summer, he would buy popsicles on her way home from work.

But there was one thing that loomed over this newly formed family like a shadow.

That was, one year into their marriage, Xiao Baihe's stomach still showed no signs of movement.

Her mother-in-law, Li Guixiang, started by just making snide remarks: "Jianjun, Auntie Wang's grandson can already walk."

But as time went on, Li Guixiang's words became more and more direct.

At the dinner table, she would stare at Xiao Baihe's stomach and then sigh heavily: "I don't know if I'll be able to hold a grandson before I close my eyes."

Her father-in-law, Chen Fugui, was even more mean-spirited: "Our Chen family has only had one son for three generations; it cannot end with your generation."

The pressure grew, and Xiao Baihe secretly went to the hospital for a checkup.

The results showed that she was perfectly normal.

The doctor suggested tactfully: "You could have your husband come for a checkup too."

She told Chen Jianjun this, and this usually docile man lost his temper for the first time: "What problem could I have? What problem could I possibly have?"

That night, they had their first argument.

After the argument, Chen Jianjun hugged her and cried: "Lily, I'm sorry... I'm under too much pressure, Mom and Dad nag every day, and the villagers point fingers..."

Xiao Baihe softened her heart and stopped mentioning the checkup.

She thought, perhaps it was just that fate hadn't arrived yet.

But for the next two years, there was still no movement.

Seeing that her in-laws were becoming increasingly restless.

And increasingly mean to Xiao Baihe.

Chen Jianjun was caught in the middle, torn between them, and finally agreed to go to the hospital for a checkup.

Unexpectedly, it really was his problem.

However, fortunately, the problem was not too serious.

With the doctor's help.

In the third year of their marriage, Xiao Baihe finally became pregnant.

It was a late autumn morning, and she suddenly felt nauseous while brushing her teeth.

She took a pregnancy test.

When she saw the two red lines on the pregnancy test, her hands shook so much she could barely hold it.

"Jianjun! Jianjun!" She rushed out of the bathroom, her voice trembling.

Chen Jianjun jumped out of bed, and seeing the pregnancy test, this honest man's eyes turned red, and he picked her up and spun her around the room: "I'm going to be a father! I'm going to be a father!"

The news reached her in-laws, and Li Guixiang and Chen Fugui smiled at Xiao Baihe for the first time.

"Lily, sit down, don't stand." Li Guixiang rarely helped her sit in a chair, "What do you want to eat? Mom will make it for you."

Chen Fugui took out a bankbook from the cabinet and shoved it to his son: "Jianjun, buy more nutritional supplements; my grandson can't be deprived."

"Dad, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet," Chen Jianjun said with a smile.

"It must be a boy!" Chen Fugui said decisively, "The seed of our old Chen family can't be wrong!"

From that day on, Xiao Baihe's life changed drastically.

Li Guixiang stewed soup for her every day, rotating between chicken, fish, and pig trotters.

Chen Fugui would go to the town market and always bring back fresh fruit, saying it was "to replenish vitamins for my grandson."

By the fourth month of pregnancy, Xiao Baihe's stomach was already very obvious.

Li Guixiang found an "experienced" old woman in the village to look at the shape of her belly.

"It's pointed, it must be a boy!" the old woman said confidently.

Li Guixiang was so happy she couldn't close her mouth, and she gave the old woman a big red envelope.

But Xiao Baihe felt vaguely uneasy.

She had secretly gone to the town hospital for an ultrasound, and the doctor had vaguely said "it looks like a girl," but couldn't be sure.

She didn't dare tell anyone, including Chen Jianjun.

By the sixth month of pregnancy, her belly was so big she couldn't see her feet when looking down.

Li Guixiang found another "miracle doctor" to take her pulse.

"The pulse is slippery and the yang energy is sufficient; it must be a boy without a doubt!" the miracle doctor said, stroking his beard.

Chen Fugui gave another hundred yuan as a thank-you gift on the spot.

Xiao Baihe's worries grew heavier.

What if it's a girl?

How would her in-laws react?