Chapter 65: Thrilling Staircase

Han Aiguo knew about the situation with the sewing machine, so he silently picked up the needle and thread, started sewing clothes, and comforted Su Yue by saying, “It’s okay, I can sew this. I’ll come back every night and keep sewing until the baby is born. By then, I’ll be good at it.”

Su Yue was so moved that she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard twice. She pressed her lips against his and spoke sweetly, “Husband, why are you so good to me? I love you so much~ You’re the best husband in the world, and I won’t accept any refutation.”

Being praised and kissed by his beautiful wife, Han Aiguo, who had always had little self-control when it came to her, immediately reacted. He couldn’t wait to hold this little temptress down and teach her a lesson. But since she was pregnant, and especially in the first three months, he had to be careful. He could only hold it in and pour all his energy into the sewing in his hands. At moments like this, silently reciting military rules and regulations in his heart was the only way to calm himself down.

Su Yue immediately felt his fiery energy, glanced down at him, and dared not tease him further. If she went too far, even a pregnant woman might end up in trouble. So she let go of him and moved aside, gently touching her still-flat belly. She continued praising, “Baby, look at how seriously Daddy is making your clothes. You can’t count on Mommy for this; you’ll just have to rely on Daddy. When you’re born, you must kiss your father and thank him.”

“Baby, look how wonderful your father is. Other fathers don’t even wash dishes. But your father works all day, then comes home at night to cook, do housework, and now even make clothes for you. Isn’t he a top-ten good husband and a top-ten good father? Mommy is really lucky to have found him.”

Su Yue shamelessly praised her husband, and little baby in her belly; whether he could hear or not was roped in as an audience. As a woman, she believed you had to praise your man often, coax him with sweet words. Only then would he continue to perform well and willingly do more.

In short, men needed to be praised.

Han Aiguo glanced at the little pregnant woman who was happily flattering him from the corner of his eye. The corners of his mouth curled up silently.

The couple carried on peacefully making clothes by hand. But Fang Xiaoli was far from peaceful. She had “run into” Su Yue at the door for several days in a row, yet Su Yue never said anything beyond a polite nod and greeting. This made Fang Xiaoli feel unsettled.

Why hadn’t Su Yue asked her for help buying a sewing machine?

Wasn’t she eager to get one? Hadn’t Ma Cuiyun already gone to the supply and marketing cooperative to inquire on her behalf? Fang Xiaoli had even told the salesperson not to sell to Ma Cuiyun at the time.

The whole point was to prevent Su Yue from buying a machine on her own, to make her realize that buying from the supply and marketing cooperative wasn’t that easy. That way, she would have no choice but to come ask for help. Then Su Yue would owe her a favor and be forced to fawn over her politely in the future. Maybe even bring her something good now and then.

After all, Fang Xiaoli wasn’t blind, she knew Su Yue often cooked delicious food and shared it with Ma Cuiyun upstairs and Xu Can at the head of the building, but never gave her any. She often smelled the aromas and felt greedy but couldn’t eat.

It infuriated her.

But no matter how well she schemed, days passed and no one came knocking at her door. Even though she deliberately “bumped” into Su Yue every day, the other woman still said nothing. Fang Xiaoli stewed in her resentment, her heart sour with hate. She thought Su Yue was immoral and hypocritical, always putting on an act.

Su Yue, on the other hand, was surprised she suddenly bumped into Fang Xiaoli at the door every day. In the past, she had hardly ever run into her. Even stranger was Fang Xiaoli’s behaviour as she no longer rushed into her home as soon as the door opened, but lingered outside awkwardly, almost as if waiting. It made things uncomfortable, since it would be rude to ignore her completely.

Still, Su Yue didn’t care to overthink it. She wasn’t planning on becoming close to Fang Xiaoli anyway. Whether Fang Xiaoli acted strangely or not, Su Yue was too busy these days to bother with irrelevant people.

Her lack of free time was mostly because of the pregnancy. Not only was she nauseous, but she was also constantly sleepy. She often slept until past ten in the morning, yet still struggled to keep her eyes open. After lunch, she needed another nap. Sleeping alone consumed most of her day, and the rest of the time was spent cooking for Han Aiguo and tending to the vegetable garden.

Many of the seeds she had sown earlier had sprouted. Every afternoon, she and Ma Cuiyun went to the back garden to take care of the seedlings. Some needed daily watering and weeds had to be pulled regularly so they wouldn’t steal nutrients from the soil.

The tomato seedlings especially needed support, so branches or wooden sticks had to be tied to them. Otherwise, once tomatoes grew, the fragile plants wouldn’t be able to bear the weight and would collapse.

Su Yue hadn’t known much about this before, but Ma Cuiyun patiently taught her everything. As an experienced farmer, she was skilled at growing vegetables, and it showed in how well her plants thrived.

Su Yue realized the old saying was true: Among three people walking, there must be a teacher. No matter where one was or what field, there was always someone worth learning from.

One day, after watering the vegetables together, Su Yue and Ma Cuiyun returned home. At the entrance of the staircase, they saw two little boys squatting and playing, but paid no attention to them. After saying goodbye to Ma Cuiyun, Su Yue took out her key to open the door. Just as she bent down to pick it up after dropping it, her foot stepped on something. She lost her balance and fell backward.

Su Yue’s heart nearly stopped. This was the top of the stairs; if she fell, it would be no small matter. She still carried a child in her belly. In that split second, she instinctively reached out and grabbed the wooden handrail, clutching it tightly. That saved her from tumbling all the way down, though her body still slammed into the railing. Her hands burned with pain.

A cry of fright escaped her lips, which immediately caught Ma Cuiyun’s attention. She had just started walking upstairs but turned back at once, shocked by what she saw. Rushing over, she supported Su Yue to the side. “Sister, are you alright?”

Su Yue’s heart was pounding wildly, her limbs weak from terror. She quickly placed her hand on her stomach, checking if the child was safe.

Thankfully, her arm had taken the brunt of the impact against the railing. Her stomach hadn’t been hit, and it didn’t hurt now. The child should be fine.

But the scare had been real. Her face turned pale, her whole body limp, without an ounce of strength. If not for Ma Cuiyun holding her up, she wouldn’t have been able to stand.

Ma Cuiyun scolded her anxiously, “Look how careless you were! You almost fell just now. This is the staircase, falling here is no small matter. You must watch where you walk!”

Su Yue shook her head, still trembling. “Sister Ma, I slipped on something just now. Please help me see what it was.”

When Ma Cuiyun heard Su Yue’s words, she immediately bent down to look. Sure enough, not far away lay a marble, the kind children often play with. Her face darkened instantly. Picking it up, she snapped in anger, “Who let you play marbles on the stairway? Don’t you know someone could fall and get seriously hurt? Do you know the consequences if someone really tumble down these stairs?”

Her expression was fierce, her voice sharp. The reprimand scared one of the boys, who immediately burst into loud sobs. But the other child, well-dressed, clean, and clearly more spoiled, lifted his chin and retorted with an arrogant look:

“Who are you to meddle? Just wait! I’ll have my mother tear your mouth apart!”

Ma Cuiyun recognized the crying boy as Wang Lianying’s son. But the arrogant one? She didn’t know which family he belonged to. If she hadn’t been holding onto Su Yue for support, she would have rushed forward and smacked the brat.

“Go on then, call your mother! I’d like to see how she dares tear my mouth apart. You’re far too lawless; someone has to discipline you today!”

Her scolding grew louder and harsher. Soon, the commotion attracted neighbors from upstairs and downstairs. People poked their heads out, eager to see the drama unfold.

A woman whispered gossip in a low voice but loud enough for all to hear, “One’s Wang Lianying’s son. The other? That’s Feng Junwei’s boy. They just brought him back today from his grandparents’ house.”

Battalion Commander Feng’s son, that meant, Fang Xiaoli’s child.

Ma Cuiyun’s anger flared. She jabbed a finger toward the boy and barked, “Go call your mother, Fang Xiaoli! Let her come out and give us an explanation!”

The child strutted toward his own doorway, completely fearless. Standing there, he shouted inside, “Mom! Come out quick! Someone’s trying to beat your son!”

Moments later, Fang Xiaoli appeared. Her expression soured the instant she saw the scene. “Who wants to hit you?” she demanded.

The boy pointed squarely at Su Yue and Ma Cuiyun. “Them! They’re the ones! They told me to call you!”

Fang Xiaoli’s face turned cold. She glared at them, asking sharply, “Why are you bullying my child?”

Ma Cuiyun wasn’t one to mince words. She pointed to the marble on the ground.

“Your son was playing marbles on the stairway. Su Yue nearly stepped on it and fell. This is a stairwell! Do you realize how dangerous that is? If someone falls, it won’t just be a scratch; it could cost lives!”

But Fang Xiaoli only gave Su Yue a glance before curling her lip. “Isn’t she standing just fine? An adult tripping over a child’s toy; doesn’t she know how to watch where she walks? How come no one else slipped?”

That shameless remark nearly made Ma Cuiyun explode. “Your child clearly did wrong, yet you blame the victim instead? Do you still have any shame?”

Su Yue, pale but steady, looked directly at Fang Xiaoli and spoke, “So according to your logic, if I spill marbles or even oil on the stairs, and you fall, I won’t be to blame? After all, you should have been watching the path right?”

Her words left Fang Xiaoli choking. She lifted her chin defiantly. “He’s just a child. You, a grown woman, still argue with a kid? Shameless. Besides, you didn’t even fall, so why make such a fuss? What are you after, compensation? Don’t you feel embarrassed?”

At that moment, Wang Lianying arrived, clearly drawn by the noise. Without even asking what had happened, she jumped in to back Fang Xiaoli.

“That’s right! Two adults scaring children like this, it’s already too much. What else do you want? My son’s crying his eyes out. Or do you want to squeeze money out of us? But look, Su Yue’s fine. Why should we compensate you?”

Su Yue had never seen such twisted reasoning before. Instead of correcting their children, these two mothers shamelessly defended them. What kind of “good upbringing” could children like that ever receive?

Ma Cuiyun was just as furious. She snapped back, “Su Yue is pregnant! Do you know what could’ve happened if she had really fallen today? Could either of you afford the consequences? When your children do wrong, you not only refuse to teach them but you protect them! At this rate, you’ll ruin them for life!”

Hearing the word pregnant, the surrounding crowd finally understood the seriousness of the matter. If a pregnant woman fell on the stairs, it could end in tragedy; for both mother and child. No wonder Su Yue and Ma Cuiyun were so angry. This wasn’t a trivial accident.

But Fang Xiaoli remained unmoved, sneering instead, “My son’s education is none of your concern. You should worry about your own family. Even if you raise your daughters well, who knows if anyone will even marry two little bumpkins from your household?”

“You—!” Ma Cuiyun flushed scarlet, enraged at the insult to her daughters. Unable to bear it any longer, she shoved Su Yue into her sister-in-law’s arms, and then charged at Fang Xiaoli.

Su Yue, still weak and pale, desperately grabbed her sleeve. “Sister Ma, don’t! Don’t fight!”

But Ma Cuiyun was past reason. She yanked free and pounced. Years of farm work had made her strong, far stronger than the pampered Fang Xiaoli. Within moments, Fang Xiaoli was thrown to the ground and slapped across the face.

“You dare hit me, you bitch?!” Fang Xiaoli shrieked, flailing back. “I’ll kill you!”

The two women grappled furiously, clawing and cursing.

Su Yue tried to intervene, but with no strength in her body, she was shoved aside. She could only call out anxiously, while the neighbors watched from a safe distance, whispering but unwilling to step in.

Just as the fight reached its peak, a thunderous roar echoed up the stairwell, “What are you doing? Stop this at once!”

Everyone turned. It was the men that came back from work. The one shouting was none other than Feng Junwei.

He stormed over, pried the two women apart, and snapped at his wife, “If you have something to say, use your mouth! Why are you brawling like this?”

Ma Cuiyun’s husband, Sun Changfu, rushed up too, pulling his wife back.

Fang Xiaoli looked a wreck; her hair tangled, clothes disheveled, her cheek burning with handprints. She had never suffered such humiliation. Enraged beyond reason, she shrieked and struggled in her husband’s grip.

“Feng Junwei, beat her to death! She dared lay hands on me, I’ll never forgive her!”

But Feng Junwei ignored her tantrum. Holding her down firmly, he turned to the crowd and demanded to know what had happened.

The neighbors recounted the events in detail.

Han Aiguo, who had just returned, pushed through to Su Yue’s side. His face darkened at once.
“Yue’er, are you hurt?”

The moment Su Yue saw him, her fear and grievance spilled over. She collapsed into his arms, whispering weakly, “Aiguo, I have no strength…”

Without another word, Han Aiguo scooped her up and carried her home. Gently laying her on the bed, he checked her forehead anxiously. “What’s wrong? Do you want to go to the hospital right now?”

Su Yue shook her head and told him what had happened. “I was just scared… My body feels weak, but my stomach’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Han Aiguo’s expression grew stormy. He took her hands; her palms were red, marked with purple welts from gripping the railing. Rolling up her sleeve, he found her arm bruised too. The sight made his chest tighten painfully.

If she hadn’t managed to grab the rail… if she had really fallen down those stairs…

He dared not even imagine it.

Seeing his face darken further, Su Yue leaned into him, softly coaxing, “I’m really fine. I just need to rest. Don’t worry.”

Han Aiguo hugged her tightly, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead; comforting her, and calming his own fear.

Just then, angry wails drifted from outside. Fang Xiaoli’s voice pierced through, shrill and desperate,
“Feng Junwei, don’t you dare hit my son! Let me go! Don’t touch him! If you lay a hand on him, I’ll fight you to the death!”

Su Yue exchanged a glance with Han Aiguo. She could guess that Feng Junwei must be disciplining his son outside, loudly and deliberately, so that everyone could hear. It was his way of giving them an explanation.