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Chapter 498: Chapter 498: Yaoyao, are you pregnant?
Guo Jinnian, however, didn’t think it was a big deal at all, "What’s the fuss about? Life’s path doesn’t solely depend on college education. Wasn’t your initial goal to come out of the mountains and make money for a decent life by attending college? Now you’ve shortened your journey by starting a business directly with less education. It’s a good thing!"
Listening to Guo Jinnian’s words, Gu Hongwei knew that he did not understand his father’s temperament and patiently explained: "My father believes that graduating from a university adds prestige. Now that I’ve been expelled from school, in his eyes, it’s a matter of shame."
Given his father’s temper, if he found out about his expulsion, he would probably take him to school to seek the headmaster, plead for his readmission to the university, or encourage him to repeat his senior year and retake the college entrance exam.
Neither option was what he wanted right now.
"Isn’t it easy to deceive him when the time comes? As long as you don’t mention it, he won’t know you’ve been expelled. Just tell him after a year or so that you’ve graduated from college then, won’t it be done?" Guo Jinnian didn’t understand why Gu Hongwei was worried about such a simple matter.
Tong Yao nodded along, "I also think it’s better to keep this from Uncle Gu for now, to avoid him getting angry."
"I guess there’s no other choice." Hongwei said with a reluctant smile.
He was not accustomed to lying, but was forced to deceive the person whom he was closest to in this world.
He hoped that when his father found out in the future, he would understand the difficulty of his situation.
Tong Yao looked at the wall clock and said, "Let’s go to bed early! We have to catch a train tomorrow."
After Tong Yao finished her evening routine, she was about to go to her room to sleep when the phone in the living room suddenly rang. She went over to answer it. Unsurprisingly, it was Si Chen. They talked for over ten minutes. Tong Yao told him that she was going to Li City with Gu Hongwei and casually mentioned Zhao Wenkai’s matters.
Upon hearing about Zhao Wenkai’s intent to deliver a gift to Tong Yao, Si Chen couldn’t help but furrow his brows, "Zhao Wenkai is very manipulative, be careful."
Tong Yao nodded in response, "Don’t worry! I’m fine here. Just take good care of yourself. Once things here stabilize, I’ll come overseas to see you."
With two more people in the house, Tong Yao didn’t feel comfortable enough to continue her sweet talk with Si Chen on the phone. After a few words, she hung up.
Everything was moving in an orderly fashion. Tong Yao’s mood was good, she felt fulfilled and slept soundly through the night. When she woke up in the morning, Gu Hongwei had already bought breakfast. The three of them finished eating, and Guo Jinnian took the train back home.
Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei first went to the bank to transfer money for Mr. Zhong’s house, and then took the train to Li City.
She was quite lucky and managed to buy a sleeper ticket. Both Tong Yao and Gu Hongwei were in the same carriage; one at the beginning and the other at the end of the compartment. The lower bunk that Tong Yao bought was across from a robust woman in her forties. This woman looked like she was not to be trifled with. Sacks of her cargo were piled on the floor in between the two bunk beds and under the bed.
As soon as Tong Yao arrived, the woman said, "Don’t step on my stuff."
Tong Yao didn’t pay her any attention and did not step on her belongings; instead, she squeezed through the gap in between to lay on the bed. The woman was originally lying on the bed with a thin quilt. She took it off because she felt hot, and Tong Yao instantly smelled a strong odor of unwashed feet.
It reeked - very strongly - reminiscent of a rat that had been dead for several days. The whole compartment was filled with the stench. Tong Yao looked at the person on the upper bunk who seemed so unaffected that he could still eat boiled eggs...
Unable to hold it in, Tong Yao retched once. Seeing this, the woman across shifted her feet towards the edge of the bed even more and started picking at her toes after awhile.
Just when Tong Yao thought this was intolerable enough, incredibly, the woman pulled out two meat buns and started nibbling on them with the hand she had just used to pick at her toes.
Tong Yao could not hold it in anymore. She retched twice, put on her shoes, and left to sit in the aisle.
Soon after, Gu Hongwei walked over, "Why are you sitting here?"
Tong Yao sighed softly, "The woman in my compartment has a strong foot odor. I just can’t stand it."
Gu Hongwei twitched the corner of his mouth, seeming to empathize with her. He bent over to sit across from Tong Yao and muttered, "It’s pretty much the same situation on my end."
Remembering the woman picking her toes and eating buns, Tong Yao felt nauseous, and she quickly looked at the scenery outside to distract herself before feeling better.
"The woman in my compartment was picking at her toes and eating meat buns. I wonder if the taste of the buns improves by eating this way..." As soon as she finished, she retched twice more.
Gu Hongwei looked at her, seeming to have something to say but hesitated. Noticing this, Tong Yao asked, "Do you have something you want to say? We’re so familiar with each other now, just say whatever it is! Don’t hesitate."
Tong Yao preferred straightforwardness and disliked beating around the bush. They had known each other for years, so there was no point in playing coy.
Upon hearing this, Gu Hongwei licked his lips and asked somewhat hesitantly, "Yaoyao, are you pregnant?"
He felt that it was inappropriate for him as a man to ask such a question, but he was afraid that if Tong Yao was pregnant and didn’t know about it, it could be problematic later on.
Si Chen’s last visit back wasn’t long ago. If Tong Yao was pregnant, it would be around this time that she would start showing symptoms.
"Really?" Tong Yao felt the chances were slim. After all, she and Si Chen had been married for so long and she hadn’t been pregnant. Could she be pregnant just because he stayed over for one night this time?
If that were the case, it would be too much of a coincidence.
Gu Hongwei said seriously, "When we get to Li City, you should go to the hospital to get checked. It’s better to be sure. If you’re really pregnant, you won’t be able to travel around on trains. It would be best to hire a nanny to take care of you."
Even though she was not sure if she was pregnant, Tong Yao couldn’t help but feel a bit excited. She had once feared that her chance of reincarnation had deprived her of the opportunity to become a mother. If she was really pregnant, it would be great.
She composed herself and laughed, "That’s not necessary. My constitution is pretty good. If I really am pregnant, it won’t affect my daily life."
Although Tong Yao appeared to be a delicate lady who didn’t lift a finger in public, she was not fragile. Her physical constitution was quite good; as long as she didn’t do strenuous work, there would certainly be no problems.
"You’ve been living alone for a while now, and if you’re pregnant, it won’t be good for you without someone to take care of you. I think it would be better to hire someone." Gu Hongwei suggested.
Tong Yao’s family could afford it, so she could definitely live a more comfortable and less strenuous life.
