Chapter 84: Chapter 84: Chen Jianghe Fell

Xu Meiling enthusiastically ran to the new house under construction to find Chen Jianghe.

As soon as Chen Jianghe saw her coming from a distance, he immediately climbed up the ladder to get to work, preferring to keep busy rather than deal with her.

Xu Meiling didn’t mind at all, nor did she care if others overheard. She stood below and shouted, “Jianghe-ge, I’m pregnant! You’re going to be a father!”

Chen Jianghe was so shocked he nearly tumbled headfirst off the roof.

Who would’ve thought, just that one time, and she ended up pregnant.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

The villagers helping out nearby all laughed and said, “Congratulations, Comrade Chen! Once the new house is finished, you can stay home with your wife and help her take care of the baby.”

“Congratulations, congratulations!”

Everyone was all smiles—everyone except Chen Jianghe, whose face was ashen.

He still hadn’t worked up the courage to write home and explain the situation, and had been putting it off.

In his mind, he never planned to spend his life with Xu Meiling. He wanted to keep things hidden for as long as possible.

But as the saying goes, when it rains, it pours. And now, a child was on the way.

Although he didn’t have any expectations for this child, if it really was born, things would get complicated, and he was afraid he wouldn’t have the heart to be ruthless.

A child is a bond for a woman, but it’s the same for a man.

He’d once looked forward to having a child with someone he loved, a child who would be a little like him, a little like her, and watching that child grow up strong.

But if the mother was Xu Meiling, that was a different story.

He didn’t like this unexpected child at all. The baby had thrown all his plans into chaos, leaving him at a loss, his mind in turmoil.

Xu Meiling, standing below, couldn’t see Chen Jianghe’s reaction. Seeing him frozen and unmoving, she thought he was simply overjoyed.

“Jianghe-ge, come stay at our place tonight. I’ll ask Mom to make something delicious for you. You’ve worked so hard building the house lately.”

Chen Jianghe snapped back to reality. “You go on ahead. I’ll come over in a bit.”

Xu Meiling left, beaming with happiness.

Chen Jianghe was absent-minded. He didn’t want this child, didn’t want to be tied down. How could he make it disappear without anyone knowing?

Lost in thought, he didn’t notice someone had moved the ladder beneath him, and with the sky growing dark, he stepped out into thin air.

Bang!

With a loud crash, Chen Jianghe fell from the roof.

Everyone was terrified.

How could this happen? He was building a house, and the owner had fallen from the roof.

Luckily, the roof wasn’t very high, and the ground below wasn’t cement but packed yellow earth.

Chen Jianghe only fainted—there were no major injuries.

The people on site hurried to inform the Xu family.

Xu Meiling, belly proudly on display, was eager to tell everyone she was pregnant, accepting congratulations all along the way.

She even deliberately detoured to the educated youth spot to show off in front of Jiang Xue and the others, who had just finished work.

Jiang Xue had already come to terms with things—life had to go on. Now, she even resented Chen Jianghe as well. When she heard the news, she actually found it funny.

Chen Jianghe really was desperate—he’d even stoop to someone like that.

Xu Meiling didn’t get the reaction she wanted and, feeling a little deflated, strolled home.

She hadn’t even reached the door when someone shouted, “Secretary Xu! Aunt Liu! Quick, something’s happened—your son-in-law fell off the roof!”

Xu Meiling’s legs gave out and she tripped over the threshold, sprawling flat on the ground. But she instinctively used her hands to protect her precious belly, and her arms and legs stung with pain.

Ignoring her own injuries, she jumped up and ran toward the new house, shouting as she ran, “My husband was just fine! How did he fall? Did someone push him?”

The young man who brought the news rolled his eyes. “How should I know? Maybe he was just too happy?” He glanced at her bulging belly as he spoke.

Xu Meiling really believed that Chen Jianghe had fallen because he was too happy.

For a moment, she didn’t know whether to be happy or sad.

Soon, Xu Mingshan arrived and had people load Chen Jianghe onto a cart to take him to the commune clinic.

A happy event had turned into a disaster—Xu Meiling really had a way with things.

Meanwhile, on Gu Qinghuan’s side, after seeing off the Ji family father and son, the two children finally settled down to sleep.

She and Xu Huai’an began a late-night conversation by candlelight, discussing the trip to Beijing.

Gu Qinghuan had originally planned to go by herself.

But now, with Xu Huai’an’s situation, she worried about leaving him alone in case his illness relapsed and no one could control him.

And after those two incidents where he’d hurt people, the villagers were already talking. There were all kinds of rumors going around.

Whenever Xu Huai’an went to work, he was always assigned to a group by himself—no one wanted to be paired with him, afraid he’d suddenly lash out.

And now, he’d hit someone again in front of everyone, and this time it was his own father.

Because the ones he’d hit were all from the Xu family, outsiders hadn’t made a fuss—yet.

But if Xu Huai’an lost control again and hurt someone from the village, everyone would probably band together and demand he be dealt with.

That afternoon, Gu Qinghuan had overheard someone snidely say, “A lunatic should be tied up—why let him out to hurt people?”

It was true—Xu Huai’an was aggressive and emotionally unstable.

But hearing those words still made Gu Qinghuan feel sad.

“Xu Huai’an, why don’t you come to Beijing with me? We can use this opportunity to see a psychologist about your illness.”

Xu Huai’an looked up in surprise. “Really?”

But the next second, he lowered his head. “Maybe not… No one would be here to look after the kids.” Besides, he was afraid he’d have another episode on the way and become a burden to Gu Qinghuan.

Gu Qinghuan could see right through him—he clearly wanted to go, but was holding back.

“Then let’s bring the kids too! We’ll all go together.”

Xu Huai’an’s eyes grew wet as he looked at her, like a big dog with too many emotions to express.

Suddenly, he reached out and took Gu Qinghuan’s hand.

“Huanhuan, today… I still couldn’t control myself. What if it happens again? I don’t want you to be laughed at or blamed because of me…

I’ll only drag you down!”

He wanted to let go, but he really, really couldn’t bear to. Gu Qinghuan was his light.

The longer they spent together, the more he understood and loved her, the more conflicted he became. Part of him wanted to let go so she could live her life, not be burdened by him, but another part just couldn’t. The thought of her having someone else, having children with someone else, drove him mad with jealousy.

These days of normal life had made him forget he was still a patient.

Even if he didn’t want to admit it, to Gu Qinghuan, he was just a dispensable burden. Without her, he was nothing.

Sometimes, he really felt powerless.

Gu Qinghuan squeezed his hand back, wanting to give him more strength. This man could be as strong as Iron Man, fearless in the face of anything, but when he was vulnerable, it broke her heart.

How could a grown man give off such a sense of fragility? Even the scar on his forehead seemed to make him all the more pitiable.

“No, maybe Heaven sent me to save you. I’m not afraid of being dragged down—not before, not now, and I never will be.

Look, your progress is obvious to everyone. You’re already no different from a normal person.

Let’s go to Beijing and get a thorough checkup. Let a psychologist help you drive out the demons in your heart. You’ll only get better from here.

When people slander me, deceive me, insult me, laugh at me, belittle me, look down on me—what should I do?

Just endure, yield, avoid, let them be, be patient, show respect, and ignore them. In a few years, you’ll see.

Sometimes, the only thing holding you back isn’t other people—it’s yourself.”"

"Chapter 85: Two Small Western-Style Houses