Chapter 9 — Mother-in-law Tests Daughter-in-law's Heart

“Mom gave me very little.” “Mom chopped it so finely.” “It didn't make me feel uncomfortable when I ate it.” Tran Nghien closed his eyes. When he opened it, the bottom of his eyes were streaked with blood. "Why didn't she say it? Didn't you know in your heart?" Ton Que Phan stiffened his neck and argued: "Can't he blame you?" "He's an adult, he wants to eat it all himself." Tran Nghien took a step forward. "When mom brought it out and put it in front of her, didn't she just want to see her eat it all?" Ton Que Phan's face stiffened. "I don't have it." "I have it." Tran's voice. Nghien wasn't big, but each word was like a rock pressing down on her chest. "Mom sat opposite her, staring at her." "I waited for her to be okay, then told her that before she was all pretending." "Mom, it's not that you're careless." "It's on purpose." Ton Que Phan's tears immediately fell. "Because of that, do you think your biological mother is like that?" Tran Nghien looked at her crying, his eyes not softening at all. "I always said before. With her, my mother's stomach is not bad." "I told her to endure, told her to yield." "I said mom was old, said she was always babbling, said she just didn't know how to express herself." His throat moved slightly, his voice was deep and hoarse. "I just found out today, that I have always forced her to suffer resentment." Ton Que Phan hugged his chest: "I raised you this much, you gouged my heart for a woman like that." Tran Nghien looked towards the door of the emergency room. "The person lying inside is my wife." "In her belly is my child." "If something happens to them, I will never forgive you in my entire life." That statement was like a slap straight to Ton Que Phan's face. She stood there, her whole body staggering. Inside the emergency room, the clanking sound of medical equipment suddenly rang out. Tran Nghien was startled, turned around, almost sticking close to the edge of the door. The nurse pushed the door and walked out, holding an empty tube and a few new forms. "The patient's blood pressure is dropping, the allergic reaction is not yet completely controlled." "The obstetrics department asked the family to sign another risk notice form." Tran Nghien took the form, his trembling fingers could barely hold the paper. He bent down to look, the words crowded on it like a swarm of black beetles. *Risk of anaphylactic shock.* *Risk of fetal distress.* *First aid when necessary.* *Suspend abortion when necessary.* Tran Nghien suffocated, the pen slipped from his hand and fell to the ground. Ton Que Phan also saw those words. The blood on her face completely disappeared, her voice shrilled: "Stop what?" "Don't you just say it's an allergy?" The nurse frowned at her. "Severe allergies can kill you." "She's pregnant, her body's reaction is much more complicated than normal people." "What kind of care do your family members take?" Ton Que Phan's lips trembled: "I... I only fed her a few dumplings." Y The nurse coldly responded: "She clearly said she couldn't eat, but you still feed her?" Ton Que Phan's throat was blocked and he couldn't say a word. Tran Nghien squatted down to pick up the pen, the blue veins on the back of his hand were clearly visible. He carefully signed his name, the last stroke tearing the entire paper. Before going back in, the nurse paused for a moment: "The doctor told the family to prepare mentally." "If it's brought back a little later, both mother and child will have a hard time keeping it." Ton Que Phan seemed to have been drained of all his strength by those words. She leaned her back against the wall and slowly slid down to sit on the hallway bench. His mouth kept muttering: "Impossible." "Why did this happen?" "I just wanted to try." Tran Nghien stood in front of the emergency room door, motionless. He did not turn his head to comfort her. He didn't even bother to give her a glance anymore. Inside the door, urgent footsteps sounded again. Someone shouted: "Measure my heart again."