B5SB -Chapter 278 Heavenly Calamity, Lone Star

At Deputy Battalion Commander Wang’s Home, “What’s wrong with Chun Cao sleeping with me?!”

“If it weren’t for considering that you’re pregnant, I wouldn’t even allow some little girl to sleep with me! It’s just bad luck!”

Deputy Battalion Commander Wang’s mother stood by the dining table, tapping the rice ladle against the porcelain bowl, producing a metallic “cling-cling” sound. Her eyes stared straight at Zhang Xia as she kept nagging.

Zhang Xia ignored her, keeping her hands tightly over her daughter’s ears to block out her grandmother’s complaints.

Chun Cao blinked her wide, innocent eyes at Lan Cao and gave her a sweet smile, revealing adorable little dimples. In her childish voice, she called out, “Mama, I’m hungry.”

Zhang Xia looked at her daughter’s tender cheeks. Hearing her say she was hungry, her eyes flashed with a pang of pity.

She suddenly lifted her head, locking eyes with Deputy Battalion Commander Wang’s mother, and said coldly, “Mother, I will not let my daughter sleep with you!”

Wang’s mother’s anger surged instantly, only to be restrained when she remembered the eldest grandson in Zhang Xia’s womb. She forced herself to calm down.

She reassured herself: if it weren’t for her being pregnant, she would have already made it clear who really runs this household!

Seeing that her mother-in-law had fallen silent, Zhang Xia assumed she had given up on making her daughter sleep there, and relaxed her hands from her daughter’s ears. She gently patted her fluffy little head and said softly, “Chun Cao, Mama has boiled an egg for you. Do you want to eat it?”

“Really?!” Chun Cao’s eyes instantly lit up. She swallowed hard—she had been without eggs for so long that she had almost forgotten their taste.

Zhang Xia smiled faintly, reaching to lightly rub Chun Cao’s nose. She took a round, white egg from her pocket and placed it in her tiny hand.

“Here, Mama saved this especially for you.”

Chun Cao held the now-cooled egg tightly in her small hands, overjoyed.

Deputy Battalion Commander Wang’s mother, seeing Zhang Xia giving Chun Cao the egg, instantly scowled. This was an egg she hadn’t even wanted to eat herself, and yet Zhang Xia had given it to her daughter to nourish the unborn grandson! And she even dared to secretly give it to Chun Cao, her “worthless” granddaughter!

Just as she was about to scold, Wang, humming off-key military tunes, walked in and shouted, “Mother, I’m hungry!”

He then sat down beside Zhang Xia.

“Eat! All you ever think about is food! You gluttonous kid!” Wang’s mother shouted, slamming the ladle onto the table in anger.

Chun Cao, still peeling her egg, was startled by the loud “clang” and buried her head in Zhang Xia’s arms.

Wang was momentarily taken aback and glanced curiously at his mother, whose face was stormy.

“Mother, who upset you?” he asked in confusion.

Wang’s mother shot a glare at her ungrateful son and angrily plopped onto a stool. Turning her words sweetly toward Zhang Xia, she said, “Daughter-in-law, letting Chun Cao sleep with me is for your own good!”

“She doesn’t sleep properly—kicking or punching. What if she hurts the baby in your belly? Then it’ll be too late even if you regret it!”

Wang, thinking his mother made a point, glanced at the silent Lan Cao and helped mediate: “Wife, Mother isn’t wrong!”

“Don’t be fooled by her age—Lan Cao isn’t even two yet, but she’s strong. Sometimes she even kicks me awake!”

Listening to Wang’s words, Zhang Xia’s mind flashed to Zhao Ju’s warnings. Suddenly, her stomach churned violently. She couldn’t hold it back, quickly pushing Chun Cao to her side.

Before she could even stand, she vomited, “Ugh…”

Seeing this, Wang quickly patted her back, puzzled. “You’re already three months pregnant! How are you still vomiting?”

Zhang Xia swatted his hand away, stood up, and ran outside. She squatted in the yard, retching so violently she nearly threw up her bitter gall as well.

Wang’s mother glared at Chun Cao, who was innocently eating her egg, muttering: “Ungrateful little brat, all she cares about is eggs!”

Fuming about the “blind fortune-teller” talk, she marched around the table and slapped Wang on the back.

“Son, Zhang Xia’s pregnancy is cursed!” she declared.

Wang froze for a moment, then looked at his mother and suddenly burst into laughter. Shaking his head, he said, “Mother, superstitions are nonsense!”

Seeing her son not believe her, Wang’s mother roared, “Wang Dachui, do you think I’m lying?!”

“I consulted the fortune-teller from Qingyuan Brigade! She said Chun Cao curses my grandson!”

“As long as she sleeps with you, Zhang Xia will never safely give birth!”

Hearing his mother point at him, Wang realized she was serious. He quickly stood, patting her arm to calm her: “Mother, don’t listen to such nonsense.”

His mother, furious at his disbelief, shook off his hand and shouted, “I’ve checked! The fortune-teller has never been wrong. She said your daughter is a ‘Heavenly Calamity, Lone Star’ who brings misfortune to her brother—it’s true!”

Suppressing a smile, Wang replied, “Mother, next time you see the fortune-teller, ask her when she’ll kick the bucket herself!”

“You—”

Zhang Xia, leaning against the door, listened to their exchange and sneered internally. Luckily, she hadn’t mentioned that the baby in her womb no longer had a heartbeat. Otherwise, they’d truly have believed that Chun Cao was a ‘Heavenly Calamity, Lone Star.’

“Mother, if you dare slander my daughter again, I’ll report you to the brigade for spreading superstition!” Zhang Xia strode to Chun Cao, glaring at Wang’s mother and threatening her.

Wang’s face instantly turned cold. He glared at Zhang Xia and sharply scolded, “Wife, what are you talking about? She’s only anxious because of your unborn child!”

Zhang Xia shot him a look. Were it not for Chun Cao being so small and her lack of income, she wouldn’t want to stay in this house another day.

“Mama…”

Chun Cao ran with her tiny legs and hugged Zhang Xia’s leg, trembling. Though small, she could read adults’ expressions—she knew only Mama loved and protected her. Her father and grandmother didn’t.

Zhang Xia bent down, scooped up Chun Cao, and without glancing at Wang and his mother, turned toward the bedroom.

Before closing the door, she left one firm warning: “I will never let my daughter leave my sight!”

Then, slam! The bedroom door shut.

Wang’s mother’s chest heaved in fury. Trembling, she pointed at the bedroom: “She…”

Wang sighed, “Mother, you know how much Zhang Xia cherishes Chun Cao. Better not say things like that in the future. If you push her too far, she might really report you for spreading superstition. That won’t be good for your son’s future.”

Wang’s mother glared at him silently and sulked at the dining table. Wang served himself rice with a sigh.

He thought his life was too hard—there was never peace in this household with this pair of mother and daughter-in-law. Only Lan Cao was good.