Hit back
627 Words
“Check on Ta Shi first—everything else can wait!” the village head ordered sternly, shooting a furious glare at Ma Shi.
Ma Shi immediately protested,
“Why aren’t you checking my son first? He’s the one still breathing! That thing in her belly might not even be human!”
The village head turned sharply to Lam Thach, his voice cold,
“Since when were women in this village allowed to interrupt when men are speaking?”
Ma Shi opened her mouth to argue, but was silenced by Lam Thach’s icy stare. Though she bit her tongue, her eyes were still blazing with fury, clearly not ready to let it go.
Inside the room, the physician entered. Linh Du remained lying on her side, clutching her belly, moaning pitifully:
“Oh heavens… my belly hurts so much… If anything happens to my baby, I’ll make Ma Shi’s son pay with his life!”
Outside, Ma Shi exploded,
“What did she just say?! Why is she dragging my son into this?!”
Old Madam Zhang, a senior villager nearby, spoke up lazily,
“Ta Shi’s been pregnant a long time now—she’s been looking forward to this child every day. If something really does happen… Ma Shi, you’d better keep a close eye on your boy. Don’t come crying when it’s too late.”
Though Madam Zhang didn’t particularly like Linh Du, she had no fondness for Ma Shi either. Her words were more to stir up drama than take sides.
Ma Shi’s face stiffened. Deep down, she knew—if anyone would actually do something crazy, it would be Ta Shi.
Inside, the physician took Linh Du’s pulse.
She turned her face away, still cradling her stomach and groaning:
“Lam Da Hu is such a disgrace! Still just a kid and already acting like a thug! He tried to lift my little sister’s shirt and even tried to stab my belly! If anything happens to my baby, I won’t let him off! Doctor, you must keep my child safe!”
Lam Da Hu—the boy being accused—was Ma Shi’s son.
Trinh Shi stood nearby, holding her breath as she watched the physician’s every move, afraid he’d declare the worst—that the child couldn’t be saved.
Tien Shi, meanwhile, wore a conflicted expression. On one hand, she truly worried for Ta Shi’s baby. On the other, she thought maybe if the child was gone, Ta Shi might stop being so haughty and overbearing. But the more she considered it, the more she feared that if that happened, Ta Shi would lose her mind. The thought made her uneasy.
After a long moment of silence, the physician stood up, slowly shaking his head.
Trinh Shi turned pale, her legs buckling—Tien Shi quickly rushed forward to support her.
Then the physician finally spoke:
“Nothing serious. The mother was frightened and overly agitated. She just needs rest and peace of mind. Too much anger is bad for the baby—if she feels upset, she should speak out, not bottle it up. I’ll prescribe a few days of medicine; she’ll be fine.”
Trinh Shi let out a breath of relief, nodding quickly:
“You scared me to death… Never mind that—thank you, physician! I’ll go fetch the money right away.”
As soon as she stepped out, the crowd swarmed around her.
“How’s Ta Shi? Is the baby alright?”
She answered,
“Just needs rest.”
Then she hurried off to get the money, leaving the others to chatter behind her.
Now that they knew the baby was fine, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. No one truly wanted a tragedy to happen.
- Writer
