Chapter 2: To My Surprise, I Am Pregnant!

Faced with such a scene, Shitou actually spoke up on the spot and asked, "Daddy, what are you doing?"

Father Li, who had been startled soft by his beloved eldest son's cry of "Daddy," turned around with his bare buttocks exposed. Under the clear moonlight, he saw his eldest son staring at his naked rear with wide, curious eyes, filled with confusion.

From beneath Father Li, Qin Tao saw the tall figure of Shitou standing straight behind him through the gap of Father Li's armpit.

Before Qin Tao could react, Shitou took two steps closer. As he tilted his head, he saw Qin Tao's bare shoulders, clad only in a red bellyband.

In this situation, whether out of fright or intent, Qin Tao let out a piercing "Ah!" The sound shattered the silence of the night, immediately waking up the villagers of Li Village who were staying near the giant rock.

And that was that. Shitou was still sobbing uncontrollably, feeling utterly wronged by the situation.

Li Shiyue stood to the side, glancing back and forth between Father Li and Qin Tao, who was staring at her and Mother Li with a defiant, neck-stiffened gaze.

"So that's how it is."

Li Shiyue spoke these words slowly, syllable by syllable, directed at Qin Tao. Her voice wasn't low, and the villagers who had gathered outside to watch the spectacle heard her. The quick-witted ones responded within two breaths, "Ah! So that's it! No wonder..."

This was because, in the memories of Li Shiyue's original body, Qin Tao was a married woman in Li Village.

Qin Tao's husband had been taken away by the local officials to serve in the military along with Li Shiyue's uncle and other men from the village just before they all fled the famine. Currently, the fates of those dozens of men remained unknown.

Because Li Shiyue's uncle had been close friends with Qin Tao's husband back in the village, the relationship between the Li family and Qin Tao's family had always been good.

After Li Shiyue's uncle and the other men were drafted for war and never returned, Father and Mother Li frequently helped Qin Tao, who had to raise two children alone.

On ordinary days, Father Li would go to Qin Tao's house to help fetch water, chop wood, or repair a roof.

Mother Li, being kind-hearted, would often call Qin Tao to go to the mountains to forage for wild vegetables.

Whenever the Li family obtained anything rare, even just a handful of mountain berries, if they had any surplus, they never forgot to share a portion with Qin Tao.

Even during this current escape from natural and man-made disasters, Father Li had taken it upon himself to lend the family's other donkey to Qin Tao's family of three.

Therefore, the fact that these people, who had been helping each other all along, ended up helping each other in a state of nakedness came as no surprise; people could only blurt out, "So that's how it is!"

At this moment, aside from Shitou, who was sobbing inconsolably under Father Li's scolding, no one present failed to understand the situation: Father Li was having a midnight tryst with Qin Tao, and they had been caught by the foolish Shitou, who had come to the giant rock to relieve himself.

Having lived through her thirties before transmigrating, Li Shiyue naturally understood exactly what was happening between Father Li and Qin Tao.

Among the crowd, aside from the dim-witted Shitou, perhaps only the village children truly understood nothing of what was going on.

Looking at Qin Tao, who held her head high as if she were performing a grand and righteous deed rather than a shameful act of adultery, Li Shiyue's expression held nothing but mockery.

Li Shiyue did not respond to Qin Tao's previous provocative remark; she simply looked Qin Tao up and down before turning back to look at Mother Li, who was still grim-faced while comforting Shitou.

The key to this matter lay with Mother Li; it depended on how she chose to resolve it.

"Mother, you..."

Mother Li raised a hand to cut off Li Shiyue's unspoken concern. She pulled the still-sobbing Shitou to her side and placed his hand in Li Shiyue's. As Li Shiyue gripped Shitou's hand, Mother Li looked at her with a solemn face and said softly, "Shiyue, watch over your brother."

Holding her brother's hand, Li Shiyue watched as Mother Li took two steps forward. Mother Li didn't even glance at Qin Tao, who stood before Father Li; she stared only at Father Li.

Father Li was already feeling guilty, and under Mother Li's intense gaze, he couldn't hold out for more than a few breaths.

Shrinking his shoulders, Father Li lowered his head. He reached out to pull his clothing belt, which he had failed to fasten in his earlier panic, finally covering his half-exposed chest.

Father Li didn't dare look Mother Li in the eye; he could only tilt his head and steal a glance at her from the side.

However, the words that came out of Father Li's mouth were painfully sharp: "Chunniang, don't be angry. This is my first time. Don't worry, from now on I will be honest and won't ever dare to..."

Before Father Li could finish, Qin Tao, who was standing nearby, was clearly not pleased. She turned and stepped directly in front of Father Li, lifting her head as two streams of pitiful tears fell from her eyes.

It was truly not an exaggeration; watching from the side, Li Shiyue was amazed. She thought to herself, *With this acting, she'd at least win an Oscar in the modern world.*

Seeing Qin Tao's hesitant, sorrowful posture, Father Li was truly heartbroken for her.

"Brother Guangzi, I..."

"Xiao Tao'er..."

Li Shiyue felt like she was going to gag. In this era, spouses usually addressed each other as "husband" or "mother of my child"; calling each other "brother" or "sister" was reserved for young men and women who were engaged but not yet married.

If they were to be more intimate, it was usually a private matter between husband and wife.

But in this setting, hearing Qin Tao call him "Brother Guangzi" was genuinely nauseating.

Good heavens, are you two actually acting out a real romance during your adultery?

Li Shiyue found the behavior of Father Li and Qin Tao utterly revolting.

"Mother?" Li Shiyue stepped forward and grabbed Mother Li's sleeve. Mother Li was the one who should have been suffering most; betrayed by her closest person during a desperate flight for survival—where was the justice in that?

Mother Li's strengthfulness surprised Li Shiyue.

"It's alright, don't be afraid," Mother Li said softly to Li Shiyue without looking back, patting her arm.

This drama provided immense entertainment for the exhausted villagers of Li Village on their journey. Their initial anger at having their sleep disturbed was completely forgotten.

The onlookers gathered in small groups, whispering and gossiping about Father Li's midnight tryst with Qin Tao being discovered by his own son. They were discussing when Father Li and Qin Tao had started their affair and where they used to sneak off to in the village.

Not to mention, Father Li and Qin Tao were currently performing their "deep passion" right in front of everyone.

The psychological and mental stress brought by the life-and-death struggle of the famine was actually being alleviated by the appearance of Father Li and Qin Tao's scandal.

Li Shiyue listened as the villagers' discussions grew increasingly scandalous; some gossipy men were even describing their supposed positions in vivid detail.

With her right hand holding her brother Shitou and her left hand gripping Mother Li's arm, Li Shiyue looked up at the two lovers, Father Li and Qin Tao, who were still acting affectionately.

"Brother Guangzi, I... I'm with your child, I..."

After saying this, Qin Tao lowered her head, but not completely; she left enough space for Father Li to see her smooth forehead and the tears glistening on her eyelashes under the light.