Not long after finishing the chicken soup, Song Yuemei went to prepare the evening meal. Dongyu remained comfortably inside the house, and nothing seemed amiss until after dinner, when Dongyu suddenly cried out, complaining of severe stomach pain.

Song Yuemei immediately suspected Dongyu was going into labor. She considered fetching Old Mrs. He from next door, but Dongyu clutched her hand. Although Song Yuemei herself was not entirely steady on her feet, she still managed to help Dongyu to the **. Meanwhile, she sent Maomao to call for the grandmother.

By the time Old Mrs. He arrived, Dongyu was bleeding heavily from below; it didn't look like her water had broken. Song Yuemei was stunned speechless, and Old Mrs. He was equally shocked, repeatedly questioning Dongyu about what was wrong. After crying for a while, Dongyu suddenly pointed at Song Yuemei and accused, "You are so cruel! You’re just jealous that I am carrying a boy, aren't you? This is how you treat me—what did you feed me?"

As she spoke, Dongyu gestured toward an empty bowl on the table. Old Mrs. He followed the direction of her gaze and indeed saw an empty bowl. Song Yuemei was momentarily taken aback by the accusation and replied, "Dongyu, what are you saying? How could I possibly harm you? I didn't even touch you today."

"You didn't touch me, but you wanted to poison me. You cooked all of today’s lunch, and you served the dishes. I was fine at first, but after eating your meal, this happened," Dongyu insisted.

"Yes, I cooked the meal, but Maomao and I ate it too, and we’re fine. Why are you saying I poisoned you? And how do you know it was the food..."

"Silence! Stop talking about this now. This is not the time to debate this. Yuemei, go to the fish pond and call Qingshan—tell him to fetch the physician immediately. We’ll see what’s truly going on after he examines her," Old Mrs. He interrupted.

Dongyu continued to wail loudly, but the blood beneath her flowed faster and faster, staining the ** everywhere. Seeing the amount of blood, Old Mrs. He felt a cold knot of fear in her stomach, thinking the baby might not survive. Dongyu wept on, crying, "Mother, believe me, Song Yuemei truly harmed me. I haven't gone anywhere today, nor have I eaten anything unusual. It’s only been like this since I ate the food she prepared. If you don't believe me, look at the bowl on the table; it hasn't even been cleared away."

"Alright, don't worry about that now. Let the physician check first. The baby is full-term; it should be fine. Don't panic," Old Mrs. He tried to soothe Dongyu.

Dongyu stopped speaking, but her cries grew louder and more desperate, racking her whole body. After a while, Qingshan returned, urgently accompanied by the physician and the midwife. Song Yuemei followed close behind. When the physician saw Dongyu's condition, he immediately checked her pulse, shook his head, and said, "With this much heavy bleeding, there is little I can do. I can only try to staunch the flow for now; everything else is up to fate. Have the midwife prepare for the delivery and see if the child can be brought forth."

Qingshan and Old Mrs. He were trembling when they heard the physician’s words. They escorted him to another room to prepare medicine, saying they would need the doctor to examine the baby if it was delivered. Old Mrs. He, having more experience than her husband, suppressed her rising panic and asked, "Doctor, how could this happen? My daughter-in-law's pregnancy has been very stable, and she is nearly full-term. This shouldn't be happening."

"It's hard to say for certain, but judging by her condition, it seems she either suffered a significant jolt somewhere or ingested something wrong," the physician stated uncertainly.

"If there was no jolt, then she must have eaten something wrong, is that right? Then, Doctor, what kind of thing do you think could cause this?" Old Mrs. He pressed.

"I cannot be sure of the specifics, but likely something harmful for pregnant women to consume—perhaps safflower, or certain traditional Chinese herbs," the physician continued.

Old Mrs. He promptly brought over the remnants of their noon meal for the physician to inspect. The physician poked at the food in the bowl with his chopsticks, noting that the dishes appeared fine. He also mentioned a soup bowl on the table, but the contents were finished, so it was impossible to know what caused the sudden crisis, though he added that such a rapid onset suggested something potent, perhaps an abortifacient, though he only said 'perhaps' and offered no confirmation.

Old Mrs. He didn't ask further questions. She connected Dongyu’s statements and reviewed the situation in her mind; she now believed Dongyu nine-tenths of the way. Dongyu certainly hadn't suffered any fall. Everyone in the household had been meticulously careful with Dongyu's pregnancy, especially given the issues with her previous one, so everyone, including Dongyu herself, had been anxious. They had seen a doctor just days prior, who confirmed the pregnancy was relatively steady. That left only one possibility: she had eaten something wrong. In the house, only she and Song Yuemei usually handled meals. Since Dongyu’s pregnancy was further along than Yuemei’s and Yuemei was in better health, Yuemei had been responsible for the cooking. Dongyu mostly rested at home, taking short walks in the courtyard, so she wouldn't have randomly eaten something. Qingshan certainly wouldn't harm his own child. The only remaining possibility was Song Yuemei.

Furthermore, since the physician suggested it was caused by something that induces abortion, it clearly pointed to foul play. Old Mrs. He became even more certain that Song Yuemei had interfered. Just as Dongyu had pointed out, Song Yuemei cooked the meal. Everyone in the family knew Song Yuemei had previously resented Dongyu's situation. Although Old Mrs. He had improved somewhat after the last incident and was less prone to irrational outbursts, if someone was now threatening her grandson, she would certainly not let it go.

With this thought, Old Mrs. He rushed out, stood before Song Yuemei, and slapped her hard across the face. The midwife was inside urging Dongyu to push, and just then, Dajiang returned. Qingshan was also in the courtyard and looked bewildered when he saw Old Mrs. He strike Song Yuemei.

Old Mrs. He recounted what the physician had said to the two men. Dajiang's face darkened instantly. Qingshan, however, seemed somewhat disbelieving, but his mother’s narrative was so convincing. Qingshan merely glanced at Song Yuemei and then stopped Old Mrs. He, saying she shouldn't act rashly yet, as Song Yuemei was also pregnant. If the child inside were lost, they shouldn't risk losing this one as well.

Old Mrs. He took a moment to calm down and ceased striking, but she began pacing the courtyard like a furious storm, cursing Song Yuemei with every invective imaginable. Though Song Yuemei was usually strong-willed, in this matter, she truly had no defense. Everything Old Mrs. He said seemed logical. Unsure how to rebut, and not wanting to fight with Old Mrs. He while Dongyu was in labor, Song Yuemei simply drew Maomao close and retreated to a corner of the courtyard, remaining silent the entire time.