Chapter - 102 - Guessing the Truth

Moreover, the more Tang Li dwelled on the matter, the more convinced she became of her initial suspicion—

That Yi Minghuan was indeed the child of their little aunt!

She speculated that her little aunt might have faced an unmarried pregnancy, and the absence of the man compelled her to carry the child against societal norms.

Unwed pregnancies were scorned in the village, and the accompanying ridicule and shaming were akin to drowning in a sea of saliva.

Faced with this, Yi Minghuan's grandfather might have urged Gu Xiulan to feign pregnancy or, alternatively, Gu Xiulan might have genuinely been pregnant but had not known about the little aunt being pregnant!

Regardless, Yi Minghuan now bore the "legitimate" identity of Gu Xiulan's son, shielding him from the stigma of his aunt's unwed pregnancy.

This, Tang Li believed, was the root cause of Gu Xiulan's disdain for Yi Minghuan.

That's why Gu Xiulan hates Yi Minghuan so much!

The child was a constant reminder of a past that was not her own!

If there was a strained relationship with her sister-in-law, and she had feigned pregnancy to raise the child on her behalf, it would be a source of tremendous grievance for Gu Xiulan.

Adding another layer to the potential resentment, if Gu Xiulan was also pregnant at the time, and her child had not survived while her sister-in-law's did, it could intensify the animosity.

Therefore, after the demise of her little aunt and their grandfather, Gu Xiulan unleashed all her pent-up grievances on Yi Minghuan through physical abuse and verbal tirades.

As Tang Li ruminated on these possibilities, she felt increasingly certain of her deductions. Her initial guess seemed on point, especially considering the elder sister's guarded attitude earlier in the day.

The pressing questions regarding the truth behind Yi Minghuan's lineage, his sister's character, and the circumstances surrounding her death swirled in Tang Li's mind, leaving her frustrated and troubled.

Is this the truth?!

Do she want to tell Yi Minghuan?!

What kind of person was my little aunt?!

How did she die?!

A lot of questions filled Tang Li's mind, which made her feel so annoying!

To make matters worse, she realised she had forgotten to visit Dr. Zhang for her 'medical studies.'!

Glancing at the clock, she discovered it was already past eight o'clock. Jumping up from her chair, she rushed to the infirmary to apologize to Dr. Zhang and explain her absence.

She didn't want him to think she had a negligent attitude toward her medical studies, even though her purported dedication was a facade for three days of fishing and two days of studying.

Luckily, Dr. Zhang proved to be a tolerant and understanding individual. After listening to her explanation with a smile, he imparted some medical knowledge before allowing her to leave.

This made her very grateful.

When Tang Li returned from the infirmary, Yi Minghuan arrived home shortly afterward.

The routine of their evening mirrored that of the previous night—both engaged in personal activities before Tang Li assisted Yi Minghuan with his studies.

Despite their ostensibly fulfilling and active night, Tang Li found it difficult to concentrate.

Her mind was preoccupied with thoughts of Yi Minghuan's life story, causing her to stare absentmindedly at his handsome face and even make mistakes in the practice questions she assigned him.

Even the practice questions given to him were marked with wrong plus and minus signs.

As they settled down to sleep, Yi Minghuan couldn't help but inquire, "What's wrong with you tonight? You seemed distracted all night."

"Hey, I'm just thinking about when I'll finally lose weight," Tang Li replied, absentmindedly poking at the fat on her stomach, her words a mix of nonsense and partial truth.

While she did entertain thoughts of losing weight, her true concern lay with Yi Minghuan's life experiences, the more she pondered, the more she felt sorry for him—so innocent and undeserving of the hardships he endured.

'So Pitiful!'

"Starting tomorrow morning, you'll join me for some exercise, and you'll lose weight within three months," Yi Minghuan declared, turning to face her with a serious expression.

"...Don't! You wake up too early. After a day of farm work, I need my rest," Tang Li protested. She had no intentions of over exerting herself and risking exhaustion.

"Then you wake up according to your usual time, and I'll teach you a 15-minute exercise routine after you wake up," Yi Minghuan compromised.

"Okay," Tang Li agreed with a smile, finding his insistence on teaching her endearing and cute.

She turned to face him and hesitated before asking, "Hey, Minghuan, how do the people in the village or in your family describe little aunt?"