"You're pregnant, I'll prescribe some folic acid, calcium tablets and multivitamins for you. Make sure to get plenty of rest on your own," the doctor calmly handed Ding Sha the prescription and sent her on her way.

As she walked out of the room, Ding Sha gently touched her still flat belly, sighing softly as she glanced at the pitifully low balance on her phone. After asking around, Ding Sha found the hospital pharmacy to have the best prices.

At the entrance of the maternity hospital, happy couples walked by in pairs while Ding Sha couldn't help but feel a bit lonely and pitiful by herself.

Ignoring the strange glances from those around her, Ding Sha got on her electric bike and headed home.

On the way, she passed the farmer's market and after some hesitation, thinking of the not yet fully formed baby in her belly, spent over twenty yuan on half a jin of shrimp that weren't very big.

After winding through small paths for a long time, she finally arrived at the small village on the outskirts of the city, passing by gossiping elderly ladies who pointed and stared.

Ding Sha returned to her shabby small courtyard that she called her own.

Back home, she immediately went to the kitchen, taking out a wok and some rice and starting a small fire to cook congee before bringing over a little stool to sit by the faucet and remove the shrimp shells.

She heated oil in the wok and stir-fried the cleaned shrimp heads, releasing a tempting red shrimp oil and delicious aroma. Ding Sha carefully blew away the rising smoke, stirring the congee with a ladle.

The rice had bloomed beautifully.

She poured in the shrimp oil, then added the marinated fresh shrimp as well.

It felt like something was still missing.

After thinking for a bit, Ding Sha wiped her hands on her apron, squatted down and took out an inconspicuous small jar from a pile of pots and containers in the corner, throwing in some salted winter vegetables into the congee.

After simmering for a while longer, she scooped out a bit to taste after blowing on it to cool it down, satisfied with the flavor. She carefully lifted the hot wok with a cloth wrapped around her hands and brought it down from the stove.

This was dinner for today.

Ding Sha sat alone in the somewhat dim and spacious main hall, quietly drinking her congee.

Today was the third day since she transmigrated into this world.

She had already realized that she was unable to make any choices that went against the plotline.

Like getting an abortion.

She didn't even know who the father of the child was.

Because she had transmigrated as the ill-fated mother of the male lead who died during childbirth in a tragic novel.

The original book only briefly mentioned her a few times.

The story mainly revolved around the male lead's difficult life, elaborating on his misfortunes and trials.

And right now, the male lead of that tragic story was still in her belly.

She had no useful information whatsoever.

It seemed for now, the only thing she could do was safely carry the male lead to term and give birth to him.

Then, wait for death.

Thinking this, Ding Sha couldn't help but sigh again.

She was poor, had no family, no education, and no job.

All she had was a little brat of a child that she had to feed along with herself.

Oh right, she also had a pretty face.

Ding Sha touched her own face.

Her original appearance was only ordinary looking, but having transmigrated into a great beauty, she actually felt a bizarre sense of satisfaction amidst her indignation.

Knock knock knock...

Someone was at the door.

"Who is it?" Ding Sha didn't get up, just yelling loudly.

"It's me, I've come to bring you some things!"

It was the neighbor Zhang Granny.

Ding Sha hurried to open the door.

Zhang Granny was kind to her, often bringing over little bits of vegetables grown in her own yard every few days.

"Granny Zhang," Ding Sha opened the door to let her in.

"Eating?" As soon as Zhang Granny entered, she smelled the rich and tempting aroma.

"Cooked up some congee," Ding Sha supported the elderly woman with bad legs, "Would you like some?"

Unable to resist, Zhang Granny nodded.

With just a wall separating their homes, whenever it was mealtime, the smells from Ding Sha's kitchen left her restless and dissatisfied, no matter what she ate herself.

Ding Sha went to the kitchen to grab a set of bowls and chopsticks, serving Zhang Granny a bowl of congee.

The aroma was even thicker now. Zhang Granny eagerly took a sip right away.

It was rich and soft on the tongue, the shrimp sweet and fresh.

She quickly finished the entire bowl, praising, "Your cooking skills are really great!"

Slapping her own thigh, she said, "I almost forgot my purpose coming here!"

"I came today to discuss something with you," Zhang Granny rubbed her hands together. "My brother's daughter-in-law's nephew is holding his wedding banquet in a couple days. Turns out that rascal absentmindedly forgot to book the caterer ahead of time."

"Now with the date almost here, they can't find a chef and the whole family is about to be worried to death. So they came asking me for help to see if you might be interested, and we'll pay you wages all the same."

Ding Sha instinctively wanted to agree, but swallowed back her words before they left her mouth.

She touched her belly, feeling somewhat troubled.

On one hand she wanted to earn this money, but on the other, she worried about messing up in her condition.

Seeing her hesitation, Zhang Granny considerately said, "I won't force you to take this job if you really don't want to. Don't worry about letting this granny down, we won't take offense if you decline."

Ding Sha looked at her gratefully. "It's not that I don't want to take it, it's just..."

She still didn't know if she should tell Zhang Granny about the pregnancy, since her ID showed she had just passed 18 years old a few months ago.

If she said it, it was inevitable she'd be questioned about the father. And if she hid it, she couldn't hide it for long, with her belly going to swell up in a few months.

Thinking this, Ding Sha steeled herself. "I'm pregnant, afraid I can't handle such a big banquet."

Zhang Granny looked at her in surprise.

This girl still with a child's face was pregnant?!

Considering she had been living alone ever since moving here, Zhang Granny paused, then still asked who the child's father was.

Ding Sha was prepared with her story. "He went to Guangdong to work and will be back after earning money."

As for what would happen later...they'd deal with it then.

Zhang Granny looked at Ding Sha with some pity, clearly seeing through the excuse used to trick a young girl. She felt bad for her and hesitated, still worrying the girl would suffer losses.

"You're still young, you can slow down and have a child later..." She gently advised.

Without this child, perhaps the girl could have had a better life.

But Ding Sha just shook her head blissfully. "I'll wait for him to come back."

Seeing this, Zhang Granny didn't try to persuade her further. To be honest, she also felt somewhat uncomfortable trying to convince the girl to get an abortion herself.

They could only take extra care of the girl from now on.

Zhang Granny shook off her thoughts and began instructing Ding Sha in detail on points to pay attention to during pregnancy from her own experiences.

What foods were good for the body, what things to avoid, any precautions to take. Zhang Granny was very thorough.

Ding Sha listened attentively.

She had always been someone who went with the flow. Now that she had decided to keep this child, she would treat him well.

The first step was taking care of her health. She couldn't let him be born weak and sickly after all.

After Zhang Granny left, Ding Sha sank into thought.

The reality was she didn't have a husband working away in Guangdong earning money. She had to think of ways to make money herself.

Otherwise, not only would having a child be impossible, even just living would be an issue.

Distractedly washing the dishes, Ding Sha mulled over ways to earn.

This was a rural area on the outskirts of a city. There weren't many villagers, with most people commuting into the city for work during the day and riding motorbikes back home to sleep.

Ding Sha suddenly remembered passing construction sites on the way back from the hospital.

With the continuous urban expansion, roadwork and housing construction was nonstop, and Ding Sha recalled hearing complaints from the workers she passed by.

That's it!

She could sell boxed lunches at the construction site entrances!

Ding Sha decided to take action right away. The next morning, she got up early to go to the wholesale market to buy vegetables and disposable lunch boxes, then came back home.

On her way back, she stopped by the construction site gate to ask the security guard some questions.

After Ding Sha got home, she drank some water, took her folic acid, and then dove right into the kitchen.

She had already decided the night before that she was going to make three dishes today.

Sour green beans fried with minced pork, cabbage stir-fried with pork slices, and cold tossed bean thread noodles.

She grabbed a large handful of mouth-watering sour green beans from the sour vegetable crock and cut them into small pieces. As Ding Sha was cutting them, she couldn't resist popping a piece into her mouth.

Crunching them noisily, the sour and refreshing taste made her unconsciously start humming a song.

She heated oil in a hot wok, sautéed the scallions, ginger and garlic until fragrant, then added the chili powder and doubanjiang to bring out the red oil and spiciness before adding the fresh, evenly mixed fatty and lean minced pork. After stir-frying for a bit, she added the sliced sour green beans and fresh fava beans.

When it was nearly cooked, she added a touch of her secret weapon, Sichuan peppercorn water, and gave it a final stir.

The savory, mouth-watering Sour Green Beans Fried with Minced Pork was done.

Next was the Cabbage Stir-Fried with Pork Slices.

She cut the pork belly into uneven slices, not worrying about their size. At the construction site, most of the work was physical labor, so no matter how much rice they ate, it wasn't as good as meat for fighting hunger.

She cut the fresh, juicy napa cabbage on the diagonal and set it aside.

After sautéing the aromatics, she only added a few dried chilies for flavor. Just a bit of salt, sugar and chicken stock powder was enough to make it tasty.

Finally she cut the bean thread noodles into thin shreds and added shredded carrots and cilantro, then poured over a versatile sauce she had blended from dozens of ingredients to complete the cold dish.

Next was packing the lunch boxes.

Ding Sha packed a total of 35 boxed lunches, neatly packaging them and placing them in an insulated foam container affixed to her electric bike.

After checking the time and seeing it was about right, she locked up and headed towards the construction site.

Just after 11:10, workers had just started trickling out of the construction site gate. Ding Sha found some shade from a tree not too far away and placed her sign with the payment QR code next to the lunchboxes she had prepared.

She was good-looking, so people noticed her here very quickly, but they just gathered in small groups ogling her while murmuring to each other instead of coming over.

Ding Sha didn't mind waiting calmly.

Before long, a sturdy-looking worker with an honest face came over hesitantly.

"Miss, are you selling lunch boxes?"

"Yes, 15 yuan each," Ding Sha immediately put on a smile and nodded, opening the insulated box to show him the neat and tidy lunchboxes inside.

"Really with two meat and one vegetable dishes?" The worker pointed at her sign doubtingly.

Afraid he wouldn't believe her, Ding Sha told him the menu for today.

The worker rubbed his belly. These past few days he had been eating nothing but takeout, he was already sick of all the nearby options. But the lunches provided at the construction site were just bland boiled veggies and broth, which did nothing for his hunger.

Hesitating for a moment, the worker felt in his gut that this pretty girl wouldn't cheat him, so he said, "Alright, give me one to try."

After scanning the payment code, the worker looked at the scorching hot ground in the sun outside the shade. He simply squatted beside Ding Sha at the roadside and opened up his lunchbox right then and there.

Ding Sha glanced at him but didn't say anything, just took out a small folding stool from her bike basket and gave it to him.

The worker plopped down on the curb, placing the lunchbox on the seat as he held the rice in his hands.

Ding Sha had packed each box very full, and the worker was quite satisfied with the portion size as he looked it over.

As soon as he opened the lid, the rich aroma of the stir-fried dishes immediately surrounded the worker's nose. He instinctively took a deep breath, and his stomach rumbled loudly almost instantly.

Unable to wait any longer, he picked up a piece of fatty pork and stuffed it into his mouth. After just a couple chews, he felt the complex and layered juices from the meat explode in his mouth. This was the first time he had ever eaten pork belly with this kind of texture.

Not only was it not greasy, but also very tender and smooth.

He scooped up some sour green beans and ate them together with rice. His mouth still had room so he shoved in a huge mouthful of bean thread noodles as well. The cold dish was tinglingly spicy and refreshing going down. The shredded carrot was crispy and pleasantly crunchy to chew.

He couldn't help but pick up another huge bite and stuff it in.

The worker couldn't help but close his eyes blissfully.

This food was just too delicious!

Some coworkers were drawn in by the smell. "Bro, how is it? What's it taste like?"

"Amazing!! So delicious!!"

As if afraid they wouldn't believe him, he shoveled down a few more mouthfuls of rice and asked Ding Sha with his mouth full, "Miss, are you coming back tomorrow?"

"If business is good I'll come back," Ding Sha smiled.

Seeing her smile, the coworkers stared dumbfoundedly, eyes going blurry. Then looking at the burly guy beside them happily eating away, "Beauty, give me one too!"

As soon as he got the lunchbox, he also eagerly sat down next to the burly guy, shoving aside space on the little folding stool. "Really that delicious?"

Saying that, he also took a first bite of the fatty pork right away.

After chewing a couple times, a look of astonishment appeared on his face. Mumbling a couple words, he could wait no longer and happily started shoveling down the food.

With two living ads eating away enthusiastically, Ding Sha quickly sold out all her lunchboxes.

The workers who didn't get to buy eyed the lingering aromas in the air somewhat resentfully. "Why didn't you make more?"

"I'll make more tomorrow," Ding Sha gave an apologetic smile.

She tallied up the profits in her head, extremely delighted.

Under the burly guy's reluctant urging, Ding Sha rode her electric bike back home.

After deducting costs, she had earned at least 200 yuan today.

That was including the cost of the wholesale lunchboxes.

The lunchboxes were cheap, and she still had a lot left at home.

Counting this way, she could earn quite a lot in a month.

Ding Sha happily sat in the yard neatly stacking the cash she had received between the pages of a book.

The red date and longan rock sugar soup she had set to simmer before going out had now melted into a smooth broth. Opening the lid, the sweet aroma burst out. She ladled herself a bowl and slowly drank it as she sat in the yard.

The yard was empty without much furnishings. Ding Sha took some money to go visit the village carpenter Uncle Wei.

"Uncle Wei, are you there?" Ding Sha knocked on the door.

Uncle Wei was the only carpenter left in the village, his work was superb, but now that machines ruled the world, the old man could only dejectedly return to the village and retire.

"Oh, coming!" Uncle Wei responded. "What can I do for you, little lass?"

"I want to commission a rocking chair from you," Ding Sha gestured with her hands, "Do you think you could make it?"

"I can, I can!" The old man was extremely delighted. He opened the door and invited her to sit inside, even pouring her a cup of syrupy tea to drink.

"Do you have any requirements for the type of wood?" Uncle Wei rubbed his hands and took out a rough little notebook.

Ding Sha shook her head. "Regular is fine."

Uncle Wei wrote a few characters in his notebook, then looked up somewhat embarrassed, "Lass, us carpenters have an old rule, need to collect a deposit first..."

Ding Sha smiled and nodded. "Of course there needs to be a deposit. How much do you usually collect?"

Uncle Wei thought for a moment. "Give me 100 yuan for now, I'll deduct it from the final price when it's done."

As he spoke he tore off a slip of paper and wrote on it. "Don't worry, I'll give you a receipt."

Ding Sha handed over 100 yuan, and carefully folded the receipt to tuck away in her phone case.

"Then I'll get going first, Uncle Wei," Ding Sha stood up. "I'm staying next door to Granny Zhang, just call for me when it's done."

"Sounds good, sounds good," Uncle Wei saw her to the door.

"I'll finish it for you as quickly as possible."

Ding Sha thanked him and headed home. She had just reached the small village square in the middle when she was blocked by someone.

It was the youngest son of the village chief, Wang Kun.

He had dropped out of school at just 15 or 16 and lazed about the village every day. His meaty triangular eyes often shone with ill intent.

Wang Kun blocked Ding Sha's path, not letting her pass.

"Hey beautiful, where you going? How 'bout you come back home with me instead? The little woods'll work too!"

Ding Sha looked at him expressionlessly, then walked around him and continued on her way.

Her look made Wang Kun's heart itch unbearably, further confirming his belief that this slut was trying to seduce him.

So without hesitation he reached out to grope Ding Sha's waist.

Ding Sha dodged his roving hand as if she had eyes in the back of her head.

Wang Kun felt she was deliberately being coy, thinking he couldn't indulge her little temper.

So he arrogantly declared, "Hey, come help your daddy stand."

Ding Sha looked at him in astonishment, then turned and left without looking back.

Wang Kun had been posing arrogantly but Ding Sha never came to him. He watched her walk farther and farther away, so angry his nose went crooked.

He had to teach this slut a lesson!

The next day early in the morning, Ding Sha went to the market to carefully select and buy two pigs' trotters.

She didn't know if it was because she was pregnant, but Ding Sha suddenly started having cravings, able to think of seven or eight different things she wanted to eat in a day.

She used hot water to scald off the remaining hairs on the pig's trotters, then rinsed them with running water.

She rummaged through boxes and cabinets to find some rock sugar to stir fry until it was colored, then added water, seasonings, soy sauce, boiled it on high heat, then turned down the heat to stew slowly.

When it was nearly cooked soft, she added a basinful of soybeans she had soaked overnight, and continued stewing over low heat.

There were still some vegetables left over from yesterday that hadn't been used up completely, so Ding Sha simply prepared the exact same vegetable dishes today.

She just added an extra layer of stewed meaty-flavored soybeans on top of the rice.

Only after everything was plated did she put the remaining vegetables on a dish to eat up. The pig trotters were stewed soft and flavorful, with a thick savory sauce, a perfect combination of salty and sweet.

As soon as it entered the mouth it melted away, making it impossible to discern whether it was the trembling pig skin or the fatty meat.

After eating her fill at the satisfying meal, Ding Sha then rode her electric bike to the construction site.

Quite a few people were already waiting there.

Some had even brought their own small carts and were waiting.

As soon as Ding Sha had just parked her bike stably they swarmed over, voices ringing out saying "I want one."

Ding Sha didn't get flustered at all, she just opened the box, scanned a code and gave out portions. It was only chaotic for a few minutes before the people behind automatically lined up.

The fifty boxed lunches were quickly sold out.

A group of brawny men sat in rows squatting next to Ding Sha, heads lowered as they ate with gusto, making occasional passersby feel it was quite a funny sight.

The burly man ate with oil dripping down his mouth. "Too delicious, too delicious! Will you make this again tomorrow?"

Ding Sha shook her head. "I'll make something different tomorrow."

The vegetables and rice at home were used up, so in a bit she had to go lug back a bag of rice. Tomorrow morning she still had to go buy vegetables.

The brawny man dug into the soybeans. "These beans are fragrant."

He smacked his lips. "They have a meaty flavor, did you stew them with meat?"

Ding Sha nodded. "I stewed them with pigs' trotters, but pigs' trotters are too expensive, I can't afford the cost."

The brawny man waved his hand unconcernedly. "That stuff is fragrant for sure, but nothing beats big slices of meat.

Ding Sha smiled. She thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll make braised pork rice tomorrow, with stewed five-spice pork belly, it's super fragrant."

When the brawny man heard this, he wiped his mouth and chuckled twice. "Good, good! Let's eat pork belly!"

Ding Sha bought rice and went home. Seeing the unpolished rice was pretty good quality, she stir-fried some ginger rice tea to store for drinking.

Granny Zhang came over holding a small bowl of free-range eggs. "Girl, what have you been busy with recently? I came over a few times and saw the door locked."

Ding Sha brewed a cup of ginger rice tea for her. "I haven't been busy, just made some boxed lunches to go sell at the construction site."

Granny Zhang exclaimed, and said worriedly, "Don't overexert yourself, how have you been feeling recently? Do you feel weighed down?"

Ding Sha shook her head. "I haven't felt anything really, not tired at all. Just sometimes I crave sour foods."

"Craving sour means a boy, you have a little master in your belly!" Granny Zhang said with a laugh.

A little master is good, he can grow up to provide for his mother, so this girl can suffer a bit less.

Of course Ding Sha knew there was a son in her belly.

Not only a son, but a male lead at that.

It's just that his luck wasn't good.

Born an orphan eating meals from a hundred families, bullied at school, and having his love stolen by a villain.

Tragic beyond measure.

"I brought you some eggs, eggs from my own chickens. They're free-range and nutritious, eating them will be good for your health." Granny Zhang put the eggs on the table.

"Thank you Granny Zhang." Ding Sha gratefully accepted them. She had seen the expensive prices of free-range eggs at the market that morning.

"No need to thank me..."

"Is anyone home?" Granny Zhang's voice was interrupted by someone shouting and knocking on the door.

Ding Sha was startled for a moment before standing up to open the door. "Someone's here, who are you looking for?"

Opening the door she saw it was the village courier. Since the village mostly had elders, women and children staying during the day, they had set up a courier to help deliver things and letters.

"Are you Ding Sha?" The courier looked to be in his twenties. When he looked at her exquisite and delicate face holding the letter, his eyes were full of amazement.

"I am." Ding Sha nodded in confusion.

"Your letter." The courier handed it to her. His expression seemed to want to say more, as if he still wanted to chat with her.

Ding Sha accepted the letter blankly. She thanked him, then immediately closed the door.

The courier scratched his head and left.

Ding Sha looked at the handwriting on the envelope, somewhat stunned. Granny Zhang saw her silent and unmoving for a long time, and asked worriedly, "What's wrong girl?"

Ding Sha shook her head, not speaking.

Granny Zhang stood up to take her leave. "I still have eggs steaming at home, I'll go back first. Let me know if you need anything."

Ding Sha smiled and nodded, seeing her to the door before sitting back down on the small stool, taking out the letter again to stare blankly.

The sender written on the envelope was Nanjiang No. 1 Prison.

She hesitated for a moment before opening the envelope to read the letter.

"Sha Sha, how have you been recently? I miss you very much, I miss our little courtyard.

I'm sorry, I've let you down. But will you wait for me? I will definitely give you a good life!

I haven't built a swing for you yet, I haven't planted the grapes you wanted yet either, I haven't planted vegetables in the open space behind the yard yet, and I haven't made up for the wedding you wanted yet.

Can you come see me? I really miss you."

It was signed Xiao Jun.

Ding Sha read through the entire letter two more times.

Finally she sighed while staring at the name Xiao Jun.

If nothing unexpected happened, this should be the unfortunate child's father.

She sat in the small courtyard in a daze, her mind still a complete blank without any memories.

Should she go see him?

Ding Sha hesitated for a moment.

Standing at the entrance of Nanjiang No. 1 Prison, Ding Sha felt somewhat apprehensive. She unconsciously touched her belly, as if she could really feel a small life pulsing there.

"Miss, can I help you with something?" The middle-aged uncle in the guardhouse saw her lingering hesitantly outside for a long time, afraid she was too scared to speak up, so he took the initiative to ask.

"Sir...I, I'm here to visit..." Ding Sha quickly replied.

"Visiting, ah," the middle-aged uncle was used to it and pointed her down a small path to the side. "You have to go that way, there's a door in the back. Go in and fill out paperwork, once approved you can visit."

"Oh...thank you, sir," Ding Sha hadn't expected there was an application process. She thanked him and hurriedly went that way.

Sure enough she saw a small door.

She knocked and heard someone call out "Come in."

She went inside. "Hello, I'd like to apply for a visit."

The young police officer looked at her in surprise for a moment. "Oh...then please fill out this form first."

He handed her a stack of papers and a pen.

Ding Sha took the papers to a seat in the corner and quietly started filling it out.

The young officer looked at her delicate and beautiful face, and couldn't help feeling it was a pity.

He wondered who she was here to see...

Just as he was thinking this, Ding Sha finished the form and came over. "I'm done, is this okay?"

She seemed somewhat uneasy.

The young officer poured her a cup of water and gently said, "Don't be afraid, have some water first."

After that he picked up the paperwork and went back to his computer.

His expression was somewhat strangely complicated. "You're here to visit Xiao Jun?"

"Mm." Ding Sha didn't know why he asked this way, she could only nod.

"You're his wife?" The young officer asked again.

Ding Sha lowered her head and murmured yes. "We agreed to register once we were of age."

The pitiful look in the young officer's eyes made her nervous heart tighten.

What was going on?