However, the reality was that not only did the parents of both parties fail to ease their conflict and reach an agreement, but the conflict escalated. The original host's mother insisted on a quick marriage, offering concessions on the new house.
But her boyfriend's mother, Hu Lin, became even more demanding.
She scoffed, calling the original host shameless for being pregnant before marriage, saying no one but their family would want such a woman. She declared that they would not provide a new house and would only offer three to five thousand yuan as bride price, accepting it or not.
At this point,
it was not just the original host's mother who disagreed.
Even the original host herself could not accept it.
The original host simply felt deceived and humiliated, while her mother saw such a family as terrifying. If her daughter married into it, she would be completely at their mercy, likely subjected to abuse and treated like a servant.
The two families clashed again.
Before leaving, Hu Lin mockingly remarked that their family was in no hurry, wondering if Zhu Xin's belly could wait or if she would become a laughingstock.
This was followed by even more heated arguments.
Not only between the two families, but also between the original host and her boyfriend, between the original host and her mother, and between her mother, her boyfriend, and his mother.
In the end, it naturally fell apart completely.
There was even a physical altercation.
Even as she fled in disarray, Hu Lin, unwilling to let go, spread malicious rumors that the original host was promiscuous and that the paternity of the child was uncertain.
This nearly drove the original host and her mother to death.
Subsequently, the original host's mother urged her to have an abortion. However, the original host refused, stating on one hand that she didn't want the child to be denied a chance to see the world, and on the other hand, she wanted to give birth and have a paternity test.
to clear Hu Lin's slander.
Her mother painstakingly tried to persuade her, recounting the hardships of being a single mother, how difficult it would be to find a partner in the future with a child, and how arduous it would be.
But the original host clearly didn't listen. If she had, Ding Yun wouldn't have come to fulfill her wishes.
At this time, the original host's mother felt that if she hadn't always compromised over the years, and if she had found a way to get her daughter back to take the civil service exam right after she graduated, none of these subsequent troubles would have occurred.
So, she truly became resolute.
She directly stated that either the original host would have an abortion now and obey her, marrying someone else soon,
or she would be kicked out of the house and never allowed to return.
Their family had no need for such a disgraceful daughter.
Still untouched by the harsh realities of the world, the original host immediately and resolutely left home and returned to work.
After returning to work, the original host didn't stay long. Due to her visible pregnancy and the colleagues' gossip, she couldn't bear it and resigned. The reason for the colleagues' gossip was naturally the fact that her belly was showing without any wedding leave or invitations.
If there had been an immediate wedding for a premarital pregnancy, people might have only whispered a little privately about "buying the ticket after boarding the ship."
On the surface, they would still offer congratulations.
Wishing double happiness.
But if the belly was already so large,
and there was no news of a wedding,
it was hard not to be pointed at and gossiped about.
No matter how angry or wronged the original host was, she couldn't silence people. Fortunately, she had some savings and occasionally did online part-time jobs.
So, she could manage after resigning.
But being able to get by didn't mean she was living well. If a pregnant woman is healthy and in good spirits, the pregnancy process is naturally more comfortable. But the original host was clearly not. She was both angry about the past, worried about the future, and at the same time, had to manage her present life.
To prevent a lack of funds during childbirth,
she even continued her part-time jobs.
Under various pressures, all sorts of uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms appeared.
For example, morning sickness, swelling, and hair loss.
These were visibly noticeable, not to mention backaches, insomnia, vivid dreams, and night sweats.
In short, this pregnancy was very painful for her.
It also kept her oscillating between regret and the resolve to continue, until the pregnancy progressed to a stage where abortion was difficult. She could only helplessly accept reality and hope to give birth soon, perhaps then she would be liberated.
People used to say that undergoing surgery alone was the loneliest thing. But perhaps giving birth alone was even lonelier and more desolate than undergoing surgery alone.
The original host gave birth alone.
Without anyone accompanying her.
It was then she realized that childbirth was not liberation.
But merely the beginning of another hardship.
Other women after childbirth could rest well, at most feeding the baby. Tasks like changing diapers and pacifying the child were generally handled by their mothers or mothers-in-law. Some husbands also helped. In most cases, the new mother would be allowed to recuperate.
But the original host had no one around.
And she couldn't afford a nanny or confinement lady.
So, after giving birth, she had to do everything herself.
In the beginning, her body was too weak to care for the baby. Relatives of another pregnant woman nearby, seeing her plight, helped her for a few days.
Although they might have discussed her behind her back,
they did help.
Later, returning home after discharge was even more painful because she truly couldn't dedicate herself entirely to caring for the child. She still needed to spend a lot of time doing part-time work to earn money. Otherwise, in a month or two, she might be evicted by the landlord or unable to afford diapers for the baby.
In short, she truly understood the suffering of raising a child for the first time.
At the same time, she felt that this suffering shouldn't be borne by her alone. So, she would occasionally take her child to confront her ex-boyfriend, demanding a paternity test and child support. The process was truly humiliating, involving countless embarrassments and arguments.
It was during these arguments and the surrounding gossip that
the original host learned that the fundamental reason they couldn't be together was not the hundred thousand yuan bride price her mother demanded, but rather that her boyfriend's family looked down on her as a small, provincial girl from out of town. They wanted a local girl with her own apartment and who was an only child. This was the minimum requirement, and there was no upper limit; the higher the family background and status, the better.
Furthermore, he indeed could not afford a new house, which was a difficult requirement for the original host's mother's demand for a new house for marriage.
After all, housing prices in their area had already exceeded ten million.
Without selling their own home, they couldn't even afford the down payment.
And if they married a local only daughter, even with just one apartment, it would be an asset worth nearly ten million. Once the parents-in-law passed away, the assets would definitely go to his family. Marrying the original host meant not only no local hukou or apartment but also a younger brother.
They would definitely not inherit the parents-in-law's assets.
It was not a cost-effective choice from any angle.
Therefore, Hu Lin had no intention of marrying into the family from the beginning. As for whether the original host's ex-boyfriend was aware of this, it was no longer important.
Upon learning these circumstances,
the original host naturally collapsed again.
At the same time, she lacked the energy and time to continue legal battles with their family, as she was no match for a shameless family by herself. Moreover, if this continued, she would become a local internet celebrity. Whether seen by her own parents, elders, relatives, or former classmates and friends, it would be quite embarrassing.
Thus, the original host, unable to be as shameless and reckless as them, finally gave up demanding child support.
And continued to raise the child alone.
However, her daughter was already somewhat frail at birth due to her irregular lifestyle during pregnancy and poor pregnancy signs. She was particularly difficult to care for. Coupled with the need to earn a living, she was truly exhausted, working day and night almost constantly. When tired, she would drink coffee, with less than four hours of sleep daily.
Even so, she was unwilling to return home and admit defeat,
saying she was wrong or regretted it.
Such a situation, even short-term, could lead to a physical breakdown. Long-term, it was almost inevitable that sudden death would occur sooner or later.
After that, naturally, Ding Yun arrived.