"What?"
Rong Doudou's words drew the attention of everyone around.
"Sister-in-law? Are you pregnant?"
"Congratulations!"
"Is it a boy or a girl?"
All eyes then turned to Du Ruoxin's flat stomach – so flat, not an ounce of excess flesh. Could it be that it had just begun?
"No, no," Du Ruoxin quickly waved her hands. "The little one is just talking nonsense."
She and Rong Jingyang hadn't used protection, but whether she was pregnant or not would only be known next month.
If her period arrived on time, they would continue trying. If it stopped, their efforts to conceive would be successful.
Du Ruoxin hadn't expected that after agreeing to try for another year with Rong Jingyang, less than two months later, she would be completely subdued by him and willingly bear him children again.
Finally, after a "long journey," the crowd saw a glimmer of hope – the ancestral graves were almost within reach.
Just then, a figure rushed down from ahead.
Feng Linwan, panting, pulled Du Ruoxin. "Ruoxin, you're pregnant? How many months?"
"Why didn't you tell your mommy earlier?"
"Come, come, I'll take you to rest."
Women who are pregnant or menstruating are not allowed to participate in ancestral worship; this is a rule that must not be broken.
Moreover, if Du Ruoxin, being pregnant, walked such a long distance and became too tired, leading to a miscarriage...
She would definitely skin Rong Jingyang alive!
How dare he not tell her about such a major event as his wife's pregnancy!
Du Ruoxin: Uh—
Only after being led a few steps by her mother-in-law did Du Ruoxin say with a mix of amusement and exasperation, "Mommy, I'm not pregnant."
Feng Linwan: "Ah?"
Who had just called her to say Ruoxin was pregnant?
She had rushed down as if on wind-fire wheels, even stumbling twice!
Du Ruoxin, not wanting her mother-in-law to be disappointed, said shyly, "Well... Jingyang and I haven't been using contraception, so I don't know if I'll get pregnant next month."
Is that so?
"Hahaha," Feng Linwan burst out laughing. "Good, good, good."
"No rush, no rush."
"Mommy will be happy no matter when you have your second child."
Wonderful! Ruoxin and her son's relationship was getting better and better. She would soon be able to hold her second, no, her sixth grandchild!
Feng Linwan smiled at everything and couldn't resist teasing her granddaughter. "Doudou, do you want Mommy to have a brother or a sister for you?"
Rong Doudou tilted her little face up, very happy. "A sister!"
"I have lots and lots of toys, and lots and lots of Princess Cici to give her."
Feng Linwan: "Okay, we'll have a sister."
After the brief interlude, Feng Linwan returned to the front of the procession.
As the head of the Rong family, Rong Jianchen, carrying a bamboo basket filled with paper money and ghost money, led Feng Linwan, and was the first to offer incense and kowtow to the ancestors. Following him were the elder members of the family in turn.
After them came the younger generation, including Rong Jingyang, Du Ruoxin, and Rong Doudou.
Since Rong Xuan had not yet married into the Rong family and officially become husband and wife with Rong Jingshu, she and Grace did not participate in the ancestral worship ceremony.
By the time the grand procession finished the worship, it was past nine o'clock, approaching ten.
Everyone then made their way to the riverbank, preparing to begin the dragon boat races.
The races were organized by family, primarily to enhance family gatherings and parent-child bonding.
This traditional game was initiated after Feng Linwan married into the Rong family. Initially, only Rong Jianchen's family participated on a small scale. Later, more and more people signed up, and over ten to twenty years of development, it had grown into a bustling and lively event.
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ps: I have matters to attend to today and tomorrow, so there will be two updates.