Cheng Su felt uneasy all day, and the baby in her belly was very restless, as if it would never stop.
"Why arenāt you sleeping?" Cheng Su said while rubbing her belly: "Do you think you can bully me because your dad isnāt here? Hurry up and sleep."
The baby responded by throwing two more punches.
Cheng Su sighed, yawned, pressed her hand against her chest, and closed her eyes for a bit; she was a little overwhelmed.
Waking up from a frightful dream, her heart was racing, and a thin layer of sweat had formed on her forehead, but she couldnāt remember what the dream had been about.
Outside the window, the rain had finally stopped.
Cheng Su exhaled deeply, got out of bed, and was startled by the urgent ringing of the phone as she stepped out of the room.
As soon as she answered, Qi Fengpingās voice came through the receiver.
"Is Mom really coming today?" Qi Fengping asked, "Iāve been waiting for over an hour now and still havenāt met her."
Cheng Su was taken aback: "Yes. She did say she would come today. I even suggested she could come in a couple of days, but she insisted on coming today."
As she replied, she glanced at the small clock on the table; it was almost three oāclock, and she frowned.
On the other end, Qi Fenglian was getting anxious: "But itās already this late, and we still havenāt seen her."
"Donāt worry just yet. Did you call Dad to check?" Cheng Su asked.
Qi Fengping paused and said, "I havenāt done that yet."
"Alright, let me ask first." Cheng Su reassured her with a few words, hung up, and dialed a call back home.
When Father Qi received her call, he was a bit surprised. When he heard that Mother Qi hadnāt arrived, he was momentarily confused, then said, "It rained the past couple of days, the roads might be difficult to travel, perhaps thatās the delay."
Cheng Su agreed and reminded him to take care of his health given the bad weather, then hung up.
Looking out the window again, even though it was no longer raining, the sky was still overcast, with low-lying clouds adding to an unspeakable sense of oppressiveness.
She took a sip of hot water, massaged her congested chest, and then called Qi Fenglian to tell her to wait a little longer.
As time ticked by, approaching dinner time, Cheng Su still hadnāt seen Mother Qiās arrival, and began to feel unsettled herself.
Could something have happened?
"Aunt, play with me!" Gou Sheng called over with a ball in hand.
Cheng Suās mind was preoccupied, not in the mood to play, so she brushed him off with a few words and couldnāt help but call the shops at the train station.
Gou Sheng, being a sharp little guy, didnāt persist but ran off to talk to Liu Wenjing instead.
Qi Fenglian wasnāt in the shop, so itās unclear if she was still waiting at the train station.
Liu Wenjing hurried in after hearing her sonās words, asked whatās going on after seeing Cheng Suās face clouded with worry.
Cheng Su explained that Mother Qi had said she would come, should have arrived by now, but thereās no sign of her, and she didnāt know if something had happened.
Liu Wenjingās expression changed slightly, exclaiming, "Could something have happened?"
Cheng Su shook her head: "We donāt know right now, hopefully, itās just bad road conditions causing a delay."
The communication systems arenāt developed yet, itās not like everyone carries a cellphone nowadays, otherwise, you could immediately call to check. But now, where would you find anyone?
Hopefully, Qi Fenglian has already fetched her.
Just as she thought this, the phone rang again, with Qi Fenglian crying, saying, "I still havenāt found Mom, I donāt know if sheās not arrived or if sheās lost!"
Cheng Su listened, her heart sinking.