"However, Xinyue is already pregnant, so she won't be able to keep this job for long," Aunt Guo expressed her concern.
Su Xiaoxiao immediately smiled and replied, "We've already planned it out. After we return from Shanghai, Auntie, you can say that Xinyue is too far along in her pregnancy to work and ask to take her place for a year or so. That way, you'll have a legitimate reason to stay in the city and help Xinyue. It's her first pregnancy, and having her own mother around during the months before and after delivery would be reassuring."
Besides, it was the beginning of spring plowing, and the soil was already frozen hard. Even turning the soil with oxen and manual labor would be exhausting. Helping out in the city job and taking care of Xinyue would be a legitimate excuse to avoid the hard labor.