The cold wind of early December, carrying snowflakes, swirled along the dirt road of the Hongqi Production Brigade, making the paper windows of the Shen family's main room rattle. Lin Wanqiu was curled up in a rocking chair, her face as pale as paper. The millet porridge she had just drunk had not yet been digested when she vomited it all up. The acid burned her throat, making her frown involuntarily.

Shen Tingzhou quickly stepped forward, holding a warm towel in his hand, and carefully wiped the corner of her mouth. His eyes were full of tenderness and anxiety: "Wanqiu, how are you? Are you still feeling unwell? Shall I get you some more warm water?" His voice trembled almost imperceptibly. Ever since Lin Wanqiu's pregnancy symptoms worsened, he hadn't had a good night's sleep. Looking at her increasingly thin face, his heart ached as if it were being pricked by needles.

Lin Wanqiu shook her head weakly, leaning back in her chair, too weak to even speak. These past few days, her pregnancy symptoms had worsened. She couldn't stomach anything, not even the blandest millet porridge, let alone greasy food. She could barely survive on a few pieces of soft cake each day, and she had become so thin she was just skin and bones, her eyes sunken.

Grandma Shen walked in carrying a bowl of freshly brewed ginger soup. Seeing Lin Wanqiu's condition, her eyes reddened as well: "What should we do? If she keeps vomiting like this, neither the adults nor the children can stand it. Why don't we go to the commune clinic again? Maybe the doctor has another solution."

“I just went to the doctor yesterday. He said it’s a normal pregnancy reaction and it will get better in a while. He told us to give her more light and appetizing food.” Shen Tingzhou took the ginger soup and handed it to Lin Wanqiu. “Mother, drink some of the ginger soup you made to warm your stomach. Maybe it will make you feel better.”

Lin Wanqiu looked at the ginger soup handed to her, her stomach churning again. She forced herself to drink a small sip, the spicy taste making her cough and bringing tears to her eyes. Shen Tingzhou quickly patted her back, feeling utterly helpless—he had tried everything the doctor recommended: appetizers, candied plums, light soups, but Lin Wanqiu either vomited after eating or couldn't swallow at all. He truly didn't know what to do.

Zhang Lan was also very anxious. She returned from the workshop with a few freshly made soft cakes in her hand and carefully handed them to Lin Wanqiu: "Wanqiu, try this. I deliberately put less sugar in it and made it softer. See if you can swallow it."

Lin Wanqiu picked up a piece of soft cake, put it in her mouth, and chewed it with effort, but she spat it out as soon as it reached her throat. Looking at her worried family, she felt a pang of guilt: "I'm sorry, I... I didn't want to do this, but I just can't eat anymore..."

"Silly child, don't say sorry." Grandma Shen sat down beside her and gently patted her hand. "It's not your fault, it's just that this pregnancy is too painful. If I could take your place, I would gladly suffer for you."

Seeing Lin Wanqiu's guilty expression, Shen Tingzhou felt even more pain in his heart. He held her hand and said firmly, "Wanqiu, don't worry, I'm here. I'll go to the county town tomorrow to find the best doctor. There will definitely be a way to alleviate your reaction."

The next morning, Shen Tingzhou rode his bicycle to the county town before dawn, visiting all the health centers and clinics. But the doctors all said that pregnancy reactions were normal and there was no better way than for the pregnant woman to endure them on her own. Unwilling to give up, he went to the bookstore and bought every pregnancy and childbirth book he could find, hoping to find ways to alleviate pregnancy reactions. But no matter how many times he looked through them, he only found suggestions that were similar to what the doctors had said.

As evening fell, Shen Tingzhou dragged his weary body home, carrying a few books and a small bag of pickled plums, his face full of disappointment. Lin Wanqiu looked at his red cheeks and bloodshot eyes, her heart aching: "Tingzhou, don't run around anymore, I'm fine, I'll be alright in a while."

“But it hurts my heart to see you so upset.” Shen Tingzhou sat down beside her, took her hand, and said in a voice full of self-blame, “It’s all my fault for being so useless. I couldn’t even make sure you could eat properly.”

Lin Wanqiu leaned on his shoulder, feeling the warmth of his palm, and a thought suddenly struck her—didn't she have a lot of modern fruits in her space? Back in the modern world, she had heard that pregnant women could eat fruit to relieve pregnancy symptoms, so maybe these fruits could help her.

When the night was deep and quiet, and Shen Tingzhou and his family were fast asleep, Lin Wanqiu quietly activated the jade pendant's space. A flash of white light, and she instantly entered the space—the warehouse was filled with all kinds of modern supplies, and the land next to it was planted with strawberries, cherries, apples, oranges and other fruits. The green leaves were full of heavy fruits, and the fragrance of the fruits was so tempting that it made one's mouth water.

Lin Wanqiu walked to the edge of the strawberry patch, picked a bright red strawberry, and put it in her mouth. The sweet juice spread on her tongue, with a faint milky aroma, instantly relieving the burning sensation in her throat and reducing the churning in her stomach. She then picked a few cherries and ate them slowly. The sweet and sour taste stimulated her taste buds, giving her a long-lost appetite.

She knew she couldn't eat too much at once, or her family would become suspicious. So she carefully picked a small basket of strawberries and cherries, wrapped them in clean parchment paper, and hid them in a hidden compartment in the wardrobe. Only after doing all this did she breathe a sigh of relief, lean against her pillow, and slowly fall asleep—the most restful sleep she had had in days.

The next morning, when Lin Wanqiu woke up, she felt much better, and her stomach didn't feel so uncomfortable anymore. She took out the fruit she had hidden in the wardrobe, went to the main room, and saw Shen Tingzhou sitting at the table, looking at the pregnancy and childbirth books in his hands, his brows furrowed.

"Tingzhou, look what good things I brought you." Lin Wanqiu walked over with a smile and placed the oil paper package on the table.

Shen Tingzhou looked up and saw that Lin Wanqiu's face had regained color and she was smiling. He was overjoyed and asked, "Wanqiu, are you feeling better? What is this?"

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