The moonlight dappled through the gaps in the checkered curtains.

A little light came into the room.

Footsteps could be heard from outside the window from time to time; people coming off the night shift greeted each other, and the sounds of doors opening and closing echoed.

Occasionally, a dog barks or two can be heard.

Xu Qingning let him hold her in his arms, but didn't say anything.

“Qingning, I think we should have a serious talk.” Zhao Jingyu turned her around so that she was facing him and looked at her seriously. “I admit that my initial reason for getting married was for the sake of the child, but after spending these few days together, I feel that you are not the person I initially thought you were. I genuinely want to live a good life with you.”

In fact, he had no impression of Xu Qingning.

All we know is that she likes Xiao Tingshen, and sometimes when she comes to the tenement, it's to find Xiao Tingshen.

His brothers had a bad impression of her, saying that she had interfered in Xiao Tingshen and Tang Wenya's relationship and was shameless.

But she lost her virginity to him and became pregnant.

He had no other choice but to do so for the sake of his child.

But he discovered that she didn't like Xiao Tingshen as much as rumored, and even said that Xiao Tingshen was bad luck. All of this was Tang Wenya framing her behind the scenes.

"But you're not even as good as the person I remember." Xu Qingning was actually saying this out of anger. Zhao Jingyu was much better than she remembered. He was responsible, dependable, good at talking, and could even cook.

Even though she knew that he was kind to her because of the child in her womb, she didn't care.

She can turn a blind eye to these things, but not when it comes to money.

If a person doesn't look out for themselves, they'll be punished by heaven and earth.

She's not a saint.

"Then tell me, what do you want me to do?" Zhao Jingyu didn't know how to coax her. He didn't understand why she was still so persistent even after he apologized.

“Zhao Jingyu, you’ve only recognized the problem, but you don’t mean to solve it.” Seeing his confusion, Xu Qingning decided to be blunt. “Make a list of the money you’ve lent out. The money you’ve lent out is also an asset. You can’t just give it away to others for nothing. You have to get it back.”

“Okay, I’ll listen to you.” Zhao Jingyu immediately got up, turned on the light, sat down at the desk, picked up the notebook, and started writing. He forgot about the small amounts, only writing down the larger ones.

You wouldn't believe it until you did the math, and the results were shocking.

During his two-month vacation after returning home, he actually lent out more than 20 yuan, which is almost half a month's salary.

As for the money he lent to his sister, there was even more; he remembers about forty yuan.

"If I hadn't brought it up, were you going to give up on the money?" Xu Qingning took the notebook and looked at it. Humph, he actually lent out more than sixty yuan and didn't intend to get it back. "Zhao Jingyu, you're so rich, lend me ten thousand yuan. At least I got pregnant with your child."

In his black leather wallet, there was only about fifty yuan, along with some grain coupons, meat coupons, and the like.

He could have saved much more money.

Since he didn't spend any money on the ship, he could receive more than half a year's salary as soon as he returned. With half a year's salary plus various subsidies, he would have an income of about four or five hundred yuan. Wouldn't that make him a tycoon?

No wonder he could afford a dowry of 200 yuan; it's because he's always been generous with money and felt it would be embarrassing to spend less.

Wait, why did Xiao Tingshen borrow ten yuan from Zhao Jingyu?

We've met several times already, and he still hasn't mentioned paying back the money. He owes people money and is still eating ribs in the cafeteria. Shameless!

"Tomorrow I'll have Wang Yaqiang go find them and get all the money we lent out back." Zhao Jingyu finally understood why she was angry. He put away his notebook, got back into bed, and hugged her again. "Are you still angry?"

"This is the last time." Xu Qingning knew when to stop. He was leaving tomorrow, and there was no need for her to have an unpleasant argument with him.

After all, he is still the father of her child.

"I'll write to you and call you after I leave." Zhao Jingyu took the opportunity to kiss her forehead, then stretched out his long arm and pulled her into his arms. "Take good care of yourself and the child at home. I've already talked to Yaqiang and Dawei and asked them to find a reliable nanny to take care of you."

"No need for that. I'm just pregnant, not sick. I can take care of myself. I'm not that dramatic." Seeing that he had already planned all this for her, Xu Qingning calmed down. She touched the dampness on her forehead and took the opportunity to whisper in her ear, talking about her mother's views. "Actually, your mother loves you very much. She wants to be good to you, so she's willing to come and take care of me because of her love for you. Although your two brothers don't agree, I think she will come, and I'm willing to let her come."

Well, it doesn't matter if my mother-in-law doesn't come.

If you can come, that would be the best.

“I originally planned to have her come over to help with your postpartum care when you gave birth, instead of having her come now.” Zhao Jingyu was reluctant to talk about his family matters. After a moment of silence, he added, “Once I’m on the cargo ship, I’m not in control of my own life. I don’t know when I can come back, but I will try my best to get back.”

“I understand.” Xu Qingning nodded. “You really don’t need to worry about me. Even if you can’t make it back, I won’t blame you. My aunt will take care of me.”

There's always a way out.

She wasn't worried because there were still seven or eight months left.

“You’re my wife, carrying my child. How can I not worry?” Zhao Jingyu lowered his head, raised his hand and gently pinched her nose, saying emotionally, “Do you know? In these three days with you, I’ve finally learned what home feels like.”

"Why do you say that? Didn't your grandparents treat you very well?" Xu Qingning had heard from Yang Yuelan that his grandparents treated him well, which is why she felt at ease letting them take him to the Northwest.

“When we were in the Northwest, my grandfather worked away from home all year round. Sometimes he herded livestock on ranches, and sometimes he went to the mines to inspect mines. Most of the time, my grandmother and I were at home.”

Zhao Jingyu recalled the past with a calm tone, "If he didn't come back for a long time, my grandma would start to worry and then take me to look for him. It would take two or three days to go back and forth. Then when the seasons changed, we would have to move with him. We moved at least twice a year."

“Your life in the Northwest must have been quite difficult.” Xu Qingning could imagine the scene: endless pastures, two elderly people with a child, traveling back and forth, without a fixed abode.

The author only briefly mentions Zhao Jingyu's experiences, stating that he grew up in the Northwest.

But this very incident allowed him to truly experience the hardships of life in the Northwest, which also shaped his bold and unrestrained nature as a Northwesterner.

“It’s all in the past.” Zhao Jingyu propped himself up on his arm and looked at her, reaching out to stroke her hair. “The Northwest is my second hometown, and I still miss it quite a bit.”

“When you have some free time, go back and visit,” Xu Qingning said understandingly. “After all, you lived there for over ten years.”

“When the child is older, I’ll take you all with me.” Zhao Jingyu suddenly lowered his head and kissed her lips. The unfamiliar breath between his lips was passionate and wild. Xu Qingning blushed instantly and pushed him away. “Stop fooling around.”

We were having a nice chat, why is he thinking about this?

Sure enough, men only think with their lower bodies.

"Qingning, we're husband and wife..." Zhao Jingyu rolled over and pinned her down. Perhaps thinking of the child, he turned to the side, avoiding her stomach, his breathing becoming heavier. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

The way he looked at her was like looking at prey that he had already caught.

“Zhao Jingyu, you are shameless…” Xu Qingning kicked him.

Hey everyone, second update.