Chapter 107 Preparations Before Joining the Group

Jiang Si blinked. "No way, could it really have hit the target on the first shot?"

Thinking about it, it's not impossible, after all, she has been nourishing her body with the spiritual spring for the past few months.

And that night they really did...actually act a bit shamelessly.

However, Jiang Si is not someone who likes internal strife.

It's only been delayed by one day, so it's still unknown whether she's pregnant or not.

Even though she was pregnant, she didn't think it was a big deal.

She hasn't officially started working for any organization yet; all she needs to do is finish the mural and facial features project.

After that, she will have plenty of time to focus on her pregnancy.

Not to mention the economic aspect.

There's a saying that goes, "If you don't have financial pressure, raising children is actually a very interesting thing."

As for whether she received care during her pregnancy, that's not something Jiang Si should worry about.

Because a long time ago, Huo's mother said that she would take leave to go to Qiongzhou Island to take care of her when she got pregnant.

Mother Huo treated all her daughters-in-law equally.

In addition to receiving ample subsidies, each daughter-in-law was given a full two-month postpartum confinement period.

During this period, Huo's mother personally took care of all the child's eating, drinking, toileting, and sleeping needs.

My second sister-in-law told me that during her entire postpartum period, she did nothing but eat and sleep.

After her postpartum period, she gained several pounds.

In addition, her third uncle and Zhongshu have made it clear that she can just give birth to the child, and they will help take care of it. No one is allowed to take it away from her.

Not to mention, there's also Huo Tingzhou, the perfect husband.

He was the one who took care of me when I was a child, so he really knows a lot about childcare.

With that in mind, Jiang Si didn't dwell on it too much.

Huo Tingzhou, on the other hand, kept the doctor's instructions in mind. Seeing that she had been in the bathroom for a long time without coming out, he couldn't help but worry.

"Sisi, how are you?"

Jiang Si didn't intend to hide it from him, and told him the situation as soon as she came out.

Huo Tingzhou was a little stunned by the news. After he came to his senses, he immediately carried Jiang Si to the bed.

His large hand was pressed tightly against her lower abdomen.

Her voice trembled slightly, "Are you... feeling unwell anywhere?"

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered the scene of him clinging to her last night, wondering if he had hurt the child.

"Honey, shall I take you to the hospital for a check-up?"

Jiang Si immediately shook her head. Who goes to the hospital just because their period is a day late?

"Don't be nervous. I don't feel unwell anywhere. Also, a delayed period doesn't necessarily mean you're pregnant."

"But your periods have always been very regular."

Huo Tingzhou knew very well what he had done that night, and the doctor had also said that even during the safe period, it wasn't necessarily 100% safe.

Then I thought about my wife's health.

Huo Tingzhou felt that she was most likely pregnant.

Jiang Si shook her head, "That's not necessarily true. Staying up late, lack of sleep, suddenly increasing exercise, and over-supplementing the diet can all cause menstruation to come early or late."

Jiang Si spoke more softly after that, "We've been doing 'that' a bit too frequently these past few days, so it's normal to postpone it for a day or two."

With each word she spoke, Huo Tingzhou's face grew more embarrassed.

Of course, it takes two to tango, and Jiang Si admitted that she herself couldn't resist his temptation.

However, she quickly regained her confidence.

She's only dated this one man in her two lifetimes, so it's not unreasonable for her to enjoy him a few more times, right?

Knowing that Huo Tingzhou hadn't given up on the idea, Jiang Si asked him to go to the hospital to inquire.

He then went to his study.

She'll be officially joining the production team the day after tomorrow, so she needs to make the most of her time to familiarize herself with the figures she'll be painting on the mural.

For Jiang Si, facial features and eyes are not difficult to grasp.

The difficulty lies in the fact that all the figures in this mural are dressed in their own ethnic costumes.

The amount of work involved in creating these exquisite costumes and headdresses is considerable.

While familiarizing herself with the portrait, Jiang Si also worked on the overall design of the mural.

Generally, large-scale murals like these are enlarged using a nine-grid method.

However, this mural is six meters high, so nine sections are not enough.

Jiang Si calculated that it should be divided into at least forty-eight sections.

After that, you have to pick out the corresponding figures in these forty-eight squares and draw a portrait of each figure in proportion.

The amount of preparation work alone is staggering.

Not to mention that later when painting, one had to stand on a scaffold more than five meters high to paint.

No wonder Chairman Zhou has been searching for so long without finding a suitable artist.

Just as Jiang Si was diligently preparing for her next task, Huo Tingzhou also went to the military hospital.

The doctor recognized him immediately; wasn't this the young man who had been bragging the other day?

"Come, have a seat. What brings you here today?"

Just like last time, Huo Tingzhou sat down and explained the situation in detail.

Just as Jiang Si had expected, the doctor couldn't give him a definite answer after listening to his story.

Because at that time, all hospitals used the 'bioassay' technique for urine tests, which could generally only detect pregnancy after five weeks.

Their military hospital did have ultrasound machines, but these machines only displayed two-dimensional grayscale images.

Given Jiang Si's current situation, there's no other way but to wait.

Seeing that Huo Tingzhou's face remained tense throughout, the doctor smiled and said, "Your wife is right. Her condition may not necessarily be pregnancy."

"Take care of yourself and get plenty of rest these next few days, and don't do that."

"Also, eat less nourishing foods, especially brown sugar, which promotes blood circulation."

"If your period doesn't come in a week, don't worry. Just bring her for a check-up at the end of the month."

"And another important point is that your wife is in such good health that even if she gets pregnant, there won't be any problems."

"Don't overreact, or you'll upset her."

Perhaps the doctor's words had an effect, because after returning from the military hospital, Huo Tingzhou saw Jiang Si working intently in the study and did not disturb her.

Instead, they took even better care of her daily life.

He didn't bother her again that night.

The two of them simply covered themselves with a blanket and slept, giving her plenty of time to rest.

After two days of work, Jiang Si finally finished all the preliminary preparations for the mural.

Knowing that he would officially join the crew the next day, Huo Tingzhou packed up their things that afternoon.

The square is closer to the old house, so it would be more convenient to move back there.

Jiang Si had no objection to this.

Before leaving, Huo Tingzhou went to the army canteen and found the quartermaster.

Although Jiang Si didn't say it explicitly, he could tell that his wife really liked the cat.

Sure enough, after seeing Huo Tingzhou bring the calico cat back...

Jiang Si said she was disgusted, but on the way back, she held on the shoulder the whole time!

Seeing their affectionate manner, Huo Tingzhou felt a little regretful.

His wife had never hugged him like that before.

Jiang Si was unaware of his ulterior motives. Taking advantage of the early hour, she went to the Beijing Cotton Mill in the eastern suburbs again in the afternoon.

There were many women in the cotton mill, and Jiang Si found all the facial features she needed to draw in less than two hours.

With this, all the preliminary preparations for the Five Senses Database have been completed.

In addition, Jiang Si has come up with a new idea regarding the layout of the facial features database model in the past two days.

However, I heard that Uncle Huo is currently away on a business trip, so we'll have to wait until he returns to discuss this further with him.

When I got home, I saw Huo's mother right at the entrance of the family compound.

Mrs. Huo was taken aback; she had only said it casually that day.

The newlyweds just wanted to go out and enjoy some time alone; how could she possibly break them up?

In the end, it all comes down to how much he cares for his daughter-in-law.

Soldiers are all rough around the edges, especially during... you know...

To everyone's surprise, the two actually came back, and stayed for less than five days.

Mrs. Huo was a little embarrassed.

"Sisi, why don't you stay there a few more days?"

Jiang Si smiled and opened the car door. "Mom, I have work tomorrow, and I'm afraid I won't be able to get up in the morning."

Do you have a job?

Before he could even ask a question, his attention was completely drawn to the calico cat in Jiang Si's arms.

"Hey, where did this cat come from?"

After saying that, he patted its head.

Jiang Si gave a brief explanation, but she didn't mention the part about how she was so frightened by the rat that her soul left her body.

The two walked and talked, neither paying attention to Huo Tingzhou behind them.

By the time he returned to the living room with his bags and suitcases, everyone already knew that Jiang Si had taken on the New Year's Day themed mural project.

The old man was all smiles, thinking about what would happen once his granddaughter-in-law finished painting the mural.

He'll have to show off to his old buddies then.

The women in the Huo family were even more direct: the painting wasn't even finished yet.

The group had already made a pact that on the day the mural was completed, they would go to the square to take more photos in front of it to keep as a memento for the future.

As for Mr. Huo, he was leading his eldest sons in the kitchen, busy preparing dinner for the day.

The family enjoyed a pleasant dinner together.

Halfway through the meal, it started snowing heavily outside.

The snow fell all night long.

When I woke up the next day, everything outside was already covered in white.

With each step, the snowflakes crunched and crunched.

This was incredibly appealing to Jiang Si, who grew up in the south and had never seen real snowflakes.

The heavy snowfall caused some trouble for Jiang Si's travel.

Fortunately, there was a shortcut through the alley from the old house, and after more than ten minutes, Huo Tingzhou brought Jiang Si to the meeting point near the square.

From a distance, you can see a group of people gathered around a tall building.

Seeing everyone looking up as if facing a formidable enemy, Jiang Si's heart skipped a beat.

Before she could even figure out what was going on, the staff had already started shouting through a megaphone.

"Members of the large mural team, please assemble here upon hearing this notice—"

The author says: It's that most painful day of the month again. Every year on this day, the pain is so bad that I can't even straighten my back.

I took a day off today, but I still updated one chapter to keep up with the continuous updates.

Also, if you like watching short dramas, you can check out Hongguo. The short dramas officially launched this afternoon.

If you're interested, you can take a look. There are several versions available, and I'll be updating as usual tonight.