Chapter 187 (1871st update)

Luo Yan accepted the pregnancy very quickly.

She has always loved children and had imagined what a family of three would be like. Although there were some surprises, she was still looking forward to its arrival.

Compared to her calm demeanor, the whole family seemed more like water being added to a boiling oil pan.

Her parents, being elderly, were still able to remain calm, only instructing her not to make a fuss, to tell them if she felt unwell, and to come home whenever she wanted to eat or drink something. But her husband and brother seemed to have gone mad.

Luo Yan had only gone to work on Monday when she came back to find the two of them tinkering with the crib at home.

She had been wondering why her brother's motorcycle was downstairs, but when she got home and saw them both in the kitchen, she joked, "Brother, my treatment has suddenly improved; I even have two chefs now."

Luo Hong joked, "Of course, I forgot to greet you first when I came in."

Luo Yan raised her hand politely and said, "No need for formalities."

"This girl," Luo Hong couldn't help but say, "she's got quite the nerve."

What is this Zhou Weifang saying? "From now on, no one in the family is allowed to swear."

Even Luo Yan didn't think it could be considered a swear word, and said helplessly, "Zhou Weifang, he can't hear you right now."

She would nod whenever she said the sun rises in the west, but now she hesitated slightly and asked, "Really?"

Luo Yan glared at her: "You're questioning me."

"No, no, not at all," Zhou Weifang said. "Wash your hands, you can eat now."

Luo Yan had always lived a life of being waited on hand and foot, but she noticed that after taking a bite, the two of them would look at each other, put down their chopsticks, and ask, "What are you doing?"

Zhou Weifang: "I've heard that pregnant women's tastes change."

Changes? The dishes in the company cafeteria are still the same old ones.

Luo Yan ate something similar to what she usually eats for lunch today. Looking at the table full of dishes, she said, "No, everything is quite delicious."

Luo Hong breathed a sigh of relief and said first, "What did I tell you? She has never had a time when she couldn't eat in her entire life."

Luo Yan stepped on her brother's foot: "You're the only one with a mouth."

Normally, Luo Hong would retaliate with a couple of light blows, but now he couldn't bring himself to do it, and he clenched his fist and held it back.

Luo Yan raised her eyebrows and smiled, then picked up another piece of meat.

Seeing that she had a really good appetite, Zhou Weifang asked, "Are you feeling unwell today?"

Luo Yan is a bookish person. She checked yesterday and found that the baby is currently just a tiny embryonic sac, smaller than a grain of sand.

She said, "You two should learn from your parents. No wonder people say that young people are unreliable. Be more composed."

Calm? Luo Hong bluntly exposed: "Mom went to buy fabric to make clothes today, and Dad took the day off this morning, saying he was going to offer incense to Grandpa and Grandma."

Luo Yan blinked and laughed, asking him, "Why didn't you go with him? It's so far."

Luo Hong retorted, "Who said I didn't go?"

Luo Yan found it increasingly amusing and almost choked on her food.

Zhou Weifang usually takes care of her, but now he's afraid of hurting her by patting her too hard, so he holds up his hand and doesn't dare to move.

Luo Yan patted her chest to catch her breath and slapped his hand away, saying, "You guys are being too cautious."

Zhou Weifang glanced at her expression and cautiously began by saying, "Your brother brought something today."

"What do you mean, 'brother'?" Luo Hong said, locking his childhood friend's neck. "You agreed to it too."

Luo Yan looked at the two of them suspiciously, put down her chopsticks and stared at them: "What did you bring?"

Zhou Weifang pointed to the door of the second bedroom. Luo Yan went over to take a look and was both amused and exasperated: "There are still nine months left, what are you all rushing around for?"

Luo Hong said matter-of-factly, "We'll have to buy it sooner or later."

I've never heard of anything this early. Luo Yan was completely speechless and decided to just eat properly.

She sat down, picked up her bowl and chopsticks again, and urged them, "Eat quickly, it's getting cold."

Whether it was cold or not didn't matter, but Luo Hong had things to do that evening, so he left after dinner.

The couple were left at home. Luo Yan was lounging on the sofa reading a book when Zhou Weifang tidied up the table, cut some fruit, and placed it on the coffee table. He said, "Yan Yan, there are peaches."

Luo Yan held the book in both hands, too lazy to even reach out, and opened her mouth.

Zhou Weifang said, "Wait a minute, I'll cut it again, it's too big."

Luo Yan is much more focused when reading leisure books than when reading textbooks, because she doesn't like being interrupted halfway through a story and will only hum in response.

Perhaps she was at a particularly exciting part, because both of her eyes were wide open.

Zhou Weifang knew her habits and knew that she could only fall asleep after reading the whole thing, so he didn't dare to disturb her. After feeding Tao, he sat in the restaurant and did the accounting.

Fortunately, Luo Yan is aware of her own "flaws," and the book she chose today is not very long.

She finished watching at 10 o'clock, and after taking a shower, she could go to sleep.

Zhou Weifang thought she was asleep, but when he came in after finishing the laundry, he found that she seemed to be still awake, and asked softly, "Can't you sleep?"

"No, it's just that I suddenly started thinking about what our children would be like."

Zhou Weifang asked curiously, "What does it look like?"

After he finished speaking and received no reply, he turned his head and saw that she had fallen asleep. He gently touched her face.

Luo Yan seemed to sense something and unconsciously rubbed against his palm.

Strangely, Zhou Weifang, who had always been driven by lust since their marriage, was unusually calm at this moment, thinking: I'm going to be a father, I shouldn't act like a young boy.

But he was about to become a father, and his excitement couldn't be contained.

Every day when Luo Yan got home from get off work, she would find something new in the house, but she would just blink and pretend she didn't see it. It wasn't until three months later that she felt he had calmed down a bit.

Beijing now promotes eugenics and encourages pregnant women to undergo prenatal checkups.

Luo Yan also wanted to see if the child was alright, so she took a day off to go to the hospital.

Zhou Weifang accompanied her, first to the second floor to measure her blood pressure, height and weight, then to have her blood drawn, and finally to the door of the department to wait for the doctor to call her number.

There were quite a few people waiting. Zhou Weifang looked around and suddenly said, "There might be parents of our child's classmates among them."

"It's really hard to say," Luo Yan whispered in his ear, "who knows, there might even be future in-laws involved."

In-laws? Zhou Weifang's eyes immediately changed; he became wary even before knowing the child's gender.

Luo Yan rubbed her belly and laughed, whispering, "Does Daddy look like a fool?"

They've been talking to their child a lot lately, with Zhou Weifang saying, "Mom is the smartest."

Luo Yan nudged the man, saying, "It makes me seem very unkind."

Zhou Weifang immediately added, "No, Mom is the kindest."

Luo Yan smiled gently and heard herself being told to walk towards the door of the consultation room.

The female doctor on the house call said familiarly, "If you had told me you were coming earlier, I would have thought it would be this afternoon."

Luo Yan had never actually met this aunt before, only knowing that she was the younger sister of one of her father's old comrades-in-arms. She sat down and greeted her politely.

Zhou Weifang was a bit more friendly, and after a few polite words, the inspection began.

It was called an inspection, but actually not much was done.

The doctor listened to the baby's heartbeat with something like a stethoscope and said, "You are now 16 weeks pregnant. The baby is doing well, healthy and lively."

Hearing these words, which are most reassuring for someone about to become a parent, Luo Yan said with a smile.

Zhou Weifang also breathed a sigh of relief and asked some more questions.

The doctor explained everything and asked, "Are you having an ultrasound next month? If so, you need to make an appointment now. There are only two machines in the whole country, and they're always packed with people."

Luo Yan: "So you can tell if a child's hands and feet are healthy or not?"

Doctor: "Yes, it can also tell the gender."

Pregnancy is something everyone cares about.

The couple were indeed curious and said, "Then we'll investigate."

It's better than them guessing and counting down the days until the baby is born.

The doctor then printed out the payment slip and told them to go to the window to pay. He added a few more words, saying, "Next time, just come to me directly; you don't need to register."

The couple wanted to hear from an acquaintance to put their minds at ease, and although they verbally agreed, they decided to make an appointment again next time.

As they walked out with the forms in their hands, they discussed, "This ultrasound costs 30? And you have to book a month in advance?"

Even if the salary has increased a few times, this is still roughly equivalent to a month's salary for many people.

Although Luo Yan had received an education, she couldn't imagine how the machine worked. She said, "You mean you just put that probe on your stomach and it can see inside your uterus? That's amazing."

Zhou Weifang was even more confused, speculating, "Is it like oil exploration?"

The couple chatted idly while waiting in line when an older woman approached them and said mysteriously, "I know an old Chinese medicine doctor who is much more accurate than this machine. He guarantees you'll have a boy."

Zhou Weifang decisively refused: "No need."

The old woman persisted: "It's true, our neighbor had six daughters, and his wife was chosen by this doctor. The seventh child was a boy."

"What do you mean by 'I'm optimistic about'?" Luo Yan was unhappy and tugged at Zhou Weifang's sleeve.

Zhou Weifang immediately charged forward: "I think they're out of their minds, bringing up their preference for sons over daughters, and you too..."

The old woman ran away before he could finish speaking.

Luo Yan is feeling better now, and she even shared the news with her parents when she got home.

The whole family was waiting for her to come back and tell them the test results, and they were all indignant when they heard them.

Luo Xinmin said to his son-in-law, "Our family doesn't have such a bad habit."

Zhou Weifang immediately said, "I wish it were a girl, just like my mother, that would be wonderful."

After saying that, she tried to be fair again, thinking that the child could know even in the womb, and added, "A son is fine too, there's no rule that a son can't look like his mother."

It doesn't matter who you resemble, the most important thing is that the doctor said you're healthy and lively.

Liu Yinfeng could finally breathe a sigh of relief: "It's good that things are going smoothly."

Luo Yan experienced no discomfort during her pregnancy; even her appetite remained unaffected, and she continued to go to get off work as usual.

She's gradually becoming pregnant, and her colleagues can tell without her being told. They tend to take care of her at work, and fieldwork is naturally assigned to her without her being asked.

The rest were mostly paperwork, which she handled with ease. She loved going to work even more than before, and came home happy every day.

If she's happy, then everyone is happy.

As Zhou Weifang watched her enter humming a song, he said, "Wash your hands and eat."

After washing her hands, Luo Yan sat down and shared her day's events with him.

Zhou Weifang responded occasionally, but was suddenly interrupted by something he heard: "Can I take a driving test?"

To date, cars can only be used as official vehicles; private individuals cannot purchase them, let alone obtain a driver's license.

But now the policy is going to change, Luo Yan said: "Yes, the document has already been issued."

Zhou Weifang slammed his fist on the table: "How do I register? How long does it take to pass the exam?"

Luo Yangang had just read it and still remembered it: "You need an experienced driver to act as your instructor and guarantee it. Then you study the 'Traffic Regulations' and take the exam. After passing, you study mechanical principles and practice driving on the road for three months. The two exams are taken separately, and you just need to pass both."

After she finished speaking, she asked, "Do you want to take the exam?"

Zhou Weifang nodded: "You can still ride a motorcycle to and from get off work now, but you definitely can't when you're more pregnant. I was originally planning to hire a car from a taxi company, but it would be best if you could take the test yourself. I'll give you peace of mind."

But even if you get a driver's license, you still need a car to drive. Luo Yan: "A car isn't cheap."

Zhou Weifang: "We can still afford it. If it's not enough, we can ask Luo Hong for it. He has money."

Want it? Luo Yan laughed out loud: "Are you so self-righteous now?"

Zhou Weifang had never been shy with his childhood friend, and thought to himself, "I'll go and inquire about it tomorrow, the sooner the better."

After inquiring about it, he began reading the book "Traffic Regulations," which can be described as studying diligently and persistently.

Luo Yan had never seen him study so hard before. On the day of the ultrasound, she said, "Why don't you study at home and I'll have Mom come with me?"

Studying is studying, Zhou Weifang said: "The moment you leave the house, my soul follows you there, it's the same thing."

They are the child's parents, and naturally they should be together at this time.

The two of them went to the ultrasound room at the hospital and lined up. When they heard their names called, they held each other's hands tightly.

Luo Yan had never seen anything like this before. Looking at the image on the machine, she asked, "Doctor, is this the child?"

The doctor, whom we had met before, carefully pointed and said, "Look, this is the baby's foot, this is the head, this is the hand. It's all good, very lively."

The couple followed the baby's movements with their eyes, and once they confirmed that the child was alright, they finally felt relieved.

The doctor said, "Look, it's still moving. Let me take a look. It's... oh, it's a girl."

She spoke a little softly at the end of her sentence because she had seen it all too many times.

But Luo Yan and Zhou Weifang were both very happy: "It's a girl? It really is a girl?"

Doctor: "It's generally not wrong."

Luo Yan, lying in bed, reminded him, "Zhou Weifang, the camera."

Oh right, I almost forgot.

Zhou Weifang took out his camera, snapped a picture of the screen, and said, "This is our girl's first photo."

The doctor laughed out loud: "It'll probably turn out all black after washing. It's supposed to be black and white, so it's not very clear."

Her hand-drawn report is clearer than that.

Zhou Weifang took several photos and said, "It's okay, we're just making a memento."

He reached out and helped his wife up, and the two of them excitedly went home to announce that they were about to welcome a daughter.

This should have been a private matter, but the news still spread like wildfire through the alley.

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Author's note: Pregnancy is actually very tough, but I'm the author, and I hope Yanyan can have it easier.