Chapter 48

Meng Yuxiu arrived twenty minutes early as agreed. He parked his bicycle by the roadside and looked towards the village entrance.

About twenty minutes later, he saw a familiar figure walking out of the village entrance.

Meng Yuxiu had previously taken over Han Shuo's group. Every time Han Shuo saw him, he would rush up like a mad bull, putting his arm around him and talking non-stop. But today, he was acting out of character.

Han Shuo wore a gray vest and blue shorts, with plastic sandals on his feet.

Despite wearing light and refreshing summer clothes, she walked with a slightly sickly languid air.

Especially when they got closer, Meng Yuxiu saw his listless face and lifeless eyes.

"What's wrong with you?" Meng Yuxiu asked anxiously.

Before Han Shuo could reply, as if he was tired from the short journey from home, he took a breath and said wearily, "Don't even mention it, I'm so nauseous these past few days, I feel like I'm throwing up my bile."

"Morning vomiting?" Meng Yuxiu's eyes widened in surprise. He quickly asked, "Didn't you not vomit before?"

He thought for two seconds and then said, "And you're already four months along."

"Who knows? Maybe men get pregnant differently in this world. Maybe they save it for later and then throw up. Ugh, I can't take it anymore." Han Shuo only said a few words before his face turned pale and he couldn't help but vomit.

He hunched over, hands on his knees, and dry-heaved a few times by the dirt roadside.

Seeing this, Meng Yuxiu quickly patted his back.

Han Shuo couldn't vomit anything, he just felt nauseous. After vomiting, he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, then dragged his heavy body onto the back of Meng Yuxiu's bicycle.

"How is it?" Meng Yuxiu looked at Han Shuo's pale face and was immediately alarmed. "Why don't you skip school today? I'll get your report card for you."

Han Shuo said weakly, "Let's go. After we get to school, we still need to find a job in the county town."

Meng Yuxiu hesitated for a few seconds, then finally grabbed the bicycle handlebars, kicked off the kickstand, and got on the bicycle.

It was only 6:30, and the sun hadn't fully risen yet. In this day and age, it was rare to see cars on the dirt roads of rural towns, and even motorcycles were few and far between.

Han Shuo hadn't had a good rest these past few days. Sitting on his bicycle, enjoying the crisp morning air and looking at the lush fields and hillsides on both sides of the dirt road, he felt a slight relief from the pain caused by his pregnancy symptoms.

Fortunately, Meng Yuxiu didn't sweat much. His white short-sleeved shirt had a soapy smell, and the wind from riding the bicycle made his cuffs and shirt billow slightly, allowing the refreshing, dry soapy smell to reach Han Shuo's nose and suppress his discomfort.

He simply put his arm around Meng Yuxiu's strong waist and abdomen, rested his head against his upright back, and closed his eyes to rest for a while.

Meng Yuxiu noticed Han Shuo's quietness behind him, so he rode his bicycle as far as possible onto the gentle dirt road.

He had been very confused about Han Shuo's pregnancy, but today, after receiving Han Shuo and seeing her weak and uncomfortable appearance, his confusion gradually became real.

It turns out he didn't need to wait until Han Shuo was heavily pregnant to realize they had created a life. He could feel it strongly right now.

Thinking of this, Meng Yuxiu rode his bicycle, facing the breeze, feeling the warmth of Han Shuo pressed tightly against his back, and his heart softened.

They hadn't been riding for long when the sun came out. As soon as it came out, the sunlight shone brightly on the earth, making their cheeks feel hot.

The weather wasn't cool enough, and Han Shuo started feeling uncomfortable again. He was unbearably hot, and sweat kept seeping from his forehead, soaking a patch of Meng Yuxiu's white shirt. To make matters worse, after sitting for more than ten minutes, his buttocks were also very sore.

As Meng Yuxiu rode his bicycle, he noticed Han Shuo fidgeting behind him. He turned his head slightly and asked, "What's wrong? Are you feeling nauseous again?"

"It's too hot," Han Shuo said, tilting his head back and squinting at the sky.

That one glance was terrifying; he felt dizzy and almost fell off the back seat. Luckily, he reacted in time and managed to stop himself with his legs wide open the instant Meng Yuxiu rode off.

Unaware of the situation, Meng Yuxiu asked, "Why aren't you saying anything? Are you feeling unwell?"

Then, a roar that seemed to come from behind, delivered with all its might, rang out: "You left me behind!!..."

"..." Meng Yuxiu slammed on the brakes and turned around to find Han Shuo, who was furious, standing fifty meters away.

"Han Shuo!" He hurriedly turned around and rode back as fast as he could.

Han Shuo silently walked towards him, one hand on his hip.

How did you fall down?

Han Shuo rolled his eyes. "I'm so tired, damn it! I wanted to take a nap, but when I opened my eyes I was dizzy from the heat."

Meng Yuxiu was terrified. The thought of taking the weakened Han Shuo to the county town for nearly two hours made him afraid to ride his bicycle again.

Because most of the roads leading to the county town are winding mountain roads, he was afraid that if he wasn't careful, Han Shuo would fall off the cliff.

So he discussed with Han Shuo, "Let's take the car to school instead, that way you can get some sleep on the way."

Han Shuo was indeed tired and sleepy, and his buttocks were sore. He really couldn't stand sitting on a bicycle for that long.

Just as they were approaching Meng Yuxiu's village, he waved his hand and agreed, "Alright, take me to the intersection where you wait for the bus in your village, and then wait for you to ride your bicycle home before coming out."

"good."

After dropping Han Shuo off at the intersection, Meng Yuxiu pedaled hard towards the village.

Han Shuo had only waited five minutes when Meng Yuxiu ran back, his face flushed. The two waited a while before boarding the bus to the county town.

Han Shuo regretted it as soon as he got on the bus, because the stuffy carriage was filled with the smell of gasoline. Fortunately, there were not many people on the bus in the morning, otherwise he was afraid he would have thrown up as soon as he got on.

Seeing Han Shuo's furrowed brows and clutching his chest, Meng Yuxiu quickly rolled down the car window. Only after the car started moving and the wind rushed past the window did Han Shuo feel somewhat more comfortable.

Upon arriving at the school, Meng Yuxiu was still worried. Even though they were in the same teaching building, he insisted on escorting Han Shuo up to the third floor and watching him enter Class 7 before going downstairs to his own classroom.

Today was the day the college entrance exam results were released, and the students were both nervous and excited. Groups of three or five were discussing the results in the classroom, creating a lively atmosphere.

If it were a week ago, Han Shuo would have joined in too, since he's naturally inclined to join in the fun, and he's always there wherever there's excitement.

But today he was powerless, and he couldn't even sit on a stool, so he simply sat down and leaned his body against the wall.

While Pidan Doufu and Pan Xiaodong were chatting away, they noticed something was wrong with Han Shuo. Upon closer inspection of his face, Pidan asked in surprise, "What's wrong, Han Shuo? Are you worried about your grades and your face has turned pale?"

Han Shuo smirked and said lazily, "Don't worry, I've already calculated it in my head, I can get into university. As for you, don't cry and wail when the results come out."

Upon hearing this, Pidan's face immediately scrunched up with worry.

The noisy classroom fell silent instantly; the homeroom teacher had entered.

Even though Han Shuo was not feeling well, he instinctively sat up straight at such a crucial moment.

All the students in the classroom held their breath, their eyes fixed on the thick, sealed file folder in the homeroom teacher's hand.

The homeroom teacher stood on the podium, looking at the students he had taught for three years, his emotions slightly fluctuating.

After pausing for a moment, she began to speak: "Students, you have worked hard for the past three years. Today is the day to release the results, and I don't know what to say to each of you. All I can do is offer you my best wishes."

"I hope that you will always cherish your dreams, forge ahead bravely, and be fearless on your future paths."

"To those who did well on the exam, I hope you will continue to work hard, because life has many unknown possibilities waiting for you to create. To those who did not do well, don't be discouraged, because life's turning points are not limited to the college entrance examination."

"Now, those whose names are called by the teacher, come up."

Finally, the moment they had been eagerly anticipating arrived. Han Shuo looked at the tense faces of the preserved egg tofu and Pan Xiaodong beside him and was immediately infected by the tense atmosphere. His mind even became clearer for a moment.

Pidan and Doufu received the file folders from the tidying team. When Han Shuo saw them trembling as they opened the seal, and then saw their expressions of almost bursting into tears of joy, he knew that these two had succeeded in their final semester.

Pan Xiaodong could only get a vocational college diploma, but even so, he was overjoyed.

Han Shuo didn't have time to congratulate them because it was his turn to be called by his name.

Han Shuo returned to his seat with the file folder. Although he was fairly confident in himself, his heart still raced when he opened the folder.

He read it carefully, word by word, from top to bottom.

Even names, ages, and exam numbers were not omitted.

When he saw that his score was just ten points above the admission line for Heyuan University, he almost shouted out loud in the quiet classroom. He never imagined that he, who had already experienced the college entrance examination once, would be able to experience that feeling again in his lifetime.

After the homeroom teacher handed out the students' report cards, some were happy while others were sad, and the classroom instantly became noisy. But after a short while, the classroom erupted in cheers again.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Doufu hurriedly grabbed the boy who had just returned from the toilet and was arguing with his classmates.

The boy shouted, "Our school has produced the top scorer in the city!"

"Wow! Who is it?!"

Upon hearing this news, the students were all in an uproar and rushed to the boy to inquire.

"Who else could it be? It's Meng Yuxiu from Class One!"

"Wow!" Upon hearing this, Han Shuo felt no longer dizzy or weak in the knees.

Meng Yuxiu achieved the top score in the exam, just like he himself had. He excitedly grabbed his file folder and rushed downstairs. When he reached the first floor, he happened to see Meng Yuxiu standing in the corridor, surrounded by several teachers and a group of students.

"Thank you." Meng Yuxiu saw Han Shuo, nodded to the others in thanks, and then walked out of the crowd toward Han Shuo.

How did your exam go?

"What do you think?" Han Shuo grinned, and Meng Yuxiu breathed a sigh of relief.

"I heard you're number one in the whole city?! That's awesome!"

Meng Yuxiu was clearly very happy, but in front of Han Shuo, upon hearing Han Shuo's praise, he pursed his lips modestly and smiled humbly and shyly.

Seeing that Han Shuo's complexion had improved, he asked, "Are you feeling better?"

Han Shuo chuckled and said, "Isn't it true that people are in high spirits when they have good news? I was feeling listless this morning, but now I feel energetic. Let's go, let's go, while I still have the energy, let's hurry to the county town to find a job."

Meng Yuxiu raised his wrist to check the time, then said to Han Shuo, "Let's go have lunch first. I'll take you to eat noodles."

Fearing that Han Shuo might worry about the money, he added with a smile at the end, "My dad gave me two yuan when I left."

"Really?" Since they weren't going to touch the money the two of them had saved up, and today was a good day, he put his arm around Meng Yuxiu's shoulder. "Come on, let's go get some noodles!"

"Okay, I'll add a fried egg for you," Meng Yuxiu said.

Han Shuo secretly pinched his cheek and cheerfully led him forward.

When he reached the school gate, he ran into Pidan Doufu and Pan Xiaodong, and stopped to say goodbye properly, because from now on, he would be going his separate ways with these good friends in this world.

To be honest, Han Shuo used to treat them like children, but after spending day after day in this world attending school, he would often forget his age in the 21st century.

Instead, he was just an ordinary high school student in this era, just like them.

"Han Shuo, let's get together when we come back from our holidays!"

Han Shuo patted each of them on the shoulder and said sincerely, "You will all have a bright future!"

As Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu walked out of the school, Han Shuo turned his head and looked at his friends who were getting smaller and smaller and the school gate that was getting further and further away. His feelings were very complicated.

At this school, he experienced student life in this era and left his footprints in every corner of the campus.

Images of him eating in the cafeteria, playing around with classmates in the classroom, doing exercises and playing basketball on the playground, sleeping on a large communal bed in the dormitory and being squeezed by the people next to him, and kissing Meng Yuxiu under a tree flooded his mind one by one.

Friends, school, and even his brother and nephew and their home will eventually become part of his memories, and he may have to spend countless days and nights reminiscing about them.

He will always be grateful to be able to return to the age of eighteen in this era and in this world, which has allowed him to experience even more emotions.

Han Shuo looked up at the azure sky for a long time, sniffed, and then patted Meng Yuxiu on the shoulder, saying, "Let's go eat noodles!"

The two went to the city and found a noodle shop in a small alley. However, Han Shuo, who had been full of energy when he left school, couldn't hold back his excitement as soon as he reached the alley and walked to the noodle shop.

He quickly darted to the corner of the wall.

Now his nose is like a dog's nose; he can smell even the slightest greasy odor. When he gets to a corner, all sorts of random smells become even more pungent.

He left the alley almost vomiting, then forced himself to go to a tree where the air was fresh before he could really vomit. This time he really vomited, and tears welled up in his eyes.

Meng Yuxiu was extremely anxious, but he didn't know how to make Han Shuo more comfortable. All he could do was keep patting Han Shuo's back.

Han Shuo vomited and trembled all over, but the summer sun was shining on him, and the stuffy, sticky feeling was indescribably uncomfortable.

"Uh..." Han Shuo vomited for a while and then caught his breath a little, but his legs were shaking so badly they were weak.

He didn't care about anything else. After looking around at the ground, he wanted to just plop down on it.

The ground was quite hot from the sun, and there weren't many benches along the roadside in this era. Meng Yuxiu simply sat down on the ground himself, and then pulled Han Shuo to sit on his lap.

He looked at Han Shuo's face covered in sweat, extremely nervous. "Han Shuo, shall we go to the hospital to get him checked out?"

"What are you going to the hospital for?" Han Shuo was already slumped against Meng Yuxiu's chest.

At this moment, he couldn't care less about the strange looks he received from passersby.

"Going to the hospital for morning sickness? That's hilarious. Don't bother with that. Let me rest for a bit, then we'll go look for jobs."

With Han Shuo looking like this, let alone finding a job, Meng Yuxiu was worried that he would stagger and faint if he just walked down the street.

After a moment's hesitation, he advised, "You should go to the hospital and ask the doctor if there are any medications to treat morning sickness. Otherwise, if you keep vomiting and feeling nauseous, you might not be able to work during the summer vacation."

Upon hearing this, Han Shuo felt that Meng Yuxiu's words made a lot of sense.

He thought this bout of morning sickness would be like the one in March, lasting only a day or two, but he has been vomiting for almost a week now, and there is no sign of improvement.

If things continue like this, let alone working, even daily life will be difficult. Plus, the two of them have to complete their mission this summer, and he's afraid he'll vomit while doing it with Meng Yuxiu.

So Han Shuo didn't hesitate, and when he had rested enough, he went to the hospital with Meng Yuxiu.

When he arrived at the hospital, he sat on a bench in the corridor, waiting for Meng Yuxiu to register and for the doctor to call his number.

As usual, Meng Yuxiu accompanied Han Shuo into the examination room. Today, Han Shuo did not object because he had difficulty even speaking, so he simply let Meng Yuxiu communicate with the doctor on his behalf.

Meng Yuxiu helped the listless Han Shuo to a chair.

When the doctor asked what was wrong, the eighteen-year-old boy was still embarrassed. But looking at the vulnerable Han Shuo, Meng Yuxiu felt that from now on, he had to protect Han Shuo from the wind and rain. He was an adult and no longer a child.

So, in front of everyone in the consultation room, he asked the doctor, "Hello, I'd like to ask if you have any medication for morning sickness?"

The female doctor looked at the two young, inexperienced boys and asked in surprise, "Medicine for morning sickness?"

Meng Yuxiu glanced at Han Shuo, then blushed and said, "He's pregnant, over four months along, but he's been vomiting a lot lately."

"Four months?" The doctor asked Han Shuo to stand up for a look. After examining him, she exclaimed in surprise, "You're really four months along? You don't look it."

Han Shuo moved his finger, and Meng Yuxiu knew what he wanted to say. So he said to the doctor seriously, "He is thin, so you can't see his belly, but he is indeed four months pregnant. I remember the time."

Han Shuo nodded wearily.

The doctor still had doubts and asked Han Shuo to get tested.

Helpless, Meng Yuxiu had to help Han Shuo out of the examination room and then pay the bill. After the tests, Han Shuo waited in the corridor for half an hour until the doctor called him into the examination room.

The doctor looked at the test results in his hand and said, "It's not four months. You young people really don't understand anything. These test results show it's only been a month."