Chapter 92 Bewilderment

The nurse handed me a small glass bottle.

Holding the bottle, Nan Zhiyi's mind was in turmoil, and she walked unsteadily toward the restroom.

Zhao Yaqin quickly caught up and helped her up; neither of them spoke.

Nan Zhiyi came out of the restroom and handed the urine sample to the nurse at the window. The nurse took it and put a label on it: "Wait for the results, sit over there."

The benches in the corridor were cold.

Nan Zhiyi and Zhao Yaqin sat side by side, and time seemed to stretch out, with each second passing slowly.

Zhao Yaqin couldn't hide her joy. She wanted to say something, but was afraid of disturbing the tranquility of the wait, so she just squeezed Nan Zhiyi's cold hand tightly.

Nan Zhiyi stared blankly at the ground, her mind filled with images of Gu Xiao's face and Liu Saozi mending clothes while heavily pregnant. Her heart was pounding wildly.

After an unknown amount of time, the nurse's voice rang out: "Nan Zhiyi!"

She handed me a small piece of paper.

Nan Zhiyi held her breath and took it, glancing at the few simple words and the small "+" sign on it.

She took the note back to the clinic.

The doctor looked at the note: "Hmm, pregnancy symptoms. Judging from the hormone levels, it's around four weeks. Based on that, conception likely occurred in late September."

She glanced at the calendar on the wall. "It's October 25th now."

Late September... around the Mid-Autumn Festival...

Nan Zhiyi said softly, "Thank you, doctor."

"You need to be especially careful during the first trimester, the first three months," the doctor routinely advised. "Avoid strenuous activity, get plenty of rest, and make sure you get adequate nutrition. Nausea and vomiting are normal, and most people will feel better after the first trimester."

"Doctor, I feel so nauseous from vomiting, is there any medicine available..." Nan Zhiyi couldn't help but ask, as the churning sensation in her stomach resurfaced.

The doctor shook his head: "There's no specific medicine. It's mainly about enduring the pain. Eat small, frequent meals, eat light foods, and try some soda crackers to calm your nerves. If you vomit a lot and become dehydrated, then come back."

She looked down and wrote out a prescription. "I'll prescribe some folic acid and multivitamins for you. Go to the pharmacy to pick them up. Come for your prenatal checkups regularly."

"Thank you, doctor." Nan Zhiyi took the form, her voice slightly unsteady.

Zhao Yaqin waited for her to come out of the consultation room and then took her arm.

After picking up the medicine and walking out of the hospital, the afternoon sun was a bit too bright.

Nan Zhiyi subconsciously placed her hand gently on her lower abdomen, where it was flat, yet there was a completely unfamiliar little life inside.

This is too unreal... and too... terrifying.

Her mind was a mess.

"That's wonderful, you understand!"

Zhao Yaqin drove her away from the hospital, her voice rising eight octaves.

"Fifth Brother will be overjoyed when he finds out! Oh dear, you and Fifth Brother are both so good-looking, your future children will definitely be beautiful! We should have as many as possible!"

Nan Zhiyi's face showed no joy, but rather a pale and dazed expression.

She forced a smile, her lips twitching slightly.

Zhao Yaqin noticed her odd behavior and her smile faded slightly: "What's wrong? Are you unhappy?"

Nan Zhiyi shook her head, then nodded, and said blankly, "It's not that I'm unhappy... it's just... it was too sudden."

She paused, recalling what happened last night, gave a bitter smile, and couldn't help but tell Zhao Yaqin everything she had seen and heard at Sister Liu's house last night, as well as the scolding she had heard from Battalion Commander Li.

She simply couldn't imagine a man treating his pregnant wife so cruelly.

"When I threw up yesterday, I thought it was because I was disgusted by Battalion Commander Li's speech..."

"Hearing you say that, it sounds like Sister Liu has had a tough time... but... everyone goes through that. Zhiyi, you're overthinking it... getting pregnant is a good thing! Look at Sister Liu, she's doing just fine, isn't she?"

Nan Zhiyi's heart sank even further.

"Sister Yaqin, do you really think what Sister Liu is doing is 'good'? She already has three children, and is pregnant with another one. She's so tired every day that she can't straighten her back. Her husband doesn't understand, and she has to take care of her mother-in-law... Is having children really a blessing for women, or a shackle?"

Zhao Yaqin was stunned, clearly not expecting Nan Zhiyi to take such a sharp view of the matter.

In her mind, isn't this how military wives, and even most women in the world, all go through this?

Having children, managing household chores, and serving one's parents-in-law and husband are all arduous tasks. Being praised by neighbors as "virtuous and capable" and "a good daughter-in-law" is the greatest recognition one can receive.

In everyone's eyes, Sister Liu is indeed a model of a "good woman".

“You can’t say that, can you?” Zhao Yaqin was a little speechless, trying to refute, “How can you not have a baby if you’re pregnant? Children are always a blessing! Besides, life is always tiring, everyone is like this, just hang in there and it will pass.”

Her words revealed a sense of accustomedness to the suffering of women.

Nan Zhiyi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

She knew this was a gap in perspectives.

In Zhao Yaqin's view, and even in the view of most people, childbirth is an instinct, a responsibility, and a "blessing" that one "should" bear.

And at this moment, she was pregnant.

Just as her mother had warned her.

She didn't try to persuade Zhao Yaqin anymore, but just sat quietly on the back of the bicycle.

The afternoon sun was bright, but she didn't feel much warmth when it shone on her.

When they arrived at the Political Department building, Zhao Yaqin locked her bicycle and handed the keys back to Nan Zhiyi.

Nan Zhiyi whispered, "Sister Yaqin, don't tell anyone else about my pregnancy for now."

Zhao Yaqin nodded in agreement, "I know, it's not advisable to announce the pregnancy during the first three months."

Back in the publicity department office, Lin Xiangyang was sitting at his desk writing a manuscript.

Seeing them come in, he stood up and pointed to the two lunchboxes being kept warm in enamel mugs: "The food has been brought back and is being kept warm with hot water, so it shouldn't be completely cold yet."

"Thank you, Officer Lin, for your help." Nan Zhiyi said.

"You're welcome, it's my pleasure." Lin Xiangyang adjusted his glasses, noticing Nan Zhiyi's still pale face, and asked with concern, "Sister Zhiyi, are you feeling better? What did the doctor say?"

"I'm fine now, I just caught a chill and my stomach is upset."

Nan Zhiyi gave a vague reply and picked up her lunchbox.

He then said to Zhao Yaqin, "Sister Yaqin, hurry up and eat, it'll be time for work soon."

Nan Zhiyi opened the lid, and the steam from the rice and the aroma of a few green vegetables wafted out.

That familiar feeling of nausea surged up again instantly.

She forced herself to eat two mouthfuls of white rice, but her stomach churned violently.

She suddenly covered her mouth, rushed out of the office, and headed straight for the restroom at the end of the corridor.