Chapter 93 Morning Sickness

Zhao Yaqin watched her retreating figure with worry, but even the fragrant braised pork with potatoes in the lunchbox lost its appeal.

This morning sickness... it's so awful.

She recalled what Nan Zhiyi had said about Sister Liu, and then thought about her own idea that "many children bring many blessings." For the first time, she felt a vague and inexplicable doubt.

The days that followed were particularly difficult for Nan Zhiyi.

Morning sickness plagued her day and night.

When I open my eyes in the morning, my stomach is churning.

The slightest smell of cooking oil, or even just the thought of certain foods, could send her rushing to the sink and gagging for ages.

She couldn't eat or sleep well. In just a few days, her once smooth chin became pointed, and dark circles appeared under her eyes. She looked much more haggard.

She forced herself to cheer up.

I can't lose my job, and I have to force myself to eat.

I took the folic acid and vitamin pills prescribed by the doctor on time, but I could barely eat any food. I could only manage a few mouthfuls of raw cucumbers, tomatoes, and millet porridge that had been cooked until it was mushy.

She could no longer go to the cafeteria; just smelling the mixed odor from afar was enough to make her nauseous.

On the last day of October, she went to the Finance Office of the Political Department to collect her temporary worker allowance for the month: twenty-four yuan and ten jin of grain coupons.

At noon, as usual, she didn't go to the cafeteria, but just ate a compressed soda cracker with warm water.

Zhao Yaqin rushed back, carrying a glass jar, which she proudly placed on Nan Zhiyi's table: "Here! I had Li Weidong go through a lot of trouble to get this from the city! It's genuine 'King of Preserved Plums'! It's very sour, try it and see if it can soothe it?"

Inside the transparent glass jar, plums covered in white salt frost were huddled together. Just looking at them made Nan Zhiyi's mouth reflexively water.

She looked at Zhao Yaqin gratefully: "Sister Yaqin... thank you for thinking of me. How much are these tickets? Here you go."

Zhao Yaqin glared at her, feigning anger, and said, "Nan Zhiyi! If you mention money to me again, I'll get angry! It's just a few plums, why are you being so calculating with me? You don't treat me like a sister at all!"

She made a move as if to snatch the jar back.

Nan Zhiyi quickly protected the jar, a more genuine smile appearing on her face: "Okay, okay, I was wrong. Thank you, Sister Yaqin."

She picked up a plum and put it in her mouth.

The strong sour and salty taste exploded in my mouth instantly, and the nausea that had been lingering in my chest was indeed suppressed a bit, and my stomach felt a little better.

"How is it? Does it work?" Zhao Yaqin asked expectantly.

"Mmm! Much better!" Nan Zhiyi nodded vaguely, a plum in her mouth.

This slight relief almost brought her to tears.

"That's good!" Zhao Yaqin breathed a sigh of relief, then frowned again, "But you can't just eat plums and cucumbers, how will you get enough nutrition? You've gotten so thin that your chin is almost pointy."

"We can only wait and see," Nan Zhiyi said with a helpless smile.

She continued to survive on sour plums and soda crackers, and even then, she would often run out to vomit while eating them.

Section Chief Li Mei saw all this and already understood quite a bit.

That day, she called Nan Zhiyi aside: "Comrade Zhiyi, it's getting cold, and it's windy and smelly with paint over there. You don't need to paint this time. You can stay in the office and be responsible for sketching the layout, writing articles, or helping to copy materials. Your health is the most important thing."

Nan Zhiyi felt a warmth in her heart: "Thank you, Section Chief. I... I will definitely draw the design well."

"No need to thank me, we're all women, I understand." Li Mei waved her hand.

The theme of this update to the military camp bulletin board is in line with the current situation: "Responding to the call of the Central Committee, we must train hard to build elite troops, raise our vigilance, and defend the motherland."

Nan Zhiyi, suppressing her frequent nausea, spent two days sketching several drafts: one depicting soldiers crawling and rolling on the training ground in the cold wind, their uniforms soaked with sweat, their eyes resolute; another portraying a radar station or command post, with officers and soldiers intently operating the equipment...

The sketch was submitted to Section Chief Li Mei for review and was quickly approved.

Nan Zhiyi then handed the sketch to Sun Xiaobing and Lin Xiangyang, explaining in detail the key points of the composition and color matching.

Watching the two of them take the sketch to prepare paints and tools, she felt a sense of relief, but also a little wistful.

She actually really enjoys the process of turning her ideas into vibrant paintings on the wall.

As she was leaving get off work, Zhao Yaqin whispered, "Our Section Chief Li really has sharp eyes! He's already treating you like royalty?"

Nan Zhiyi smiled gently and adjusted her scarf: "Yes, Section Chief Li is very considerate."

It does get dark early.

As soon as I stepped out of the Political Department's small red building, dusk had already fallen heavily.

From a distance, we could see Li Weidong waiting by the roadside.

"Were you getting impatient?" Zhao Yaqin jogged over, her voice brimming with undisguised joy.

"Just arrived." Li Weidong handed her something wrapped in old newspaper, still steaming. "Roasted sweet potatoes fresh from the cafeteria, warm your hands."

He turned his gaze to Nan Zhiyi and noticed that she looked thinner than she had a few days ago. "Zhiyi, you still don't look well. Get some rest."

Nan Zhiyi pushed her bicycle and nodded to him: "Thank you, Brother Weidong, I feel much better."

She didn't want to disturb the young couple's time, so she got on her bicycle and said, "You two chat, I'm going back now."

After saying that, he pedaled his bike and quickly disappeared in the direction of the family compound.

Li Weidong withdrew his gaze and said to Zhao Yaqin, "Let's go, I'll take you home."

He pushed his bike, standing side by side with her.

Zhao Yaqin held the warm sweet potato and ate it in small bites.

The dim light of the streetlights stretched their shadows long as they nestled together, their sweetness palpable in the cool evening air.

In the stillness of the night, only the sound of the wind could be heard in the family compound.

Nan Zhiyi lay in bed, exhausted from the lingering effects of morning sickness.

She took out the knitted gray sweater, which was thick and soft.

She gently pressed her face against the sweater, as if she could feel Gu Xiao's presence.

In the darkness, she gently stroked her lower abdomen.

She was afraid of losing herself, afraid of being overwhelmed by endless trivialities and hardships, and afraid of not being able to bear the weight of another life.

But this life chose her and took root in her body.

Avoiding and resisting will only make you more miserable.

She can't change that fact.

Instead of wallowing in useless worries and resistance, try to accept it.

For myself, and for... Gu Xiao.

She took a deep breath and made up her mind.

When the day off arrived.

She spread out the letter paper.

I wrote letters to Aunt Feng Xuemei and Zhang Yueran to share the good news, and also prepared some gifts suitable for the little girl, which I packed up.

Then he wrote a letter to inform Zhou Anping.

Finally, she picked up her pen and wrote a letter to Commander Gu, using respectful language to inform him of her pregnancy, thank him for the generous supplies and money he had given her last time, and ask her father to take care of his health.

She also wrote a separate letter to Gu Xiao.

When he wrote back, she sent him all the letters she had written to him during that time.

In the afternoon, she rode her bicycle to the post office and mailed letters and packages to her relatives and friends.