Chapter 74 Preparation.

He Susu often lives at home at night, so the house doesn't look dirty or messy.

After the couple returned home, they changed into pajamas and went to bed.

Cheng Shi hugged Susu, and placed his broad, strong palm on her belly as if greeting the child.

He felt at peace, and after three months of tense mental state, he finally relaxed and fell asleep soon after.

Perhaps because Cheng Shi came back safely and lay beside her as usual, He Susu felt safe and secure, so she slept soundly during this afternoon nap. When she woke up and looked at her watch, she realized it was already four o'clock in the afternoon.

She got up, changed her clothes and walked into the living room, where she saw Cheng Shi sitting on the floor playing with Erbao, competing to see who could build the blocks more stably and higher first.

Seeing Susu wake up, he put down the building blocks in his hand without saying a word, got up and went to the kitchen to get a cup of water for her: "Wake up, drink a glass of water first."

He Susu took the cup and sat down at the table, nodding: "I haven't slept so deeply in a long time."

"It's a good thing to rest more when you're tired." Cheng Shi said. He knew in his heart that Su Su might not sleep well when he was on a mission, and she relaxed when he came back, so she slept so deeply at noon.

Erbao came over to report to his aunt: "Aunt, my uncle is really good at building blocks. I just built a small house, and he built such a tall building."

He Susu glanced at the building blocks on the ground and said with a smile, "Really? Then you should quickly build blocks while he is talking to me and try to catch up with him."

Erbao glanced at his uncle, and seeing that he didn't say anything, he immediately jumped back and sat on the ground to continue building blocks.

Perhaps knowing that he would have such a cute and naughty child in the near future, Cheng Shi was more tolerant than before. He looked at Erbao with tender eyes and was willing to indulge him in his little happiness. He let him continue to play with building blocks while he sat at the dining table and talked to Susu.

He Susu drank half a glass of water, and then recalled what her mother had told her last time. She said, "Oh, by the way, I've already told both my parents about my pregnancy. Last time I talked to my mother on the phone, she told me to call her when you get back, and she wanted to tell you some things you need to pay attention to during my pregnancy."

Cheng Shi was concerned about this matter and nodded in agreement: "Okay, I got it. I'll go to the mail room later to send a telegram back and make an appointment to call my parents tomorrow morning."

He Susu smiled and agreed.

It was rare for Cheng Shi to come back, and she wanted to have a good talk with him, so she simply didn't go back to her room to write the manuscript in the afternoon, and just took a break. It was difficult to ask about Cheng Shi's mission, so He Susu mostly talked about what happened to her during this period.

"By the way, have you noticed that the peach blossoms in the yard are blooming? The pale pink petals are so pretty, and they make me feel good just looking at them."

"I really didn't notice that. The peach trees I planted last year are blooming this year. It seems that we have taken good care of them."

Later, when Su Yu got off work and came with Dabao to take Erbao home, Cheng Shi went to the mailroom to send a telegram to his father-in-law and mother-in-law. After returning home, he went into the kitchen to cook dinner.

After knowing that Susu was pregnant, Cheng Shi stopped letting her enter the kitchen, saying that it was to prevent the smell of cooking fumes from bothering her, and that she could just leave these things to him.

He Susu didn't argue with him. Knowing that he was resting for the next two days, she simply left the cooking task to him.

Normally, if she waited for Cheng Shi to come back from training before preparing food and cooking, she could go directly to the army for training after lunch and washing the dishes without having to sleep. She still had to prepare the meat and vegetables first to save time.

After getting used to preparing meals, He Susu didn't find it difficult and it became an easy task.

Even when taking a shower at night, Cheng Shi told her not to wash clothes and just leave them for him to wash. After all, washing clothes requires squatting, which is not convenient for Su Su when she is pregnant.

He Susu agreed without thinking too much. She had never had the habit of washing clothes at her parents' home before. It was because her brother and sister-in-law could not help her wash clothes when she came to the army, and she was embarrassed to do so, so she developed the habit of washing clothes after taking a shower, even after getting married.

But now Cheng Shi was willing to help her wash the clothes, and he was the person closest to her besides her parents, so He Susu was naturally happy and relaxed and handed over the job of washing the clothes to him.

The next morning, Cheng Shi was going to call his father-in-law and mother-in-law, and He Susu went with him so that she could say a few words to her parents.

The couple went out hand in hand. On the way, they met the wives of soldiers in the family quarters. They greeted them with a smile and said, "Captain Cheng is back." Cheng Shi also responded with a smile.

Walking on the cement road, the sun shone through the dense shade of the trees, casting mottled shadows, and He Susu was in a good mood as she breathed in the fresh air.

She smiled and said, "It's better for you to come back. We can go out for a walk when we have nothing to do. Otherwise, I would rather stay at home than go out."

She recalled something funny and touching, "The last time I went to call my parents, Erbao followed me out and kept protecting me. He would remind me when he saw people, and would kick away stones when he saw them, saying that he was a little hero and wanted to protect his aunt."

Cheng Shi nodded in affirmation: "Erbao is indeed a little hero. I will have to reward him well later."

He was very fortunate that his third uncle's family in the army could help take care of Susu while he was on a mission. Erbao came home every day to talk to Susu and acted like a little hero, helping with small chores and saving Susu a lot of trouble.

After arriving at the mailroom, he explained his purpose and dialed the phone. After several transfers, the phone finally picked up. Cheng Shi started chatting with his mother-in-law, and He Susu listened silently.

When He's mother received the call, she immediately expressed her happiness: "Son-in-law, you are finally back. You have been on this mission for a long time. Are you not injured?"

Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Don't worry, mom, I'm not injured, nothing happened."

He's mother was relieved after hearing this: "I'm glad you're not hurt. I asked you to call me because I want to tell you something. Susu is pregnant now, and your role as a husband is crucial. You have to..."

She did not waste any time, calculating the money every minute on the phone, and trying to organize and speak out everything she had thought of last night.

Cheng Shi used his best memory at this time to write down these important precautions. At the end, his father-in-law also took the phone and asked him to take good care of his daughter, and Cheng Shi promised to do so.

He Susu also took the phone and talked to her parents for a few words. Mother He hung up the phone soon after, feeling sorry for the phone bill. Anyway, she had said what she needed to say long ago. If she could think of anything else, she could ask Guifang to write a letter and then send it directly to her daughter.

After Cheng Shi paid the money, the two of them walked back.

He Susu smiled and said, "My stepmother was very happy when I got pregnant. She told me a lot of things that day. I didn't expect that she would have so much to tell you today."

Cheng Shi nodded: "I think what mom said is very important. If she hadn't told me, I wouldn't know where to find out about this. I have to write it all down when I get home, so I don't forget it later. By the way, tell me about the precautions that the doctor told you when you went to the hospital. I will write them down and try to implement them in the days to come."

After learning that Su Su went to the military hospital alone to register for a blood test to confirm her pregnancy, Cheng Shi felt even more guilty. He tried his best to be good to Su Su, but he was still absent at such an important moment, leaving her to go to the hospital alone to face all this.

Now he just wanted to make up for what he had missed and treat Susu better and better.

Cheng Shi was concerned, so He Susu was naturally happy to let him participate. She smiled and agreed: "Okay, I'll tell you the thank you notes when we get back, and you write them all down."

The couple went home holding hands, chatting and laughing.

After another leisurely day together, Cheng Shi returned to the army for training, and He Susu also resumed her previous pace of life.

I sleep until I wake up naturally every morning. After breakfast, I read a book with my second child, prepare meat and vegetables for lunch, and wait for Cheng Shi to come back to cook.

After waking up from a nap, I would drink a glass of water to wake myself up, and then go back to my room to write. After dinner, if I was in a good mood, I would follow Cheng Shi for a walk in the family compound, which was a rare exercise for the day.

Of course, when she is free sometimes, He Susu will open the shopping screen to see if there are any good things that can be exchanged.

After the beginning of spring, the clothes she wore gradually became thinner. When her belly became bigger after she became pregnant, she would definitely have to buy some loose clothes to wear.

When He Susu finds nice and comfortable clothes, she will mark the size according to the looseness and exchange them when needed. Buying clothes in the shopping system is much more convenient and more affordable than going to a department store.

She also saw baby clothes, which came in different sizes depending on the baby's age.

It's strange to say, in the past she didn't feel anything when she saw her nephews and nieces wearing those small patched clothes that they had worn for who knows how many times. But now, looking at the shopping system's product descriptions of those small clothes, her heart softened just by imagining a bubbling baby who looked like her and Cheng Shi wearing them.

He Susu also marked the baby clothes she liked and planned to exchange them and take them home after a while, as if she was preparing clothes for the baby.

Perhaps the shopping system recognized the baby's clothes and then found many products suitable for babies.

There are milk powder and bottles for babies, talcum powder for summer prickly heat, baby oil for cleansing the skin and preventing dryness... There is also olive oil for preventing stretch marks after four months of pregnancy, food for nutritional supplements, comfortable pillows for pregnancy, etc.

Compared with her unborn baby, He Susu certainly pays more attention to her own physical health.

She marked down all the things the pregnant woman needed and planned to slowly read the product details. If she needed something, she would find a chance to take it out after redeeming it.

Of course, if she sees something for the baby, she will mark it and redeem it when she prepares things for the baby.

She is now a big labor value earner, and basically doesn't need to consider the labor value when exchanging things. However, after the laundry work was handed over to Cheng Shi, He Susu lost 1 labor value income every day. She can only earn labor points from preparing food every day.

While browsing, He Susu saw a product that suddenly caught her eye. The book "Two or Three Things About Pregnancy" records everything a woman should pay attention to from the early stages of pregnancy to delivery, including food, clothing, housing and transportation, as well as corresponding nutritious recipes for three meals a day. It can be said to be the book she needs most at this stage, and she can own it with only 2 points of diligence.

He Susu exchanged it without saying a word, planning to find an opportunity to say that she had borrowed it from the library and would read it slowly.

She also found a book called "Two or Three Things About Raising a Child, Starting from Birth". According to the detailed description, it is a book that describes in detail how to raise a child from scratch to the age of three. It also covers all aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation, and only requires 2 points of diligence.

He Susu also exchanged it and put it in the storage compartment, and then looked at it slowly later.

She kept scrolling through the shopping system, marking many items, for several days. Only after she recovered from the crazy shopping urge did she rarely check the shopping system again.

Mrs. Shao may have learned about her pregnancy from Political Commissar Zhang, so she gave her some red dates sent by her parents, saying that they were good for replenishing qi and blood.

As for where Political Commissar Zhang got the news, it goes without saying that it was Cheng Shi who told him. This man was extremely happy when he learned that she was pregnant. It is estimated that all his close comrades in the army knew that he was about to become a father.

Mrs. Wu, Mrs. Fang and Mrs. Ye came home to chat.

Sister Wu noticed the change in He Susu and said with a smile, "Susu, don't be so blunt. I feel like your waist has become thicker. It seems that you have gained some weight because you are in a good mood since Captain Cheng came back. You look just right now. You were too thin before."

He Susu laughed and said, "Sister Wu, I am pregnant. I am more than three months pregnant and it is almost four months. My waist looks a little thicker. I haven't had time to tell you this news yet."

Mrs. Wu slapped her thigh happily and said, "This is good news. Oh, according to the calculation, it was before Captain Cheng went on a mission. Fortunately, nothing happened to you while you were living alone."

Mrs. Fang also laughed and said, "I was wondering why you haven't come to our house recently. It turns out you are pregnant and staying at home."

He Susu nodded: "I'm lazy and don't like to go out. After I got pregnant, I went out even less. I only go out for a walk with Cheng Shi occasionally in the evening."

Mrs. Fang smiled and said, "You have to be careful when you are pregnant, but you still have to move around, especially in the later stages when your belly gets bigger, so that you can have an easier time giving birth."

Sister Ye also talked about a lot of things to pay attention to during pregnancy.

The three of them were all experienced people and were very happy about Susu's pregnancy, so they started sharing their experiences.

Although He Susu had heard most of these things from the doctor, her third sister-in-law and her mother, when she heard Sister Wu and the other two say these things again, He Susu still listened carefully and nodded from time to time to show that she had taken note.

These are the thoughts of the sisters-in-law. If they were just ordinary people, they wouldn't bother talking about these.

Mrs. Wu and the other two sat for a long time before leaving. Before leaving, they did not forget to explain: "If you are worried about the trouble of going to the county town while pregnant, just tell us what meat and vegetables your family wants to buy. The three of us will each bring a few items and bring back the meat and vegetables your family wants to eat. Don't worry about the trouble."

He Susu smiled and responded: "Thank you, sister-in-law. Now that my belly is not too obvious, I will go to the county town to buy some things for preparation. If I need anything, I will definitely tell you. I won't hesitate."

"Okay, then we'll go first."

"Goodbye, sisters-in-law."

He Susu saw Mrs. Wu and the other two off, then walked back to the living room, sat down and started flipping through the book she had borrowed from the library.

She had borrowed this book from the county library before she confirmed her pregnancy. The one-month return period was coming up soon, so she would try to finish reading it so that she could return it the next time she went back to the county.

When Cheng Shi came back from training at noon, he brought a package with him: "I heard from my comrades this morning that they went to the mailroom to pick up packages and saw ours. I just got back from training and went to get it, so I was a little late. This package was sent by my parents. Please open it and take a look. I'll go cook first."

"Okay, go ahead." He Susu replied.

She unpacked the package and found that her parents-in-law had sent her a lot of goodies, including two cans of milk powder, two cans of malted milk, six cans of pork, a can of honey, two kilograms of brown sugar, and three cans of preserved shrimp and radish that she had praised in her last letter.

Without thinking too much, you will know that the milk powder and malted milk are sent to her for nourishing her body. The brown sugar block can be taken and eaten at any time. It has the same effect as soaking brown sugar in water and is good for women's health.

Along with the package came a letter. He Susu waited until Cheng Shi finished lunch before opening it and reading it together.

In the letter, her parents-in-law expressed their happiness at hearing that she was pregnant. They were too busy with work to be away for the time being, so they asked her to take good care of herself. They also told Cheng Shi to pay more attention to his daughter-in-law, take good care of Susu's physical and emotional health, and do all the housework he could.

My mother-in-law told me to write to her if she wanted anything to eat, and she would try to buy it and send it to me. She would also find a chance to take a day off and come to the army to see them.

Cheng Shi smiled after reading it and said, "Let's slowly eat the things our parents sent us. Remember to drink the milk powder every day. I'll send a telegram later to tell them that the package has been received."

He Susu smiled and agreed.

She thought that if her mother-in-law took a leave of absence and came to the army to see her and Cheng Shi, she would most likely not be able to come when she gave birth.

After all, there are many things to do in the family compound, and my mother-in-law, as the director of the street office, has a lot to deal with, so she can't leave for too long. This is exactly what my mother wants, and when the time comes, she can come and take care of her during the confinement period.

She would definitely prefer her mother to come and take care of her, after all, they are mother and daughter, and they are very familiar with each other. She doesn't need to say much, her mother can understand her meaning and take good care of her.

Soon it was time to go to the county town to buy meat and vegetables.

Before Cheng Shi left in the morning, he reminded her worriedly: "Susu, be careful when you go to the county town. If you see a lot of people, stay away from them. Also, if the things you bought are heavy, ask your sister-in-law or other sisters-in-law to help carry them, so that you don't have to carry too much and get tired. We can thank them later."

In fact, according to Cheng Shi's real idea, he didn't want Susu to go to the county town to buy groceries. There were many military wives in the car, and there were even more people in the county town. Accidents could happen everywhere, and any bump could hurt Susu.

The matter of buying meat and vegetables can be completely entrusted to a sister-in-law you are familiar with, and you can just give her some benefits every time. Or you can just spend some money to ask the cooks in the canteen who are responsible for purchasing to help bring back the meat and vegetables.

But Susu wanted to go to the county town, and Cheng Shi couldn't go against her wishes. Besides, it was impossible for Susu to stay at home during the long ten months of pregnancy without going anywhere. If so, the baby in her belly would become a constraint on Susu's movements, and Cheng Shi would rather not have that.

All he could do was to support her and tell Susu to be more careful.

He Susu got up early and had breakfast with him. The day when the bus went to the county town at ten o'clock was one of the few days when she could have breakfast with Cheng Shi.

She smiled and nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, I take good care of my body and will definitely be careful. Nothing will happen. Besides, I will basically go to the county town with my sister-in-law, and I will give her some things to carry when the time comes, so don't worry."

"Okay, then I'll go to the army first." Cheng Shi hugged Susu and hugged her before going out.

He Susu sat for a while, and when she saw that it was almost time, she put on the backpack and the package containing three books, and walked to the boarding point in the family quarters to wait.

Mrs. Shao had been waiting there for a long time, and greeted her with a smile: "Susu, are you going to the county town to buy things too?"

She remembered that Susu had not gone to the county town several times before.

He Susu nodded: "Well, let's go buy some meat and vegetables, and also look for some things that are missing at home."

Mrs. Shao nodded: "Okay, it's time to go shopping. If you buy a lot later, give some to me and I'll help carry it back."

He Susu smiled and responded: "Thank you very much, Sister Shao. If there is any need, I will not be polite to you."

Afterwards, Mrs. Wu and the other two came over to wait for the car. After seeing He Susu and greeting her, they expressed their kindness in offering to help carry some meat and vegetables when they returned. He Susu thanked them with a smile and said that she would definitely let them know if they needed anything.

When she got in the car, she talked about this with her sister-in-law. Su Yu smiled and said, "The sisters-in-law you know are all very nice, but since I'm here, they won't have the chance to help."

She was also told that her husband asked her to help take care of her younger sister when she went to the county town. Even if her husband didn't tell her, Su Yu would help look after her younger sister.

When the aunt and sister-in-law arrived in the county town, they first went to the grocery store to buy various foods. This time, He Susu carried about half a basket.

When they walked outside the store, Su Yu took the initiative to say, "The road to the slaughterhouse is not easy to walk, Susu, you don't have to go. Give me the backpack, I will carry it with me to buy pork for you. If you want to go to the library to return the book, go first."

"Okay, thank you, sister-in-law." He Susu thought it made sense and agreed, "Then please help me buy three pounds of lean meat, two pounds of pork belly and two pounds of spare ribs, and a pig's trotter. I will pay you back later."

She hesitated for a moment and said, "How about I carry this basket? I'll put the pork in your basket first."

Su Yu insisted: "Give it to me. It's too much trouble for you to carry half a basket of things to the library when you have nothing to do."

Knowing that her sister-in-law was worried that she would have to carry the heavy load for too long, He Susu had no choice but to agree and took the basket off her back and gave it to her: "Sister-in-law, you have worked hard, please walk slowly."

Su Yu carried a basket on her back and another on her front, and said with a smile, "It's nothing. Be careful on the road."

"Goodbye, sister-in-law." He Susu waved and walked towards the library.

When she arrived at the library, she went directly to the counter to return the books. Thinking that she didn't know when she would come to the county town again, she didn't finish her visit and left the library directly.

She walked towards the department store, went inside, looked around, and used her cloth coupons and money to buy a piece of cotton cloth and two pounds of yam cake, intending to give them to her sister-in-law to take back to make new clothes and snacks for Dabao and Erbao.

For her own use, she bought a piece of soap for bathing and some soap nuts for washing clothes. He Susu didn't buy anything else. After packing her things, she left the department store and walked into an empty alley.

He Susu suddenly moved the things she had exchanged earlier into the package, making the package bulge out and showing how heavy it was.

There were her four slightly loose thin tops, two long-sleeved and two short-sleeved, olive oil to prevent stretch marks, two pounds of apples and one pound of oranges, and last but not least, the book "Two or Three Things to Know During Pregnancy".

She still has a lot to learn, and plans to go back and read the book slowly.