Chapter 80 Nine Months.

He Susu had no idea that the news that her mother came to the army to take care of her during her confinement had spread in the family compound and aroused the envy of other military wives.

Even if they knew, they wouldn't care. There was too much gossip in the family compound, talking about everyone's private affairs. It wouldn't take long for everyone to change the gossip and continue chatting.

She and He's mother arrived at Building No. 3 in the Second Family Quarters and walked up to the third floor.

He's mother sighed: "This staircase is surprisingly clean. The people in the family compound are really well-mannered."

In the village, each family takes care of their own business. Some people are lazy and don't like to clean. The door is full of fallen leaves, dried mud, and melon seed shells that have fallen from somewhere. It is very dirty. The stairs in this building are shared, and it is rare to see them so clean.

He Susu smiled and said, "It is precisely because the stairs are for public use that if they are dirty and messy, it will affect everyone's movement. The Women's Federation is responsible for this and stipulates that the family members on each floor are responsible for the sanitation of the stairs on their respective floors. No matter if they take turns to clean them every day or every week, they have to clean them well. The Women's Federation will also come to inspect them regularly. Those who are rated as excellent will be rewarded with a pound of candy, and those who fail to meet the standards will be punished to sweep the large area downstairs."

Like my place, all the houses have yards, so it is convenient to divide them up. Each family is directly responsible for cleaning the area in front of their door.

He's mother nodded: "So that's how it is. The Women's Federation must have a solution. Otherwise, it's hard to say whether the stairs are hygienic."

When they got to the third floor, He Susu led her mother to the door of her third brother's house, knocked on the door and called out, "Erbao, grandma and I are here, open the door quickly."

Soon there was a response from inside, and then the door opened. Erbao smiled and called out, "Grandma, aunt, you're finally here."

He originally wanted to go out with his mother and brother to his aunt's house today, but his mother kept him at home, saying that his aunt and grandmother would come to pick him up later.

Erbao prepared the toys he would bring over later at home, and then secretly went into the kitchen, stepped on a chair, opened the cabinet, and took out a White Rabbit candy to eat. It took a long time before his aunt and grandmother came.

He Susu smiled and said, "I blame you, little aunt. I got up late and dawdled a little. I came to see you with grandma after dinner."

Erbao was generous and immediately waved his hand to say, "It's okay, aunt, I don't blame you."

Mother He laughed and gave Erbao a slap on the forehead: "What a fool you are, let your aunt come into the house and sit down for a while."

Erbao immediately made way: "Grandma, aunt, come in quickly."

After entering the house, He Susu sat down in the living room to rest for a while. Her calves were a little sore after walking such a long distance.

He's mother looked at the third child's home with curiosity.

Erbao showed grandma around every corner of the house like a little expert: "This room is where my parents live, this room is where my brother and I live, and the remaining room was previously occupied by my aunt. If you want to come and live with us, you can sleep in this room. This side is the toilet, this side is the kitchen, and this side is the balcony. The area that grandma can see when she stands here and looks down is where we usually play."

"Great, this house looks spacious and bright, really nice." After taking a look around, He's mother was very satisfied with the house. The third child had been in the army for so many years and finally got a house. It looked better than those tube-shaped buildings in the county town.

Of course, what made her even more satisfied was that there was a room reserved for Susu at home, so that if she wanted to come and live here, she would have a place to sleep.

He Susu smiled and said, "Third brother's family is quite nice. Look at the environment, it's not worse than my family's."

He's mother smiled and replied, "To each his own."

If she were someone from the county town, she might like to live in this building, but she was used to living in a big yard in the village, so she still preferred her daughter's house with a yard, which took up more space.

He's mother was a person who could not sit still. She asked Erbao, "What do you usually eat for lunch? I'll go prepare the meat and vegetables for lunch, and your mother can just stir-fry them when she comes back."

Erbao said with a smile: "Grandma, my mother told me that if you want to help prepare meat dishes, she can tell you. Lunch at home is simple and she can prepare it when she comes back. You don't need to help."

He Susu couldn't help laughing after hearing this: "It seems that my sister-in-law is very good at predicting things. She is worried that you will be too tired, so just sit here obediently for a while."

"It's best if I don't have to help. I'm happy to have some free time." Mother He couldn't help but grumble. She also knew that the third daughter-in-law was doing this for her own good, so she simply sat down on the chair in the living room.

She looked at the coffee table in the living room and the chair she was sitting on. "Why do the furniture in the third brother's house look similar to yours, Susu? The dining table is the same wood color."

He Susu explained: "When Cheng Shi was decorating his home, he asked his third brother for help in recommending a skilled carpenter. Since the furniture was made by the same carpenter, it's natural that they look similar."

"No wonder." Mother He nodded. She could tell that her son-in-law and the third son had a good relationship, and she was happy. They were all in the army, so it would be best if they could take care of each other.

Erbao moved a lot of toys out of the room like a monkey and showed them to grandma who came to the house for the first time. He talked non-stop about when each toy was bought and how to play with it.

It was rare that He's mother was in a good mood and was happy to listen to him say these uninteresting words.

After the child's excitement subsided, He's mother asked her daughter: "Susu, after you have rested, shall we go home?"

It was enough for Lao San to learn the way and know how to get there. In the morning, her son-in-law took her to the canteen to buy breakfast and introduced her to many places in the family compound. She also memorized the general route so that she would not be afraid of not knowing the way when she went out in the future.

He Susu nodded: "Okay, let's walk back."

Erbao had just put the toys he had moved out back into the room, and after hearing what his aunt said, he hurriedly stuffed the toys and literacy cards he had prepared earlier into the small backpack, put it on his back, and followed his aunt and grandmother out.

After returning home, Erbao found a place to play without anyone taking care of him. He's mother couldn't sit still, so she took a broom and started sweeping the floor, while He Susu went back to her room to continue writing.

The fifth story in her series has entered the final stage and is expected to be completed by the ninth month of pregnancy, so that she can rest and take care of her body to welcome the arrival of her baby.

When writing the ending of the plot, He Susu pondered for a long time, digging out the foreshadowing that had been buried previously in a reasonable way, trying her best to make the plot presented in a way that would give readers a feeling of sudden enlightenment and that it was as expected.

The lines of the main and supporting characters also changed as the plot progressed. Occasionally, she would write a sentence or two that could subtly display the character's personality, and she would feel excited when she read it herself.

He Susu secretly praised herself, saying that her writing skills were getting better and better, and her choice of words and sentences was also quite clever. As she was praising herself, she couldn't help laughing out loud, and then she shook her head and continued writing.

Outside, He's mother finished sweeping the floor and then mopped the floor. After a break, she took a rag and wiped the coffee table chairs, dining table chairs and kitchen cabinets. After cleaning, the place looked clean and it was comfortable for her to live in.

She did not forget to urge Erbao to drink water, and she also drank a glass of water, looking towards the main room from time to time.

Her daughter was doing a serious job writing an article, and she didn't dare to disturb her for fear of interrupting her writing thoughts.

He's mother couldn't help but sigh, it seems that her daughter really loves writing articles. In the past, she was only enthusiastic about things for a short period of time, and would not want to do anything once she felt lazy. Now, she is more than eight months pregnant and can still insist on holding a pen to write articles.

Just as he was thinking about it, the door of the main room opened and He Susu walked out.

He's mother hurriedly called out, "Susu, come and sit down. Would you like some water?"

"I just finished the glass of water I filled, so I thought I'd come out and take a break." He Susu came over and sat down.

He's mother: "You need to take a break after writing for so long. Don't get too tired. I'll get you another glass of water."

The mother and daughter didn't sit for a while before He's mother went to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

After a while, Su Yu brought Dabao to pick up Erbao, but she left without saying a few words because she was in a hurry to go back to cook.

Mother He couldn't help but mutter, "It's a good thing that you, Susu, married into the army and can help take care of Erbao. Otherwise, I don't think Xiaoyu would be able to go to school."

He Susu smiled and said, "Mom, why didn't you tell me that if Third Sister-in-law hadn't asked me to help send them to the army, I wouldn't have had the chance to meet Cheng Shi and marry him in the army."

Mother He thought the same and said, "So it's fate. At that time, I was thinking of asking your elder sister to look for an outstanding young man in the county to introduce to you. Who knew that your destined match was in the army?"

She was extremely satisfied with Cheng Shi. She couldn't find such a good son-in-law in the county.

The mother and daughter looked at each other and smiled, then sat down to wait for Cheng Shi to come back for dinner.

He's mother adapted to the army quickly and felt very comfortable living in her daughter's home, which was only five minutes away from her son's home.

She cleaned the house and cooked every day, and also took on the task of watering the vegetables in the family vegetable garden. One morning, she followed the third brother to take a look at his private plot.

Of course, she was not that diligent, and the third brother was still the one watering the vegetable garden. She, an old woman, just needed to take care of her daughter's family.

Mrs. Shao came once and saw He's mother praising Cheng Shi for being lucky to have her mother-in-law come to take care of Su Su during her confinement.

Mother He was so happy that she laughed and said, "I am so lucky. I feel relieved to be able to come and take care of Susu during her confinement. Otherwise, I would have been worrying about her at home."

After she knew that the person in front of her was the matchmaker who introduced her daughter to Cheng Shi, she treated Mrs. Shao even more warmly.

Mrs. Shao also felt that Susu's mother was a good match for her, so she called her "Auntie" all the time. Before leaving, she took He's mother home to teach her the way, and asked her to come to their house often when she was free, and to let them know if she needed any help.

He's mother smiled and agreed, feeling happy to have such a good neighbor.

Then three more good neighbors came.

Wu's wife and the other two heard from others that the wife of Captain Cheng was lucky to have her mother come to take care of her during the confinement period, and then they knew that Su Su's mother had come. The three of them gathered together to sit at the door, and saw that He's mother also called her aunt enthusiastically, and told them to call them if they needed anything.

These three sisters-in-law are the best at gossiping. He's mother's eyes lit up when she heard them. She didn't expect that the staff quarters could be as lively as the village.

She had been here for so long that she sometimes felt bored. It was not like in the village where she could run into a woman to chat with as soon as she walked out of the door. But now she finally met one.

He Susu sat aside with amusement. Seeing her mother, Mrs. Wu and the other two chatting animatedly, she did not find it boring and sat aside drinking water and listening to the gossip.

When Mrs. Wu and the other two were about to leave, she remembered something and hurriedly said, "Susu, you are pregnant now, it is not easy for you to go to the county town. When the tenth day comes, we will call Auntie to wait for the bus together."

Although the third son's wife will be with them, it is still a bit far from home to the boarding point in the family quarters. He Susu smiled and agreed. He's mother said repeatedly: "Okay, then I will wait for you. Auntie thanks you in advance."

Mrs. Wu waved her hand and said cheerfully, "It's a small matter, you're welcome, aunt."

After they left, He's mother couldn't help but sigh: "These three are also good. Susu is really good at making friends."

He Susu smiled and said, "Of course, we can have some fun talking together from time to time. I see that you like listening to them talking about their daily lives, so you can visit them more often when you get to know them. The three sisters-in-law are not working and are taking care of the children at home. They will be happy if you go to visit them."

He's mother nodded: "Okay, I'll come visit you after I get to know the way."

On the day when Fengshi went to the county town, He's mother, led by the third daughter-in-law and Mrs. Wu, went to the grocery store and the slaughterhouse very smoothly and bought a lot of meat and vegetables. They even visited the department store and the supply and marketing cooperative.

After coming back, He's mother talked nonstop and her face was full of energy.

"Susu, let me tell you, our army can buy a lot of things at the grocery store. If each of us picks a few items, we have to wait in line for a long time just to check out. This time, we have to buy at least half of the grocery store."

"This slaughterhouse is really strange. That person was so bold as to sell pork without a ticket. Everyone bought a lot of meat. I bought the three pounds of lean meat, two pounds of pork belly and a rib you asked me to buy. Life here is so good. Back home, you need a ticket to buy meat. You can't buy meat even if you have money. But when I came back, I heard from your sister-in-law that this is a benefit for military families. Only with the permission of the higher-ups can it be sold inconspicuously."

"The department store and the supply and marketing cooperative looked similar to ours. I didn't see anything I needed, so I didn't buy anything."

"It's very easy to go to the county town to buy meat and vegetables for ten days. I've gone there today and I know what to do. In the future, I can go and come back safely even if no one is with me. Don't worry."

He Susu smiled as she listened to her mother talk about her feelings about the trip to the county town. After she finished speaking, she smiled and said, "Okay, I knew that you are so capable that you can do it. I am completely relieved."

Mother He smiled, and after the sharing spirit wore off, she carried a basket and a package of things into the kitchen and put them in order. Then she sat down in the living room to drink a glass of water, and then went to the kitchen to make lunch with full energy.

During lunch, Cheng Shi also asked about his mother-in-law's shopping trip to the county town.

When he heard that her trip went smoothly, that she had gained a lot of experience and had learned all the ways, and that she could go shopping by herself next time, he smiled and said, "It's good that mom can adapt. She is worthy of being a person with decades of experience."

Mother He narrowed her eyes and smiled: "No big deal."

He Susu was giggling on the side, and only stopped smiling a little after her mother glared at her, but her eyes and eyebrows were still curved in a smile, and she looked a little more lively.

Cheng Shi saw this and knew that Susu was in a good mood, so he became happy too.

In a blink of an eye, He Susu was nine months pregnant. The weather became much colder after winter, so she took out her thick cotton jacket and put it on.

This cotton jacket was exchanged from the shopping system last year. It was quite loose at that time, but now it cannot be buttoned because of the bulging belly. Fortunately, she doesn't go out, so she won't feel cold wearing it.

She sat on a chair in the living room and drank some water. She asked He's mother, "Mom, is the quilt in your room warm enough? If not, cover it with a thin quilt. It's a little heavier, but at least it's warm."

Mother He smiled and said, "It's warm enough. The quilt you gave me is new and very solid. It probably has seven or eight kilograms of cotton. It's very warm at night and I don't feel cold at all."

"That's good." He Susu smiled. When she bought these quilts for her family, she had made them to be warmer and stuffed them with a lot of cotton.

She asked about this just now because she thought that her mother was old and might feel colder and not as resistant to the cold as they were.

She sat leisurely on the chair, watching her mother using scissors to cut the gauze she had bought earlier. A large piece of gauze was quickly cut into eight or nine long square strips of gauze.

After getting the gauze back, He Susu had been thinking about finding time to cut it into diapers, but when she picked up the scissors to cut it, she was in trouble.

The diapers she cut with her own hands were crooked, ugly, and uncomfortable for the baby. Thinking of this, she simply put the gauze away and took it out today for her mother, an experienced hand, to cut them.

Mother He touched the soft gauze and cut it into diapers with deft hands and feet. She couldn't help but sigh: "You are so lucky to have a daughter. Look how comfortable these diapers are to the touch, and they are breathable. I can have eight or nine diapers a day and use them in rotation without worrying about running out of them."

For example, for the children at home, we only had three or four diapers in use. Once they got dirty, they had to be washed and hung up immediately, otherwise there would be no replacements if the child urinated again.

At that time, diapers were washed and put away after each child was used, and then taken out and used again when the next child was born. If you were frugal, you could use them for more than ten years.

The second child, Ke Yun, uses the diapers that Ke Jie used back then. When she came here this time, she originally wanted to bring some clean diapers from home to save her daughter the money of buying diapers.

It was the third daughter-in-law who reminded her, saying that Cheng Shi's family was well-off and must have bought diapers a long time ago, so there was no way they would use these old diapers.

Besides, Susu is so clean. She has never liked wearing other people's old clothes since she was a child. She always wears new clothes. How could she let her child wear diapers so that she doesn't have to take care of them? It's useless even if she does.

He Susu laughed after hearing this: "You think it's a blessing to use new diapers? That child's requirements are too low."

He's mother enumerated, "These new diapers are just one of the things you prepared. Look at all the things you prepared, the big towel for the baby, eight sets of small clothes, hats and socks, bottles...putting them together is a blessing, isn't it?"

My daughter prepared clothes for the child from birth to three months old. It seems that the child will wear new clothes in the future and will never wear other people's old clothes. Even when my daughter was a child, she wore her brother's old clothes.

He Susu nodded and admitted: "If you say so, then the child is indeed here to enjoy happiness. Cheng Shi and I worked hard to give birth to a child so that the child can enjoy happiness."

She had just finished writing the ending of the fifth story the day before, which had a total of 6,000 words. It was cold and she was too lazy to go out, so she asked Cheng Shi to find time to take it to the mailroom and send it to the magazine.

Now I have completely free time, so I chat with my mother casually.

With one month left before the due date, He Susu's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and her legs were cramping more and more frequently at night. She would always wake up from the pain several times, and she couldn't sleep well, so she had to make up for it in the morning.

He Susu woke up in pain again. She had just opened her eyes and had not yet adjusted to the darkness of the room when Cheng Shi, who was beside her, had already sat up and reached into the quilt to grope for her massage.

"Left foot or right foot?"

"Right foot."

Cheng Shi was used to massage, and after knowing that Susu had a cramp in her right leg, he reached over with one hand and touched her calf, then massaged it with the right strength. He felt sorry for Susu's suffering every night, and all he could do was to help her massage and relieve the pain.

He Susu lay there, feeling the pain from the cramp in her calf gradually ease, her frown gradually loosened, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She whispered, "I can't wait to give birth to the baby, so I can sleep well this way."

During the ten months of pregnancy, she was still looking forward to the arrival of the child and cherished the rare time together as mother and child. This would probably be the most intimate moment in her life with this child.

But it must be said that the discomfort caused by the growing belly in the later stages of pregnancy made her look forward to giving birth to the baby as soon as possible so that both of them would feel more relaxed.

Cheng Shi saw that Susu had recovered and he let go of her hand and lay down again. Hearing this, he stretched out his hand and gently stroked Susu's abdomen, comforting her: "It will be over soon, the last month will pass quickly, I will be with you."

It has to be said that Cheng Shi's thoughtfulness and day-to-day care gave He Susu a lot of security, and her pregnancy period was much happier than most women in the family compound.

He Susu nodded: "Okay, let's welcome the arrival of the baby together. Go to sleep quickly, you still have to go to training tomorrow."

"Okay." Cheng Shi comforted his wife, closed his eyes and fell asleep after a while.

Then the military order was irresponsible. He came back from training that day and waited until he finished his meal before saying, "Mom, Susu, I have received a mission and I have to leave tomorrow morning. Please take care of Susu from now on."

He Susu was stunned for a moment, a little surprised that Cheng Shi suddenly had to go on a mission. But in fact, she was prepared for it. Cheng Shi hadn't been out on a mission for three or four months, and it was only a matter of time before he had to go out.

He's mother was also stunned. Her first reaction was that Susu was already more than nine months old, and her son-in-law had to go out on a mission, so he might not be able to come back when her daughter gave birth.

But she would not say these words out loud. Going on a mission means risking one's life, and she couldn't let her son-in-law go out and worry about the family.

She smiled and nodded, "Cheng Shi, just go and carry out the mission without worry. I'm at home, so you can rest assured about Susu. Besides, her third brother and his wife are here. With so many people, they can take good care of Susu and the child, so you can rest assured."

He Susu also adjusted her thoughts and replied with a smile: "Yes, Cheng Shi, don't worry, your family doesn't have to worry. Just come back safely."

Cheng Shi looked at Susu with guilt in his eyes. Susu needed him right now, but military orders could not be disobeyed, and his instinct as a soldier required him to carry out the orders. He only hoped to complete the mission and return home as soon as possible.

He smiled and said, "Okay, I promise I will come back safely."

That night, He Susu, as she did before, helped Cheng Shi pack two sets of clothes for changing, and also exchanged hemostatic drugs, traumatic injury medicines, etc. from the shopping system and put them into the package.

At night, she and Cheng Shi were lying in bed, and the couple said goodbye. He Susu didn't say anything else, just smiled and said that she and the children were waiting for him to come back safely, for fear that if she said too much, she would reveal her worries and make Cheng Shi feel uneasy when he was carrying out the mission.

Cheng Shi knew Su Su's feelings, and it was because he knew that he felt even more distressed. He couldn't promise more, he could only promise that he would return safely.

He thought to himself that he not only had to return safely, but also had to return before Su Su gave birth.

The next morning, He Susu got up early, had breakfast with Cheng Shi, and saw him out with her mother.