One day after get off work, Xia Liang and Zhao Weiting were about to return to their dormitory when the gatekeeper stopped them. Xia Liang heard there was a letter for her and ran over to get it, thinking it was from Gu Yanxiao, wondering why he had been writing so frequently lately. However, it was from Xia Rong. The letter said Zhou Xiaohui was two months pregnant. Xia Liang calculated that it was already September, meaning she was pregnant only a month after their marriage. The thought of becoming an aunt made Xia Liang feel a little strange, but she was also very happy. Seeing her so happy, Zhou Xiaohui asked, "What's wrong? You're grinning from ear to ear!" "I'm so happy!" Xia Liang said with a smile. "My sister-in-law is two months pregnant, and I'll be a little aunt next year!" Zhao Weiting was also happy for her and said, "That's really a happy thing. Have you thought about what gift to give her?" Xia Liang thought for a while and said, "I don't know what to give her, or if it's a boy or a girl. If it's a girl, I can braid her hair, buy her hair ties, and a pretty little dress." Just thinking about it made Xia Liang very happy. Just imagining a soft little dumpling with pigtails and wearing a little dress calling her aunt made Xia Liang smile out loud.

Upon returning home, Xia Liang wrote a letter to her brother, asking him to take good care of his sister-in-law and, if possible, stock up on more milk powder to raise her nephew to be chubby and healthy. She also went to the black market, asking any scalpers she saw if they had milk powder coupons. She bought all the coupons available, because a four-legged money-devouring beast wasn't called that for nothing. A can of milk powder wouldn't even last a week for a slightly older child, and milk powder was hard to come by in those days.

Thinking of her little nephew, Xia Liang wanted to make him some clothes. After getting the fabric, she realized it would be inconvenient without a sewing machine. She decided to get one for her dormitory so she could use it herself. She went to the factory and inquired around, seeing if anyone wanted to sell sewing machines. Somehow, this reached the ears of her deputy factory manager, who, upon hearing she wanted a sewing machine, summoned her directly to the warehouse. Xia Liang was puzzled; why did the deputy factory manager want to see her? She followed him to the warehouse door, only to see the warehouse manager open it, revealing hundreds of sewing machines piled inside. Xia Liang was astonished and turned to look at the deputy factory manager: "Deputy Factory Director, may I ask what this is?" Seeing her slight surprise, the deputy factory director smiled and said, "I heard that Comrade Xia needs a sewing machine. Well, the factory had a batch of old ones that were phased out. Although they are all old, they are still usable. If you think they are suitable, you can buy them directly from the factory." Actually, Xia Liang's desire to buy a sewing machine reminded him of this. All the old sewing machines in the factory were being replaced with modern industrial sewing machines from abroad. The old ones were just piling up and taking up warehouse space. It would be better to use them as rewards for those in the factory who needed them. The factory would have some income, and the workers could buy sewing machines without coupons. It was a win-win situation!

And so, Xia Liang spent sixty yuan to buy a sewing machine, and the deputy factory director even had the security personnel deliver it to her dormitory.

With a sewing machine, Xia Liang could make clothes with divine help. Before, it might take several days to make one piece of clothing for Gu Yanxiao, but now she could make several pieces just by going back to her dormitory after get off work. Although they were children's clothes, no steps could be omitted, and she had to be careful with the loose threads, afraid that they would hurt the little baby. After all, the baby was still too young to speak, and if it hurt, he would only cry. Xia Liang was extra careful when making them.

In a military unit in Heilongjiang Province, Gu Yanxiao received a watch, leather shoes, and clothes from his girlfriend. He was so happy he wanted to sleep with them. That day, while eating in the canteen, an acquaintance approached him and greeted him, "Old Gu, your battalion did well this time, first place again!" Gu Yanxiao raised his chin proudly and said, "Don't you know who led the team?" He then asked the man, "What time is it?" The man was momentarily stunned; the topic had jumped too quickly. He still checked his wrist and told him the time. But Gu Yanxiao seemed to have just remembered he had a watch and boasted, "Oh dear! Sorry, Old Zhang, I forgot I was wearing a watch. My girlfriend just gave it to me, and I'm still not used to it. I forgot for a moment." Old Zhang... "..." He really wanted to kick this dog! But Gu Yanxiao didn't let him off the hook, continuing, "Hey! Look who's so careless, stepping on the new leather shoes my girlfriend bought me! It's so annoying, are you jealous that I have a girlfriend?" Old Zhang... "..." His fist hardened, furious.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Within days, everyone in the camp knew that Gu Yanxiao's girlfriend had bought him a watch, a new pair of leather shoes, and even made him several pieces of clothing by hand. This spurred many single men into comparison, and those with partners were dragged into the conversation, asked if their girlfriends had given them gifts, made them clothes, or even made them jerky. While everyone was furious, they also secretly compared Gu Yanxiao's partners to their own. This comparison revealed several problematic couples who treated them like suckers. They were always the ones sending gifts and buying things for their partners. It was understandable that they were unemployed and from rural areas, with no income and no money for gifts; they couldn't even afford to send a bundle of wild vegetables. But they had never sent anything to their partners who had jobs in the city. Every letter they received was a veiled request for things, while the young soldiers never received a single thing from their partners. Although they weren't after anything, the complete lack of consideration was disheartening. The young soldiers conspired to secretly go back home during their rest period to see what was going on. It turned out that their partners treated them like cash cows, while back home they were still looking for partners, a "riding the donkey while looking for a horse" mentality. If they found someone better, they would dump them and marry someone else; if not, it didn't matter, as they still had the young soldiers as a safety net. This infuriated the young soldiers. Seeing this, Gu Yanxiao toned it down a bit and stopped showing off his new watch and shoes.

But he was always immersed in happiness and joy. Every time he checked the time and saw the watch his sweetheart had given him, he felt very happy. Wearing the shoes and the new shirt made him feel much more dashing.

That day, Xia Liang had just finished get off work when she arrived at the factory gate and encountered an unexpected person. Zhao Weiting saw her friend rush out like an arrow and bump directly into the arms of the tall man opposite her. The man also held Xia Liang tightly, and the two hugged for several minutes until Zhao Weiting stepped forward and reminded them, "If someone sees us, we should separate quickly." Only then did the two separate, their faces slightly flushed, and they looked at each other, their faces turning even redder. After Xia Liang introduced them to each other, Gu Yanxiao took the initiative to extend his hand to shake hands with Zhao Weiting and said, "Thank you, Comrade Zhao, for helping my Xia with her studies." The two shook hands quickly and then let go. Zhao Weiting smiled faintly and said, "It's nothing. I was just reviewing my studies at the same time, and I've also learned a lot from Comrade Xia Liang." Xia Liang looked at their polite exchanges and said, "You two stop dawdling. Come on, let's go to the state-run restaurant for dinner." Saying that, she pulled Zhao Weiting and was about to walk towards the state-run restaurant when Zhao Weiting quickly refused, saying, "No, I have to go home today. My mother asked me to go back and get some things." Seeing that she couldn't persuade her to stay, Xia Liang didn't force her. She knew that Zhao Weiting probably didn't want to be a third wheel, so she would make it up to her another day.