Chapter 118 Qiao Xingyue is really pregnant
Qiao Xingyue's pupils contracted slightly, and the force in her fingertips unconsciously increased. After carefully sensing the sensation for a moment, a storm of emotions surged within her.
That's right!
This is a sign of pregnancy!
Judging from the smoothness of the pulse, the conception time is relatively short.
Her mind raced, and after calculating the time, she realized that she must have gotten pregnant during the time she rolled around in the cornfield with Xie Zhongming.
Because on many subsequent occasions, she and Xie Zhongming took protective measures.
In those days, family planning supplies couldn't be purchased; you had to go to the family planning office with your marriage certificate to get them, and even then, the quantity was limited. The condoms distributed by the family planning office, packaged in matchbox-sized boxes, were far from enough for Xie Zhongming. It was her sister-in-law, Shen Liping, who had a classmate abroad, who mailed her many. So they always used condoms.
The only time she could get pregnant was the time she went into the cornfield with Xie Zhongming.
She really is very fertile.
Last time I got pregnant with An An and Ning Ning, it was also a successful pregnancy on the first try.
Why did she have to get pregnant now of all times? She's about to go to the countryside with Xie Zhongming, this child really came at the worst possible time.
The flames in the stove were still leaping, reflecting the ever-changing expressions on her face.
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She was a doctor, she had seen countless storms, she couldn't panic.
She withdrew her hand, gently rubbing her slightly stiff wrist. Her gaze fell on the flames in the stove, a resolute glint in her eyes. Regardless of when the child arrived, it was still a tiny life. She had endured the most difficult times, giving birth to An An and Ning Ning alone in a dilapidated temple. Now, she had Xie Zhongming, her in-laws, her brother and sister-in-law, and her friends—what could possibly be difficult?
The leaping flames made her gaze even more resolute.
"Tap tap..."
Footsteps came from the kitchen doorway.
Looking up, I saw Huang Guilan walking back, holding a few cucumbers in her hands. The cucumbers were freshly picked, they were old, plump cucumbers, short and thick, and still had the fresh smell of soil on them.
Seeing the undisguised determination in Qiao Xingyue's eyes, along with a faint smile, Huang Guilan chuckled and leaned closer, placing the cucumber in the sink on the stove. She patted Qiao Xingyue's arm and asked, "Xingyue, what made you so happy?"
Fearing that her anxiety and worries would affect Qiao Xingyue, and also afraid that the atmosphere at home would be too lifeless, Huang Guilan composed herself and put on a slight smile before entering the kitchen.
But Huang Guilan felt heavy-hearted.
The forced smile on her face was seen through by Qiao Xingyue at a glance.
Qiao Xingyue paused, her hand holding the spatula trembling. A pang of heartache flashed in her eyes. She thought of her mother-in-law, who had never suffered hardship since childhood. As a child, she was pampered and doted on by her uncles and maternal grandparents in the Huang family. After marrying her father-in-law, she was also pampered by him and his wife. She had basically never experienced any hardship. Although ordinary people in this era generally lived a difficult life, her mother-in-law, Huang Guilan, came from a prominent family and was a true heiress.
How could this sudden turn of events not cause her distress!
Qiao Xingyue felt a pang of sadness when she saw Huang Guilan's forced smile. She stirred the corn porridge that was still bubbling in the pot, quickly put down the spatula, pulled Huang Guilan's hand, which was about to wash the cucumber, out of the sink, and held it tightly in her palm.
"Mom, our family is just going through a temporary period of difficulty. Things will get better in the future. You can trust me."
"Our family is a united one. As long as we are of one mind, what difficulties can't we overcome?"
"Don't you think so?"
Huang Guilan nodded, her eyes glistening with tears.
It wasn't that she was afraid of hardship, but she was worried about her daughters-in-law, Zhiyuan, Mingyuan, Chengyuan, Boyuan, and An'an and Ningning, who would suffer along with her.
As she thought about it, tears streamed down her face. "Not only are the kids suffering because of me, but their futures will also be ruined due to their class background. When Zhiyuan, Mingyuan, Chengyuan, and Boyuan get married, it will be difficult for An'an and Ningning to find husbands."
Huang Guilan couldn't control herself for a moment, and was also worried that the old lady Chen Suying outside would hear her.
She was even more worried that the children might sneak into the kitchen and see her out-of-control state, which would affect their mood.
She quickly went to the kitchen door, closed it, and then pushed the latch over to lock the door from the inside.
Qiao Xingyue quickly helped her to sit down on a small stool in front of the stove.
There were two small stools right in front of the stove.
Previously, there was only a small stool in front of the stove. Every time Xie Jiang came back, he saw An An and Ning Ning squeezing onto the small stool to help Xing Yue tend the fire, so he specially made another one for them.
Huang Guilan and Qiao Xingyue each sat on a small stool.
The porridge in the pot was cooked, and the flames in the stove were getting smaller and smaller, but the red glow of the fire still reflected Huang Guilan's tear-streaked face.
Qiao Xingyue quickly wiped away her tears, and Huang Guilan quickly said, "Xingyue, I'm sorry, Mom lost control a bit. Let Mom calm down."
"Mom, it's okay. If you want to cry, just cry it out. Don't keep it inside. If we women keep everything bottled up inside, we'll get breast disease."
Qiao Xingyue wiped away Huang Guilan's tears and said, "But Mom, today I want to share two of my little secrets with you. After I tell you my secrets, you might feel better."
Huang Guilan sniffed, wiped away her tears, and asked, "What little secret?"
Qiao Xingyue originally didn't plan to tell Huang Guilan, but seeing how worried Huang Guilan was, she decided to tell her anyway.
Afraid that the corn porridge in the pot would stick and burn, she got up, picked up a large enamel basin, and scooped the porridge from the pot while saying, "Mom, sit down and listen to me slowly."
The corn porridge was scooped into the bright red enamel basin, spoonful after spoonful.
Wisps of steam rose from the surface of the basin.
The kitchen was filled with the fragrant aroma of corn porridge.
As Qiao Xingyue scooped the food, she chatted with Huang Guilan.
"Mom, do you know why I was able to become a doctor, teach An'an and Ningning Tang and Song poems, arithmetic, and English, even though I grew up in Chadian Village and never went to school?"
An An and Ning Ning have never attended school, but they are quite accurate in addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division within 100.
His literacy level is even comparable to that of his older brothers.
She also speaks English.
They are children who are not even five years old yet.
Huang Guilan initially thought that Xingyue and the two children were all intelligent people, and there was nothing suspicious about them.
She responded without hesitation, "Didn't you say that when you were in Kunming, you met two intellectuals who had been sent down from the city, one a teacher and the other a doctor? You learned from them and then taught An'an and Ningning."
“In Kunming, I did meet two elders, both of whom were sent down from the city. But they didn’t teach me; I taught them.”
Qiao Xingyue began to tell her story.
"Mom, what I'm about to say might sound like a fantasy, but it's all true."
"I wasn't originally a fat girl."
“I live in the new century, fifty years after your time, in 2025. In our time, the country was strong and the people were wealthy. Almost every household owned a car. There was no such thing as class status. Everyone was equal.”
"Children can go to school for free, all the way to high school. There are college students and graduate students everywhere, and high-rise buildings are everywhere. There are subways connecting the cities. There is also a high-speed rail from Kunming to Jinzhou, which only takes two hours to travel between the two cities. Airplanes are not only used for military purposes, but also for civilian aviation. It is very convenient to go to other provinces and even abroad."
"The ingredient issues you are worried about will basically disappear completely in a few years."
"No one will be sent to the countryside for re-education anymore. By 1978, the individual economy will be the first to recover, and then everyone can do business..."
Qiao Xingyue said a lot...
The corn porridge in the pot had long since been ladled into the enamel basin she was carrying.
At that moment, she was scrubbing the pot of porridge with a sponge made from an old loofah. As she scrubbed, she said, "Mom, so don't worry about this change in our family. At most, it'll be tough for a few years, but things will get better. You don't need to worry about the future of the children either. In the future, there will be fairness and justice regarding schooling. As long as you work hard, everyone can change their destiny through knowledge. At least Mingyuan, Zhiyuan, An'an, and Ningning's generation, the children who can go to school, can enjoy the benefits. Unlike in the future, when college graduates are worthless, and many college graduates and even postgraduates end up delivering food and packages."
"What's takeout? What's express delivery?" Huang Guilan had many unfamiliar terms.
After washing the pot, Qiao Xingyue scooped the dirty water into the slop bucket, then scooped a ladle of clean water from the vat to wash the pot again. "From now on, if you don't want to cook, you can order takeout through a mobile app. The delivery guy can bring it to your door in about half an hour. Fried chicken, milk tea, hamburgers, porridge, noodles, stir-fries, fast food, spicy hot pot, even oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar—you can order takeout and have the delivery guy bring it to your door. It's like a postal parcel, but the delivery speed in this world is incredibly fast. Fresh chicken, duck, and fish can be delivered to other provinces the next day, completely preserving their freshness, even in the sweltering summer."
Huang Guilan listened intently, so much so that she forgot about the Xie and Chen families being sent to the countryside for reform.
"Xingyue, does that mean the days to come will all be good days?"
Qiao Xingyue nodded, "Yes, these are all good days. Although everyone has the pressure of buying a house and the pressure of unemployment, every family can eat meat every day. After we go to the countryside, we will only suffer for a few years, and life will get better and better."
"..." Huang Guilan seemed to be deep in thought.
It was clearly a fairy tale told by Qiao Xingyue.
But Huang Guilan believed every single word she said, every single punctuation mark.
Huang Guilan got up from the small stool in front of the stove. The worry and anxiety from before were gone from her eyes. There was only anticipation and hope for the future. "So, An'an, Ningning, Zhiyuan, and Mingyuan and their siblings don't have to carry the burden of class background issues and don't have to be gossiped about behind their backs for the rest of their lives?"
"Of course not." Qiao Xingyue scooped the water out of the pot and poured it into the slop bucket. "These kids have all inherited your and Dad's intelligence. They all have bright futures ahead of them. Mom, don't worry."
Huang Guilan burst into tears again.
This time, however, the tears were not from anxiety and sorrow, but from joy and excitement, mixed with a bright smile. "As long as you have a bright future and are not implicated by your father and me, that's all that matters."
Qiao Xingyue felt a sudden softness in her chest. Her mother-in-law was always thinking of her son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. She was the best mother-in-law she had ever met in both her lives. "Mom, do you really believe me that much? Don't you think I'm making this up?"
“How could it be made up? Your medical skills, your wisdom, your calm and decisiveness, and your ability to handle situations are nothing like those of a country girl. You are even more intelligent, capable, and insightful than your sister-in-law, who has studied abroad. At first, I thought you were just clever and quick-witted, but I always felt that no one could be so clever and quick-witted. Now that you've said it, it all makes perfect sense. You've seen the high-tech world of the future and received higher education.”
Huang Guilan walked around from the ash trough in the stove to Qiao Xingyue, her eyes filled with tears once again.
Suddenly overcome with emotion, he hugged Qiao Xingyue tightly.
“Xingyue, it is a blessing for the Xie family that Heaven sent you to our Xie family, and it is also a blessing for Zhongming.”
"Mom won't advise you to divorce Zhongming anymore."
“You’re right. As long as the family stays together and doesn’t fall apart, even eating coarse food is a blessing.”
These past two days, Xie Zhongming has been focused on divorcing Qiao Xingyue. In the afternoon, his eldest brother Xie Zhongyi and second brother Xie Zhongjie also rushed back to the army to apply for divorce. The three brothers are determined to send their wives and children to their uncle Huang's house, and Huang Guilan supports them.
I originally wanted to persuade Xingyue to be obedient and live with her uncle Huang for the time being.
Looking back now, Xingyue was right; a family should always be together.
"As long as we are a family and work together, things will gradually get better."
"Mom, believe me. Didn't I tell you to put all the family savings with Uncle Huang last night? Once we can go back to the city, we'll work on restoring your military status so you'll still have your retirement pensions, and we'll also start working on getting you into business. I know better than anyone what the future benefits will be. Our family won't be living the best then."
Huang Guilan nodded vigorously. "Xingyue, Mom believes in you. Our family's life will definitely get better and better."
"Mom, please don't worry anymore. What if you ruin your health by worrying? Do you want to hear my second little secret? I wasn't planning to tell you for now."
Huang Guilan's gaze fell on Qiao Xingyue, full of doubt. "What other little secrets do you have?"
Qiao Xingyue leaned close to Huang Guilan's ear, covered it, and whispered a few words. Huang Guilan's pupils contracted sharply in surprise, and her eyes widened with delight. "Xingyue, is what you're saying true?"
However, Huang Guilan immediately became worried again. Seeing Qiao Xingyue nod, she became even more anxious.
Qiao Xingyue patted Huang Guilan's hand and comforted her, "Mom, I know what you're worried about. Don't worry, when we get to the countryside, if we don't get enough nutrition, just go to Zhongming's place in the mountains to hunt some wild game for me. I want to give birth to this baby."
Tap tap tap... Just then, footsteps came from the main room outside the kitchen.
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