The night was as dark as ink, gently spreading over the bedroom of Huo Ci and Jiang Yushan. The occasional chirping of night birds outside the window added a bit of tranquility and peace.
Huo Ci hugged Jiang Yushan gently, as if guarding a rare treasure, his eyes flickered with gentle light in the dim candlelight.
His hand unconsciously slid down to her lower abdomen, which should have gradually bulged with the passage of time, carrying the miracle and hope of life.
However, the feedback from the touch at this moment was still that delicate and smooth skin, without any signs of swelling, as if time had forgotten its pace on Jiang Yushan's abdomen.
"Your stomach... doesn't seem to have changed at all?" Huo Ci's voice was low and contained a hint of barely perceptible worry.
Huo Ci thought of the two small dots on the ultrasound report and found it hard to imagine that they were two children.
"How can it be that fast? Usually, pregnancy becomes apparent after four or five months." Jiang Yushan said speechlessly.
He clearly reads parenting manuals every day, so how come he hasn't noticed this common sense?
However, she is pregnant with two babies, so she may become pregnant earlier than other pregnant women, and her belly will be a little bigger by then.
Jiang Yushan suddenly had an image of himself walking with a round belly, feeling a bit like a penguin.
She threw these messy thoughts out of her mind, and felt Huo Ci hugging her tighter behind her.
Huo Ci's embrace was like a warm stove. Even on this slightly cool night, the heat from his body seemed to be endless, warming the air around him.
Jiang Yushan felt the excessive heat, and gradually, she felt fine beads of sweat begin to seep out of her back, sticking to her skin and causing a slight discomfort.
"Huo Ci, why don't you stay away from me? It's so hot..." Jiang Yushan finally couldn't help but protest softly.
She struggled gently twice, trying to break free from Huo Ci's tight embrace.
It is indeed warm to be hugged by him in winter, but it is really not necessary in summer.
"I think it's okay." Huo Ci's face flashed with a trace of grievance when he heard that. He lowered his head to look at Jiang Yushan, and there seemed to be thousands of words flowing in his deep eyes.
"Nonsense, you're sweating." Jiang Yushan touched his back with one hand. He was clearly feeling hot. "The baby will get hot too."
“…”
Finally, he sighed softly and slowly loosened his arms, allowing Jiang Yushan some breathing space.
"I'm sorry, I didn't notice." Huo Ci's voice was low and gentle, with a hint of self-blame and apology.
After saying this, Huo Ci immediately took action.
He stood up gently, his movements showing a bit of urgency and caution, for fear of disturbing Jiang Yushan beside him. He walked to the bedside and reached out to turn the fan switch to the maximum speed.
Suddenly, a cool breeze blew in, dispelling the stuffiness in the room and taking away the heat from Jiang Yushan's body.
Jiang Yushan felt the coolness and breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked up at Huo Ci and saw that he was concentrating on adjusting the angle of the fan to ensure that every wisp of cool breeze would brush her face and hair just right.
At this moment, she suddenly realized that her words just now might have been too direct and did not take Huo Ci's feelings into consideration.
"Huo Ci." So, she softened her tone and said softly, "How about we install an air conditioner at home? That way it will be much cooler in the summer."
There was a hint of apology and tenderness in her voice, as if she was apologizing for her impulsiveness just now, and as if she was moved by Huo Ci's attentiveness and consideration.
"Besides, you're training outside every day and it's hot too. After installing the air conditioner, you can enjoy it when you get home." The more Jiang Yushan thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Upon hearing this, Huo Ci turned around with a warm smile on his face.
He walked over to Jiang Yushan and gently held her hand: "That's not necessary. I've gotten used to this kind of life over the years, and all the soldiers in the army have gone through this."
Huo Ci felt that there was no need to install an air conditioner at home. After all, an air conditioner was not cheap, and even the leaders in the staff quarters didn't have one installed, so it wouldn't be a good idea for their family to install one first.
But just after he finished speaking, Huo Ci remembered that Jiang Yushan was afraid of heat, and he became hesitant again. Should he save some money and install an air conditioner at home?
"That's fine. Air conditioners consume a lot of electricity, and electricity is not cheap. The circuit may not be able to support it." After hearing this, Jiang Yushan gave up the idea of installing an air conditioner.
The wiring in the family compound is different from that in the store. She installed new wiring on purpose. The wires are as thick as a child's wrist, for fear that they would not be able to operate the air conditioner.
But in the family compound, electricity is often not available, and frequent power outages are a hassle.
Moreover, the nights on the island are actually quite cool, so a fan is completely sufficient.
Of course, the prerequisite is that Huo Ci doesn't hug her to sleep.
"It's the hottest time of the day when neither of us is at home, so it's really a waste to install an air conditioner." Jiang Yushan added. Anyway, she is in the store at noon, so it's cool.
Huo Ci was just about to say that if Jiang Yushan wanted to buy it, then she could buy it, but now he couldn't say it.
"Go to bed, we have to get up early tomorrow!" Jiang Yushan said, yawned, and slowly closed his eyes.
Outside the window, the moonlight was like water, falling gently. Huo Ci approached the sleeping Jiang Yushan, pulled the sleeping person into his arms, and then fell asleep.
The next morning, Jiang Yushan followed Hu Xiaowen and the others to the store as usual.
"I made a new dish yesterday, and I think it's very suitable for this hot summer. I'll make some later and let everyone try it together." Jiang Yushan said excitedly.
The restaurant hasn't had any new dishes for a while, so it's time to introduce some new ones.
"Yushan, I have also studied the cuisine of my hometown recently. Let me cook today's employee meal with you so that everyone can taste our northern cuisine. Is there anything useful?" Mao Dongling quickly spoke when she heard that she was going to serve a new dish.
Jiang Yushan is pregnant recently, and Mao Dongling thought she might not have time to take care of the restaurant's new dishes, so she thought about helping out.
But she didn't know much, so she thought of the dishes from her hometown, thinking that maybe it could work.
"Northern cuisine? Great! There are so many delicious northern dishes." Jiang Yushan was delighted when he heard it and immediately agreed.
Although she didn't have the opportunity to go to the north in her previous life, in her later life, many people from the north came to the island. Once winter came, the island was almost everywhere with people from the north, and it even gave people a sense of being in the north.
She has also eaten northern dishes made by northerners and liked the taste very much. She also learned a little bit, but it is far less authentic than the ones made by northerners.
"There are quite a few people from the north in our restaurant now. Adding northern dishes to our home-cooked meals should be able to attract more customers." After hearing this, Hu Xiaowen also agreed.
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