Chapter 45

The sea urchin had no fishy smell, especially since Jian Lu cleaned it thoroughly. It seemed that the churning in her stomach just now did not last long. Jian Lu calmed down and felt that there was no problem. She probably thought it was because the weather was too hot, so she continued to eat.

A spoonful of freshly steamed egg custard served with sea urchin meat. The aroma of the egg is mixed with the aftertaste of the sea urchin meat. The aroma spreads between the lips and teeth, and then the aftertaste fills the mouth.

Dunzi quickly finished one, then turned the strange thing covered with thorns over and over again, "Mom, this thing looks ugly, but I didn't expect it to be so delicious."

"Then your Aunt Lulu cooks delicious food!"

Feng Xiuhui never thought that this thing with thorns all over its body could be eaten?! It can also be used to steam eggs. Not to mention, it tastes a little different from the usual steamed eggs.

After eating her sea urchin steamed egg, Jian Lu shared her experience with Feng Xiuhui, "Sea urchin just looks a little strange, but it's actually quite delicious. No wonder I've never seen it sold before. It turns out that the fishermen didn't want it after they caught it, and just threw it into the fertile soil."

"Of course not. Who knew this could be eaten? You're the only one who knows how to eat it, and you can actually figure out a way to do it. Teach me quickly, and I'll learn from you."

It just so happened that Jian Lu was about to cook the remaining nine sea urchins. The temperature was too high now and they couldn’t be kept in a press. Maybe they wouldn’t be fresh tomorrow. It was a pity for Team Leader Cheng as he hadn’t come back yet.

Under Jian Lu's instruction, Feng Xiuhui used an egg to make three sea urchin steamed eggs and sent them to Cui Yuhe's home. The remaining six sea urchins were coated with shrimp sauce and steamed, which was quite flavorful.

......

After eating and drinking her fill, Jian Lu went home and lay on the double bed. She looked at the moon outside the window and couldn't fall asleep. The temperature at night had been just right recently. There was a gap in the glass window, and the spring breeze blew in slowly. She reached out and touched her belly.

Hey, it seems like I've grown some flesh.

Jian Lu touched it again and said to herself in surprise, "Could it be that it tasted too good?!"

The next morning, the sad Jian Lu ate one less crab roe bun for breakfast and only bought two to eat at the supply and marketing cooperative.

Ever since Cheng Zheng went out to sea, she had not eaten at home in the morning. She queued up every day to buy steamed buns and steamed bread. After eating them for ten days or so, she found that her food coupons were almost used up, and then she realized that she was too extravagant.

A steamed bun costs two taels of grain coupons, and a steamed bun costs three taels of grain coupons. Jian Lu decided to start changing her ways tomorrow and eat at home.

Wait until next month's food stamps come out before going out to eat.

"Comrade Jian Lu, are you eating crab roe buns again?" Qiu Sifeng's nose twitched a few times when he smelled the aroma. It was indeed tempting and he couldn't help swallowing a few times.

"Hmm." After Jian Lu finished the last bite of the crab roe bun, she felt comfortable in her stomach. She took her enamel cup to pour water, drank a gulp of warm water, and stood at the door of the supply and marketing cooperative watching people coming and going.

Although people of this era are poor, they seem to be particularly motivated to work hard. They walk hurriedly on the streets, mostly busy working.

When passing by the supply and marketing cooperatives, they liked to look inside. Their eyes lit up at the sight of so many good things, but due to their limited money, they could only look.

"Mom, please buy me a can of fruit! I'm sick!"

"What's wrong with you? Have you learned to lie just to eat a can of food?"

"No, I'm really sick!"

At the door of the supply and marketing cooperative, three people suddenly came towards us, one big and two small.

Jian Lu put away the enamel cup and recognized the people who came. They were the daughter-in-law and son of Chief of Staff Wu of the Fourth Regiment, who lived downstairs from her.

"Mrs. Chen."

"Comrade Jian Lu, are you busy?"

"It's OK. I just got here."

Jian Lu went into the room to tidy up the daily necessities counter where she had worked for the past week. She wiped it with a rag and then took out the account notebook from under the counter.

Every time a sale is made, the amount and quantity of the goods sold must be written down. Before leaving get off work every day, Li Jihong will summarize and count them.

Chen Qing is the daughter-in-law of Chief of Staff Wu of the Fourth Regiment. Chief of Staff Wu was also on the ship that Cheng Zheng took out to sea this time. Jian Lu doesn't know much about this family, she only knows that they are a married couple.

Now Mrs. Chen has two little boys who work in the supply and marketing cooperative. One is Wu Xiangchen, who is six years old and the son of Chief of Staff Wu and his ex-wife. The other is the son of Chen Qing and her ex-husband, Liu Huayong, who is the same age as Wu Xiangchen.

Two little boys of the same age look very different.

Wu Xiangchen looks good, a handsome boy with thick eyebrows, big eyes and a high nose bridge. He looks about 70% like Staff Officer Wu. It is said that he also inherited some of his deceased mother's looks, but he is thin and small.

On the contrary, Liu Huayong was much more sturdy, with a bulging build and a loud voice. The sound of him asking his mother to buy canned fruit just now kept echoing in Jian Lu's ears, and she couldn't ignore it even if she wanted to.

Qiu Sifeng also looked at the only customer in the supply and marketing cooperative today, and muttered to Jian Lu, "They say stepmothers are vicious. Look at how well she raised her own son, but her biological son has become so skinny."

"Mrs. Chen has a good reputation in our courtyard. Everyone says that she is the best stepmother to other people's children. She always thinks about Chief of Staff Wu's biological son first." Jian Lu remembered what everyone had said before.

"Who knows? Who doesn't know how to say it? Who doesn't know how to pretend? Look at this appearance, the gap is right here." Qiu Sifeng curled his lips and insisted on his opinion.

"I always tell my kids, don't expect your stepmother to treat you well. If your father dares to find a stepmother, run back to your grandparents' home."

Li Jihong laughed when she heard this. How could a mother teach such things? "Sifeng, what nonsense do you say to your child every day? With you here, can your political commissar Hong find a stepmother for your child?"

"What if I die early?" Qiu Sifeng said sincerely, "As for a man, do I expect him to keep his chastity for me and never marry? Forget it, I don't expect that, I just hope he can raise the child."

Jian Lu didn't expect Qiu Sifeng to think so far ahead. This person is quite interesting.

The supply and marketing cooperative is large. At this moment, Chen Qinggang brought his two children to the cloth counter where Sun Qiuyue was in charge and pulled out three feet of cloth. Then, he carried the cloth to the daily necessities counter where Jian Lu was in charge.

"Sister Jian Lu, what flavors do canned fruits have?" Chen Qing was less than 30 years old, with an easy-going face. She looked like a gentle woman, and she spoke in a soft voice, which made people feel comfortable listening to her.

"We have yellow peaches and oranges." Jian Lu took out two flavors of canned fruit and placed them on the counter. When she saw the two children, her eyes lit up.

Liu Huayong was so excited that he shouted, "Mom, I want oranges!"

Jian Lu saw Chief of Staff Wu's own son Wu Xiangchen's eyes drifting towards the canned yellow peach flavored food, but he never spoke a word.

"Chenchen, which flavor do you want to eat?" Chen Qing ignored his own son and leaned over to ask Wu Xiangchen.

Wu Xiangchen raised his eyelids and looked at his stepmother. His long eyelashes trembled. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he heard his stepmother speak again.

"The orange tastes okay. My brother wants to eat this. Do you want to eat it?"

Jian Lu looked at the thin little boy in shock for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Chen Qing had a gentle and easygoing smile on her face as she looked at Jian Lu, "Sister Jian Lu, let's buy some orange-flavored canned fruit. Chen Chen loves it."

"Mom! I like it too!" Liu Huayong jumped on his short legs and stood next to his mother, looking conspicuous.

"You are so greedy. Learn from Chenchen!"

After Chen Qing finished shopping, he took his two sons away. In the supply and marketing cooperative, Li Jihong raised her chin towards Qiu Sifeng and said, "Did you see that? A stepmother is still good to the children, even though they are not her biological children."

Qiu Sifeng pursed her lips, still unconvinced, "Come on, if she asked that question, how could Wu Xiangchen still say she wanted yellow peaches? I think she is just pretending to be ignorant!"

Jian Lu was taking notes with a pen in her hand. Hearing this, she felt that what Qiu Sifeng said made sense this time. It was obvious that Wu Xiangchen wanted to eat the yellow peach flavor.

——

After a day's work, Jian Lu rode her bicycle to her family compound. As she was about to go upstairs, she ran into Cui Yuhe holding her second son, and Chief of Staff Xu with Hengheng. The family of four was out.

"Lulu, you just got off work?"

"Yes, Sister Yuhe, where are you and your family going?"

"I'm going back to my mother's house. My dad broke his leg. I'm going to check on him." Cui Yuhe saw Jian Lu half-lifting and half-carrying a 28-bar bike, and said to her husband, "Old Xu, carry Lulu's bike up there. We'll wait for you here."

"No need..." Before Jian Lu could say no, Chief of Staff Xu snatched the bicycle from her hands and left like the wind. He came back in the blink of an eye.

"I've left the house for you." Chief of Staff Xu, his wife and children were preparing to leave. Before leaving, he said, "Old Cheng will be back soon. It will only take two or three days."

"Thank you, Chief of Staff Xu!" Jian Lu was happy to hear that Cheng Zheng was returning.

After returning home, Jian Lu cleaned the house. She was not very hungry, so she cleaned the house and took a break to prepare some steamed sweet potatoes.

But after the sweet potatoes were steamed, I couldn’t eat them anymore. I always felt that they looked white and I had no appetite.

I looked around the house, but couldn't find anything I wanted to eat.

Jian Lu felt depressed. She seemed not too hungry but she was greedy, but she didn't want to eat anything. She fell on the bed, with no one around her to argue with!

"Comrade Cheng Zheng, when will you come back~" Jian Lu pursed her lips and muttered to herself at the night sky outside the window.

——

Cheng Zheng, who had perfectly completed his sea patrol mission, was on his way back. The vast ocean was bottomless in the night, and the azure blue water looked like a pool of ink, with no way to distinguish its color.

The sea was silent except for the snoring of the comrades around him. Some of them even talked in their sleep, and in their dreams they were either dreaming about their wives or about sex.

These are the things I miss most on weekdays.

Cheng Zheng couldn't sleep, so he got up and walked to the deck. Looking at the silent night sky, his mind was filled with the image of Jian Lu.

When she was leaving, she hugged herself from behind, feeling very reluctant to leave, and even the usually decisive and efficient Team Leader Cheng felt reluctant to leave.

Parting is always filled with sadness, but when I think about the reunion in two days, the long journey home becomes full of anticipation.

"Old Cheng."

Chief of Staff Wu Feng, who was on duty tonight, saw a familiar figure in the night and slowly approached, "Can't sleep?"

He knew that Cheng Zheng had married a beautiful wife. If a man couldn't sleep while on a mission and got up in the middle of the night to blow in the cold wind, he would most likely be missing his wife.

"I can't sleep, so I came out and stood for a while."

After staying at sea for a long time, people tend to get bored and become taciturn. Everywhere they look is the endless sea. They just hope to return to the shore and watch the people coming and going as if they were friendly.

In the past, Wu Feng and his comrade had guarded an isolated island for two years. That island was a military outpost, and it was deserted all around. After staying there for so long, they almost went crazy, and there was only one person around them to talk to.

It was because of this that he didn't even see his wife for the last time before she died.

"Let's go back quickly. There are still two days left." Wu Feng took out the wrinkled cigarette box from his body. There was still one cigarette left in it. He struck a match and lit it.

Amid the smoke, Cheng Zheng recalled that he was on the boat when Wu Feng rushed back to see his deceased daughter-in-law.

"Missing your son?"

"What is there to think about? He and I are not close." Wu Feng was talking in a cloud of smoke, and no one knew what he was thinking. "This kid is so stupid. He always thinks that I came back late and didn't see his mother, so he doesn't like to talk to me."

Every family has its own problems, and Cheng Zheng couldn't say anything. When Wu Feng guarded the island for two years, the conditions were very difficult. When the news came that his wife was seriously ill, people had just discovered a suspicious outsider.

On one side is the family, on the other side is the country.

Wu Feng reported to the command center and cooperated with the soldiers who came to support to repel the foreign suspicious boats and capture the people, but this also delayed his time to return home.

I didn’t see my wife for the last time.

"Xiang Chen is young, he will understand it later."

"What do you understand? There is nothing to understand." Wu Feng smiled bitterly, "I am really sorry to his mother for not rushing back to see her for the last time."

——

The days of waiting for family members to come back seem to pass by like years. Jian Lu is taking a day off today and is at Feng Xiuhui's house.

According to the time, Cheng Zheng will be back tomorrow afternoon.

"Sister Xiuhui, I'll help you cook!"

She had not had a good appetite these days, and she thought it was because she was too lonely to eat alone, so she simply brought half a pumpkin over and ate it together at Feng Xiuhui's house. Only she and Dunzi ate at home, and Liang Haisheng took care of it in the army.

At noon, I fried pumpkin slices and mixed kelp and radish shreds with salad, and ate the peeled fish I brought back last time.

Dunzi squatted on the ground and thought Aunt Lulu was crazy. The fish skin felt particularly hard. "Mom, how can I eat this?"

Feng Xiuhui was also worried and felt like she couldn't eat the fish until she heard Jian Lu say that she wanted to peel off the fish skin and eat it.

"This thing is called skinned fish. The fish skin is too hard to eat, so you have to peel the skin off before eating. The fish meat is still quite tender."

Feng Xiuhui felt that Jian Lu knew a lot, so she helped her take care of the fish. After peeling the skin, the fish looked much better.

Jian Lu put the skinned fish into the oil pan and fried it for one minute, then put it aside. She then stir-fried the chopped ginger and garlic that she had prepared in advance, and added the most important part of this dish, the fermented black beans. She put the fermented black beans into the pan and stir-fried them with shredded ginger and chopped garlic. The aroma of the stir-fried food instantly filled the entire kitchen.

The fermented black beans were brought over by my mother-in-law last time. They were made with my mother’s old craftsmanship and they are especially delicious.

Put the fried fish into the base sauce, cover the pot and simmer for a while, then wait to be served.

"It smells really good." Feng Xiuhui thought the fish was good, and most importantly, she didn't spend any money on it. The fishermen didn't want it, so it was given to her for free. It was such a great value!

At lunch time, the three of them ate skinned fish. The fish meat was tender and the most important thing was that the fish had only one main spine and no other small spines.

Dunzi can eat happily without worrying about fish bones getting stuck in his throat.

"Aunt Lulu, you don't know that I once had a fish stuck in my throat, and my mom had to pour vinegar into my throat to get it down."

Feng Xiuhui thinks her son only remembers food and not being beaten. "He still likes to eat fish even after getting a fish bone stuck in his throat."

"This fish is good, it has no bones!"

Jian Lu was eating the fish and felt that the free food tasted better!

The braised peeled fish with fermented black beans is delicious, as is the half bowl of rice with a sweet potato buried underneath. The fish meat tastes delicious along with the rice, while I listen to Aunt Lulu and Mom talking about Wu Xiangchen's family downstairs.

"Sister Xiuhui, how did Wu Xiangchen's mother pass away? I heard Sister Jihong mention it, but she doesn't know much either."

After hearing about this, Feng Xiuhui knew everything. "I was watching her at the time. I didn't know what disease she had. She often complained of hand and foot pain. But we farmers all have some kind of illness, so no one took it seriously. Later, I don't know when she was sent to the hospital. I heard that she had cancer. I didn't know much about it, so I said it was incurable. I saw that she immediately lost weight. If the military hospital couldn't cure her, what else could we do? At that time, Chief of Staff Wu was still guarding the island. We notified him to come back quickly, but he didn't make it."

"This is too tragic." Jian Lu felt uncomfortable listening to it.

"Right, Wu Xiangchen was only three or four years old at the time, and he was crying so hard that I had to hold him in my arms to comfort him. Such a young child still knew how to hold a grudge and glared at his father. You can imagine how difficult it was for him to make such a fuss."

"When did Chief of Staff Wu remarry?"

"It was more than half a year after he left." Feng Xiuhui still remembers, "You say that a soldier with such a young child cannot live without someone to take care of the family. Every time Chief of Staff Wu had a mission, he could only leave the child in a neighbor's house. I even took care of the child for a few days."

"That means someone introduced her to me. I think Mrs. Chen is also bringing a baby with her."

"Yes, everyone says Chen Qing is lucky. She lives near here. Her family is poor. Her husband fell to his death while walking at night, leaving behind an orphan and a widow. Her aunt's son happened to be a soldier here, and I heard that Chief of Staff Wu was planning to remarry. Moreover, Chief of Staff Wu wanted to have no children in the future, so even if someone introduced him to a virgin, he refused, and was worried that this woman who had never been a mother would not be able to raise a child well. In the end, he married Chen Qing."

Feng Xiuhui opened up the conversation, eating the tender fish meat, and added a few words when she remembered something, "You don't know, when Chen Qing first came, she was wearing clothes that were patched up, and she looked pale and thin. Everyone said she was lucky. Chief of Staff Wu actually wanted to marry a first-time bride under this condition, but now she is the housekeeper. I heard that Chief of Staff Wu gives her dozens of yuan every month. Look at what she wears and uses now, it's very different!"

Jian Lu thought of Chen Qing whom she had just met today. Her appearance was definitely not the same as the woman described by Feng Xiuhui, who was pale, thin and wore shabby clothes because she was too poor.

"You tell me, fate is fate. Chief of Staff Wu wants to marry another wife to take care of the child. Chen Qing's husband just happened to be dead, and the two children are the same age, so they have a companion."

It's true that whoever you mention, you'll meet them. While having dinner, I overheard that Chief of Staff Wu and Chen Qing were reuniting their family and getting married. In the evening, when Jian Lu and Feng Xiuhui went out for a walk, they ran into the mother and son.

Chen Qing was playing with his son Liu Huayong in the yard. Liu Huayong was lively and cheerful, and could play with many other children in the yard, but he could be a little overbearing sometimes.

Now they were vying to play marbles. It was originally Dunzi's turn, but Liu Huayongfei held the marbles and wanted to play one more round. After a while, the two children started to make noises.

Feng Xiuhui felt that her son was not generous. How could he fight over a game of marbles? She sat aside and said with a smile, "Dunzi, come here. You can take a break after playing one less round."

"Mom, don't worry about it. This is our men's business." Dunzi put his hands on his hips, not quite convinced.

Jian Lu almost laughed out loud when she heard this. This little radish of six or seven years old had already gotten involved with a man? And it all started with a marble!

Feng Xiuhui and other family members were also amused and told the two 'men' to solve the problem themselves, except that they were not allowed to fight.

Chen Qing was different. She walked over and scolded her son in the yard, "Xiaoyong, what did your mother teach you? And you snatched the marbles from Dunzi? You are not a decent person! Say sorry to Dunzi."

The family compound suddenly became quiet. No one expected Chen Qing to be so stern all of a sudden. The military wives nearby were just trying to persuade them to calm down the atmosphere when they saw Liu Huayong being scolded in public. His face turned red and he felt embarrassed in front of the other kids. He pushed Chen Qing away crying and ran into the house.

Liu Huayong ran back home and looked back to see that his mother had not come to comfort him. He became even angrier and pouted. When he saw Wu Xiangchen sitting on the sofa in the living room reading a book, he rushed forward, slapped the book out of his hand and glared at him viciously.

When Chen Qing saw his son running back home, he turned around and apologized to Dunzi, "Dunzi, Xiaoyong is not sensible, don't bother with him."

Dunzi didn't expect that Aunt Chen would apologize to him in a serious manner and scold Liu Huayong. He was stunned and could only stammer in response and turned around to continue playing marbles.

Cui Yuhe watched for a while, then approached Feng Xiuhui and Jian Lu and whispered, "Is it necessary to be so serious just because of two kids making a fuss?"

After listening for a while, Jian Lu felt that it was indeed a bit too much. It was not necessary for two children to quarrel to such an extent. She was sitting with Feng Xiuhui and Cui Yuhe, and she nodded after listening to this.

After sitting for a while, Cui Yuhe went back to feed the baby. Feng Xiuhui and Jian Lu fed Mosquito for a while, then discussed going back to the house. Dunzi, on the other hand, didn't want to leave and squatted there playing marbles.

"Forget it, leave him alone. He will come back when it gets dark."

The two of them went upstairs together. Feng Xiuhui talked about the scene where Chen Qing taught her son a lesson. She felt it was scary. "I didn't expect that this mother would be stricter with her own son. I have never seen her treat Wu Xiangchen like this. She always spoke in a soft voice."

Jian Lu recalled the scene she saw at the supply and marketing cooperative that day. She was about to say something when she suddenly felt a wave of discomfort. She touched her chest and groaned a few times.

"What's going on?" Feng Xiuhui hurriedly patted her on the back to calm her down. Seeing Jian Lu groaning, she suddenly felt that she looked familiar.

"It's nothing. I guess it's because of the hot weather that I feel a little nauseous." Jian Lu wanted to go back to the house to drink a glass of water to calm down.

Feng Xiuhui pulled her aside and asked with a look of joy, "Lulu, when did you last have your period?"

Feng Xiuhui's question stunned Jian Lu.

When does your period come?

Counting the days, Jian Lu suddenly realized that it seemed like she hadn't been here for more than a month. It was the New Year and Cheng Zheng was away on a mission, so Jian Lu didn't have much concept of time. She lived a carefree life every day and didn't really care about this matter.

"It's been a while, right?!" Feng Xiuhui grinned, knowing what was going on. "Go and check it out. There are doctors at the military hospital right now. I'm telling you, she's definitely pregnant. I was also having loose stools when I was pregnant with my first child, and I even got out of bed, but suddenly I felt dizzy. Fortunately, we were both very strong, so there was no problem."

Jian Lu was taken to the military health hospital by Feng Xiuhui in a daze. She was examined and was sitting on a bench in the corridor waiting for the results when Zhou Yan, the daughter-in-law of Political Commissar Wei, was about to get off work downstairs.

"Sister Xiuhui, Sister Jianlu, why are you here?"

Zhou Yan took off her white coat and put on a plaid shirt, looking quite neat. She was a little curious about the neighbor who suddenly appeared in the hospital.

Moreover, these two people appeared at the entrance of the obstetrics and gynecology department. Could it be... ?

"Lulu, come here to check, I wonder if you are pregnant." Feng Xiuhui naturally did not hide anything in front of the military doctor. It was a great thing to have a doctor neighbor in the hospital. If Jian Lu comes here for a checkup or to give birth in the future, it will be so convenient to have an acquaintance!

"Oh, congratulations!" Zhou Yan looked at the person's belly, and when she heard Feng Xiuhui say that, she felt that the person's belly seemed different.

“Not sure yet.”

Jian Lu was feeling very nervous at the moment, with a mixture of emotions in her heart: surprise, joy, nervousness, anticipation, and a little bit at a loss.

When I touched my belly, I felt so magical. Could it be that there really was a child of mine and Cheng Zheng inside?

Logically, she and Cheng Zheng had been taking precautions, so how could this happen? If there was an accident, it was on New Year's Eve, when Cheng Zheng was a little different from usual, and lost control twice and didn't care,...

Could it be that the loss of control that time...

Jian Lu was lost in thought when she suddenly heard someone talking.

"Jian Lu, come in and get the report."

The nurse came to call for help, and Zhou Yan was the first to react, "Come in quickly, it must be good news."

Feng Xiuhui also said so, and she pulled Jian Lu up. "Then let's go and listen to the doctor first."

"Okay, I'm leaving now."

Sitting opposite the doctor, Jian Lu clenched her hands tightly, pulling them back and forth alternately with her thumb and index finger.

Until I heard the doctor say, "Comrade Jian Lu, congratulations, you are seven weeks pregnant..."

With a bang, Jian Lu looked towards the doctor suddenly. Although she was mentally prepared, she was still a little surprised.

"Doctor, am I really pregnant?"

The doctor had obviously seen many pregnant women who couldn't believe it, and said calmly, "Yes, the fetus is fine. You should be careful in your daily life. Don't have sex within three months, and be careful not to exercise vigorously. After three months, you can relax a little. Remember to come for a prenatal check-up if there is any problem later."

Nowadays, most pregnant women do not come for regular prenatal checkups unless they feel there is a problem. Doctors are not surprised and just give them a few reminders of the precautions before letting them go.

Even after leaving with the medical report, Jian Lu was still dizzy. If Feng Xiuhui hadn't accompanied her, she would have forgotten to leave.

I really have a child and I'm going to be a mother?

Feng Xiuhui glanced at Jian Lu beside her. It was rare to see a dazed look on this person. "Look at you, you are not ready yet? I was like this when I was pregnant with Dunzi. One moment I thought I was pregnant. Then I touched my belly and felt that there was no reaction at all."

Jian Lu had her hands on her belly at the moment, thinking, there is no movement at all!

"Sister-in-law Xiuhui, it's true. I can't believe it now." Jian Lu felt like she didn't feel anything in her belly under her palm, but when she thought about the fact that she already had a child, Cheng Zheng and her own child, she seemed to really feel something.

"It's only been over a month, there will be movement in a while." Feng Xiuhui seemed to see her former self in Jian Lu, who had no experience and was as frightened as a child.

Oh, no, this person was not surprised at all. At most, he touched his belly and smiled quietly, as if he was touching something precious.

Cheng Zheng will not be back until tomorrow. Feng Xiuhui told Jian Lu not to be too nervous when she went back to bed at night and to just keep a normal mind. But when Jian Lu returned home and looked at the empty house, she felt both sad and happy.

Lying in bed, I would reach out and touch my belly from time to time. I really wanted to use the sense that only mothers have to feel the presence of the child. Of course, the time is too short and I can't do it yet.

Looking up at the ceiling, Jian Lu took a deep breath and felt that she was different now. She was pregnant, so she stood up and drank some hot water, holding the enamel pot and taking sips one after another.

The only sad thing is that the child’s father hasn’t come back yet, so I can’t tell him the first time.

Just before she parted with Sister Xiuhui, she specifically said that this matter should not be told to anyone else and she wanted to tell Captain Cheng first.

But, what about the people...?

——

Captain Cheng, who was still drifting on the sea, looked out at the sea from afar, hoping that an island would appear in front of him. There was a familiar figure standing at the pier, looking up and waiting for him to return.

Unfortunately, what responded to him was still the endless blue sea.

"Captain Cheng, what are you looking at?" The deputy commander of the Second Regiment called him and asked everyone to go back to the cabin. A group of people completed their mission and when they were about to go back, they got interested and held a competition in the cabin.

Due to limited conditions in the ship's cabin, most training and competition items cannot be completed, so we can only do the most primitive one, arm wrestling.

More than twenty warriors in white military uniforms gathered together, surrounding two warriors who were sitting face to face. The two warriors were arm wrestling with red faces and bulging veins.

"Push harder, push harder!"

"Push to the left! Hold on!"

As the saying goes, the emperor is not in a hurry, but the eunuch is. The crowd of onlookers cheered even louder, grinning and making it very lively.

Qiu Jian, the commander of the 4th Regiment of the ever-victorious general, was very strong and had already defeated three men in a row. He was extremely arrogant and at this moment, he did not care who was the regiment commander or the chief of staff. If he was defeated, he was defeated.

"No one can beat me, right? Go back and each of you will have to give me a cigarette!"

In the army, cigarettes are hard currency, and they are used in gambling.

On the "battlefield", they only admit victory or defeat. The three regiments lost two games and were feeling ashamed, but when they saw their own regiment leader coming, they started yelling.

"Captain, you have to help our three regiments get together!"

"We are not fighting for the bread, we are fighting for the reputation!"

Cheng Zheng looked at those familiar and fierce faces, as if winning an arm wrestling match was as good as winning a battle. He felt so useless.

"That's it, you guys can't win?"

With a slight frown on his brows, Cheng Zheng's words were filled with a hint of disdain. His plain words made everyone even more crazy. They became even more excited and wished that the two would start fighting, or... start a quarrel.

As a result...the extremely arrogant Qiu Jian fought hard but still lost to the calm and composed Cheng Zheng. Captain Cheng of the Third Regiment won four games in a row and brought smoke back to the soldiers of the Third Regiment.

The cabin was very lively. Qiu Jian didn't seem upset after losing. Instead, he stood by and watched happily, "Forget it. I can't smoke anyway. I won't take it even if you want to give it to me."

"Qiu Jian, you are such a tough guy, you can't smoke. Everyone knows that you are addicted to smoking."

"That's right, if you lose, you lose. Don't make so many excuses."

Qiu Jian smiled and bared his teeth, "I really don't smoke. My wife just got pregnant. She was only three months old when I left. She wanted to vomit when she smelled my cigarettes. Now before I go home, I have to smell if there is any of your cigarettes on me. Please don't smoke and stink me up!"

"Yo, you're going to be a father?"

"You have such a good thing, but you are hiding it from your brothers?"

Qiu Jian scratched his head and smiled innocently, "It's only been three months, I can't tell you before."

"You are really good, I remember you have been married for less than half a year, and you have been pregnant for three months. You got pregnant so quickly."

"Of course, I can handle it!"

Inside the cabin, the topic instantly shifted from arm wrestling to his wife's pregnancy, and Qiu Jian was so happy that his mouth was almost grinning to the horizon.

Cheng Zheng was watching from the side, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of envy.

Political Commissar Wei looked even more jealous. They had been married for less than a year and had already become fathers. What about him? He still had to work hard!

Fortunately, he had Captain Cheng by his side. Political Commissar Wei put his arm around Cheng Zheng's shoulder, looking like a good brother. "Old Cheng, it's okay. Don't feel bad. We just got married, so there's no rush. Take your time. Maybe you'll get pregnant soon."

Cheng Zheng: "..."

=

The soldiers who returned from the mission finally returned to the shore and disembarked amid the eager anticipation of their families.

As usual, Cheng Zheng was the last one to get off the boat, but this time was different from before, his wife did not come to pick him up.

Political Commissar Wei discovered that Captain Cheng was alone, while he and his wife were a pair, and the sense of superiority in his heart emerged again.

"Captain Cheng, your wife didn't come?" Political Commissar Wei pretended to comfort him, "Maybe she's busy with work. There's still a lot to do in the supply and marketing cooperative."

He turned around and looked at his wife Zhou Yan, "Our Yan happened to be on vacation today, so she came to pick me up."

Cheng Zheng's mouth twitched. He thought Old Xu was really childish. He didn't know what was so good about showing off about such a thing. "That's great. You guys go slowly. I'll go home first."

No matter what, Cheng Zheng just wanted to see his wife as soon as possible. He hadn't seen her for more than half a month. When he stepped on the familiar island, he realized how much he missed her.

"Hey, look at Captain Cheng, he's anxious to go home to see his wife." Political Commissar Wei held Zhou Yan in his arms and walked slowly toward the family compound. He felt that he was ahead this time. "My wife is so nice, she came to pick me up! I'm so happy."

Zhou Yan was annoyed by the man's compliments, and she scolded him with a smile, "What are you bragging about? You are quite old, but you still compare yourself with Captain Cheng."

"What's the big deal? I definitely want to compete with Lao Cheng. We used to be the golden bachelors in the army, but I was the first to date, but he got married first. I was the first to find a house in the family compound, but he moved in first. Now we are on the same starting line again, Yan'er, let's work hard and have a child first! Let's beat him."

Zhou Yan glared at her man and told him a cruel piece of news, "Then you lose. Captain Cheng's wife is pregnant."

Political Commissar Wei twisted his ankle and glared angrily, "What did you say?!"

Looking at Cheng Zheng who was hurrying home ahead, Political Commissar Wei sighed heavily!

How come I lost again!