Just as dawn was breaking, Xu Qingning woke up, feeling a tightness in her chest and an urge to vomit.
She blushed bright red as soon as she opened her eyes, curled up in Zhao Jingyu's arms, his arms around her waist, and her legs pressed against his.
His well-defined pectoral muscles were right in front of her, and she could almost feel the warmth of his body. Good heavens, what kind of sleeping position was this...
Xu Qingning calmly sat up from his arms, moved to the edge of the bed, and pulled up the blanket that had fallen off the bed. Kicking off the blanket while sleeping is really a bad habit.
Last night she kicked the blanket off the bed, and perhaps she got cold while sleeping, so she crawled into his bed.
That would easily lead him to misunderstand... She had no intention of seducing him.
When his arms felt empty, Zhao Jingyu woke up. Seeing Xu Qingning sit up, he casually asked, "Why did you get up so early?"
He was a light sleeper, and when he woke up in the middle of the night, she was in his arms.
He knew she must have kicked off the covers again, but he didn't mind. He simply held her and slept with her in his arms. Her body smelled sweet and soft, and it felt really nice.
"I..." Xu Qingning began to speak, but her chest heaved. She quickly leaned over the bed and dry heaved, trying to vomit but unable to.
"What's wrong?" Zhao Jingyu quickly stepped forward to support her. "Where do you feel unwell?"
"I just feel like throwing up." Xu Qingning lay pale-faced by the bed.
"Let me get you a glass of water." Zhao Jingyu immediately got out of bed to pour the water, and reached out to help her sit up. Xu Qingning sat up, took the water, and drank a sip. "Thank you!"
The child's father is not bad.
That's quite perceptive.
"I'll go with you to the clinic later." Zhao Jingyu didn't know much about these things either. She looked terrible; she felt nauseous even though she hadn't eaten, and she looked like she was sick.
"No need, I'll be fine after resting for a while." Xu Qingning shook her head, finished the water in her glass, and said, "Pour me another glass of water."
Zhao Jingyu poured her some water and brought it to her lips: "What would you like to eat for breakfast?"
"I don't want to eat anything." Xu Qingning drank some water and lay down again. She hadn't expected pregnancy to be so uncomfortable. Her body felt weak and she just wanted to sleep.
"Then you should rest well." Zhao Jingyu stood by the bed and looked at her. He didn't know how to take care of a pregnant woman. He picked up his coat and walked out. "I'll ask my mother to come and take a look."
Zhao Futang and Yang Yuelan had already gotten up.
The two were busy starting a fire and braising meat in the yard. They had prepared the meat and vegetables for the meal yesterday and were just waiting to cook them.
Zhao Futang helps others organize wedding banquets in the village, and he puts even more effort into his own son's wedding banquet. Early in the morning, he even went to the seafood store to buy more than a dozen carp.
"Qingning threw up as soon as she woke up." Zhao Jingyu couldn't bring himself to call her "Mom," so he simply stopped. "Could you go check on her? Do you need to go to the clinic..."
"Okay, I'll go take a look." Yang Yuelan put down what she was doing, turned around and went into the house. Xu Qingning heard the conversation between the mother and son. When she saw Yang Yuelan come in, she sat up. "Mom, you two go about your business. I'm fine."
"You didn't eat last night either. Are you hungry now? What would you like to eat?" Yang Yuelan asked her, standing by the bed. Xu Qingning thought for a moment, "I don't really want anything. How about some plain rice porridge?"
"Okay, I'll simmer it a little longer and cook it until it's very soft." Yang Yuelan, having been through this before, stepped forward and touched her forehead, comforting her, "It'll be fine after this time. You rest for a while, and I'll cook you some porridge first."
Xu Qingning sat on the bed and drank half a bowl of white porridge and ate some pickled radish. Although she still felt the urge to vomit, she was able to hold it in.
She only has a stronger reaction in the morning, while she feels better at noon and in the evening.
After breakfast, Zhao Jingyu went to the neighbor's yard. Xu Qingning had only eaten some plain porridge in the morning and didn't have a good appetite, so he didn't want her to go out to buy things.
He knocked on the door of a dormitory room near the entrance, and a young man poked his head out. Seeing that it was Zhao Jingyu, he hurriedly said, "Boss is here! Come in quickly, a few of us were just about to go and help!"
Five young men, dressed in neat Zhongshan suits, were already sitting inside. When they saw Zhao Jingyu, they greeted him with smiles: "Boss, you're here so early. Just let us know if there's anything you need."
"Yaqiang, Dawei, take the money and come with me." Zhao Jingyu looked at the two young men and then instructed the remaining three, "You guys go to my house now and help with the work. We'll be back soon."
"Alright, alright, we'll go right now." The young men weren't empty-handed either; they carried cloth bags and walked out laughing and joking. There were cigarettes, alcohol, and tea. It was their boss's wedding, and they had to show their appreciation.
There were reasons why they followed Zhao Jingyu.
Zhao Jingyu often helped them out, giving them a dollar or two was a common occurrence, and he always paid for their meals.
"Boss, where are we going?" Wang Yaqiang asked, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, as he pulled a wallet from a drawer and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Take your cloth coupons and go to the department store to buy some daily necessities." Zhao Jingyu said as he walked out, and said to another young man, "Dawei, didn't you say your aunt works at the department store? Let's go directly to her and ask her to help us pick out a couple of outfits and buy a quilt for our wedding."
"No problem, I've got it covered." Liu Dawei patted his chest, lit a cigarette, and followed him outside.
"I didn't bring any money, so you two can pay. Whether it's a lot or a little, consider it repayment of my money." Zhao Jingyu's money was all with Xu Qingning, so he didn't ask her for any more.
He suddenly remembered that Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei owed him twenty or thirty yuan last month, and he was just about to ask them for it back to buy some things at the department store.
"Don't worry, boss, we've got it covered," Wang Yaqiang and Liu Dawei replied in unison, without hesitation.
After just one night, they felt that Zhao Jingyu was different from before. Before, when they borrowed money from Zhao Jingyu, he never asked them for it. He would give it to them if he had it, and if he didn't, he would just let it go.
This time, Zhao Jingyu remembered clearly that it was the first time he had asked them to repay the money.
Well, having a wife really changes things.
Before ten o'clock, Zhao Jingyu returned, carrying large bags and small packages into the house. Xu Qingning was secretly delighted, but she didn't show it on her face, and pretended to be surprised: "Didn't you say I was going to buy them?"
“I don’t think you’re feeling well, so you shouldn’t go out,” Zhao Jingyu said, putting the bags he was carrying on the desk. “If you can tidy up, then do so; if you don’t want to, then have my mom come in and help.”
"I can manage." Xu Qingning looked at the pile of colorful daily necessities and a big bag of wedding candy. She felt happy and saved money.
But then she thought about it and realized something was wrong. His wallet was with her, so where did he get the money to buy so many things?
Does he have some hidden money?
You can't take a man's words seriously; she thought he had given her all his money!
As the sun rose higher, more and more people filled the courtyard, laughing and joking, creating a lively and noisy atmosphere.
People occasionally peered through the window at the new bride, but Xu Qingning didn't care and calmly tidied the room.
The bed sheets and duvet cover were of decent quality, but the pattern was rather outdated—a red background with peony flowers. However, it's not that Zhao Jingyu had bad taste; most bedding in that era was like that.
After the bed was made, the whole room was flushed red.
She should have washed it before laying it down, but there's no time now. Actually, it doesn't matter whether she lays it down or not; she doesn't care about these things.
But Zhao Jingyu wanted to decorate the room in a more festive way, since today's guests were all his superiors, colleagues, and friends.
Despite the rush, he didn't want to make it too shabby, and she understood.
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