The next morning, Zhao Jingyu first went to the health center to inquire and learned that Director Chen had already returned from the provincial capital before coming back to pick up Xu Qingning.
He Jiying's home was in a tenement building opposite the guesthouse, not far away, and they arranged to have the check-up at the health center.
The Ocean Shipping Company's clinic was divided into a traditional Chinese medicine department and a Western medicine department, and it was quite well-known in the area. Local residents would come here for headaches and fevers.
When the two arrived, He Jiying's husband, Chen Qiaodi, was already waiting there. She had gray hair, wore glasses, and was dressed in a red cotton-padded jacket, looking very energetic.
Upon seeing Xu Qingning, Chen Qiaodi smiled and said, "Jingyu, your wife is really quite beautiful. Where did you manage to lure her back?"
"Director Chen, I've been lying to her for over half a year, and you exposed me with just one sentence." Zhao Jingyu said with a smile, holding Xu Qingning's hand. "I was planning to lie to her for the rest of my life!"
"You're quite the talker," Chen Qiaodi rolled her eyes at him, then smiled and said to Xu Qingning, "Come inside with me."
Zhao Jingyu followed him inside.
Inside the room was a medicine cabinet, with a strong smell of medicine. Against the wall was a bed covered with white sheets and pillows. There were acupuncture charts on the wall, presumably for acupuncture treatments.
It's quite cold because there's no stove.
"It'll be ready in a minute." Chen Qiaodi took a towel blanket from the cabinet, spread it on the bed, and let Xu Qingning lie down.
Xu Qingning was a little nervous and embarrassed.
Her intimate relationship with Zhao Jingyu consisted mainly of kissing and hugging; there was nothing else. She still felt awkward if he suddenly saw it.
Just then, Chen Qiaodi said to Zhao Jingyu, "Alright, you go out and wait. We'll be done soon."
Zhao Jingyu opened his mouth as if to say something, but then swallowed it back and tactfully went to wait in the outer room.
Chen Qiaodi asked Xu Qingning about her menstrual period, measured her waist with a soft measuring tape, then touched her stomach back and forth, and helped her up: "Come back for a check-up a week from today."
"Director Chen, I calculated my due date to be in about two weeks." Xu Qingning didn't know how to calculate the due date either; Liang Yufeng had helped her calculate it.
"The due date is just an expected date; it's normal for it to be earlier or later," Chen Qiaodi gently advised her. "Go back and move around more. If you feel any pain in your stomach, come over. Don't panic."
"Thank you, Director Chen." Xu Qingning finally felt relieved.
Two days ago, she happened to see a report about Chen Qiaodi in the newspaper.
She is the director of the obstetrics and gynecology department at the provincial capital's central hospital. Over the years, she has delivered tens of thousands of newborns, making her highly experienced and virtuous.
The accident a year ago left her with a chronic illness that prevented her from standing for long periods, which is why she had to take early retirement due to illness. Otherwise, she wouldn't have come back.
Perhaps it was just psychological, but Xu Qingning felt exceptionally light on her feet after leaving the clinic. Seeing that the weather was nice, she pulled Zhao Jingyu to go shopping.
Seeing that she was in a good mood, Zhao Jingyu was happy to accompany her around. The two bought some daily necessities and went to the department store to buy two baby bottles for the child, one for milk and one for water.
Zhao Jingyu looked at it curiously, turning it over and over: "Don't babies drink milk? Why would they need a bottle?"
"What if there isn't enough food?" Xu Qingning gave him a reproachful look. "Babies need to drink water too, anyway."
When passing by the department store area, Xu Qingning couldn't resist buying half a pound of fine yarn in different colors, and also bought a crochet hook. She didn't know how to crochet, but Yang Yuelan did.
For some reason, the moment she saw Chen Qiaodi, she felt that Chen Qiaodi was missing a shawl, and she wanted to give Chen Qiaodi a shawl as a gift.
Zhao Jingyu didn't ask what she bought; he would just follow behind, pay for it, and carry the things.
As they approached the alley entrance, Xu Qingning saw a vendor selling candy sticks and suggested buying one for Zhao Chengjun, as he loved them.
Zhao Jingyu said, "Then let's buy a few more and eat them together."
There were still a dozen or so pieces left in the cardboard box, which Zhao Jingyu bought up completely, and he even took the box back with him.
When Zhao Chengjun saw Zhao Jingyu carrying more than a dozen candy sticks, he was so happy he almost jumped for joy. He had never seen so many candy sticks before.
Yang Yuelan didn't know what to say.
Who buys so many sugar sticks? That's five or six cents, enough to buy half a pound of pork.
Xu Qingning didn't care; she had already bought it, and it only cost her six cents.
She didn't actually like these snacks and hadn't thought of buying them for herself, but she broke off a piece and tasted it, and it tasted pretty good.
Zhao Jingyu loved eating them and ate two in one go. He even used the candy sticks as weapons, practicing martial arts with Zhao Chengjun in the yard.
Zhao Chengjun quickly became familiar with his third uncle, chasing after him with a candy stick and hitting him around.
Yang Yuelan was busy sewing a quilt on the kang (a heated brick bed). She had taken apart an old quilt, fluffed it out, and said that she would make a quilt for Wu Yong using the old cotton.
There was only so much new cotton, and she couldn't bear to part with it, saying she wanted to save it to make cotton-padded jackets and trousers for her children.
Xu Qingning had no objection. Anyway, old cotton was almost the same as new cotton. She took out the fine yarn she had just bought and showed it to Yang Yuelan, saying that she planned to crochet a shawl for Chen Qiaodi.
Yang Yuelan understood immediately: "I'll sew the quilt today and start making the shawl tomorrow. I can do it."
Chen Qiaodi is not a doctor at the Chinese Medicine Hospital, so it's already very kind of her to agree to go and help.
Let alone one shawl, even ten wouldn't be too many.
In the afternoon, Zhao Futang and Zhao Jingwu arrived, the father and son each carrying a bulging sack, their expressions differing as they entered the yard.
"Grandpa, Second Uncle!" Zhao Chengjun excitedly rushed over.
Zhao Jingwu, his face dark, didn't answer. He carried the sack and put it down against the wall. Zhao Futang squatted down, picked up Zhao Chengjun, and asked him, "Do you miss Grandpa?"
"Yes." Zhao Chengjun put his arm around his grandfather's neck and said with a big smile, "Grandpa, my third uncle bought me a lot of candy sticks. I'll go get them for you right now."
Zhao Jingyu and Xu Qingning were taking a nap in bed when they heard the noise outside. Xu Qingning woke up and was about to sit up when Zhao Jingyu pulled her into his arms and said, "Go back to sleep. Don't worry about them."
No sooner had she finished speaking than Yang Yuelan knocked on the door from outside: "Jingyu, your father and your second brother are here. Come out for a moment."
"Go quickly!" Xu Qingning didn't want to sleep anymore. Her father-in-law and second brother-in-law had arrived, and she had to go out and say hello.
"Here I am." Zhao Jingyu had no choice but to get dressed and go out. Zhao Futang said to Zhao Jingyu, "Go to the meat processing plant and call your older brother. Tell him I need to talk to him."
Zhao Jingyu knew what was going on, so he rode his bicycle to the meat processing plant.
Zhao Jingwu sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), head drooping, without saying a word.
Xu Qingning greeted them and tactfully returned to her room.
No need to ask, Zhao Jingwu came to demand an explanation.
Good heavens, having too many sons is a real hassle.
Less than an hour later, Zhao Jingyu returned. He said that Zhao Jingwen was working overtime tonight and didn't have time, so he would come again tomorrow.
"He's too scared to come, isn't he?" Zhao Jingwu sneered. "I've never seen such a selfish person as him. He's treating me like a fool!"
"Second brother, I can't interfere with your grudges with eldest brother, but there's one thing I must make clear to you." Zhao Jingyu leaned against the door frame, his tone indifferent, "This is my home. Anyone who dares to cause trouble in my home, don't blame me for being ruthless."
Thank you to kwinie, book friend, 池蘤, and miss-huang for the monthly tickets I sent: I went to sleep at 5:20 and woke up promptly at 13:14.
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