When Gu Mingyue woke up, the room was quiet, with only slight noises coming from the kitchen.
She rubbed her eyes, got up and walked to the kitchen door, where she saw Lu Lin frowning as he looked at the recipe, with fresh crucian carp and tender tofu on the cutting board beside him.
"Awake?" Lu Lin turned around upon hearing footsteps, quickly put down his book, and came over to greet her, helping her sit down in a chair with his arm.
"I saw that crucian carp and tofu soup is suitable for pregnant women, so I thought I'd try it for you, but I don't know if I'm doing the steps correctly."
Gu Mingyue looked at the curled pages of the book in his hand, covered with red circles and annotations, and couldn't help but laugh.
"I'll teach you, it's very simple."
She got up and walked to the cutting board, teaching him how to cut the crucian carp and reminding him to use less oil when frying the fish.
"Fry until both sides are golden brown before adding water, then the soup will turn milky white."
Lu Lin studied diligently, nodding in agreement from time to time. Occasionally, he would accidentally splash some oil on himself, but he would only frown and continue working.
Gu Mingyue leaned against the door, watching his clumsy yet focused back, her heart filled with warmth.
Soon, the delicious aroma of fish soup filled the kitchen.
Lu Lin then stir-fried a plate of seasonal vegetables according to the recipe, and when he put it on the table, he specially pushed the fish soup in front of her: "Try it quickly and see if you like it."
Gu Mingyue scooped up a spoonful of fish soup, the delicious flavor spreading on her tongue. She looked up at Lu Lin, her eyes filled with a smile: "It's especially delicious."
Lu Lin breathed a sigh of relief and picked up his chopsticks, occasionally putting food on her plate.
After finishing their meal, Lu Lin helped Gu Mingyue walk onto the road in the family compound when they saw Aunt Li carrying a lunchbox coming towards them.
"Mingyue, I was just about to bring you a bowl of yam porridge. You should eat more of this during your pregnancy to nourish your stomach."
Aunt Li smiled and spoke, her gaze falling on Lu Lin. Her eyes immediately lit up, "Oh, Comrade Lu is back? We've been waiting for you to come back."
Lu Lin quickly took the lunchbox and thanked him with a smile: "Thank you for thinking of me. I'll be here for you in the future, so you won't have to make this trip."
Aunt Li waved her hand, "Don't mention the trouble, we're neighbors." She then gave Gu Mingyue a few more instructions on taking good care of herself during her pregnancy and told Lu Lin to do more chores before turning and walking towards her own home.
Before leaving, she turned back and joked, "You two young lovers, take your time strolling around. This old woman won't disturb you. I'm going back to catch up on my sleep."
Watching Aunt Li's retreating figure, Gu Mingyue couldn't help but smile: "Aunt Li is always worried that I'm not eating well, so she's been bringing me food every day these past few days."
She knew that Aunt Li was grateful because of Luo Haiping.
Lu Lin squeezed her hand, his eyes filled with gratitude: "In a couple of days, we'll prepare some things and go to thank you in person."
The two walked slowly, a cool evening breeze blowing by.
Gu Mingyue yawned, her eyes glistening with moisture.
Lu Lin immediately slowed down: "Are you sleepy? Let's go home and sleep."
He half-supported Gu Mingyue as they walked back. The streetlights overlapped their shadows, and they walked quietly, with only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional soft words of advice.
As soon as he entered the house, Lu Lin's hands were still warm from the yam porridge, so he put them in the kitchen first.
After washing up, he saw Gu Mingyue leaning on the sofa flipping through her sketches, so he softened his voice and asked, "Wife, the yam porridge that Aunt Li brought is still warm. Would you like a bowl to tide you over?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Mingyue touched her lower abdomen, realizing she was indeed a little hungry. She looked up, smiled, and nodded, "I was just thinking of finding something to eat."
Lu Lin immediately turned around and went to the kitchen, took a shallow porcelain bowl, ladled out the thick porridge, and carefully blew on it before bringing it over.
Gu Mingyue took the bowl, and the sweet aroma of yam mixed with the fragrance of rice wafted over her. One sip warmed her stomach.
Lu Lin sat to the side watching her, occasionally asking, "Is it hot?"
After she finished drinking, he took the empty bowl from her and said, "If you're still hungry, I'll boil you an egg."
Gu Mingyue shook her head and stretched on the sofa: "I'm not hungry anymore, this bowl of porridge is just enough to fill me up."
After she finished drinking, Lu Lin had her sit on the sofa, while he knelt down in front of her, gently holding her calves and massaging them with moderate pressure.
"Have you been standing for too long during the day?" he asked, rubbing his face as he looked up.
"Last time I heard Xia Qinghe say that legs are prone to soreness and swelling during pregnancy."
The two leaned back on the sofa and chatted idly, chuckling softly when they came across something amusing.
After Gu Mingyue finished washing up and was about to rest, Lu Lin went to the bedside first, took out a small light bulb from the drawer, and plugged it into the socket by Gu Mingyue's bedside.
Gu Mingyue glanced at it; the light bulb's illumination range was limited, just covering the area near the table.
"I don't have to fumble in the dark when I get up at night, the brightness of this light is just right."
As he spoke, he tucked the blanket around Gu Mingyue and gently pulled her hand to his palm to warm it.
Once Gu Mingyue was comfortable, Lu Lin leaned over and gently pressed his forehead against her lower abdomen, his voice softer than a nightlight.
"Baby, be a good boy/girl tonight and sleep well with Mommy. Goodnight."
Seeing his serious expression, Gu Mingyue couldn't help but reach out and touch his hair.
Lu Lin straightened up, placed a light kiss on her forehead, and then lay down on the outside of the bed, carefully avoiding her lower abdomen.
The light from the nightlight illuminated their sleeping faces. The room was quiet, with only the sound of their even breathing. Even their dreams must have been warm.
As dawn broke, Lu Lin tiptoed out of bed, careful not to wake the sleeping Gu Mingyue.
After washing up, he went to the training ground for training, and then went straight to the canteen in the family compound.
As soon as the cafeteria opened, the aroma of steaming food wafted out.
He bought a few extra meat buns, thinking that his wife had a good appetite and was eating a lot.
As I walked back with my breakfast, I saw several daisies blooming beautifully by the roadside.
The tender yellow petals, glistening with morning dew, exuded a vibrant freshness, so I carefully picked two.
When Gu Mingyue got home, she had just woken up and was sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing her eyes.
"Awake?" Lu Lin smiled as he placed breakfast on the table and then put the daisies into a glass jar on the windowsill.
"The big meat buns from the cafeteria are fresh out of the oven, have a taste, and there's also your favorite soy milk."
Gu Mingyue walked to the table, looked at the warm breakfast on it, and then at the daisies on the windowsill covered with morning dew. A sweet feeling welled up in her heart.
"Don't you have to go to the military camp today?"
Lu Lin was peeling an egg when he heard her words and replied, "The boss said this trip will be long, so he gave me two days off. I should get some rest."
"Great, it's time to go to the hospital for a follow-up check-up."
"Okay, let's go together tomorrow."
As soon as breakfast was finished, Lu Lin quickly cleared away the dishes and headed to the kitchen.
Gu Mingyue then carried the freshly folded thin quilt into the courtyard.
It's rare to have such a nice sun; it's perfect for drying the blankets until they're warm and cozy.
Gu Mingyue had just hung the bed sheet on the clothesline when she saw a figure loitering back and forth at the gate of the courtyard. She couldn't make out the figure's appearance, but her movements seemed rather furtive.
She had some doubts in her mind, but didn't dare to ask any more questions. She subconsciously took half a step back into the yard, then turned around and quickly went back into the house.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
