Gu Mingyue was concerned about Zhang Shouyi's inconvenience in getting food at the guesthouse, so she went into the kitchen early in the morning to busy herself.
She kneaded the dough with even and firm force, and the dough rested until it was soft and fluffy. The resulting dumpling wrappers were round, thin, and did not break.
On one side are chopped chives mixed with plump sea cucumbers, their fresh juices oozing out.
On the other side is finely pounded mackerel filling, mixed with chopped green onions and minced ginger, filling the room with the fresh aroma of the sea.
After wrapping two trays of dumplings, she steamed two plates of yam and jujube paste cakes, which were sweet, sticky, and not greasy, perfect for the elderly.
After the dumplings were cooked and the snacks had cooled, Gu Mingyue carefully packed the two kinds of food into a lunchbox in layers, closed the lid, and handed it to Lu Lin.
"Uncle Zhang doesn't get a hot meal at the guesthouse. Send these dumplings over while they're still hot, and let him have some snacks."
Lu Lin carried the heavy lunchbox, and the two walked towards the guesthouse.
On the way, Gu Mingyue kept saying, "The sea cucumbers and mackerel were fresh goods that I asked someone to bring from the dock this morning. Uncle Zhang is used to living in the north, so he might like to eat this kind of seafood."
As soon as the two entered the guesthouse, registered, and found their room, they heard a knock on the door. Zhang Shouyi put down his pen and went to greet them.
Seeing their delight and smelling the delicious aroma wafting from the thermos, his eyes lit up instantly: "This smells like seafood dumplings, doesn't it?"
Gu Mingyue smiled as she opened the lunchbox. Steam and fresh aroma wafted out, revealing two plates of plump dumplings still steaming, and a sweet yam and jujube cake on the side.
"I specially made two kinds of seafood fillings, sea cucumber and mackerel, and also some small snacks."
Gu Mingyue set out the bowls and chopsticks. Zhang Shouyi picked up a mackerel dumpling, took a bite, and the fresh juice spread in his mouth. He couldn't help but nod and say, "Authentic! It tastes even better than what we ate when we were training by the sea."
Lu Lin also sat down to eat with them, and the three of them chatted as they ate.
Zhang Shouyi recounted the lively memories of his time training on the Jiaodong Peninsula, where soldiers would catch mackerel on the beach to make dumplings, and a group of them would gather around the pot, eagerly eating.
Before he knew it, the two lunchboxes of dumplings were empty. Zhang Shouyi patted his stomach and laughed, "This meal is more effective than any tonic!"
As it grew a little late, the two got up to say goodbye.
The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lu Lin warmed breakfast on the stove.
As soon as Gu Mingyue finished washing up, he handed her a bowl of warm millet porridge: "Drink slowly, and we'll go to the hospital early. There are fewer people and we don't have to wait in line."
After getting ready, the two went out. Lu Lin rode his bicycle with Gu Mingyue sitting on the back. He held the seat firmly with one hand and gently supported her waist with the other.
The wind was a bit chilly on the way, so Gu Mingyue pressed her face against his back, listening to his steady heartbeat, and felt especially at ease.
Upon arriving at the hospital, Lu Lin ran around taking care of everything, from registering to finding the consultation room and handing over the test results, ensuring that Gu Mingyue didn't have to walk an extra step.
During the follow-up examination, the doctor smiled and said that the fetus was developing very steadily, and Gu Mingyue's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled down.
When I came out, I ran into a family member from the same hospital who was also there for a prenatal checkup. The two of them stood in the corridor and chatted for a bit about their pregnancy experiences.
Lu Lin walked over carrying the supplements prescribed by the doctor. Seeing that she was chatting enthusiastically, he stood quietly to the side and waited.
On the way back, Gu Mingyue leaned back in the car and hummed a little tune.
As Lu Lin listened, the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up. Sunlight filtered through the leaves and fell on the two of them, filling them with a sense of peaceful happiness.
The two left the hospital early, and Gu Mingyue wasn't very hungry, so she wanted to find a place to wander around.
Lu Lin pushed his bicycle and smiled down at Gu Mingyue on the back seat: "I'll take you to a good place."
Before she could ask, he rode straight to the state-run pastry shop on the street corner. There was a long queue in front of the shop, and the glass cabinet displayed shiny peach shortbread and fluffy hibiscus cake, with a sweet aroma wafting from afar.
Lu Lin told Gu Mingyue to sit on the stone bench by the door while he went to queue up.
When it was his turn, he specifically pointed to the peach shortbread and said to the baker, "I want them fresh out of the oven, please wrap two extra pieces and pack them separately."
When she came out carrying the oil paper package, Gu Mingyue had already come over to smell the aroma: "It's my favorite peach shortbread!"
"They're still warm from the oven, have a piece first." Lu Lin opened a package and handed her a crumbly peach shortbread.
Gu Mingyue took a bite of the peach shortbread, and the flaky crust dripped down her chin.
She quickly caught it with her hands, her eyes curving into crescents: "It's so delicious, fresh out of the oven is just different, you should have some too."
As she spoke, she picked up another piece from the oil paper package and held it to Lu Lin's lips.
Lu Lin lowered his head slightly and took a bite, the sweet aroma mixed with the caramelized scent of wheat flour spreading on his tongue.
He looked at the crumbs on the corner of her mouth and gently wiped them away: "It smells really good, much better than the snacks in the army canteen."
Gu Mingyue's cheeks flushed from his actions, and she handed him another piece: "Eat more, this whole pack is for us."
Since it was a rare day off, Lu Lin cleaned the bicycle until it shone brightly early in the morning. She put a water bottle in the basket and even put a soft cloth on it to make her more comfortable.
The two ate as they walked along the path outside the camp toward the sea. Autumn had arrived, and the wild chrysanthemums along the roadside were in full bloom.
When we arrived at the beach, the tide had just receded, leaving the sand covered with countless tiny seashells.
Lu Lin helped Gu Mingyue walk slowly, and to make sure she didn't step on the cool seawater, he even squatted down to help her roll up her trouser legs higher.
Gu Mingyue bent down to pick up seashells, occasionally looking up at him. Seeing that his gaze was always on her lower abdomen, she couldn't help but laugh: "Don't be so nervous, the baby is fine."
Lu Lin smiled and reached out to brush the sand from her hair: "It's always better to be careful."
The two found a sheltered rock to sit on, watching the fishing boats bobbing in the waves in the distance and seagulls flying close to the surface of the sea.
Gu Mingyue leaned on his shoulder, listening to the sound of the waves. The fatigue of the past few days dissipated, and she said softly, "It's been a long time since I've felt this relaxed."
The two were staring blankly at the sea when a commotion arose in the distance.
Several fishermen dressed in coarse cloth jackets carried fishing nets to the shore, their bamboo baskets filled with freshly caught small sea snails, their shells still covered in water droplets.
“These conch shells must be fresh!” Lu Lin’s eyes lit up. He helped Gu Mingyue walk over and bargained with the fishermen to buy half a basket.
Gu Mingyue squatted to the side and watched. The little sea snails wriggled in the basket. She touched the shell with her fingertips and felt its coolness.
The fisherman said with a smile, "The conch are at their fattest at this time of year, and they taste delicious just by boiling them in water."
Back home, Lu Lin immediately rinsed the conch thoroughly, added ginger slices and scallion segments, and put it in a pot to cook.
Soon, a delicious aroma wafted from the pot.
Gu Mingyue leaned against the kitchen doorway, watching him lift the pot lid from time to time to check, and couldn't help but tease him: "You're much more careful than when you're stewing donkey-hide gelatin."
Lu Lin chuckled: "This is a treat for you and the baby, so you have to be careful."
When the conch was served, it was still steaming. Lu Lin picked out the biggest one and personally picked out the meat and put it to her mouth.
Gu Mingyue chewed, the fresh juice spreading in her mouth, and suddenly her eyes lit up: "It tastes really good, you should try it too."
Lu Lin put down his chopsticks but didn't take the conch. Instead, he picked up the small skewer he had used to pick out the meat and carefully began to pick at the one she handed him.
The snail meat emerged intact from its shell, and he carefully pinched off the fine sand at the tail before offering it to her lips: "Eat more first to nourish your body, I can do it myself."
Gu Mingyue smiled and opened her mouth to catch it.
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