Luo Haiping touched her belly, which was larger than that of other pregnant women her age, and said with a smile, "I went for a check-up a while ago and the doctor said I had twins. I was quite shocked."
Gu Mingyue was both surprised and delighted to hear this, and couldn't help but urge, "Then you must rest more and don't do any more heavy work. It's too much trouble for the two children."
But Luo Haiping sighed, "How can I rest? The work at the garment factory can't stop, and there's no one at home to help."
Not long after these words were spoken, Gu Mingyue saw an old lady come to Luo Haiping's house. Later she learned that it was Aunt Li.
When Aunt Li returned from her hometown and heard that Luo Haiping was pregnant with twins and still busy taking care of herself, she immediately moved in to take care of her. Every day, she helped with cooking and laundry, and always advised her, "Your body is precious, you can't push yourself. I'll help you out, you can focus on your pregnancy."
With Aunt Li's help, Luo Haiping's life became much easier. When she went to work at the garment factory, the factory took extra care of her and allowed her to leave an hour early.
Gu Mingyue asked her why she didn't hire someone to take care of the baby, and Luo Haiping smiled and waved her hand: "How could I bear to spend that money? My mother-in-law can help, and I'll do as much as I can to save up for diapers."
That day, Gu Mingyue passed by the garment factory and saw Luo Haiping slowly walking out. Aunt Li was waiting for her at the door with a thermos containing freshly stewed chicken soup.
The two walked home side by side, with Aunt Li still nagging, "Don't sew any more clothes this afternoon. I've made you some porridge. Go back and rest for a while."
Luo Haiping responded with a smile.
Gu Mingyue's pregnant belly grew heavier and heavier, and her body, now more than seven months along, began to show signs of late pregnancy fatigue.
First, her feet swelled up badly, and she couldn't fit into the cloth shoes that used to fit. She had to wear the old cloth shoes that Lu Lin had found a shoemaker to alter. Pressing on the instep left a shallow indentation, and her ankles ached slightly when she walked.
At night, leg cramps are even harder to endure.
Often in the middle of the night, Gu Mingyue would suddenly feel a tight pain in her calf, and she couldn't help but cry out softly.
Lu Lin always wakes up immediately, fumbles to turn on the light, carefully places her legs on his own, rubs his palms together to warm them, and gently massages the cramped area from the knee down to the ankle, his movements slow and gentle, afraid of hurting her.
"Did you walk too much during the day?" he asked softly while rubbing her skin, his eyes full of heartache. "Don't knit any more clothes tomorrow, just lie down and rest more."
Besides edema and cramps, Gu Mingyue also constantly felt heartburn, experienced acid reflux after eating, and slept restlessly at night, having to move slowly even when turning over, for fear of pressing on the baby in her belly.
Sometimes when I sit in the sun, my lower back feels heavy after a while, so I have to lean back in the wicker chair and hold a cushion behind my back to feel more comfortable.
Lu Lin saw this and was so anxious that he got blisters on his lips, but he couldn't help much. He could only come back from the army early every day and take over all the housework, such as boiling water to wash feet, cleaning the house, and even learning to sew and mend, which he didn't know much about before, to alter loose pants for Gu Mingyue.
Knowing that Gu Mingyue's body was heavy in the later stages of her pregnancy, the military specially reassigned Lu Lin's mission to a nearby location, so he no longer needed to go to the distant sea for duty.
Every evening, Lu Lin would come back with fresh seafood or vegetables. He would touch Gu Mingyue's belly first, say a few words to the baby, and then go to the kitchen to cook millet porridge and tender seafood for her, just in case she didn't have an appetite.
One night, Gu Mingyue leaned against Lu Lin's chest, touching her swollen feet, and said softly, "I don't know how much longer I have to endure this. I feel like I'm causing you trouble."
Lu Lin quickly grasped her hand, his voice unusually earnest: "What are you saying? It's you who's having a hard time while pregnant. After the baby is born, I'll massage you every day and take you for walks on the beach."
---
After a spring rain, the air on the island is filled with the fresh scent of soil and grass. Tender wild vegetables sprout up on the hillsides, with dewdrops on shepherd's purse and purslane, and plump bamboo shoots emerging from the bamboo forest.
Gu Mingyue stood at the gate of the courtyard, gazing at the distant mountains. She thought about digging up some wild vegetables to make dumplings, but then she touched her heavy pregnant belly and had to give up the idea.
Unexpectedly, the next morning, Sister Qin's voice could be heard outside the courtyard gate.
Gu Mingyue opened the door and saw Aunt Qin carrying half a bag of bamboo shoots on her shoulder and a basket of lush green wild vegetables in her hand. Her trouser legs were stained with mud. She smiled and said, "Mingyue, these are freshly dug from the mountain. I know it's inconvenient for you to be pregnant, so I brought some for you. They're delicious in steamed buns or stir-fried bamboo shoots."
Gu Mingyue quickly invited her into the house. Taking the basket, she saw that the shepherd's purse had been cleaned thoroughly, and the bamboo shoots were wrapped in moist bamboo sheaths, still carrying a fresh bamboo fragrance.
"Sister-in-law, you went to all this trouble. It's too much trouble for you." Gu Mingyue felt warm inside and went inside to get a bag of freshly dried shrimp. "Take this and make soup for the children when you get back."
Sister-in-law Qin waved her hand to decline, and after sitting for a while, she got up to leave: "The child is still at home, I have to go back. These wild vegetables should be eaten while they are fresh, and the bamboo shoots should be soaked for two days to remove the bitterness, they will be very fragrant when stir-fried."
When she saw Sister Qin to the door, she didn't forget to tell her, "If you want anything else to eat, just tell me, and I'll dig some for you next time I go up the mountain."
When Lu Lin returned home that evening, he saw the wild vegetables and bamboo shoots on the table. After hearing Gu Mingyue mention that Aunt Qin had sent the vegetables, he smiled and said, "Aunt Qin is so thoughtful; she knew you wanted to eat them. Tomorrow I'll make you some shepherd's purse buns and stir-fry some bamboo shoots with pork."
The next morning, Lu Lin got busy, prepared the dough, chopped the shepherd's purse and mixed it into the meat filling, then wrapped it into plump buns.
After soaking the bamboo shoots to remove their astringent taste, they are sliced and stir-fried with sliced meat, quickly filling the house with a delicious aroma.
Gu Mingyue had a great appetite and ate two bowls of rice before stopping.
Since entering the late stages of pregnancy, Gu Mingyue has felt bored and has no phone to play with, so she can only read books. Even cooking is done by Lu Lin bringing back lunch from the army. It's no wonder she's gaining weight.
Gu Mingyue felt that Lu Lin was being too cautious, so on this day, as soon as he pushed open the courtyard gate, he smelled the aroma of food.
Upon entering the house, one could see Gu Mingyue supporting her back as she slowly placed the stir-fried vegetables on the table, along with a bowl of millet porridge and a dish of pickled radishes.
He quickly put down the lunchbox he was holding and hurried over to help her up: "Why did you cook for yourself? Didn't I tell you to stay home and rest?"
His tone was tinged with worry, and he reached out to touch her forehead, afraid that she was tired.
Gu Mingyue smiled and pulled her hand away from his: "It's just stir-frying some vegetables, it's not much trouble. Lying down all the time is uncomfortable, moving around makes me feel better."
Lu Lin didn't say anything more. He picked up his chopsticks and tasted the greens. They were crisp and refreshing with a light oily aroma. He immediately gave a thumbs up: "Delicious! Much better than what I eat in the cafeteria. My wife's cooking is really good."
As he spoke, he took another sip of millet porridge. The porridge was cooked until it was soft and glutinous, melting in his mouth. He ate it while praising it, and soon he had eaten most of the food on the table.
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