Xia Xiaohe held the child, with Qi Juanjuan following behind.
Several families sat around the table. Xia Huiying served freshly roasted melon seeds and sweet cakes, while Gu Mingyue poured hot water for everyone.
While they were chatting, Qi Juanjuan touched her belly and laughed: "I'm pregnant too, just like Mingyue. I'm just three months along."
Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up when she heard this: "Really? Then we can take walks together and look after each other."
The room instantly became lively as everyone gathered around Qi Juanjuan to offer their congratulations.
Xing Yi looked at Gu Mingyue and Qi Juanjuan, then suddenly slapped his thigh, pointed at Lu Lin and laughed: "Lu Lin, look how coincidental this is! Your Mingyue is pregnant, and my Juanjuan is pregnant too. Why don't we two families become in-laws? If it's a boy and a girl, we can make them a couple in the future."
Lu Lin had just taken a sip of tea when he almost spat it out. He quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no, my daughter can't be targeted by your son so early."
He implicitly believed it was his daughter.
Everyone in the room laughed. Xing Yi wasn't angry at all. Instead, he joked, "You old Lu, you're already protecting her before she's even born. It's okay, we'll reserve her first. If the child wants to be born in the future, you can't stop her."
He Binglin, standing to the side, chuckled and tried to smooth things over: "He was just saying it casually, don't take it seriously. But seriously, the two kids will grow up together and be companions."
Xia Huiying smiled and said, "Let the children decide for themselves. As their elders, we just need to watch them grow up healthy."
Laughter filled the room, and a small pile of sunflower seed shells accumulated. Xing Yi and He Binglin's families sat for a long time until the children yawned before they got up to say goodbye.
Lu Lin saw them to the door, and Xing Yi turned back and called out, "Lu Lin, I've remembered about the in-laws' matter." This made everyone laugh again.
Back inside, Zhong Yuxiu said with a smile, "This Xing Yi is really interesting. He's straightforward, just like your dad when he was young."
Lu Lin scratched his head, thinking that his father probably wouldn't be happy if he heard this.
The next morning, Gu Mingyue had just finished tidying up the house when she heard Qi Juanjuan's voice coming from outside the courtyard gate.
When the door opened, Qi Juanjuan, wrapped in a red cotton-padded coat, stood in the sunlight, smiling and waving: "Mingyue, the weather is nice today, shall we go to the market to buy seafood? Xingyi said he wants to eat oysters, and I also want to bring some dried goods back for my mother."
Gu Mingyue's eyes lit up, and she quickly went back into the house to get a cloth bag: "Perfect timing, I also want to buy some fresh sea fish to make soup for my mom and aunt."
The two walked side by side toward the market, and on the way they met an early-rising neighbor, greeting him with a smile.
"Have you felt your legs swollen since you got pregnant?" Qi Juanjuan touched her belly and asked softly. "I'm only three months along, but I always feel a heaviness in my lower back. He Binglin massages my lower back every night, saying it will make me feel more comfortable."
Gu Mingyue nodded: "Me too. Lu Lin found me a book that says putting a small pillow under your lower back while sleeping can relieve a lot of pain. You should try it too."
The two chatted about trivial matters during pregnancy, from what to eat to relieve morning sickness to whether to walk more or rest more. The more they talked, the more they got along.
As we approached the oyster stall, the owner greeted us with a smile: "You two are here again? The oysters are especially plump today, just caught from the sea."
Gu Mingyue squatted down, picked up an oyster, looked at it, and turned to Qi Juanjuan, saying, "Look at this shell, it's tightly closed, it must be fresh. When we get back, we'll make oyster omelets with some scallions and eggs. They'll be fragrant and tender, you'll definitely love them."
Qi Juanjuan squatted down and imitated her, picking oysters: "I didn't really like eating these before, but after hearing you say that, I'd like to try it. Can you teach me how to do it later?"
"No problem." Gu Mingyue agreed with a smile, and handed the money to the stall owner, "Weigh out two jin for me, and another jin for this lady."
The two carried oysters and then went to buy some seafood and dried goods.
Gu Mingyue remembered that when she bought eggs before, the kind old lady had mentioned that there was an old traditional Chinese medicine doctor living in a small house converted from a cowshed at the entrance of the village. She said he was quite skilled and decided to go and ask the old lady for the exact location.
After getting the address, Gu Mingyue told Qi Juanjuan how to make oysters on the way back. The two didn't separate until they reached their doorstep.
After dinner, Gu Mingyue and Zhong Yuxiu prepared to accompany Lu Wanwan to see a doctor.
"Mingyue, why don't you wait at home?"
Zhong Yuxiu was worried that it would be too tiring for her to travel back and forth while she was pregnant.
"Mom, I'm fine, let's go together."
It's not far, only a ten-minute walk away. In winter, there's nowhere to go, and people are getting moldy from staying at home all the time. Anyway, the weather is nice, so she decided to go out for a stroll.
Zhong Yuxiu couldn't persuade her otherwise, so she had to agree to go together, repeatedly reminding her to let her know if she felt unwell on the way.
Following the directions given by the old woman, we found the place. After taking our pulse and asking about our condition, the old Chinese medicine doctor wrote a prescription and instructed us: "Your body is too cold. I will prescribe some nourishing herbs for you. When you boil them, add two extra bowls of water. Drink them once in the morning and once in the evening. Avoid raw, cold, and greasy foods."
Before coming, Gu Mingyue had specifically inquired with the old lady and learned that the old Chinese medicine doctor's situation was special and that she couldn't pay directly. She brought two cotton coupons from home and bought two packs of snacks for the old lady as a consultation fee.
When Lu Wanwan took the prescription to the hospital to get the medicine, she kept frowning as she smelled the bitterness of the herbs. She muttered to herself, "This smell is too strong. Won't it make my tongue ache from bitterness?"
Back home, Zhong Yuxiu brewed the medicine as instructed, and the aroma of the medicine mixed with the bitter smell filled the house.
Lu Wanwan sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), looking at the dark brown medicine in the bowl, and shrank back with a worried expression: "Can't I not drink it? The smell makes me want to vomit."
He Xiao smiled and advised, "Good boy, you'll get better after drinking it. I'll prepare some brown sugar water for you later."
Lu Wanwan closed her eyes, pinched her nose, and took a big gulp of medicine. The moment the medicine entered her mouth, the bitterness exploded. She couldn't help but scrunch up and hiss, tears welling up in her eyes.
He Xiao quickly handed her a bowl of warm brown sugar water. She took it and drank a big mouthful. The sweet taste washed away the bitterness in her mouth, and she finally recovered: "I'm finally alive. This medicine is too bitter."
In the afternoon, the family began preparing food for the Lunar New Year.
Xia Huiying and Zhong Yuxiu were in charge of preparing the radish ball filling. They grated the radish into shreds, squeezed out the water, and mixed it with flour, eggs, and chopped green onions. The aroma of oil mixed with the sweetness of the radish wafted out.
Gu Mingyue and Lu Wanwan sat at the table making egg dumplings. After taking her medicine, Lu Wanwan felt much better.
Gu Mingyue took an iron spoon, heated it over a fire, spread a layer of oil on it, poured in the egg mixture, and swirled it around to make a thin egg crepe. Lu Wanwan was responsible for putting the meat filling into the egg crepe. The two worked together seamlessly.
Lu Limin sat in front of the stove to tend the fire, while He Xiao and Lu Lin fried meatballs by the stove. The meatballs sizzled in the oil, gradually turning golden brown. They were then scooped out and placed on a plate, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside.
Lu Wanwan ate the freshly fried radish balls and said with a smile, "The balls are the best. When I get better, I'm going to eat a whole plate of them."
Gu Mingyue smiled and nodded, "Once you're better, we'll make your favorite lotus root dumplings."
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