Chapter 138
Gu Xi has been experiencing severe morning sickness lately.
She was like someone with anorexia; she would vomit no matter what she ate. She couldn't stand anything with even the slightest taste, and she couldn't even tolerate the most basic salty flavor. She would vomit it up with a "whoosh" sound just a short while after eating it.
But not eating isn't an option either; for your own health and for the baby in your womb, you need to get the nutrition you need.
Because she couldn't eat, Gu Xi quickly lost weight, her chin became pointed, and all the weight she had painstakingly gained over the past two years was gone.
Everyone was watching with growing anxiety.
Xu Yuansheng tried every possible way to make food that Gu Xi could eat, and asked around for ways to stop morning sickness, and got a lot of tips for stopping morning sickness.
Unfortunately, these methods didn't seem to work on her sister.
Morning sickness in pregnant women is a very irrational phenomenon; the vomiting can be extremely intense, and eating can feel like torture.
It wasn't until Ye Fenghua brought back a jar of salted plums from the county town, pickled by the chef in the paper mill's kitchen—salty and sour plums used to make tea—that she was finally able to eat some, albeit reluctantly.
Especially when cooking fish with salted plums, she can eat the whole fish.
Everyone was very happy to see that she was finally able to eat normally, and Xu Yuansheng bought fish to cook for her quite a few times.
Gu Xi's morning sickness finally ended after she was five months pregnant, and she started to have a good appetite again.
Not only does it have a great appetite, but its tastes have also become strange. It actually craves sour, spicy, and pungent foods, and it would be even better if all three were combined.
"Sour and spicy are easy to understand, but why do you want to eat something smelly?" Xu Yuansheng was very conflicted. "Don't you hate the slightest odor?"
The toilet at home must be cleaned thoroughly every day, and there can't be any smell, otherwise she will vomit.
The same goes for the chicken coop and rabbit hutch, so Xu Yuansheng, Xu Huaisheng, and Shen Mingzheng would clean the house whenever they had free time.
Gu Xi remained calm and said meaningfully, "You don't understand. Some foods smell bad but taste delicious."
"There's such a food?" Xu Yuansheng looked at her suspiciously, wondering if she was fooling herself.
She had never known of any food that smelled bad but tasted good; she couldn't imagine it, nor had she ever heard of any food that was like that.
Gu Xi said, "Yes, there are. Dishes like stinky tofu, snail rice noodles, snail chicken, and snail and duck feet stew... They all smell bad but taste delicious."
No, the more she talked, the more she wanted to drool.
She had never eaten any of these before, but there were so many people showing off their food online that just looking at the descriptions and pictures made her mouth water. She really wanted to eat them.
"I know about stinky tofu, but what is snail rice noodles?"
Xu Yuansheng interpreted stinky tofu literally as tofu that has been fermented and made to smell bad, but is it really edible? Won't it make her stomach upset? As for snail rice noodles, she didn't quite understand them. They must be related to snails, right? Should she go get some snails and stir-fry them for her?
To satisfy the pregnant woman's strange cravings, Xu Yuansheng took out some candy and asked the children in the family compound to go to the nearby Hangxi River to collect snails.
There are many streams in the mountains, with clear water and clean snails, making it a favorite place for children to play.
There weren't many snails at this time, but sugar can make even the most wicked person work. The children found more than half a bucket of snails for them. Although the snails weren't very big, it didn't matter; they just wanted some flavor.
Following Gu Xi's instructions, Xu Yuansheng prepared dishes for her such as snail chicken, snail rice noodles, and snail stew.
Although it's time-consuming, laborious, and uses a lot of materials—the spices and seasonings alone are quite expensive—I have to say, the smell is really amazing. Neighbors couldn't help but peek out and ask what they were making, wondering why it smelled so good yet smelled so bad. It was really strange.
When they learned that it was Gu Xi, the pregnant woman, who wanted to eat the snail rice noodles, and that's why her sister had made them, they couldn't help but laugh and say that pregnant women's tastes are always strange, and they were quite understanding.
Gu Xi ate with great relish, and Shen Mingzheng, Xu Huaisheng, Gu Tuantuan, and others also enjoyed a delicious meal.
It smelled a bit off, but it tasted surprisingly delicious and whetted the appetite. Not to mention pregnant women, even adults felt they could eat several bowls.
"Second sister, I never expected your cooking skills to be so good." Xu Huaisheng slurped up the rice noodles and praised them endlessly. "Whoever marries you in the future will be very lucky."
Xu Yuansheng took a soup spoon and added a spoonful of snail soup to Gu Xi's bowl, giving her a disdainful look: "With so many spices and seasonings, and so much oil, how could it not be delicious? I don't know how much this pot alone must have cost."
Even someone who can't cook can make something delicious with so many ingredients.
However, seeing her sister's hearty appetite and her face finally getting a little fuller, I felt somewhat relieved. Money is meant to be spent, and I don't feel bad spending it on my own family.
There was a lot of snail soup, and when Xu Yuansheng saw that the vermicelli was gone, he went to roll out dough to make snail noodles.
As long as there's soup, it doesn't matter whether you put glass noodles or regular noodles in it; don't worry too much about it.
Finally, they even invited Xiang Changchuan, Xiang Zhao, Xiang Yun, and others to join them for dinner, and finished off a whole pot of snail soup noodles.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Shen Mingzheng took Gu Xi out for a walk.
Pregnant women need to exercise more, and as long as he is at home, he takes her out for a walk every day.
Xiang Changchuan volunteered to stay and help clean up the mess, washing the pots and pans until they were spotless.
Seeing Xu Yuansheng standing in front of the cabinet, arranging spices in the box, he asked, "Is there anything else you're missing? Tell me, and I'll go to the city in a couple of days to bring it back for you."
These spices were things he bought on a whim when he went to the city to run errands a while ago.
After hearing this, Xu Yuansheng bluntly told him about the spices and seasonings he was missing and suggested that he could go to the meat processing plant to bring back some meat if he had time.
Cooking is something that can be learned in many ways and requires constant innovation. After Gu Xi opened her mind, she found cooking quite interesting. Any ingredients can be combined. Since she wanted to feed her sister well so that she could have a smooth delivery, she decided to dedicate herself to the kitchen from now on.
Xiang Changchuan listened with a smile and took notes.
The two chatted as they tidied up the kitchen, showing great tacit understanding. Xu Huaisheng, who was in the main room, came over with a kettle to pour some hot water, but upon seeing this scene, he for some reason quickly turned around and left.
Although Xu Huaisheng was a bit naive and simple-minded, he wasn't someone who couldn't read the room.
She felt that whenever her second sister and Battalion Commander Xiang were under the same roof, the atmosphere between them was strange, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was strange.
Until one day, she saw a young couple kissing and cuddling in the woods near the school, and she finally understood.
Xu Huaisheng was initially stunned, his face filled with disbelief, but then he calmed down and pondered, resting his chin on his hand.
Second sister and Battalion Commander Xiang... it doesn't seem like a bad idea?
Her second sister is already twenty years old. In the village, girls that age are usually married and may even have children. Her eldest sister also got married at twenty. It seems like her second sister would have no problem finding a partner.
Thinking about this, Xu Huaisheng couldn't help but wonder if her second sister and Battalion Commander Xiang were dating.
Finally, when night fell and they went to bed, the two sisters snuggled together. Xu Huaisheng cut to the chase and asked, "Second sister, are you and Battalion Commander Xiang dating?"
Xu Yuansheng was stunned for a moment, then frowned, "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm not lying!" Xu Huaisheng said, his face full of displeasure. "Don't think I can't see it. Battalion Commander Xiang definitely likes you. He's always very focused when he talks to you, and his eyes are full of affection when he looks at you..."
Xu Yuansheng rolled his eyes at her speechlessly, and confirmed, "That's just how he looks. He looks affectionate even when looking at dogs, okay?"
A man with such captivating eyes looks at everyone with such deep affection. Even a dog would probably think he's so affectionate and would want to rub against him. She wouldn't be that narcissistic.
Fortunately, he was very sensible and his appearance was not so bad as to cause misunderstandings.
“It’s different!” Xu Huaisheng said. “Battalion Commander Xiang rarely shows such patience to other female comrades. Only when he talks to you, Second Sister, will he stare at you and joke with you. As for other people…” She recalled how Xiang Changchuan interacted with others and became more and more certain, “He would keep his distance and wouldn’t stare at people.”
Xu Yuansheng remained silent.
Xu Huaisheng looked at her and said, "And you, Second Sister, too. I can tell you have a good impression of him because you're not the type to bother others. You'd rather work harder and suffer yourself than ask for help. But now you go directly to Battalion Commander Xiang and don't stand on ceremony with him at all..."
It's so obvious, even someone as stupid as her could see it.
Xu Yuansheng remained silent.
Seeing that she didn't speak, Xu Huaisheng leaned closer to her and asked curiously, "Second sister, what are you thinking? Will Battalion Commander Xiang become my brother-in-law in the future?"
Second sister, give me a definite answer!
Xu Yuansheng pushed her face away, somewhat speechless, and said, "How would I know? It's nothing, don't worry about it so much." Seeing her unconvinced, she added, "I have no intention of getting married right now. I need to take care of my older sister, and after the baby is born, I'll help take care of the child so that my older sister won't be too tired..."
She did some mental calculations and figured she probably wouldn't be thinking about getting married for at least three years.
Xu Huaisheng said, "Why would we need you? I heard from my older sister and brother-in-law that after the baby is born, we'll ask a relative from the family of Chief of Staff Gao next door to come and help take care of the baby."
They were relatives in name only, but she was actually a nanny.
Xu Huaisheng thought this was a good thing, mainly because his brother-in-law, eldest sister, and second sister all had jobs. If someone could help take care of the children, they wouldn't have to worry too much. Moreover, with the money they earned, hiring someone to take care of the children wouldn't be a problem, and the financial pressure wouldn't be heavy at all.
Xu Yuansheng frowned. "No, I'm not comfortable with that."
"What are you worried about?" Xu Huaisheng asked, puzzled. "Although we've hired someone to take care of the child, my eldest sister and second sister both work from home and can help look after the child."
Xu Yuansheng: "..."
Xu Yuansheng discovered that the younger sister was very eloquent tonight. For every sentence he said, she could refute him with several sentences, and what she said made a lot of sense.
She shoved him right into the covers: "Alright, alright, why are you worrying so much, kid? Go to sleep!"
“I’m not a child anymore!” Xu Yuansheng protested. “I’ll be seventeen next year.”
Thinking about what her older sisters did when they were seventeen, she felt that she was already an adult at seventeen and could help them share the burden.
"Seventeen is still young." Xu Yuansheng didn't want to talk too much with the child, so he changed the subject and said, "Also, you're going to high school in the second half of the year. Your older sister said she's going to send you to high school in the city. Study hard then and don't think about anything else."
Upon hearing this, Xu Huaisheng immediately became worried.
You can study for two years of junior high school at the military base, but for senior high school, you have to go to the county or city center.
Gu Xi hoped that she would go to a high school in the city, where the environment was better and the teaching quality was better than in the county town. However, the disadvantage was that it was far from the military base and was a boarding school, so she could only come back once a month.
The thought of not being able to see her family for another month made her feel sad.
Seeing that she looked dejected, Xu Yuansheng comforted her, "It's nothing, just two years is enough, time will pass quickly."
These days, junior high and high school are both two-year programs.
After Xu Huaisheng fell asleep, Xu Yuansheng turned over, showing no signs of sleepiness.
If it comes to marriage, Xiang Changchuan is indeed a very suitable partner. This man is capable, good-looking, and his two children are well-behaved and obedient.
More importantly, she was very familiar with them, so there shouldn't be any conflicts if they were to form a family. Plus, she lived close to her older sister, so her sister could come back whenever she wanted...
but……
Does Xiang Changchuan like her?
Xu Yuansheng thought about how Xiang Changchuan had rejected many matchmakers in the past two years, proving that he wasn't in a hurry to get married. She knew a little about the reasons for not getting married; she had heard that something bad had happened to his family, his parents were now missing, his brother and sister-in-law had both died, leaving behind two children...
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