Chapter 53
Gu Xi stayed in bed all day.
That day, apart from eating, drinking, and going to the toilet, she lay there like a corpse, hugging a hot water bottle, doing nothing. She endured a very agonizing period of sleep and wakefulness.
Dinner was cooked by Shen Mingzheng.
Shen Mingzheng's cooking wasn't particularly delicious, nor was it bad; it was just average.
Although he had trained in the cooking squad during his time in the recruit camp, he only became familiar with the food and knew how to cook it; that was all. In addition, the ingredients and seasonings were scarce in those days, so it was just so-so, and it was difficult to make the food anything fancy.
Gu Xi still had a poor appetite. If he hadn't insisted, she would have just drunk some brown sugar water to fill her stomach.
At this point, she can go a whole day without eating; just some brown sugar water to tide her over and prevent stomach aches is fine.
Later that evening, Gu Xi was lying in bed when she heard voices outside.
Before she could even get up, her brother, sister-in-law, and niece came in to see her, all three of them with expressions of heartache.
Gu Tuantuan leaned close to the bed, her adorable chubby face looking closer, and asked in a childish voice, "Auntie, are you sick?"
"Little sister, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" Gu Yuanyang was very worried. Seeing her pale and haggard face, he thought she was seriously ill.
Gu Xi struggled to sit up. "Big brother, sister-in-law, and Tuantuan, what brings you all here?"
Gu Yuanyang said, "I didn't see you when I went for a walk last night, and I didn't see you tonight either, so I came to check on you."
If they hadn't come, he wouldn't have known she was so sick. He was furious, wondering how Shen Mingzheng could take care of someone, not even informing them that she was ill.
Thinking of this, he glared angrily at Shen Mingzheng.
Shen Mingzheng ignored him and brought over the boiled ginger and brown sugar water, letting Gu Xi drink some.
Gu Xi felt a little embarrassed.
How can I put it? This really can't be blamed on Shen Mingzheng, can it?
If he were to go and tell her older brother about this, she would probably be too ashamed to face anyone.
Gu Yuanyang and his family of three have a habit of taking a walk together in the evenings. Whenever the couple isn't busy, they'll take their child for a stroll after dinner. Coincidentally, Gu Xi and Shen Mingzheng also have this habit of taking a walk after dinner these days, and the two families often meet at the intersection and walk together, which is a way of maintaining their relationship.
It was precisely because of this that Gu Xi and her older brother Gu Yuanyang became much closer, which could be considered as making up for the twenty years that the siblings had missed.
When Ji Ya saw the brown sugar water that Shen Mingzheng brought over, she immediately understood what was going on and asked, "Xi Xi, is your stomach upset?"
"It's really uncomfortable." Gu Xi pouted, feeling inexplicably aggrieved. "It feels like being scraped by a knife, bit by bit."
Upon hearing this, Ji Ya felt great sympathy.
She knew that some women had severe reactions during their periods, even to the point of being unable to get out of bed due to pain, and Gu Xi was clearly an exception.
This is probably related to the fact that she didn't take good care of her health when she was young.
"Have you seen a doctor and received any medication?" Ji Ya asked again.
Gu Xi said, "Yes, when I was in Beijing, I went to the military hospital and found a skilled traditional Chinese medicine doctor to help me. My condition is much better now. The doctor said that this kind of thing cannot be completely cured."
At least she didn't faint from the pain like she did the first time she had her period; she was still conscious, which was better.
Hearing this, Ji Ya was also helpless. There was really no way to cure this kind of thing. She could only manage it by paying more attention to it and alleviating the negative effects of her period.
"Get some rest." She patted Gu Xi's hand and instructed, "Tell Commander Shen if you feel unwell, be careful not to touch cold water, and get plenty of rest..."
Gu Xi nodded. These were all basic things to pay attention to, and many people had reminded her of them, so she understood.
Gu Yuanyang was completely bewildered and had no idea what it meant.
Although he was Gu Xi's older brother, Shen Mingzheng couldn't directly tell him what his wife's current situation was. He would wait for Gu Yuanyang's wife, who was a doctor, to tell him.
The three of them talked with Gu Xi in the room for a while, then got up and left so as not to disturb her rest.
Shen Mingzheng saw them out.
Ji Ya said to him, "These days, I'll have to trouble Commander Shen to take good care of Xi Xi. It would be best to make her more soup and let her eat as much as possible."
Shen Mingzheng agreed. When he came back earlier, he went to the canteen's logistics department to order a chicken so that he could make chicken soup for Gu Xi tomorrow.
After leaving his sister and brother-in-law's house, Gu Yuanyang couldn't wait to ask, "Aya, what's wrong with Xixi? Where does she feel unwell? Shouldn't we take her to the hospital?"
Seeing his sister lying weakly in bed, her face pale and sickly, it was clear that her condition was quite serious.
Ji Ya glanced at him speechlessly and said, "No need to take her to the hospital. This is something that every woman does every month. Xi Xi is just having a more severe reaction. She just needs to rest."
Gu Yuanyang was stunned for a moment.
He was a married man, so he knew all too well what problems women might experience each month. However, Ji Ya's condition wasn't serious; aside from being more tired during those few days, it didn't affect her normal life.
So he never knew that women would be in such a serious condition at this time, or that only his sister was experiencing this situation?
“Xixi must have been malnourished since childhood and didn’t take good care of her health. In addition, she has a serious problem with being cold and weak, so she has a strong reaction when she has her period,” Ji Ya sighed. “We can only pay more attention to it in the future.”
Gu Yuanyang's face darkened instantly, and he clenched his teeth.
Ultimately, it was due to the babies being switched at birth.
It would have been bad enough if the baby had been switched at birth, but the couple in the countryside didn't treat their daughter like a human being. They enslaved her like cattle and horses from a young age, never feeding her properly, which is why she has to suffer like this for the rest of her life.
He was naturally saddened and felt even more pity for his younger sister.
"Don't overthink it," Ji Ya said, holding his hand to comfort him. "We'll take better care of her from now on."
To be honest, she also felt sorry for her sister-in-law.
Relationships between people are built over time. As the eldest sister-in-law, she should have taken good care of her husband's younger sister, not to mention that the younger sister is a good person by nature and easy to get along with, so she naturally takes care of her as well.
Gu Yuanyang gave a soft "hmm," picked up his daughter, and said, "We'll take good care of Tuantuan from now on."
His sister's plight deeply saddened him. He couldn't understand why his parents didn't love his sister, how they could stand by and watch her suffer, while favoring Gu Yuanxiang, who lived a life of happiness.
He also has a daughter, and the thought of his daughter experiencing something like what Gu Xi went through was unbearable for him.
**
On the third day of her period, Gu Xi was still lying down.
At noon, she had mushroom and chicken soup. The soup was clear and delicious, and the chicken was tender and juicy. It tasted very good.
"Where did the chicken come from?" Gu Xi asked curiously.
When she passed by the kitchen in the morning, she saw a chicken being slowly simmered in a pot over charcoal fire. Without asking, she knew it was him who had prepared it.
The supply and marketing cooperative occasionally sells live chickens, but the quantity is relatively small, and you have to fight for them. Gu Xi always went to the supply and marketing cooperative too late and never managed to get any.
Shen Mingzheng peeled off a chicken leg, tore off the meat, and placed it in front of her: "It was sent from the military farm. I had someone order one."
With so many people to support, the military can't rely on purchasing supplies from outside. They also have their own vegetable gardens and farms, and the produce from these farms supplies the military canteens.
Of course, sometimes family members can ask the logistics department for help if they have any needs. For example, if a family member is sick or has given birth, they can ask the logistics department to order some meat or other supplements to nourish their body.
After drinking the delicious chicken soup, Gu Xi felt warm all over and felt better.
Perhaps it's because it's already the third day, and I don't feel as bad as I did yesterday.
Gu Xi had chicken soup today, but she never expected that there would be mutton soup tomorrow.
After two consecutive days of nourishing soups and meats, she felt as if she was feeling better—of course, it was just an illusion, because once you get through the worst days, the second and third, the rest of the days are nothing.
On the seventh day, Gu Xi finally recovered fully, feeling refreshed and light all over, and was able to go for a few rides on her bicycle.
When she checked the date, she found that the Mid-Autumn Festival was just a few days away.
The Mid-Autumn Festival falls on the fifteenth of the lunar month, which is the town's market day, a day she always looked forward to going to town to buy things.
Gu Xi flipped through the calendar and suddenly remembered that the Mid-Autumn Festival was not a national statutory holiday in this era, and there was no holiday.
This year, the Mid-Autumn Festival falls on a Friday, so there's no chance of a holiday.
She was very disappointed. If it were a holiday, Shen Mingzheng could have accompanied her to town.
Seeing her staring at the calendar, Shen Mingzheng said, "On the evening of the Mid-Autumn Festival, there will be a performance by the cultural troupe in the military auditorium, and you can also watch a movie in the square."
Gu Xi had no interest in the cultural troupe's performances, nor in watching movies.
She had seen movies from the future, and compared to movies from this era, they were less likely to attract her attention.
However, the performances by the cultural troupe and watching movies were rare forms of entertainment in this era, so it was still worth going to see.
She said, "Then I'll go to town during the day to buy some things for the Mid-Autumn Festival, and we'll go see the performance in the evening."
Shen Mingzheng patted her head, and seeing how energetic she looked, he was happy and nodded with a smile.
After her period ended, Gu Xi felt like going out for a bike ride again in the morning.
Passing by Commander Miao's house, Ye Fenghua happened to be taking out the trash. Upon seeing her, she smiled and said, "Gu Xi, I haven't seen you go out for the past few days. What's wrong?"
Gu Xi said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm on my period and I'm not feeling well, so I'm resting at home."
"Is that so?" Ye Fenghua asked with concern, "Do you have a lot of reactions when you have your period?"
Gu Xi nodded and said sadly, "It's quite big. My stomach hurts so much I can't get out of bed."
Ye Fenghua looked at her sympathetically and said in a tone of someone who had been through it all, "When I was young, I also had severe menstrual cramps, so painful that I couldn't do any work. But after I got married and had children, it got better. Now, although I still feel a little uncomfortable, it's not as painful as before..."
Gu Xi smiled awkwardly, understanding her meaning: if she wanted to improve the situation, she should have a child as soon as possible.
However, this theory of having children is not applicable to everyone. Some people's menstrual cramps do not improve even after giving birth, so it can only be said that it varies from person to person.
Ye Fenghua wasn't pressuring her to have children, but rather sharing her own experience as someone who had been through it.
Seeing that Gu Xi was just smiling, she didn't really try to persuade her to have a baby. Having a baby is a matter of fate, and the two families weren't close enough to pressure a newlywed couple to have a baby.
After talking for a while, Gu Xi rode away on her bicycle.
As the sun rose higher, Gu Xi returned home to drink water.
Not long after she sat down, Sister Zhu from next door came over and knocked on the door, bringing her a bowl of pork dumplings.
"Comrade Gu, these are dumplings we made today. They're fresh. Have a taste," Sister Zhu said with a smile. "How are you feeling? Your cousin is a little worried about you."
Gu Xi was surprised that Qiao Hui would worry about her, and quickly said, "It's nothing, I'm fine now."
Gu Xi did indeed go to Qiao Hui's house to sit and chat with her when she had time, after promising her that she would visit her.
Over time, the two became acquainted and found that they had good personalities and could become friends. Their families would even exchange food, with one family making something delicious and the other sharing some. Since they lived next door, it was convenient for them to visit each other.
She hasn't gone to the neighbor's house these past few days because she's on her period.
When Qiao Hui asked Sister Zhu to bring her homemade pancakes, she learned that Gu Xi couldn't go out because she was on her period, and she was very concerned about this.
Gu Xi accepted the dumplings that Sister Zhu gave her, took some fruit she had just bought at the supply and marketing cooperative, and went next door to visit Qiao Hui and her daughter.
When she came over, Qiao Hui was breastfeeding, and she looked away somewhat embarrassed.
Although they are all women and everyone has children, she has never had children and is too self-conscious to stare at people like that.
Qiao Hui, holding the child, saw Gu Xi approaching and happily said, "Gu Xi, you're here! How are you feeling? Are you feeling better now?"
Gu Xi sat down and said, "It's all over now, my period is over."
After Qiao Hui finished breastfeeding and straightened her clothes, Gu Xi leaned over to look at the baby in her arms and said in surprise, "How come the little girl has grown so much in such a short time?"
It feels like this child changes every day; after just a few days, he's completely different.
It wasn't just one big lump, it looked like several lumps. The chubby face seemed even rounder, and the skin had lost the redness of a newborn, becoming much whiter and more tender.
Qiao Hui laughed and said, "Sister Zhu said that babies who are not yet a month old are all like this. Moreover, she was much smaller than ordinary babies when she was born, so she had to grow bigger this month, and that's how she grew to be like this."
I've heard that babies grow the fastest before they turn one month old. Even the smallest babies will grow as long as they get enough breast milk and catch up with babies of normal size. The changes are quite significant.
Gu Xi teased the child on the bed, glanced at her fair and tender face, and said, "Qiao Hui, this child looks a lot like you two. She has inherited the best features of both of you. She will definitely grow up to be a great beauty."
It must be said that both Qiao Hui and her husband are very good-looking, and their child inherited the best features from both parents.
Qiao Hui paused, looked at the child's face, and said hesitantly, "I do hope she doesn't look too much like us."
She knew very well that neither her husband nor she herself were the type of people who would find attractive in the eyes of the general public.
From childhood to adulthood, she has been secretly called a vixen by many because of her appearance. People say that her eyes are seductive and that she is not a docile woman. They say that if a man marries her, he will worry that she will not be faithful.
As for her husband, Gao Wenbin, he was handsome, but not the righteous type, which could easily lead people to misunderstand him as having ulterior motives. Fortunately, he was a soldier, a former member of the military, and his charisma could suppress the shortcomings of his appearance, making it less likely for people to misunderstand him.
When Gu Xi heard this, she couldn't help but look at her and found that Qiao Hui was really insecure about her appearance. She felt that neither she nor her husband were good-looking and was afraid that their child would look like them.
However, this is understandable. In the words of Future Network, Chief of Staff Gao is a handsome and refined man. With his glasses on and his fox-like eyes narrowed, he looks like a typical refined scoundrel. Qiao Hui is even more beautiful and charming, with the typical look of a bad woman.
But both of these looks are beautiful.
Whether it's a refined scoundrel or a bad woman, they will have a large audience in the future.
It's a pity that in this era, people have different aesthetic tastes, and no one appreciates it.
“You can’t say that,” Gu Xi said with a smile. “Qiao Hui, you are so beautiful! Bright and elegant, intelligent and polite. No woman can compare to you when you stand there! Chief of Staff Gao is also good-looking, very handsome. Your child looks like you two, that’s what you call good-looking.”
She praised him sincerely, her eyes sparkling, making you want to believe her without even realizing it.
Qiao Hui stared at her blankly, her expression somewhat complicated, and said, "Gu Xi, thank you."
This was the first time someone had genuinely complimented her on her beauty, instead of looking at her with strange eyes or speculating about her because of her striking appearance.
Gu Xi is indeed a very good person.
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