Xu Ningyan's initial anxiety gradually dissipated under Jiang Zhiyuan's calm and methodical arrangements.
She nuzzled against Jiang Zhiyuan's chest and said, "I'm a little scared. I've never been a mother before."
Jiang Zhiyuan kissed Xu Ningyan's cheek: "Don't be afraid! I've never been a father either! This is our first time, let's learn together!"
Xu Ningyan nodded.
Jiang Zhiyuan kissed Xu Ningyan's hair again: "I'm sorry, Yanyan! I scared you!"
Xu Ningyan shook her head, mentally calculating the time.
It's March 1976 now. If she's pregnant, she can give birth by the end of the year.
The resumption of the National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) was announced on October 21, 1977, but the actual resumption date was December 11 and 12.
In other words, if I do get pregnant and give birth before the college entrance exam, finding someone to help take care of the child won't significantly affect my studies.
Otherwise, after the college entrance examination is reinstated, universities have a rule against dating. It is said that some students who were caught dating were expelled from school.
Even though she's already married, they don't allow her to date in college, so I guess they won't let her have children either?
Do I have to wait until I graduate from university to get pregnant and have children?
Should I wait until after graduation, and have a baby right after I start working?
That would be five or six years from now, so it wasn't urgent for her, but Jiang Zhiyuan would already be over thirty by then.
A man in his thirties without children will likely attract a lot of gossip.
As husband and wife, Jiang Zhiyuan always protected her, and she couldn't let others talk about Jiang Zhiyuan, could she?
Children always have to be born. In her past life, she had a friend who belonged to the group of people who married and had children late.
After having a child, recovery is not as fast as when you were younger, and you age more noticeably.
When children are in school and require a lot of time and energy to accompany them, it becomes even more difficult to keep up.
Children of my peers are already in college, while my child is still in elementary school.
That's bad enough, but when I went to pick up my child, I was mistaken for the child's grandmother, which was really heartbreaking.
Not to mention, while her peers can enjoy life without worrying about their children, she still has to struggle through it all.
That friend said she really regretted it. She kept brainwashing Xu Ningyan, saying that if she had known it would turn out like this, she would have gotten married and had children earlier, and done what she was supposed to do while she was still young. Once the children were older, she could relax and rest easy.
Xu Ningyan was scared off by what her friends said, so she simply chose not to get married.
However, if she is indeed pregnant, giving birth now would be the best option.
As for her health, she wasn't worried about it with Old Master Yu around.
Having figured this out, Xu Ningyan breathed a sigh of relief and began to feel a little hopeful about the uncertain child in her womb.
Seeing Xu Ningyan's relaxed expression and her hand slowly placed on her stomach, seemingly with a hint of anticipation, Jiang Zhiyuan's heart, which had been pounding, finally settled back into his stomach.
She couldn't help but kiss Xu Ningyan's cheek again, her eyes filled with undeniable tenderness and heartache.
That night, apart from Xu Ningyan, neither Jiang Zhiyuan nor Jiang Yuan slept well.
Jiang Zhiyuan mentally rehearsed the plan over and over again, while Jiang Yuan tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She even thought of a name for the child and, fearing she might forget it, got up to write it down.
Thinking that when her eldest grandson or granddaughter is born, her son and daughter-in-law will definitely choose the formal name, so it's not unreasonable for her to borrow the child's nickname, right?
The thought of being able to hold my sweet and soft grandson or granddaughter at the end of the year fills me with hope.
She felt a sense of triumph, knowing that with her son and daughter-in-law's good looks and intelligence, their future children would surely be both beautiful and smart.
As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait.
Then those people who made veiled accusations that Jiang Zhiyuan would remain a bachelor for life will definitely have a good look at this.
Holding onto this beautiful dream, Jiang Yuan finally managed to doze off for a short while, almost until the early hours of the morning.
As soon as it was light, Jiang Zhiyuan got up, dressed quietly, and went out, afraid of waking Xu Ningyan who was fast asleep.
I went outside and practiced a set of boxing moves in the yard, but I didn't dare go for a run, afraid something might happen if I left for a short while.
When the driver came to pick him up for work, he hesitated for a moment and asked the driver to go back to his workplace to ask for half a day off for him, and then come back to pick him up to go to the hospital.
After getting up, Xu Ningyan calmed down despite the tense looks from Jiang Zhiyuan and Jiang Yuan.
After leisurely eating breakfast, I got into the car and headed straight for Old Master Yu's pharmacy.
When Old Yu saw this family early in the morning, he was startled, thinking something had happened.
Only after hearing that Xu Ningyan was suspected of being pregnant did he feel relieved. He took Xu Ningyan's pulse for a while, and couldn't help but smile and nod: "She is indeed pregnant, and it's not even been a month yet!"
Jiang Yuan was all smiles. If she hadn't still had a shred of reason, she would have been thanking the heavens and the gods.
Jiang Zhiyuan, who was standing to the side, was happy, but he was more worried.
Pulling Old Yu aside, he asked Xu Ningyan if her pregnancy would be bad for her health, and what precautions she should take during pregnancy, and whether she should take any supplements.
After her initial joy, Jiang Yuan also felt worried.
They stared longingly at Old Master Yu.
Old Yu was being stared at expectantly by the mother, son, mother-in-law, and daughter-in-law. He could only cover his face and sigh, "Don't worry, Xiao Xu is in great health! She doesn't need any medicine! Just be careful not to do strenuous exercise during the first three months, keep a peaceful mindset, and eat well! She might experience morning sickness. I had them make some pickled plums a few days ago. Take some back with you. If you feel nauseous, just suck on one."
Jiang Zhiyuan and Jiang Yuan both breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Old Yu, and got up to go out and get the pickled plums.
On the way back, Jiang Yuan kept talking.
“I’m moving in today, and I’ll have Zhixing move in too. With one more person in the house, there will be one more pair of eyes. If anything happens, just call out and they can lend a hand.”
Jiang Zhiyuan agreed. He's been busy lately and gets home late from get off work. If anything happens, his mother and younger brother will be home to take extra care of him.
“Your brother has many connections, so have him ask his friends to get more meat and fish and the like. We need to make sure Xiaoyan gets enough nutrition. She’s eating for two now, so we can’t be careless.”
Jiang Zhiyuan began to consider his network of friends, digging out Sun Zhou. This kid ran a black market business in Jingshan County, had a lot of connections, and knew the ins and outs of the business. He was sure he could get things that others couldn't.
"These ten months of pregnancy will fly by, and we need to get everything the little one needs ready in advance—clothes, diapers, formula, blankets, everything. It'll be too late if we wait until the baby is due!"
Jiang Zhiyuan had made up his mind that when he returned to his unit, he would snatch all the cloth coupons, milk powder coupons, and other ration coupons from the people he knew, and save them up for his child.
After making these arrangements, Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and said, "From now on, you or your brother should take Xiaoyan to work every day. Otherwise, what if something goes wrong on the way?"
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