Shen Heng pressed Bai Jiaojiao down onto the kang (a heated brick bed), and the newly sprouted stubble on her face made her fair skin and stomach ache.
He lowered his head, lifted Bai Jiaojiao's chin, and kissed her. One of his large hands grabbed Bai Jiaojiao's small hand, which was haphazardly pushing against his chest. Bai Jiaojiao was tightly restrained by Shen Heng, and her eyes slowly changed from fright to dazed.
Shen Heng quickly stripped himself naked and wrapped his arms around Bai Jiaojiao's delicate body, saying, "If your period comes, we'll think of another way."
"No..." Bai Jiaojiao's eyes were misty, and she turned her head to one side.
"You have to have it whether you want it or not," Shen Heng said, his eyes narrowing as he lifted Bai Jiaojiao's chin, like a predator scrutinizing its prey. "Be obedient."
Bai Jiaojiao tremblingly reached out her hand to Shen Heng, burying her head in his arms, looking pitiful yet irresistibly cute.
Shen Heng chuckled softly, closing his eyes to savor the pleasure Bai Jiaojiao brought him.
.
The money for road repairs was distributed to Shili Village. The accountant and Zheng Xu discussed using the money to buy new farm tools, which could be used for road repairs or saved for planting in the spring.
Such a good opportunity made the other villages in Hushan Commune green with envy. Some families who were not doing well even asked their village head to come and ask Zheng Xu if he needed any labor from outside the village.
Zheng Xu thought to himself that the funding allocated for road repairs wasn't even enough for their village to share, let alone spare money to hire outsiders, so he refused them all: "You can put in the effort when it's your village's turn!"
Although it was said that the road repairs were done in shifts, the reason for this was also due to the issue of raising funds. In those days, not only were the people and villages poor, but the communes were also not wealthy.
Zheng Xu told them to wait, but in reality, it was uncertain whether they would even be able to wait. This infuriated the people from other villages, while they envied the people of Shili Village for their good fortune.
On the first day of work, a few snowflakes drifted down from the sky in the morning, but the weather cleared up after only half an hour.
Zheng Xu thought it was a good omen, like "the sun shining after the rain," and encouraged everyone to work harder.
No matter what kind of laborer Shen Heng was, he would always be assigned to the front. He used a shovel and pickaxe to pry up the large stones that were originally by the roadside and move them away so that the road could be widened later.
Zheng Xu specially arranged for Shen Heng to be with the Bai brothers. Bai Shihai smiled at Shen Heng and said, "Brother-in-law, you look much more energetic lately. You are still young, and you recover very quickly."
Hearing Bai Shihai praise his good health, Shen Heng felt a little more at ease: "My wife takes good care of me."
Bai Shihai was taken aback, then smiled even more broadly: "Jiaojiao has you in her heart."
"That doesn't mean..." Shen Heng couldn't suppress the urge to smile.
Bai Shibao and Bai Shihai exchanged a glance, both seeing the mockery in each other's eyes.
Yesterday, Li Shuxian came back from the county town with a liter of milk. Bai Jiaojiao whipped some real cream for Bai Shiqing to eat. Bai Shiqing originally wanted to trouble Bai Jiaojiao to share the snacks she made with her, but after tasting them, she couldn't help but eat them all because they were so delicious.
Seeing Bai Shiqing's hearty appetite, Li's mother was delighted: "It's a pity we can't find any milk coupons at home. But it's okay, Shiqing, if you like it, your father can find someone to get some more!"
"No need, Mom," Bai Shiqing said, a little embarrassed.
Bai Jiaojiao said to Li's mother, "Auntie, this stuff can't be eaten as a meal."
"Isn't that made from milk? How could something so good make you sick?"
Li's mother was somewhat puzzled, since in her understanding, milk was the most nutritious and highly nourishing food.
"No matter what you eat, it's not good if you eat too much. Sister, pregnancy is hard, but for your own health and your little nephew, you must not be picky about food."
Seeing Bai Jiaojiao advising Bai Shiqing, Li's mother nodded in agreement.
Bai Shiqing said with a bitter face, "You make it sound so easy, why don't you try it yourself?"
Bai Shiqing's morning sickness lasted for a month, and she couldn't stand it anymore.
As a mother, doesn't she want to take good care of her health so that her child can absorb nutrients?
Do you usually walk around in the yard now?
Bai Shiqing replied, "I just walked around in front of the kang (heated brick bed)."
Li's mother replied, "It's getting colder and colder now. Just take a stroll around in front of the kang (heated brick bed). Don't go out and catch a cold."
It was clear that this was at the behest of Li's mother.
Li's mother was already a good mother-in-law for treating Bai Shiqing like a precious gem and keeping her at home to rest during her pregnancy. Bai Jiaojiao didn't blame her: "Auntie, don't worry about catching a cold. My sister can just wear more cotton-padded coats when she goes out. She should go out more and exercise more. Her appetite will be better, and it will be much easier for her to give birth later."
"Yes, Mom, I'm so bored at home."
“You’re destined to be a workaholic. I can’t even let you enjoy a couple of days of peace and quiet.” Mother Li shook her head and left. Bai Shiqing smiled at Bai Jiaojiao.
"My wife and mother-in-law treat me exceptionally well."
Seeing Bai Shiqing's happy expression, Bai Jiaojiao felt relieved: "Aunt Qing is a good person to begin with, and now that you're her daughter-in-law."
The two sisters huddled together talking. Bai Shiqing took out two pieces of cloth and started sewing. The needlework was very fine and dense, clearly meant for a child.
"Isn't it a bit too early to do this now?" Bai Jiaojiao watched from the side. She wasn't good at this and really couldn't get involved.
She had already planned it out: once Bai Shiqing's child was born, she would send over a basket of pig's trotters—practical and without the hassle of manual labor.
Other sisters came to visit and brought some handicrafts, but Bai Jiaojiao really couldn't bring herself to do any.
"What do you mean 'early'? Ten months will pass in the blink of an eye. Once the baby is born, there won't be time to do all this. Let's take advantage of the time when we don't have to work and get the baby's things ready. Come and feel it, it's pure cotton. My father-in-law is really generous. It makes me, who has a lot of savings, feel embarrassed."
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