Chapter 42
If the 21st century can be considered a lifetime, then Han Shuo probably never imagined in either lifetime that he would walk into a gynecology ward as a patient.
What bothered him even more was that the hospital conditions in this era were poor. There were four tables in one consultation room, and four doctors sat in front of the four tables. The four doctors were seeing four patients. Similarly, there were also family members of patients who, like Meng Yuxiu, were worried and followed them in.
So when Han Shuo sat down on the stool and looked at the people in the consultation room, he was immediately too embarrassed to speak.
Meng Yuxiu is even less of a possibility; Han Shuo, at least, has the soul of a college student in his twenties, so he would at most lose face in this situation.
But Meng Yuxiu is a high school student who has just come of age.
So when the doctor asked, "What's wrong with your health?" she saw that the seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy sitting on the stool had a slightly stiff expression. He moved his lips, but stammered and couldn't utter a single word.
The doctor then glanced at another boy of similar age, who was fair-skinned and handsome.
The boy carrying a floral cloth bag stood close to the boy next to him, his eyes filled with fear and trepidation.
The experienced doctor probably understood, after all, she had seen too many students of this age come to the hospital, and without exception, they all had the same expression as these two boys.
So she kindly asked Han Shuo, "What's wrong with your health?"
Han Shuo probably never imagined that he, as a man, would one day say these things in a hospital, but he had to face it eventually.
So he leaned forward slightly, steeling himself and deliberately lowering his voice: "Doctor, I want to check if I'm... cough, pregnant."
Meng Yuxiu immediately focused his attention on the doctor's face with tension.
The doctor asked, "When was the last time you had sex?"
Meng Yuxiu's face slowly turned red. He glanced around the consultation room, and when he saw the curious looks from other patients and their families, his face turned even redder.
He quickly turned his face back and then lowered his head.
Han Shuo stiffly touched his nose, then looked up and asked Meng Yuxiu beside him, "What number was it again?"
Meng Yuxiu's voice was barely audible, "The last time was today, and the time before that was December 26th."
Han Shuo's face twitched twice before he answered the doctor, "December 26th."
"Today is February 3rd, so it's been two months." The doctor wrote in the consultation record and continued to ask, "Have you been experiencing any discomfort, such as loss of appetite or vomiting?"
Actually, Han Shuo was full of energy and had a great appetite when he went to the banquet today, but after this incident, he really started to think carefully about his physical condition over the past period of time.
"without."
The doctor tore off a form and handed it to Han Shuo: "Go get a urine test first."
Han Shuo took the order and lowered his head.
After that one glance, he fell silent and quietly handed the form to Meng Yuxiu beside him.
Meng Yuxiu, who had been standing silently to the side, seemed to have stopped breathing after that glance.
The form said that a urine pregnancy test cost three yuan.
After leaving the consultation room, the two stood in the corridor instead of going to the payment window because they needed to discuss something.
"How much do you have left?" Han Shuo asked Meng Yuxiu.
"The registration fee was 50 cents. This morning when I left home, my dad gave me a dollar for the bus fare, so I have 50 cents left. Therefore... I still have 80 cents left."
It was another eight-starch stalk, and Han Shuo was truly annoyed. Actually, he had asked Meng Yuxiu how much money he had left, but if he opened Meng Yuxiu's pockets, they would probably be emptier than Meng Yuxiu's face.
He still had some money on him. Meng Yuxiu had given him tuition fees before the New Year, and he had bought Han Ting two yuan worth of firecrackers. After deducting the bus fare to the county town...
Seeing Han Shuo take out some money from his pocket and count it, Meng Yuxiu quickly asked, "How much do you have?"
Han Shuo clicked his tongue in frustration, "Two yuan and fifty cents."
After hearing this, Meng Yuxiu put the eight cents in his hand into Han Shuo's hand, saying, "Three yuan and three jiao is enough."
"Three yuan and three jiao." Han Shuo rolled his eyes at him speechlessly. "Big brother, are we not taking a car today? Or are you planning to run back on all fours with me?"
Meng Yuxiu shut up.
I definitely need to leave a dollar for the fare, but the missing seven cents is a real headache.
Han Shuo sat down heavily on a bench in the corridor, his current situation truly reflecting the saying on the internet: "When you're poor, your belt is loose; you have children one after another; after giving birth, you tighten your belt again to eat; and after eating, your belt is loose again by evening."
Looking at the bewildered male student beside him, Han Shuo felt even more frustrated.
No wonder everyone says not to hang out with poor students. They're all eager and impatient when it comes to sex, but when something goes wrong, all they do is clutch the bag and rub their fingers together.
Han Shuo sat for a few minutes, and when Meng Yuxiu saw him suddenly get up, he quickly asked, "What's wrong? Where are you going?"
"Where to?" Han Shuo said irritably, "Where else can we go? To talk to the doctor and see if we can get a discount! Damn it!"
"..."
Han Shuo went into the consultation room again, and Meng Yuxiu followed him in once more.
When the doctor saw that it was the two of them, he said that after paying the fees and completing the tests, they could just wait outside to be called.
Han Shuo neither spoke nor left. Only after the patient who was receiving treatment left did he sit down on the stool and then lean over to speak to the doctor.
"Doctor, um..." Han Shuo smiled awkwardly at her, "Could you make this urine test a little cheaper? I'm still seven cents short..."
The doctor could understand that students of this age might not have much money, but an unplanned pregnancy is no small matter. If the urine test results showed that the two students were pregnant, then they would have to face another problem.
So she advised, "The hospital has its own rules and regulations. This isn't a market. You should call your parents."
"..." Han Shuo looked at Meng Yuxiu, whose brows were already furrowed after hearing the doctor's words.
Han Shuo could only tell the doctor, "We can't call his parents. If we do, his leg will be ruined."
After hearing this, the doctor looked in the direction Han Shuo was pointing and saw Meng Yuxiu's long legs.
"Then think of another way, see if you can manage to get enough?" the doctor asked.
Han Shuo thought for a moment, then leaned closer and said, "Doctor, do you think this will work?"
He covered his lips, his voice even softer, "Please let me take the test this time. If I really find out... I'm pregnant, I'll give you the IV when I come for the next appointment?"
"..."
The doctor was a good doctor. After Han Shuo pleaded with him, he finally helped to put on seven cents and gave him a kind lecture.
Han Shuo's urine test results came back, and thankfully, she wasn't pregnant. However, they could only breathe a sigh of relief for now, because they still had to face the possibility of a second pregnancy with trepidation.
After all, birth control pills are simply unaffordable. At present, there are very few domestically produced birth control pills and their effects are not good. All the pills sold in hospitals are imported, and an emergency birth control pill costs eighteen yuan.
With no other option, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu could only go home and try to find a way to get some money from their families, hoping to raise the money within 72 hours.
The two spent their last dollar on the bus home. Han Shuo was in a good mood when he left this morning, and he even thought about how he had enjoyed himself with Meng Yuxiu at the hotel. On the way back, the two of them secretly made out in the bus.
However, now whenever he sees Meng Yuxiu's innocent face and thinks about what's in his pants, he feels like he could just strangle it with his hands.
Han Shuo sat by the window with a dark expression. Meng Yuxiu didn't dare to provoke him. He really wanted to talk to Han Shuo, but as soon as he opened his mouth, Han Shuo would glare at him and start criticizing him.
And the words used were increasingly offensive.
So Meng Yuxiu could only carefully touch Han Shuo's arm and ask, "Han Shuo, would you like some peach shortbread? Can I get you one?"
But Han Shuo forcefully shook off his hand with his elbow, then not only glared at him but also started spitting out, "Eat your sister's food!"
Finally, as if he hadn't fully vented his anger, he muttered another curse: "Get out of here, you son of a bitch!"
"..." Meng Yuxiu pursed his lips and could only continue to sit quietly.
When he arrived at the village, Han Shuo didn't even look at him properly. So when he got off the carriage, he stuffed the cloth bag in his hand into Han Shuo's arms, and then looked at Han Shuo and said that he was leaving.
Han Shuo glanced at him and said fiercely, "Go and raise the money!"
"Three days! I'm giving you three days!"
"Whether you have money or not, just let me know. Don't sneak around outside! If you dare waste my time, I'll fucking kill you!"
"I understand." Meng Yuxiu nodded, got out of the car, and stood by the roadside watching the car drive away.
When Han Shuo arrived home, Han Hong had almost finished cooking.
Although Han Shuo was exhausted today, he didn't want his brother to notice anything amiss, so when he entered the room, he composed himself and called Han Ting over to eat wedding candy.
Han Ting knew that Han Shuo was going to a wedding banquet today. When he woke up in the morning and saw that Han Shuo was nowhere to be seen, he cried and made a fuss with his father, saying that he also wanted to go to the city to attend the wedding banquet with his uncle.
Han Hong could only coax him: "When your uncle comes back, he'll bring you a big bag of wedding candy."
So Han Ting stayed under the eaves all day, hoping to wait for Han Shuo to come home soon.
As expected, Han Shuo returned with not only a lot of wedding candy but also two tubes of peach shortbread, which made him extremely happy.
Han Shuo was still untying the cloth bag when he had already put his hands on the table, impatiently waiting.
"Oh, you even have peach shortbread?" Han Hong was quite surprised. He stood to the side with his arms crossed and said with a smile, "It seems your classmate's family is quite well-off."
"Yeah, it's fine." Han Shuo replied casually, taking out a peach shortbread and handing it to Han Ting.
Han Hong watched his son eat peach shortbread with satisfaction, patted his hair and said, "When your uncle gets married in the future, Dad will also prepare wedding candy and peach shortbread for him."
"Great!" Han Ting exclaimed happily, tilting his head back.
But when Han Shuo heard this, he felt like crying but had no tears in his heart.
He thought to himself, "My brother, why didn't you tell me sooner that I'm a man who can get married? If I had known earlier that men can have children, I would have sold more scrap metal to earn enough money for a few condoms before doing the mission with Meng Yuxiu..."
At that moment, he suddenly thought of something and carefully observed Han Hong and Han Ting's earlobes.
He breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, neither his brother nor his nephew had any red moles. He couldn't let the three of them be ruined by men.
It was cold, so the family of three closed the door and sat inside to eat dinner.
Seeing that Han Shuo looked listless, Han Hong asked if he was tired from going to the county town for a wedding banquet today.
Han Shuo was exhausted, wasn't he? After a morning of playing games, he rushed off to a wedding banquet, and after that, he hurriedly went to sell scrap metal and then to the hospital. He was not only physically exhausted today, but also mentally exhausted.
But he could only offer a perfunctory reply, "It's nothing, I probably ate too much at lunch, I'll feel better after a while."
Han Hong was relieved to hear this.
Han Shuo ate his meal absentmindedly, then glanced at Han Hong secretly. After hesitating for a moment, he pretended to speak casually.
There was nothing he could do. Although he asked Meng Yuxiu to raise money, Han Shuo felt uneasy after seeing how hard he had to ask his father for money this morning.
"Brother, do we have any savings?"
Han Hong laughed and said, "What savings do we have?"
As expected, Han Shuo simply said "Oh" and continued eating with his head down.
After taking only two bites, he looked up and asked, "Brother, you really don't have any savings at all?"
Han Hong: Oh, well, there is a little bit.
Upon hearing this, Han Shuo's eyes immediately lit up.
"There's still about twenty yuan left." Han Hong thought his younger brother was worried about the family's situation, so he patted Han Shuo on the shoulder to comfort him, "Don't worry, I've saved up for your and Tingting's tuition. Besides, I'll go earn money tomorrow."
"Tomorrow? Where will we earn that money?"
Han Hong said he was going to Shuangcai Town, where there was a mountain village where a family was building a house. He asked someone to pull some strings, and since the Lunar New Year was almost over and he didn't need to visit relatives anymore, he decided to go and earn some money.
Where is Shuangcai Town? How far is it?
"It's not far, only about fifteen or sixteen kilometers."
"That far?!" Han Shuo exclaimed in surprise. "How are you going to get there?"
Han Hong smiled nonchalantly and said, "Don't worry about that."
Han Ting, holding chopsticks, said, "Dad, go over there."
For a moment, Han Shuo's next words caught in his throat. Yes, even young Han Ting could guess it, let alone him?
A frugal person like Han Hong would naturally be reluctant to take a car, especially since he would definitely get up very early, and there wouldn't be any cars available that early.
Just thinking about Han Hong carrying his tools, getting up in the morning to save time, soaking them in hot water, eating the leftovers from last night, and then groping his way out of the village in the dark, and then groping his way home again in the dark at night.
The thought that he had just been eyeing the savings account filled Han Shuo with immense guilt.
Han Shuo had only been in this world for half a year, but before that, or even longer, such situations were commonplace for Han Hong and Han Ting.
For countless days, Han Hong was busy running around for his family, taking meticulous care of his younger brother and son.
On days when Han Shuo was away at school and Han Hong was out late, young Han Ting had to learn to go to school and come home by herself, and then sit obediently at home waiting for her father to come back.
Looking at Han Ting's thin face and small hands, and thinking about how he occasionally had to help his father with household chores, and how he used those small hands that couldn't even hold chopsticks properly to peel broad beans, Han Shuo felt a pang of sorrow.
Even Han Ting is so sensible.
For a moment, Han Shuo felt as if he were the child who caused his family so much trouble. A deep sense of guilt overwhelmed him, and he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.
"Is Uncle crying?" Han Ting exclaimed.
Han Hong was taken aback and hurriedly went to look at Han Shuo.
"No." Han Shuo quickly turned his face away so his brother wouldn't see.
However, Han Hong was deeply moved by what he saw. Han Shuo had been mischievous and naughty since childhood, but he had changed drastically in the past six months.
In the past six months, although Han Shuo was still carefree and irresponsible, Han Hong knew that he had really grown up.
"Why are you crying?" Han Hong was a rough and uncultured man who couldn't say much. So he said, "It's not like this is my first day working. Besides, I don't have to use my brain when I work. It's not as tiring as your studies."
"It's really not hard work." Han Hong patted Han Shuo on the back and said, "I'm happy as long as you and Tingting can study hard. Oh, of course, don't put too much pressure on yourself. Just do your best. We don't need you to go to a top university. An ordinary one will be fine too."
Seeing Han Shuo's lowered eyes, Han Hong added, "It's okay if you don't pass the exam. So many people didn't pass either. If you don't pass, we can go to the city to work. Working is no worse than going to school. Just try your best."
Han Shuo nodded silently, then wiped his eyes, looked up at Han Hong solemnly, and said, "Don't worry, brother, I will definitely work hard! I will strive to get into university!"
At this moment, overwhelmed by the love and care of his family, Han Shuo's gaze remained firm. He secretly vowed that he could no longer let birth control pills become a burden on his family, nor could he let Han Hong down. No matter what happened next, he would study hard in the remaining time.
Hearing his younger brother's resolute words, Han Hong couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes. He repeatedly said, "Yes, yes! I believe in you!"
Just as the two brothers were about to huddle together and cry, there was a knock on the door. Han Hong quickly put down his chopsticks and went to open the door. It turned out to be Liu, a fellow villager who was going to work on a construction site in Shuangcai Town with him the next day.
Han Shuo greeted Han Ting, "Uncle Liu."
"Uncle Liu!"
Looking at the dining table, Chef Liu chuckled, "Your whole family is still eating? You're eating really late."
Han Hong handed him a cigarette and said, "My son Xiao Shuo went to a wedding banquet in the county today. He came back late, so I cooked dinner late too."
Master Liu came to talk to Han Hong about the construction site in Shuangcai Town. Han Hong brought wine and chopsticks, and they ate and talked along the way.
"Eat quickly," Han Shuo urged Han Ting, who was dawdling over his food with chopsticks.
Han Ting ate a piece of peach shortbread before the meal, so he was mostly unable to eat anything else. He looked around, wanting to go down to the fields to play.
Only after Han Hong glared at him did he quickly continue to symbolically shovel two more mouthfuls of rice.
Han Shuo didn't pay attention to Han Hong and the others' conversation, but Han Hong and Master Liu suddenly burst into laughter, so Han Shuo asked curiously, "What's wrong?"
Han Hong said to Han Shuo, "You know Xiao Qiang, the one in our village who's good at studying, right?"
"What's wrong with Xiaoqiang?" Han Shuo asked.
Master Liu laughed and said, "That Xiaoqiang seemed like a good student, but I never expected him to secretly go on a relationship and get pregnant. Now his parents have found out, and they're going to break his legs."
Han Shuo was particularly sensitive to these kinds of things now. He wasn't sure if Xiao Qiang was the top or the bottom, but hearing the words "broken legs" made his heart skip a beat, so he quickly asked, "Who's pregnant? Xiao Qiang or..."
Master Liu: "It's about Xiaoqiang. Xiaoqiang got someone pregnant. His parents are so angry they want to beat him. The whole village is talking about it today."
Han Hong nodded and said, "If someone goes out and messes around and gets pregnant, they should definitely have their legs broken. If it were my Xiao Shuo, I would want to break his legs too."
Han Shuo immediately looked at Han Hong and asked, "Whose leg should we break? Mine or...?"
He twitched his facial muscles violently. "Or is it the other person's leg?"
Without even thinking, Han Hong said, "I've already beaten both legs, and you still want two more? Then I'll definitely beat both of their legs."
Han Shuo's face turned pale instantly.
Even though Han Ting didn't understand, he still grabbed his chopsticks, banged his bowl, and shouted excitedly, "Break their legs! Break their legs!"
Han Hong, oblivious to Han Shuo's terrified expression, continued chatting with Master Liu.
"My son Xiaoshuo loves to play, so I'm not worried about that..."
Before getting on the bus today, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu agreed that the contraceptive pill would be effective for 72 hours, which is the third day. Regardless of whether Meng Yuxiu had raised the money or not, he had to come to his door.
During the meal, Han Shuo originally thought that it would be best if Meng Yuxiu could raise the money. Then, on the third day, after Meng Yuxiu came to him with the money, the two of them would immediately go to the county town to buy medicine.
Later, he thought to himself that if he couldn't raise the money, he could only pray that he wasn't pregnant, so he could completely start over and devote himself to his studies without any distractions.
But if she really got pregnant, he would have to put it off for now, and then work hard to collect scraps to earn money next semester, while Meng Yuxiu would study day and night to earn money.
After the college entrance exams are over, they can sell all their books and make a little money. Of course, Han Shuo doesn't plan to use the money to abort the child; he wants to save it for Han Hong and Han Ting.
He originally planned to earn more, but now it's urgent and he doesn't have time to earn more.
Because he decided to finish the remaining forty-six rounds with Meng Yuxiu as soon as possible next semester, provided that she was already pregnant. Since she was already pregnant, there was no difference whether or not they used protection.
He did some quick calculations: ten months of pregnancy, the surgery was just done this morning, it's February now, so after the college entrance exam, it will be four months.
He wasn't sure how big a four-month-old belly could be, but he couldn't think about it too much. He could just make up an excuse and say he had gained weight.
In short, he had to complete the task within four short months, whether in the wilderness or in the fields, and then leave all the money to Han Hong and Han Ting before returning to the 21st century.
Oh, right, he also needs to get into a university before he leaves, so that Han Hong can be happy.
But all of this is contingent on Han Hong not finding out. After all, he still wants to keep his leg so he can go back to collecting scraps.
Han Hong chatted for a while, then suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Han Shuo, "Shuo, you just asked me about my savings. Are you short of money?"
"..." Han Shuo immediately became alert and said, "No, no..."
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