Having not seen each other for a year, the two felt they had endless things to talk about, and before they knew it, two hours had passed.
When a Jeep drove up on the main road in front of the medical school and honked at Zhou Yue, he sighed.
"I won't come to say goodbye when I leave. The task is heavy and time is tight. It's already very difficult to find two hours this time."
There wasn't much leave to visit relatives in the past two years, and we'll keep in touch by letter. This is money I've saved; I can't spend it all. Buy some of your favorite food.
Before Xiao Jiu could refuse, his calloused hands gently ruffled her short, ear-length hair.
"Eat well, gaining some weight will make you look healthier."
Xiao Jiu wanted to chase after him to see him off, but he held her shoulder down.
"My boss is sitting inside. You'll just stay here and watch me leave, right?"
Seeing the little girl's eyes brimming with tears, as if she were about to shed a golden pearl, Zhou Yue ruthlessly turned his head away, took a few steps, and got into the jeep.
Dust flew everywhere, cars left tracks, and tears blurred my vision without me even realizing it.
Xiao Jiu didn't understand why she was crying; it felt different from when she left her grandparents and parents.
Zhou Yue was also feeling bad, sitting in the passenger seat and constantly looking at the rearview mirror.
He only let out a soft breath when he could no longer see it.
"Xiao Zhou, is this your boyfriend? Getting into a military medical university is really impressive!"
Upon hearing this, Zhou Yue immediately sat up straight and turned to look at his leader.
"Reporting to the commander, that is my younger sister whom I grew up with. She is only fourteen years old this year."
He was admitted last year through a special admissions process; he's studying clinical medicine and will become an excellent air force doctor.
"Wow, that's even more amazing! He's only fourteen! This kid is definitely a natural at studying!"
"Yes, Comrade Tao Tao has always been a good student since childhood, and she has almost completed her primary school curriculum on her own."
He skipped grades in junior and senior high school and even took the college entrance exam on his own, making him a role model for me throughout my studies.
Everyone had initially intended to make fun of him, but upon hearing Xiao Jiu's age and expertise, all that remained was admiration.
"Great, that's wonderful! Some people are born to learn; they are the pillars of our nation!"
...
When Xiaojiu returned to her dorm with the dress wrapped in paper, she had already composed herself.
Seeing that her eyes were red, Yuan Yuan couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Are you leaving already?"
"Yes, he must be here to participate in the competition,"
"Oh, so he went out of his way to see you? Did he buy this for you?"
Yuan Yuan looked at her with envy: "Being pampered by so many older brothers, our Xiao Jiu truly deserves to be the group's darling."
Xiao Jiu couldn't help but glare at her, "Now one of my brothers has started to dote on you and doesn't care about me anymore."
Yuan Yuan blushed and awkwardly turned to the side. "No way! Every time I go out, the first thing your brother asks is how you've been!"
There are no theory classes scheduled for weekend evenings, only field training.
Nobody likes it, but nobody can escape it. Those who accept their fate first have to run a long-distance race, and then they are divided into classes for special training in eighteen basic subjects.
——
After being discharged from the hospital and returning to her unit, Tang Cuihong arranged her postpartum period in an orderly manner.
As long as Niu Feng is home: "Sister Zhou, you can take care of cooking and laundry. Leave the children to us, let him take on more of the responsibilities."
If Niu Feng isn't home, that's one thing; but if he is, we must make him experience the responsibilities of being a father and absolutely not give him any chance to slack off.
She also had Niu Feng learn to cook from Sister Zhou.
Although Niu Feng has some basic skills, he would be even better if he learned a few local Anhui dishes.
Before Zhou Qiaomei came here, Cuihong, with her pregnant belly, had thoroughly tidied up the house and the space.
Things that could be left out, such as the dried vegetables, dried mushrooms, and dried seafood that she had dried before, were all placed on the rack that Niu Feng had nailed up, and put in a neat and orderly manner so that they wouldn't have to rummage through them when eating.
Before giving birth, she had saved up quite a few eggs at home, and with the ones Xiaojiu gave her, it would be enough to last her for two or three months.
Even if you eat a lot of protein during your postpartum period, it's enough.
Because apart from eggs, other live fish and fresh meat cannot be bought in one trip; you have to try your luck.
Every three days she would give Zhou Qiaomei money and tickets so she could go out and buy things.
But the items that could be bought were limited; they were all secretly obtained from nearby villagers as icing on the cake.
She had to supplement their daily food and drink from time to time. Fortunately, Xiaojiu gave them meat coupons, so if they couldn't buy meat in the village, they could go to the city to queue up and buy it.
Sufficient quantities of essential postpartum supplies, such as milk powder, brown sugar, biscuits, peanuts, red dates, kelp, red beans, sanitary napkins, and toilet paper, have been prepared in advance.
My milk came in on the second day after giving birth, and with the help of hot compresses and massages from the hospital's professional nurses, my milk supply was quite plentiful.
Little Niu Dundun eats quite a lot and can't go hungry at all; if he does, he cries out loudly.
Fortunately, he wasn't too difficult to take care of. He would eat and sleep, and then eat and sleep soundly.
Sometimes Cuihong even doubted whether he was still breathing, and would check his breath from time to time.
The child's formal name hasn't been chosen yet, and Cuihong wants Xiaojiu, the most cultured person in her family, to come and pick it up.
Niu Feng had no objections, so they decided on Dun Dun, which sounds robust and sturdy, as his nickname.
Following Sister Zhou's advice and the postpartum diet recipes she heard from the hospital, Cuihong now eats five meals a day, in small, frequent meals.
The three meals a day consist mainly of rice porridge and noodles, supplemented by vegetable soup, kelp soup, and mushroom soup. The two extra meals are egg drop soup at 10 a.m. and red soup at 8 p.m.
If you can buy meat, ribs, or crucian carp, you will mainly use them to make soup and add them to your meals.
The selection of fruit was entirely based on luck, and it had to be heated before eating. Tang Cuihong couldn't stand these restrictions. If she hadn't been frightened by her postpartum illness, she definitely wouldn't have listened to them so obediently.
If all of this is tolerable, then not letting her take a bath is simply a sin.
“Hong, you should be content. This is a cave dwelling, it’s not that hot. If you were in another place, that would be real suffering.”
If she hadn't come to Shaanxi Province, Sister Zhou wouldn't have known that summer could be so comfortable.
Besides, it's only May in the Gregorian calendar, the wheat hasn't even been harvested yet, so it can't be considered really hot.
If you won't let her take a bath, boil some water and wipe her body. Soak her feet before bed and apply a compress to her abdomen; she'll feel much better.
Most babies in the postpartum period are asleep, and Cuihong felt she could manage.
Especially when meals are prepared on time, water tanks are filled, diapers are made, and the house is cleaned, Cuihong will ask Sister Zhou to go to the woods to dig for wild vegetables.
"Sister, just keep an eye on the time and remember to come back to cook. There are lots of wild vegetables in this forest, so gather some, dry them, and take them home."
Zhou Qiaomei was pleasantly surprised: "Hong, thank you first, but I came here to take care of you and your child. It wouldn't be appropriate for me to only think of myself."
"It's okay. I've gotten used to the process these past few days. Don't worry, I'll move away after he falls asleep and won't roll over on him."
The problem is, it's not convenient for me to cook special meals when you're home!
Finally, through Cuihong's difficult communication, they managed to persuade Zhou Qiaomei to go out and dig for wild vegetables and mushrooms!
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