Chapter 75 The county town relaxes.
After much persuasion, He Susu even said, "Sister-in-law, if you don't accept it, I won't dare to ask you for help in the future. Besides, what's wrong with me, as your sister-in-law, buying some cloth to make clothes and some food for Dabao and Erbao?" before Su Yu accepted the cotton cloth and two kilograms of yam cake she had just bought.
Su Yu followed her to get off the bus at a residential area, helped carry the backpack to her younger sister's door, and even carried the backpack to the kitchen to put it down before smiling and saying, "Okay, younger sister, you take your time to pack up. I'm going home to cook first. Next time you go to the county town to buy things, call me. Don't be polite when buying things for the children."
He Susu smiled and responded: "Okay sister-in-law, I understand. Thank you for today."
"You're welcome. I'm leaving now." Su Yu helped her younger sister close the yard door from the outside before going back home.
He Susu was packing up the things she had bought in the kitchen. After putting all the food in place, she took out the rice, flour, oil and various sauces that she had exchanged in advance from the shopping system and put them away.
The clothes that were taken out and put in the package in advance were taken to the toilet and put in the bathroom, and Cheng Shi washed them and hung them up in the evening. The book "Two or Three Things About Pregnancy" was placed on the desk in the room so that she could read it when she was free.
She poured herself a glass of water, sat down to rest for a while and went to the kitchen to prepare food.
When Cheng Shixiaxun came home, the first thing he did was to ask if Susu had encountered any problems during her trip to the county town.
He Susu couldn't help but push his shoulder: "Don't worry too much, I'm fine, there are so many pregnant women in the county who still go to work and buy groceries to make a living, I can do it too. You're too nervous."
Cheng Shi breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile: "It's okay, I'll try my best to mediate."
He went to the kitchen to cook.
When Cheng Shi entered the room for a nap, he saw the book on the desk at a glance.
He was attracted by the title of the book. He picked it up and flipped through a few pages. The more he read, the more he felt that this book was worth a fortune. He asked, "Susu, where did you buy this book? It actually records the things that need to be paid attention to during pregnancy in such detail. Many of them are consistent with what the doctor and mother told me before. It's quite useful."
He looked through the contents at the back, which included various things to pay attention to in the late pregnancy, as well as corresponding relief methods for various discomforts that may occur.
He Susu had already thought of an explanation: "I went to the library to return a book this morning, so I thought I could find some books about pregnant women. I didn't expect to come across this one. The content is quite practical. The knowledge in it can be used until the day I give birth. The library only allows one month of borrowing, which is not enough. I simply asked the staff at the counter if I could buy it. I spent a little more money to buy it and plan to read it slowly."
Cheng Shi nodded: "This money is worth spending. This book is a good buy. I will read it when I have nothing to do."
He Susu naturally agreed with a smile, and the couple lay down on the bed and took a nap.
When Cheng Shi was at home, even if he had to go to the army for training during the day, he would still help with many things at home and take care of her, and He Susu returned to her normal life rhythm.
During the day, I either read books or write articles, or talk to my second baby and play with him with toys. At night, I either stay at home and talk to Cheng Shi, or the two of us go out for a walk.
Every ten days when she went to the county town, if He Susu had no excuse to bring back something, she would make a list of what meat and vegetables to buy and ask her sister-in-law Su Yu to help buy them.
Sometimes, they would take turns asking Mrs. Wu and the other two to help bring the things back so that Su Yu wouldn't be too tired.
She would put some more cakes on the list to give as snacks to the children of Mrs. Wu and her two children, or give them some milk dumplings under the pretext of receiving a package from a friend.
Although Mrs. Wu and her husbands were all officers in the army and were at least company commanders who could follow the troops, each family had its own difficulties and their lives could only be considered passable. The children were not well raised and had the sallow and thin complexion typical of most people of that era. They had to eat some milk lumps to supplement their nutrition.
At first, Mrs. Wu and her two companions refused to take him in, saying that they all lived in the same compound and had a good relationship, so it was only natural for them to help each other.
In the end, it was He Susu who brought out the same words she had used to persuade her sister-in-law Su Yu, and only then did Sister Wu and the other two accept her thank-you gifts.
Because she was pregnant and the due date was around the twelfth lunar month, it went without saying that she would spend the New Year with the army, so Cheng Shi didn't have to save up vacation time and could take two or three days off every month.
He deliberately set aside his rest time on the tenth day of every month, so that if Susu wanted to go to the county town, he could accompany her.
He Susu really wanted to go to the county town for a walk, to change the environment and breathe some fresh air.
She queued up to get on the bus with Cheng Shi, and when she met a military wife she knew, she would smile and joke enthusiastically: "Susu looks good. Commander Cheng is also considerate of his wife, and he accompanies her to buy meat and vegetables."
This car, which travels between the military region and the county town to take military wives to buy meat and vegetables, is mostly populated by women, and few men will go along.
It was rare for someone like Cheng Shi to go to the county town with his wife, carrying a basket to buy meat and vegetables. But since He Susu was pregnant, it was understandable, so everyone just laughed and joked.
Cheng Shi just smiled and replied simply, "We happened to be on break, so we came out together."
Cheng Shi also had a new experience. He followed Susu, carrying a backpack and going to the grocery store to buy meat and vegetables. They then went to the slaughterhouse together to buy pork. Basically, they could buy any part they wanted.
After leaving the slaughterhouse, he whispered to Susu beside him: "I heard you say this way before, but now that I see it, I feel it's exaggerated. There is basically no limit on buying meat, and not having meat coupons has made things more convenient for many military wives."
From what he had just seen, basically all the military wives who came to the county town by bus came to the slaughterhouse to buy meat.
He Susu smiled and said, "I guess the higher-ups have tacitly agreed, otherwise how could the slaughterhouse allow him to sell so much pork privately? This way of doing things is basically a legitimate way in the eyes of the sisters-in-law in the family compound."
She understood after coming here a few times.
Cheng Shi also reflected: "It should be."
It was a rare trip to the county town, so the two of them didn't plan to go back just like that, and planned to take a bus back in the afternoon. They asked Su Yu to take the pork, which was not durable, home and store it in water, and then pick it up on the way back.
Su Yu was originally thinking about taking all the things in the backpack back, but Cheng Shi said, "No thanks, sister-in-law. The rest of these things are not heavy and I can carry them. You can take the pork back first."
Seeing this, Su Yu didn't say much and agreed.
He Susu and Cheng Shi then went shopping in the department store and bought half a pound of peach cakes, two cans of yellow peaches, and half a pound of fresh green plums. When they came out, they saw that it was getting late, so they went straight to the state-owned restaurant.
The blackboard at the state-owned restaurant says the following is served today: tofu stuffed with meat, sweet and sour fish, fried squid with broccoli, and three-fresh soup.
He Susu looked at it and said, "How about we have some tofu stuffed with meat, fried squid with broccoli, and three-fresh soup? Squid is not common, and we have had sweet and sour fish before."
Cheng Shi nodded in agreement, told the waiter the names of the dishes, and paid the bill promptly.
The two of them found a table and sat down. Soon the state-owned restaurant became increasingly lively. After ordering meat dishes, customers found a seat and sat down. Those who arrived late could only order meat dishes and stand aside and wait.
Hearing the waiter calling out the names of dishes and order numbers, Cheng Shi stood up and brought the food over.
He Susu looked at the three dishes in front of her and felt quite hungry.
The tofu was fried on the upper side until golden brown, with a hole in the middle filled with chopped meat and seasoned with chopped green onions. It was probably fried first and then braised. After being poured with the sauce-colored soup, the tofu pieces were shiny and particularly tempting.
She picked up a piece of stuffed tofu and tasted it. The tofu was smooth and tender with a bean flavor. The minced meat stuffed in it was salty and delicious. It had a rich flavor when chewed together with the tofu, and the sauce was also very delicious with rice.
The squid was cut into pieces and then fried and curled into a roll. He Susu picked up a piece and tasted it. The squid piece was tender and crisp, with the salty taste of soy sauce, and it was quite delicious.
Even the broccoli, which is usually hard, was cooked until it was soft and absorbed the vegetable juices from the soy sauce and the flavor of the squid, making it much more delicious.
With white rice, she would occasionally eat a piece of tofu stuffed with meat or fried squid with broccoli, and she had a pretty good appetite.
After finishing a bowl of rice, He Susu scooped a bowl of three-fresh soup with a spoon.
The three-fresh soup contains tofu, mushrooms and squid, garnished with chopped green onions. The soup is clear with a slightly brown color. He Susu tasted it and found it very fresh and sweet.
The mushrooms and squids are delicious, but the tofu seems to be just there to make up the numbers. The soup cooked with it is very sweet and fresh, and even the small cubes of tofu have a fresh taste. I guess they have been seasoned with salt in advance, so it tastes salty and fragrant.
Cheng Shi also thought the three dishes were good, and after finishing the rice he also drank the soup. The three-fresh soup in the soup bowl was quite substantial, and apart from the soup ingredients, He Susu and he each drank two bowls of soup before they finished it all.
They ate slowly as the customers at other tables had finished their meals and left one after another. The waiting customers hurriedly sat down when they saw an empty seat. However, there were no customers waiting for a seat at this moment.
Cheng Shi simply said, "Let's sit for a while after we finish eating. I'll bring a lunch box over and pack some sweet and sour fish to take home and heat up for dinner."
When he went out in the morning, he thought about taking the aluminum lunch box with him, thinking that if the state-owned restaurant had any good dishes, he could pack them up and bring them back for a snack in the evening.
If she hadn't been afraid of ordering too many dishes and not being able to finish them, He Susu would have wanted to eat the sweet and sour fish. Unexpectedly, Cheng Shi actually brought a lunch box, so she nodded: "Okay, then pack one."
After packing the sweet and sour fish, He Susu also recovered from the bloating and stood up to leave with Cheng Shi.
The two planned to go to the cinema to watch a movie to pass the time. It had been a long time since they last watched a movie.
The cinema shows movies at noon, which are called extra screenings. They cater to the needs of workers in the county who work during the day and only have time at noon to go out and watch movies.
The movies being screened recently are all red movies. He Susu picked one at random. After Cheng Shi bought the tickets, the two walked to the corresponding screening room and sat down. When the lights went out and the white cloth showed light and shadow, they started watching the movie.
Time passed quickly. After calming down their agitated emotions, He Susu and Cheng Shi walked out of the cinema together and asked with a smile, "Where are we going next?"
One advantage of going out with Cheng Shi is that you don't have to worry about the itinerary, as Cheng Shi will arrange everything. This was the case when we were dating, and it is still the case now that we are married.
Cheng Shi smiled and said, "Let's go to the photo studio and take a group photo. The last time we took a photo was when we were dating, and it's been a while. This time we'll be a family of three, and when the baby is born and grows up, he can also see what he looked like when he was still in his mother's belly."
He Susu found it quite interesting. She was a little bit pregnant now, and the clothes she wore today were loose at the waist, but the outline of the bulge could still be vaguely seen.
She smiled and nodded: "Okay, your suggestion is good, let's go to the photo studio now."
When we arrived at the photo studio, the old man in charge of taking pictures had a good memory. After all, he had been taking pictures for many years and had never seen many couples as good-looking as the one in front of him.
Last time, he printed a lot of individual and group photos of the two of them, and he made a lot of money from it. Naturally, he had an impression of such a big customer.
After Cheng Shi explained their purpose, the old master directed the couple to pose for photos.
In fact, there were no new poses. Ordinary group photos usually took close-ups above the shoulders. Because this return trip required the wife's unborn child to be included in the entry, the old master took a medium to long shot, directed the couple to look at the camera and smile shoulder to shoulder, and then took a picture.
He Susu felt that this was too restrained, and suddenly she had an inspiration to direct them to pose with her when they set off.
She leaned sideways into Cheng Shi's arms. Cheng Shi stretched out his arms, put them around her, and placed his broad palms on her abdomen. He lowered his head and looked at his wife with tenderness.
The old master understood the customer's intention when he saw this scene, and he also thought that this posture was very interesting. The presence and emotions of the family of three were all highlighted. He quickly grabbed the camera and frantically pressed the shutter.
"This group photo looks great! You young people are really creative."
He Susu and Cheng Shi were also very satisfied with the poses just now. They knew without thinking that the developed photos would look good.
Next, the master took a solo photo of He Susu. In the camera, He Susu was sitting sideways with her eyes lowered, making her eyelashes look long and curled. She was stroking her slightly bulging belly with one hand as if she was chatting with a child. Her young and beautiful face was gentle.
Cheng Shi asked the master to print a few more copies, planning to buy a photo frame and frame the photo and put it at home, and then mail the photos to both parents to reassure them.
After taking the payment slip and agreeing to come back to pick up the photos ten days later, Cheng Shi and He Susu left the photo studio.
Cheng Shi looked at the time and asked, "It's not too hot now, we can go to Friendship Park for a walk. If you feel tired, we can just find a place nearby to sit for a while, and then go to the supply and marketing cooperative to wait for the bus to go home when it's almost time."
He Susu had sat for a long time while eating at the state-owned restaurant, and she also sat down to rest while watching the movie. Even though she felt a little sleepy in the afternoon, she was almost awake enough while watching the movie and taking pictures just now.
The last time she went to Friendship Park was in August or September last year, and she also wanted to go and take a look.
"Let's go to Friendship Park. I'm not that tired."
"good."
The photo studio is quite close to Friendship Park, and it only takes about ten minutes to walk there.
The scenery is different from the last time I came here in late summer. It is late spring and early summer now. Even with the sun shining, the temperature is not too high, and the breeze is blowing gently, making it very cool.
The branches of the big trees on both sides of the road are sprouting tender green leaves. From time to time, people pass by with their companions, and I guess they are taking a break to enjoy the spring scenery.
He Susu and Cheng Shi were walking slowly. They couldn't help laughing when they saw a tree that was shaped into a concave shape by someone. They also unexpectedly discovered that the branches and leaves of two trees next to each other were shaped like a water tank. Any difference from the last time was worth talking about. This was the most real change in nature.
Soon I saw the pool of water. It was not yet the season for lotus to bloom, but tender green lotus leaves were floating on the surface of the pool, making the water look green. Occasionally, there were white or light pink flower buds dotted around, and dead leaves blown in from nowhere by the wind, creating a vibrant scene in late spring.
It is interesting to look at the lotus flowers, and the lotus leaves are also nice. He Susu leaned on the stone railing to admire them for a while, and then she and Cheng Shi continued to walk through the Friendship Park which they had not been able to walk through last time.
Perhaps the lotus pond in the center is the only scenery. The rest are just lush trees and hard concrete roads. Friendship Park may have gotten its name because it is a good place for blind dates.
After He Susu and Cheng Shi walked around, they couldn't count how many young men and women they saw, awkwardly introducing themselves to each other and tentatively getting to know each other.
The couple walked back to the pond and found a stone chair shaded by a tree to sit down and rest.
Cheng Shi thought of what he had just seen and couldn't help laughing: "Susu, guess what I was thinking of just now?"
How could He Susu not know what he was thinking? She felt the same way: "Thinking about when we were dating?"
Cheng Shi nodded: "Yes, it is still very clear when I think back on it now."
At that time, he had already taken a fancy to Su Su, so he agreed to go after hearing that the blind date was her. When the two of them just met and greeted each other, he directly introduced himself in detail and asked directly if he could be her date.
God knows while he was waiting for the answer, his heart was beating so hard that it seemed like it would stop at any moment.
He Susu also recalled the impression she had at that time.
She had a liking for Cheng Shi from the very first moment they met. His handsome appearance, tall stature and olive green military uniform added to his appearance. Her character could also be seen from the fact that he saved Erbao but did not leave his name.
When she heard him introduce himself frankly when they met and asked her with passionate eyes whether she was willing to date him, her heart quietly beat faster, so He Susu also introduced herself, agreed, and the two started dating.
The two looked at each other and laughed out loud, with relief and unconcealable love in their eyes. They both knew what the other was thinking.
After sitting there and chatting while enjoying the breeze, Cheng Shi and He Susu walked towards the supply and marketing cooperative when they had rested enough. After waiting for a while at the door, they successfully boarded the bus that would go back to the army in the afternoon.
After a day of walking outside, He Susu returned home, changed her clothes and lay down on the bed to rest. Even if she wasn't sleepy, just lying down was comfortable. Since she became pregnant, she always had back pain, which could be relieved by lying down for a while.
Cheng Shize was packing up the things he had bought in the kitchen. He then went to his third uncle's house to bring back the pork he had bought and placed it in a water basin in the kitchen to prevent it from going bad.
In the following days, He Susu did not have a very comfortable life.
A few months ago, she was still feeling lucky that her child was so well behaved. Normally, people would suffer from morning sickness, nausea, vomiting, and loss of appetite at three months old, but she was fine and nothing happened to her.
As a result, after returning from a trip to the county town, He Susu developed symptoms of morning sickness.
At first, that evening Cheng Shi heated up the sweet and sour fish that he had brought back from a state-owned restaurant and served it to the table. The fish looked colorful and fragrant. He Susu picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks and was about to put it in her mouth, but when she smelled the usual fish fragrance, she instantly felt nauseous, as if she was going to vomit in the next second.
She quickly put the meat on the chopsticks into Cheng Shi’s bowl opposite her.
Cheng Shi hurriedly stood up and came over to pat her back to relieve her pain: "Why do you suddenly feel uncomfortable?"
"The smell of this fish makes me feel nauseous. I guess I have a reaction and can't eat this fish." He Susu said, taking a deep breath to calm herself down, and the nausea she felt was slowly suppressed.
After listening to so many precautions and reading most of "Things to Know About Pregnancy", Cheng Shi quickly guessed, "You probably have morning sickness. You need to eat something lighter. You can't eat this fish. I'll make something else."
He Susu shook her head: "No, go to the kitchen and get the can of shrimp and preserved radish. I want to drink some porridge."
"Okay." Cheng Shi went into the kitchen and turned on the coal stove. He poured some of the rice into the pot and added water to cook it. After a while, it was cooked into porridge and served. The can of shrimp and preserved radish was also served.
He Susu ate shrimps and preserved radish and drank porridge, feeling pretty good.
Small shrimps are also seafood, but perhaps the preserved radish neutralizes the seafood flavor, making it sweet, crispy and salty. After eating one bite, you can drink a few mouthfuls of porridge in succession, and the nausea feeling in the end is also suppressed.
She also ate some greens, striving to achieve a balanced diet.
Cheng Shi was happy to see that she could eat, but he was not really relieved. Morning sickness would take at least some time to develop.
He Susu did feel nauseous from time to time, but luckily she bought some green plums from the department store that day.
The green plums at this time are sour, which can stop the feeling of vomiting in time. After eating the green plums, you can eat the sour plums at home.
She didn't like sour food before, but recently she has become very fond of it. She doesn't usually eat it, but when she feels nauseous, she eats two or three sour plums and feels much better.
Of course, her appetite was definitely affected, and He Susu's food intake was half less than usual.
Cheng Shi was anxious, and during this time he took the trouble to find some nutritious recipes for morning sickness from the book Two or Three Things to Know About Pregnancy, and cooked meat dishes for He Susu in various ways. If there were ingredients that were not available at home, he would make a list and ask the cook in charge of purchasing in the canteen to buy them for him.
He Susu insisted on making herself a cup of milk powder every day to supplement her nutrition. In addition, the meat dishes made by Cheng Shi were occasionally to her liking, so she could eat a little and did not lose weight.
I had morning sickness for about a month, and then suddenly one day I felt better.
He Susu's belly was already quite big at this time. While basking in the sun in the yard, she reached out and gently stroked her abdomen. Occasionally, the child inside would be naughty and want to say hello to her, so she would move suddenly.
Sensing the commotion inside, she smiled and started chatting with the child without caring whether the child could hear her or not.
Erbao has been coming to my aunt's place to act as a little helper recently. Whenever my aunt wants to get something or drink water, he will jump up and down with his little arms and legs to help get it.
At this time, he saw his aunt chatting with the younger brother and sister in her belly, so he came over to say hello to them.
The autumn wind is brisk, and the temperature is very low in the morning and evening in late autumn. I dare not go out without putting on an extra coat.
It was also in this season that Cheng Shi and He Susu received a telegram from Shanghai, which said that her mother-in-law had asked for leave to come to the army to see them, and told her which day and which train she took and when it would arrive, and asked Cheng Shi to pick her up.
After waiting for so long, Cheng's mother finally got leave to come to the army to visit her son and daughter-in-law.
Cheng Shi and He Susu were naturally happy. Cheng Shi specially found someone to exchange his rest time, and borrowed Li Yang's military car to pick up his mother at the train station on the day she came.
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