Chapter 77 Discussion.
That day, after having breakfast, He Susu and Cheng Shi took their ID cards, medical records from the military hospital, and money, changed their shoes, and set off.
It was a bit cold in the morning in late autumn, so He Susu put on a thin coat on purpose, and the breeze was just right.
Walking on the road on a cool day, the branches and leaves of the big trees rustled. Unlike the soldiers in olive green military uniforms who were hurrying past to training, or the military wives and playful children who had just returned from the vegetable fields, He Susu and Cheng Shi were walking leisurely.
It's comfortable to sunbathe in the morning while the sun is not so strong.
The couple walked to the military hospital, registered at the reception desk, and then went to the gynecology clinic to wait. They came early, and there were no other patients, so they were at the front of the line, and walked in when they heard the doctor's call.
The female doctor looked up and saw them, and smiled: "Come here? Sit down first."
She was deeply impressed by He Susu. She had paid for a blood test to confirm her pregnancy. She also politely asked him to tell her some precautions during pregnancy. After that, she came for another check-up.
Even in the army, she has been working in the gynecology department for so long and has never met a few pregnant women who took the initiative to come for regular check-ups to check on the development of their babies.
He Susu sat down and said with a smile, "Good morning, doctor. It has been more than two months since our last checkup, so we thought we'd come over to see you again."
"Let me take your pulse first," said the female doctor. She studied Western medicine, but also has some knowledge of Chinese medicine. Currently, in addition to Western medical machine examinations, gynecology mainly relies on her pulse to confirm the physical condition of pregnant women.
She held He Susu's pulse in silence for a while, constantly diagnosing and judging in her mind, and then smiled and said, "You are in good health. Have you had any reaction recently?"
He Susu described in detail her morning sickness last month: "It suddenly got better one day, and everything has been normal this month, with no discomfort."
"That's good." The female doctor nodded and wrote down the examination form. "Now that you are a month older, I will order an ultrasound for you. You can go to the ultrasound room later to see the specific development of the baby."
"Okay, thank you, doctor." He Susu took the checkup form with a smile, stood up and prepared to leave the clinic.
Cheng Shi supported her at the right time. He was also very happy to hear that Susu was in good health.
The couple paid the examination fee, which was quite expensive, and followed the instructions to go to the ultrasound room.
The doctor in the ultrasound room happened to be free. When he saw a patient coming, he was preparing for work. He took the examination form and read the contents. He secretly exclaimed in his heart that it was a rare abdominal examination for pregnant women, which required to rule out deformities and observe development.
The military hospital serves soldiers and their families, and the medical equipment it is equipped with is also cutting-edge, and some are even imported. When we got this ultrasound machine back, in addition to checking organs like the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, it can also be used for abdominal examinations of pregnant women. But in recent years, there are really few pregnant women who come here for this examination. I can't tell whether it's because the cost is too high or the gynecology department didn't introduce it.
The female doctor was very skilled in using the ultrasound machine. She had practiced a lot in private, even though she rarely did abdominal examinations on pregnant women. She couldn't delay the patient. Even though she was a little excited, she remained calm: "Lie down on the examination bed and lift your clothes to your abdomen."
He Susu did as the doctor said. She lay on the bed, lifted her clothes to her abdomen, and tried to relax.
The doctor pulled a probe out of the machine, squeezed some paste on the probe, said "a little cold", and then used the probe to gently press on his abdomen to check.
Cheng Shi stood aside and could see the picture displayed on the screen on the desktop, but he could not understand what it was, so he just waited silently for the doctor to tell him the result. He looked at Su Su's face, met her eyes and smiled, trying to comfort her.
He Susu calmed down and let the doctor slide and press the probe on her abdomen. She didn't feel any discomfort.
The female doctor examined me carefully. After about ten minutes, she took a tissue to wipe off the coupling agent on the probe. She then took some more tissue and handed it over: "Clean the coupling agent on your stomach. Don't catch a cold."
Cheng Shi took it quickly, helped Susu wipe the white sticky paste off her belly, and pulled her clothes to tidy them up.
"It's okay." He Susu said, and sat up.
The female doctor took a pen and wrote quickly on the examination result column on the examination form. After she finished writing, she looked at He Susu: "The child is developing very well. Malformations have been ruled out. The brain and heart are developing normally, the limbs are normal, and there is no cleft lip or palate. Judging from the child's mobility in the womb, the child is very healthy. Don't worry."
He Susu and Cheng Shi smiled with relief after hearing this and thanked the doctor repeatedly. Then they took the test results out of the ultrasound room and went to see the female gynecologist.
After reading the results, the female doctor nodded and said, "An ultrasound has been done to rule out deformities, and we have a general understanding of the baby's development. The baby is very healthy. In the next few months, you must walk around every day. Don't sit or lie down often just because your belly is big. That's not conducive to delivery. Also, pay attention to your diet to prevent the baby from growing too well and becoming too heavy to be delivered."
Pregnant women rarely encounter this problem. In these days, food and drink are still relatively scarce. No matter how hard you try, a baby weighing five or six pounds is considered very good. But the woman in front of her is taking such good care of herself, the pregnant woman is in good health and the baby is also in good health, so she can't help but say a few more words.
He Susu nodded quickly: "Okay, doctor, I've taken note of it. I'll definitely check my daily movements and control my diet when I get back."
The female doctor smiled and said, "Okay, that's it for today. Come back for another checkup when the baby is eight months old."
"Thank you, doctor." He Susu said, taking the medical record and examination list written by the doctor, and left with Cheng Shi.
The couple walked out of the military hospital with smiles on their faces. The results of this examination were still good.
Cheng Shi held Susu's hand and said, "When we get back, I'll find some recipes from that book that are suitable for your stage and make more for you."
"Well, as long as the nutrition is balanced, I will eat less meat and fish in the future, so as to avoid raising the baby too well as the doctor said, which will make it difficult to give birth when the time comes." He Susu explained.
She is happy that her child is developing well, but she also has to ensure her own health. Too much is as bad as too little.
Cheng Shi was also afraid. In his heart, the unborn child was naturally not as important as Susu. Even if the child was born, it would not be as important as Susu in his heart. If the doctor had not warned him, if he continued to eat like this at home, something bad might have happened.
He planned to go back and study the recipes in the book more and prepare vegetarian meals.
After keeping this in mind, the only things left were the good news he heard in the hospital. Cheng Shi said, "When you were doing the ultrasound examination just now, I saw the doctor sliding the probe over your abdomen. There was a picture on the screen on the table, but it was blurry and I didn't know if it was a baby."
If so, it would be the first time he saw the child.
On the one hand, Cheng Shi felt that current medical technology was not so advanced. On the other hand, he felt that ultrasound could examine the internal conditions of organs such as the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas, and might be able to see the condition of the baby in the womb.
He Susu was lying on the examination bed in the ultrasound room, and could not see the screen on the table from that angle. After hearing Cheng Shi's words, she felt a little surprised and a little regretful: "I didn't see anything, what a pity. Please tell me what the image on the screen is like."
Cheng Shi had no choice but to recall the image he had just seen and describe it as vividly as possible using all the words he could find in his life.
He Susu listened attentively, as if she could see the child's appearance through his poor vocabulary. The expectations she had always had were finally released at this moment.
Mother Cheng was worried about her daughter-in-law who was going to the hospital for a check-up. She was looking forward to getting good news that she was in good health, but she was also afraid of hearing bad news. After thinking it over and looking around at the gate of the yard, she simply went back inside to clean the house.
After she swept and mopped the house inside and out, she finally waited for her son and daughter-in-law to come back.
Cheng's mother hurried out to greet him: "How is it? The doctor said everything is normal after the examination, right?"
He Susu walked into the house and said, "Mom, everything is normal. After the doctor took my pulse, he wrote me a prescription for an ultrasound. The doctor said that deformity has been ruled out, and the child's organs are developing normally and are very healthy."
Cheng Shi handed the examination report to his mother at the right time to prevent her from worrying.
"As long as you're healthy, that's good. I feel relieved too." Mother Cheng smiled after hearing this. She took the checkup form and looked at it carefully. Every word on it weighed heavily on her heart, and she felt completely relieved.
"Today's medical technology has advanced. We can even do ultrasound to check the condition of the baby in the belly. Not only can we rule out deformities, but we can also confirm that the baby's organs are developing normally."
He Susu smiled and said, "Not only that, Cheng Shi said that when I was doing the ultrasound, he saw the image displayed on the screen on the table that looked like a baby."
Cheng's mother's eyes lit up and she looked at her son: "Really?"
"Really." Cheng Shi nodded and repeated to his mother what he had just described to Susu.
He Susu sat down and drank water, listening to Cheng Shi with a smile. She saw the smile on her mother-in-law's face grow bigger and her eyes brighter.
The next day, after eating breakfast and sending her son away, Cheng's mother also carried her backpack and bag and prepared to go out. She asked her daughter-in-law, "Susu, are you sure you want to buy the things you said yesterday? There's nothing else to buy, right?"
He Susu nodded: "Just what I said yesterday, the food store supplies different things every day, just buy what you like. There's nothing else to buy."
This was the first time that Cheng's mother went to the county town with others while in the army to make purchases. She usually had no idea how her son and his wife were living, so He Susu told her last night what kind of meat and vegetables they usually bought, how much they wanted, and also told her anything else they wanted to buy.
Fortunately, Cheng's mother has a good memory, otherwise she would have to ask her daughter-in-law to make a list for her.
She nodded: "Okay, I'll watch over then. Just prepare lunch when I get back. You just need to take a good rest."
"I know, mother." He Susu replied with a smile. There are also advantages to living here for the mother-in-law. She doesn't have to worry about three meals a day, saving her the effort of preparing food. When Cheng Shi comes back, he doesn't have to cook, and he can eat directly. Of course, the mother-in-law still orders her son around, and Cheng Shi is still the one who washes the dishes after dinner.
She explained, "By the way, mother, our family quarters are the last to get on the bus. Usually my sister-in-law will help save a seat for you. Just sit next to her after you get on the bus."
"Okay, I know. I'll be out then."
"Well, be careful on the road."
After seeing her mother-in-law off, He Susu didn't rush back to the house, but walked in the yard and breathed in the fresh air. The sun was rising, and some of the sunlight had already sprinkled in the yard, so she could take the opportunity to bask in the sun.
She has been sleeping well since the beginning of autumn. She went to bed early last night and woke up this morning to have dinner with Cheng Shi and her mother-in-law. She feels quite energetic now.
After enough exercise, He Susu went back to the living room to sit down and rest for a while. She drank half a glass of water and waited for the heat from walking to slowly dissipate. Maybe because she had just walked, the baby in her belly was also active, waving its little fist to greet its mother from time to time.
When the fetus started to move, He Susu was really shocked. After all, it was still scary to see her belly bulge here and there. Not to mention that it would be a bit painful if the baby moved suddenly.
After she got used to it, she knew that the child was greeting her, which meant that the child was healthy and active. He Susu accepted it well and even reached out to follow the child's movements and talk to him.
At this moment, He Susu was mentally prepared and was not startled by the sudden fetal movement. She reached out and gently stroked her abdomen to relax, and she could even talk to the child.
After the fetal movement passed and her whole body cooled down, He Susu simply got up and went to her room to write the manuscript.
The fourth story was a long one, and it took me more than four months to finish. Fortunately, I finished it before my morning sickness, which was right when I was taking a break. Otherwise, He Susu was not sure if she could finish the number of words required by the magazine under the condition of morning sickness.
During the month of morning sickness, He Susu had a poor appetite and ate less. She also felt nauseous easily, and her sleep at night was not that good. She was completely in a state of shutdown. She just ate, drank and slept every day. Occasionally, she would go out for a walk with Cheng Shi, and only after a good rest could she slowly adjust herself.
It was not until last month when she no longer had morning sickness and felt better that He Susu began to conceive the fifth story.
She had a scale in her mind and planned the next period of time, thinking about finishing the fifth story before giving birth, so that she could completely relax and have peace of mind during the confinement period.
This way, you won't have to wait too long to submit your work for serialization in a magazine, which would affect the magazine editor's favor and lose the regular readers you have cultivated over the year.
Fortunately, I had enough inspiration. The conception of story writing and the narrative writing style had already become instincts. I spent a week laying out the ups and downs of the story and the life path of the protagonist. Then I wrote the beginning of the story, constantly revising and polishing it. When I had accumulated enough words, I submitted it to the magazine and, as usual, received a fee of five yuan per thousand words.
At this time, He Susu was sitting at the desk, continuing to write along the hook left by the previous manuscript, which was quite easy.
She no longer writes only in the afternoon as she did before. Working at the desk for a long time can neither keep up her stomach nor her energy, so she simply writes whenever she has time in the morning or afternoon.
This way, she would have enough time to rest and it would not affect her writing. The magazine gave her plenty of time to submit her articles, so He Susu could always write 5,000 words and mail them out in time.
Around eleven o'clock, Cheng's mother came back carrying a basket and a package. She took off the heavy basket, put the package on it, took a deep breath and said, "Susu, I really learned a lot on this trip to the county town today. This is the first time I bought enough meat and vegetables for ten days at once."
In Shanghai, the grocery store is open every day, and you can only buy enough meat and vegetables for two or three days. If you keep more, they will spoil easily. It's not like here in the army, where you only go to the county town once every ten days and buy so much at a time.
She followed a group of military wives into the grocery store. They were all picking and buying all kinds of things, and they cleared out half of the goods in the store.
"It was only when I went to the slaughterhouse that I realized what the open way was. I followed everyone to the stall and lined up. No meat coupons were needed. People bought pork in small quantities of two or three pounds, or in large quantities of five or six pounds. You could buy any part of pork you wanted. You asked me to buy three pounds of lean meat, two pounds of pork belly, and two ribs, and I bought them all."
Because no meat coupons were required and the price of pork was only slightly more expensive, Cheng's mother felt it was a good deal when she bought it.
He Susu smiled and said, "It's like this at the slaughterhouse. Who doesn't want to eat meat these days? The military dependents in the army receive monthly allowances from their husbands. Even if they have to send some back home to support their families, they are willing to buy some meat. Otherwise, how can they survive these ten days? Apart from other things, the men in the army have a lot of training and occasionally have to carry out missions. If they don't eat more, their bodies won't be able to hold on."
Mother Cheng nodded and said, "That's right. OK, I'll go to the kitchen to pack up the things I bought and prepare lunch."
He Susu followed her mother-in-law to the kitchen and told her where to put grains, oil, rice and flour, how to deal with fresh meat, and which cabinet to put some dry food.
After hearing this, Cheng's mother did what her daughter-in-law said. After all, every kitchen has its own way of cleaning, and she was just staying here for a week. All the ingredients had to be cleaned up as before, so that it would be convenient for her son and daughter-in-law to find things in the future.
After cleaning up, Cheng's mother started to prepare lunch, and He Susu went out to rest.
That night, Cheng's mother called her son and daughter-in-law and said, "Come and sit down. I have something to tell you."
He Susu had some guesses, and sat down on the chair in the living room with Cheng Shi: "Mom, tell me."
Cheng's mother had already considered what to say, but she had just arrived at the army and everything was new to her. She wanted to spend a few days with her son and daughter-in-law, so she didn't want to say something that would spoil the fun. But she had to go back to Shanghai in two days, so she had to make this matter clear.
"Cheng Shi, Susu, you know I'm very busy at work in the street. I'll retire in two or three years. It's not like other jobs where you can hire someone to do the job for half a year. The street will be in chaos if I leave. Logically, I should come over to help take care of Susu after she gives birth, but the nature of my job really makes it impossible for me to come. I'm sorry to Susu and to you guys."
"I have discussed with your father, and the best way is to ask your mother-in-law to come and help take care of Susu during her confinement, and take care of the baby. This is hard work, and I know your mother-in-law also has a job in the production team in her hometown, and she can also take care of her grandchildren at home. If you are willing, I will call your mother-in-law tomorrow to discuss and ask her to come to the army to help. Your father and I will compensate her."
"I'm not being polite or anything when it comes to using money as compensation. It really delays your mother-in-law from going to work and taking care of her grandchildren. It's also hard for her to come to the army to take care of Susu and the children. This money is a small token of your appreciation from me and your father."
"Cheng Shi, Su Su, what do you two think?"
After Cheng's mother finished speaking, she asked, mainly looking at Susu waiting for her opinion.
Cheng Shi didn't say anything either. Susu was the one who made the decision on this matter.
He Susu was silent for a while and then smiled, "Mom, I know you are busy with your work at the street office, so I understand that you can't come to take care of me during my confinement. My mom mentioned this earlier, saying that if you don't have time to come, she can come. This should be no problem, just call my mom and tell her later."
Mother Cheng was delighted to hear this and nodded repeatedly: "Okay, I'll call my mother-in-law and tell her about this later. Susu, thank you for your understanding."
She took out the one thousand yuan she had prepared earlier and said, "I brought this money from Shanghai after discussing with your father. Susu, you keep it first. You can decide how much is appropriate to give to your mother-in-law, and use the rest to buy her some good food to take care of you during the confinement period. The most important thing for a woman is to take good care of herself during the confinement period. Only when she is well taken care of will there be no hidden dangers in the future."
He Susu was not polite and took the thousand yuan from her mother-in-law with a smile: "Okay, then I'll take it. I'll ask my mother to buy some good food and cook it for me later."
Mother Cheng smiled and said, "Okay, then it's settled."
Cheng Shi spoke at this time: "If you want to call your mother-in-law, you have to send a telegram in advance to tell her to go to the county post office the next day to answer the phone. It's late now. Send the telegram tomorrow and call again at nine o'clock the morning after tomorrow."
Mother Cheng could still stay here for two days, so she nodded and agreed: "Okay, then call me the day after tomorrow."
Cheng Shi nodded: "Then I'll stop by the mail room tomorrow to send a telegram back."
After the matter was laid out and settled, Cheng's mother breathed a sigh of relief. She no longer had to worry about her daughter-in-law having no one to take care of her during her confinement, and her guilt was also alleviated a lot.
He Susu was happy that the matter was settled. Her mother's wish was fulfilled, and she felt more at ease having her mother to take care of her.
Cheng Shi was also happy that this was the best of both worlds. Susu had a good relationship with his mother-in-law, so she would definitely be happy that his mother-in-law could come and take care of her. Moreover, his mother-in-law knew Susu's living habits and could take better care of her, so his mother could continue to work on the street as usual.
That night, the couple and Cheng's mother all slept well.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Cheng's mother went to the mail room to call her mother-in-law, and He Susu went with her.
After greeting the staff, the call was finally connected after several transfers. He's mother's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Susu, this is your mother, can you hear me?"
He Susu replied: "Mom, I can hear it."
He's mother: "I'm glad to hear you. How are you feeling lately? Is the baby in your belly all right? Are you still having morning sickness?"
Her daughter had written to her before and mentioned this matter, and she had been thinking about it ever since. When she received the telegram saying that her daughter was going to call her, she hurriedly asked about this most important matter.
He Susu: "Everything is fine. I haven't felt sick since last month. Don't worry, Mom."
She talked about serious matters, "Mom, I called you this time because my mother-in-law came to visit me recently and I wanted to talk to you about something."
He's mother was stunned for a moment, then guessed something and said with a smile, "Your mother-in-law is here to see you. She's so nice. Give her the microphone and I'll talk to her."
He Susu handed the microphone to Cheng's mother.
Cheng's mother took the phone and greeted with a smile: "Hello, mother-in-law, I am Cheng Shi's mother. We haven't visited you since the two children got married. This time I took the opportunity to call you from the army. Please forgive me."
Mother He smiled and replied without losing her composure: "Hello, mother-in-law. Our two families live far away from each other, and we have never visited you. You can understand. There is no need to be so polite. Now that we can talk on the phone, it is like we have met each other."
"Oh, that's the truth. You are really smart, mother-in-law." Cheng's mother said with a smile. She exchanged pleasantries for a few rounds before she mentioned that she wanted to ask He's mother to come over and help take care of her daughter-in-law during the confinement period. Her words were sincere and kind.
He's mother also readily agreed with a smile, saying that it was her pleasure to take care of her daughter during her confinement, and that she had long had this idea and was planning to discuss it with her mother-in-law. As for giving her money, He's mother refused several times, but finally agreed after being persuaded by Cheng's mother.
The matter was settled, and both Cheng's mother and He's mother breathed a sigh of relief.
At the post office in his hometown, He's father, who was standing next to He's mother and trying to listen to the voice on the other end of the phone, also smiled. He was relieved that his wife could go to the army to take care of his daughter during the confinement period.
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