Huan Yuanliang was somewhat puzzled, so he sat back down and asked, "Why?"
It wasn't a holiday or festival, so could there be some customs or beliefs in the compound that he didn't know about?
He was a beat slow to react, but the others understood immediately.
All eyes were on Xu Ruantang.
She was eating hot pot beef, but she didn't like the plain sesame sauce, so she added sesame oil, chopped green onions, and cilantro.
It tastes delicious this way.
"Ruan Ruan, when did you get pregnant?!"
Li Shuhe was so excited that she almost dropped the bowl in her hand, but Shen Qingwen caught it back.
Xu Ruantang finished chewing the beef in her mouth and nodded slowly, "I just found out, don't tell anyone yet."
There's a custom here that you don't tell anyone until three months later.
If Huan Yuanliang hadn't wanted to eat mutton today, Chen Ji wouldn't have brought it up on his own initiative.
Xu Ruantang's pregnancy symptoms were strange; she had a good appetite, but she just couldn't stand the smell of mutton.
The pregnancy was discovered because Chen Ji bought lamb shanks.
Lamb soup is very nourishing, and he has noticed that Xu Ruantang has lost weight these days.
Before it even hit the pot, Xu Ruantang vomited as soon as she smelled it.
At first, I thought it was because I ate something bad.
Later, when the mutton was cooked, the whole house smelled delicious, and she ran to the toilet several times.
After they calmed down, Chen Ji took her to the clinic, where the doctor told them she was pregnant.
The pregnancy was originally planned, so Xu Ruantang remained calm.
He was just jokingly telling Chen Ji, "Go home first and open all the doors and windows. Or you can send that pot of mutton to Mom and Grandma's too."
She simply couldn't stand the smell.
Chen Ji remained calm and composed as he settled Xu Ruantang in, then went home to take the mutton away before coming back to the clinic to pick her up.
Xu Ruantang always thought that he was like her, believing that this was a natural thing and nothing to worry about.
On his way home, he encountered several military wives who all looked at Chen Ji with great concern.
"Ruan Tang, what's wrong with your husband, Lao Chen?"
Xu Ruantang looked confused. "Huh? He's fine. I was the one who wasn't feeling well, that's why I went to the clinic."
She thought that everyone had mistakenly assumed Chen Ji was sick because they saw the two of them coming out of the clinic.
"Yeah?"
Several military wives in the courtyard stood together and glanced at Chen Ji, who was standing steadily to the side, waiting for them to finish speaking before taking Xu Ruantang back.
"We just went to buy groceries and ran into Deputy Brigade Commander Chen. He was carrying a plate of mutton soup and walking very fast, spilling the soup as he went. He had a big smile on his face."
The people in the courtyard had never seen Chen Ji like this before. They all looked at him as if they had seen a ghost, and no one dared to go up and greet him.
Only when he saw his wife did he dare to ask her a couple of questions.
Xu Ruantang imagined that scene and laughed out loud.
Several military wives looked at her suspiciously. "Ruan Tang, is everything alright?"
Just thinking about how the usually steady and reserved Deputy Brigade Commander Chen had a bright smile on his face, and how his hand holding the mutton soup was trembling so much that he didn't even notice the soup was spilled all the way.
The sisters-in-law were acting very strangely.
"It's nothing, he's probably just happy from drinking the mutton soup."
Xu Ruantang casually brushed it off and took Chen Ji home.
Since they learned of her pregnancy, the people who have visited her home most frequently are Ye Lan, her godmother, and the old lady.
Li Shuhe would also come over frequently, bringing yarn, to discuss with her how to knit sweaters for the children.
Xu Ruantang neither knew how nor was inclined to move.
After she became pregnant, her appetite increased significantly, she especially craved sour foods, and she felt sleepy very easily.
Li Shuhe was knitting a sweater, and she could fall asleep just by watching her for a couple of seconds.
Ye Lan and the old lady noticed that she liked to eat all kinds of sour foods, such as sour dates and dried apricots, the kind that could make you feel sick from the sourness.
He didn't say anything on the surface, but his face was all scrunched up in a grimace behind his back.
"It must be a boy."
"Forget it, the Chen family isn't destined for that. A kid is a kid, they're just children."
As they talked, the two began to comfort themselves.
Xu Ruantang didn't believe in these things. She knew herself that she liked sour food because she felt uncomfortable, and eating something sour could suppress that feeling.
The godmother was even more enthusiastic and had already started sewing the little clothes the child would wear.
They sew several sets at once.
The old lady makes tiger-head shoes, which are small, exquisite, and cute.
After Xu Ruantang became pregnant, Chen Ji made two or three trips home every day.
Despite Xu Ruantang's repeated statements that it wasn't necessary, Ye Lan and the old lady would still come over frequently.
Every time I come, besides cooking all sorts of delicious food for her, I also clean the house spotless.
Xu Ruantang couldn't even bend over.
However, she quite enjoyed these days. The grandmother and granddaughter sat in the yard basking in the sun, and Ye Lan chatted with the old lady and godmother about this and that.
She sat to the side listening, occasionally grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds to crack open, looking incredibly content.
But this peaceful period didn't last long before it was shattered by a disaster.
When she woke up that day, the old lady and Ye Lan, for the first time ever, did not come over.
Xu Ruantang thought they were tired, so she didn't pay any attention.
It wasn't until the afternoon that she learned from the people in the courtyard that the old lady had fallen down the stairs at home.
The person has been taken to the hospital and is currently still unconscious.
Upon hearing the news, Xu Ruantang immediately went home to change her clothes and planned to drive to the hospital.
She has now been in the three-month mark and has no problem driving.
Just as they reached the entrance of the alley, they ran into Chen Ji, who was rushing home.
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