Chapter 9 You give birth to the child.
The doorbell rang, and Zhang Ma opened the door. She was very happy to see Lu Lin, who was carrying a lot of things. She quickly went up to help him.
"Why did you buy so much stuff, sir?" She noticed that there were many expensive and highly nutritious medicinal herbs among them, such as American ginseng, deer antler, and donkey-hide gelatin.
He exclaimed, "Oh dear! These things... Madam can't just take any supplements right now."
Lu Lin looked a little embarrassed. He didn't know any of this; he had only heard from the doctor that she was a bit weak, so he thought he should give her some nourishment.
"They were all issued by my workplace, I don't know anything about them, Aunt Zhang, you can decide what to do."
Thinking of putting the things away in the storeroom, Zhang Ma muttered, "I don't know anything about this either. I should ask the doctor another day."
Having children is quite different for wealthy families than for ordinary people; they have many more customs and traditions.
Unlike her, when she gave birth to her two sons, she still had to work in the fields and could only go to bed when her stomach hurt, but she didn't seem to be any different.
However, city people are delicate, especially the wives, who are even more delicate than the most delicate. Zhang Ma actually had a thought in her heart that the wives would suffer during this pregnancy.
But she kept these thoughts to herself and didn't want to mutter them in front of her master, lest she break the taboo and become disliked.
"Sir, are you having dinner here today? Guichun went to buy groceries, and I'll cook you some of your favorite dishes."
It must have been more than half a year since the couple last ate together. Zhang Ma is a good cook, but unfortunately, her husband rarely eats at home, and they've only eaten together a few times.
Lu Lin had already eaten breakfast when he arrived. He glanced at the time and asked, "Hasn't she gotten up yet?"
He noticed that breakfast was still on the table.
Aunt Zhang nodded: "Madam has been a bit upset these past few days, and she didn't sleep well last night either."
Lu Lin hummed in agreement and said he would eat at home.
Aunt Zhang poured him a cup of hot tea and explained that they were out of coffee at home, and his wife said she didn't like it anymore and wasn't planning to buy any.
She laughed and said, "Pregnant women just have such varied tastes."
My wife used to love drinking coffee.
Lu Lin lowered his head, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. Zhang Ma thought she was seeing things.
Thinking of how she cried and begged for money yesterday, he suddenly understood.
It's not that he doesn't like coffee anymore, it's that he wants to save money. If he remembers correctly, he used to spend a lot on coffee every month.
He checked the time again; it was getting late. It would be best to settle things in the morning, as he needed to go back to his workplace in the afternoon. Although he didn't have much official business to attend to now, he still had some handover duties and unavoidable social engagements.
When Zhang Ma saw him about to go upstairs, she quickly stopped him and said in a low voice, "It seems that Madam spoke to the family on the phone yesterday and even cried."
She subtly reminded Lu Lin that his wife might lose her temper.
Lu Lin nodded.
Shen Rong didn't sleep soundly; she woke up when she heard footsteps on the stairs.
She could tell it was Lu Lin's footsteps, the weight of his military boots, and his unhurried, composed pace.
His every step was steady, like a machine with a pre-programmed sequence, always so regular.
This time he knew to knock.
But before Shen Rong could answer, the door was already pushed open.
"So you're awake."
So his knocking was just a formality? Just going through the motions.
Shen Rong sat up halfway and leaned against the headboard, still wrapped in a down comforter to keep warm, as she was very afraid of the cold.
"Why are you up so early?" Her voice still carried the languid feeling of her pajamas, lacking its usual crispness.
Lu Lin raised his eyebrows, gesturing for her to look at the clock. Was it still early?
Shen Rong coughed lightly to ease the awkwardness: "You know it's normal for pregnant women to sleep a lot. Actually, I woke up a while ago too."
She's not lazy; it's the little one in her belly causing the problem, so you can't blame her.
Lu Lin couldn't help but twitch his lips slightly as he handed over a paper package.
Shen Rong wasn't fully awake yet, but she took it without thinking. She woke up instantly after touching it.
Could it be...?
She sat up straight and bent down to open it.
It really is a silver dollar, shiny and bright. Money is indeed beautiful!
She beamed and asked, "How much is this?"
"Four hundred." Three hundred of that was his salary, and one hundred was a subsidy for his moving expenses.
Shen Rong's lips curled up wide: "You lent me everything?" She got up to reach for the notebook next to her. "I'll give you an IOU."
Suddenly remembering her handwriting, especially since she wanted to write in traditional characters, she chuckled and said, "Why don't you write it, and I'll sign it?"
Lu Lin moved a chair over and sat down on the edge of the bed with an air of nonchalance: "No need, this is for your household expenses."
Shen Rong's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the corners of her mouth widened into a wider smile. She understood Lu Lin's unspoken meaning.
So it's better not to get a divorce. At least she'll have someone to support her until she finds a job. Lu Lin is such a good person. If anyone speaks ill of him in the future, she'll definitely have to say three things to refute him. She glanced down at the silver coins in her arms and thought, "Four things will do."
The more she looked at the silver coins, the more adorable they seemed, and she felt a sense of falling in love.
"Let's continue ordering coffee."
Shen Rong was somewhat surprised, and said awkwardly, "You heard it from Aunt Zhang? Actually, it's not entirely about money. The doctor said it's best to drink less during early pregnancy."
Since it concerned the child, Lu Lin didn't say anything more.
"I've given you all my salary, is that enough for you?" Shen Rong, feeling a pang of conscience, blurted out.
The main reason was that she was thinking about long-term development and wanted him to know that she had a conscience.
Lu Lin nodded and hummed in agreement.
Shen Rong felt like a parasite, having fallen into Lu Lin's top-quality rice jar and unwilling to leave. She tried to save face: "Once I find a job, I won't have to give you so much anymore, and I can also share some of the family expenses."
Lu Lin glanced at her unexpectedly and asked kindly, "What kind of job are you looking for? Our unit has a vacancy for a telegraph operator, would you like to give it a try?"
A glint of light flashed in his eyes.
Shen Rong shook her head vigorously. "Go to his workplace and see what happens. You'll be exposed in no time. You haven't even learned the skills yet."
Lu Lin did not force him.
He moved the chair closer, rested his hands on his lap, and bent slightly to look her in the eye.
"Let's talk about serious matters first." He glanced at Shen Rong's stomach. "Have you thought it through?"
What are you thinking about? Shen Rong looked bewildered.
What did she have to think about? She had no choice!
Abortion is life-threatening! She's terrified of death. She'd do anything to survive in this chaotic world, so why would she risk it?
She only had one option: to use the child and stay by Lu Lin's side until she found a better way out.
"What do you want?" she asked, feigning a pitiful and timid demeanor.
Lu Lin stared at her for a while, then leaned back, his expression turning serious.
"Give birth to the child." His voice was low and somewhat cold, as if he were discussing a business deal that wasn't going to make much money.
"We'll get a divorce in a year. During that time, I won't restrict you in any way, and I won't interfere with your friendships. What do you think?"
Shen Rong gripped the corner of the blanket with her fingers and bit her lip: "What about the child?"
Lu Lin clasped his hands together, a gesture that conveyed a sense of defensiveness.
“The child will stay with me. Of course, if you want to take the child away, we can discuss it. As long as I think it's okay and your conditions allow it.” He gave a slight smirk. “It doesn’t matter who the child stays with.”
Shen Rong lowered her head, her eyes darting around, mentally calculating her next move, completely unaware that Lu Lin had already set a trap for her.
A year isn't necessarily a bad thing. Perhaps things will be better after a year, and she can take her child away from this chaotic world and find a peaceful place to live.
After a few rounds, she had made up her mind. She looked up, smiled, and extended her right palm: "It's a deal, but I can decide when to get a divorce a year from now."
She still wanted to leave herself some room to change her mind.
Lu Lin reached out and gave her a high five as a pledge.
"Let's keep the child a secret from both sets of parents for now." The divorce was already a huge mess, and we finally managed to get them to accept it. If they find out about the child, things will probably get even worse.
Shen Rong gave an "oh" and said she didn't care. She hadn't met either of their elders yet, and so far she had only spoken to her older brother on the phone with her relatives.
Lu Lin asked her if there was anything else she wanted to say.
She pursed her lips and thought for a moment. The agreement was good, and she had enough room to back out, but if Lu Lin developed feelings for someone during this time, things would get complicated.
Her eyes shone brightly: "Yes, we've maintained a normal marital relationship this past year. Both of us have an obligation to be faithful to the marriage. Can you do that?"
Lu Lin gave her a meaningful look, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes: "Okay."
Provoked by the ridicule, Shen Rong immediately wanted to write a contract: "Whoever fails to do so, whoever has an affair or is disloyal, must compensate the other party..." She counted on her fingers, "100,000 silver dollars as alimony."
She defiantly handed over the pen and notebook: "Write! We'll sign and put our fingerprints on it."
She was actually getting a little excited. If Lu Lin cheated on her, she would be rolling in money and never have to worry about money again. She and her child could live a carefree life.
Her eyes shone eerily, and she looked at Lu Lin as if he were a gold nugget.
Lu Lin chuckled and raised an eyebrow: "Are you sure?"
Shen Rong got up, bent over, and looked for ink pad. Once she had her fingerprint on it, she wouldn't be afraid that Lu Lin would deny it.
After searching for a while without finding it, she finally pulled out a tube of lipstick. For 100,000 yuan, this sacrifice was acceptable.
Turning around, I saw that he hadn't started writing yet, and I felt a little annoyed.
"I'm absolutely sure it won't work, Lu Lin, you're not scared, are you?" she said, trying to provoke him.
Lu Lin shook his head slightly. Since she had said so, what did he have to be afraid of? Ten thousand yuan was not a small amount, and he was not at the point of not caring about it.
The two pressed their fingerprints on the paper, and Lu Lin smiled meaningfully: "I hope you won't regret it later."
Absolutely not! Shen Rong scoffed. Wasn't he just trying to talk about Kang Wenbai?
I'm sorry, she's already seen through his true colors and will definitely not fall into his trap. His little scheme won't work.
Shen Rong picked up her share, carefully folded it, and put it in the drawer.
"Shouldn't the salary still be handed over?" She suddenly remembered this important matter and asked again and again.
She seems to have experienced poverty; why is she so afraid?
Lu Lin couldn't help but smile, and nodded.
Gui Chun came up and knocked on the door, saying that the meal was ready.
Shen Rong jumped out of bed. She hadn't even had breakfast yet, and now it was time for lunch.
Lu Lin frowned: "Put on shoes. You're not afraid of catching a cold if you go barefoot."
He was starting to worry about her, wondering if she could take care of herself after he went to Bincheng.
We still need to have a serious talk with Zhang Ma and ask her to send someone to keep an eye on her. If that doesn't work, we can hire another person; we'll have to hire someone sooner or later after the baby is born.
"You can go downstairs now, I'll be right there." She rushed into the bathroom to wash up.
Perhaps because they had reached an agreement, the two ate their meal in a particularly harmonious manner. Although Lu Lin remained expressionless, he always responded when Shen Rong spoke.
Zhang Ma was very relieved. Sure enough, everything was fine after having a child!
Things will definitely get better and better in the future.
After Lu Lin finished eating, he left. Zhang Ma took the opportunity to ask Shen Rong, "Is Master moving back?"
She slapped her forehead, realizing she'd forgotten to mention that.
It's alright, we'll let him move back next time. The city is a bit chaotic, he only feels safe when he lives at home, otherwise she's scared.
"Let's wait a few days, he's been busy these days," she said dismissively.
Gui Chun asked her to come over to answer the phone, saying that Ms. Hu had invited her to go shopping and have coffee.
She slept in late today and seemed to have nothing else to do, so she agreed to go and settle her bill at the coffee shop.
"Why are you dressed so plainly today? Your lips aren't red enough, and you don't look healthy."
Hu Peifang immediately launched into a tirade of criticism upon meeting her.
Heavy makeup is all the rage these days, so Chen Rong's plain and simple look is like going naked, but luckily her good looks can hold up.
"I'm feeling lazy and don't want to draw today."
Hu Peifang ordered her a coffee. "We'll go to the first floor to pick out a dress later. The day after tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I heard some distinguished guests have come from Shanghai."
She sighed softly and winked mischievously, "At least I can see some new faces."
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