Chapter 81: Confirmed Pregnancy

Wei Dai froze for three seconds.

His mind went blank the moment Wen Jiajia spoke, until he was jolted back to reality by the sound of Wen Chun and Wen Xuan pushing open the courtyard door.

His hands went limp, and the bowl fell onto the table, rice spilling out.

Wei Dai didn’t have time to care. He finally found his voice and asked blankly, “No, what did you say just now?”

Wen Jiajia sighed and leaned back in her chair. “I said I might be pregnant, but I’m not completely sure. Also, how could you be so clueless? This is completely different from what I imagined. Shouldn’t you be so excited that you’d pick me up and spin me around?”

Wei Dai stood up suddenly, stared at her belly several times, and then his smile gradually widened. “Really! What are you unsure about? You’re definitely pregnant! You have a very accurate intuition, and I trust your intuition very much.”

Then Wei Dai approached Wen Jiajia, placed his hands on the back of her head, and kissed her forehead several times.

He trembled as he held Wen Jiajia’s hand tightly. “Come on, let’s go to the hospital for a check-up. You’ve been riding your bicycle to and from work recently, and I’m not sure how the baby is doing. The road is really bad, and so many people use it every day without it being repaired quickly… Wait, let’s eat first. Even if you don’t have an appetite now, you need to eat. After eating, I’ll go buy you pickled black plums.”

He was speaking incoherently. Wen Jiajia covered her forehead and said, “Don’t be so nervous, okay?”

“How can I not be nervous!” 

Wei Dai looked like a balloon being wildly inflated—round, light, and about to burst into the sky.

“What are you doing, uncle?” At that moment, Wen Chun came bounding in. Wei Dai finally had an outlet for his excitement. He turned around, picked up Wen Chun by the waist, and held her high. “What am I doing? I’m happy!”

Wen Xuan exclaimed, “Wow!” and stamped her feet. “I want to be held up high too.”

Full of energy, Wei Dai set Wen Chun down and picked up Wen Xuan. Then he urged, “Eat quickly, then go back to your room after dinner. Your aunt and I have something to do tonight, so stay at home obediently.”

Wen Jiajia was speechless. She picked up her chopsticks and said, “I’m hungry. I want to eat.”

“Eat quickly,” Wei Dai said, promptly serving her some food.

Knowing that she had no appetite for steamed fish, Wei Dai scooped two spoonfuls of spicy and sour tofu for her.

The tender tofu coated with red oil and a sour, spicy flavor was indeed appetizing and went well with rice.

The hot and sour tofu whetted her appetite, making it easier to eat the steamed fish.

Wei Dai picked out the bones for her and kept saying, “We should buy a small yellow croaker^[1]refer to croaker fish, is valued for its mild, sweet flavor and tender, flaky flesh. today. The meat is tender and has fewer bones. I’ll make you yellow croaker noodles^[2]refers to a dish made with noodles and croaker fish, often prepared in a broth or stir-fried. another day.”

Wen Jiajia really wanted to eat yellow croaker noodles. The last time she went on a business trip to Shanghai, she had snow vegetable and yellow croaker noodles at a factory, and she still remembered the taste.

After dinner, Wei Dai planned to take her out.

He grabbed a flashlight and a coat and carefully supported her.

Wen Jiajia couldn’t stand it anymore and said, “Can you please be a little more normal? I’m not an old person or a child who needs help walking. I was walking just fine yesterday, the day before, and the day before that.”

Wei Dai placed her hand on his chest. “Touch my heart—it feels like it’s on fire. I’m holding you for my own good. If I don’t hold you, my legs will go weak, and I won’t be able to walk.”

Wen Jiajia was speechless. It was her who was suspected of being pregnant, so how could it be abnormal for Wei Dai?

“Then don’t be so obvious. It looks like you’re supporting the queen mother. Won’t others notice something’s wrong with me at a glance?” Wen Jiajia took his arm directly. “Think about it. Isn’t there a saying that you shouldn’t publicize a pregnancy before it’s three months along?”

Wei Dai nodded quickly. “Yes, let’s walk slowly like this. Don’t be anxious, keep your eyes on the road, and don’t rush.”

I’m not in a hurry; it’s you who are! Wen Jiajia was worried that Wei Dai’s anxiety might lead him to drop her.

They encountered many people along the way.

“Are you two going out for a walk?” someone asked.

That was an obvious question. Who would take a flashlight for a walk at this hour? Do you think your family has too much money?

Wen Jiajia laughed. “We’re going to the hospital.”

“What are you going to the hospital for?” someone asked.

Wei Dai immediately responded, “The weather has been hot recently, and she’s lost her appetite. We’re hoping they can prescribe something to strengthen her stomach.”

That was nonsense.

The person asking the question curled her lips, thinking that Wei Dai was trying to fool her. Who loses their appetite with the current weather? If you’re not hungry, it means you’re not hungry enough. Go hungry for a couple of meals, and your appetite will come back.

In other words, only a married couple who both work could say such things. If someone else had said it, she would have spat and accused them of “pretending to be pretentious with a nose full of onions^[3]phrase that shows someone is trying to act fancy or important, even though they’re really uncomfortable or in a tough situation..”

More than ten minutes later, Wen Jiajia and Wei Dai arrived at the hospital.

The trip to the hospital took a long time because Wei Dai turned into a master of clearing obstacles on the road, kicking small stones to the sides.

The hospital was not crowded—only doctors, nurses on duty, patients, and their families were there.

Wen Jiajia suddenly remembered, “This isn’t ideal. The doctors are off duty now. The doctors on call only handle emergencies. They probably won’t check if I’m pregnant.”

No one was willing to perform a blood test.

Wei Dai said, “Don’t worry, I have a way.”

Wei Dai led her around the main building of the hospital and into a bungalow.

The bungalow was quite large. As they walked in, there were rooms on both sides of the corridor—eight rooms on one side and sixteen on the other. There were signs with clinic numbers, making it look a bit like a doctor’s clinic from decades later.

Wei Dai knocked on one of the doors, and someone immediately said, “Come in.”

To their surprise, an elderly man with white hair opened the door.

He must have been over 70. Was it necessary for someone that old to be on duty? Wen Jiajia thought this as she entered.

Wei Dai smiled and said, “Mr. Peng, please check on my wife. She seems to be pregnant.”

He pulled a stool from next to the table and asked Wen Jiajia to sit.

“Pregnant?” Mr. Peng Yikang smiled and said to Wen Jiajia, “Stretch out your hand.”

Seeing the pulse pillow on the table, Wen Jiajia realized he was an old Chinese doctor. The room had two rows of cabinets clearly used for medicine.

She stretched out her hand and placed it on the pulse pillow.

After examining her left hand, Mr. Peng asked her to switch to her right hand.

The whole process took less than a minute. Peng Yikang smiled and said, “Congratulations, you’re probably pregnant.”

Wei Dai, anxious, asked, “How can it be just a rough estimate?”

Peng Yikang explained, “Because it’s still early, I can’t feel it accurately. Generally, it takes about 40 days to confirm a pregnancy. Even if you are pregnant, it’s probably just over a month away. I can only be certain after a few more days.”

Wen Jiajia nodded. If she were pregnant, it would indeed be for just over a month. This old Chinese doctor really knew his stuff.

Wei Dai was still nervous, but since Mr. Peng had said so, it was likely true. 

He became cheerful again and asked Mr. Peng, “Is there anything my wife should pay attention to or avoid eating?”

Peng Yikang asked Wen Jiajia to extend her hand again. This examination lasted about three minutes. “Have you ever taken any medicine to regulate your body before?”

Wen Jiajia was taken aback but nodded quickly. “Yes! I had a severe cold a few years ago, which caused some stomach issues. I took medicine for a while but stopped completely in the middle of last year. Will this have any impact?”

Peng Yikang reassured her, “Don’t worry. It’s fine. Just be cautious during the first three months and avoid strenuous exercise. Your previous doctor was very skilled and treated the root of your illness. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have such a good pregnancy.”

Wei Dai, relieved, asked, “Can she still ride a bicycle?”

Peng Yikang replied, “You can ride, but be careful to avoid bumpy areas. Don’t ride when your belly gets bigger, as you’ll be more clumsy then.”

Wen Jiajia sighed with relief, as she still needed to go to work.

After leaving the clinic, Wei Dai asked Wen Jiajia to wait at the entrance of the hospital’s main building. He checked the duty roster and saw that Dr. Liu was on duty. He wanted to go buy some black plums from him.

The hospital was very quiet at night; the daytime noise had disappeared. The most common sounds were footsteps and occasional coughs.

Wen Jiajia sat in a well-ventilated area with her hands on her abdomen, feeling a bit dazed.

Wei Dai was excited, and Wen Jiajia was also thrilled.

It was hard not to be excited. After all, the baby was growing inside her and would be there for nine months. The baby was conceived when she was hoping for it, and she had a close relationship with the baby’s father. This was a joyful moment.

The moonlight was exceptionally bright, illuminating the scenery ten meters away with incredible clarity.

Soon, Wei Dai returned with a jar of black plums.

Wei Dai said, “I bought two jars. We’ll use one for now and save the other for later.”

Wen Jiajia looked at it and said, “It’s a pretty big jar. It will last for a while.”

The jar was a glass container that originally held canned yellow peaches. Since the label was still on it, Wen Jiajia opened it and smelled the contents, instantly recognizing that these pickled black plums were authentic.

The couple returned home slowly.

On the way, Wen Jiajia asked curiously, “Do you know Dr. Peng?”

Wei Dai replied, “Yes. I was injured once, and he helped me recover.”

Wen Jiajia stopped and widened her eyes. “Injured?”

Wei Dai hurriedly explained, “It was a long time ago, probably in my third year of military service. Although the injury was quite serious, fortunately, there are no lasting effects.”

Wen Jiajia sighed with relief. Wei Dai was in excellent health.

She then continued, “Mr. Peng is so old and still on duty. Doesn’t the hospital take care of him?”

Wei Dai smiled and said, “Mr. Peng has worked at the hospital for many years. Later, because his son got into trouble, Mr. Peng was transferred to the countryside to work as a doctor. But that rural area isn’t far from Linhe, and the conditions are decent. We can get there by bicycle in just over an hour.”

“After a few years in the countryside, he was transferred back to the hospital. I heard that his son was also transferred back and now works in the hospital’s logistics department. Because of this, the hospital couldn’t give him too much work, so they arranged for him to work three days a week. The clinic has beds and a nearby toilet, so it’s almost like being at home.”

This explains why skills are so valued. Even if a highly skilled doctor is demoted, he is only moved to work in the countryside. Wen Jiajia understood the significance of Mr. Peng. No matter how impressive a person is, they still rely on doctors to save their lives and dare not offend them.

As they talked, they arrived home.

Wen Chun and Wen Xuan, hearing the noise, ran out and looked at Wen Jiajia with concern. Wen Chun asked, “Aunt, did you go to the hospital?”

Wen Jiajia was surprised. “How did you know?”

Wen Chun replied, “Xiao Pang’s mother came by and asked if you hadn’t returned from the hospital yet.”

Wen Jiajia realized that someone must have seen her and Wei Dai at the hospital. The news probably reached Sister Jin, who had something to discuss with her and found she hadn’t returned home yet.

“Do you know what Xiao Pang’s mother wanted to talk to me about?” she asked.

Wen Chun nodded. “She asked you to bring two bags of salt and two bottles of beer tomorrow.”

Wen Jiajia patted Wen Chun’s head and said, “Okay! Don’t worry. I went to the hospital for a check-up. You might be getting a new sibling.”

She thought it would be best to inform the two sisters about this as soon as possible.

After spending so much time together, Wen Jiajia had come to view Wen Chun and Wen Xuan as her own children, no different from her biological kids.

With them, Wen Jiajia quickly adapted to her new life and found the children special and different.

Wen Xuan hadn’t fully grasped the news yet and was still confused.

But Wen Chun immediately turned her gaze to Wen Jiajia’s belly, her eyes sparkling. “Aunt, are you pregnant?”

Wen Jiajia felt that Wen Chun was very perceptive. Just by mentioning it, Wen Chun knew she was pregnant.

“Yes!” Wen Jiajia nodded emphatically. “Probably, but I’m not entirely sure yet.”

Wen Chun wrinkled her nose, puzzled. How could anyone be unsure about this?

Wen Xuan finally reacted, her face displaying surprise. She gently placed her hand on her belly, touched it, then withdrew her hand as if shocked by an electric current. After a moment, she touched it again.

She could hardly believe it: “I’m going to be a big sister!”

Having always been a younger sister, Wen Xuan found the idea of becoming an older sister quite novel.

Wen Jiajia laughed, “Are you happy about being a big sister?”