Chapter 60

“Xiaoling, your mother is here.” a colleague called out.

“Oh, coming,” Xu Xiaoling quickly replied, wiping her hands. She came out from the stockroom and saw her mother standing by the counter looking around, “Mom, what are you doing here?”

Xu Xiaoling turned to her colleague beside her, “Xiaohui, please watch the counter for me. I need to have a word with my mom. Thank you.”

She worked at a department store, managing one of the counters. The job wasn’t easy, but the salary and benefits were good, and employees got a discount on purchases.

Pulling her mother to the side, Su Ying grabbed her second daughter’s hand and said excitedly, “Your sister-in-law is pregnant!”

“Pregnant? Who?” Xu Xiaoling was stunned for a moment, then quickly reacted with surprise and joy, “When did this happen? How many months along is she? Is her health okay?”

She quickly searched her mind for recent inventory at the department store to buy some nice things for her unborn nephew or niece. This was a long-awaited grandchild her mother had been looking forward to for years.

Su Ying was beaming, showing her gums, which was rare for her to do in public. Her tone was both excited and a bit worried, “She’s almost two months along. Your sister-in-law went to the hospital for a checkup because she wasn’t feeling well. Your brother happened to be on a mission at the time. She’s so young, and with just one younger brother at home, this pregnancy is a big deal. Neither she nor her brother knows much about this. There’s no elder around to help. I’m really worried.”

Since her daughter-in-law was pregnant, Su Ying was naturally thrilled and eager to go over quickly. Her son, being a big man, wouldn’t know how to care for a pregnant woman. It had to be the mother-in-law who went to take care of things.

Xu Xiaoling guessed her mother was planning to go to Li Province, “Mom, are you going there by yourself?”

Su Ying looked at her second daughter, “Your father is busy with work and can’t leave. If he can’t go, then it’s up to me. Your sister-in-law’s family has no one left. Now that she’s pregnant, someone experienced needs to go and take care of her. If I don’t go, will you go?”

IIf she had a choice, she actually didn’t want to go there. Besides the potential discomfort of the climate, being away for so long made her worry about things at home. But thinking about her grandchild, she felt these issues were trivial and entirely manageable.

Xu Xiaoling sighed, “I don’t have time for that. There’s a lot to do at home. If I leave, how will they manage? I’m worried about you. It’s not safe to travel alone. You haven’t been away on your own for a long time.”

Su Ying was calm, “What could happen? I’ll take the train from the capital and change once along the way. I’ll call your brother in advance and have him meet me at the train station.”

Xu Xiaoling said softly, “You’re so good to your daughter-in-law, traveling so far by train to take care of her. Aren’t you exhausted?”

Su Ying replied as if it were the most natural thing, “Of course. This is the first great-grandchild of the Xu family. How could I not take care of them? When you were pregnant with Xiao Zheng, I also made soups and looked after you during your recovery. You’re already a mother, but you still act like a child, getting jealous over things like this. Look how you’ve grown.”

Xu Xiaoling linked her arm with her mother’s, smiling sweetly, “I knew you were the best, Mom.”

A few years ago, she and her sister-in-law had been pregnant around the same time. Her mother-in-law stayed at her younger brother’s house, paying more attention to them. Occasionally, she would send her a portion of soup, but it was usually leftovers from her sister-in-law. This made her so angry that she threw it away. During confinement, her mother-in-law only took care of her sister-in-law, and when she visited, she was always advised to be understanding as the elder sister-in-law and to let the family help. Her own family was nearby, so she could ask her mother-in-law for assistance. In the end, she had no choice but to let her mother come and take care of her for a while.

After this incident, she saw her mother-in-law’s true colors more clearly. Although she regularly sent some pension money and gifts during festivals, her mother-in-law generally ignored the problems on her brother-in-law’s side. Her husband also knew that his mother had gone too far and didn’t insist that she be the perfect daughter-in-law. As long as she maintained a superficial harmony with her mother-in-law, that was enough.

Su Ying poked her second daughter’s head and said, “Don’t flatter yourself. I’m only good to my grandson.”

Xu Xiaoling pretended to be angry and stomped her foot. “Mom, am I no longer your own daughter? Is it really necessary to dislike your own daughter so much?”

Su Ying replied, “Alright, stop making a fuss. Do you have any breathable and comfortable fabric at the store? I need some, along with milk powder and bottles. Your brother is stationed in a remote area where things are hard to come by. If there are any good items, get them out quickly. I’ve brought the receipts and money.”

Xu Xiaoling said, “A batch of cotton fabric arrived a couple of days ago, and it feels nice to the touch. I saved two rolls for home. I’ll bring them to you. As for the milk powder, we need a receipt. Usually, only families with children have it. I’ll ask around. Honestly, you should have asked Dad to handle it. His connections are better, and he can get more good stuff.”

The two chatted for a while, and Xu Xiaoling returned to her counter. She borrowed some receipts from her colleagues and started gathering items according to her mother’s requests.

Her colleagues observed, “Sister Xiaoling, are you restocking?”

They bought a lot of food, clothing, and other items. The Xu family certainly had money. They spent without blinking. She had just started working at the department store and had heard rumors about Xu Xiaoling’s family having some background.

Xu Xiaoling came out with two rolls of fabric. “My sister-in-law is pregnant, and my mom plans to visit the military base where my brother is stationed. She’s worried that it’s hard to buy things there, so she bought everything she could think of. It’s tough for me, doing both the spending and the heavy lifting.”

Su Ying raised her hand and slapped her second daughter, saying unhappily, “You are such a stingy aunt. Hurry up, I still have to go to the pharmacy. Please take a leave and come with me.”

Xu Xiaoling gave her colleague a look and followed, asking, “What do you need from the pharmacy? Is someone at home ill?”

Su Ying said as she walked, “I need to see if they have any ginseng. Giving birth is a tough ordeal for women, so I need to be prepared.”

The family had a ginseng root that was over a hundred years old, reserved for the old man. No one dared to touch it, so she planned to try her luck at the pharmacy.

Xu Xiaoling lagged behind and muttered, “You really treat your daughter-in-law like your own daughter. Why couldn’t I have such a good mother-in-law?”

Su Ying shot her a look and said, “You chose this yourself, what can you do? Just deal with it.”

She is really my mother. Her words are so infuriating.

For dinner, Jiang Suihan didn’t have to cook. Xu Zhao’s cooking skills were passable. The meal consisted of a radish and egg soup, stir-fried green beans with preserved pork, and stir-fried cabbage.

Xu Zhao served her a bowl of soup and said, “It’s a bit hot. Wait for it to cool down before drinking.”

Jiang Leyun liked meat, and she precisely picked up a piece of preserved pork with her chopsticks and took a bite of rice. “The bacon is so delicious.”

Jiang Suihan also took a piece, worried it might make her sick. She took a small bite and found the taste quite good and it complemented the rice well.

Xu Zhao watched her out of the corner of his eye. Seeing that she didn’t vomit, he sighed with relief. In the afternoon, he had asked Lele about what had happened at home while he was away for the past two months. Lele told him that his sister had been vomiting for several days, eating and throwing up, causing her to lose weight.

Jiang Suihan sipped her soup slowly and said, “Aunt Cai once invited me and Lele over for a meal, and she’s taken good care of me at school. Since you’ve brought a lot of things this time, why not take some bacon and beef jerky to Aunt Cai?”

Social etiquette couldn’t be avoided. Aunt Cai was an elder and also a leader, so it was appropriate to send some gifts.

Xu Zhao nodded, “Sure, I’ll go after dinner.”

Seeing that Jiang Suihan’s bowl was empty, he took it and got up to serve more rice.

Jiang Suihan smiled and said, “Right now, I’m just waiting for everything to be served to me. I’m pregnant, but I’m not incapacitated. It’s just getting rice. If you keep pampering me like this, what will happen when you’re away on a mission? I might not even be able to feed myself.”

She felt that Xu Zhao was overly worried. He wouldn’t let her do anything, always following her closely to prevent her from slipping or falling. If she wanted a glass of water, he immediately took the cup from her and poured it for her.

He cared about her and wanted to do more for her, which she understood. However, being constantly watched and restricted from doing anything made her feel a bit oppressed.

Jiang Suihan tried to reason with him, “Dr. Zhong said that appropriate exercise can speed up metabolism and improve physical fitness. It’s okay to walk occasionally. Don’t be too nervous. Your anxiety makes me anxious too, and the baby reacts to stress. Dr. Zhong also said that I’m young and healthy. I’ve lost a bit of weight, but once the vomiting stops and I eat and sleep well, I’ll gain weight quickly.”

Xu Zhao glanced at Jiang Suihan’s waist, “You haven’t gained any weight.”

Jiang Suihan replied, “Thank you for the compliment. I hope you’ll still praise me like this after the baby is born.”

Xu Zhao didn’t understand what she was thinking. He preferred her to be a bit heavier, as he liked her fuller figure for cuddling.

He knew she was right. He was too eager to be a good father-to-be and was a bit anxious, worried that he hadn’t taken good care of her and that she might get hurt. Once he understood her point, he would try to adjust his behavior. After handling tomorrow’s tasks, he planned to take her to the hospital for a check-up. He needed to hear the doctor’s advice in person to truly feel at ease.

“I don’t want to quit my job at school for now. It’s still early in my pregnancy, and my belly isn’t big. I’m feeling fine and can handle the classes arranged by the school,” Jiang Suihan said. She didn’t want to give up her career just because she was pregnant. She had just started and liked the children in her class.

At least get through this semester first. When the belly gets bigger next semester, if my health truly can’t handle it, then we’ll discuss it then.

“If you think you’re fine and can manage, I have no objections. But if you start feeling unwell, you mustn’t endure it. You need to tell me right away, can you do that?”

Xu Zhao didn’t believe that a pregnant woman had to stay at home. Although his salary could support the family, Jiang Suihan enjoyed working, so he wouldn’t force her to quit.

“By the way, there’s no bed in the study. It’s too late to have one custom-made now. See how you can solve this. We can’t have Mom sleeping on the floor, can we?” Jiang Suihan suddenly remembered that the study had bookshelves and a desk but lacked a bed.

“I have a camp bed from my old dorm room. We can use that temporarily, and I’ll arrange for a proper bed to be delivered later.” Xu Zhao put some vegetables on Jiang Suihan’s plate, signaling her not to forget to eat while talking.

“You’ve thought of everything. I feel like my brain’s gone dull since I got pregnant.” Jiang Suihan ate the vegetables with a slightly gloomy expression.

“As long as the baby doesn’t take after you,” Xu Zhao said with a smirk.

“You actually despise me!” Jiang Suihan took a moment to understand his words and stared at him.

“Alright, don’t be mad. I wasn’t complaining, just making a little joke.” Xu Zhao gently patted her head and changed the subject. “At this time, I guess my mom and the others are probably discussing what to prepare for the baby.”

“It’s only been two months, isn’t it a bit early to be so prepared?” Jiang Suihan hesitated.

“You don’t know them. My mom’s the type who can’t wait.” Xu Zhao hinted.

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