Chapter 16: Prenatal Education

She was a little tired by now and, lying on the bed, unknowingly fell asleep.

When she woke up, Lu Jinyuan was at the window, applying oiled paper.

Ran Jinnian rubbed her eyes and saw him nearly done: “Hubby, how long have I been asleep?”

“Just about an hour,” Lu Jinyuan said, finishing the last piece of oiled paper. He turned around and added, “The wardrobe issue is sorted. The families of the Fourth Regiment’s armored vehicle commander will be leaving in a few days, so the wardrobe is all ours now.”

“No rush.”

These things weren’t urgently needed.

“Tomorrow, Zhou Xiangyang is going into town. I gave him the list and asked him to bring the items back for me,” Lu Jinyuan said. He could rely on Zhou Xiangyang to handle it.

“Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for him?”

Ran Jinnian remembered meeting Zhou Xiangyang and had a good impression of him.

Lu Jinyuan wiped his hands: “He’s on leave tomorrow anyway.”

“Then we should at least invite him for a meal,” Ran Jinnian said, thinking of the long list—running errands isn’t easy.

Lu Jinyuan didn’t want her to go through trouble: “No need to cook at home. I’ll have him eat at the canteen.”

“Hubby, I’m not that delicate. I’ll just cook at home,” Ran Jinnian replied firmly. She felt that other women, even with big bellies, still had to work in the fields; she was just making a meal. She came to the military district to live with him, not to play the part of a wealthy lady.

Seeing her insist, Lu Jinyuan said: “Fine. He’ll go into town in the morning. Even with a round trip, he’ll be back by the afternoon.”

So it would be for dinner.

“Then I need to plan what dishes to make,” Ran Jinnian said.

Being heavily pregnant, she couldn’t go into town, and Lu Jinyuan had work, so they had someone else do the shopping.

Everyone in the residential compound grew their own vegetables, so they only needed to buy meat from town.

Ran Jinnian, thinking ahead, had taken out a lot of cured meats and sausages from her space, showing them off to everyone, though she didn’t have vegetables.

Lu Jinyuan came out of the kitchen carrying a large basket of vegetables: radishes, potatoes, cabbage, plus eggs and pork.

“Where did you get all these vegetables?” Ran Jinnian asked joyfully.

“I went to some nearby farms. Since the house had no vegetables, I bought some from the village,” Lu Jinyuan said. He knew she had access to the space, but since they had just arrived at the military district, they needed to be cautious.

“Nothing wrong with it?”

“Nothing at all,” Lu Jinyuan said, knowing what she meant.

It was an unspoken rule that families in the military compound would privately buy things from local farmers.

“This cabbage is from Sister Qin. She said thanks for helping Goudan with his homework,” Lu Jinyuan added, pointing to the cabbage.

He hadn’t expected that while he was out, his wife had already helped Goudan with homework.

He had worried she might struggle to adapt, but she had settled in quickly.

“Sister Qin is too polite,” Ran Jinnian said, surprised that Qin Shulan would give vegetables.

“Sister Qin’s husband is a battalion commander in the Third Regiment. Both are honest people—it’s worth getting to know them,” Lu Jinyuan said.

Seeing Ran Jinnian ready to cook, he stepped in: “I’ll do it, honey.”

Ran Jinnian washed the vegetables while he cooked.

Though electric rice cookers existed in this era, not everyone could afford one. Most still cooked rice using steaming pots.

Lu Jinyuan washed the rice, then boiled it. When it was half-cooked, he transferred it to the steamer to finish. The rice water could be saved for drinking.

With so many vegetables brought back, Ran Jinnian also took out beef from the space, planning to make a clear beef stew.

“The flavor might be too strong,” Lu Jinyuan said. He wasn’t stopping her from eating it, but everyone’s resources were scarce, and tastes were sensitive.

Ran Jinnian immediately thought of a solution: “I can cook it in the space and bring it out when it’s done.”

Lu Jinyuan quickly closed the courtyard gate.

Ran Jinnian entered the space from the room.

It was the first time Lu Jinyuan had seen his wife disappear before his eyes, and he was momentarily startled, though he quickly relaxed.

Ran Jinnian entered her space villa; everything in the kitchen was from a different era.

She had studied this before, but this was the first time she actually used it. There were a few small mishaps, but she successfully stewed the beef.

She peeled some radishes, planning to add them to the beef later. She remembered that fish and shrimp were high in protein—a fact she had recently learned from books in the space.

The space had every kind of book, and she enjoyed reading them all.

Ran Jinnian also prepared fresh large shrimp. Following a recipe she found, she made a simple boiled shrimp dish.

Once done, she returned from the space.

Seeing her reappear from nowhere, Lu Jinyuan was no longer as shocked, though he still felt a little unsettled.

“Hubby, I’ve stewed the soup and also made boiled shrimp,” Ran Jinnian said, thinking that with her space, she no longer had to fear anemia.

Everything she could need to replenish blood was in the space.

A little over an hour later, their dinner table held a large bowl of radish beef stew, stir-fried greens, and a plate of boiled shrimp.

Thinking of her anemia, Lu Jinyuan said: “Eat more meat.”

He usually ate only a bit of fish; shrimp was rare for him. At first, he was slow peeling the shrimp, but after a few, he became quite skilled.

“Hubby, you eat too,” Ran Jinnian said, giving him plenty of beef while eating the shrimp he peeled.

With the doors and windows closed, the couple ate heartily and happily.

“When should we invite everyone over for a meal?” Ran Jinnian asked. Following military district customs, they should host a gathering to meet others.

Lu Jinyuan had already decided: “I’ll have a day off next Tuesday. We’ll host then.”

“You decide how many to invite,” she said, unfamiliar with the local norms.

Lu Jinyuan smiled: “Not many—two tables will suffice.”

After dinner, Lu Jinyuan washed the dishes while Ran Jinnian continued writing letters home.

As she wrote, she discussed with him: “Hubby, when I give birth, can you take care of both me and the baby?”

She had thought of letting her mother help.

Lu Jinyuan washed the dishes: “I’ll take good care of you and the baby.”

Ran Jinnian rolled her eyes: “You’ll have to care for both me and the baby alone. I’m worried you’ll be too busy.”

Lu Jinyuan looked serious: “Taking care of you two is my duty!”

Ran Jinnian also wanted to hire help, but that was only a thought—too obvious a show of wealth could cause trouble if reported.

She only suggested it to him, and seeing him insist, she dropped the subject.

She finally wrote a long letter: “Hubby, where can I send letters from the military district?”

Lu Jinyuan placed the dishes in the cabinet: “I’ll send it for you tomorrow.”

“I can go myself.”

“The envelope needs the military district’s official seal to be posted. Without it, you can’t send it,” Lu Jinyuan explained.

Ran Jinnian understood and handed him the letter to mail.

That evening, Lu Jinyuan held Ran Jinnian, being careful not to touch her belly.

“Hubby, we need to do prenatal education for the baby,” Ran Jinnian said, recalling what she had read about how it benefits a child’s development.