Chapter 28: Buying Grain

With this small bed, there would be no need to worry about the baby’s sleeping arrangements in the future.

“Third Brother, why don’t you stay for dinner tonight?” Liu Yinyin asked.

“No, my family has already prepared my meal. I’ll head back to eat,” Liu Mingyuan replied. After helping out, he quickly escaped back home.

Just earlier, Jiang Cuihua had repeatedly reminded him to hurry home after helping and not to disturb the couple’s private time.

So, even though the food here was good, Liu Mingyuan didn’t dare to stay for dinner.

Before leaving, he sneakily whispered to Liu Yinyin, “Little sister, you better keep an eye on your husband. I saw several women talking to him this afternoon, and they seemed to be having a great time chatting.”

With Gu Cheng’s height and looks, it was no surprise that he attracted attention. Back in the army, he was always surrounded by men, but now that he had transitioned to civilian life, he needed to be more cautious.

Liu Yinyin rolled her eyes at him. “…Third Brother, you really have too much free time.”

Even after a long day of work, he still had the energy to keep an eye on Gu Cheng—how thoughtful of him.

That said, Liu Yinyin had no intention of keeping Gu Cheng on a tight leash. If he truly fell for another woman, she wouldn’t cling to him desperately. In fact, she’d even wish him well for finally finding his happiness.

Even though that was how she felt, she couldn’t help but glance at him during dinner.

“What’s wrong? What did Mingyuan say to you?” Gu Cheng asked.

He had noticed the way the siblings whispered to each other earlier, and now, seeing Liu Yinyin stealing glances at him, he was sure Liu Mingyuan must have said something.

Liu Yinyin cleared her throat. “Nothing much, just that you seem to be quite popular.”

Gu Cheng chuckled. “This afternoon, I did chat a bit with a few of the older ladies.”

“Older ladies?” she asked.

Gu Cheng explained, “Yeah, like Aunt Yang from the village leader’s house, Aunt Pang from Uncle Mancang’s house near the village entrance, Aunt Qiu from Uncle Erlu’s house, and Aunt Tang from Third Grandfather’s family. Oh, and there was also—”

Liu Yinyin quickly interrupted him. “Alright, that’s enough. Why do you remember them all so clearly?”

Just hearing so many names was giving her a headache.

Gu Cheng said, “Well, it’s my first time becoming a father, and they were telling me how difficult childbirth is for women.”

Liu Yinyin suppressed a laugh. “You, a grown man, actually talked to them about that?”

Gu Cheng patiently explained, “What they said made a lot of sense. Aunt Yang told me that since you’ll be giving birth in winter, we need to prepare swaddling cloths, blankets, cotton jackets, and hats for the baby. Apparently, we’ll need a lot of cotton, and right now, it’s hard to buy cotton in town.

Aunt Yang said her family grows cotton, so she can spare some for us. I agreed to exchange fabric coupons and money for it.”

Liu Yinyin nodded. She had already made a few cotton clothes for the baby, but they were all thin. She hadn’t made any thick ones yet, and she also couldn’t just take cotton out of nowhere to use.

Actually, Jiang Cuihua had mentioned that they could reuse the old clothes from the other grandchildren when the time came.

But… in times like these, when resources were scarce, clothes were often passed down for years—three years as new, three years as old, and three more years patched up. Most kids wore hand-me-downs that had already gone through several generations.

If possible, Liu Yinyin definitely wanted to prepare new clothes for her own child.

Gu Cheng paused for a moment before adding, “Aunt Pang said that after giving birth, a woman needs proper nutrition to ensure a good milk supply. We should prepare things like red sugar, millet, eggs, and ideally, a few chickens for stewing…”

Cough… cough… Liu Yinyin choked on her food, her cheeks flushing slightly. “It’s too early to be thinking about all this. We can talk about it later.”

“It’s not too early,” Gu Cheng said confidently. “We can’t just slaughter the egg-laying hens when the time comes. Aunt Pang mentioned that her family just had a batch of chicks hatch. Tomorrow, I’ll go and get a few so we can raise them. By the time you give birth, they’ll be just the right size for eating.

And also, Aunt Qiu said—”

“Wait a minute.” Liu Yinyin hurriedly interrupted him, worried he’d say something else shocking. “Do whatever you think is best. I have no objections. Just don’t let people take advantage of you.”

With a responsible father like Gu Cheng, she wouldn’t have to worry about the baby’s needs.

However, since he was a man, he might not know much about these things. She was slightly concerned that people might trick him into overspending.

Gu Cheng truly didn’t know much about these matters. It was only now that he was beginning to realize just how difficult pregnancy and childbirth were for women.

Thinking about it, he added, “I’ll ask Mother about it later.”

Both of them were first-time parents, and with no elders at home to guide them, they had to rely on others for advice.

Liu Yinyin was also quite anxious. Giving birth was like taking a trip to the gates of hell—how could she not be nervous?

So, seeing Gu Cheng put so much effort into preparing, she felt genuinely touched. With him by her side, the pressure she felt wasn’t as overwhelming.

She instructed him, “I’ve locked up the passbook and several rolls of money. There’s still over a hundred yuan in cash and some ration coupons in the box inside the wardrobe. If you ever need more, just let me know.”

She didn’t intend to control how Gu Cheng spent money, but leaving such a large sum lying around unsecured would be worrisome.

After dinner, Gu Cheng washed the dishes, told Liu Yinyin where he was going, and then left with a bucket in hand.

He said he was going to the river to bathe and see if he could catch some fish on the way back.

Apparently, some auntie had told him that pregnant women who ate more fish would have smarter babies.

Since he was so determined, Liu Yinyin didn’t interfere. She finished her own bath and went straight to bed.

She had to admit, having the extra bed extension made sleeping much more spacious and comfortable.

The next morning, Liu Yinyin barely noticed when Gu Cheng got out of bed.

It was still dark outside, but he had already gotten up, jogged a few laps outside, and then fetched water to wash clothes.

Liu Yinyin was thoroughly impressed—this man had an incredible amount of energy.

When she got up to make breakfast, she noticed some fish swimming in the wooden tub in the kitchen—two palm-sized crucian carp and a handful of small miscellaneous fish.

While helping her prepare breakfast, Gu Cheng said, “Whenever I have time, I’ll go to the river and catch some fish to help nourish your body.”

Liu Yinyin had secretly been eating extra portions for herself, so she wasn’t lacking in nutrition. “I’m perfectly healthy. You have work during the day—stop tiring yourself out with unnecessary things.”

If he exhausted himself, who would take care of whom when the time came?

“This little bit of work won’t tire me out,” Gu Cheng said casually. Compared to the intense training in the army, household chores were nothing.

The fish in the bucket could last for two days. They decided to cook the small fish in a braised dish today and save the crucian carp for tomorrow.

At noon, Liu Yinyin made braised small fish, stir-fried lotus root, and wild mushroom soup.

Looking at the spread on the table, Liu Yinyin couldn’t help but nod in satisfaction. Yes, their meals were indeed quite good.

At around five in the afternoon, Gu Cheng returned home, took some money and ration coupons, then borrowed the team’s ox cart to head to the county to buy supplies.

Liu Yinyin, being heavily pregnant, found it inconvenient to go with him. Otherwise, she would have liked to go along—now that they had money, she was eager to buy things. There were still many necessities missing at home.