“Teacher Jiang’s wife, I just heard the old man in the orchard say that the oranges in that area are already ripe, bigger and sweeter. Do you want to come pick some with us?”

“Sure,” Yu Yao said with interest and immediately followed them.

In that part of the orchard, the oranges were indeed riper, almost all yellow with some red ones that looked like lanterns. Yu Yao, curious about the red oranges, picked one to taste and found it a bit too sweet. She ate a couple of slices and then handed it to Jiang Zhonglin.

“This one is sweet; you eat this.”

Jiang Zhonglin took it and ate.

Yu Yao glanced over and saw the two young girls looking at them with excited, whispering expressions.

“What are you talking about?” Yu Yao asked with a smile.

The two girls giggled and replied, “We were just saying how sweet it is. Oh, we meant that the oranges are really sweet!” Their expressions didn’t quite match their words.

After spending some time in the orchard, the group decided it was time to head back for lunch. The farmhouse had prepared a hearty meal, including wild rabbits from the mountains. Nowadays, with almost all food being farmed or machine-raised, anything labeled as “wild” seemed quite rare.

Yu Yao had eaten several oranges in the orchard and was starting to feel hungry. However, as soon as she entered the dining room and smelled the mix of meat and fish oil, her stomach churned immediately. She stiffened her face, left the dining room, and took a few deep breaths outside to calm the sensation in her chest.

Seeing her sudden change in expression, Jiang Zhonglin followed her and asked, “Still feeling unwell?”

“I can’t take it. I need to see a doctor.”

People in the dining room also noticed Yu Yao’s discomfort. A young student glanced over and asked, “Is something wrong with Teacher Jiang’s wife? Is she feeling sick?”

An elderly gentleman said, “This morning, Old Jiang was looking for a thermometer. Could she be running a fever?”

Coincidentally, a relative of an elderly professor was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor. Seeing the situation, she offered to take a look.

Jiang Zhonglin wanted to go back to Haishi to visit a hospital, but Yu Yao felt he was overreacting. They were debating whether to return when someone at the door called out, “Teacher Jiang, if your wife isn’t feeling well, you should let Mrs. Ling Yu take a look.”

Mrs. Ling Yu was a kind-looking woman in her fifties. She came over, greeted them, and took Yu Yao’s pulse.

Yu Yao initially didn’t think there was anything wrong, but when Mrs. Ling Yu’s expression changed and she continued to examine Yu Yao’s wrist in silence, Yu Yao started to feel uneasy.

Jiang Zhonglin, watching, grew increasingly worried. When Mrs. Ling Yu finally released Yu Yao’s hand, he asked, “So, what’s the matter? Is she sick?”

Mrs. Ling Yu looked at Yu Yao, then at Jiang Zhonglin, cleared her throat, and said with a smile, “No, she’s… pregnant.”

Everyone who had been worried froze in shock. Yu Yao, the person involved, was even more stunned, and Jiang Zhonglin, who was in his sixties and usually calm and composed, was genuinely astonished.

“Pregnant?” He repeated the word blankly, then pushed up his glasses reflexively and looked down at Yu Yao, who was equally bewildered. It was as if he was just starting to regain his composure.

“Are you really pregnant?” He asked Mrs. Ling Yu again, unable to believe it.

Mrs. Ling Yu nodded firmly, “Yes, approximately two months along.”

Two months—Yu Yao had been in this world for nearly two months. Since they hadn’t slept together during this time, did that mean she was pregnant before she crossed over? And just recently?

Realizing this, Jiang Zhonglin felt unusually stunned, remaining dazed for a while before looking back at Yu Yao, his mind in turmoil.

“I recommend you go to the hospital for a thorough check-up. After all, Yu Yao is not an ordinary person, and her experience of crossing over… In any case, you should go to the hospital. Congratulations to both of you.”

Due to this unexpected event, Yu Yao and Jiang Zhonglin had to cut their trip short and return to Haishi.

At Haishi First Hospital, where Jiang Zhonglin had previously taught and had been treated himself, they went for Yu Yao’s check-up. They soon received detailed results: Yu Yao’s health was excellent, and the fetus was growing well, at exactly nine weeks.

Yu Yao calculated the timing and realized it aligned with the days just before her crossing over. The timing was so precise that she wasn’t sure if it could be considered as having conceived before.

Since her menstrual cycle had always been irregular, missing one or two months was normal for her. She had thought the missed periods were due to stress from the sudden changes, not paying much attention. Additionally, the reminder of being forty years into the future made her subconsciously forget the possibility of pregnancy. Considering they had been married for a year without any contraception, it was indeed quite a coincidence that she was pregnant now, even though she hadn’t been before.

Neither Yu Yao nor Jiang Zhonglin had anticipated this situation. After forty years of single life, Jiang Zhonglin was not only surprised by his wife’s return but was now even more surprised to learn about the baby.

Holding the examination results, the once-young widower and now elder expectant father, Jiang Zhonglin, was completely dumbfounded.