◎ First update ◎ 

On the way back to the courtyard, Xu Shengjie said nothing and only stared at Liang Baozhen from time to time. He was thinking about how to take care of a pregnant woman. He had no experience and figured that he had to learn from others. 

Meanwhile, Zhou Yun and Liang Baozhen, were talking arm in arm. Her grandmother was offering some advice. 

“You need to be careful in the first three months, and it will be fine after that. I was like this when I was pregnant. I felt like vomiting when I smelled something so don’t be nervous. Also, asked someone to send message back from your parents, and don’t tell anyone in the courtyard yet. Let’s keep it within the family first.” 

Zhou Yun wasn’t very superstitious, but it was a long-standing rule to keep the pregnancy secret for the first three months to avoid bad luck. In the past, someone had started telling everyone about her pregnancy, and not long after, she fell and lost the baby before it was three months old. Everyone in the family said that telling anyone about it in advance broke the rules. 

Liang Baozhen smiled and agreed, understanding that it was all based on superstition. She knew that the first three months were naturally unstable, so blaming it on revealing the news to others didn’t seem fair. However, since the elders believed in these traditions, she chose to respect them. 

She was just a little surprised by the news of her pregnancy. She reached out to touch her belly but couldn’t feel anything yet. She found it hard to believe that there was already a child inside her. 

Looking at Xu Shengjie, it seems that this man hasn’t changed much, except that he was a little talkative in front of the doctor just now, but now he is very quiet. His calm demeanor clearly reflects his military experience. 

The three of them walked to the entrance of the courtyard. Liang Baozhen and her grandmother walked in front and went into the house. As they walked, they realized something was wrong. Where was Xu Shengjie? 

The two of them turned around and looked; Xu Shengjie had accidentally walked through their courtyard and ended up in another one. 

“Xiao Jie!” Zhou Yun shouted at the top of her lungs, with a hint of laughter in her voice. She knew her grandson well, “Where are you going?” 

Liang Baozhen then noticed that Xu Shengjie ears turn red when he walk back. He glanced at her and quickly averted his gaze as if nothing happened, “Let’s go back.” 

After saying that, he was the first to walk into the courtyard, without waiting for anyone. His extremely quick steps betrayed his embarrassment. 

Liang Baozhen and Zhou Yun smiled at each other. 

After returning home, Zhou Yun asked Liang Baozhen to go back and rest first. They had taken half a day off today to go to the hospital for a check-up and had to return to the factory in the afternoon. 

“Shouldn’t you take the afternoon off too?” Xu Shengjie remembered that his wife was still vomiting yesterday and was unsure about her condition. Even though the doctor said everything was fine, he was still worried. 

“No need, I’m fine,” Liang Baozhen said. The only discomfort she felt was from the smell of fish soup and gasoline the previous night. Other than that, she had no problems. 

However, Zhou Yun still insisted that she rest, have lunch, and take a nap before heading back to work. 

Lying on the bed in the bedroom, Liang Baozhen looked up at the ceiling, still not coming back to her senses. She was going to be a mother? She wanted to tell her parents about this immediately, but the distance was far, and she didn’t know when she would meet someone from the village who could help her pass the message. If there’s no one, she might have to call the commune to deliver the news… 

While Liang Baozhen was thinking about it, she heard some noise at the door and Xu Shengjie came in with a cup of warm water. 

“Drink some water to moisten your throat.” 

“Mm, I was just thirsty.” Liang Baozhen stood up with her arms on the bed. Xu Shengjie quickly put down the enamel cup to help her, but his wife rolled her eyes, “I’m not that delicate.” 

If she hadn’t said that she was not delicate, looking at Xu Shengjie’s posture, he might have thought she was too unwell to get up on her own, given how concerned he looked. 

Xu Shengjie scratched his head and smiled, “Isn’t this because of my lack of experience?” 

“What were you thinking about earlier? You even walked into the other courtyard.” Liang Baozhen took the enamel cup and gulped down half of it. She finally felt a lot better. This was the first time she saw Xu Shengjie act stupidly, and it was quite interesting. 

In her heart, Xu Shengjie has always been steady and reliable. He is not only the pillar of support for his grandmother and younger brothers and sisters but also the backbone of the family. How could this man suddenly act stupid? A smile appeared in Liang Baozhen’s eyes. The corners of her almond-shaped eyes were slightly upturned, and there was a hint of amusement in the corners of her eyes. She lifted her eyebrows as if she was teasing him. 

A gust of wind blew past the window, causing the curtains to dance in an arc of light, and also blew across Xu Shengjie’s face. The gentle man’s tough eyebrows and eyes looked at his wife teasing him. Xu Shengjie remained calm and responded with a bit of frustration, “You already know the reason and you still ask me?”

“Oh, how would I know?” Liang Baozhen moved closer to Xu Shengjie and said softly, “I thought you weren’t that excited. You didn’t seem very thrilled when you found out about the pregnancy. Look at Brother Lu’s reaction when he learned about Sister Caili’s pregnancy; he was so excited he nearly shouted it to the whole courtyard.” 

It’s a rare opportunity to catch Xu Shengjie doing something stupid; how could she let him go! 

“Don’t you know whether I’m happy or not?” Xu Shengjie had never been one to show his emotions, and he had been like this since he was a child. But at this moment, he stared at Liang Baozhen, and his usually sharp eyes had become gentle. His dark eyes seemed to sparkle with joy and tenderness, like fragments of sunlight scattered across them. 

“I’m very happy, Zhenzhen.” Xu Shengjie gently squeezed Liang Baozhen’s hand. The thought of her carrying their child in her filled him with such profound happiness that he couldn’t help but smile, his heart swelling with love. 

This was a feeling Xu Shengjie had never experienced before. It was wonderful and difficult to control.

When she heard the word Zhenzhen, Liang Baozhen blushed a little. Xu Shengjie’s voice was deep, unlike her own clear voice. It usually didn’t bother her, but every time he called her Zhenzhen, those simple words seemed affectionate. Why did they sound so different when spoken from Xu Shengjie’s mouth? Her ears turned red and her heart felt ticklish. 

“I’m also very happy.” Liang Baozhen tilted her head and rested it on Xu Shengjie’s shoulder. His shoulders were broad and gave her a sense of security. Liang Baozhen also liked to sleep nestled in the crook of his neck at night. It made her feel at ease! 

However, while feeling happy, Liang Baozhen suddenly remembered something and straightened up suddenly. This big movement scared Xu Shengjie, and his expression almost changed. “What’s wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable? Do you want to vomit?” 

“No.” Liang Baozhen felt good and had no discomfort. She had just remembered that the college entrance exam would resume in a month! 

What a coincidence this child came here! 

She had originally planned to take this year’s college entrance exam. Now that the child is here, if she passes the exam, will she have to go to college with a big belly? Liang Baozhen’s expression changed again and again, and Xu Shengjie frowned at the side. 

Not knowing what his wife was thinking, Xu Shengjie’s expression grew anxious, and a look of concern crossed his face. 

“What’s going on? Tell me, and I’ll help you figure it out.” 

“It’s nothing.” Liang Baozhen felt a bit regretful that she couldn’t take this year’s college entrance exam and would have to wait for 1978’s. 

*** 

After lunch, Xu Shengjie arranged for his wife to take a nap and went to the Lu family. He listened to his grandmother and didn’t plan to tell anyone else about Baozhen’s pregnancy, but it was necessary for him to seek advice from outsiders. 

What’s more, there was a new father in the courtyard who had an overwhelming desire to share his experience. 

The two of them, one dares to teach and the other dares to learn; they make a perfect pair. 

Lu Yuan, who was washing diapers in the courtyard, talked about his experience as a new father. “The first point is to take good care of your wife. Pregnant women have bad tempers and think about this and that. Don’t ask why; just do as you’re told. Talk less and do more. That’s the best thing to do.” 

After wringing out two diapers, Lu Yuan hung them on the clothesline made of iron wire. There were already six diapers hanging on it. Lu Yuan was very satisfied with the unique set up he created. He continued, “Second point, if there is a conflict between your family and your wife, you need to work hard to resolve them. Otherwise, both sides will be unhappy. I’m quite good at this.” 

Lu Yuan’s mother favored boys over girls. Since Cheng Caili had a daughter, she hadn’t been treated well. Cheng Caili didn’t care much and asked Lu Yuan to go back to get the malted milk and the money. Anyway, they couldn’t do anything and not contribute money. 

“You don’t know; I’m so exhausted trying to appease both sides!” Lu Yuan was exhausted from managing both ends but found his efforts paid off. For now, everyone was getting along. 

Xu Shengjie listened attentively and absorbed Lu Yuan’s talk about the difficulties of raising a child and the discomfort his wife felt when she was pregnant. He kept it all in mind. 

As he was talking, Lu Yuan realized something was wrong. “What’s the matter? Are you trying to steal my skills in advance?” 

“It’s better to be prepared.” Xu Shengjie still kept his mouth shut and decided to wait three months before saying anything. 

When she got home, Liang Baozhen had just woken up from her nap and was drinking water before going to the factory. Zhou Yun sat beside her and talked to her. The day before yesterday, Zhang Rong’s son Zhou Qingdang picked a basket of oranges and shared some with everyone. The oranges were sour and sweet, which was just enough to relieve Liang Baozhen’s discomfort after waking up. 

Liang Baozhen put the golden orange flesh into her mouth and felt the sweet and sour orange juice. She gradually woke up and discussed with her grandmother what to eat for dinner. 

“Let’s have some stir-fried bacon tonight and make a cold dish to celebrate.” 

“Okay.” Thinking about the delicious bacon, Liang Baozhen felt a little greedy. 

Xu Shengjie watched his grandmother and his wife talking happily and felt that Lu Yuan’s second point was unnecessary. The two went to work at the factory, and on the way home from work, he repeatedly confirmed whether Liang Baozhen wanted to eat anything else. 

“If you wanted bacon for lunch, you might not want it now. If you want something else, I’ll go buy it right now.” Seeing Liang Baozhen shaking her head, Xu Shengjie added, “Do you want to eat the dishes in the state-owned restaurant? Braised lion’s head, sweet and sour pork, stir-fried beef, roast duck, sweet and sour spareribs… Is there anything you want to eat?” 

According to Lu Yuan, when Cheng Caili was pregnant, she initially said she wanted to eat meat buns but soon changed her mind and wanted to eat egg cakes. She kept changing what she wanted to eat.

“No, no, let’s hurry home. Grandma might have already fried the bacon.” Liang Baozhen urged her husband to ride faster. 

Xu Shengjie riding a bicycle: How come my wife is not moody at all? I feel like I am totally useless. 

Liang Baozhen hugged Xu Shengjie’s waist: Why is this man so wasteful?