Chapter 19: How Much Is This?

Huo Beiqing looked at that little head, and to his own surprise, he felt a trace of anticipation.

Was she coming back to ask him to act like a proper husband?

But then Xia Ruanruan grinned and held up the tube of scar cream. “Dr. Huo, how much is this?”

“Do I pay at the hospital’s billing counter, or do I pay you directly?”

Huo Beiqing: “….”

“Get lost!”

“No need,” Huo Beiqing said with a dark expression.

Xia Ruanruan: This Huo guy sure changed moods fast—such an unpredictable man!

Still, she obediently saluted. “Got it!”

Then, without hesitation, she dashed away.

Huo Beiqing: This wife of his sure had a talent for getting on his nerves.

But… her ability to bend and adapt was oddly cute.

As he sat down, he didn’t even realize that a faint smile had appeared on his lips.

After leaving the hospital, Xia Ruanruan realized it was still early, so she decided to go shopping.

One nice outfit wasn’t enough!

Plus, the weather was getting colder. Last time she had seen a couple of beautiful coats at the department store, but they were too expensive. Today, she could check again!

But even after browsing, Xia Ruanruan still couldn’t bring herself to buy them.

Because those coats were so expensive—more than 200 yuan!

Sure, Huo Beiqing had given her enough money…

But she really didn’t have the thick skin to spend it all!

That was a whole month’s salary. If she spent it all on clothes the moment it landed in her hands, wouldn’t that be too much?

In the end, Xia Ruanruan settled for a sweater and a pair of long pants.

She’d make do for now!

Once she could earn money herself, she’d splurge properly.

Thinking about this, Xia Ruanruan felt deeply regretful. Why did I have to transmigrate?

She still had so much money left in her original world!

Ahhhhhhh!!!

What’s the most painful thing in the world?

Dying before you’ve spent all your money!

Tragic. Absolutely tragic.

Carrying her shopping bags, Xia Ruanruan strolled along, stopping here and there. When she passed under a pedestrian bridge, she saw a lot of street vendors.

She paused in place.

If there was one easy way to make money in this era without capital or connections, it had to be scavenging for recyclables or setting up a street stall.

She wasn’t the type to endure hardship, so scavenging was out. But street vending…

Plus, she knew her strengths and what she could sell best.

Walking across the long pedestrian bridge, she saw that most vendors were selling clothes and accessories.

She decided against those—too many competitors, and without direct supply, she had no advantage.

But she could sell cassette tapes!

Nowadays, when people get married, they usually require a tape recorder and some cassette tapes to listen to music…

The key point was—she could sing!

With a goal in mind, Xia Ruanruan hopped all the way home.

When she got back, Lin Wei praised the clothes she had bought, making Xia Ruanruan incredibly happy.

Feeling cheerful, Xia Ruanruan waited eagerly for the night to fall.

Once it was dark, Huo Beiqing would come home.

She had something to ask him for help with today!

She wanted to sell cassette tapes, but how could she attract customers? By sitting under the pedestrian bridge and singing.

With her voice, she was confident that she could sell at least ten or so tapes in one night.

Since there were no sound cards in this era, she needed a musical instrument to accompany her. But instruments weren’t easy to come by, so she needed Huo Beiqing’s help to find her a guitar.

Xia Ruanruan waited for Huo Beiqing to return, while Lin Wei was also waiting for her son.

When Huo Beiqing got home that evening, he felt that the atmosphere in the house was a little different. He couldn’t immediately pinpoint what had changed, but Xia Ruanruan’s smile and his mother’s repeated glances at him made him feel something was off.

After dinner, Xia Ruanruan quickly slipped upstairs. She needed to discuss things with Huo Beiqing properly—what if he refused to help?

But while Xia Ruanruan went upstairs, Huo Beiqing was held back by Lin Wei.

Huo Beiqing looked puzzled.

Lin Wei stood up and motioned for him to follow her.

Huo Beiqing followed, curious to see what this was about.

Lin Wei led her son into the kitchen.

On the counter sat a medicine pot, cushioned by a towel.

The smell of traditional Chinese medicine wasn’t noticeable outside, but as soon as he stepped into the kitchen, the bitter scent filled the air.

Lin Wei grabbed a bowl, handed it to Huo Beiqing, and gestured for him to pour out the medicine.

Huo Beiqing frowned, then glanced at his mother’s complexion, which was noticeably better than it had been a few days ago.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Although she looked healthier, some illnesses couldn’t be judged by appearance alone, so he still asked with concern.

Lin Wei waved her hand. Watching him pour out the medicine, she pointed at him, “I’m fine. I had this decocted for you.”

“Drink it while it’s hot.”

“The doctor said it works best when taken hot.”

Huo Beiqing: “…”

Why should he take medicine when he was perfectly fine?

And bitter, stomach-churning herbal medicine at that?

Suddenly, he understood Xia Ruanruan’s reluctance last night.

So, everyone hated taking medicine.

Huo Beiqing instinctively stepped back. “I’m in good health.”

Lin Wei nodded. “I know, I know you’re fine. This isn’t for treating an illness, it’s to nourish your body.”

Lin Wei spoke with a bit of embarrassment.

As a mother, she wasn’t usually nosy, but now that she had to bring this up, she felt a bit awkward.

But compared to the importance of having grandchildren soon, she decided this wasn’t that big of a deal.

Before Huo Beiqing could ask, Lin Wei continued, “You know Ruanruan is planning to take the college entrance exam, right?”

Huo Beiqing nodded. “She’s quite ambitious lately.”

Lin Wei nodded in agreement. “That’s a good thing.”

“But if she gets in, she’ll have to go to school, and college takes four years.”

“If she waits four years to have kids, you’ll be thirty-two by then.”

Huo Beiqing: “…”

Once again, his age was brought up—kind of offensive, honestly.

Lin Wei kept going. “By then, just when your kid is starting college, you’ll be an old man. And if you want to have two or three kids, you’ll be even older.”

Huo Beiqing: A direct attack from his own mother—both physically and emotionally.

Lin Wei pointed at the bowl in his hand. “Drink up. With this medicine’s help, and given how young you both are, chances are, she’ll get pregnant soon.”

“If she gets pregnant now, by the time she goes to school, the baby will already be born, and she’ll have finished her postpartum recovery.”

“That way, you young folks can focus on your careers while I stay home and help take care of the baby.”

“Now, this matter—”

Huo Beiqing wanted to ask if Xia Ruanruan knew about this plan.

But before he could speak, Lin Wei nudged the bowl toward him. “Drink it up quickly. Ruanruan’s already gone upstairs. Once you’re done, go join her—it’s getting late.”

Thinking back to Xia Ruanruan’s oddly expectant behavior at dinner, Huo Beiqing didn’t say anything more.

He simply tilted his head back and drank the entire bowl in one go.

He had no choice but to drink it—he couldn’t tell his mother that he and Xia Ruanruan slept separately, with one on the bed and the other on the floor.

If he did, the whole house would be in chaos.

So, he drank it.

As for Xia Ruanruan—he would go upstairs and see what she had to say.