When Xu Ning went to the city on her bicycle, she spoke to Su Hongying, “Sister Hongying, I might not be able to deliver bed sheets to you as often in the future.

My friend’s family ran into some trouble, and now they don’t want to continue this line of work. They said it’s too risky.”

Although Su Hongying felt a bit disappointed, she was understanding. Over the past few years, she had made quite a bit of money, and if someone didn’t want to do the work anymore, there wasn’t much she could do.

She smiled and said, “Xiao Ning, it’s alright. This kind of work always carries some risk. It’s completely normal for someone to want to stop. Just come visit me whenever you’re free, and we’ll hang out like we used to.”

Xu Ning smiled and replied, “Sister Hongying, these past few years, we’ve become like sisters. I’ll definitely come visit often in the future, so don’t get annoyed with me.”

“How could I ever find you annoying? I’d be worried if you didn’t come around,” Su Hongying said.

The two chatted for a while at the supply and marketing cooperative, then Xu Ning rode her bike back home.

Over the past few years, Xu Ning had sold quite a number of bed sheets from the space. After Lu Xiaotang reminded her that day, she began to realize the risks.

Selling so many bed sheets in such a small county could easily attract the attention of someone curious, and there would be no way to explain their source.

From then on, she decided not to sell anything from the space anymore. There wasn’t much left anyway, so she might as well keep the remaining items for her own use.

On her way back from the city, Xu Ning passed by the youth camp. She heard voices coming from inside, so she got off her bicycle and took a glance inside.

Wang Juanjuan stood in the courtyard, her face clouded with gloom, while her parents were busy helping her pack.

Seeing it was them, Xu Ning quickly got back on her bike and rode away.

It was freezing cold, and after her ride from the county, she felt like her whole body was about to freeze stiff.

When Xu Ning got home, she took off her thick cotton coat, poured herself a cup of hot water, and sat on the heated kang bed. Only then did she start to feel alive again.

That evening, when Xu Mo came over, the siblings sat on the kang, and Xu Mo shared some village gossip with her.

“Xiao Wang’s uncle got married yesterday, and their whole family went to the wedding banquet. His dad drank too much and fell on the way home, knocking out one of his front teeth. When he got home, Xiao Wang’s mom gave him a good beating. He was beaten so badly that he didn’t even dare to leave the house today.”

Xu Ning laughed and asked, “How did you find out? Who told you?”

Xu Mo replied, “My buddy Xiao Wang told me. He said, ‘Don’t be fooled by how tough my dad acts outside; at home, he’s totally scared of my mom.’”

“And your buddy tells you all these things?” Xu Ning teased.

“Yeah, we’re really close. Xiao Wang, San Dan, and Da Chui often bring me eggs to eat. So whenever I have something good, I also share it with them.

But sometimes, I tell them little lies. Like when I give them the snacks and candy you bought for me, I told them it was Grandpa Qi who got them for me.

Dad and Uncle Lu both said that these are harmless lies, so it’s okay,” Xu Mo explained.

Xu Ning praised him, “Dad and Uncle Lu are right. You’re really smart, Xiao Mo.”

Hearing his sister’s compliment, Xu Mo couldn’t help but press his lips together to hide his proud smile as he turned on the radio.

Since the weather was nice today, Xu Ning divided the marinated wolf meat into separate bags. Half of it was meant for Lu Xiaotang’s eldest and youngest uncles’ families, while the other half would go to Lu Xiaoran. As for Xu Yang, since he didn’t cook at home, she planned to send him some dried wolf meat instead.

After finishing these tasks, she sighed. Lu Xiaotang had been gone for over half a month now, and she had no idea where he was at the moment.

She packed everything into a large basket, secured it to her bicycle, and put on her coat, ready to head into town to send the packages.

On the way, she stopped by Grandpa Wang’s house to drop off some grain and vegetables. The elderly couple was in great spirits these days, and Grandma Wang had even made two pairs of cotton shoes—one pair each for Xu Ning and Lu Xiaotang.

After that, Xu Ning went to the supply and marketing cooperative to buy some pencils and exercise books for Xu Mo, as well as some lamp oil.

When she was leaving, she ran into Gu Wenping and Lin Miao, who were also there to do some shopping. She greeted them and continued on her way.

Ever since Wang Juanjuan had been taken away by her parents, the atmosphere at the youth camp had lightened considerably, and people no longer felt the need to speak so cautiously.

Because of the cold weather, Wei Lanlan found it inconvenient to take her child outside, so she often invited Xu Ning over to hang out.

Xu Ning didn’t have much to do at home, so she often took her needlework to the camp to chat with the others.

“Chunhua introduced a potential match for her younger aunt. He’s from her village, and Jiaohua agreed. They’re planning to get married at the end of the year, just two days after Lin Qiuhua’s wedding,” Yang Xiaomei shared with the two women.

Wei Lanlan asked, “When was this decided? How come I hadn’t heard about it?”

Yang Xiaomei explained, “A few days ago, Chunhua invited her aunt to her house for a meal. That was when they met the match. The date was just set yesterday.”

Xu Ning also asked, “Didn’t she say before that she wouldn’t marry someone from the countryside? Why did she agree now?”

Yang Xiaomei replied, “She’s probably given up hope of returning to the city! Plus, after what happened last time, she’s been scared. I suppose she’s come to realize that the female Zhiqing here in our commune are either getting married or looking for ways to go back to the city.

It’s just her and Gu Wenjing left. But Gu Wenjing has her cousin here to help her if anything happens.

That must have made Jiaohua anxious. She was never one to make decisions on her own, so after some persuasion from Chunhua, she finally agreed.”

Wei Lanlan remarked, “Once Lin Qiuhua and Jiaohua get married this year, the Zhiqing Courtyard will be much quieter.”

Xu Ning thought to herself, It’s only 1974; there will still be more Zhiqing coming in the future.

During dinner that evening, Xu Ning picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her bowl. As soon as she saw it, she felt a bit nauseous but forced herself to eat it.

When she was washing the dishes afterward, her discomfort worsened. She rubbed her stomach, wondering if she had eaten something bad over the past few days.

She went back to her room, where Xu Mo was sitting at the kang table, doing his homework. When he saw her come in, he smiled and said, “Sister, come up here! I’m almost done with my homework. Afterward, I’ll tell you a story I just heard from Grandpa Qi.”

Xu Ning smiled and sat down, watching him finish his homework. Suddenly, she felt something rise from her throat. She quickly got off the kang and put on her shoes, but before she could make it out the door, she vomited.

When Xu Mo saw her vomiting, his face turned pale. He scrambled down from the kang without even putting on his shoes and rushed to her side, anxiously asking, “Sister, sister, what’s wrong?”

After Xu Ning finished vomiting, she felt a bit more comfortable. Weakly, she smiled at him and said, “It’s nothing; I might have eaten something bad.”

Xu Mo helped her back onto the kang and cleaned up after her, then hurried to the cattle shed after closing the door.

Before long, Father Xu, Mother Xu, Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu all quietly arrived.

Having gone through similar experiences, the older adults, especially Uncle Lu and Aunt Lu, who had worked in the hospital for so long, recognized the signs. After Xu Mo explained Xu Ning’s symptoms and calculated the dates, they began to suspect she might be pregnant.

Seeing them gather around, Xu Ning asked, “Dad, Mom, why are you all here? I’m fine; it’s probably just something I ate. My stomach feels a little uncomfortable.”

Aunt Lu chuckled and said, “We had nothing to do tonight, so we thought we’d come over and check on you. Here, let me take your pulse.”

After checking her pulse, Aunt Lu nodded and smiled at the others.

Then she turned to Xu Ning and said, “Xiao Ning, you’re pregnant! It’s been over a month.”

Xu Ning was taken aback. “What?! I’m pregnant?”

No wonder her appetite had been poor these past few days, and her period hadn’t come this month. She hadn’t even considered that possibility.

Feeling the amused gazes of everyone around her, she suddenly felt a bit shy.

Noticing her embarrassment, Father Xu and Uncle Lu decided to head home first.

Mother Xu and Aunt Lu discussed the plan of taking turns to keep her company every evening.

Xu Ning quickly interjected, “Mom, there’s no need for that. I’m fine, and besides, it would be too much trouble for you to come here every day. It wouldn’t look good if people found out.”

Xu Mo chimed in from the side, “Mom, Auntie Lu, you don’t have to come. I’m here; I can take care of my sister.”

After considering their words, the two mothers agreed that the siblings had a point. It wouldn’t be convenient for them to come every day.

Moreover, since Xu Ning had just found out about the pregnancy, there wasn’t much for them to do at this stage. They decided that once her pregnancy progressed, they would take turns coming to keep an eye on her.