A month passed quickly, and plans had to change unexpectedly. Jiang Lin had to start resting at home earlier than planned.

She initially thought that her belly wasn’t too big at six months, and by seven months, it shouldn’t be too noticeable.

However, the lack of experience made her realize that reality was quite different from her expectations.

By the time she reached seven months, her belly had ballooned like a balloon, even though her waist remained very slim.

From behind, it was almost impossible to tell she was pregnant.

Her family was worried, feeling that with her waist so thin and her belly so large, it must be quite uncomfortable for her.

Especially Wen Sheng, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao, who were inexperienced and overly anxious, would gather every day to discuss Jiang Lin’s growing belly.

They worried about whether it was too big and debated if they should support her in some way.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were especially troubled, unable to understand why their mother’s belly was so large when the baby hadn’t even arrived yet.

So, why was this baby so unruly?

They were determined to teach the baby a lesson once she was born.

They even set aside their differences to discuss how to discipline the baby—whether it should be standing in a corner, not allowed to eat sweets, reciting texts, or participating in chores.

Jiang Lin couldn’t help but laugh when she heard their discussions.

Cheng Rushan firmly advised her to take a leave from school, as he wasn’t comfortable with her going even if someone else was escorting her.

Her sleep was poor due to her large belly, which made it difficult to lie down, causing her to wake up several times a night.

As a result, she was always sleepy during the day and had fallen asleep on her desk in class a few times, which made her belly uncomfortable.

Cheng Rushan took charge and arranged for her to take leave from Liu Jianwu, planning for her to return for the final exams.

Now that Jiang Lin was staying at home, Yan Runzhi also stayed home, preparing delicious meals for her.

“We didn’t have much to eat during our first pregnancy, which was a pity. But now the conditions are better, so we need to make up for it.”

Yan Runzhi had raised a few chickens in the vegetable garden for their eggs and enlisted relatives and friends to help find more chickens and roosters.

She bought them all and made chicken soup for Jiang Lin every few days.

They also had a steady supply of wild carp, black fish, and crucian carp, and she asked Cheng Rushan to regularly bring back some perch.

With the abundant vegetables from the garden, Jiang Lin’s meals were top-notch.

One day, Xu Aimei and Jiang Min visited with Xiao Meng and Xiao Jun.

Upon seeing Jiang Lin, Xu Aimei exclaimed, “Lin Lin, you’ve really put on weight staying at home!”

Jiang Lin quickly felt her face and asked, “Have I really gained weight? Do I look very fat?”

Xiao Meng laughed and said, “Auntie, you look even better this way. You were too skinny before.”

Jiang Lin: “How can a woman be afraid of being thin! She hadn’t noticed she was gaining weight despite eating at home all the time.

She even asked Cheng Rushan if she had put on weight, and Cheng Rushan seriously touched her waist, saying she hadn’t gained any weight, only her belly had grown.

Of course, her breasts had also increased by more than two sizes.

Jiang Lin felt like she was going through a second puberty!

Jiang Min also said, “You haven’t gained much weight. It’s normal to look fuller during pregnancy. It would be unusual if you didn’t.”

Yan Runzhi invited them into the house to eat. “I’ve made pigeon soup.”

Jiang Lin had been eating a lot of rich food lately and wasn’t as craving for meat.

Yan Runzhi gave her the essence of the soup, and the meat, with so many men in the house, wouldn’t go to waste.

After all, Cheng Yunzhi was gaining weight, Da Bao and Xiao Bao were growing taller, and Wen Sheng, Cheng Rushan, and He Liang had all increased their exercise to burn off the extra food they were eating.

Otherwise, they would all end up getting rounder, and that wasn’t acceptable!

Xu Aimei and Jiang Min had brought a live old hen, which could be kept for a few days and killed when they wanted to eat it.

Yan Runzhi was very pleased, serving the pigeon soup for them to drink.

Xu Aimei and Jiang Min couldn’t refuse.

They tried some and gave a small bowl to Xiao Meng.

Xiao Jun wasn’t interested in soup; he wanted meat.

Xiao Jun: “Where are Da Bao and Xiao Bao?”

Jiang Lin: “They went out with Wen Sheng to catch cicadas.”

Since she was pregnant and staying home to rest, Wen Sheng had also taken leave from the theater to stay home and take care of her.

With the weather warming up and more cicadas around, they went out at night with flashlights to find cicadas and spent the day catching them, saying they wanted to improve her diet.

Even though she had been eating chicken, duck, fish, and meat and had become fuller, they still felt it wasn’t enough because Grandma said Jiang Lin needed to provide nutrition for the baby and might be lacking in nutrients.

So they thought she should eat even more.

Eating eight meals a day would be best!

Around noon, Wen Sheng came back with Da Bao and Xiao Bao, carrying long strings of cicadas.

They had almost caught all the cicadas in the nearby woods and along the streets.

Wen Sheng and Da Bao Xiao Bao were dressed in matching outfits—short-sleeved shirts, shorts, and straw hats—looking clean and stylish.

When Xiao Jun heard they were back, he ran over excitedly, “I’ve missed you so much!”

Da Bao replied, “We just saw each other a few days ago, don’t be so dramatic.”

Xiao Jun said, “I miss you even if it’s only been a day!”

Xiao Bao added, “Do you want candy? That’s not possible. I have to save my candy for my baby sister. I’ll share it with you when she arrives.”

Xiao Jun asked, “When will the baby come? I can’t wait to meet her!”

The adults in the room listened to the children’s playful chatter and found it quite entertaining.

Jiang Min said to Xiao Meng, “Go play with your brothers.”

Xiao Meng obediently said goodbye to Jiang Lin and Yan Runzhi.

Although she was still quiet, she had become much more confident.

With Qinqin as a companion, Xiao Meng’s position in the Jiang family had also risen because Qinqin was impressive and the brothers didn’t dare bully her.

Watching Xiao Meng leave, Jiang Lin said with a smile, “Xiao Meng has grown quite a bit and looks much healthier.”

She used to be very thin, small, and had yellowish hair.

Now she had grown taller, her face was fair and clean, her hair was black and thicker, and she had a bit of baby fat, which made her look particularly cute.

Jiang Min was very grateful to her sister and her family, “She’s more confident now and speaks up. She’s doing well in school, with good grades, and gets along well with Qinqin. People even say the two sisters are quite close.”

Jiang Min would visit the school whenever she had time, talking with the teachers who all said that Xiao Meng had made significant progress.

When she first arrived, she was shy, didn’t dare speak to classmates, and hesitated to answer questions.

But now she had improved a lot, interacting happily with other girls, and the teachers liked her.

Xu Aimei laughed, “In our family, the girls are more accomplished. Qinqin and Xiao Meng are both more well-behaved and excel in their studies compared to the boys.”

Qinqin was both spirited and sensible.

Although Song Lijuan favored her younger son, Xu Aimei thought Qinqin was a good girl.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Min took out the account book to show Jiang Lin.

They had previously opened a consignment store together, selling embroidered items from Shuihuai Village, cloth shoes, underwear, and small women’s accessories, as well as radios, fabrics, and special local products like tea and goji berries that Cheng Rushan had arranged to be brought in by Duan Chang’an and Zhu Junjie.

This year, when Xu Aimei retired, Jiang Erge took over the business, and Xu Aimei was specifically responsible for it.

Cheng Rushan rented a few government-owned shops with backyards near the old street by the Chui Chun Hall.

He set them up as a warehouse and a shop.

He also took care of the necessary paperwork to avoid trouble with the market management office.

At this time, individual business licenses weren’t required yet; people usually just set up stalls or opened their own small shops with minimal regulation.

Some people made more money from street vending than from working regular jobs, though they were often looked down upon and considered to be not doing proper work.

After opening the shop, Xu Aimei managed it, and business was very good.

Jiang Min, now enjoying a lighter study load and performing better than Jiang Xinglei, helped Xu Aimei with the accounts.

She managed everything neatly and precisely, and even Lu Hang said she was more meticulous than the accountant at the textile factory.

Jiang Lin said, “I don’t like keeping track of accounts; it makes my head spin. It’s fine as long as my sister manages it and regularly shows Lu Hang and Doctor Guo.”

They were in partnership with several families: herself, her maternal family, and Lu Hang.

As long as there was enough money, Jiang Lin wasn’t concerned about finances.

With her good grades, her future work prospects were promising.

Cheng Rushan had a high salary, and the village committee provided food allowances for Wen Sheng’s grandparents.

The brick kiln factory also gave her dividends, Wen Sheng’s theater made money, and Da Bao and Xiao Bao earned royalties from their story submissions.

No one in their family was idle, and they couldn’t even spend all their money.

Otherwise, Yan Runzhi wouldn’t be able to afford to cook chicken and fish so frequently.

Xu Aimei remarked, “Look at Lu Hang; he’s coming over to our house quite often.”

Jiang Lin asked about Qian Bo’s situation.

Qian Bo had found a partner at the beginning of the year and recently got married.

Jiang Lin didn’t attend but sent a gift through Jiang Xinglei, consisting of five jin of rice tickets and five yuan.

Xu Aimei said, “The kid… not much to say. His wife seems nice enough, and they’re getting by.”

Qian Bo’s wife seemed decent but had a bit of a temper, especially regarding Qian Bo having female friends.

She had heard about Qian Bo’s good relationship with Jiang Lin and was unhappy when Jiang Lin didn’t attend the wedding, which upset Qian Bo.

However, his parents liked her, and he couldn’t do much about it.

Eventually, Jiang Lin didn’t go and had Jiang Xinglei deliver the gift instead.

Qian Bo scolded his parents and wife and even threatened to stay in the dormitory. This calmed things down at home.

Jiang Lin heard this from Jiang Xinglei and Lu Hang.

She felt her relationship with Qian Bo wasn’t very close.

They had just worked together in Shui Huai Village, where he had helped her.

When her notification letter had issues, he was anxious to assist.

Jiang Lin considered him a friend and wanted to acknowledge his wedding.

Since his wife didn’t want her there and she was pregnant and didn’t want to go anywhere anyway, she didn’t attend.

Cheng Yunzhi and the retired officials came back from their chess game, greeted everyone, and helped Yan Runzhi with the cooking.

Xu Aimei wouldn’t let him help and instead assisted Yan Runzhi, chatting warmly with her in-laws.

Jiang Min took Jiang Lin’s arm and went for a walk.

They planned to return for dinner soon.

They walked to the vegetable garden, where Wen Sheng was focused on weeding and dealing with pests.

His serious expression made him look especially attractive.