Ye Qing’s words made the doctor look at her seriously for a long ti, and then she patiently explained to her, "Pregnancy occurs due to the combination of sperm and egg, but sperm can remain in the body for a certain ti, and calculating their combination is difficult, so it’s impossible to determine what exact day it happened. Generally, based on the last nstrual period and nstrual cycle, it is possible to estimate the ovulation period, and the possibility of getting pregnant is very high if intercourse occurs during this period. The actual ti can only be calculated with the ovulation period, which is a ti fra, not pinned to one specific day. You and your partner don’t rember which day it was? However, you don’t need to be nervous. Our calculations are generally accurate. Your due date is in mid-September."
The doctor’s words embarrassed Ye Qing, who smiled awkwardly and didn’t say much more.
Holding the test results, Ye Qing wandered absent-mindedly down the street, sotis frowning, sotis smiling gleefully. To an outsider, she might seem a bit unhinged.
Noticing the glances from people around her, Ye Qing realized she was losing composure. She cleared her throat, adjusted her emotions, and quickly returned ho.
Ye Qing noticed sothing was wrong with her body on the second day of the new year. She went to Grandpa’s house for a al. When she slled the fish at offered by her aunt, she felt a wave of nausea.
At the ti, she didn’t think much of it. A few days later, her elder brother caught many small fish and shrimp from the creek behind the mountain.
He asked her to handle them, but as soon as she got close, she was overwheld with nausea and vomited profusely. The family thought she had caught a cold.
However, traveling on the train for several days, she always felt uncomfortable in her stomach.
Returning ho, she noticed her underwear stained red.
Realizing sothing was wrong, Ye Qing rushed to the hospital. To her surprise, the doctor inford her she was pregnant and showing signs of a possible miscarriage.
At first, she was delighted to hear this news, but later on, she realized sothing was off. Just days after i Langchi left, she had an encounter with Li Liang.
Back ho, Ye Qing carefully calculated her ovulation period based on the doctor’s advice and realized that both encounters with i Langchi and Li Liang happened during her ovulation period
Speaking of Li Liang, Ye Qing sneered, twisted up her lips—his wife was heavily pregnant and couldn’t satisfy him, so he ca to her to vent.
Hadn’t they agreed not to get entangled? A dog can’t stop itself from eating shit. The school tightened its checks, and now he dares not act recklessly, so he turned to her. There’s no free lunch in the world, just you wait.
No matter if the child in her belly was i Langchi’s or Li Liang’s, he could only be i Langchi’s son. Having made up her mind, Ye Qing cautiously lay down to protect her pregnancy. Her mind was constantly racing with plans. Being unwed and suddenly pregnant, if others found out, she’d definitely face gossip.
She had worked hard to establish herself in S City, secured a house, and had a respectable job. The school allowed her to visit once a week, and in two years, she could directly obtain her diploma. With such good conditions, she couldn’t give it all up just because of a child.
This child had to stay!
Wrapped tightly after taking the doctor’s prescribed dicine, Ye Qing left with her ration ticket in hand to buy five cents worth of candy from a nearby supply and marketing cooperative. On her way back, she passed by Yang Erni’s house and decided to go in.
"Is Sister Erni at ho?"
"Oh, Qing is back! Co inside and sit," Yang Erni said, having just returned from the store.
"No, thanks, Sister Erni. I just got ho today and haven’t finished cleaning yet. I ca by to give you this," Ye Qing said shyly, pulling a handful of candies from her pocket and placing them in Yang Erni’s hand.
Yang Erni froze for a mont, then realized sothing but wasn’t sure, "Is this...?"
Ye Qing blushed, shyly lowered her head, and said a bit embarrassedly, "I’ve gotten married. My family arranged it."
Yang Erni was surprised, "When you left before the New Year, there was no sign of it, and now, in the blink of an eye, you’re soone else’s wife?" She had thought there was sothing between Ye Qing and that soldier who was staying here not long ago.
After all, he helped Ye Qing sell her family’s house—a very generous act. When she nad a price of four thousand, he didn’t even blink and bought it for a girl he had just t a few days ago. He didn’t bargain at all. At that ti, she thought the soldier had a thing with Ye Qing. Who would have guessed that in just a few days, the soldier left without a word?
She’d seen Ye Qing feeling down for several days after that, and wouldn’t have thought that in just the few weeks over the New Year, the girl would get married?
Ye Qing smiled and said, "My family arranged it. Before the New Year, we exchanged a few letters, felt compatible and talked it over with the family. Just went back and had the wedding done."
"Oh, what kind of person captured our Qing’s heart? Tell quickly," Yang Erni said, popping a piece of candy into her mouth to sweeten the mont.
"Uh... he’s... a middle school teacher from our county," Ye Qing replied.
"A teacher, no wonder Qing looks so happy. Teachers are so highly regarded these days. But since you’re married, why not bring him to et the neighbors so we can all get acquainted?" As a teacher from the county, it seed unlikely he’d move to S City. Ye Qing planned to settle in S City, so why suddenly marry a county’s middle school teacher?
Could it be that the teacher has good family conditions or connections? Can they secure work no matter if they decide to co here or stay there?
Yang Erni was puzzled but firmly believed that Ye Qing had indeed gotten married.
To make it more believable, the next day, Ye Qing went to the departnt store and bought herself a red wool coat and red shoes for the wedding outfit.
She also splurged on a watch for herself.
During this visit ho, she didn’t give her family any money. When she was expelled from school, Ye Qing didn’t inform her family.
They all thought she was still studying.
Before she ca, Mom even gave her twenty yuan.
Usually, she received a monthly allowance of fifteen yuan from ho. She saved all this money. Now working in the governnt, thanks to i Langchi, her salary was raised to thirty. When he left, i Langchi gave her a considerable sum of money.
Even without a job, the money she had was enough to raise the child for two years.
But she didn’t want to deplete her resources. While she was able, she needed to earn more money.
Returning ho at night, Ye Qing asked Yang Erni for help to order ten scarves for her.
Yang Erni was happy to oblige since she often couldn’t order twenty items at once, so working with Ye Qing was much more convenient.
On the first official workday, Ye Qing brought a bag of wedding candies to distribute among her colleagues, announcing her marriage. Since Ye Qing was not from there and got married in her hotown, they wouldn’t travel thousands of kiloters to verify her personal affairs, and everyone believed it.
Ti flew by, and before long, it was March.
Lin Wan’s belly had already grown large, but it was still smaller compared to Su Ling who was due in just a month.
As her belly grew, Lin Wan found her old clothes no longer fit. Her mother and mother-in-law competed to make her two sets of loose clothing each from the inside out.
Grandma visited once during this period, worried about Lin Wan’s awkward state with her big belly and insisted on staying to care for her.
Lin Wan didn’t dare let the seventy-sothing elderly woman serve her and had to repeatedly reassure her until she was appeased.
Though her belly was large, Lin Wan didn’t feel clumsy. In the past few months, she had acquired two batches of thick velvet fabric from the recycling station. While at ho, after getting up in the morning, she took a few laps around the two courtyards.
After eating, she’d return indoors to work on clothes all morning, taking breaks to walk around when tired. In the afternoon, she’d study English and stroll around the courtyard.
Lin Wan didn’t dare go outside for fear that soone might deliberately bump into her.
Throughout the month, Lin Wan crafted a full batch of clothes from the fabric. At opportune tis, she’d take a dozen items to shops and sell them gradually along her street.
She didn’t inform Director Li at the departnt store about this batch because it was too small. Besides, she just wanted to keep her hands busy, passing ti.
Occasionally, she’d take her cara and go to the apartnt she rented to observe Ye Qing’s activities.
Twice, Lin Wan and Ye Qing encountered each other directly. Possibly, Ye Qing harbored resentnt over being driven away last year.
Ye Qing didn’t show Lin Wan a friendly face, pretended not to see her, and turned to walk away.
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