“I just don’t want to smell the chicken soup. Get me something else instead.”
“Oh.”
Seeing this, Huo Jingyuan didn’t insist. He took the chicken soup out of the bedroom, went downstairs, and headed straight for the landline phone. He and Wen Ci were scheduled to take the train at 5 p.m.
Now, he planned to postpone the trip.
He would take Wen Ci to the hospital for a check-up in the afternoon.
Wen Yaozu saw his brother-in-law’s excited face and asked, “Brother-in-law, why are you so excited about going to a place like Shaanbei?”
“Yaozu, you’re going to be an uncle.”
“Huh?”
Then, Wen Yaozu’s eyes widened. He was stunned for a moment before saying, “Brother-in-law, are you saying my sister is pregnant?”
“Mm, your sister has been wanting to vomit. It must be pregnancy!”
Suddenly, Huo Jingyuan remembered that there weren’t many ingredients left at home. Making some pancakes for Wen Ci to fill her stomach now would be too rushed.
“Your sister is still hungry. Go to the canteen and buy two pancakes now. I’ll ask for leave from my superiors and take your sister to the hospital for a check-up this afternoon!”
“Okay!”
Wen Yaozu ran all the way to the military district canteen, smiling.
…
Upstairs, the smell of chicken soup gradually faded. Wen Ci slowly sat up in bed, leaning against the headboard. A ray of sunlight streamed into the room through the window.
Wen Ci placed her hand on her wrist to check her pulse.
She had learned some basic Traditional Chinese Medicine knowledge in the Northwest Military District. Huo Jingyuan’s reaction was so intense that it made her wonder if she really was pregnant.
A moment later, Wen Ci breathed a sigh of relief.
Not pregnant.
However, checking one’s own pulse has a fifty percent chance of inaccuracy, and she was still a novice, having just learned TCM not long ago.
After finishing his phone call, Huo Jingyuan came upstairs with a worried expression. “Darling, I still have to take the train to Shaanbei on time this afternoon.”
“After you’ve rested enough, let Yaozu accompany you to the hospital for a comprehensive check-up this afternoon.”
“Then, don’t rush to join me in Shaanbei right away.”
The journey from Beijing to Shaanbei takes fifteen hours by train. Arriving in Shaanbei at 8 p.m. would be perfect. The leaders there wanted to introduce him during a full assembly.
More importantly, when the wind blows in Shaanbei, the yellow dust obscures the sky, sand and mist fill the air, and the earthy smell is choking. People from other regions find it very hard to get used to.
Wen Ci said calmly, “No need for a check-up. I’ll take the train to Shaanbei with you this afternoon.”
“No, you need to go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Wen Ci said helplessly, “I’m not pregnant.”
“I don’t believe it.”
Hearing this, Wen Ci stretched out her hand. “If you don’t believe me, check my pulse yourself. I just did. It doesn’t indicate pregnancy. I just have no appetite, that’s all.”
Huo Jingyuan hadn’t studied TCM.
But he knew that a medical practitioner checking their own pulse has a certain chance of inaccuracy. His expression was unprecedentedly serious. “Darling, this concerns our child. There’s no room for carelessness. We must go to the hospital for a check-up.”
Seeing that she couldn’t persuade Huo Jingyuan,
Wen Ci said, “How about we go to the hospital for a check-up now? If I really am pregnant, I’ll stay in Beijing for the time being. If not, we leave this afternoon. Okay?”
Huo Jingyuan shook his head: “No.”
He could see Wen Ci’s current state: both physically and mentally exhausted. Making her go to the hospital was worse than letting her rest more at home.
“When it comes to the child, what I say goes!”
Wen Yaozu came running upstairs. He knocked on the bedroom door, entered with two pancakes and an egg, and said, “Sis, I brought two pancakes and an egg. Have something to fill your stomach. I’ll go cook porridge for you and my nephew later.”
Wen Ci: “…”
She shot a fierce glare at Huo Jingyuan, gritting her teeth: “What did you tell him? There’s not even the first stroke of the character ‘eight’ yet.” [Idiom: meaning it’s far from certain]
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