Chapter 162 - 159: Pregnancy
Li Xiu’s business was gradually getting on track. He had opened two shops: one sold large household items like watches, radios, bicycles, and television sets, while the other sold clothes. The fashionable garments shipped up from the south were snatched up the moment they hit the shelves. Wang Dongfang and the other two were also splitting up their duties now; two of them each managed a shop, while the third was dedicated to traveling south to procure goods.
Li Xiu returned to his routine of taking his daughter along to see his wife to and from school. But this peaceful life was shattered one morning after only a few days. While washing up after waking, Zhou Lian was overcome with nausea and began to dry heave, which scared Li Xiu nearly out of his wits. Sister Fang, who had just finished making breakfast, saw this and asked with a smile, "Are we about to give Nuonuo a little brother or sister?"
Her words were earth-shattering. Zhou Lian and Li Xiu exchanged a shocked glance, then each quickly bowed their head and started calculating the dates. ’It’s the third lunar month of 1980,’ Li Xiu thought. ’My son is due at the end of this year. Right after he was born, the family planning policy began to tighten. You could say he was born just by squeaking past the new rules.’
"Sister Fang, you stay home with Nuonuo. I’m taking Bao’er to the hospital to get her checked," Li Xiu said quickly to Sister Fang, steadying Zhou Lian now that he had come to his senses.
Reaching out to grab Li Xiu’s arm, Zhou Lian suppressed the nausea rising in her chest and said weakly, "I’m fine. Calm down, Jin Chen. The family planning policy is already being implemented. It’s not a good idea to go to the hospital right now."
Li Xiu froze for a moment, remembering that detail. He was so angry he wanted to curse. ’How could I have been so muddle-headed?’ he thought. ’Even though the policy was only recently implemented, things get serious once you set foot in a hospital. But how can we not go?!’
"Bao’er, we have to get you checked out. I can’t rest easy with you like this," Li Xiu said, his voice strained. ’Damn it,’ he thought, ’how could I have forgotten about the family planning policy!’
"It’s fine. I know my own body; I’m very healthy," Zhou Lian said calmly. "But we need to figure out a way to get a doctor’s note saying I’m in poor health so I can take a year off from school. After the baby is born, I’ll go back!" The baby had to be born, that much was certain. As for how to make it happen, they could discuss it slowly. The pregnancy wasn’t obvious yet, so they still had time.
Gently helping Zhou Lian to a seat, Li Xiu glanced at the vegetables in the kitchen, and a plan formed in his mind. He smiled at her and said, "Bao’er, don’t worry. I have an idea. How are you feeling now? Is the nausea really bad?"
Zhou Lian picked up a nearby tomato that Sister Fang had washed and began to eat it. Listening to Li Xiu, she slowly swallowed her mouthful and said, "Mm, much better. What’s your plan?"
"Bao’er, don’t worry about that for now. Can you make it to school today? If not, just take a few days off!" Li Xiu said with concern. ’This kid is here to collect a debt,’ he thought. ’Both my son and daughter are. Zhou Lian has such a rough time with every pregnancy.’ If anyone else had heard this, they would have been speechless. After all, every woman goes through this during pregnancy, and by comparison, Zhou Lian’s symptoms were actually quite mild.
"No need to take time off. It was probably just because my stomach was empty this morning. I’m fine," Zhou Lian said nonchalantly, munching on the tomato. She didn’t feel any different at the moment. If it weren’t for her missed period, which was now over half a month late, she wouldn’t even be sure she was pregnant.
"Bao’er, you’re sure, right? It’s been over ten days late, so it has to be!" Li Xiu ventured cautiously. ’I know from my past life that this is exactly when our son was conceived,’ he thought, ’but I have to be careful not to let her figure that out!’
"I’m sure. It’s been over half a month. Okay, Jin Chen, I’m hungry. Let’s eat, or I’ll be late for school," Zhou Lian said with certainty, which served to give Li Xiu a calming pill.
"Okay, let’s eat first. After we eat, I’ll take you to school," Li Xiu readily agreed. He was always completely doting on Zhou Lian, so there was no way he would contradict her now.
Zhou Lian smiled at him, then lowered her head to eat the food Li Xiu had placed on her plate. ’This man really spoils me as much as ever,’ she thought. As long as it wasn’t something that could harm her, Li Xiu would rarely contradict anything she said.
After dropping Zhou Lian off at her classroom, Li Xiu returned home. He found Sister Fang playing with Nuonuo and said to her, "Sister Fang, now that Bao’er is pregnant, I’m worried we won’t be able to give Nuonuo all the attention she needs. Do you think you could move in and help look after her at night? We can give you a raise."
"That’s quite alright, Li Xiu. The salary you pay is already more than generous; you can’t possibly add more," Sister Fang said, directly refusing his offer. "Don’t you worry. I’ll go home in a bit to pack a change of clothes and my toiletries. It’s no problem at all for Nuonuo to sleep with me." Not only was her current salary quite high, but she would have been too embarrassed to accept even if he insisted on paying her more.
"Alright then. Go and pack, and you can move in tonight. I’m taking Nuonuo to go see an elder." Seeing Sister Fang refuse, Li Xiu didn’t press the issue. ’If she continues to do a good job,’ he thought, ’I’ll find a way to make it up to her later.’
Li Xiu pedaled his bicycle leisurely down the road. On the rack behind him was a large bamboo basket filled with vegetables. Tied to the crossbar in front was a small stool with backrests on all four sides—Nuonuo’s exclusive seat. And so, with his daughter in front and a basket of vegetables in the back, he went to pay a visit to Elder Ping.
As luck would have it, Elder Ping had just returned from a meeting to rest. The guard on duty saw Li Xiu’s appearance—holding a child in one arm and a bamboo basket in the other—and couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching. ’This guy really has broken a lot of the Chief’s precedents!’ he thought.
"Elder, I brought my daughter to see you!" Li Xiu called out with a smile to Elder Ping, who was seated inside.
"Ah, Jin Chen. To what do I owe the pleasure of a visit today?" Elder Ping asked curiously. ’This kid usually just drops off the vegetables and runs for it, like a dog’s nipping at his heels,’ he thought. ’What strange wind blew him in here today? He actually dared to step inside.’
"Hehe, well, I have a matter I was hoping to get your opinion on, Elder," Li Xiu said, beating around the bush. "After all, I’m in and out of the Imperial Palace so often... I’ve learned a few things, some I should know and some I probably shouldn’t. I’m just worried about having a negative impact on you!"
Elder Ping shot him a look and said irritably, "Get to the point. Don’t be like your master—he can turn a small matter into a day-long ramble with me."
"My wife’s pregnant," Li Xiu said, laying out his case with clear logic while strategically downplaying the core issue. "The family planning policy was just implemented, and I’m worried this will have a negative impact on you. Let me be clear, her health isn’t good, so an abortion is absolutely out of the question. But I can’t put you in a difficult position, Elder, so... I’ll just go get a vasectomy!"
"She’s pregnant..." Elder Ping mused. "You have Capital City household registration now. Right, is your wife’s registration tied to the university, or is it on your household register?" ’This isn’t such a serious matter,’ he thought. ’For the sake of an old friend, it’s worth bending the rules just this once.’
"It’s on our family register. When I bought the house, I had all of our registrations transferred to the small courtyard’s address," Li Xiu said softly. "I’m officially registered as ’awaiting employment,’ and it seems the current family planning policy only applies to state-owned enterprises; it hasn’t been formally implemented for everyone else. Besides, I’m willing to get a vasectomy. I believe that should be an acceptable solution!"
"A vasectomy?" Elder Ping asked, his curiosity piqued. "What put that idea in your head? Why on earth would you want to get one?" ’I’ve always heard that men avoid vasectomies like the plague,’ he thought. ’Why is this kid actually requesting the surgery himself?’