Li Chunhua was so excited that she completely missed He Xuezhu’s expression, her eyes sparkling as she looked at He Xuezhu, her face filled with ecstatic joy.
The feeling of nausea and the urge to vomit—wasn’t that the same as being pregnant? Adding up the days, Shiheng had come back three months ago!
It all matched! It all matched!
Li Chunhua nearly exclaimed her excitement, but before she could speak, her mind took a turn. Shiheng was still here; what if she guessed wrong? Wouldn’t it be a heart-wrenching joy for him?
Thinking this, Li Chunhua lost her appetite: “Xuezhu! If you’re feeling unwell, tell Mom early! Come on, get up quickly! We won’t eat right now; I’ll take you to the health clinic.”
“Shiheng! Don’t follow us; stay home and watch the house. Your wife and I will be right back.”
Before He Xuezhu could react, Li Chunhua had pulled her up to her feet, and as they walked together, Li Chunhua stayed by her side. “Be careful, if you’re not feeling well, don’t walk so fast…”
“Come on, let me help you.”
He Xuezhu had never experienced such a caring mother-in-law before; being supported by her left her somewhat flustered, and she didn’t dare to refuse. Involuntarily, she turned to look back and saw her husband standing in the yard, smiling at them, and when he noticed her looking back, he waved at her.
“Xuezhu, just go with Mom; I’ll wait for you both at home.”
That smile relaxed her completely, and without thinking, she returned a smile.
Watching his mother and wife leave, Lin Shiheng wandered around the house, looking for anything that might be broken.
He was often not at home; even when he returned, he only stayed for a few days before leaving. With only two women at home, no matter how much they could endure, many things required physical strength, and Li Chunhua, being strong-minded, didn’t want to ask others for help. If it wasn’t anything serious, she’d just wait for her son to handle it when he returned.
In his search, Lin Shiheng discovered that the rice jar was covered with a piece of plastic, with an umbrella propped on top.
Looking up, he indeed saw that the roof above the rice jar was leaking, also covered with plastic. However, since water had accumulated on that plastic, it seemed that even if it were somewhat helpful, it wouldn’t be of much use.
He rolled up his sleeves and went straight to lift the rice jar, hoisting it up along with its contents.
When Li Chunhua returned, carefully looking after her equally happy daughter-in-law, she found that the rice jar had been moved from the leaking area to a dry spot, and the large frying pan was scrubbed clean, even the outside step that was damaged had been temporarily covered with a wooden board.
Li Chunhua’s smile instantly became more tender. Just as she was about to go inside and call Lin Shiheng, she heard her son call from behind: “Mom, Xuezhu, are you back?”
“Shiheng? How did you come back from outside?”
Lin Shiheng smiled and showed them the light bulb he was holding: “Mom, the bulb in your room wasn’t working, so I bought a new one to replace it.”
Normally, Li Chunhua would have held her son’s hand and praised him for being filial, but right now, she smiled as if she had won a ten million lottery and couldn’t wait to announce the good news.
“Shiheng! Xuezhu is pregnant!!”
Lin Shiheng’s expression immediately reflected surprise and delight, like he had entered a dream.
“Xuezhu!! Is Xuezhu pregnant? Am I going to be a dad?!!!”
– *Crack!*
With a burst of excitement, he accidentally squeezed the light bulb in his hand, shattering it.
He Xuezhu was gently touching her belly, smiling at him, but was startled when she saw the broken bulb, rushing over to check, “Shiheng, are you okay? Did you cut your hand?”
“I’m fine! I’m fine!”
Lin Shiheng quickly brushed off the glass shards, filled with joyful exhilaration as he hugged his wife: “Xuezhu, you’re pregnant! I’m going to be a dad!!”
His excitement was undeniable, and He Xuezhu, absorbed in the joy of becoming a mother, felt her own happiness swell seeing her husband’s delight, her smile becoming even more radiant.
Unexpectedly, Shiheng was so happy; he must have longed for this child just as much.
The couple exchanged careful touches on each other’s stomachs, both lowering their heads with smiles while Li Chunhua looked at this scene, feeling a warm sensation in her eyes that had just dried from tears.
She had said it; her son was so good that heaven wouldn’t be so cruel to him. Even if he was injured in the army and unable to have children, it had left a precious life inside Xuezhu.
Worried that her son might notice something was off with her expression, Li Chunhua wiped her eyes, ensuring there were no tears left before she coughed lightly, “Alright, Shiheng, hurry up and help your wife sit down; she can’t wear herself out now. I’ll heat up the food. Today we’ll forget about the meal, but tomorrow you should go to your wife’s second aunt’s house and bring back all the leftover old hens. From now on, we will make chicken soup for Xuezhu every day.”
“Mom, I’ll help you warm it up.”
“Go, go, go! Your wife is having a baby; you should spend more time with her. Let me tell you, during pregnancy, if the mood is good, the baby will be healthy when born.”
“You don’t know these things; I absolutely do! From now on, just listen to Mom!”
Li Chunhua pushed her eager son back, striding confidently into the kitchen.
If it were before, knowing that her daughter-in-law was pregnant, Li Chunhua would be happy but wouldn’t take such careful care of her. But now, wasn’t the situation different?
This was the only heir of the Lin family! Both Shiheng and Xuezhu were inexperienced; as the grandmother, she had to take good care of them, making sure nothing went wrong!
Li Chunhua cheerfully reheated the food, and as she pushed open the curtain, she saw the young couple with their faces alight with happiness as they chatted. Her heart melted instantly.
In the past, if she saw her son treating his wife this well, she might have felt a bit sour, but after witnessing how Shiheng had hidden all his pain and sadness just to present a smile to her, Li Chunhua now looked at her son’s smiling face filled only with gratitude.