Compared to the hustle and bustle on Qin Yuanzheng's side at the military base, Qiao Lanshu's day at the food factory was quite peaceful.
News from the base wouldn't reach the factory anytime soon, and Yang Wenyan was keeping his mouth shut, not breathing a word to anyone.
Qiao Lanshu went through her workday as usual, and everything was incredibly calm.
What was different from usual, however, was that Qin Yuanzheng was already waiting at the factory gate long before it was time for her to get off work.
Qiao Lanshu's shift ended quite early, yet he was even earlier. He had already been waiting at the gate for several minutes.
The moment Qin Yuanzheng saw her, he immediately strode over. The hem of his overcoat billowed in the cold wind. Wearing his military cap and gloves, with his tall figure, long legs, and striking presence, he stood out from the crowd.
Qiao Lanshu stared at him for a moment, suddenly wondering to herself whether the baby in her belly was a boy or a girl. Would the baby look like its father or its mother?
If it was a boy, she hoped he would take after his father. She worried that if he took after her, he wouldn't grow very tall.
That's right, Qiao Lanshu was already starting to fret over her child's future height.
When Qin Yuanzheng walked up and saw her spacing out, he put an arm around her and asked, "What are you thinking about so intently?"
Qiao Lanshu felt a bit too embarrassed to say, so she shook her head. "Brother Zheng, how come you got off work so early today?"
At the mention of this, Qin Yuanzheng sighed and said, "The news of your pregnancy has already spread all over the military district. Commander Li found out too, and he told me to get off work early to accompany you."
Qiao Lanshu was speechless.
People these days really were too bored. Aside from work, they just gossiped about other families to pass the time.
Qiao Lanshu and Qin Yuanzheng had practically provided them with enough gossip material to last a whole year.
Qin Yuanzheng took Qiao Lanshu home.
As soon as they arrived, he helped her take off her coat and carried her to the sofa.
Qiao Lanshu was left wearing only a thin knit sweater. She asked, a little shyly, "Brother Zheng, what are you doing?"
Qin Yuanzheng lifted her sweater to look at her belly.
After looking for a while, he turned his head to press his ear against it and listen.
Qiao Lanshu was speechless.
Qin Yuanzheng's stubble was hard and thick, and it tickled her so much she quickly dodged away. "Ah, Brother Zheng, stop poking me with your beard."
Qin Yuanzheng fell silent.
He looked up, his gaze deep and quiet as he stared at her. "I just wanted to listen and see if I could hear the heartbeat."
Qiao Lanshu asked curiously, "So, did you hear it?"
Qin Yuanzheng silently shook his head. "No."
From his expression, he actually seemed a bit disappointed.
Qiao Lanshu quickly comforted him, "The baby is probably still too small. Once it gets a bit bigger, you'll probably be able to hear it."
Qin Yuanzheng naturally knew this logic. He was just a bit too excited. His heart was so full of swelling emotions that he didn't know how to let them out.
Looking at Qiao Lanshu, he truly felt that she was a gift sent to him from heaven.
He even felt that without her, he really might have ended up alone for the rest of his life.
Qin Yuanzheng rested his chin against Qiao Lanshu's belly and gently rubbed it.
Qiao Lanshu immediately started trying to dodge again.
Qin Yuanzheng chuckled and asked her, "Wife, is it really that prickly?"
As he spoke, he reached up and touched his own chin. He hadn't shaved for just two days, how had it grown out again so quickly?
The short stubble was very hard, leaving a prickly, numb sensation against his hand. It was no wonder Qiao Lanshu reacted like that.
Qin Yuanzheng thought of the past few times they were on the bed, how Qiao Lanshu had reacted when she was pricked by his stubble, and his heart stirred.
Suddenly, he felt a little hungry?
Qin Yuanzheng took off his outer clothes, leaned in close to Qiao Lanshu, and whispered, "Wife, what did the doctor say today? Nothing for the first three months, right?"
Qiao Lanshu nodded, her face flushing. "That's what the doctor said."
Qin Yuanzheng hadn't had any action for the past few days and was holding it in.
Last night, Qiao Lanshu had said her stomach felt uncomfortable, and he had been thinking about putting on a good performance when he got back tonight.
But now, he had to practice complete abstinence.
Qin Yuanzheng kissed Qiao Lanshu and murmured, "Three months... You're already two months pregnant now, which means there's only one month left, right? One month, thirty days, hiss..."
Thirty days, that was going to be too hard to endure, wasn't it?
Qin Yuanzheng looked at Qiao Lanshu with a slightly aggrieved expression and whispered, "Wife, I'm hungry. How about you feed me a little something?"
At first, Qiao Lanshu didn't understand what he meant and asked, "Eat what?"
Qin Yuanzheng proceeded to help her take off her pants.
Qiao Lanshu was speechless.
...
Over an hour later, Qin Yuanzheng carried Qiao Lanshu to rest. He said, "Be good, wife. I'll go make dinner. You get some good rest."
The corners of Qiao Lanshu's eyes were red. She nodded. "Okay, I'm so hungry."
Qin Yuanzheng brought over some fried dough twists. "Then have a little bit of this first. I'll boil some millet porridge for you."
Qiao Lanshu was exhausted, but Qin Yuanzheng was even more energetic.
The more he ate, the more energetic he became, yet he had no way to fully release it.
Qin Yuanzheng felt restless all over.
Qiao Lanshu scolded him softly, "Brother Zheng, isn't it time you shaved?"
She had told him so many times to shave his beard.
From now on, if he didn't shave, he wasn't allowed to get close to her.
Yet, Qin Yuanzheng would agree perfectly on the surface, only to intentionally let his beard grow out behind her back.
He knew that the stubble was prickly and uncomfortable.
But it was exactly because he knew it that he deliberately kept it.
Qin Yuanzheng teased her, "I think you quite like it."
He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Do you need to use the bathroom?"
Qiao Lanshu was speechless.
Qiao Lanshu's face and ears instantly burned red.
She stubbornly denied it, "I do not. Hurry up and go cook."
Qin Yuanzheng stood up with a smile and headed toward the kitchen. "I know, I know. I'm going to cook right now."
However, before cooking, Qin Yuanzheng made a trip to the bathroom first.
He had no choice; if Qiao Lanshu wasn't going to the bathroom, he had to.
He had a big appetite and couldn't hold it in.
