The news of Qiao Lanshu's pregnancy spread like wildfire overnight.
Early the next morning, the neighbors came knocking with gifts in hand.
Everyone was an officer in the military base, so they were all well-acquainted with one another.
Although Qiao Lanshu went to work every day and rarely saw these neighbors, meaning she wasn't very close to them...
...these neighbors certainly knew her!
Yesterday, everyone at the base had heard about the happy news in Qin Yuanzheng's family.
Now that a night had passed, the families of these military officers naturally all knew about it too.
Huang Erling was the first to knock. After Qiao Lanshu opened the door, Huang Erling walked in carrying a bag of red dates, smiling brightly as she said, "Xiao Qiao, congratulations! I heard you're expecting?"
Huang Erling's hunch had been spot on.
Qiao Lanshu was indeed pregnant.
When Zhao Jiannong came back and told her last night, she had been overjoyed.
Qiao Lanshu smiled and said, "Sister Ling, I haven't even thanked you yet. If it weren't for your reminder, I never would have thought to go to the hospital for a check-up."
Honestly, she never would have guessed she was pregnant in a million years.
Huang Erling laughed and said, "Well, I've been through it before, after all. One look at your symptoms and I knew exactly what was going on."
As she spoke, Huang Erling stepped further into the house, followed by five or six other women. She smiled and added, "Xiao Qiao, you probably haven't met them yet, but these are our neighbors. They all heard your good news and came over specifically to see you."
The neighbors who came all carried small gifts like eggs, red dates, or dried noodles.
The group of women squeezed into the living room, sharing pregnancy tips and advice with Qiao Lanshu.
These women really dared to say anything. They even told Xiao Qiao to sleep separately from Qin Yuanzheng, saying they needed to abstain from intimacy for at least three months. They also praised Regiment Commander Qin, saying he was truly impressive for getting her pregnant just a few months after their wedding, joking that his speed was faster than a normal man's.
Listening to their lively chatter, Qiao Lanshu sat there blushing furiously, completely at a loss for words.
Huang Erling was already very familiar with them and happily joined in the gossip.
Seeing this, Qin Yuanzheng, who was in the kitchen, felt too awkward to go out and simply stayed put.
After more than half an hour, the female comrades finished their chatting, left their gifts, and departed.
Only then did Qin Yuanzheng emerge from the kitchen. He looked at Qiao Lanshu and asked with a smile, "What's wrong? Why is your face so red?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu glared at him. "You have the nerve to ask."
She then muttered under her breath, "It's all because of you."
Despite his supposed infertility, Qin Yuanzheng had managed to get his little wife pregnant after only three or four months of marriage.
Qiao Lanshu could well imagine how those people were going to gossip about them behind their backs.
They would definitely say that Qin Yuanzheng worked hard plowing the fields every night or something like that.
Seeing Qiao Lanshu's expression, Qin Yuanzheng suddenly became curious.
He leaned in and lowered his voice, "Why are you blaming me again? Is it my fault for being too capable?"
Blushing, Qiao Lanshu glared at him. "Stop talking."
As she spoke, she reached out to cover his mouth. "It's fine if you say these things at home, but absolutely do not say them outside. It wouldn't be good if someone heard."
Qin Yuanzheng suddenly pulled Qiao Lanshu into his arms and rubbed his stubble against her face.
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Weren't they just having a normal conversation? Why was he bullying her again?
Qiao Lanshu tried to push him away but failed, so she could only let him rub his stubble against her, whispering, "Ah, stop rubbing, it hurts."
Qin Yuanzheng didn't know when he had developed this habit, but he loved to rub his stubble against her at every opportunity.
Not just her face... he wanted to rub it everywhere.
His stubble was so tough that it was prickly even if he didn't shave for a single day, yet he deliberately let it grow for two days just for this.
What kind of weird fetish was this? Qiao Lanshu was completely helpless against him.
In their previous life, he definitely hadn't been like this.
Qin Yuanzheng had been in a great mood these past two days, though he simply hadn't shown it while outside.
Holding Qiao Lanshu, he buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath against her chest, and said in a muffled voice, "Wife, you smell so good."
He really loved the scent on Qiao Lanshu now; it was almost as if the smell was addictive.
If possible, he truly wanted to stay home every day and be all lovey-dovey with Qiao Lanshu.
He sighed and whispered, "Wife, what should we do? There's still a month left. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold back."
Going even a single day without it was unbearable for him.
And now he had to wait a whole month.
Qiao Lanshu also felt a bit bad for Qin Yuanzheng. She knew just how energetic he was.
His needs in that area were incredibly vigorous.
She hesitated for a moment before whispering, "Do you want me to...?"
As she spoke, she reached over and tugged at his waistband.
The hint was very obvious.
Qin Yuanzheng froze for a second. Wow, was he really getting this lucky?
Qin Yuanzheng was very tempted.
However, he glanced at the time and said with some regret, "We've already wasted a lot of time this morning. We need to go to work."
Qiao Lanshu glanced at the small desk clock and whispered, "Isn't there still over half an hour left?"
Qin Yuanzheng replied, "Half an hour isn't enough."
In half an hour, he wouldn't even be able to get started properly.
Wouldn't that be a waste of such a good opportunity?
The couple was incredibly clingy with each other, though it was mostly Qin Yuanzheng clinging to Qiao Lanshu.
He was already clingy to begin with, but now that he knew Qiao Lanshu was pregnant, he was even worse.
He hugged her and refused to let go.
With great difficulty, the two finally got dressed and ready to head out.
He still leaned into Qiao Lanshu's ear, wrapping an arm around her waist, and whispered, "Wife, does this mean I'll have milk to drink in the future?"
Qiao Lanshu: "..."
Qiao Lanshu really couldn't stand him anymore. She glared at him and hissed, "Shut up already, we're about to head out!"
What if Huang Erling next door heard him?
Huang Erling was very close with the older women in the neighborhood, and their gossip could be quite terrifying.
Don't be fooled by how mature and steady Qin Yuanzheng appeared in front of outsiders.
It was all an illusion!
In front of Qiao Lanshu, not only was he clingy, but he also loved to say those kinds of things and tease her. His personality wasn't steady at all.
Qiao Lanshu was only a little over two months pregnant now, and her morning sickness symptoms were actually very mild.
It must be because the baby was so well-behaved and didn't want to make its mother uncomfortable.
Aside from feeling a little nauseous a couple of days ago, Qiao Lanshu had been perfectly fine since then, with no issues at all.
Her appetite during meals was normal, though she did get hungry more easily than before.
Afraid that his wife would go hungry, Qin Yuanzheng grabbed a small cloth bag before they left. He packed it with some red dates, fried dough twists, walnuts, an apple, and an orange, and even filled her thermos halfway with warm goat's milk.
Qiao Lanshu felt he was exaggerating a bit. She whispered, "I won't be able to finish all this food."
Qin Yuanzheng insisted on bringing it, saying, "Even if you're not hungry, the baby will be. Eating more is good for you. With so many people coming over today, I completely forgot, but tomorrow I'll boil an egg for you to take to work."
They had plenty of food at home, especially with so many people dropping off gifts over the past couple of days.
Qin Yuanzheng made a mental note of everyone who had brought him gifts; these were favors he would certainly have to repay in the future.
Qin Yuanzheng escorted Qiao Lanshu to the entrance of the food factory. Since they had spent so much time being affectionate at home today, he decided not to walk her all the way inside. He simply watched her enter the factory grounds before driving off.
However, the moment Qiao Lanshu stepped into the factory courtyard, she noticed that a lot of people were staring at her.
There was something off about their gazes. They looked at her with strange expressions, and some were even whispering among themselves, occasionally stealing pointed glances at her stomach.
