Jiang Si blinked her eyes in disbelief. "No way, could it really have happened in just one try?"
Upon reflection, it wasn’t entirely impossible. After all, she had been nourishing her body with spiritual spring water for the past few months.
And that night, they had indeed been… a little too unrestrained.
But Jiang Si wasn’t the type to dwell on things unnecessarily.
Right now, her period was only a day late—whether she was pregnant or not remained uncertain.
Even if she was, she didn’t consider it a big deal.
At the moment, she hadn’t officially started working anywhere. As long as she completed her current projects—the mural and the facial feature database—she would have plenty of time afterward to focus on pregnancy.
Financially, there was nothing to worry about either.
As the saying went in later generations: if there were no financial pressures, raising a child could actually be quite enjoyable.
As for care during pregnancy, that wasn’t something Jiang Si needed to fret over.
Mother Huo had made it clear long ago that once Jiang Si became pregnant, she would take leave and go to Qiongzhou Island to look after her.
Mother Huo treated all her daughters-in-law equally.
Not only did she provide ample financial support, but she also ensured each of them had a full two-month postpartum confinement period.
During that time, Mother Huo personally took care of everything—feeding, bathing, and putting the babies to sleep.
According to Second Sister-in-law, her entire confinement period was spent either eating or sleeping.
By the end of it, she had even gained a few pounds.
Moreover, Third Granduncle and Uncle Zhong had explicitly stated that once the baby arrived, they would help take care of it—no one else was allowed to interfere.
And then there was Huo Tingzhou, the ever-devoted husband.
Having practically raised her since childhood, he was quite experienced in childcare.
With all this in mind, Jiang Si didn’t dwell on it too much.
Huo Tingzhou, however, couldn’t shake off the doctor’s advice. Noticing she had been in the bathroom for a while, he grew concerned.
"Si Si, are you alright?"
Jiang Si had no intention of hiding it from him. The moment she stepped out, she told him what was going on.
Huo Tingzhou was momentarily stunned by the news. Once it sank in, he immediately scooped her up and carried her to the bed.
His large hand pressed firmly against her lower abdomen.
His voice trembled slightly. "Are you… feeling unwell anywhere?"
Then, the memories of the previous night flashed through his mind—had he been too rough? Could he have hurt the baby?
"Sweetheart, let me take you to the hospital for a check-up, okay?"
Jiang Si shook her head at once. Who went to the hospital just for a one-day delay in their period?
"Don’t panic yet. I’m not feeling unwell, and a late period doesn’t necessarily mean pregnancy."
"But your cycle has always been regular."
Huo Tingzhou knew exactly what they had done that night. The doctor had also warned that the so-called "safe period" wasn’t 100% reliable.
And considering Jiang Si’s physical condition…
He was almost certain she was pregnant.
Jiang Si, however, disagreed. "Not necessarily. Lack of sleep, sudden increases in physical activity, or even excessive nutritional intake can all cause periods to come early or late."
Then, lowering her voice, she added, "Besides, we’ve been… a bit too active these past couple of days. A slight delay is normal."
With every word she spoke, Huo Tingzhou’s expression grew more flustered.
Of course, it took two to tango. Jiang Si admitted she hadn’t exactly resisted his charms either.
But soon, she felt justified.
In both her past and present life, he was the only man she had ever been with. Was it really so wrong to indulge a little?
Knowing Huo Tingzhou hadn’t let go of his worries, Jiang Si suggested he go to the hospital to ask.
Meanwhile, she headed to the study.
She was set to join the project team in two days and needed to familiarize herself with the characters she would be painting on the mural.
For Jiang Si, facial features and expressions weren’t the challenge.
The real difficulty lay in the fact that every figure in this mural wore traditional ethnic attire.
The intricate clothing and headpieces combined made the workload enormous.
While studying the references, she also drafted an overall plan for the mural.
Typically, large-scale murals used the "nine-grid" enlargement method.
But this one was six meters tall—nine grids wouldn’t cut it.
After some calculations, Jiang Si realized she’d need at least forty-eight grids.
Then, each character within those grids would have to be isolated and sketched separately in proportional scale.
The preparatory work alone was daunting.
Not to mention, she’d later have to paint while standing on scaffolding over five meters high.
No wonder President Zhou had struggled to find an artist willing to take on the project.
As Jiang Si immersed herself in preparations, Huo Tingzhou went to the military hospital.
The doctor recognized him immediately—the young man who had boasted the other day.
"Come, have a seat. What brings you in today?"
Just like last time, Huo Tingzhou sat down and explained the situation in detail.
As Jiang Si had predicted, the doctor couldn’t give a definitive answer.
In this era, pregnancy tests relied on "bioassay methods," which typically only worked after five weeks of pregnancy.
The military hospital did have an ultrasound machine, but the technology at this stage was limited to two-dimensional grayscale imaging.
For Jiang Si’s situation, all they could do was wait.
Noticing Huo Tingzhou’s tense expression, the doctor smiled reassuringly.
"Your wife is right—her symptoms don’t necessarily indicate pregnancy."
"For now, make sure she gets plenty of rest. And avoid… certain activities."
"Also, go easy on tonics, especially brown sugar—it promotes blood circulation."
"If her period still hasn’t arrived after a week, don’t rush. Bring her in for a check-up at the end of the month."
"Most importantly, your wife is in excellent health. Even if she is pregnant, there’s no cause for alarm. Just stay calm—your anxiety might affect her mood."
The doctor’s words seemed to help. When Huo Tingzhou returned home and saw Jiang Si deeply engrossed in her work, he didn’t disturb her.
Instead, he devoted even more care to her daily needs.
That night, he didn’t pester her—just held her close as they slept.
Two days later, Jiang Si finally completed all the preparatory work for the mural.
Since she was joining the project team the next day, Huo Tingzhou packed their belongings that afternoon.
The square was closer to the family’s old residence, so moving back would be more convenient.
Jiang Si had no objections.
Before leaving, Huo Tingzhou stopped by the military canteen to see the quartermaster. Though Jiang Si hadn’t said it outright, he could tell she had grown fond of the cat there.
Sure enough, when he brought "Mimi" home, Jiang Si pretended to grumble but cuddled the cat the entire way back.
Her affectionate display even made Huo Tingzhou a little jealous.
His wife had never held him like that.
Jiang Si was unaware of the little thoughts running through his mind. Taking advantage of the early hour, she made another trip that afternoon to the Jing City Cotton Mill in the eastern suburbs.
The cotton mill had many female workers, and in less than two hours, Jiang Si had gathered all the facial features she needed for her sketches. With this, the preliminary preparations for her facial feature database were now complete.
As for the layout and composition of the facial feature models, Jiang Si had also come up with a new idea over the past couple of days. However, she had heard that Huo's fourth uncle was away on a business trip, so she would have to wait until he returned to discuss it in detail.
When she arrived home, she happened to run into Mother Huo at the entrance of the residential compound.
Mother Huo was momentarily stunned. She had only mentioned it casually the other day—after all, the newlywed couple surely wanted some time alone to enjoy their honeymoon. She wasn’t about to stand in their way!
At the end of the day, it all came down to her concern for her daughter-in-law.
Military men were rough by nature, and even rougher in certain… intimate moments.
Who would have thought they’d actually return so soon—and after less than five days at that?
Now, Mother Huo felt a little embarrassed.
"Si-Si, why didn’t you two stay a bit longer?"
Jiang Si smiled as she opened the car door. "Mom, I have work tomorrow and was worried I wouldn’t wake up on time."
Work?
Before Mother Huo could ask further, her attention was completely captured by the calico cat in Jiang Si’s arms.
"Oh? Where did this cat come from?"
Jiang Si gave a brief explanation, though she left out the part about being so frightened by a mouse that she nearly lost her soul.
The two chatted as they walked, completely forgetting about Huo Tingzhou behind them.
By the time he lugged all their luggage into the living room, everyone already knew that Jiang Si had taken on the New Year’s themed mural project.
Grandpa Huo was inwardly delighted, already imagining how he’d proudly show off his granddaughter-in-law’s mural to his old friends once it was finished.
Grandma Huo and Mother Huo were even more direct—though the mural hadn’t even taken shape yet, they had already arranged with the other daughters-in-law to take plenty of photos once it was completed, as keepsakes for the future.
Meanwhile, Father Huo led the household’s capable sons into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
The meal was filled with warmth and laughter.
Halfway through dinner, heavy snow began to fall outside, continuing all through the night.
By the next morning, the world outside was blanketed in white.
With each step, the snow crunched underfoot.
For Jiang Si, who had grown up in the south and had never seen proper snowfall, the sight was utterly mesmerizing.
The only downside was that the heavy snow made travel a bit troublesome.
Fortunately, there was a shortcut through the alley from the old house, and within ten minutes, Huo Tingzhou had brought Jiang Si to the meeting point near the square.
From a distance, they could see a crowd gathered around a tall building.
Everyone was looking up, their expressions tense as if facing a crisis. Jiang Si’s heart immediately sank.
Before she could figure out what was happening, a staff member’s voice rang out through a loudspeaker:
"Members of the large-scale mural team, please gather here upon hearing this announcement—"
Author’s Note: It’s that time of the month again—the most painful day, when the ache is so bad I can barely straighten my back.
Taking a day off today, but to keep the streak of continuous updates, I’m posting this chapter.
Also, for those who enjoy short dramas, check out Red Fruit—the short drama officially launched this afternoon.
If you’re interested, give it a watch—there are several versions available!
Back to regular updates tomorrow.
