No sooner had she opened her mouth than Guan Xue nearly vomited.
"Darling, what's wrong?" Huo Tinghan was startled, then quickly realized, "Is your stomach acting up again?"
As he spoke, he hurriedly rummaged through the drawer for stomach medicine.
Both of them were researchers, spending most of their time in the lab, with meals often irregular.
They ate when they had time, and when they didn’t, they nibbled on compressed biscuits.
This erratic eating schedule had left both of them with varying degrees of stomach problems.
"How are you feeling? Is it serious?"
With that, Huo Tinghan handed her the medicine and poured a glass of warm water.
Remembering that she hadn’t eaten much at the family dinner earlier, he grew even more concerned.
"Should I take you to the hospital now?"
Guan Xue shook her head, saying it was nothing.
She took the medicine, turned it over in her hand, then put it back in the bottle.
"What’s wrong?" Huo Tinghan looked puzzled.
Guan Xue glanced at him, her expression complicated. "It’s not a stomachache. I might be pregnant."
"Oh, if it’s not a stomachache then—wait… what?!"
The news hit Huo Tinghan like a ton of bricks, leaving him dazed for a long moment.
"Darling, what… what did you just say?"
Had he heard correctly? Did she say she was pregnant?
Guan Xue nodded calmly and repeated, "I said 'might.' It’s not confirmed yet."
Though she had just vomited bile, her stomach didn’t feel the usual burning pain.
The reason she suspected pregnancy was because of an accident two months ago when she and "Old Fourth" had been intimate.
They had been anxious about it for a while.
But Guan Xue’s menstrual cycle was different from most.
While others had monthly periods, hers came quarterly—only four times a year, with a very regular pattern.
Because of this, she couldn’t rely on her cycle to determine pregnancy.
Going to the hospital wouldn’t help either; the doctor had said it would take at least six weeks for a test to detect anything.
Not long after, her research team had gone to Lop Nur in Xinjiang for a month-long field survey.
As a core member, Guan Xue had gone with them.
Amid the busy schedule, she had forgotten about the possibility entirely.
Guan Xue said, "My last period was on the evening of October 18th, and now it’s already January 25th with no sign of it..."
Before she could finish, Huo Tinghan scooped her up in his arms.
"So… so… I’m going to be a dad?" His voice trembled with excitement.
Perhaps infected by his emotions, Guan Xue also felt a surge of joy.
"Most likely, but we’ll have to wait for the hospital results tomorrow to be sure."
"Alright, darling. You should rest in bed for now."
Huo Tinghan then asked, "You barely ate tonight. Should I make you some noodles?"
Guan Xue declined. She didn’t feel like eating anything—just sleeping.
With only this one request from his wife, Huo Tinghan naturally obliged.
Soon, they were both tucked under the covers.
Guan Xue slept soundly through the night, while Huo Tinghan, too excited to close his eyes, stayed awake until dawn.
The next morning, after a quick wash, they headed straight to the nearest hospital.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Huo family, having stayed up late for the reunion dinner, didn’t wake until nearly nine.
Breakfast was already too late to prepare, so Mother Huo bought food from the compound canteen.
With so many mouths to feed, she bought extra.
By the time Jiang Si and Huo Tingzhou came downstairs carrying their two little ones, Oldest Brother and his wife were already helping Mother Huo set the table.
"Mom, Big Brother, Sister-in-law, good morning," Jiang Si greeted cheerfully.
Meng Yuan smiled and nodded, noticing Suisui and Zhaozhao yawning repeatedly.
"What’s wrong? Didn’t they sleep well last night?"
Jiang Si sighed. "They refused to sleep no matter how we tried. They played until two or three in the morning."
Even after falling asleep, they were restless, wetting the bed multiple times.
They had gone through seven or eight diapers overnight.
"Don’t worry. After breakfast, I’ll put them to sleep," Mother Huo reassured her. "Kids this young need their rest."
She then urged everyone to sit down.
Just then, Second Brother Huo’s family of four emerged, freshly washed.
"Huh? Why aren’t Old Fourth and his wife up yet?" Mother Huo wondered aloud.
That wasn’t like them—they were usually early risers.
Second Brother Huo, sensing something, teased, "Mom, can’t you let the young couple sleep in for once?"
He even shot her a meaningful look, as if to say, Don’t meddle in their business.
Mother Huo chuckled and scolded, "Since when do I need you to teach me how to act?"
Still, she had noticed Guan Xue looking unwell last night and wondered if she had caught a chill.
Just as she was thinking this, there was a commotion at the door.
Everyone looked up to see Huo Tinghan carefully carrying Guan Xue inside.
"Old Fourth, what’s wrong with Xue'er?" Mother Huo’s heart skipped a beat at her daughter-in-law’s listless state.
Huo Tinghan set Guan Xue down on a chair before straightening up. "Mom, Xue'er is fine."
Fine? She was being carried in!
Mother Huo huffed, "You brat! Can’t you just say it outright? You’re worrying us to death!"
Huo Tinghan had wanted to tease them, but his grin gave him away.
Seeing his mother raise a hand as if to smack him, he quickly pulled out the prenatal report from his bag.
Clearing his throat, he announced solemnly, "Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, Big Brother and Sister-in-law, Second Brother and Sister-in-law, Third Brother and Sister-in-law—congratulations!"
"In a few months, you’ll all be grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, and aunts again!"
The living room fell silent.
Mother Huo froze, then gasped. "She’s pregnant? Really… really pregnant?"
Guan Xue nodded. "Yes, Mom. We went to the hospital this morning. The doctor confirmed I’m three months along, and everything looks good."
"Wonderful, wonderful!" Mother Huo was so overjoyed she could barely speak.
What a year this had been!
Father Huo had been promoted!
Oldest Brother had returned home!
Third Brother’s family had welcomed twins!
And now, Old Fourth’s wife was pregnant!
One happy event after another—it was almost too much to take in.
If only firecrackers weren’t banned in Beijing, Mother Huo would have bought a whole basket to celebrate.
But that didn’t stop Old Master Huo.
As soon as breakfast ended, he went to change into the padded coat Jiang Si had bought him last year.
The hat and gloves were from Oldest Brother’s family, the boots from Second Brother’s.
Oh, and the chessboard from Old Fourth’s family—he had to bring that too.
Grandma Huo sighed. "They’ll be here soon. Can’t you wait until tomorrow?"
"Don’t worry, I’ll just take a short walk. I’ll be back within an hour."
With that, the Old Master took Ruirui by the hand and carried Yaoyao in his arms. Then, straightening his back, he strode out with an air of unshakable confidence.
"Mom, who’s coming later?" Father Huo asked, puzzled.
Grandma Huo turned her gaze back and smiled. "Your father muttered about it all last night—he wants to take a family portrait."
"That’s why he called Old Fourth before dawn this morning, telling them to come for lunch at noon."
"Old Fourth has already arranged for a photographer from the studio to come in the afternoon to take the family photo."
Speak of the devil.
No sooner had Grandma Huo finished speaking than Huo's fourth uncle and his family arrived.
Before coming, the Old Master had mentioned over the phone that he’d prefer to have hot pot with mutton at home instead of going out for lunch.
So, early in the morning, Huo's fourth uncle had gone to the state-run market and bought over ten pounds of mutton.
He also picked up plenty of offal to make a hearty lamb broth later.
The household already had cabbage, radishes, potatoes, wood ear mushrooms, and frozen tofu on hand. With a few extra dishes brought back from the canteen, there’d be more than enough to eat.
