Reborn in 1966

Chapter 457 End

After the summer vacation ended, Pei Yin and Du Mingjun began a new lifestyle.

Every morning, after getting up, Pei-yin would make breakfast, and Du Ming-jun would continue his simple exercise routine. After breakfast, Du Ming-jun would take Pei-yin to school by bicycle, and then go to the school where he taught. At noon, they would both eat in the school cafeteria. After get off work in the afternoon, Du Ming-jun would pick up Pei-yin and take her home. Sometimes they would buy some groceries on the street and bring them home, and sometimes Pei-yin would buy some groceries in the morning and bring them home. Their lives were simple yet fulfilling, until one morning, Pei-yin's unusual reaction broke the peace.

Pei-Yin had been feeling tired these past few days. She thought it might be because she was busy with the midterm exams, so she went to bed early. But the next morning she was still too tired to get out of bed. Seeing how tired Pei-Yin was, and since it was the weekend, Du Ming-Jun told her to sleep a little longer. Du Ming-Jun had some business to attend to at his workplace and told Pei-Yin to get up and eat the breakfast that was on the coffee table in the living room before he left.

When Du Mingjun returned home at noon, he found the house quiet, but the door was unlocked. He entered the living room and saw that the breakfast he had left in the morning was still there. Du Mingjun ran into the bedroom and saw Pei Yin still fast asleep. He woke Pei Yin up and realized that it was already noon. Pei Yin herself was also very confused. She felt tired and wanted to sleep. Since neither of them had anything to do in the afternoon, they decided to go out for lunch.

Pei Yin thought of the sour and spicy boiled fish and couldn't wait to eat it. Du Mingjun took her on his bicycle, and the two of them went to a restaurant they frequented. They ordered boiled fish, and it arrived in no time.

The boiled fish at this restaurant was very authentic. As soon as Pei Yin picked up her chopsticks, a strong fishy smell made her unable to hold back. She sat down and bent over, gagging. Du Mingjun was so frightened that his face turned pale. He came over and patted Pei Yin's back. The proprietress also came over to help. When Pei Yin's discomfort subsided, she looked up, tears streaming down her face. Gagging like that was just too painful.

The proprietress, an experienced woman, knew this young couple lived nearby and frequently dined at the restaurant, sometimes ordering takeout. Looking at the wife, she asked, "Is Xiao Shen pregnant?" Du Mingjun replied, "Pregnant? What is it?" The proprietress burst out laughing, saying, "You're pregnant!" Pei Yin and Du Mingjun exchanged bewildered glances. Pei Yin said, "Really? We didn't plan on having a child so soon." The proprietress, finding the young couple quite endearing, smiled and said, "A child isn't something you can just decide not to have. Xiao Du, I think you should take Xiao Shen to the hospital for a checkup." "See? Whether you're pregnant or not, a checkup will put your mind at ease, right?" Du Mingjun nodded repeatedly, glancing at the untouched sauerkraut fish on the table. The proprietress smiled and said, "Alright, alright, I'll save this sauerkraut fish for my daughter. She'll be back for dinner later; she said she wanted some when she came back last time, so it saves my husband the trouble of making it again." Du Mingjun sheepishly left ten yuan, which the proprietress grabbed and stuffed into his pocket, saying, "Why are you being so polite with me? Go to the hospital for a checkup right away." After discussing it on the way, the two went to the General Hospital of the Military.

Jiang Juan hadn't started work yet at this hour. Pei Yin hadn't eaten since morning. Du Mingjun found a noodle shop and ordered a bowl of plain noodles for Pei Yin. She slurped down a big bowl of noodles with pickled vegetables. After finishing, she asked for a bowl of soup, slurped it down, and then got up to go with Du Mingjun to find Jiang Juan.

Upon hearing that Pei Yin might be pregnant, Jiang Juan quickly took her to the obstetrics and gynecology department for a checkup. After a series of tests, it was confirmed that Pei Yin was indeed pregnant, and more than a month along.

The two young people looked at each other, holding forms marked with plus signs. Du Mingjun's eyes were filled with joy, while Pei Yin's eyes held a hint of confusion. To be honest, Pei Yin wasn't ready to be a parent yet, because she didn't know if she could be a good mother or shoulder the responsibilities of a mother. Being abandoned in her past life made Pei Yin feel that love alone wasn't enough to be a good parent. Raising a child wasn't just about loving them; you needed to give them so much more. Pei Yin didn't know if she could provide these children with everything they needed to grow up.

When Du Mingjun saw Pei Yin, this girl who was not yet twenty-three years old was going to have his child, Du Mingjun was very happy. This was the child his beloved was bearing, a child born from their love. Seeing Pei Yin's expression, Du Mingjun said, "Pei Yin, don't you like children?" Pei Yin replied, "No, I'm just afraid I won't be a good mother." Hearing this, Du Mingjun said, "Pei Yin, I've never been a father either. Let's learn to be parents together, okay?" Pei Yin looked at her lover, her eyes filled with love that seemed to melt her heart. She couldn't help but smile and said, "Okay, let's learn to be parents together." Before they even got home, they already knew everything.

I parked my bicycle in the yard, and before I even opened the door, the phone inside was ringing incessantly. I quickly opened the door and answered it. It was Shen's mother calling. Shen's mother had heard that Pei Yin was pregnant, and thinking about how such a small child was about to become a mother, she felt very conflicted. She had called several times, but no one answered, which made her even more anxious. Fortunately, someone finally answered. After exchanging a few words with Du Mingjun, who answered the phone, Pei Yin took the phone. Shen's mother asked, "Pei Yin, how are you feeling?" Pei Yin thought about how much her family had cared for her when she was a child, and she couldn't help but feel that she had been too weak. She couldn't hesitate about the arrival of this child because of the abandonment she had experienced in the past. This was the fruit of her love with Du Mingjun, and the little baby that everyone had been looking forward to.

Peiyin said, "Mom, I don't feel anything except sleepy." Shen's mother said, "That's for the best. This child is also obedient. I'll arrange things at home and go over in a few days." Hearing this, Peiyin felt that her mother had sacrificed too much for the children in the family. In the past few years, when her siblings got married and had children, Shen's mother would often be away for a long time. Shen's father and mother had been married for so many years and had never been separated for such a long time. For the sake of the children, Shen's mother would come out without hesitation. Peiyin knew that although Shen's mother was away, she always cared about Shen's father at home. When they were young, whether the conditions were good or bad, the two of them were together. Now that they were older, they were separated again for the sake of the children. It would be a lie to say that she didn't miss him.

Pei Yin said, "Mom, you've only been home for a few days. I'm fine, you don't need to come." Shen's mother said, "I can't sleep at night if I don't come. Listen to me, I'll come in the next few days." After hanging up, Pei Yin said to Du Mingjun, "Our mother is coming." Du Mingjun said, "Our mother has worked so hard for the children at home." The two were silent for a moment. Du Mingjun said, "I'll go buy some groceries. What do you want to eat?" Pei Yin said, "I don't want to eat anything right now." Du Mingjun said, "You can't not eat. I'll go buy some. We'll make something light for dinner." That evening, the eldest aunt, along with Zhao Ge, Jiang Juan, and Pei Zhi's family of three, all came. After Pei Zhi arrived, she said, "I was at the company this afternoon. I received a call from my cousin-in-law and told Shen Qian that she's going to Wu Jianjun's house for dinner tonight. She asked me to come with you..." "She said she'll come see you tomorrow." Pei Yin quickly invited everyone to sit down. Du Mingjun washed the fruit he had bought that afternoon and placed it on the coffee table. Her aunt held Pei Yin's hand and asked if she felt unwell or nauseous. Pei Yin said somewhat shyly, "Oh, Aunt, I'm just pregnant, there's nothing serious." Her aunt said, "Look at you, pregnancy and childbirth are big events for us women, we can't be careless. Listen to your aunt, we should take good care of ourselves. Your mother is coming, right? She'll cook for you then, so you can take good care of yourself." Dinner was delivered to their home by the owner of a small restaurant. When the owner saw Pei Yin, she smiled and asked if she had gone to the hospital for a check-up. After learning that, she chatted with Pei Yin for a few more minutes about taking care of the pregnancy before taking her leave.

From that day on, Pei Yin began her pregnancy life, which was said to be comparable to that of a giant panda and treated like a queen. Everyone at her workplace took care of her, and even the office director who usually arranged the duty roster was replaced. Du Mingjun picked her up and dropped her off every day. After Shen's mother arrived, Du Mingjun consulted a doctor and made a daily schedule for Pei Yin, including a nutrition chart for each stage, clearly showing what she should and shouldn't eat. Originally, she was supposed to eat lunch at the school cafeteria, but Du Mingjun insisted on going home early every day to get the food and bring it to her, eating with her at school before going to work. Pei Yin applied for a small dormitory at her workplace, where she could rest after lunch. During the Spring Festival, Du Kunpeng even disregarded work for the first time and arrived in Beijing two days early to celebrate the New Year with the children.

While enjoying everyone's care and love, Pei-Yin felt that her feelings for her family had deepened.

At the beginning of her pregnancy, Pei Yin was fine except for being a little tired. However, after three months, she started vomiting. She would vomit everything she ate, and even drinking water would make her vomit, leaving her with tears in her eyes and a pale face. Du Mingjun was heartbroken and asked many people for folk remedies. Pei Yin, on the other hand, faced her morning sickness calmly. After vomiting, she would eat and drink again. Shen's mother even told her aunt, Aunt Shengxiu, who came to visit Pei Yin, "I didn't expect this little girl to be so tough and not delicate at all." Aunt Shengxiu said, "Our daughter is never delicate. Look at Pei Zhi back then. Li Qing even secretly told me that he was worried that Pei Zhi wouldn't be able to bear the pain of childbirth, but she still gave birth smoothly." Aunt Shengxiu married off her daughter in the autumn. Because both of them were very busy with work, the kitchen in their new house was never used. The third grandmother couldn't stand Shen Qian and her husband always buying food from outside, so she simply let the two children... Inviting them to dinner at home pleased Shen Qian. After the New Year, Shen Qian and Wu Jianjun moved in. Aunt Shengxiu, who had received a Western education, felt that her children, now grown up and married, should live on their own. She thought it wouldn't be right for them to stay at home. The mother and daughter were arguing fiercely when Shen Qian became pregnant. This put Aunt Shengxiu at a loss. She looked at her sister-in-law, Pei Yin, who had come from her hometown to take care of her daughter. It would be unreasonable for her to send her daughter back to her own home. Fortunately, her son-in-law was very understanding. While he generally went along with his daughter's wishes and even stayed with her when she wanted to, he also helped with all the chores at home, including cooking. However, he could only cook well. Although Aunt Shengxiu was old, she still loved cooking for the children. Her culinary skills were unmatched. After eating Aunt Shengxiu's cooking a few times, Wu Jianjun even took the time to learn how to cook.

Shen Qian had been vomiting since the beginning, but it stopped after three months. Now, Pei Yin was over seven months pregnant and was still vomiting into the trash can. Shen Qian, who was over three months pregnant and whose belly was just starting to show, was eating salted plums. Seeing Pei Yin vomit after only a couple of sips of water, she frowned and said, "Pei Yin, didn't you go to the hospital for a checkup?" Pei Yin wiped her mouth and said, "I did. The doctor said the baby is fine. It's probably just my constitution. But I feel much worse these past few days. I guess I'm almost recovered." Shen Qian said, "Pregnancy is so hard. If I had known it was this hard, I wouldn't have gotten pregnant." Pei Yin said, "Sister Qian, you're talking nonsense. If you don't give your husband a child, how will he face his family? People who don't know you think you don't want to have children, but they'll think one of you is sick and can't have one." Shen Qian said, "I think everything is good in China, except that we care too much about what others think. Whether or not to have children is a personal matter. Here, it's a matter for the whole family. After getting married, everyone will ask if you're pregnant." "Oh, heaven knows, the first time I heard someone ask me if I was pregnant, I didn't even know what they were asking. I even asked her, 'What is it?' which made her blush." ​​Pei Yin had already rinsed her mouth and calmed down from the nausea she felt earlier. She said, "Part of marriage is about carrying on the family line. The arrival of a new generation is something every family member looks forward to." Shen Qian said, "That's true. I told my mom I didn't want to have a child so early. My mom didn't say anything else, she just told me to tell my grandma. I didn't dare to say anything. On the third day after my wedding, when I went back to my parents' home, my grandma told me, 'Qianqian, have a child soon. Grandma can close her eyes in peace when she sees your child.' Oh dear, my brother didn't want to get married early, but now that I'm married so early, I've become everyone's focus." Such conversations were frequent. Because Shen Qian was pregnant, after discussing it, the group hired a professional manager to handle everything at the company. Fu Xiaomin was currently at home taking care of the child, and Shen Qian was preparing to take care of the child. Before the child was weaned, no one had much time to go to the company to oversee things.

In the transition from spring to summer, Pei Yin gave birth to a 7.6-pound baby girl on a bright morning. Emerging from the delivery room, a weak Pei Yin smiled at Du Mingjun, who was waiting at the door, and said, "Look, I gave you a little sweetheart." Du Mingjun looked at Pei Yin, who was covered in sweat and pale from childbirth, took her hand, gently kissed her forehead, and said with emotion, "Thank you, my sweetheart!"