Chapter 30
Dr. Hu took Ye Qingzhi’s pulse while asking about her physical condition.
After about three minutes, Dr. Hu released his hand, picked up a brush, and said as he wrote a prescription, “Your body was not well-nourished after childbirth in your early years, and you have been overworked. It is severely depleted and needs to be properly conditioned.”
A look of understanding flashed in Ye Qingzhi’s eyes. It was just as she had thought.
The original host’s body was very weak. When Ye Qingzhi first transmigrated, she would feel dizzy just from bending over and standing up again. If she squatted, she had to get up slowly. If she was a little too fast, her vision would go black.
After eating eggs with the children for a week, Ye Qingzhi finally had a little bit of energy.
After confirming her relationship with He Qiming, she was able to eat meat every few days, and her body improved a little, but it was far from healthy.
“Is it serious? How many courses of treatment do I need to drink? Are there any dietary restrictions?” He Qiming asked respectfully.
“It’s not too late to start conditioning now. During the medication period, do not eat radishes or supplements. Drink it for seven days first, and then come back to me for a pulse check,” Dr. Hu said, writing the prescription and preparing to get the medicine.
Ye Qingzhi got up and followed him, asking with some hesitation, “Doctor, we don’t want to have children for now. Is there any safe and non-harmful method of contraception?”
“Your body is indeed not suitable for childbirth. You need to condition it for at least four or five years,” Dr. Hu said, skillfully getting the medicine. “I have a prescription here that can both prevent pregnancy and nourish the body. It’s just that a few of the herbs are quite expensive. It depends on whether you’re willing to spend the money.”
Ye Qingzhi was first overjoyed, then sighed softly. For a person like Dr. Hu to say it was expensive, it was probably hard to get.
He Qiming held Ye Qingzhi’s hand and squeezed it gently. “Old Hu, please write down the names of the herbs. I’ll ask someone to look for them.”
Dr. Hu handed the medicine to He Qiming. There were seven doses in total. “Boil three bowls of water down to one. Add this small packet of powder at the end. Drink it once in the morning and once at night, after meals. This medicine also has a contraceptive effect. You don’t need to do anything extra.”
“Alright, thank you, Old Hu.” He Qiming took the medicine and waited for Dr. Hu to write down the names of the herbs. He looked at it, carefully folded it, and put it in his pocket. “You’re busy. We’ll be going now.”
“Go on,” Dr. Hu said, already reading a medical book.
Ye Qingzhi followed behind He Qiming, tugged on his clothes, and said tentatively, “I can’t have children for at least four or five years.”
She said she had four sons, but He Qiming’s only real child was He Jingyang. He probably still wanted more children, right?
This had to be said openly. If there was a knot in his heart, it would affect their relationship.
He Qiming thought that Ye Qingzhi was worried he would dislike her. He held her hand tightly. “Don’t overthink it. We already have four sons. We don’t lack children. Nothing is more important than your health.”
When he was planning to remarry, He Qiming had thought of having children later, at least when Yangyang was a little older and could take care of himself, to prevent the stepmother from only caring for her own children.
After getting to know Ye Qingzhi, the more he got to know her, the more he liked her. He had thought of having a child of their own, but only if her body allowed it.
“Qingzhi, if we’re talking about carrying on the family line, I already have Yangyang. So it’s fine even if we don’t have children. Besides, didn’t we agree not to have children for now and to focus on taking care of Jingyan and Anmin and the others?” He Qiming said seriously.
Alright, it’s best if he doesn’t mind. As for five years later, we’ll talk about it then. Why think so far ahead?
Back at the family compound, the two of them ran into Zhang Dama walking with Liu Yuqin. Scolding voices could be heard from time to time.
“You’re so useless. I’ve already found an opportunity for you, and you still can’t get it done,” Zhang Dama said. Seeing Liu Yuqin wiping her tears again, her tone became even more irritable. “What are you crying for? All you know is how to cry. You’ve cried away all the family’s good luck. I’ll give you one more chance tonight. If it still doesn’t work, we’ll go back to our hometown in a couple of days.”
Liu Yuqin bit her lip and nodded with a sob.
It was clear that Zhang Dama wanted Liu Yuqin and Zhang Xuewen to be intimate. But Zhang Xuewen didn’t like Liu Yuqin at all, and even detested her. How could he agree?
In the end, it was all Liu Yuqin’s own doing. If she didn’t want to marry a fool, she should have gone to the commune to seek help from the Women’s Federation. Why did she have to repay kindness with enmity?
The unluckiest one was Zhang Xuewen. He had originally come home to get married, but because he had done a good deed, he had been latched onto, and his original happy marriage was ruined.
The most innocent one was Zhang Xuewen’s fiancée. She had been happily preparing to marry the man she loved, but in the end, she could only watch as her lover married someone else. Who knows how heartbroken she must have been.
More importantly, Zhang Xuewen’s ex-fiancée had been engaged to him. Now that the engagement was broken, her reputation would definitely be affected, and her value in the marriage market would be lowered.
Zhang Dama couldn’t stand the sight of Liu Yuqin crying. She had been about to scold her again, but seeing Ye Qingzhi and her husband approaching, she immediately put on a broad smile and greeted them, “Regiment Commander He, Qingzhi, where are you coming from?”
“I didn’t have a good confinement period when I had my children before. Qiming took me to see a doctor and got some Chinese medicine to condition my body,” Ye Qingzhi said, not hiding it.
The smell of boiling Chinese medicine was very strong. The neighbors would surely smell it. Instead of letting them guess wildly, it was better for her to say it herself.
Zhang Dama glanced at Ye Qingzhi’s belly. She already knew that Ye Qingzhi and He Qiming were on their second marriage, and that the current children were from their previous marriages. They had no children of their own blood. To be conditioning her body now must be in preparation for having a child.
This was very normal in Zhang Dama’s eyes. A husband and wife had to have a child of their own blood to have a long-lasting relationship.
“How is this Dr. Hu’s medical skill? Is his pulse-taking accurate?” Zhang Dama pulled Ye Qingzhi aside and glanced at Liu Yuqin. “I’ll take Yuqin to see him. Our old Zhang family only has Xuewen as a single descendant. We can’t let the family line be broken.”
“I think what he said is quite accurate. I’m not sure about the specifics. I just got the medicine,” Ye Qingzhi said, neither good nor bad.
“To be able to see patients in the army, he must be quite good. I’ll take Yuqin when I have time. Is Dr. Hu in the hospital?” Zhang Dama asked with a smile.
“No, he’s in a small courtyard next to the hospital. You’ll know if you go and ask. Zhang Dama, Sister-in-law Yuqin, the children are still at home. We’ll be going now,” Ye Qingzhi said. She didn’t want to get involved in other people’s family affairs, especially in a complicated situation like the Zhang family’s.
Not long after, the two of them ran into Li Jinfeng again. Since their unpleasant parting last time, Li Jinfeng had not looked for Ye Qingzhi again, and of course, Ye Qingzhi had not looked for her either.
“Qingzhi, are you coming back from outside?” Li Jinfeng asked, glancing at the Chinese medicine He Qiming was carrying. “Who’s sick?”
“I didn’t have a good confinement period before. I got some Chinese medicine to condition my body. Sister Jinfeng, are you going out or going home?” Ye Qingzhi asked, still being polite.
“I’m coming back from signing up at the cotton factory. Qingzhi, are you really not going to the cotton factory? Many people signed up today. I heard they’re hiring over twenty people this time. We have a good chance of being selected,” Li Jinfeng said with some excitement.
“Then I’ll congratulate you on your success in advance. What about Wenhua? Who are you planning to have help take care of her?” Ye Qingzhi asked casually.
“I’m planning to send Wenhua to preschool. She can go to and from class with Anjie and the others,” Li Jinfeng said with some embarrassment. “Qingzhi, I was not thoughtful enough last time. I was only thinking that you would take care of the children and forgot to give you a heads-up.”
She really hadn’t thought that much at the time. She had just thought that if she and Li Guifang each gave five yuan, and just asked Ye Qingzhi to help watch a child, she would surely agree. So she had excitedly brought Li Guifang to find Ye Qingzhi.
“I was worried you would blame me for being unreasonable,” Ye Qingzhi said half-jokingly.
“How could I? It was me and Sister-in-law Guifang who were too simple-minded,” Li Jinfeng quickly explained.
Li Hanxing still didn’t know about this. If he did, he would surely scold her to death.
“Qingzhi, I’ll go back first. I’ll come and see you again when I have time,” Li Jinfeng said, waving her hand and leaving happily.
To be honest, Ye Qingzhi felt that Li Jinfeng had her priorities mixed up.
The purpose of her coming to the army was to have another child. Then she should be taking good care of her body and trying to get pregnant.
Now, she was neglecting her family and children and only thinking of going to work. She would surely regret it in the future.
Ye Qingzhi shook her head and went home with He Qiming. She saw Shen Jiahao playing happily with Ye Anmin and the others.
She was taken aback for a moment, blinked, and turned to look at He Qiming. Seeing that he was also looking at Shen Jiahao, she knew her eyes were not playing tricks on her.
“Papa, Mama.” Yangyang ran over like a little cannonball and hugged Ye Qingzhi’s leg. “Mama, hug.”
“No, you’re a big boy now. Mama will get tired if she holds you,” He Qiming said, pulling Yangyang’s collar from behind. He then picked him up and turned to ask He Jingyan, “What’s going on?”
“Not long after you left, Auntie Yang came to visit with him. Knowing that you were out on business, she left him here and left by herself. She said she would come to pick him up before lunch,” He Jingyan said, looking at Shen Jiahao, who was playing happily with Ye Anjie, with a complicated expression.
Ye Qingzhi was also speechless. If she remembered correctly, the few children had been beaten black and blue just a few days ago. The bruises on their faces hadn’t even faded yet. Why did she suddenly bring her child to their house?
“Dad, Ma.” Seeing He Qiming and the others come back, Ye Anmin quickly greeted them.
Ye Anjie and Shen Jiahao also stopped. Seeing Ye Anjie happily greet them, Shen Jiahao followed suit and loudly called out “Uncle He” and “Auntie Ye.”
“Where’s your mother?” Ye Qingzhi asked directly.
“She had something to do and went out. Auntie, I was wrong to fight with Jingyan and Anmin last time. Can you forgive me?” Shen Jiahao asked very politely.
His current little appearance was completely different from a few days ago. He looked well-behaved, sensible, and very reasonable.
“The victim in this matter is Jingyan, so you should apologize to him. If he forgives you, I will forgive you,” Ye Qingzhi said seriously.
Shen Jiahao’s eyes lit up. “Before you came back, I already apologized to Jingyan. He and Anmin have already forgiven me.”
Seeing that both He Jingyan and Ye Anmin had nodded, Ye Qingzhi said, “Alright, you can’t get to know each other without a fight. Since the misunderstanding is cleared up, you should get along well in the future.”
She rubbed Shen Jiahao’s head, put away the medicine, and was about to go and warm herself by the fire.
It was really cold outside. Just a short walk, and she felt her body was about to freeze.
“How do you train for this cold resistance? You’re not cold at all in so little clothing,” Ye Qingzhi asked curiously.
“In the winter, we take off our shirts and do military boxing in the snow,” He Qiming said, gently rubbing Ye Qingzhi’s hand. “What, you want to train too?”
Ye Qingzhi shook her head repeatedly. She couldn’t. She was a weakling. She should just go to sleep.
Unexpectedly, He Qiming was seriously considering it. “Proper exercise is good for you. I think you and the children should do drills with me in the future. You don’t have to run five kilometers, just two. Your physical fitness will gradually improve.”
Ye Qingzhi’s eyes widened. She had to run? Impossible. She couldn’t run at all.
“Let’s talk about this later. Where’s the prescription Old Hu gave you? If it’s too hard to get, then forget it,” Ye Qingzhi said, changing the subject.
“It’s fine. I’ll ask Old Xu for help. He definitely has connections,” He Qiming said. He decided to add Shen Qingyuan to the list. Who asked him to leave his child at their house? Don’t think he didn’t know whose idea it was.