Chapter 42
“Qingzhi, do you know who came to see me today?” Li Jinfeng asked, mysteriously pulling Ye Qingzhi aside.
“Who?” Ye Qingzhi looked at her in confusion.
From her expression, it must be someone unexpected. It should be a city wife. Bai Xue? Zhang Shuhua?
“Bai Xue. You’ll never guess what she came to see me for,” Li Jinfeng said with a faint smile, a “you’ll never guess” look on her face.
Thinking of what Yang Xiaorou had come to see her about, and combined with Li Jinfeng’s expression, Ye Qingzhi already knew what Bai Xue had come to see her for.
“A secret recipe for having a son,” Ye Qingzhi said with conviction.
“How did you know?” Li Jinfeng looked at Ye Qingzhi in surprise, then realized. “She didn’t come to see you too, did she?”
“So do you have a recipe?” Ye Qingzhi asked, not answering the question.
It seemed that Auntie Xu’s actions had really stimulated Bai Xue. She had actually put aside her arrogant nature to look for a secret recipe for having a son.
Ye Qingzhi thought back carefully. The original host actually knew who had such a recipe. It was the barefoot doctor in their village, who was also the original host’s grandaunt.
Once, when she had gone to get medicine, she had happened to run into someone who had come to ask for a recipe, saying that a relative of hers had gotten pregnant after taking her grandaunt’s recipe.
The original host had even asked her grandaunt about it at the time. She had said it was a recipe for nourishing the body and warming the womb, and was good for women with weak bodies, especially those with a cold womb.
The problem was that Bai Xue was healthy and probably didn’t have a cold womb. And even if it was a problem of a cold womb, with a skilled doctor like Old Hu around, she would have been conditioned long ago. So this recipe might not be useful for her.
However, when she wrote a letter next time, she could ask Auntie Ye to help her get the recipe. She would ask Old Hu later. If it could really nourish the body, it might be useful in the future.
“Qingzhi, Qingzhi,” Li Jinfeng said, waving her hand in front of Ye Qingzhi’s eyes. “What are you thinking about?”
“Nothing. You haven’t said if you have a folk remedy for having children,” Ye Qingzhi said, more curious about this.
“I do. I have quite a few,” Li Jinfeng said, touching her belly with one hand and sighing softly. “It’s not that I can’t have children. I got pregnant not long after I got married. It’s just that I had two daughters in a row. So before I got pregnant with my third, I went everywhere looking for a folk remedy for having a son. They said that if you ate it, you would have a son. But in the end, I still had a daughter.”
Li Jinfeng was considered to be of a fertile constitution. Otherwise, with their frequency of intimacy, they wouldn’t have been able to have four children.
If it weren’t for the difficult birth with her fourth, which had damaged her body, she might have already had a fifth and a sixth.
“I wonder if this one will be a son or a daughter,” Li Jinfeng said, touching her belly with a worried look.
Ye Qingzhi really wanted to ask, “If it’s a daughter, will you have a sixth?”
She thought about it and decided not to ask. She said with a smile, “You will definitely get what you wish for.”
“I hope so. But I had a dream about the baby yesterday. I dreamed of a very big snake. I heard from the old people in our village that dreaming of a snake means you’ll have a son. Do you think that’s accurate?” Li Jinfeng asked anxiously.
“It should be accurate, right?” Ye Qingzhi really didn’t know about this.
She searched the original host’s memories. She had had dreams about the baby when she was pregnant with both children.
When she was pregnant with the eldest, Ye Anmin, she had picked eggplants all night. When she was pregnant with the second, Ye Anjie, she had dug sweet potatoes all night.
Ye Qingzhi was suddenly speechless. No wonder the original host had such a hard life. Even her dreams about the baby were so hard.
“Then I’m relieved,” Li Jinfeng said. Thinking of Bai Xue, she felt a little sympathetic. “She’s also pitiful. She hasn’t been pregnant for five years. Just thinking about it, you can imagine how much pressure there is. I gave her a folk remedy that my mother found for me. I drank it for a few days at the time and got pregnant after being with my husband once. Unfortunately, it was still a daughter. I also told Bai Xue this. She said she didn’t care. As long as she could get pregnant, she would love it whether it was a son or a daughter.”
Of course. The needs were different. Bai Xue couldn’t get pregnant, so as long as she could have a child, both a boy and a girl were treasures.
On the other side, Bai Xue had already taken the recipe Li Jinfeng had given her to find Old Hu and asked him to see if it would be effective.
“It’s a recipe for warming the womb. For you, it won’t hurt to drink it, but it won’t be of much use either,” Old Hu said bluntly.
Bai Xue put away the recipe with a grave expression, her face full of sorrow. “I just want a child. Why is it so hard?”
“You and Regiment Commander Xu are both very healthy. It’s just that the time is not right,” Old Hu said. He was also puzzled. Both of them were clearly very healthy. Why couldn’t they have a child?
The time is not right, the time is not right again. It’s been five years. When will this time for a child come?
When Bai Xue got home and looked at the empty house, she thought of what her mother-in-law, Su Liuli, had said, and tears started to fall.
Just because I don’t have a child, I have to get a divorce?
To make way for another woman, so that the Xu family line won’t be broken?
Bai Xue took a deep breath. She would wait a few more months, at least until after the New Year. If she still couldn’t get pregnant, she would get a divorce.
In the evening, as the sky slowly darkened, He Qiming and the others had not yet returned. Ye Qingzhi looked out the window with some worry.
“Mama, isn’t Papa back yet?” Ye Anmin asked, also a little worried.
Although He Jingyan did not speak, his expression said it all.
“Don’t worry. Your papa went into the mountains with a lot of people, and he also brought a gun. He’ll be fine,” Ye Qingzhi said, comforting them and also herself.
As soon as she finished speaking, Ye Qingzhi heard cheers from outside.
Her heart stirred. She immediately put on her scarf, hat, and gloves, preparing to go out and have a look.
“Mama, I’ll go with you,” Ye Anmin quickly chased after her.
“I’ll go too,” He Jingyan said, looking at Ye Qingzhi seriously.
“Let’s all go.” The few children couldn’t sit still at home. Anyway, it wouldn’t be too cold with their leather coats on. It was better to go and see the excitement.
When they arrived, many family members had already gathered. Ye Qingzhi looked around, found Yang Xiaorou with Shen Jiahao, picked up Yangyang, and called He Jingyan and the others to go over.
“You’re here too? It’s a big harvest this time. The hunting party took out a wolf pack. I heard that this wolf pack came down from the mountains a few days ago, destroyed a herdsman’s sheepfold, and also injured several people,” Yang Xiaorou said excitedly when she saw Ye Qingzhi.
“Really? Are the people alright?” Ye Qingzhi didn’t even know about this.
“I’m not sure about the specifics. There shouldn’t be any life-threatening injuries. In any case, there are many wild animals in the mountains here, and some of them eat people. You have to watch your children and not let them run into the mountains,” Yang Xiaorou said, pinching Yangyang’s small cheek.
“On our first day here, Wang Heng told the few children. And Jingyan and the others are all very sensible. They won’t run around,” Ye Qingzhi said. Although she said that, she still decided to tell them from time to time.
After all, they were still young. When they were a little older and thought they were very capable, what if they secretly went into the mountains without her knowing?
Looking at the pile of prey in front of them, which was like a small mountain, the few children were very excited. Yangyang even whispered in Ye Qingzhi’s ear that he also wanted to be as amazing as his father when he grew up.
“Then you have to eat more and drink more goat’s milk. Only then can you be as amazing as your father when you grow up,” Ye Qingzhi said with a laugh.
“Yangyang has been eating well and also drinking a lot of goat’s milk,” He Jingyang said, patting his small belly and nodding with certainty.
Ye Qingzhi smiled and touched his small belly. She looked up at He Qiming. Perhaps it was a telepathic connection, but he actually turned his head and met her gaze, and even gave her a faint smile.
“Brother He, who are you smiling at, so full of spring?” Wu Hongfei, who was standing next to him, followed his gaze and saw a woman with a face like a peach blossom and skin like congealed fat, holding a cute little boy, looking at them with a smile.
“Nothing. It’s getting late. Let’s hurry up and deal with these things,” He Qiming said, patting his shoulder hard.
Wu Hongfei glanced at her again. This must be Regiment Commander He’s wife. She was indeed beautiful, and her temperament was also good.
There was a lot of prey this time, but there were also many people. After He Qiming gave the order, he turned and walked towards Ye Qingzhi.
“Have you had dinner?” Seeing Yangyang reach out to him, He Qiming took half a step back. “Papa is dirty. I can’t hold you.”
Ye Qingzhi sniffed. Not only was he dirty, but he was also stained with blood. No wonder there was a smell of blood.
“Not yet. The food is already cooked. We were waiting for you to come back and eat together. Can you get away from here? Let’s go home and eat first,” Ye Qingzhi asked.
“I’ve already handed it over to the political commissar. Let’s go, let’s go home,” He Qiming said, waving his hand, and went home with Ye Qingzhi and the children.
Knowing that He Qiming had gone hunting in the mountains, Ye Qingzhi had stir-fried beef to replenish his energy.
“We ran into a wild yak today. It charged at us at high speed. Fortunately, we reacted quickly enough. It took three shots to kill it,” He Qiming said, telling Ye Qingzhi and the children about the hunt.
Ye Qingzhi had seen videos of wild yaks and knew how powerful they were. So when she heard what He Qiming said, she couldn’t help but look worried.
But the children listened with great interest, especially Anjie and Yangyang, who kept pestering He Qiming with questions, saying that they also wanted to go hunting in the mountains when they grew up.
“What’s wrong? Don’t be afraid. It’s fine. We go into the mountains every year and have already familiarized ourselves with the nearby mountain ranges. And we brought guns. It’s really fine,” He Qiming said, turning his head and seeing that Ye Qingzhi’s face was not very good. He quickly comforted her.
“Even if you have guns, you can’t be careless. There’s no harm in being careful,” Ye Qingzhi said, then felt she had said something unnecessary.
They were soldiers, soldiers who had been on the battlefield and killed enemies before. How could they be careless?
“I know,” He Qiming said, but he enjoyed her nagging. He held her hand and gave her a piece of beef. “I caught a lot of rabbits this time. You can make another rabbit fur coat later, or a cloak.”
“I have enough to wear. I’ll make vests for the children. They’re warm to wear inside,” Ye Qingzhi said. She already had two fur coats, which was enough.
“How can those few rascals wear white? And there’s wolf skin. I’ll use wolf skin to make them,” He Qiming said, glancing at the few children with a smile.
After dinner, He Qiming still had to go over and see. Ye Qingzhi took the children to wash up and go to bed first.
“Mama, I want to go and find Papa,” Ye Anjie said, hugging Ye Qingzhi’s arm.
“Yangyang wants to go too,” Yangyang said, raising his small hand.
Although He Jingyan and Ye Anmin did not speak, they both looked at her with longing eyes.
She looked at the time. It was only seven o’clock, not very late. “Then you can go. I’m not going,” she said, helping Yangyang put on his scarf and hat. “Watch your younger brother and come back early.”
In the military region, Ye Qingzhi was not at all worried about their safety. They were dressed warmly, so she was not afraid they would catch a cold. So she waved her hand and let them go out, while she herself got into the warm quilt and lay down.
Sigh, another day of missing her mobile phone. If not, a book would be good too.
Thinking of the Chinese history book Old Hu had given He Jingyan, she could take a look at it tomorrow. It was better than the ideological books anyway.
Ye Qingzhi heard a rustling sound in the living room. She struggled for a moment, then put on her clothes and pants and went out.
“You’re back? Hiss, you got so much?” Ye Qingzhi asked in shock, looking at the prey on the ground.
One wolf, five rabbits, and also beef and mutton, all in large quantities.
“Yes. I’m leading a team into the mountains again tomorrow, so I won’t be able to get this much,” He Qiming said, stopping Ye Qingzhi, who was about to help. “Don’t move. I’ll do it.”
“Mama, you go back to the heated brick bed. You’ll catch a cold,” Ye Anmin said like a little adult.
The stove in the living room had almost no fire, and the temperature was indeed quite low. Ye Qingzhi looked at Yangyang, who was circling around everyone.
“You take your younger brother to wash up and go to sleep. I’ll go back and put on another layer of clothes to help,” Ye Qingzhi said, waving her hand.
“No, no, I’ll help,” Yangyang said. He didn’t want to sleep at all now.
Well, seeing Yangyang jumping with anxiety, and since it was still early, Ye Qingzhi did not object and let them get busy with He Qiming.
They moved the things to the water vat in the backyard to store. Because there was too much, the two large water vats were not enough. They took out a large basin and a vegetable washing basin, covered them, and had to press them down with stones, afraid that they would be taken by birds.
“Alright, you should hurry up and go inside,” He Qiming said, patting his hands and telling Ye Qingzhi to take the children inside.
The nights in the Northwest were indeed cold. Ye Qingzhi ran back to the heated brick bed and lay down. After more than ten minutes, He Qiming came back with a cloud of steam.
Ye Qingzhi was not surprised. When it was snowing heavily outside, He Qiming had also taken a bath. He was the kind of person who could stand shirtless in the snow.
He stood by the bed and rubbed his body. Only after he was warm did he get into bed.
“Wife, I’ve asked around. Li Yang’s older brother, Li Jiang, is being transferred to our unit to serve as the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion. Li Yang should be coming with him,” He Qiming said. After a failed marriage, he had learned a lesson. If there was any misunderstanding, he would explain it immediately and would never let it go overnight. Otherwise, there would be endless trouble.
Ye Qingzhi looked at He Qiming in confusion. “Isn’t Li Yang married? Why would she be with her brother?”
He Qiming’s face was grim. “Li Yang’s husband was also a soldier, named Qi Aiguo. He sacrificed himself in a mission two years ago. When he died, Li Yang was three months pregnant. I’m not sure about the specific reason, but she must not have been able to stay with the Qi family, so she came to seek refuge with her brother, Li Jiang, with her child.”
“Sacrificed?” Ye Qingzhi’s heart suddenly became heavy.
“Although I don’t know why Cao Liyan said that, and of course, I don’t know Li Yang very well, I’ve been comrades with Li Jiang for many years. He’s a very upright person, and his parents are both revolutionary martyrs. Personally, I think we shouldn’t jump to conclusions about Li Yang’s character. After she comes, you can get to know her before you say anything,” He Qiming said matter-of-factly.
Ye Qingzhi nodded. “I know. When are they coming?”
“I’m not sure. It should be this month,” He Qiming said, shaking his head. He put his arm around Ye Qingzhi’s waist and kissed her. “Wife, let’s not talk about other women. Let’s do something meaningful.”
Ye Qingzhi let out a small cry, pushed He Qiming’s chest, and held down his misbehaving hand. “What’s so meaningful about this?”
With Ye Qingzhi’s little bit of strength, she was no match for He Qiming. She surrendered in a few moves.
Ye Qingzhi panted. Was this a human? Hunting during the day, and still hunting at night.
She had been a fool to feel sorry for him and even stir-fry beef for him. Next time, he could eat grass.