Chapter 438 - 436: Joy
After the meal, the Zhou family went home for their afternoon nap. Li Xiangyang said a quick goodbye to Old Li and took Lin Lan to the city hospital.
Lin Changyou asked Wu Shufen worriedly, "Do you think Little Lan has heatstroke?"
Wu Shufen said happily, "I told them to go get it checked out. I think Little Lan is pregnant."
Lin Changyou was delighted to hear this. "Little Douzi is already so big, but she’s still so clueless. It’s a good thing you noticed."
Wu Shufen laughed. "She’s just so dazed. Good thing Xiangyang doesn’t mind."
Lin Lan and Li Xiangyang arrived at the city hospital and registered for the obstetrics and gynecology department. After the examination, the two sat outside the lab, anxiously waiting for the test results.
After more than half an hour, a voice called out from the window, "Is Lin Lan here? Your report is ready."
Li Xiangyang hurried forward to get the report, and together he and Lin Lan took it back to the doctor.
The doctor told Lin Lan she was pregnant. He advised her to be careful for the first few months and to come back for check-ups every few months.
Lin Lan joyfully placed a hand on her belly and looked at Li Xiangyang, beaming. She was having a baby. Little Douzi was going to have a little brother or sister.
Li Xiangyang happily squeezed her hand. He asked the doctor a few more questions about what to watch out for, and then the two of them joyfully headed back.
Leaving the hospital, he pedaled the bicycle slowly with Lin Lan on the back, constantly reminding her, "Remember what the doctor said. You have to be careful for the first three months. Don’t lift anything too heavy..."
Lin Lan shot him a playful glare. "It’s not that delicate. My sister-in-law was still planting rice seedlings in the fields when she was pregnant with Little Jun!"
Li Xiangyang grinned. "Everyone’s body is different. It’s better to be safe than sorry."
When they got home, Wu Shufen and Lin Changyou looked at them with anxious faces. "So?"
"It’s confirmed!" Li Xiangyang nodded emphatically. He turned to Old Li, who was watching them with a puzzled expression, and said happily, "Dad, Little Lan is pregnant."
Old Li froze for a moment before it sank in. "Good, good, good! I’ll go tell your mother."
He had just spoken to his late wife while burning paper offerings, asking her to bless Little Lan with a quick pregnancy. The Li family needed an heir. He’d only just asked yesterday, and the good news had arrived today...
Seeing his father rushing out, Li Xiangyang worried he might fall off his bike since he’d been drinking. He quickly said to Lin Lan, "I’ll take Dad home first and then come back."
"Okay," Lin Lan nodded.
After Wu Shufen and her husband saw the father and son off, she came back and advised, "Little Lan, in the first three months when the pregnancy is just starting, the baby is still fragile. Remember not to tell anyone yet, and don’t overtire yourself. After three months, the pregnancy will be stable, and you’ll be fine."
"Also, you can eat well for the first three months, but after that, don’t eat *too* well, or the baby will grow too big and be difficult to deliver. They all say the bigger the baby, the better, but I don’t think that’s right. If the baby is too big, the mother will suffer during childbirth."
Lin Lan couldn’t agree more. ’The older generation really is wiser,’ she thought. In her previous life, the doctor had said the same thing when her sister was pregnant, adding that babies around six and a half pounds were the healthiest.
"Don’t worry, I understand." Lin Lan yawned and looked around, not seeing Little Douzi. "Where’s Little Douzi?"
Wu Shufen pointed toward the old lady’s house. "Your aunt came and took them over there for some chilled jelly." Then she added, "Go lie down for a while. I’ll make some vegetable congee and let it cool for you to eat when you wake up."
Lin Lan was feeling a bit sleepy herself. "Okay, I’ll go rest for a bit. Wake me up when Dad and my older brother are heading out to work."
It was too hot at midday, so everyone had to rest for a while before going out to thresh the grain.
"Got it," Wu Shufen and her husband replied cheerfully.
After Lin Lan went into the room, Little Douzi and Lin Jun came back carrying the chilled jelly. "Grandma, is my mom not back yet?"
Wu Shufen took a few bowls out of the cupboard. "She’s back, but Mom can’t eat cold things. You boys have it."
"We already had some!" Lin Jun shook his head. "Our grand-aunt told us to bring this over for you all."
Wu Shufen nodded and ladled the chilled jelly, which was already mixed with brown sugar and fermented rice, from the porcelain basin into a bowl. "Take a bowl to your dad."
Little Douzi looked at Lin Changyou sleeping on the lounge chair by the main room’s door. "I’ll take it to Grandpa."
"Good boy!" Wu Shufen handed him a bowl.
Little Douzi carried the chilled jelly over to Lin Changyou. "Grandpa, time for chilled jelly! Grand-aunt added lots of fermented rice. It’s delicious!"
Lin Changyou opened his eyes and took the bowl, looking at him lovingly. "Mmm, delicious!"
Little Douzi looked around but couldn’t find Li Xiangyang or Old Li. "Grandpa, where are Grandpa Li and Uncle Xiangyang?"
Lin Changyou said, "They had something to do, so they left. If you’re sleepy, go take a nap. Your mom is tired from sun-drying the grain, so let her get some good rest."
Little Douzi nodded and ran toward the room.
Lin Lan thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but to her surprise, she was out like a light just a few moments after lying down.
Little Douzi ran to the bedside. Seeing that Lin Lan was already asleep, he took off his sandals, climbed onto the bed, and lay down beside her. Soon, he too had drifted off.
When Li Xiangyang returned after taking Old Li home, he saw the mother and son lying side-by-side. He smiled, gently stroked both their cheeks, and then turned to go out and work with Lin Guoliang and the others.
When Lin Lan woke up, she turned her head and saw Little Douzi sleeping soundly beside her. She turned on her side to look at his small face, leaned in to give him a kiss, and said softly, "Time to wake up, sweetie. If you sleep too much now, you won’t be able to sleep tonight."
Little Douzi opened his eyes and looked at her, still drowsy. "I want to sleep more!" he said, closing his eyes again.
Lin Lan stroked his little face. "Mommy has some good news for you. You’re going to have a little brother or (sister) soon."
Little Douzi’s eyes flew open. He rolled over and sat up, looking at her belly curiously. "Where? Is it in your tummy?"
Lin Lan looked at him and nodded happily. "Are you happy?"
Little Douzi looked at her. "I don’t want a sister, I want a brother." He even patted her belly. "It’s so small. The baby brother in Aunt Yuezhen’s tummy is so big!"
’A brother... that’s a difficult request!’
Lin Lan didn’t know how to explain it to him, so she just ruffled his hair and looked at him with a smile. "Your little brother is still small. He’ll be bigger next year."
Little Douzi’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "How big will he be next year? Can he go to school with me?"
"Silly boy," Lin Lan laughed, pulling him into her arms. "By the time he’s old enough to go to school, you’ll be in middle school."
"That’s so long!" Little Douzi looked up. "Mom, Uncle Ming said our advancement exam is on the twenty-eighth. Are you and Uncle Xiangyang going to come with me?"
Lin Lan kissed his head. "Do you want us to come with you?"
Little Douzi sat up straight and looked at her. "Yes!"
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Okay, Mommy and Uncle Xiangyang will go with you to your exam."
"Yay!" Little Douzi rolled off the bed. "I’m going to tell Cousin Jun I have a little brother."
Lin Lan quickly grabbed him. "Son, don’t tell them yet. This is our family’s secret!"
Little Douzi looked at her, confused. "Why?"
Lin Lan said gently, "Because your little brother is still small, and he’s timid. If too many people know, he might not come."
"Oh!" Little Douzi nodded emphatically. After a moment’s thought, he asked, "When he gets bigger, can I tell other people?"
Lin Lan smiled and nodded. "Yes, when he’s bigger, you can tell Dandan and the others."