Chapter 226

Early Saturday morning, Lu Xiu Bai got up very early.

He rode his bicycle, carrying a sack, to go to the villager's house they had agreed upon yesterday to trade for fresh ingredients.

Usually, when his brother-in-law's family cooked, they would always scoop out some leftover charcoal, so there was no need to worry about charcoal for the barbecue today; they had it at home.

When the time came, he would find a few bricks, build a stove in the courtyard, place a wire mesh on top, and that would make a barbecue grill.

To celebrate his younger sister getting into military medical school, he was already prepared to spend a fortune today.

Pei Yan Ting didn't sleep in either; she got up to tidy up the house.

She was only pregnant, not crippled; she would do whatever visible cleaning she could.

It was just hard to wash clothes; with her belly so big, she couldn't squat down.

She put the clothes she changed out of into the dirty laundry basket, waiting for her husband to wash them when he had time.

Today was the celebration banquet for her sister-in-law getting into military medical school, and with Grandpa and the others coming as guests, she had to make sure the house was in order.

Otherwise, if her grandfather saw it, he would definitely talk about her in private.

"Meow."

Tangyuan also got up early. Knowing that today was a celebration banquet for its owner, the Great King Meow went into the space early in the morning and caught over a dozen fish and a pile of shrimp from the pond.

Taking advantage of when the big boss wasn't paying attention, it reminded its owner to collect its gift!

Jiang Ye was the busiest person today; he had to clean the house, wash clothes, make breakfast, cut fruit, prepare ingredients, and process ingredients—he was so busy he couldn't attend to everything.

Shen Man did what she could: making the bed, sweeping the floor, tidying the table, preparing tea, and setting up the chess pieces on the stone table...

Without realizing it, their little courtyard had become the holy land for the old men's gatherings every week or two.

Right, sponge cake.

Tangyuan hadn't eaten it for several days, and she had been busy preparing for the exam recently, so she hadn't baked much.

If she didn't make more on the weekend, she wouldn't have time once she started work next week.

At the same time, the old men invited to Shen Man's house today also began to get up one after another, preparing to wash up and eat breakfast before heading to Shen Man's house together for the gathering.

It was also at this time that an unexpected person also arrived on the Sea Island.

"Wife, how are you feeling? Do you still want to vomit?"

"I'm okay, it's fine, I can handle it."

"I said I could just come and deliver the things alone, so you wouldn't have to suffer at home."

"Sister-in-law getting into military medical school is such a big happy event, I want to offer my congratulations in person too."

"You, if you're not feeling well, tell me in time, don't force yourself."

"Mm, I know."

Ji Xianxian popped a tangerine peel candy into her mouth to suppress the feeling of nausea churning in her stomach.

Yes, she was pregnant, already two months along.

The last time she came to the Sea Island, it was with her husband to deliver things.

This time it was a coincidence; she had heard the news about Shen Man getting into military medical school from the military medical candidates who disembarked from the island yesterday.

Her husband didn't say a word, bought a bag of brown sugar, chopped a bag of coconuts, and pulled strings to get two pounds of meat, saying he wanted to bring a congratulatory gift.

She had mixed feelings, not knowing what to think, and begged her husband to take her along, treating it as a trip to clear her mind.

Even though she knew that being pregnant and taking a boat would be uncomfortable, the voice in her heart told her to come and see.

As for what to see, only she knew.

Zhou Yan didn't know anything, his face beaming with the smile of a first-time father.

He carried a sack on his shoulder, filled with the coconuts he had chopped.

He had heard Lao Mo say before that Jiang Ye chopped coconuts everywhere to bring home for his sister-in-law to drink coconut water and make coconut desserts.

He was a rough man, relying solely on blacksmithing to support his family, and couldn't come up with anything fancy.

Sending things that were decent within his means was the most respectable gift he could think of.

Ji Xianxian endured the discomfort in her stomach and changed the subject—

"Brother Zhou Yan, after our child is born, if it's a boy, can we let him be a soldier too?"

"Sure, as long as you're willing."

Zhou Yan replied while protecting his wife as they walked on the inside.

But thinking of something, his smile widened, and he added:

"If it's a girl, I wouldn't be willing to let her be a soldier. If it's a girl, we'll ask sister-in-law to teach her medicine, and when she grows up, she can be like sister-in-law and get into military medical school. Military doctor is such a glorious and popular profession..."

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

Ji Xianxian smiled forcedly, her face stiffening for a moment.

She was here, basely jealous of Shen Man, while her husband was thinking about asking Shen Man for help in the future if their child was a girl...

Really, it was ironic.

Reason told her she couldn't be jealous of Shen Man; the other party had no conflict of interest with her, and their husbands were even old, good brothers.

Clearly, Shen Man's husband's future achievements would definitely be higher than her husband's.

For the sake of their future child, she should hide her jealousy, not let anyone notice, and carefully maintain a decent appearance...

When the two appeared at the family quarters, at Shen Man's door, Shen Man was quite surprised.

Ji Xianxian's state was too poor, her lips pale, so she hurriedly let her sit down and helped her check her pulse.

"Oh, sister-in-law, you're pregnant."

Looking at the pulse, it had been at least two months!

It was a healthy boy.

Shen Man didn't mention the gender; after confirming Ji Xianxian was pregnant, she was first happy for Brother Zhou Yan.

Then she let her sit for a while and went to make honey water for her.

In reality, she added a drop of Spiritual Liquid to the honey water.

Ji Xianxian's constitution was weak, possibly because she had done hard labor and conceived before her body had fully recovered, and the fetus was drawing nutrients from the mother, leading to conditions like anemia.

At this time, it was best to stay at home for pregnancy care, eat some medicinal meals to nourish the foundation, and wait until the pregnancy was stable before going out for activities.

"Not bad, Brother Zhou, you have an heir now too."

Jiang Ye was also happy for Zhou Yan upon hearing this and immediately promised, "In the future, my children will be the older brothers and sisters, taking your child out to play and looking after them."

Zhou Yan didn't like empty talk; after stacking the coconuts from the sack under the eaves, he laughed heartily—

"Sure, when the time comes, let my child call you two godparents, and I'll ask for your and sister-in-law's care in the future."

"Sure, don't forget Lao Mo when the time comes; he'll be the big godfather, I'll be the second, and you'll be the biological father."

Jiang Ye smiled knowingly and joked with Brother Zhou.

The two chatted about children, future plans, and as they talked, the old men arrived one after another...

Now, the small courtyard became even more lively.

Ji Xianxian sipped the honey water Shen Man gave her, and whether it was psychological or the honey water really worked, gradually, her stomach didn't feel uncomfortable anymore.

Watching a group of extraordinary old men surrounding Shen Man with concern, she lowered her eyes in disappointment, hiding her envy.

On the roof, Tangyuan lay on the tiles, its pupils full of question marks.

One thought to become a Buddha, one thought to become a demon—is that what they say about that bipedal beast?

It was also curious: would this bipedal beast choose good or evil?