Ji Huai has changed a lot since his injury. In the past, his brother-in-law and his mother-in-law were everything to him, and even his nephews and nieces were more important than her.
Ji Huai never said anything bad about his brother and sister-in-law, so she never dared to have any objections.
This time, what he said really confused her, and she lowered her head and continued to embroider. Although she knew he was right, she didn't dare to answer.
"Stop embroidering. Sitting for a long time is not good for you and your children. After a while, I will go hunting in the mountains and sell it in the town. It can also supplement the family income." Ji Huai said to her.
"Don't go hunting. It's very dangerous in the mountains." Tang Xiuer didn't raise her head, her voice getting smaller and smaller as she spoke.
She would rather embroider more and eat wild vegetables every day than let him take risks. In the past, she would worry when he went out, but now she is even more worried.
So what if you have money? This time he almost went limp.
"After hunting for so many years, I know where there is no danger." Ji Huai comforted her, and then said, "Now that I have a family, I naturally know how to protect myself. If something happens to me, who will support you and your children?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Xiuer's eyes swelled, her head buried lower and lower, and she could not continue the movements of her hands.
"In addition to selling money for hunting, some herbal medicines can also be sold for money. I also know a lot about herbal medicines. If you pay more attention when going up the mountain, you can also get more money. It's not mainly about money. You are getting thinner and thinner. It's getting bigger and bigger. If you don't eat something good, what will you do then?" Ji Huai felt sad when he talked about it and fell into deep thought.
"I'm fine." She said this, making herself feel guilty. She has been walking very unsteadily recently, and her feet have become very weak. She feels dizzy when she stands up, her eyesight goes dark, and her heart feels stuffy when she sleeps at night.
She was actually scared.
Ji Huai frowned: "It's okay now. What should I do if something happens during the delivery? I still need to get something bigger and come back to give you a patch. I see that your face is turning sallow and you are getting thinner. If the wind is strong, it will blow you down." "
Tang Xiuer couldn't defeat him and only said, "You have to protect yourself and don't get hurt."
"I know." He replied.
She moved her lips, put her hands on her stomach, and finally said nothing.
The Tang family basically had no contact with her, and she had no biological family. After Ji's mother passed away, she only had Ji Huai, and she and her children only had him.
After Brother Ji and Sister Ji had a fight, both of their faces were bruised and purple.
Ji Heng and Ji Xiu also suffered, and when they saw them taking action again, they were frightened and did not want to eat meat for the time being. An Anfen was hiding in the room.
Sister-in-law Ji's two daughters were even more afraid to come out. After being hungry all morning, I ended up eating very watery rice with pickles. I was nagged by Sister-in-law Ji for a long time because I was hungry for too long and ate half a bowl more.
In the evening, Tang Xiuer went to cook. She went to the creek with Ji Huai this morning. She ate too much meat and her stomach was still bloated, so she didn't want to eat more.
Therefore, the two of them only ate pickles and porridge at night.
Tang Xiuer embroidered the purse for another hour and walked a lot today. She soon became sleepy and went to bed early.
Ji Huai slept outside and she slept inside.
The utility room is very small and dark, so the two of them can sleep on either side without being too far apart, otherwise there won't be enough quilts. The quilt wasn't very warm to begin with, it was heavy and hard, and if it wasn't covered tightly enough and air leaked, it would be cold in the middle of the night.
After falling asleep, Tang Xiuer yawned. She felt sleepy soon after closing her eyes and was about to fall asleep.
At noon today, Ji Huai had been sitting next to her talking to Xiao Huangzi, and his deep and mellow voice kept echoing in her ears. She rarely saw him talk so much, and he cared about her from time to time, leaving rabbit meat for her and baking eggs for her.
When she was about to fall asleep, she felt that he was still talking in her ear. It was a wonderful feeling. When he came back, he held her hand, so her palm felt his warmth, and her whole body felt like she was surrounded by him.
"boom!"
Tang Xiuer, who was about to fall asleep, was suddenly awakened by the sound. She opened her eyes and was so frightened that her body began to tremble.
"Come on, beat me to death!"
"What's the point of living this life? Tell me what do you mean?"
"It's midnight, are you done yet?"
"Shrew, if you can't survive, get out!"
…
Brother Ji and Sister-in-law Ji started to quarrel again. Sister-in-law Ji's sharp voice kept ringing and she kept yelling. Brother Ji also kept scolding.
Soon, the sound of physical fighting was heard again, and the two started fighting. Ji Xiu and Ji Heng were also crying, and there seemed to be chaos outside.
Ji Huai didn't go out. When Tang Xiuer woke up, he was also startled. Then, seeing her gasping for air with her hands still on her stomach, she stood up and asked in a worried tone, "Are you okay?"
"My stomach hurts a little. I'm scared. The child is kicking me." She didn't show any strength and spoke in a low voice. As he spoke, he gently touched his belly.
"I haven't slept in the middle of the night and are still noisy!" Ji Huai's voice was irritated. He pulled back the quilt and came to her side. He lowered his voice and asked carefully, "Where does it hurt? Is it serious?"
"Much better..." Tang Xiuer just finished speaking, and she exhaled softly, shrank her feet slightly, and continued to exhale loudly, with a cry in her words, "My feet are cramped, hurt, hurt."
She hasn't eaten anything good since she became pregnant, and her body bones are getting weaker and weaker. Recently, her feet have been throbbing frequently and the pain is getting worse. This time it hurt even more so that her body became stiff.
Before Ji Huai could touch it, she hugged her belly and cried, "It hurts..."
Her legs suddenly froze, and her muscles and bones hurt like they were being pulled out. She couldn't help but roll over and burst into tears. The whole person was helpless and scared, and could only cry.
Just when she was about to roll over again, someone restrained her body. Ji Huai held her stiff feet and gently rubbed them. The movement was not powerful, but it relieved her discomfort to a great extent.
Tang Xiuer could not move, her feet were still in severe pain, and she could only cry and sob. Perhaps he was conniving, so she stopped holding back and showed her vulnerable side.
He rubbed it for a while, then lowered his head and asked her, "Does it still hurt?"
"It hurts..." She breathed.
Ji Huai: "Does your stomach hurt?"
Tang Xiuer: "A little bit."
He said nothing and continued to rub his head. During this period, he stretched his big hand up, placed it on her bulging belly, and patted her twice.
As if the child in her belly could feel it, she kicked her in the belly.
Ji Huai and Tang Xiuer were both stunned by this kick. Before she could react, she heard him chuckle and reached out to touch it gently.
In the darkness, each other's faces were blurry, and they didn't know what the other's expression was. But because she was in the dark, Tang Xiuer was not so shy, and even a little bold. When the child kicked her again, she took the initiative and said, "The child kicked me again."
"He might have been scared too." Ji Huai put her feet down, then slept next to her and covered her with a quilt.
Tang Xiuer stretched her legs and felt less uncomfortable.
Brother Ji and Sister Ji were still quarreling, but their voices were much quieter. She was about to change her position to sleep, but suddenly she was held in someone's arms.
Her body stiffened suddenly, and she didn't dare to exhale.
Ji Huai still retracted his hand on her waist. Seeing that she was unnatural, he said with a smile, "You are still pregnant with my child, and I won't do anything to you. There will probably be a fight later, I'm just afraid You were scared again."
"...I didn't think much about it." She explained hurriedly.
"Then go to sleep." He put his hand on her back and patted her again and again to comfort her.
In the dark night, it really gave people a sense of security. Tang Xiuer's tense heart slowly relaxed and she stayed quietly in his arms. He really didn't do anything too extreme. Occasionally, he would use his hands to pat her on the back.
If the quarrel outside was too loud, he would make a little more noise, become a little impatient, and continue to pat her gently.
He thought she was asleep, but she wasn't. After sleeping in his arms for a long time, she would become bolder, and she would still turn her body slightly, and his breath would fill her nose, making her feel reassured.
When she moved, Ji Huai would follow suit, putting his hands on her shoulders and moving his fingers slightly, patting her every now and then.
Tang Xiuer would pretend to be asleep, turning around as if unintentionally, and he would pull her into his arms.
"boom!"
Another sound came from outside. Tang Xiuer was not really frightened, but she also moved. Ji Huai's hand around her waist tightened and he held her hand. He found that her hand was slightly cold and held it tighter.
She wasn't sure when she fell asleep, but she kept smiling.
When they woke up the next day, the two were obviously much closer.
He wanted to take her to the creek, and he had made an appointment with Xiao Huangzi yesterday. When he came back yesterday, he also set up a few traps, waiting to see if any prey would get in today.
I didn't find a hare today, but I caught a wild squirrel. It didn't have much meat and wasn't suitable for roasting.
Xiao Huangzi caught fish in the stream, and Ji Huai went to shoot a few more birds and caught a pheasant. Then he dug some cassava and the few of them could have a full meal.
Wild squirrels cannot be eaten and must be carried home.
"Do you want to keep it?" Tang Xiuer asked.
"What are you keeping them for?" Ji Huai smiled, and then said, "I will pick some mushrooms when I go back and use them to stew mushroom soup for you to drink at night. Although this thing doesn't have much meat, it can nourish your body."
Tang Xiuer blushed.
Ji Huai: "I'll catch a few more someday and stew them for you to eat."
She instinctively wanted to refuse, but in the end she didn't speak. Instead, she nodded, "...Okay."
Ji Huai and Tang Xiu'er didn't come back until after noon. Ji Huai's family was quite disappointed when they saw that he took Tang Xiu'er out, which was definitely not for hunting.
But Sister-in-law Ji and Sister-in-law Ji didn't have much expectations, so they did whatever they had to do.
When the two came back, Ji Huai was holding a wild squirrel in his hand. Sister-in-law Ji's eyes widened. She was still drying vegetables in the yard, then she stood up and blurted out with a smile, "You're back?"
Her attitude was so warm, maybe Ji Huai brought the meat back for her son.
Ji Huai nodded and walked aside. He put down the small basket and poured out the mushrooms.
Sister-in-law Ji came out and took a look. She quickly walked this way. She was afraid that Sister-in-law Ji would take advantage of her, so she smiled and said, "Are you going to pick mushrooms?"
"Yeah." Ji Huai nodded.
"This mushroom looks fresh and big." Sister-in-law Ji laughed.
She and Sister-in-law Ji both looked at the wild squirrel, which looked quite fat. I saw Ji Huai carrying the squirrel to the kitchen and killing it in a few strokes.
Tang Xiuer also went to take action, busy in front of and behind.
How could the two of them miss this opportunity? There is only one squirrel, so it must be half for each person. They were both lucky to be at home, otherwise they would have been taken over by each other!
"Xiu'er has been pregnant with the child for six months, right?" Sister-in-law Ji had nothing to say.
"Yeah." Ji Huai handled the squirrel and began to chop the meat.
"I'll wash these mushrooms." Sister-in-law Ji was not to be outdone and went to get them.
"Oh, I'll come." Sister-in-law Ji stood aside and squeezed Sister-in-law Ji, preventing her from passing. The two of them talked nicely, but in fact they were quarreling with each other in their eyes.
Sister-in-law Ji gritted her teeth and pushed her way over, "No matter how big the problem is, I'll do it."
Sister-in-law Ji was pushed aside, gritting her teeth. At this time, Ji Huai had already chopped the meat, stood up to get the mushrooms, and then asked Tang Xiuer to wash them.
Seeing Tang Xiuer taking the mushrooms to wash, the two laughed dryly and started to stare at the plate of meat. This squirrel looks small, but it actually has a big bowl of chopped meat. Ji Huai should give it to them.
The two of them were waiting on the spot, looking at each other and feeling unhappy.
Waiting and waiting, Ji Huai unexpectedly asked Tang Xiuer to light a fire. He also poured the meat into the pot, added water and started to cook.
The two were stunned, what was this
Cook it and then share it with them? In the past, they were given raw meat and they cooked it themselves.
Sister-in-law Ji couldn't help it at first. Her son liked to eat stir-fried food, so she quickly said, "Is this going to be stewed? It won't taste good if stewed."
"If it doesn't taste good, there's nothing we can do about it." Ji Huai said and added firewood.
"Why is there nothing I can do? Stir-fry it, braise it, and..." Before she could finish speaking, Ji Huai said helplessly, "Xiu'er is pregnant, so it's a waste to stew it to replenish her body."
These words blocked the rest of Mrs. Ji's words. Her expression suddenly changed and she was very embarrassed, "Stew... stew it for her to eat?"
Not for them
It’s okay if I didn’t bring it back yesterday, but I brought it all back today. It’s a big bowl of meat, but they don’t have a share
Tang Xiuer washed the mushrooms and sat down to add firewood. She didn't say a word and even felt a little guilty. When Ji's mother was here, she was far behind Sister-in-law Ji and Sister-in-law Ji, and she would not eat better than them.
It was a bit like eating alone at this time, her head was buried.