Originally, they had kept two fish for Wang Sister-In-Law and the Village Chief's family.
But unexpectedly, Luo Auntie and Wang Sister-In-Law also joined the fish-buying group. Luo Ge pulled them aside and told them she had saved two fish for them, but they stubbornly refused to take them.
In this case, there was nothing Luo Ge could do.
In the end, the two of them also bought three pounds of fish meat each from her.
Li Qiao somehow heard the news that Gu Jinchen had caught fish, and came running to buy one, saying his daughter-in-law was pregnant and he wanted to take it back to nourish her.
He was originally planning to catch fish from the river, but since there were readily available ones, he didn't bother going through the trouble. With no elders at home, he had to stay and take care of his daughter-in-law.
"Take it back, it's a joyous occasion for a sister-in-law to be pregnant. Consider this a small gesture from me."
Gu Jinchen didn't say anything and simply handed one fish to him. After Li Qiao declined a few times and seeing that Gu Jinchen insisted on not taking money and said those words, Li Qiao gave up.
"Alright, I'll give you a couple of wild chickens I catch next time." He left that remark for Gu Jinchen before leaving.
In total, there were nine fish, with two kept for themselves, one for Li Qiao, and six left to sell. Selling one or two pounds per household, they were sold out in no time.
There weren't many to begin with, so those who came late could only say 'what a pity'.
After everyone had left, Luo Ge finally let out a sigh of relief, her pale little face prompting her to hurry to the kitchen and drink a cup of warm water.
When she went out and saw the mess in the courtyard that had yet to be cleaned, with a strong fishy smell wafting over, she tried to hold it in but ultimately couldn't and ended up retching in the corner.
Seeing this, Gu Jinchen was startled and immediately went to gently pat her back to comfort her.
The two little ones were also startled and quickly went to fetch some water.
"You go back and rest for a bit, I'll clean this up right away."
Even a simpleton could tell that she couldn't stand the fishy smell.
"Add some of this, it'll get rid of the odor."
Indeed, the smell made her feel so uncomfortable that Luo Ge didn't bother acting coy and nodded, handing him a small bottle of orange-scented cleaning solution.
Adding it to the water would help remove the smell.
"Alright."
With her pale little face, Luo Ge returned to the room and took a while to recover.
Recalling her reactions these past few days, she seemed to belatedly realize something, staring blankly at her belly.
"Could it be? Knocked up on the first try?"
Now, it had been exactly one month and five days since their wedding ceremony.
If she was really pregnant, and the symptoms were starting now, it was probably from that day or a couple of days after.
Wouldn't that be a little too fertile? To be honest, she wasn't quite prepared for it yet.
Looking at her belly, her expression was a little dazed.
Carefully, she reached out and touched her belly... hmm, didn't feel anything special, although it seemed a little softer and fleshier? The soft texture wasn't too bad?
"Wife, I've finished cleaning up. You rest a bit more until the courtyard air clears before coming out. I'm heading out for a bit."
Lost in thought, Gu Jinchen's voice came from outside.
"Okay." Hearing him, she responded.
Then the sound of the courtyard gate opening and closing could be heard, and the two little ones seemed to have gone out with him. Outside was quiet.
Luo Ge lay on the bed, pondering life.
But it wasn't long before Gu Jinchen and the others returned, and from the sounds of it, they had brought someone back with them.
Luo Ge had just opened the door when Gu Jinchen brought the doctor over.
"Wife, I've brought the doctor to examine you."
He felt that his wife's body had indeed been sensitive lately, so he wouldn't be at ease until a doctor had checked her over.
He was originally planning to find a doctor in town, but coincidentally, today Doctor Luo from Tongchun Hall happened to be at Li Qiao's home to examine his daughter-in-law.
When Gu Jinchen was about to leave the village, he ran into him, so he directly brought him back.
Looking at Gu Jinchen, then at the elderly Doctor Luo, Luo Ge smiled and nodded, "Alright, thank you for your trouble, Elder Doctor."
"Not at all, it's simply my duty." Doctor Luo waved his hand and smiled in response.
Afterwards, he entered the hall and began taking Luo Ge's pulse.
Seeing the doctor diagnose for a long while without any results, Gu Jinchen stood by Luo Ge's side, looking at her with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seeing his expression, Luo Ge smiled reassuringly.
Before he could say anything more, Doctor Luo had already withdrawn his hand, and the couple's attention immediately shifted to him.
"How is it, is there anything wrong with my wife?" Gu Jinchen's brows were tightly furrowed, his eyes filled with deep concern.
Luo Ge was also a little nervous, looking at Doctor Luo and awaiting the result.
Seeing the young couple's reactions, Doctor Luo smiled, "Young Master Gu, there's no need to worry. The young madame's body is perfectly fine."
Hearing this, Gu Jinchen let out a sigh of relief, but he was still not completely at ease.
"Then why has she been unable to stand strong odors these past few days? Does the doctor have any methods to alleviate it?"
Seeing her suffer so much distress pained him as well. The water solution they used didn't seem to help much.
"This is normal."
Just as Gu Jinchen was worrying, the doctor said those words.
His brows immediately furrowed tightly. If she was suffering so much distress, how could that be normal?
"After examining her pulse, I can tell that the young madame has been pregnant for about a month. At this early stage, the fetal aura is still rather faint, but that's normal and nothing to be concerned about."
"It's just that the young madame's constitution is different from ordinary people, so her pregnancy symptoms appear earlier than usual.
Craving spicy and sour foods, being unable to tolerate strong odors, these are all normal reactions. Young Master Gu need not worry too much."
Doctor Luo's every word struck heavily in his heart. Gu Jinchen was stunned for a long while before snapping out of it.
"Wh... What? What did you just say?"
"Doctor Luo, what you just said... is it true? My wife is... pregnant?"
After regaining his senses, he was overwhelmed with excitement, and as if afraid he had misheard, he immediately sought confirmation from the doctor.
"Of course it's true. It's still in the early stages of pregnancy and the fetal aura hasn't stabilized yet, so you'll need to be extra careful."
"In the future, be sure to eat less raw, cold, and cooling foods. Use more warm soups daily to nourish the body, but don't overdo it either, moderation is key."
"I'll write a prescription for stabilizing the pregnancy. If you follow the prescription, it should alleviate some of the pregnancy symptoms. If she craves sour foods, you can give her more of those as well."
Seeing Gu Jinchen's expression, Doctor Luo smiled and responded, also giving some reminders.
"Got it, we understand. Thank you, Doctor."
Seeing Gu Jinchen still staring at her belly in delight, Luo Ge smiled in amusement and responded.
Doctor Luo nodded, wrote out the prescription, gave a few more reminders, and then prepared to leave.
"This is a joyous occasion, please accept this small token and don't take offense." As she was seeing Doctor Luo out of the courtyard, Luo Ge handed him a small purse she had prepared, smiling as she spoke.
This was the customary practice for pregnancy in every household, but how much to give depended on one's sincerity.
Seeing Luo Ge's gesture, Doctor Luo didn't decline.
"Doctor Luo is usually at Tongchun Hall, so if you need anything, you can find me there."
"Understood, thank you for your time, Doctor Luo."
