Li Mingwei gradually whiled away the time, her heart filled with unspeakable melancholy. She longed for the stars, the moon, and finally, her beloved Liu Yizhu returned, the one who could speak.
Lying on the bed with slightly reddened eyes, Li Mingwei gazed at Liu Yizhu and startled him. He dropped his bundle and rushed towards her, kneeling by the bed, grasping her hand. "What's wrong? What happened?"
Choking back her tears, Li Mingwei said, "I want to go out for a walk."
"Walk? If you want to, then let's go."
Liu Yizhu paused for a moment, then reached out to touch her leg, wanting to confirm if it was intact. Li Mingwei understood his intention and extended her leg from under the blanket, wiggling her toes to indicate that she was fine.
He grabbed her restless toes and pushed them back under the covers, reproachfully saying, "Why aren't you wearing socks? Your feet are so cold. I'll go heat some water for you."
Li Mingwei held his hand, preventing him from leaving. "No need. You rest for a while first, and then we'll go out for a walk. My feet will warm up."
"After heating your feet, we can still go out."
"So, are you promising to accompany me for a walk?"
Looking at her smiling face and her sparkling eyes, Liu Yizhu suddenly hesitated. Why did he need to promise to go out for a walk? Something felt a little off.
Seeing that he still hadn't nodded, Li Mingwei couldn't help but feel anxious. She bounced on the bed a few times, hummed lightly, and glared at him sideways.
As soon as she did that, Liu Yizhu felt even more uncertain. He was about to leave, avoiding this predicament, but Li Mingwei moved closer to his lips, coquettishly saying, "Darling~"
Liu Yizhu...
Liu Yizhu leaned down and kissed her, helplessly nodding. "Fine, fine, fine. I promise you."
Old Lady Wang, witnessing this scene, became furious and stormed into the room, giving Liu Yizhu two slaps. She angrily exclaimed, "Are you itching for trouble? Why are you doing that to her?"
"I didn't know I couldn't touch her now!"
Liu Yizhu was clueless, even a little bewildered. Was his mother hitting him for kissing his wife?
Could someone please tell him why!
Li Mingwei smiled as she watched him. Regardless, she had achieved her goal. She didn't care. She had originally wanted to roll a few times, avoiding the war zone, but she was immediately held down by Old Lady Wang. "Don't roll, don't roll. Press on your belly."
Li Mingwei lay flat, pressed down on her clothes, and displayed her flat abdomen for Old Lady Wang to see. "Mother, no belly yet."
"It will come soon, it will come soon." Old Lady Wang helped her cover the blanket and gave her son, who looked like a big silly goose, a shove, sending him out. "Go do whatever you need to do. Don't touch her anymore."
She pondered for a moment. "I'll clean up the empty room next door later. You can sleep there tonight, so you won't be squeezing next to her."
Liu Yizhu paid no attention to her words, only holding Li Mingwei's hand and asking, "What do you mean it will come soon?"
Li Mingwei smiled. "Almost three months now. Mother said I'll start showing at four months."
Liu Yizhu still found it hard to believe. "You're pregnant?"
Old Lady Wang was also dumbfounded. "You didn't know? Last time when Xiaowei went to the county for a medical check-up, didn't she tell you?"
"What kind of illness did she have?"
Old Lady Wang looked at her foolish son, who still seemed clueless. She confirmed that he knew nothing and explained, "Mingwei's fetal image is a bit unstable. She went to the county town a few days ago to have it checked and brought back some medicine. She's almost finished taking it, and I thought she had told you when she went to see the doctor."
Li Mingwei met Liu Yizhu's dangerous gaze and shook her head playfully. "I don't care. You promised to accompany me for a walk."
Old Lady Wang was displeased. "Why go for a walk? It's only a few more days. Wait until you've been to the county town and the doctor says you're well, then I'll accompany you."
Li Mingwei pouted.
She didn't want her to accompany her. She...
Her pleading gaze fell on Liu Yizhu, who looked at her for a while before placing his hand on her lower abdomen and said in a deep voice, "Nearly three months?"
"Yes."
That meant it was early July, and they had just been married for a little over ten days.
He cleared his throat and met Li Mingwei's puzzled gaze. "Was your ex-husband unable?"
Li Mingwei looked at his suppressed mouth and fell into deep silence. Did she really have to explain this to everyone?
She sighed and caressed Liu Yizhu's cheek. "Don't think about it. Other people's children are already several months old."
"What about you two?"
Li Mingwei glanced at Old Lady Wang and squeezed the words out through her teeth, "Are you sure you want to discuss my life after marrying my ex-husband in front of my mother?"
Who wanted to discuss that kind of thing? Whether his mother was present or not, he didn't want to discuss it!
Not at all!
Liu Yizhu snorted and let go of Li Mingwei's hand, turning around to boil water for her. The resentment in his heart burned like flames in a furnace, growing stronger. It was such an important matter, and she had already gone to the county town, but she didn't tell him.
Even if she couldn't move around too much, she could have someone send him a message. When she saw the doctor, he should have been with her. What if something happened? She shouldn't have to handle it alone.
Glancing at his mother, who had been staring at him all this time, he exhaled lightly and calmed his mood, smiling at her. "Is Mother doing well at home recently?"
Old Lady Wang tightened her grip and sensed that he was unhappy. She cautiously replied, "Everything's fine, just fine."
"What about Weiwei? Is she just lying there and not moving?"
"Not exactly. She can occasionally take a walk in the yard. She can't stand being inside all the time and wants to go out. I'm afraid there will be too many people outside, and it wouldn't be good if she bumped into them, so I only let her walk around at home."
Liu Yizhu figured she must have been really fed up. She was originally an active person, but she had been confined to the house for over twenty days. How could she endure it?
He prepared a basin of water, tested the temperature, and carried it over to her.
Li Mingwei watched as Liu Yizhu silently rolled up her trousers and washed her feet. She sensed something was off and wiggled her toes, rubbing them against his palm. When he didn't react, she quickly rubbed them again.
"What's wrong with you?"
Liu Yizhu paused for a second, smiled, raised his head to look at her, and spoke in a slower voice, "What's wrong with what?"
"Why aren't you talking?"
"Do I have to speak when I'm washing your feet?" He smiled. "What should I say?"
Li Mingwei's face slowly sank, his smile looked fake, and he still wanted to deceive her. She pulled her foot out of his hand and moved to the edge of the wooden basin.
Avoiding the splashes of water, Liu Yizhu caught her foot again and whispered, "Stop being difficult. After washing up, I'll take you out for a walk."
Li Mingwei wiped her feet dry with a towel, lay back in bed, and covered herself with the blanket, turning her back to him. "I don't want to go."
Liu Yizhu moved the wooden basin aside and sat on the edge of the bed. He leaned over and gently stroked her back. Seeing that she still had a stubborn little face, he reached out and pinched it.
"Don't be like this."
Li Mingwei glared at him. "You were the one who started it."
Liu Yizhu lowered his gaze, pondered for a moment, and leaned closer to her. "I just don't want to argue with you."
"Mingwei, do you really think it's better if I know nothing when you're sick?"
His voice was low and carried a hint of pleading. "I know you're afraid of worrying me, but please don't do this in the future. I already don't have much time to be with you, and I don't want to be unable to be by your side even when you're sick."
Li Mingwei remained silent, gripping his sleeve tightly, and nodded gently.
