Xie Jingchen’s proposal, though seemingly reasonable, also happened to fulfill Wang Chunmei’s desire to escape the rural life.
Wang Chunmei becoming Xie Jingchen’s sworn sister meant her future marriage prospects wouldn’t be low. There were plenty of his colleagues eager to connect with Xie Jingchen, providing a great opportunity for Wang Chunmei, as long as she didn’t act foolishly towards him.
Wang Chunmei withdrew her blind love for Xie Jingchen and started seeing him as a fearsome wolf, avoiding him as much as possible.
There was no choice, as she was much shorter than him; standing in front of Xie Jingchen, she only reached just below his chest—Ah, it’s tough being short, Xie Jingchen instantly turned into an insurmountable mountain!
Yan Jinsu observed for a few days and mumbled to herself: Is Wang Chunmei in her rebellious phase?
Before New Year’s Day, Zhou Xiuhua and Wang Chunmei had already become a sworn mother and daughter.
Therefore, when Xie Jingchen left, he was very assured.
Or rather, he had his own considerations for this trip.
Yan Jinsu already knew about her husband’s plans, but she said little and just supported him with a smile.
After New Year’s, the quiet winter days followed, and it was common for people to gather and play cards, besides hunting and chopping wood.
It’s worth mentioning that during this period, the most popular card game in City Y was "Six Tigers" [You can search it on Baidu], and Yan Jinsu was completely confused when she first saw it.
It was Zhou Xiuhua who was missing a partner and didn’t want Little Ni to get too bored sitting in the West Wing all day, so she called for old players and invited Yan Jinsu to join for fun.
Yan Jinsu learned the game after watching three rounds; it was quite easy, but she really wasn’t interested, preferring Mahjong instead!
At least Mahjong made some noise, right?
Unfortunately, Mahjong wasn’t popular during this period.
Yan Jinsu had no choice but to entertain her mother-in-law’s ’care’ by joining the game once in every three times, and she occasionally showed good luck in the game. Very often, whenever she joined, the matches contributed by her mother-in-law multiplied threefold in just a short time.
It got to the point where the old ladies would stop playing whenever Yan Jinsu appeared; they thought it better to chat than to ’lose’.
Oh yes, dear readers, you read it right, the old ladies usually gambled with ’matchsticks’ or tobacco...
They never bet money or food.
When Yan Jinsu first saw the ’gambling stakes,’ she almost laughed so hard it hurt her stomach.
The old ladies of this era were really adorable.
Pleasant days passed by swiftly, and soon the last month of the lunar year was upon them, followed by the Laba Festival, and before long, the Minor New Year arrived.
During the past month’s hustle, Xie Jingchen had mostly finished preparing everything, even securing train tickets for departure after Lunar New Year’s Day on the eighth.
Oh, the train tickets were for his father and his company.
As Xie Jingzi wasn’t returning, Xie Jingyang would take their elderly parents and his children on the train; Xie Jingchen made sure everything was in order, securing deluxe seats.
Xie Jingyang returned home two days before the Minor New Year.
Long-separated from his parents and children, Xie Jingyang was moved to tears upon arriving home.
It turned out that his school, impressed by his performance, had promoted him to a higher teaching position at the end of the semester.
This allowed Xie Jingyang to earn more and return home for a prosperous New Year celebration.
After a month and a half of convalescence, Yan Jinsu’s body had mostly recovered, with her strength returning to about thirty percent of its previous level. Though it still couldn’t compare to before, she could now walk up the mountain and back without gasping like a bull.
Similarly, as Yan Jinsu entered the tenth week of her pregnancy, her health improved. She increased her food intake, and her abdomen began to visibly swell at a noticeable rate!
Today, the day of the Minor New Year, Yan Jinsu woke up feeling a bit dazed—
It might have been because, over the past month, although her Soul Crystal was still cracked, it was no longer in danger of crumbling into dust. Instead, it had only seven or eight large cracks.
At the same time, upon waking up this morning, Yan Jinsu sensed something was wrong.
From the moment she got up, she continuously heard the sound of three tiny hearts beating in her ears!
Yan Jinsu counted thirteen times!
She carefully discerned, and it was not a joke—
She genuinely felt three different heartbeats beneath her main one!
Yan Jinsu abruptly remembered her little aunt’s parting words, urging her to be careful as she might not realize if she was carrying twins...
Okay, this time, Yan Jinsu was sure, she was carrying triplets!
While Yan Jinsu was in a daze, she didn’t even notice someone entering the room.
Xie Jingchen had left Qingfeng Village three days before the Minor New Year and promised to return on time.
Thus, when Xie Jingchen returned and saw his young wife looking astonishingly shocked and sitting stupidly like a little girl, his heart tightened. He quickly entered, and fearing that his wife might be cold, he took off his outer garments, revealing his Military Uniform underneath.
It was clear he must have come from a military faction.
"Wife, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" As he said this, Xie Jingchen anxiously helped his wife sit properly and covered her originally flat belly with his hand—
"..." Why, after just three days, did it feel like his wife’s belly had bulged out significantly, that curve becoming quite pronounced?!
Xie Jingchen instinctively lowered his head and indeed saw his wife’s belly slightly risen...
"Wife, what have you eaten these last few days?" Why has your belly swollen up so much?
His spiritual power nervously swept lightly over his wife’s belly—
Then, Xie Jingchen understood why his little wife looked so scared and pitiful.
Xie Jingchen also felt, for a moment, that his own heart was quite small too. Swallowing his saliva, he quietly asked, "Triplets?"
Yan Jinsu blinked her sparkling almond eyes and looked at Xie Jingchen with an expression of ’how would I know? I’m also desperate!’, leaving the couple in a silent, mutual understanding.