Lin Shu was already angry, but his foolish remark actually made her laugh.
“You… I…”
She was so annoyed that she couldn’t even find the words. Anyone with a little common sense would know it was impossible.
The two of them had only been intimate for less than half a month.
How could anyone possibly start showing pregnancy symptoms after only a few days?
“No. You’re overthinking it.”
“Why not? Let’s go to the hospital and get you checked. We can talk about the apology later. I’ll take you to the hospital first.”
Lin Shu looked at him seriously. “Really, I’m not pregnant. You know how to count, don’t you? It’s only been a few days since we were together.”
Those words finally snapped him back to reality.
“Then we still have to go to the hospital. Could you have eaten something bad?”
Lin Shu shook her head, feeling like even her head was starting to hurt.
“Come on. I’ll carry you.”
Her sister-in-law had just warned her earlier, so Lin Shu refused to let him carry her.
But Shen Huai had no choice. He simply picked her up and carried her away.
He walked quickly but steadily, taking her to a nearby hospital.
After a series of examinations, the doctor initially suspected an allergic reaction and prescribed her some medicine, telling her to go home and observe her condition.
When it came to allergies, Lin Shu remembered that her mouth had only felt slightly numb while she was eating. She had thought it was just the numbing pepper from the cold chicken dish lingering in her mouth.
Thinking about it now, she might have developed another allergy to soybeans.
“I’m fine now. Let’s go home. I’ll be fine tomorrow.”
“I still think we should try another hospital.”
“No need. I’m allergic to soybeans. I was like this when I was little too. Sometimes the allergy would flare up, then disappear for a while. I was just greedy and ate some earlier. It’ll be fine after a while.”
Based on her past experience, Lin Shu decided that there was no need to stay in the hospital and go through more examinations.
But Shen Huai kept trying to change her mind, which made Lin Shu uncomfortable.
“Shen Huai, stop don’t say anything else. We need to have a serious talk. When I say I don’t need to, do you understand what I mean?”
“I do.”
“Then what are you doing?”
“I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to get sick or suffer. I just want you to get better as soon as possible.”
This was probably what people meant by letting concern cloud one’s judgment.
“I appreciate your concern, but the condition for caring about me is respecting my personal wishes, understand? We’re husband and wife. It’s normal for you to care about me, but if the way you care about me makes me uncomfortable, then it’s not right. It will only make me resent you. Do you understand?”
For the first time, Lin Shu seriously lectured the man.
“I understand.”
“You’ve never dated anyone before, have you?”
“No.”
“No wonder.”
“Have you?”
“No.”
Hearing her answer, Shen Huai secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Good.”
“What’s good about it? You’re as stubborn as a donkey, and I still have to go to all this trouble to teach you.”
“You’ve forgiven me?”
Lin Shu said nothing. She didn’t even have the energy left to be angry with him.
“There won’t be a next time.”
“I promise! This time, I deserved to be punished…”
“As long as you know what you did wrong. Shen Huai, there really cannot be a next time.”
Lin Shu spoke sincerely from the heart.
“Shen Huai, if there isn’t even the most basic trust between a husband and wife, then I’ll never pay attention to you again.”
“I know I was wrong. I promise there won’t be a second time.”
“Hmph. We’ll see.”
Anyone could make promises. What mattered was whether he actually followed through.
Shen Huai still had important matters to attend to. He took her to the bus station before jogging away.
Lin Shu returned home alone. As soon as she reached the entrance, she heard an unfamiliar voice inside.
“We have a guest?”
“Sister-in-law, I’m back. I think I’m allergic to soybeans. It’s nothing serious.”
“Little Sister, come quickly. Someone came to see you.”
Lin Shu changed her shoes and hurried over.
“It’s Comrade Meng, and this is…”
“Just call her Auntie Xie.”
Xie Hongjun stood up and introduced herself.
“My name is Xie Hongjun. I’m the director of Yun City Red Sun Food Factory. I came here because I’d like to invite you to work with us.”
“Director Xie, nice to meet you. If you want the recipe for the flower cakes, I can just give it to you. There’s no need to go to all this trouble.”
Knowing who the visitor was, Jiang Jie quickly followed her sister-in-law’s lead.
“Director Xie, what Little Sis said makes sense. It’s not anything particularly valuable. Our family has a problematic class background, so once you have the recipe, there’s no need for you to come here again.”
Jiang Jie assumed that Xie Hongjun didn’t know about their family background, so she deliberately gave her a warning.
But Xie Hongjun not only knew about it, she had also thoroughly investigated the Lin family.
She had looked for several recipes for flower cakes, but none of the ones she tried produced the same flavor.
“Director Xie, you should leave for now. I’ll deliver the recipe to you myself, but as for coming here unannounced like this…”
Meng Xiaoju stood up.
“I’m sorry, Comrade Lin. I was careless. I’ll definitely contact you in advance next time. Great-Aunt, let’s go.”
Jiang Jie escorted them outside.
After watching them leave, she hurried back into the house.
“Little Sister, are you really planning to give her the recipe for free?”
“Sister-in-law, I really am giving it to her for free. But I’m not stupid. I have a way to make money from it.”
Hearing that her sister-in-law planned to make money, Jiang Jie couldn’t help worrying.
“Be careful. Our family absolutely cannot be accused of profiteering again.”
“Don’t worry, Sister-in-law. It’s not profiteering. I know what I’m doing.”
Lin Shu was still feeling somewhat unwell. She gave her sister-in-law a brief explanation before going upstairs to rest.
By the time she opened her eyes again, it was already eight in the evening.
The medicine she had taken before going to sleep probably had some side effects.
When Shen Huai saw her wake up, he stood and walked over.
“Are you still feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Do you want me to get you a glass of water?”
“I’m fine now.”
Lin Shu propped herself up and leaned against the headboard, spacing out for a moment.
“Shen Huai, why did you come home so early today?”
She vaguely remembered Shen Huai saying that he would be coming home very late these next few days.
“There wasn’t much going on today.”
In reality, Shen Huai had been restless the entire afternoon. He had asked his superior for leave and returned home, where he had been sitting there since five o’clock.
“A-Shu, my six-month training is almost over.”
“That’s good.”
“I’m going back to the army. I’ll be stationed in Qinghe.”
Lin Shu nodded. She was holding the recipe she had just written and checking it for any mistakes.
“You…”
Shen Huai hesitated.
After Lin Shu added a few more strokes to the recipe, she looked up at him.
“Do you want me to go with you?”
It would take two hours to drive to Qinghe. Taking a bus to the outskirts of the city and then transferring to a minibus would take at least three hours.
Lin Shu didn’t really want to go, so she didn’t give Shen Huai an answer right away.
“Mm. I want you to come with me.”
Shen Huai only felt at ease when he could have her by his side.
“When does your training end?”
“Middle of next month.”
“Okay.”
No matter what, she would probably need Shen Huai’s help in the future. Going along with what he wanted now would make things easier for her later.
“A-Shu, think carefully. The military family compound isn’t nearly as convenient as…”
“So you don’t want me to go?”
Shen Huai knew that the family quarters couldn’t compare with the Lin family’s home. He knew she would have to endure some hardships there, but selfishly, he also wanted to be able to see her every day.
“I want you to go, but I can’t bear the thought of you suffering. The family compound isn’t as convenient as living in the city.”
Lin Shu knew that was true. It really wasn’t convenient, and it would make it even harder for her to run a business.
On top of that, with her family background, she might have to endure countless disdainful looks from people there.
“I’ll go with you. I can come back to the city occasionally and stay here.”
Lin Shu remained calm. The only thing on her mind was selling her “secret recipe” within the next month.
What she didn’t know was that Shen Huai’s heart was filled with concern for her.
His mind, meanwhile, was filled with grand ambitions, and he silently vowed to give her the best life possible as soon as he could.