Xu Xi didn’t want to pay any attention to Zhou Yue, so she walked around him and headed straight into the cafeteria.
Right now, her stomach was growling with hunger. She needed to eat her fill before she could muster the energy to talk to Zhou Yue.
Sister-in-law Guo, who was serving food in the cafeteria, greeted Xu Xi warmly when she saw her. “Sister Xu, what would you like to eat?”
Xu Xi ordered three meat dishes and a bowl of coarse noodles in one breath. Whether it was because she was carrying twins or not, her appetite seemed to have opened like a floodgate—she got hungry quickly and intensely.
Sister-in-law Guo was somewhat shocked. Xu Xi looked thin and frail, yet she could eat so much.
She tentatively asked, “Sister Xu, how many months along are you?”
Xu Xi lowered her head to look at her slightly protruding belly and said, “A little over three months.”
Sister-in-law Guo’s eyes widened instantly. At three months, a pregnant woman’s belly should only be slightly showing, and some thinner women might not even show at all.
Why did Xu Xi’s pregnant belly look as big as if she were four or five months along?
That didn’t seem right.
Xu Xi carried her food to a seat and started eating. Zhou Yue, whom she had left behind, glanced at her back before walking up to the serving window.
Before he could even say what he wanted to eat, Sister-in-law Guo stopped him.
She pulled him aside and lowered her voice. “Young Zhou, isn’t there something off about your wife’s pregnancy?”
Zhou Yue asked, “What do you mean?”
Sister-in-law Guo shared her doubts with Zhou Yue. “What pregnant woman has such a big belly at just three months? It looks like she’s four or five months along.”
Zhou Yue frowned. Truthfully, he didn’t know much about how a pregnant woman’s belly should look, nor had he observed other pregnant women.
This was a bit beyond his common knowledge.
But he clearly remembered that both he and Xu Xi were first-timers that night.
Zhou Yue suddenly thought of a possibility. “Sister-in-law Guo, my wife is indeed carrying my child. She might be pregnant with twins, which is why her belly is bigger.”
Hearing this, Sister-in-law Guo smiled awkwardly.
“Sister Xu is truly blessed. Young Zhou, you must treat her well. Carrying twins isn’t easy for a woman.”
Zhou Yue glanced down at Xu Xi, who was happily eating not far away, his throat moving slightly. He didn’t say anything more.
…
By the time they returned to the family compound, it was already dark.
Xu Xi had eaten a bit too much and didn’t feel like moving after sitting down on the stool. But she was thirsty and lazily glanced at the enamel cup on the table.
Zhou Yue, who had been tidying his military cap, caught her subtle movements out of the corner of his eye.
He stood up, walked over, picked up the thermos, poured half a cup of warm water, and brought it to her.
“Drink.”
Xu Xi looked up at him in surprise. He was quite considerate, but that didn’t stop her from being angry with him.
She took the enamel cup, drank the water, and placed it back on the table. Throughout the whole process, she didn’t say a word, nor did she look at Zhou Yue, leaving him with only the back of her head.
Zhou Yue didn’t know how to placate her. On the way back to the family compound, he had replayed the events in his mind.
He guessed that the situation between him and Lin Xiuman had caused a misunderstanding for Xu Xi.
But he had already explained to Xu Xi that he and Lin Xiuman had no relationship. Why was she still so angry?
Zhou Yue couldn’t figure it out. Silently, he went to the kitchen and boiled a large pot of hot water. After mixing it with cold water, he poured it into the new wooden bucket in the bathroom.
“You can take a bath. I’m going out for a bit.”
Xu Xi’s lips twitched. She wanted to ask where he was going so late, but she held back and only replied with a soft “Mm.”
She soaked herself in warm water, feeling completely relaxed.
Her quarrel with Zhou Yue was entirely because she had heard him speak up for Lin Xiuman, and a wave of grievance had surged in her heart.
Although it was normal for the male lead to defend the female lead, Xu Xi felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
Besides, he had gone out so late without telling her what he was doing—perhaps he had gone to see Lin Xiuman.
Lost in her wild thoughts, Xu Xi finished her bath.
Drying her damp hair, she walked out of the main room and stood on the corridor, letting the breeze blow through. Just then, the courtyard gate creaked open from the outside.
Zhou Yue’s tall, straight figure came into view, clutching a bulging brown paper bag in his hand.
Xu Xi squinted to see what it was but couldn’t make it out.
Just as she was wondering, she watched him pour the contents onto the small stone table in the courtyard—a pack of White Rabbit milk candies, some saqima pastries, and a brand-new box of snowflake cream.
In this era, snowflake cream was considered a rare luxury.
Zhou Yue lifted his dark eyes to look at her. “I bought these for you.”
His tone was flat, without any deliberate affectation, but a hint of unease flickered in his eyes.
Xu Xi realized he was trying to appease her, and her mood instantly brightened.
She picked up the box of snowflake cream, opened it, and took a sniff—a fresh jasmine scent that she quite liked.
The corners of Xu Xi’s lips lifted as she said to him, “Thank you.”
Seeing her finally relax her stiff expression, Zhou Yue secretly breathed a sigh of relief, his shoulders and back gradually easing.
Earlier, he had deliberately gone next door to ask Battalion Commander Yang Weiguo how to appease his wife.
Yang Weiguo had shared his experience: just keep giving her things, whether food or clothing—women are always happy to receive gifts.
So Zhou Yue had gone to the military service center and bought snacks and snowflake cream.
Although he didn’t like Xu Xi, he didn’t want to see her angry. Anger wasn’t good for her health, nor for the baby in her womb.
Xu Xi unwrapped a White Rabbit milk candy and popped it into her mouth—sweet and rich with a milky fragrance.
The milk candies from this era were truly delicious, soft and chewy. The ones produced in later times never tasted quite right, as if they were all made with saccharin.
She glanced at Zhou Yue standing beside her, unwrapped another candy, and held it up to his lips.
“Want to try? It’s very sweet.”
Zhou Yue was taken aback, tilting his head slightly to avoid it. “You eat it. I don’t like sweets,” he said softly.
Xu Xi’s hand paused mid-air. Since he didn’t want it, she would eat it herself.
The milky flavor melted in her mouth, but suddenly, this candy didn’t seem as sweet as the previous one.
Zhou Yue lowered his gaze to her swollen belly, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly before he finally asked, “Are you… carrying twins this time?”
Xu Xi nodded. “Yes, the village doctor checked my pulse and said it might be twins.”
He was finally paying attention to her belly, but Xu Xi still felt something was off.
Could he be suspecting her of cheating on him?
She glared at him. “Zhou Yue, wasn’t that night my first time? You should know best. You’re not doubting whether the child is yours, are you?”
Zhou Yue’s ears flushed bright red in an instant. Of course he knew—that night, she had been whimpering in pain the whole time.
They had done it more than once. The effects of the drug were too strong, and he had kept going until late into the night, until she couldn’t take it anymore and passed out.
His Adam’s apple bobbed again as he explained, “…I’m not doubting you.”
Suddenly reminded of that night’s events, Zhou Yue felt a surge of heat rising within him.
His throat felt a bit dry. He tossed out a quick “I’m going to take a shower,” then turned and hurried toward the bathroom with his clothes in hand.
His tall, straight figure seemed somewhat rushed.
Xu Xi watched his retreating back with a hint of confusion. Was it because the weather was too hot that he was in such a hurry to shower?
Not dwelling on it further, she happily returned to her room, carrying the snacks and snowflake cream he had bought for her.