Nowadays, most factories had Sundays off. Even though Zhang Yunqing and Zhang Suqing rushed to the bathhouse right after eating, they still failed to grab a faucet.
They stood there naked for quite a while before an older woman finally rinsed herself clean and headed into the soaking pool.
Zhang Yunqing was observant and had already noticed the woman was about to leave. The instant the faucet became free, she quickly told Zhang Suqing not to hurry and darted forward to claim the spot.
A few women who had reacted just a little too slowly saw that Zhang Yunqing was only a young girl with a thin skin and didn’t say a word. They simply pulled out towels and tried to reach under the faucet above her head.
Before Zhang Yunqing could speak, Zhang Suqing had already waddled over with her belly out front.
“What are you doing? Can’t you see someone’s already here? Don’t you know how to line up?”
As she spoke, she deliberately thrust her pregnant belly out even farther and rubbed circles over it dramatically.
As though afraid people wouldn’t notice she was pregnant.
The women had originally wanted to argue, but once they saw her huge stomach, they immediately backed down, afraid of causing trouble.
“Hmph!”
Zhang Suqing snorted smugly before poking Zhang Yunqing.
“And you! You know how to act fierce at home, so why are you such a pushover outside? If they’d managed to squeeze in here, would you even get to finish your bath today?”
What had just happened was extremely common in bathhouses. Those women had only been more blatant than most.
Usually people waited until someone else was scrubbing and temporarily not using the water, then slipped under the faucet to “borrow” some.
And if someone shameless enough kept inching in little by little, eventually the original owner of the faucet would finish scrubbing and have nowhere left to rinse.
Since arguing naked was awkward, Zhang Suqing had learned after suffering through this twice. Now she always crushed any attempt at “borrowing water” immediately.
Even while scrubbing, she insisted on standing directly beneath the faucet.
If anyone asked, she simply claimed she was afraid of the cold.
“This belly really is useful. I barely even need to argue.”
As she spoke, Zhang Suqing rubbed her stomach proudly again, delighted at enjoying pregnant-woman privileges.
Zhang Yunqing blinked but said nothing.
She endured it for a moment before finally failing to hold back. Reaching out, she pulled Zhang Suqing’s hand away from her stomach.
“Don’t rub your belly all the time for no reason. The umbilical cord could wrap around the baby.”
The twenty-first century was an age overflowing with information. Even if Zhang Yunqing had never personally experienced pregnancy, she’d still “seen pigs run even if she’d never eaten pork.”
Pregnant women in TV dramas were constantly shown rubbing their bellies, and doctors had even posted educational videos online advising against it.
It could supposedly cause the umbilical cord to wrap around the baby’s neck, making delivery more dangerous.
And in this era, prenatal checkups weren’t common. If the baby’s cord really became tangled, things could become extremely troublesome during childbirth.
Even if this body and Zhang Suqing hadn’t been sisters, Zhang Yunqing still would’ve warned a pregnant stranger.
“There’s really such a thing?” Zhang Suqing’s hand instantly froze.
Without batting an eye, Zhang Yunqing replied:
“I heard older women at the factory talking about it. Apparently someone kept rubbing her stomach all the time, and the baby nearly suffocated because the umbilical cord wrapped around its neck.”
The statement was exaggerated, but Zhang Yunqing didn’t know how to explain the medical mechanics of cord entanglement in this era, so she could only scare her a little.
Since this was Zhang Suqing’s first pregnancy, she already lacked experience. No matter how carefree she normally was, the moment she heard the baby might be endangered, she immediately removed her hand from her stomach.
Afraid she’d frightened her too much, Zhang Yunqing quickly comforted her.
“You’ll be fine as long as you stop doing it from now on. Besides, we have hospitals. Doctors will examine everything before the birth.”
Only then did Zhang Suqing’s tense body relax. She shot her sister an annoyed glance.
“You should’ve said that earlier. You scared me to death.”
Because pregnancy made everything more inconvenient, the two sisters took much longer bathing than usual.
When they finally came out, the changing area happened to be empty.
As Zhang Suqing slowly dried herself off, she suddenly remembered something.
“I heard Mom say they’re preparing to discuss Hongwei’s marriage?”
Zhang Yunqing nodded.
“Then your good days are numbered too.”
Thinking about her mother’s earth-shaking snoring, Zhang Suqing sighed emotionally.
“Once Hongwei gets married, you’ll have to sleep with Mom. Later I’ll make you a pair of ear covers.”
Zhang Yunqing paused midway through putting on her clothes.
That was true.
Once Zhang Hongwei got married, the young couple would naturally want their own private space. The only solution would be splitting up the older couple and rearranging the sleeping arrangements.
In her previous life, she had always lived alone. Even after transmigrating here, she’d still had her own room.
After getting used to living that way, the thought of sharing a room with Zhao Pinglan made her feel instinctively resistant.
Their living habits were completely different.
Living in the same house was manageable.
Living on the same heated brick bed?
Just imagining it made Zhang Yunqing unable to accept the idea.
Although Zhao Pinglan was technically this body’s biological mother, from a soul-level perspective, they weren’t close enough to sleep in the same room.
Seeing the troubled look on Zhang Yunqing’s face, Zhang Suqing smacked her lips thoughtfully.
“Speaking of which, your brother-in-law has a coworker. He’s two years older than you, pretty handsome, decent personality, and his family’s housing situation is pretty spacious too. Want to meet him?”
As she spoke, her gaze swept over Zhang Yunqing’s face and figure.
Her younger sister had beauty, a good figure, a high school education, and now even a stable job.
Sure, her temper wasn’t as gentle as before, but paired with her husband’s coworker, she’d still be a perfect match.
The more Zhang Suqing thought about it, the more suitable it seemed.
Zhang Yunqing hadn’t expected the topic to suddenly jump to matchmaking.
But after thinking about it carefully, she knew remaining unmarried forever wasn’t realistic in this era.
Rather than being forced into a random marriage later—
It was better to take the initiative herself.
So she immediately asked:
“Is he good-looking?”
Smack!
Zhang Suqing slapped her squarely on the back. Her hands were still wet, making the sound especially loud.
“Can a handsome face fill your stomach? After New Year you’ll practically be twenty already. At your age, you should be doing what people your age are supposed to do. Some of your classmates already have children running around everywhere, and you don’t even have a boyfriend.”
Narrowing her eyes suspiciously, she stared at Zhang Yunqing.
“You’re not still thinking about that guy, are you? Sure, he’s handsome, but he’s no good. Give up already. If you’re not careful, I’ll tell Mom and let’s see how she deals with you.”
“That guy” naturally referred to Shen Changlin.
Zhang Yunqing couldn’t help laughing helplessly.
“What are you thinking? I’m a worker now. Why would I care about him anymore?”
Besides, the classmates who already had children were simply those who’d started school later and were older than the original owner to begin with. Wasn’t it perfectly normal for them to have kids?
Zhang Suqing still looked unconvinced.
That dead girl had liked the Shen boy for so long—how could she possibly give up just because she got a job?
Still, since the two would soon live separately, maybe marriage really would help her forget him completely.
No matter what, she had to get her sister to go on this blind date.
“Then it’s settled. I’ll arrange a time for you two to meet. If things click, you can keep seeing each other.”
Zhang Suqing made the decision outright.
Neither of them had finished dressing yet, and Zhang Yunqing felt strangely awkward discussing the topic while half-naked.
So she could only nod vaguely.
Fine. She’d meet him first.
If it didn’t work out, she could always refuse later.