Chapter 61
What? Have a baby? What does this have to do with my illness? Xia Yi was momentarily taken aback, his expression a bit dazed.
Then he understood the meaning of those words, slowly widening his eyes, a mixture of shock and disbelief washing over him as if he had been struck by lightning, standing there in a daze.
It can’t be that kind of meaning, right? It can’t be! Maybe a relative of Brother Zhu or the original person is coming here?
Xia Yi’s expression was stiff, but he still harbored a glimmer of hope, “Brother Zhu, please clarify what you mean by our family having a baby?”
Gu Wenzhu first silently looked at him, his expression focused as if he were observing his face.
Then he spoke cautiously, “Xia Yi, you are pregnant.”
Xia Yi, you are pregnant.
You are pregnant.
A baby.
Xia Yi stood there dumbfounded, feeling his limbs go numb and his head buzz.
“You—you must be joking, right? I think you guys are mistaken.” Xia Yi struggled to suppress his emotions, trying to remain calm.
But his voice trembled, unable to mask the fear.
Gu Wenzhu silently watched him, his dark eyes deep.
Then, he gently ran his hand over the back of Xia Yi’s head and pulled him into his embrace.
Xia Yi buried his head in that broad chest, feeling his heart sink.
He had been afraid ever since 179 explained the third gender here. But after so long, he had gradually forgotten that this was a world where one could give birth.
Just when he had put this matter behind him, someone suddenly told him.
You are pregnant.
He carefully pondered these words, as if he didn’t realize the person involved was himself, only feeling that the whole situation exuded a strange absurdity.
But it was true—he was really pregnant.
There was a life genuinely growing inside him.
That life was slowly growing in his belly, and one day, it would be he, a man, who would give birth to it.
Xia Yi finally felt some reality in the situation, his blood rushing to his head. His body alternated between feeling hot and cold, as if he were in an ice cave.
Many emotions surged within him: heartache, panic, confusion, and fear.
Suddenly, he felt a wave of grievance wash over him, and his eyes began to heat up.
As he felt a warm dampness spreading across his chest, Gu Wenzhu’s adam’s apple moved slightly.
He lowered his head, cradling Xia Yi’s neck and slightly moving his head away from his chest.
Pressing his forehead against Xia Yi’s, he gently touched his slightly upturned nose with his own.
Xia Yi turned his head, his eyes red, his small chin rounded, and his delicate neck porcelain white, exuding a fragile charm.
After looking at the side for a moment, he suddenly turned back to look at Gu Wenzhu, his eyes burning with anger.
“Why isn’t it you giving birth? Huh? Why must it be me?”
His gaze was fierce, but his voice was hoarse, trembling with suppressed tears.
Gu Wenzhu was momentarily speechless.
But seeing Xia Yi’s chest heaving with agitation, breathing heavily, he quickly apologized softly, “I’m sorry. It’s all my fault for being useless, for not being able to get pregnant. I’m sorry.”
“It’s all your fault.” Xia Yi’s face flushed red as he forcefully threw off Gu Wenzhu’s hand on his back and shouted, “It’s all your fault!”
“Yes, yes, yes, it’s all my fault. It’s all my mistake.” Gu Wenzhu, fearing that Xia Yi might hurt himself in a moment of anger, quickly repeated his apology.
Xia Yi was filled with rage. He wanted to hit someone, to smash everything in sight into pieces, to destroy it all.
Furiously, he pushed Gu Wenzhu away, his gaze beginning to scan the room.
He picked up a teapot from the table and threw it down hard, “Bang!” The pieces scattered everywhere.
The small ceramic vase holding wildflowers smashed.
The big red paper-cut decoration on the window featuring a chubby child holding a big fish looked so annoying, its red color piercing to the eye, and that child was smiling so maliciously.
Tear it all down, just tear it all down.
Xia Yi panted heavily, his eyes red with rage, frantically pacing around the room like a firecracker that had been lit.
Gu Wenzhu silently followed behind him, allowing him to wreak havoc in the room. He only moved quickly to kick away the shards of porcelain around him.
When Xia Yi finally stopped after failing to find anything else to smash, he slumped his shoulders, standing in a heap of chaos, his back looking both wronged and sad.
Gu Wenzhu leaned forward and carefully picked him up in a horizontal position from behind, “Are you tired? If not tired, you can still hit me to vent your anger.”
Xia Yi tiredly closed his eyes, burying his head in that warm embrace.
After that, he no longer brought up the matter, as if it had never happened and he was not pregnant, continuing to carry his hoe to work in the fields every day.
Gu Wenzhu was anxious and worried but didn’t dare to stop him, just following behind every day. When he saw Xia Yi about to swing his hoe, he hurriedly took it from him and dug a few times himself.
Being pregnant was very difficult. The first thing every day when he woke up was to rush to the toilet and vomit painfully, yet nothing would come out.
During this time, Gu Wenzhu could only hold him from behind, gently patting his back, and then feed him a bowl of sour plum soup.
Since discovering that sour plums could effectively suppress Xia Yi’s nausea, there was always a warm bowl on the table, and when it cooled down, it was replaced with a new one.
Xia Yi began to be picky with food, refusing to eat meat, vegetables, or fish.
Gu Wenzhu had to chop the meat and vegetables into a puree, carefully season them, and cook them into porridge for him to eat.
At night, while bathing, Xia Yi stood naked in front of the copper mirror, coldly looking at his gradually protruding belly, as if he were staring at a stranger, his eyes devoid of warmth.
Until Gu Wenzhu anxiously knocked on the door, asking why he hadn’t finished washing up yet, did he finally put on his clothes and walk out.
It seemed that with time, Xia Yi finally accepted the fact that he was pregnant and gradually became calm.
179 became smarter for the first time, sensing that beneath Xia Yi’s seemingly calm exterior, there were undercurrents surging, which could erupt at any moment.
So, during this time, it ceased to be noisy, as if it had died in his mind.
That night, Xia Yi tossed and turned, unable to sleep, simply staring straight up at the ceiling, looking at the pale blue bed curtains in a daze.
Beside him, Gu Wenzhu had fallen into a deep sleep, his breathing long and soft, with a slight snore.
Suddenly, a nameless anger surged within Xia Yi, and he pushed him with his hand, feigning calmness, “Brother Zhu, I want to eat dates.”
Gu Wenzhu’s snoring stopped, and he turned over to continue sleeping.
Xia Yi kicked his calf again, raising his voice, “Brother Zhu, I want to eat dates.”
This time, Gu Wenzhu heard Xia Yi’s voice, sleepily opening his eyes and turning his head to ask in a husky voice, “Xiao Yi, why aren’t you asleep yet?”
After saying that, he reached out to pull him into his arms.
Xia Yi pushed Gu Wenzhu away, looking at him seriously, saying each word clearly, “I said, I want to eat dates.”
His gaze conveyed a determination that would not stop until he got what he wanted.
Gu Wenzhu sleepily glanced out the window, “What time is it? Besides, it’s winter; there are no dates. I’ll go see tomorrow which store has good red dates, okay?”
After saying that, he pulled Xia Yi back into his embrace, gently patting his back to soothe him, “Go to sleep; it’s late.”
As Gu Wenzhu gently patted Xia Yi’s back, he closed his eyes again.
In a haze, he suddenly felt a slight tremor beside him and heard the sound of sniffles.
This instantly erased his sleepiness. He turned over to sit up, reaching out to light the oil lamp, “Xiao Yi, are you feeling unwell?”
The oil lamp was lit, and he saw Xia Yi lying straight on the bed, his chest rising and falling, tears spilling from the corners of his eyes and sliding down to the pillow. Gu Wenzhu panicked, gently tapping Xia Yi’s cheek, “Xiao Yi, Xiao Yi, did you have a nightmare?”
“Having a nightmare? You only know to ask me if I had a nightmare.” Xia Yi suddenly opened his eyes, sitting up angrily, and shouted in despair, “I’ve said it several times, I want to eat dates! I want to eat dates!”
“I’m going to find a doctor tomorrow to get rid of this child! Get rid of it!”
“I never wanted to have a child; I hate it, hate it!”
After shouting, he buried his face in the blanket, crying sadly, his shoulders shaking violently.
Gu Wenzhu’s hand gently landed on his shoulder but was brushed away, “Get away from me! Don’t touch me! Let me be quiet for a moment!”
He felt Gu Wenzhu standing silently beside him, watching him. He continued to bury his face, immersing himself in anxiety and anger, tears streaming down endlessly.
The string that had been stretched tightly these days, the fear hidden deep in his heart, finally erupted into tears.
After a while, he suddenly heard the sound of the front door opening.
Then, a cold wind whistled in, rustling the oil paper on the window.
With the sound of the door closing, the wind suddenly stopped.
Xia Yi raised his head in confusion, only to see the room quiet and empty; Gu Wenzhu had already left.
He really just walked away like that.
Xia Yi couldn’t help but panic, stopping his crying, staring at the closed door with swollen eyes.
Maybe in the next second, Gu Wenzhu would come in holding a steaming bowl of sour soup, smiling and urging him to drink it.
But after waiting for a long time, he still didn’t see the door open.
Time slowly passed, and Xia Yi sat blankly on the bed, listening to the howling cold wind outside.
The wind rustled through the leaves, and he could occasionally hear the tree trunks creaking under the burden.
Did Brother Zhu really just leave like that? Did I anger him? Will he come back when he cools down? He wouldn’t just leave me like this, would he?
Xia Yi felt a rising panic in his heart, filled with regret.
Sniffling, he looked around. Gu Wenzhu’s coat draped over the back of the chair was missing only one outer garment; the padded coat was still there.
With such strong wind and the temperature dropping at night, wouldn’t he get frozen if he just went out like this?
“179, is Brother Zhu okay? It’s been so long since he left, and he hasn’t returned.” Although Xia Yi was trying hard to control himself, his tone still carried a hint of anxiety.
The system remained silent; it knew Xia Yi had not been in a good mood lately, fearing to anger him, always hiding there and playing dead.
Outside, the old tree branch made another creaking sound, and Xia Yi shivered.
“No, I have to go out to find him.”
Suddenly throwing off the blanket, he got up and bent down to put on his shoes.
At that moment, a series of footsteps came from the yard, and then the door was pushed open. Just as the wind began to blow in, it was quickly closed, isolating the cold air outside.
Under the candlelight, a tall figure walked in, backlit by the light; it was Gu Wenzhu.
Seeing Xia Yi staring blankly at him, Gu Wenzhu spoke with a hint of joy, “I found it! I brought you a handful of red dates. Luckily, Wang Jie’s house—”
Before he could finish, Xia Yi suddenly rushed over and crashed into his arms, tightly hugging his waist.
He repeated, “Brother Ge, don’t go, don’t go.”
“What’s wrong?” Gu Wenzhu was startled by his sudden behavior and became anxious. “What happened?”
Xia Yi shook his head vigorously. “It’s my fault for being too willful. Don’t go.” As he spoke, it seemed he felt he wasn’t close enough, reaching out to hook his arm around Gu Wenzhu’s neck.
“When did I say I was leaving?” Gu Wenzhu was momentarily taken aback, then smiled again. “With you and the child here, where could I possibly go?”
After saying that, he kissed Xia Yi on the top of the head. “What are you thinking? Silly, huh?”
Suddenly, Xia Yi gasped, as if he had been hurt somewhere.
Xia Yi quickly looked up, his expression anxious and frightened. “What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” He stepped back, his eyes scanning Gu Wenzhu’s whole body.
“It’s nothing. It’s just that it’s dark, and I tripped. I’m fine.” Seeing Xia Yi’s worried expression, Gu Wenzhu hurried to reassure him.
But Xia Yi stubbornly insisted on checking, reaching out to unfasten his clothing.
Gu Wenzhu had no choice but to extend his right hand. “Really, it’s nothing. Just a scraped hand.”
Xia Yi gently lifted his sleeve, and his heart tightened.
He saw several lines of blood trailing from Gu Wenzhu’s wrist up to his elbow, with the deepest cuts still seeping blood.
“Does it hurt?” Xia Yi’s voice trembled with concern.
He extended a finger, wanting to gently touch the bloodied area, but fearing it would hurt him, he suddenly stopped, his finger trembling in mid-air.
“It doesn’t hurt. This little injury is nothing. Don’t be upset,” Gu Wenzhu looked at him softly.
Xia Yi touched his face, feeling the coldness of his skin, and quickly grabbed a cotton coat from the back of the chair to drape over him.
Suddenly, Gu Wenzhu remembered something and took out a small cloth bag from his chest pocket with his left hand, placing it on the table.
As the bag opened, it revealed about ten large, shiny red dates inside.
“I asked door to door and finally found them at Wang Ge’s house. These were leftover when Wang Jie had a baby and was in confinement,” Gu Wenzhu said, smiling as he looked at the handful of red dates, his dark eyes sparkling.
He then carefully picked one up and held it to Xia Yi’s mouth. “Quick, eat it and see if it’s sweet.” His heart filled with anticipation.
Xia Yi, with red-rimmed eyes, gently took a bite and felt the fresh sweetness of the date burst on his tongue.
“It’s sweet.” He smiled with his eyes narrowed.
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