Chapter 184: Pan Yue Vomits
It wasn’t just Sheng Wanyan struggling to make a catch; the other military wives were having the same trouble.
“Look, there’s a big one!”
A few large fish, easily weighing half a pound each, darted through the shallows. The moment the women saw them, the atmosphere turned into a fierce scramble. The wives who had been washing clothes immediately yanked off their shoes, splashed into the river, and took massive strides to corner the fish.
“Hey, don’t crowd! I saw it first!”
“Oh no! It slipped away!”
As the women rushed off in a frantic chase, Sheng Wanyan noticed everyone’s attention was completely fixed on that single school of fish. Seizing the perfect distraction, she discreetly pulled three plump crucian carps—each weighing a full kilogram—from her pocket dimension and dropped them into her wooden bucket.
“Oh my, I actually caught one!” a wife yelled triumphantly, hoisting a splashing fish and happily tossing it into her laundry basin.
But as she turned around, her eyes locked onto Wanyan’s bucket, and she froze. “Good heavens… Captain Gu’s wife, when did you pull those in?”
Resting in the bucket were two massive carps, easily twice the size of the one she had just fought so hard to catch.
Hearing the commotion, the other women abandoned their search and crowded around. Their eyes widened instantly.
“I just scooped them up,” Wanyan said with a smooth smile. …While you were all fighting over that little one. “I think I’ll head back and get dinner started now.”
She offered a polite nod to the group and carried her heavy bucket back toward the courtyard, leaving the women staring after her in stunned silence.
They felt a collective wave of defeat. No one expected a refined city girl like Sheng Wanyan to be such a natural at catching fish.
“The river is public property,” one of the wives muttered sourly, her face tight with jealousy. “Who does she think she is, taking the biggest ones all for herself?”
The others instantly turned to glare at her.
“What?” the jealous woman snapped. “Did I say something wrong?”
“If we follow your logic,” another wife retorted, “are none of us allowed to fish here anymore?”
While everyone envied the catch, they knew the only reason they could fish the river or hunt in the foothills was that the base command chose to turn a blind eye. If someone made a formal issue out of it, the privilege would be revoked. Who would dare risk losing their only source of fresh meat just over a bit of spite?
“Exactly! Don’t go ruining things for the rest of us,” another woman chimed in. “This is real meat we’re talking about!”
Faced with the collective wrath of the compound, the jealous wife could only swallow her bitterness and watch Wanyan’s figure disappear down the lane. She certainly didn’t want to be the reason the river was banned; losing out on fresh fish to satisfy her family’s cravings would be a lifelong regret.
Back home, Wanyan transferred the carps into a large earthenware basin. Selecting the finest one, she bound its gills securely with a length of sturdy straw so she could carry it over to her brother’s flat.
With time to spare, she slipped into her pocket dimension. Utilizing the accelerated time difference inside her space, she spent the next few hours fluidly translating her remaining stack of firearm manuscripts. Before exiting, she retrieved five bottles of her homemade peach blossom wine; she stowed three in her root cellar and kept two to present to her grandfather.
By the time she stepped back into the courtyard, it was already five o’clock in the evening. Carrying the fresh fish and the bottles of wine, she walked over to the apartment building.
Sheng Wanze’s flat was located on the fourth floor. He had officially submitted his application to transfer to a courtyard house before deploying, and with Father Pan pulling strings at command headquarters, the approval shouldn’t take long.
Wanyan knocked, and the door swung open to reveal Pan Yue, who had been busy washing vegetables in the living area, while Grandma Sheng managed the coal stove out on the small balcony.
“Little sister! Come in, come in,” Pan Yue greeted her warmly, her face lighting up. But the moment her eyes dropped to Wanyan’s hands, she looked flustered. “Why did you bring so much food with you?”
Pan Yue felt a wave of embarrassment. Her parents had just enjoyed an incredibly lavish, meat-filled feast at Wanyan’s house the previous evening. She hadn’t even found a proper way to repay her sister-in-law’s hospitality yet, and here Wanyan was, showing up for a casual dinner with a fresh fish and premium wine.
“I caught this fresh from the river this afternoon, Sister-in-law,” Wanyan smiled, holding it out.
“Oh, absolutely not. Take it back to your own pantry,” Pan Yue insisted, trying to push the basket back into her hands. “We have plenty of vegetables and bacon here. You’re a married bride now; you can’t keep funneling luxury goods back to your maiden family. If the Gu family finds out, it could cause trouble for you.”
“Sister-in-law, this isn’t for you—it’s for my future niece or nephew,” Wanyan countered smoothly. “You can’t refuse.”
Pan Yue opened her mouth, entirely at a loss for words. Hearing the back-and-forth from the balcony, Grandma Sheng wiped her hands on her apron and walked over.
“Xiaoyue, we’re all family here. Don’t stand on ceremony with your sister-in-law,” Grandma Sheng commanded gently.
With the elder’s blessing, Pan Yue relented, accepting the basket with a grateful smile before hurrying to brew a warm mug of malted milk for Wanyan.
“Grandpa, look what I brought you—peach blossom wine,” Wanyan called out.
Grandpa Sheng’s nose twitched at the mention. Catching the rich, floral aroma of the liquor, he practically snatched the bottles and scurried into his bedroom to hide his treasure. “Ah! My granddaughter truly understands me best!”
Grandma Sheng’s face darkened instantly. She had been brewing traditional rice wine for the man since the day they wed; how dare he claim a young girl understood his tastes better than his own wife? “Are you implying I’ve done a miserable job catering to you all these decades?”
“Don’t go putting words in my mouth!” Grandpa Sheng protested hastily from the bedroom, his voice laced with panic. “I never said any such thing!”
Grandma Sheng rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath about how the old man only knew how to smooth things over when caught. She returned to the balcony to monitor the stove, while Pan Yue gathered the rinsed vegetables and carried them out to her.
Knowing Wanyan was joining them, Pan Yue had intentionally pulled out their best rations to cook a proper welcome meal. Before long, Grandma Sheng called them to the table, and Wanyan helped arrange the bowls and chopsticks. The modest table held a beautiful spread: a dish of rich braised pork, fluffy scrambled eggs, blanched greens, and a comforting pot of cabbage and tofu soup.
“Eat up, little sister. Don’t be shy,” Pan Yue smiled, using her chopsticks to place two prime pieces of braised pork into Wanyan’s bowl. Knowing her sister-in-law detested pure fat, she had meticulously selected cuts that held the perfect balance of lean meat.
“Thank you, Sister-in-law, I can manage,” Wanyan laughed. She had never been one to act polite or reserved around her own flesh and blood; she certainly wasn’t going to let herself go hungry at her brother’s table.
“Alright, help yourself then,” Pan Yue nodded, pleased. She picked up a piece of the braised pork and popped it into her own mouth. But the moment she swallowed her second bite, her face went entirely pale. A wave of violent nausea hit her, and she clamped a hand over her mouth, her shoulders trembling as she tried to fight down the urge to vomit.
After several agonizing dry heaves, Pan Yue leaned back, gasping. Grandma Sheng moved with lightning speed, rushing to the pantry to retrieve a handful of the wild grapes Wanyan had brought earlier. It was no secret that since entering her second trimester, Pan Yue had developed a fierce craving for intensely sour flavors.
“Quick, chew on these. Take slow breaths,” Grandma Sheng soothed anxiously. This was the very first time Pan Yue had suffered such a violent reaction to greasy food, and the sight threw the elderly woman into a minor panic.
Pan Yue pressed a hand against her chest, waiting for the intense nausea to pass. She chewed the wild grapes slowly, letting the sharp, crisp acidity neutralize the rising stomach acid. “I’m alright, Grandma,” she wheezed after a few moments. “Truly, it’s passing.”
Grandma Sheng scrutinized her face. “Are you certain? Does your stomach still hurt?”
Pan Yue shook her head, a faint color returning to her cheeks. “It’s okay. Once the initial wave passes, I feel perfectly fine.”
“Good, good. If you ever feel even a twinge of discomfort, you must tell me immediately!”
Pan Yue nodded obediently, though she didn’t dare glance at the braised pork again. Instead, she restricted her chopsticks to the scrambled eggs. The savory, salty flavor was exactly what her palate needed to anchor her stomach against the rice.
Seeing her enjoy the dish, Grandma Sheng immediately slid the entire platter of eggs directly in front of her grandson’s wife. “Eat as much as you can, child. If you can’t even tolerate meat right now, how on earth are we going to maintain your nutrition? You’re eating for two lives!” Grandma Sheng fretted. In her traditional mindset, rich meat was the ultimate standard for prenatal health. If a pregnant woman couldn’t stomach fat, the baby’s development would inevitably suffer.
“Grandma, don’t worry. I still have two fresh apples over at my courtyard,” Wanyan chimed in, noting Pan Yue’s lingering fatigue.
With Sheng Wanze away on deployment, their household consisted of two elderly people entirely unfamiliar with the base and a vulnerable pregnant woman. If they weren’t meticulous, a domestic emergency could easily strike. She certainly couldn’t let her brother return from a dangerous mission only to find his family in crisis. “I’ll bring the fruit over tomorrow morning to help supplement Sister-in-law’s vitamins.”
“Oh, Wanyan…” Grandma Sheng hesitated, her brow furrowing. She hated the idea of her married granddaughter continuously drawing from her own pantry to bankroll her brother’s household. Yet, looking at Pan Yue’s pale face, she couldn’t deny that fresh fruit was precisely what the girl needed.
