Chapter 44
The times weren’t without birth control measures, but very few people used them.
This was still under the premise of Aunt Yang’s strong advocacy.
Mainly, people at this time lacked the awareness of birth control; men and women getting married and having children one after another was considered natural and a matter of course.
Which family didn’t have four or five children? And they were all the ones who survived.
But after Qiao Weiwei gave birth to Yan Xiang, she didn’t want to have any more children. When she was at the hospital, she asked the doctor if there was any way not to have more, and the doctor educated her about this contraceptive tool.
One had to apply for this at their unit. She endured the shame and let Yan Lei apply for this at the Military Unit’s health clinic.
They had a quarrel at the time, followed by a cold war between the couple, but in the end, Yan Lei compromised.
Qiao Wei was very grateful to Qiao Weiwei.
Indeed, in the days since she transmigrated, she and Yan Lei had been getting along better and better, but not to the point where she wanted to have children with this man.
Using this crudely made tool, Yan Lei’s experience would inevitably be greatly reduced, but Qiao Wei could be spared the suffering of pregnancy and childbirth, thereby enjoying the pleasures between a man and a woman to the fullest.
Qiao Wei gasped and tightly gripped Yan Lei’s shoulders.
Yan Lei had also been abstinent for a long time and didn’t dare to move immediately. In the dim light, the sound of their rapid breathing was particularly clear.
The study light was left on, and a sliver of light from the curtain gap cast a patch of light on the wall.
Qiao Wei looked up at that patch of light.
It was as if it were the embodiment of time.
She had crossed time and years, even the dimensions of the world, to be intertwined and fused with a man from a different era.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at Yan Lei.
Yan Lei was also looking at her.
After a long while, their lips touched lightly. This touch was like opening a floodgate, triggering a storm.
The nation’s army in this era still relied on “millet and rifles.”
Qiao Wei couldn’t imagine how fierce Yan Lei must have been on the battlefield to become a regiment commander at this age.
The man’s explosive power made you think he was sprinting every time, but it turned out there was always a next time.
However, it was a pity that Yan Lei, who had such strong waist power, seemed to… only know the missionary position.
Qiao Wei: “…”
Being in the same position for too long was unbearable for anyone; even the skeleton couldn’t take it.
But she couldn’t lecture Yan Lei; she had to remember that her positioning was still in the newbie zone, just like him.
Qiao Wei bit her lip and let out a whimper.
Yan Lei stopped: “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Wei said: “It’s pressing on my joints and making them hurt.”
As she spoke, she poked the root of her leg with her finger.
Yan Lei hesitated: “Then…”
Qiao Wei said: “You lift my leg a bit; it feels like it’s about to cramp.”
Yan Lei did as she asked and asked with concern: “Is it better?”
“Better. Just keep it lifted like this; it hurts when you put it down,” Qiao Wei said.
Then… Yan Lei hesitated again.
Fortunately, Qiao Wei said: “You can continue.”
Yan Lei breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t dare to put Qiao Wei’s leg down for fear of hurting her.
Then let it be.
But as soon as Yan Lei continued, he immediately discovered something wonderful.
It couldn’t be spoken of.
And he didn’t dare let her find out.
Stroke by stroke, their breathing became heavier.
Qiao Wei whimpered again: “My waist hurts.”
Yan Lei hurriedly asked: “Then what should we do?”
Qiao Wei said: “I’ve been lying down for too long; let me turn to the side.”
Yan Lei held on and let her slowly turn to her side.
Qiao Wei let out a sigh of relief, as if her waist didn’t hurt as much anymore: “You continue.”
It was wonderful.
The wonderfulness of it, Yan Lei could taste more and more.
This was truly a lucky strike, he thought.
So it could be done like this, too.
After changing twice in a row, he experienced the wonder of it. The man’s innate instinct was no longer suppressed.
“Otherwise, I see you’re quite tired lying on your side; why don’t you lie on your stomach?” Yan Lei tentatively suggested, keeping his composure.
Oh, his self-learning ability is quite strong.
Qiao Wei feigned: “Then what about you?”
Yan Lei said: “I’m fine, I can do anything. As long as your waist doesn’t hurt.”
Qiao Wei buried her face in the wheat bran pillow: “Mm!”
With this wave of three consecutive unlocks, Yan Lei seemed to have discovered a new world.
He didn’t even remember how it changed from lying on her stomach to kneeling.
Even until he lay down, he felt a sense of unreality.
What did they just do?
Was it okay to do that? Was it right? Was it good?
She wasn’t angry, right?
Too shameless!
Yan Lei even started to feel ashamed in hindsight.
Ashamed, yet still wanting more.
Qiao Wei was exhausted and lay on his chest, complaining: “The kang is too hard; my knees hurt.”
Listening to her, it seemed she wasn’t angry because of that.
Then, can we do it again in the future?
Yan Lei’s shame and anxiety were swept away, his spirit lifted, and he hurriedly gathered her back: “I’ll lay another layer later.”
Although her knees were a bit sore, Qiao Wei was also very satisfied tonight. Her physical exertion was too great, and after muttering a few words, she was already drowsy.
Yan Lei gently laid her down, got up quietly, and came to the courtyard.
That contraceptive tool was very troublesome; it had to be cleaned in time. After washing and drying, before putting it back into the paper box, one had to pinch the powder in the box and rub it inside and out to make it even. Otherwise, this rubber thing would stick together, which was very troublesome.
Yan Lei returned to the room on tiptoe, finished dealing with it, and then carefully put it away in the wardrobe.
He would have to use it again tomorrow.
It was just that after he lay down again, he found it hard to fall asleep.
He turned his head to look at Qiao Wei; all the lights were off, and in the darkness, he could only vaguely see her outline.
He reached out to rest on her shoulder, gently stroking her arm.
Qiao Wei mumbled vaguely: “Sleep…”
Then silence.
Tuesday morning was truly bright.
Early in the morning, Yan Lei walked out of the room, feeling the pale golden sunlight hitting his face, which was extremely comfortable.
He buttoned up his collar, took his hat from the hook under the eaves, and saw the three cushions on Qiao Wei’s daybed.
He had promised to get her some hay; he couldn’t forget.
But he looked at those three cushions again, straightened his hat, went over to rearrange them, looked at them with satisfaction, and then went out with high spirits.
Qiao Wei had consumed too much energy yesterday, so she got up even later than Yan Xiang today.
When she came out of the room, yawning and pounding her waist, Yan Xiang had already started digging a pit.
For a child, this sandbox was a magnificent project in his life. He was high-spirited.
She had gotten up way too late today. Qiao Wei looked at the time and estimated that the Residential Compound Cafeteria should be closed by now. Feeling a bit guilty, she asked Yan Xiang: “Are you hungry?”
Yan Xiang beamed: “I ate biscuits.”
Qiao Wei had heard her mother say before that in their generation, when there was something good to eat at home when they were kids, they couldn’t open it without their parents’ permission. Because it was very likely that the food wasn’t for their own family to eat, but to be given away as gifts.
So after buying the biscuits yesterday and bringing them home, she opened them and let Yan Xiang watch her put them in the cabinet. She told him: “It’s right here, it’s already opened, you can take it yourself if you want to eat.”
“When biscuits are bought back, they are meant for the family to eat.”
“However, you are not allowed to eat too much at once, and you are not allowed to eat them right before a meal, so as not to affect your regular meals.”
Yan Xiang happily agreed.
Fortunately, she told Yan Xiang that yesterday. Since she didn’t get up today, Yan Xiang knew to go get the biscuits himself, so he didn’t go hungry.
Qiao Wei made a poached egg soup. She had to ensure the child got at least one egg of nutrition every day.
She was very generous with the sesame oil, and Yan Xiang could smell the fragrance from the sandbox: “Wow~”
Qiao Wei drank quickly and finished first. She strolled over and found that in the sandbox she had marked out, Yan Xiang had drawn a few more crooked lines.
Although it wasn’t particularly even, he had roughly divided the sandbox into several fairly symmetrical blocks.
One of them was the part dug yesterday.
Qiao Wei stared for a while, then turned her head and shouted: “Xiangxiang, come here.”
Yan Xiang had just bitten into the egg yolk, hurriedly slurped it up to finish the yolk, wiped his mouth, and came over: “Coming.”
Qiao Wei pointed at the lines in the sandbox and asked: “What does this mean?”
Could it be what she thought?
Sure enough, Yan Xiang pointed at the sandbox and said: “This block is what I dug yesterday. Take them like this, like this, and then like this, each block is about the same size. I dig one block a day.”
“Mom.” The child raised his head, his eyes bright, “I’ve counted, I still need to dig five blocks, one block a day, I can finish digging in five days.”
Qiao Wei: “…”
No, how old are you?
How can you be so organized and planned in doing things?
Qiao Wei searched her memory; the original owner had taught Yan Xiang 1 to 10, but that was it, nothing more. After all, the child was still young.
At this age, he should be in the small class of Kindergarten. Dressing himself, buttoning buttons, taking off his pants to pee, and pulling them up himself were their main learning content.
But she always felt that Yan Xiang… was more than that.
There was a childcare institution in the Residential Compound that combined a nursery and Kindergarten to take care of children.
Children as young as a few months old could be sent there.
This was purely internal, so the teachers inside were also military family members from the Residential Compound, which incidentally solved some employment issues for family members. Because too many cadre family members were inserted, there was even a time when there were more “teachers” than children.
Fortunately, everyone was very capable of giving birth, and they quickly caught up with the number of children again.
The original owner had gone to see it before and found that those “teachers” were actually rural women who were not only illiterate but also had very poor hygiene.
And those people’s own children were also inside. It was common for “teachers” to be biased and hit other people’s children for the sake of their own.
Parents quarreling and fighting wasn’t just once or twice.
Of course, the main issue was hygiene. The original owner had a bit of a germaphobia, and many of the practices of those military family teachers triggered her red lines. She didn’t send Yan Xiang there but brought him up at home herself.
Yan Xiang was clearly a very smart child. But Qiao Wei organized her memory; that nursery/Kindergarten thing really couldn’t teach children anything. It could only provide the most basic function of watching children.
Because some family members had jobs and couldn’t take care of their children themselves, they had this need.
After Yan Xiang finished his bowl of poached egg soup, Qiao Wei washed the bowl, and Yan Xiang had already found his small shovel and brought a bucket to Qiao Wei: “Mom, let’s go!”
What are the arrangements for a child’s day?
Picking up pebbles.
Digging in the sandbox.
Eating lunch, taking a nap.
Continuing to pick up pebbles.
Continuing to dig in the sandbox.
Eating dinner, eating fruit.
Playing with Dad, listening to Mom tell stories.
Going to sleep.
Wow, today is also a happy day~
But Qiao Wei wiped her hands and didn’t rush to leave: “You come with me.”
She took Yan Xiang to the study, took out paper and pen, wrote a few characters, and taught him: “This is ‘Gong’ (Work), the ‘Gong’ in working, the ‘Gong’ in worker. This is ‘Ren’ (Person), the ‘Ren’ in worker, the ‘Ren’ in people, man, woman. This is ‘Nv’ (Woman), Mom is ‘Nv’, Dad and Xiangxiang are ‘Nan’ (Man). This is ‘Tian’ (Field), this is ‘Li’ (Strength/Force). ‘Tian’ is written on top, ‘Li’ is written on the bottom, forming a new character, which is the ‘Nan’ in man. Xiangxiang and Dad are ‘Nan’.”
Yan Xiang said: “Uncle Zhao is also ‘Nan’, Gangzi, Huazi, and Jun Jun are all ‘Nan’. Mom and Aunt Yang are ‘Nv’, Yingzi and Wu Nier are also ‘Nv’. ‘Nan’ go to the men’s bathhouse, ‘Nv’ go to the women’s bathhouse.”
“Yes, yes, yes. Xiangxiang is so smart.” Qiao Wei praised him.
She taught him the characters for work, person, woman, field, strength, and man.
“We are going to pick up pebbles; when we come back, I will test Xiangxiang to see if Xiangxiang has forgotten these characters. If you haven’t forgotten, I will teach Xiangxiang more characters.”
Yan Xiang was unhappy: “I still have to dig in the sandbox.”
What’s wrong with Mom, delaying my magnificent project.
Qiao Wei’s eyes turned: “Then, if Xiangxiang can learn all these characters and not forget them, I’ll reward Xiangxiang with a piece of candy?”
There was candy at home, the kind wrapped in paper.
But fearing the child would eat candy without restraint, the candy was kept in a high place. Qiao Wei controlled the amount he ate every day, usually two or three pieces a day. No more.
Sure enough, Yan Xiang’s eyes lit up instantly.
Very good, Qiao Wei transmigrated into the book, took over the husband, took over the child, and now, the child’s education career should also be put on the agenda.
But when she reached out to rub Yan Xiang’s little head, her heart suddenly contracted.
A feeling of sourness and regret filled her chest, then dissipated like smoke, all relieved.
Qiao Wei pressed her hand on the location of her heart.
Qiao Weiwei, you can rest assured about leaving this child to me!
