AYLS – Chapter 93

Li Ermei was lying at home like an old matriarch, with a towel wrapped around her head, looking incredibly precious.

Instructor Chen was right beside her, serving tea and water, fussing over her, completely delighted.

“You mean, you got pregnant all of a sudden? I can hardly believe it.”

Who wouldn’t want to become a father after getting married? Other people marry and have kids almost immediately—one a year, maybe even two in two years.

But for him, it had been more than three years. Could he not be anxious?

If he didn’t have children, people would start to doubt his abilities.

Instructor Chen was overjoyed inside, hoping wholeheartedly that she would have a son. “It’s definitely going to be a chubby little boy.”

Li Ermei glared at him. You didn’t give me anything, and now you’re talking about having a son? How bold of you.

She had once wanted to have a son too, but after a long time, she felt that having a child—regardless of gender—was enough.

Her desire for a son wasn’t because she disliked daughters; she felt sorry for girls, thinking they would suffer in life. Sons would be loved and protected, whereas daughters would have to endure hardships.

But hearing Instructor Chen say that still irritated her.

She let out a long sigh.

Chen immediately grew concerned. “Were you tired yesterday? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?” He quickly prepared some brown sugar water to help her recover. These days, brown sugar water was like a miraculous cure—no matter what ailed you, a few sips could make you feel better.

“I’m okay,” Li Ermei said, taking a sip of the brown sugar water. “It’s just that my chest feels tight, and I keep feeling nauseous.”

“Then you should rest. Won’t you be taking time off work for now?”

“Resting alone won’t help.” Li Ermei rubbed her chest. “Lying down just makes me feel stuffy. Besides, if I don’t work, where will the income come from? Relying on your money—when the baby comes, won’t we be living on thin air?”

Instructor Chen was at a loss. “The baby’s still early. Let’s start saving. Raising a child isn’t easy.”

“But we need to eat meat, wear clothes,” Li Ermei rubbed her chest again. “When I sit at home and do the math, I just feel stifled.”

Instructor Chen: “…”

Li Ermei didn’t care about his troubled expression. Now that she was expecting, she was even more determined to think about her child’s future.

Her child shouldn’t have to live a life as hard as hers.

“I don’t care. The doctor said my health isn’t great, and this pregnancy isn’t exactly ideal.”

“The doctor said that?”

“Of course! Otherwise, do you think I’d be vomiting like this today?”

Instructor Chen looked worried again.

Li Ermei said, “I’ll go to the hospital for a check-up tomorrow. You can ask the doctor about my health. If the mother’s healthy, the child can grow well. I don’t even know how to take care of this pregnancy otherwise.”

“Yes, yes, tomorrow I’ll go with you to the military hospital for a check-up.”

The next morning, Instructor Chen rushed to Lin Qiao’s house to ask for leave on Li Ermei’s behalf.

Lin Qiao said, “Go ahead, don’t worry about things here. With me and Zhenzhen here, you just focus on taking care of the baby.”

“Thank you, Comrade Lin Qiao.”

“Thank what? Ermei is one of our good comrades. You should also treat her well. It’s tough for her now that she’s pregnant. Buy her some good food to help her recover. The doctor said yesterday that her health isn’t great.”

Hearing this, Instructor Chen realized that Ermei’s health really wasn’t good. He felt an odd mix of worry and unease.

After Instructor Chen left, Lin Qiao suggested to Gu Huayuan that they send some nourishing food to Ermei.

This month’s meat ration could be given to her, and they still had some eggs at home—those could be sent as well.

People with babies-to-be go through a lot; they need good nutrition.

Gu Huayuan didn’t mind at all—whatever she suggested, he agreed to.

“Handle the household matters.”

Lin Qiao felt satisfied, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth, then asked, “Ermei isn’t coming to work today. Did Comrade Li Yan say when she’d come?”

“I’m not sure. It depends on whether Sister Zhang agrees.”

Sister Zhang naturally agreed. As soon as Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen went to work, Sister Zhang led Li Yan over.

Li Yan was dressed in a military uniform, issued when she was in the army art troupe. Her hair was sleek and shiny, and her eyebrows were neatly groomed. Even in the chicken farm, she maintained her refined aura.

She didn’t say a word, just stood stiffly in the yard, her eyes scanning the area with a complex expression. Sister Zhang talked to Lin Qiao and Su Weizhen about Li Yan’s duties.

Lin Qiao already knew, so she wasn’t surprised. Su Weizhen, on the other hand, was stunned and glanced at Li Yan, thinking to herself that this person didn’t seem like someone ready to dedicate herself to chicken farming.

But since Sister Zhang had brought her here, refusal wasn’t an option. With Ermei pregnant, the farm also needed hands. Such selfless dedication couldn’t be turned away.

So Su Weizhen nodded along with Lin Qiao and warmly welcomed Comrade Li Yan.

Lin Qiao smiled. “Don’t worry, Sister Zhang. We sincerely welcome Comrade Li Yan’s joining. The other sisters just need to be informed properly.”

“I’ve explained everything to you and Sister Wang. You don’t need to worry.”

“No worries at all. You and Sister Wang make everyone feel at ease,” Lin Qiao flattered.

Sister Zhang laughed.

A girl who was both beautiful and sweet, with a good temperament—who wouldn’t like her? No wonder Xiao Gu treasured her. She couldn’t help but admire her.

After finishing Li Yan’s instructions, Sister Zhang left, reminding Li Yan to work diligently. Opportunities like this are rare. She just hoped Li Yan wouldn’t cause trouble here; frankly, if it weren’t for her being military family, she wouldn’t bother with her—getting dizzy just from fieldwork.

Once Sister Zhang left, Lin Qiao stepped forward to greet Li Yan and offered her hand. “Comrade Li Yan, welcome. It’s great that you’re here to help.”

Li Yan hesitated, touched Lin Qiao’s fingertips lightly, then withdrew her hand.

Su Weizhen frowned.

Lin Qiao felt a little displeased—her hand wasn’t even hot.

Oh well, some people are just difficult. Lin Qiao didn’t care. As long as someone worked, it was fine. “Since Comrade Ermei isn’t here today, you can cover her duties. The tasks are simple.”

Li Yan nodded silently.

“All right, follow me to put down the water cups and then get the tools,” Lin Qiao said, leading the way to the small office.

Li Yan followed, eyes on the ground, tiptoeing to avoid stepping on chicken droppings.

She walked like she was dancing, hopping lightly.

Su Weizhen was dumbfounded and couldn’t help shouting, “Comrade Li Yan, is the ground hot?”

Lin Qiao turned and noticed Li Yan’s strange behavior. She suddenly remembered that when she first saw the chicken farm, she had also tiptoed for a while—just not with Li Yan’s dance-like grace.

Having been there herself, she didn’t mind, and comforted her: “Comrade Li Yan, you’ll get used to it. Sooner or later, you’ll have to step on it, can’t avoid it. Don’t worry, the ground is dry, it won’t stick to your shoes.”

Hearing this, Li Yan felt a shiver run from her heart to her throat.

Lin Qiao waved her over. “Come on, let’s get the things.”

In the office, Li Yan put down the water cup and sat on a chair. Lin Qiao’s eyes widened. “Sitting down? We’re not on break yet. Finish the work first.”

Li Yan stood up and finally spoke her first words of the day, “What do we do first?”

“First, clean the yard, then feed the chickens.” Lin Qiao went to grab a broom while muttering, “Normally, we clean the yard in the afternoon, but since Ermei got pregnant yesterday, things got delayed. From now on, we’ll clean in the afternoon, and in the morning we’ll let the chickens out to feed them, then clean the house.”

Li Yan didn’t notice her face growing greener by the minute behind her. “I’m doing all this?”

“Of course. You’re new and have no skills, so you start with the basics. Everyone goes through this.”

Lin Qiao sympathized with Li Yan—who hadn’t suffered a little hardship when starting out? It was hard for someone who had never done this kind of work to adapt, so she was patient. “You’re lucky. When I worked at the poultry farm in the provincial city, the chicken droppings piled up everywhere. The smell was unbearable. I worked there for a week, and the stench stayed with me for a month after I got home.”

Li Yan covered her mouth.

“Come on, don’t cover your mouth. Let’s get to work.” Lin Qiao handed her the broom.

She led Li Yan outside to demonstrate. “You know how to sweep, right? Just sweep everything into a pile, then put it in the basket. Later, others will take it to use as fertilizer.”

Li Yan held the broom, unsure how to start. She had never swept a floor in her life.

At her parents’ home, distant aunts did the chores; after marrying, her mother-in-law handled them; sometimes the cleaning staff would help.

Here, it was all Zhang Tuo.

Su Weizhen saw her dragging her feet and suggested, “Comrade Li Yan, if you don’t like working here, I suggest you join the sisters in the fields instead.”

The mention of the fields made Li Yan remember previous experiences.

Because of that incident, she hadn’t eaten for days and couldn’t even vomit. It had been the darkest time of her life.

Compared to that, dealing with chicken droppings was better.

So, despite the discomfort, she tried to sweep like Lin Qiao.

Lin Qiao was pleased. “Yes, that’s it. You sweep, and I’ll go check on the chicks. Move quickly; I’ll be letting the rest of the flock out soon.”

She went back inside.

Su Weizhen kept an eye on Li Yan, occasionally urging her when she slowed down. “We really can’t waste time here. When the flock comes out, we need to feed them. The feed is scattered on the ground. If it’s too much, you can just go to the fields—this job isn’t suited for you.”

Li Yan gripped the broom, eyes red, tears streaming as she focused on her breathing to keep working.

Though slow, under supervision she completed the task. As soon as she finished, Lin Qiao released the chickens from the house.

A flock of chickens ran out, loudly clucking, making the morning lively.

Lin Qiao laughed along, scattering the feed and clucking, “Cluck, cluck, cluck…”

Li Yan froze in fright, especially at the sight of a sharp-beaked rooster, nearly screaming.

Before she could step back, Lin Qiao grabbed her and shoved the feed bag into her hands. “See? Just scatter it like this. They’ll eat themselves.”

The moment the bag was in Li Yan’s hands, the flock swarmed around her, excitedly clucking.

Li Yan’s eyes went wide in terror.

Lin Qiao looked back at the scene and shouted, “Hurry up and feed them, or they’ll jump on you!”

Li Yan quickly scattered the feed on the ground.

The flock ran to snatch the food, leaving a circle of fresh droppings around her.

She trembled all over.

Su Weizhen and Lin Qiao: “….”

After just one round, Su Weizhen didn’t believe Li Yan had come to raise chickens willingly; she didn’t even look like someone used to hard work.

She quietly pulled Lin Qiao toward the warehouse. “This doesn’t seem like she came here willingly.”

Lin Qiao said, “Of course she didn’t. At first, no one’s used to it, but being willing to come is enough.” She hadn’t wanted to go to the fields at first either, but she still did. Lin Qiao understood Li Yan.

“I just feel her attitude doesn’t fit this kind of work.”

“Then what can we do? Having someone is better than nothing.” Lin Qiao said, “Without her, I’d have to do this myself. Cough, cough, I mean, I’d be too busy. Having an extra pair of hands helps.”

As a poultry technician, how could she complain about dirty, tiring work? Lin Qiao was determined not to ruin her own image.

Luckily, Su Weizhen’s impression of her was still high-end, so she didn’t overthink Lin Qiao’s casual remark. Instead, she agreed—helping out was fine. Free labor; what more could you ask for?

“I’ll guide her more later. You two know each other, so it’s awkward for you to speak.”

Lin Qiao said, “It’s fine. I’m all about business anyway.”