Read Novel Full Chapter 538: Pregnant
Chapter 538: Pregnant
Jiang Ning returned to the house and set up a folding army table and chairs in the living room.
Huo Yishen was in the kitchen installing a range hood, a high-tech product from the United Base. The range hood wasn’t large, but it could absorb and convert 98% of the oil fumes, and the air it expelled was almost odorless.
Once he finished the installation, he stir-fried a plate of dehydrated and compressed vegetables.
The result was pretty impressive; it was about 80% to 90% effective.
The front and back yards were far apart, so the smell likely wouldn’t escape, and aside from particularly strong smells, they could cook with peace of mind.
Doudou went next door to move some things and, seeing no one was around, she brought in Bai Xue and Coke.
After a few days, the two dogs rushed to their mother, excited to be reunited.
Jiang Ning was happily petting the dog with her left hand and holding the wolf with her right.
However, it seemed like Bai Xue’s belly had grown bigger.
It looked like she was pregnant again.
Jiang Ning guessed that she would likely give birth in about a month.
Gu Tinglin didn’t get back until it was dark, looking completely worn out.
His stomach hurt badly, but hearing that Jiang Ning was back made all his worries from the past few days disappear. Without hesitation, he agreed to come over.
Seeing his poor condition, Shu Xueqing couldn’t help but scold him, “You know your old stomach problem, yet you keep giving away the medicine Jiang Ning made for you. Now that you’ve run out of stomach medicine and the hospital won’t have any, what are you going to do?”
“It’s fine, I can bear it,” Gu Tinglin said.
Shu Xueqing was worried about his health. “Why don’t you stay home? I’ll cook some plain porridge for your stomach.”
These days, who didn’t have some health issues? Gu Tinglin didn’t take it seriously. “I’m fine.”
Not to mention stomach pain, even if it were a stomach bleed, it wouldn’t stop him.
Shu Xueqing had no choice but to accompany him.
She went to the backyard, picked some vegetables, and grabbed a bag of rice.
Compared to regular people, their family’s meals were actually quite good. But Jiang Ning wasn’t used to their food. The only things she’d eaten were these two items.
When they arrived, Huo Yishen was still busy in the kitchen. Jiang Ning looked at the several boxes stacked in the corner of the living room and said, “These are the medicines we brought back. Do you think they’re enough to cover the cost of the house and land?”
As the head nurse, Shu Xueqing was thrilled when she saw the medicines.
Antibiotics, painkillers, anesthetics, bandages, surgical tools, iodine, alcohol—each item was urgently needed in the hospital.
Medicines were the rarest thing in the world right now, and this pile could save many lives.
Especially when she saw the painkillers, Shu Xueqing didn’t hesitate. “Anning, your father has been having stomach pains lately. Can we exchange a few boxes for him?”
Stomach pain? Didn’t she already prepare a lot of stomach medicine? She shouldn’t have run out so quickly.
Jiang Ning realized that either they had been lost during the escape at sea or had been given to someone else.
She looked at Gu Tinglin and noticed that he didn’t look well.
Gu Tinglin thought it strange that Shu Xueqing was being so talkative. He didn’t want Jiang Ning to be worried, so he reassured her, “It’s just an old problem; nothing to be concerned about.”
The wrong medicine could still be harmful.
Jiang Ning could tell just by his complexion that there were many problems with his health.
First, the stress of caring for the country and the people, and second, he had been worn out by the natural disasters.
Jiang Ning sat down to take his pulse and asked him about his stomach pain, then went into the room and grabbed two bottles of medicine, the same kind she had made when she worked at the southern military base. “Take two pills before meals.”
Her concern worked better than any miracle medicine, and instantly his stomach seemed to feel better.
After taking the medicine, Gu Tinglin explained, “The exact value of these medicines will be determined tomorrow when the hospital manager and the land management department come by. You can discuss the details then.”
Not sure what to say, Jiang Ning simply thanked him.
Dinner was ready, and Doudou brought the dishes to the table.
Stir-fried vegetables, shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with ham, steamed salted fish, and white rice.
Shu Xueqing was surprised. Where did they get eggs in this day and age?
But she didn’t dare ask.
Jiang Ning explained, “We found these when we raided the United Base. They had stockpiled a lot of fertilized poultry eggs, stored in high-tech sleep chambers. To our surprise, they didn’t go bad. We got a whole box.”
These eggs could be hatched for raising.
How could they just fry them?!
Not just Shu Xueqing, even Gu Tinglin’s expression was… “…”
Well, they had already been fried.
Jiang Ning shrugged, “There are still a few dozen left. You can take some home later.”
Shu Xueqing couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a way to hatch them?”
Jiang Ning thought for a moment. “It should be possible.”
Gu Tinglin suggested, “You could open a farm.”
Instead of contributing them to the base, he suggested starting a farm. Jiang Ning was a bit surprised. “That could work. I’ll check in a bit. I think there’s an incubator. Not sure if we brought it back.”
The meal was quite rich, almost like a welcoming feast.
With their daughter living next door, Gu Tinglin’s smile never disappeared. His normally stern and tough features had softened, and a warmth filled his heart.
Jiang Ning sensed it as well but didn’t know how to respond.
She decided to just go with the flow.
After dinner, Jiang Ning gave them some things to take with them.
A $10,000 biodegradable toilet, a complete coffee set, and several bundles of dark-colored fabric that could be used to make clothes.
Gu Tinglin was still struggling with his illness. Taking medicine alone wasn’t sufficient. The priority was making sure he received enough nutrition.
The fish cakes they had were rather bland, the same as the potatoes or sweet potatoes, and the canned food only appeared about once every ten days or so.
The lack of proper nutrition, if it continued for a long time, would shorten his lifespan.
Canned pork, canned lunch meat, canned fruits, nuts, dried fruit.
For stomach health, there was pu’er tea; for boosting energy, there was American ginseng; and there was also freeze-dried milk powder.
Some of it came from the United Base, and some was from her early zero-yuan purchases.
“You can take these for now, and we’ll talk about the rest when they’re finished.”
Each item was something that normal people couldn’t just get, and Gu Tinglin knew these were things she had risked her life to stockpile.
He hadn’t experienced it with her, but just hearing about it was terrifying. The United Base, led by Americans, was no easy opponent.
When it came to life and death, Gu Tinglin didn’t even flinch, but he didn’t want his daughter to go through this again. “You don’t have to. Keep it for yourselves.”
“No need to be polite. I wouldn’t give them to you if I didn’t have enough. Besides, you’ve helped so much.”
Gu Tinglin, who felt like he was being stabbed in the chest, was silent. ‘Does she want to cut ties?’
Suddenly, Jiang Ning had an idea. She grabbed a set of silver needles from the room and handed them to Shu Xueqing. “His health isn’t great. You could try acupuncture to help.”
Shu Xueqing looked a bit guilty. “Sorry, I don’t know how.”
Jiang Ning was surprised, but then realized that Shu Xueqing had studied nursing, not traditional Chinese medicine or acupuncture, so it was normal she wouldn’t know.
“Surely someone at the hospital knows how?” Jiang Ning asked.
“There is. Old Gu has been to a few times, but it didn’t help much,” Shu Xueqing said with a troubled expression. “Traditional Chinese medicine is very profound, especially acupuncture. Even with the same illness, different doctors have different methods. The technique of needling also has many subtleties.
Treating diseases relies on a good match between doctor and patient, and only two people at the hospital know acupuncture. We’ve already tried them.”
Jiang Ning didn’t know how to respond to that. “How about I give it a try?”
“Sure, it’s convenient to have a doctor at home. Old Gu’s health will be up to you from now on.”
Jiang Ning thought to herself—was it too late to change her mind?
Shu Xueqing might have some ulterior motives, but in the end, she was only thinking about Gu Tinglin.
Being a stepmother was tough, especially when there was still some distance between father and daughter so it’s unlikely that Jiang Ning will take her feelings into account.
Shu Xueqing stepped aside, “Old Gu, don’t disappoint Anning’s kindness. I’ll head back first.”