Chu He wrinkled her brows. “In fact, I have to thank you for adding much joy into our empty and lifeless home with your presence. My son likes you very much, too. I can’t constantly stay by his side due to work commitments, but now that you’re with us, he’s no longer as lonely as before and I also feel more assured about leaving him at home.”
“Have you ever considered trying to recover your lost memories?” The pregnant lady mustered her courage to pose this question. “Memories about yourself, your past, your family, and your son’s birth father.”
Her hands froze in mid-air for several seconds before she looked up and met the other in the eyes with a grin. “Of course, I did. My plan is to save up enough money before venturing into the outside world. Who knows? I may be able to rouse my memories? Do you want to join me when that time comes?”
“Sure.” Meng Qingxue flashed a smile at her in return.
The policewoman then took her to a maternity and child health hospital. After undergoing a series of examinations, the doctor told her that she had overworked herself, which caused herself to be physically drained. On top of that, her long hours of sitting in the same position and imbalanced diet resulted in her developing signs of a miscarriage.
The doctor, thus, gave her a progesterone shot and repeatedly reminded her not to tire herself out and to do regular checkups, or else it would be easy for her to suffer from a miscarriage.
The young, first-time mother was appalled to hear that; the thought that she had nearly lost her flesh and blood due to negligence left her feeling rattled.
The doctor then asked, “Where’s the child’s father?”
“…” At that, her lips quivered slightly, but she eventually did not give a reply.
Upon sensing her evasion of his question and her complex look, he knew that it was probably a sensitive topic and, thus, did not press for an answer further.
Later, while on the way home, the two women passed by a fruit stall, which got the officer stopping the motorbike and alighting right away, much to the other’s surprise.
She watched the policewoman approach the fruit stall to select some fruits.
“Fruits in the county are much cheaper than in the village, and there aren’t many fruit vendors back home. Why don’t we buy some to eat?” asked Chu He, adding, “Oh, I remember now. I used to crave sour food when I was expecting my son; there’s this one time when I couldn’t find any at home even after searching for a long time in the night. Why don’t I get you some sour plums in case you have the craving for something sour?”
“I don’t have any particular craving for sour food, though,” replied the expectant mother.
“Eh?” This time, it was her turn to be surprised. “Don’t all expectant mothers love food like sour plums when they suffer from morning sickness?”
“I did hear people saying that, but I don’t have that particular craving.”
“You have a unique constitution. Still, it’s better that we prepare some for times of need.”
“Okay.” Meng Qingxue then grinned at her, saying, “We sure are fated to meet, huh? I can even learn from your experience.”
“Learn from my experience?”
“Yeah… I can ask you stuff about the labor process, for example. I heard that women go through excruciating pain during labor.”
The policewoman’s countenance turned serious. “It is indeed painful during labor, but I can tolerate pain quite well. I just don’t know if you can take it, though.”
“Was yours a natural birth?”
“Yes. The doctor advised me to have a natural birth since my body’s in good condition. He said that it’s better for the body and that the recovery process will be much faster. Delivering the child via C-section means that you’ll be cut somewhere below your navel; it’s too damaging on your health and body.”
“I won’t be given an anesthetic if I opt for a natural delivery, though,” she said somewhat worriedly. “I can’t take pain well.”