639. Mother
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Since finding out she was pregnant, Lin Nan’s appetite has vanished into thin air.
Currently in the early stages of pregnancy, every morning when she gets out of bed, she’s hit by a wave of nausea, and her body feels like it’s been run over by a truck.
After deciding to go through with the pregnancy, her anxiety slowly melted away, her insomnia vanished, but now she’s turned into a snooze machine. Where she used to be perfectly fine with eight or nine hours of sleep, now she’s dragging herself through the day after hitting the sack for more than ten hours.
But hey, the early pregnancy chills haven’t touched her, thanks to the magic she has to control her body temperature.
A few days back, she and Chen Yao made another trip to the hospital for a check-up.
Her health is fine, confirmed that she’s pregnant, and the little peanut in her belly still doesn’t have a recognizable shape—apparently, that’s something for the twelfth week of pregnancy.
The only hiccup? Her estrogen levels are off the charts during this pregnancy, making her symptoms more severe than usual.
While Chen Yao would love for Lin Nan to be a couch potato during this time, she’s not exactly on board with that plan.
Staying indoors all day, even if she weren’t ill, would probably drive her crazy. But as a pregnant woman, she can’t exactly go job hunting, so she settles for grocery shopping and window shopping to keep her spirits up.
It’s hard to believe that just a few years back, she was a dude, and now in her early twenties, she’s wearing the label of “pregnant lady.”
Talk about a tough pill to swallow!
If someone had told her back when she first met Lilith that she’d be marrying a guy and popping out babies, she might have thrown a punch and shouted something like, “I’d rather be single for life than find a man!”
And now? It’s suddenly sounding pretty appealing…
Waking up at nine in the morning, Lin Nan zipped off to the supermarket to grab some groceries, only to return home and find her mother already there.
Her mom had long ago ditched the market stalls and factory jobs. She runs a bustling tutoring center with her class teacher—her teacher handles the teaching while Mom manages the logistics.
Sure, she’s a bit busier now, but life with the class teacher is filling her cup nicely.
Today, she came specifically to visit Lin Nan.
Lin Nan had even bought special groceries to treat her mother, but the lady was looking a bit odd, making Lin Nan wonder what on earth was going on.
Could it be that her pregnancy secret was out?
Slipping into her house slippers, Lin Nan spotted her mom sitting on the couch, looking all fidgety and shaking her leg like she was on a caffeine high.
After putting the groceries in the fridge, she returned to the living room, handed her mom a bottle of milk, and looked at her, puzzled.
“Mom, what’s up?” Lin Nan plopped down next to her, curiosity dancing in her eyes and a nervous knot tightening in her stomach as she feared becoming a caged bird if her pregnancy got out.
Her mother’s cheeks were slightly flushed, as if grappling with something hard to say.
But honestly, that awkward reaction put Lin Nan somewhat at ease; it didn’t exactly scream, “I know you’re pregnant!”
“Nan Nan…”
“Yup?” Lin Nan blinked her big innocent eyes at her mom like a deer caught in headlights.
After a tense pause, her mother asked, “Do you… mind having a little brother or sister?”
Lin Nan froze, staring in disbelief. “Mom, are you pregnant?”
Wait a minute, a mother-daughter pregnancy combo? So, will her kids have to call their future siblings “Uncle” or “Aunt” if they’re the same age?
What about a toddler sibling who’d be twenty years younger than her?
Sure, the government encourages two kids, but does she have to join the club?
“No!” Her mom quickly shook her head, “It’s just your class teacher has that idea and wants to take me to the hospital for a check-up.”
Lin Nan was momentarily speechless, processing her mom’s bright red face and feeling a bit lost.
True, her uncle was only thirty, but he and her mom were just a little over ten years apart in age. Add her young aunt to the mix, and the age difference was about eight or nine years. But still, that was hard to swallow!
After a lengthy silence, Lin Nan finally reminded her, “High-risk pregnancies can be dangerous.”
“And besides, you and the class teacher have enough energy? You’re both in your forties! Is this really okay?”
They’re all adults, so might as well be direct.
Yes! Lin Nan was questioning her teacher’s kidney function!
Her mother fumbled for a moment, caught off guard by her daughter’s unexpected inquiry into her personal life.
“Do you really want a little brother or sister?”
Lin Nan shook her head without missing a beat. “Nope.”
Her mom nodded, looking relieved. Clearly, she wasn’t too keen on having another kid either—this idea must’ve sprung from the teacher.
After chatting for a bit, Lin Nan decided to get up and cook, but her mom’s gaze suddenly fixated on her chest, narrowing her brows, yet she said nothing more.
Lin Nan proceeded to prepare three dishes and a soup: braised pork, stir-fried bok choy, boiled shrimp, and bone soup.
She shoved her mother out of her kitchen business, bustling around solo while her mom stood at the door, observing Lin Nan sharpen her cooking skills.
“Did you hurt your finger?” her mom noticed the Band-Aid on Lin Nan’s hand.
Usually, those cuts take about two weeks to heal, and it had only been a week since her last kitchen mishap.
“Yeah, got distracted while chopping veggies,” Lin Nan replied casually, not giving it a second thought.
Once the oil was heated, she tossed in some chopped garlic to sizzle, threw in a handful of bok choy, and quickly covered the pan to prevent exploding oil. With a smile, she turned to her mom and said, “It’s not that painful, I’m fine.”
“Hmm.” Her mother looked at her with mixed feelings, realizing that the little boy from years ago had become quite the adept wife!
But not long after, Lin Nan frowned and, with a swift motion, turned off the burner and rushed to the sink, gagging.
Having not eaten much that morning, it was just dry heaving.
Concerned, her mom opened the kitchen glass door, about to ask, only to see Lin Nan straighten up and smile, “Just feeling a little nauseous. I’m used to it now.”
“Are you sick?”
“Not really.” Lin Nan hesitated over whether to drop the pregnancy bomb on her mom.
She didn’t want her mom and Auntie Miraculously Joyous suddenly moving in and monitoring her every step, curbing her freedom.
But after a short deliberation, she looked up boldly and declared, “Mom, I’m pregnant.”
“!!!”
Her mother was completely flabbergasted, caught off guard by the news.
But almost immediately, excitement lit up her face. She grabbed Lin Nan’s arm and dragged her to the dining area, rolling up her sleeves as she entered the kitchen, muttering, “You should’ve said something sooner! Why are you cooking? Let me take over!”
Lin Nan stood outside the kitchen, feeling helpless. “Mom, is it really necessary to panic like this?”
“What do you mean not necessary? That’s my grandbaby we’re talking about! No way! This needs to be announced to the in-laws!”
Her mother turned on the stove and immediately switched it off, pulling out her phone to spread the word.
Seeing her mom react like this, Lin Nan suddenly regretted spilling the beans about her pregnancy.
From now on, she was probably going to live under the constant watch of her future mother-in-law and her mom!
Imagining that scenario, her face paled. She quickly dashed into the kitchen, snatched the phone from her mother’s hand.
“What’s wrong?” her mother blinked, dumbfounded.
“No! We can’t tell anyone!”
“Why not?”
“If it gets out, will I still have my freedom?” Lin Nan bolted out of the kitchen, sticking her phone into her pocket as she continued, “And you! You need to find your own place today! No staying here!”
Her mom looked conflicted. “But Chen Yao has to work. Isn’t it better for me to take care of you now that you’re pregnant?”
“Not at all! I’m fine on my own! I’ll let you know when I can’t move!” Lin Nan turned her head. Sure, she was feeling a bit off, but not to the point of needing a babysitter.
Isn’t playing games at home by herself nice enough? Why drag extra parental figures into the mix?
In her mind, she huffed, and absentmindedly grabbed a bottle of cola from the fridge. Just as she was about to pop it open, her mother swooped in and snatched it away, mimicking Lin Nan’s earlier move.
No! My precious life force!
“You can’t drink cola while pregnant!” Her mother shot her an eye. “And you can’t just laze around! Pregnant ladies need exercise! You should go out for an hour every evening!”
“But I go down for groceries every day…”
Her mother declared firmly, “Now that Chen Yao is busy, I can’t just let you be alone at home, especially when it comes to going out. What if something happens? You’ll need someone around, so I’m staying!”
“Please?” Lin Nan weakly protested. “I’m handling everything just fine. You’re busy enough, no need to worry about me.”
“No can do!” Her mom placed the cola on the table, stealthily reached into Lin Nan’s pocket, and happily dialed her in-laws to share the joyful news.
Lin Nan’s expression darkened. She knew her mom would be thrilled about this news, but she hadn’t expected it to be this difficult to reason with her.
That meant her next nine months would be under either her mother’s or mother-in-law’s watchful eyes.
Today it was a “no cola” ban, followed by a mandatory evening stroll; tomorrow it could easily mean a truckload of supplements and health soups forced into her mouth.
Before long, they might cite “radiation” as a reason to confiscate her TV, computer, and phone.
Terrifying.
Imagining that scene made Lin Nan shiver just a little.
She had never really been controlled growing up, and now as an adult, she found herself losing that freedom.
If only she had kept the pregnancy under wraps a little longer; she might’ve enjoyed some semblance of peace!
