At the same time, in the corridor of the hospital’s obstetrics and gynecology department, Ding Ximei was also asking Cheng Fangqiu the same question: “Has Yinghuai finished his work? It’s been several days since we last saw him.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu was momentarily stunned before replying, “I don’t know either.”
Her tone was light and casual, but only she knew how worried and anxious she truly felt inside. Zhou Yinghuai had been gone for three days now, and during that time, there hadn’t been a single message from him. How could anyone not be concerned?
Moreover, over the past couple of days, several people had come asking about Zhou Yinghuai’s whereabouts in roundabout ways. At first, she thought it was just neighbors making casual conversation, but as it happened more frequently, she began to sense something fishy was going on.
It was likely that Hu Pingsheng, unable to locate Zhou Yinghuai, was starting to panic.
But this also indirectly indicated that the countermeasures Zhou Yinghuai had taken were working.
“We’re going back to the village in a couple of days. Your dad mentioned he wanted to have a few drinks with Yinghuai again. With his drinking capacity, no one in the village will be willing to drink with him once we’re back.”
Although she said this, Ding Ximei felt it was just an excuse Cheng Baokuan had come up with to see his son-in-law one more time.
“There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. It’s not a big deal if it’s not these couple of days,” Cheng Fangqiu smiled, deftly changing the subject. “Why hasn’t it been our turn for the check-up yet?”
As soon as this was mentioned, Ding Ximei’s attention was indeed diverted, and she chimed in, “Yeah, we’ve been waiting for so long.”
Cheng Fangqiu went to ask the nurse and learned that there was a pregnant woman inside undergoing a detailed examination, so they would have to wait a bit longer. She then sat back down, and fortunately, it wasn’t long before it was their turn.
“Cheng Fangqiu.”
The two of them entered the doctor’s office together. After looking at her paperwork, the doctor got straight to the point: “Are you married? Are you sexually active?”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu first glanced surreptitiously at Ding Ximei, and seeing that her expression was normal, she nodded somewhat sheepishly.
“First, we’ll do a routine gynecological examination. Take off your pants and lie down. Family members, please wait outside for a while,” the doctor said as she put on gloves.
“Qiuqiu, I’ll wait for you outside,” Ding Ximei said before leaving and closing the door behind her.
Since she had gone for a full-body check-up every year in her previous life, Cheng Fangqiu wasn’t particularly shy. She decisively took off her pants and lay down on the examination table, bare-bottomed.
“Everything looks normal. There don’t seem to be any issues.”
After the examination, the doctor removed her gloves, paused for a moment, and then added, “It’s just that the weather is hot, so it’s best not to engage in sexual activity too frequently. It could easily lead to inflammation.”
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu’s hands slowed as she pulled up her pants. Thinking of the marks between her legs that hadn’t yet faded, a blush crept onto her cheeks. “Okay, thank you, doctor.”
The two of them sat back down by the desk, and the doctor asked a few more questions before concluding, “Your physical condition is good, and you’re still young, so the chances of pregnancy are high. If you’re not using contraception and want to have a child, both you and your husband should pay attention to your diet and sleep schedule.”
Cheng Fangqiu nodded. Neither she nor Zhou Yinghuai had any bad habits, so this wasn’t something they needed to worry too much about.
“We offer free birth control products here. If you need any, you can go to the office across the hall and register.”
With that, the doctor asked her to step out and called Ding Ximei in.
Cheng Fangqiu closed the office door and was about to go sit on the chair to wait when the doctor’s last sentence slowly surfaced in her mind. Unconsciously, her gaze fell on the door of the office across the hall.
Birth control products? What did birth control products look like in this era?
After some internal debate, Cheng Fangqiu finally took a step forward and walked toward the office.
The medical conditions in this era weren’t as advanced as in later years, and many of the examination items available in the future didn’t exist yet. The family split up to complete all the necessary check-ups, and they finished quickly. The results wouldn’t be available immediately; they would have to wait a few days. So, without lingering at the hospital, they headed straight to a state-run restaurant for a meal.
Since they had to get their blood drawn, none of them had eaten all day, and by now, they were starving. After filling their stomachs, they finally had the leisure to chat for a while.
It wasn’t until it was almost dark that they finally returned to the guesthouse.
As soon as they entered the lobby, the front desk staff called out to them, “Comrade Cheng, your husband came by earlier, but you weren’t here. I couldn’t let him go upstairs, so he left a note saying he’s waiting for you at home.”
Cheng Fangqiu quickly took the note handed to her by the front desk. It was indeed Zhou Yinghuai’s handwriting. Had he finished handling the matter?
Thinking this, she didn’t care about anything else and rushed out after a quick explanation. All she wanted now was to go home and see for herself. But when she reached her doorstep, she realized she hadn’t brought her keys. She knocked several times, but there was no response from inside.
Had he left again?
Cheng Fangqiu felt a bit deflated. Just as she was about to turn around and head back to the guesthouse, the door behind her was suddenly yanked open.
Turning around at the sound, she was met with a pair of familiar, dark eyes.
He must have just finished washing up. He had casually thrown on a short-sleeved shirt and shorts before rushing to open the door. In his haste, he hadn’t dried himself properly, and water droplets had soaked into his clothes, leaving darker patches on the black fabric.
His short hair was dripping wet, the water trailing down his sharply defined, handsome features, sliding past his collarbone and disappearing into the neckline of his shirt.
“Ahhh, you’re really back?” Cheng Fangqiu quickly glanced him over before throwing herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck, her voice brimming with unconcealed joy.
Zhou Yinghuai wrapped one arm around her waist while using the other to quickly close the door behind them.
“Yeah, I just got back,” he murmured, burying his face in the crook of her neck, inhaling deeply the faint fragrance of her skin, his expression one of unprecedented contentment.
“That tickles.” Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t help but laugh and squirm as Zhou Yinghuai’s unshaven stubble brushed against her sensitive skin. But before she could pull away, he caught her and pulled her back.
“Let me hold you for a bit. I’m exhausted.”
This was the first time Cheng Fangqiu had ever heard him admit to being tired. A flicker of heartache passed through her eyes, and she immediately stopped struggling, letting him hold her as she gently stroked his back.
After a while, he finally released her and led her to the sofa.
Cheng Fangqiu was about to say something when he pulled her into his lap, his arms wrapping tightly around her waist. Then, his scorching, passionate kisses descended upon her. After several days apart, both of them were overcome with longing, as if they wanted to melt into each other.
“Absence makes the heart grow fonder” — the saying couldn’t be more true.
Zhou Yinghuai’s strong arms held her firmly, his large hand boldly slipping under her shirt and pushing the fabric up to her chin, his lips fiercely claiming hers.
He attacked from all sides, giving her no chance to catch her breath.
Her swan-like neck arched back as her fingers tangled in his short hair, her breaths coming in heavy gasps.
Before long, her body was also damp, even more so than his.
In a dizzying whirl, Cheng Fangqiu found herself pinned to the sofa, her long legs wrapping around his narrow waist. Zhou Yinghuai pulled off his shirt and leaned over her, but as he did, his abs brushed against something bulky in her pocket. He reached in and pulled out a few small packages wrapped in yellow paper.
Square and neat, with three bold red characters printed on them: “Condoms.”
When he realized what they were, Zhou Yinghuai raised an eyebrow, his long fingers picking up one of the packets and waving it in front of her face. His voice was hoarse as he asked, “Qiuqiu, what’s this?”
As soon as Zhou Yinghuai pulled out the condoms, Cheng Fangqiu’s foggy mind, clouded by his kisses, instantly cleared. She instinctively reached out to grab them, but he easily dodged her hand.
“Where did these come from?” Zhou Yinghuai’s voice was low and raspy, betraying no particular emotion, but Cheng Fangqiu felt a pang of panic, afraid he might misunderstand. She quickly explained, “I got them from the hospital.”
Biting her lower lip, her face flushed as she stammered through the explanation, adding, “I just wanted to take one to see what they looked like. I didn’t expect the nurse to be so enthusiastic and give me so many…”
Her mind flashed back to the nurse’s words: “Don’t be shy. Young people have needs. Take a few more so you don’t have to come back later. They’re free, and they have a long shelf life. They won’t go bad no matter how long you keep them.”
Hearing this, Zhou Yinghuai reached into her still-bulging pocket and pulled out a few more condoms.
Cheng Fangqiu covered her face, feeling utterly embarrassed. She reached out with her other hand to push Zhou Yinghuai away. “Get off first.”
The man knelt halfway on the sofa, pinning her hand that was pushing against his chest, and smirked. “Didn’t you say you were curious? Don’t you want to open one and take a look?”
Cheng Fangqiu’s long lashes fluttered as she peeked at him through her fingers. After hesitating for two seconds, she nodded. “Then you open it.”
Zhou Yinghuai tossed the dozen or so packets onto the coffee table, keeping only one. With nimble fingers, he tore open the packaging and pulled out its contents.
It was thin, similar to what was available in later years.
“There’s writing on the back,” Cheng Fangqiu softly reminded him.
Zhou Yinghuai flipped the packaging over as she suggested and glanced at the text. His lips parted slightly as he read aloud in a low, husky voice, “Before use, check for leaks…”
The impact of hearing such words spoken in his serious, gravelly tone was too much for Cheng Fangqiu to handle. She quickly interrupted him, “N-no, you don’t need to read it.”
Zhou Yinghuai shot her a glance but continued, “After use, wash and dry thoroughly, then apply talcum powder…”
Cheng Fangqiu couldn’t take it anymore. She propped herself up and reached to cover his mouth, but the man seized the opportunity to pin her hands above her head.
His upper body was bare, the enticing curves of his muscles shifting subtly with his movements. The scent of male pheromones mixed with soap filled the air, dominating the space.
“You’ve already seen it. Don’t you want to try it?” Zhou Yinghuai’s eyes darkened, his deep voice carrying a coaxing tone that easily swept away her rationality.
Oh, right. Should we give it a try?
Cheng Fangqiu glanced at the item pinched between his fingers and unconsciously swallowed. She was too embarrassed to speak, but Zhou Yinghuai didn’t seem to expect an answer from her. He followed the instructions step by step, except…
“It’s too small.” Zhou Yinghuai frowned slightly, clearly uncomfortable from the tightness.
Hearing this, Cheng Fangqiu instinctively looked down and saw that it had indeed gotten stuck halfway on.
“I didn’t know.”
The nurse had asked her about the size, but how was she supposed to know? So, the nurse had given her the average size, but she hadn’t expected it to be this much smaller.
“Does that mean we can’t try it?” Cheng Fangqiu glanced at it again, feeling a bit regretful.
Zhou Yinghuai sensed her gaze keenly, he wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to be annoyed.