Axolotl Translations

At around three in the morning, Wei Jiajia rose from bed and began preparing food. By the time she finished, the sun had begun to rise.

After setting aside a portion for the family, she carefully packed the rest into a separate bag.

Hurriedly returning to her room, she organized the bundle she had packed the night before. Besides the sauces she had made, she also added some dried meat she had retrieved from her supermarket space before going to sleep.

There was plenty of it in the supermarket, and she figured it would be useful for Qiao Haoyu to replenish his energy during training.

Once everything was packed, Wei Jiajia carried the bag over to Grandma Zhang’s house. Just as she arrived, she saw that Qiao Haoyu and the others had already finished breakfast and were getting ready to leave.

The moment Qiao Haoyu spotted her, he quickly stepped forward, took the bundle from her hands, and frowned after weighing it.

“What’s inside? It’s so heavy! How did you even carry this over? Don’t exhaust yourself like this—I have everything I need at school.”

“It’s all food I prepared for you. The top bundle contains meals for the journey, so don’t hold back—eat it all before it spoils in this heat.”

“The bottom part contains some meat sauces and dried meat in three different flavors. You can mix the sauce with rice, and if you want, you can share some with your dormmates. The rest is for whenever you want to change the flavor in your meals. Oh, and you…”

As Wei Jiajia spoke, carefully instructing Qiao Haoyu on what to eat and how to take care of himself, she resembled a wife reluctantly seeing her husband off on a long journey.

Qiao Haoyu felt his heart swell with emotion—this girl, Wei Jiajia, filled every corner of it. He wished time could move faster—he longed for the day he could rightfully call her his wife.

Before Wei Jiajia could finish speaking, Qiao Haoyu suddenly pulled her into his arms.

One arm held the bag, while the other wrapped tightly around her. He rested his chin gently on top of her head, holding her close.

Wei Jiajia froze for a moment, but then she followed her heart, lifting her arms to wrap them around Qiao Haoyu’s waist.

For a time, neither of them spoke. They simply stood there, quietly embracing each other.

Zeng Guoqiang and the other members of the Zhang family saw them embracing at the gate, yet no one said a word.

They all felt a pang of sorrow for these young lovers. Who knew when they would see each other again? But this was the life of a soldier. As long as they wore the uniform, they bore the responsibility of defending their homeland, no matter the cost.

Just then, Zeng Guoqiang turned his head and met Zhang Huimin’s gaze.

Their eyes conveyed everything—words left unspoken, hesitation, confusion, regret, and something else indescribable, something only the two of them could understand.

After a few seconds of silent staring, Zhang Huimin was the first to look away.

Minutes later, Wei Jiajia lifted her head and looked up at Qiao Haoyu.

“Alright, I haven’t even officially agreed to your pursuit yet, and you’ve already hugged me for so long. Doesn’t that mean I’ve suffered a loss?”

Qiao Haoyu knew she was trying to lighten the mood, so he chuckled along with her.

“Since you’re going to be mine sooner or later, why shouldn’t I exercise my rights in advance?”

Wei Jiajia hadn’t expected him to say something so shameless. She rolled her beautiful eyes at him, feigning annoyance.

Qiao Haoyu burst into laughter, raising his hand to gently ruffle her hair.

“I’ll write to you as soon as I arrive at school. When you reply, don’t forget to send me the photo—I’ll be relying on it to get by.”

“I know, I know.”

Wei Jiajia rolled her eyes again. Just like that, the lingering sadness had been completely wiped away by this man’s teasing words.

The Zhang family accompanied Qiao Haoyu and Zeng Guoqiang to the train station, but Wei Jiajia and Zhang Huimin chose not to go.

As the bicycle carrying them disappeared around the corner of the road, Wei Jiajia’s tears finally fell.

Standing beside her, Zhang Huimin immediately pulled her into a tight embrace, silently comforting her.

Wei Jiajia knew she had to get used to these farewells. After all, she had chosen to love a soldier.

She understood the loneliness and sacrifices that came with being a military wife. She knew exactly what it meant, and she was prepared to endure it.

But just now, as she watched his departing figure, she found herself unable to stop her tears from falling.

The two of them had grown up together. Despite her delicate and soft appearance, Wei Jiajia had a strong heart, and it was rare to see her cry.

Seeing her like this, Zhang Huimin realized that her cousin must have already taken root in Wei Jiajia’s heart. That was why she found this parting so unbearable.

As she thought about Zeng Guoqiang, who had left alongside him, Zhang Huimin, usually lighthearted and carefree, suddenly found herself tearing up as well.

She didn’t even know why she was crying. She just felt… really sad.

Grandmother Zhang wiped the corner of her eyes before turning to see the two girls clinging to each other, crying uncontrollably.

She walked over and patted Wei Jiajia’s shoulder, offering silent comfort. This was something she had to go through—over time, she would gradually learn to bear it.

But then, she noticed her own granddaughter sobbing even harder than Wei Jiajia, with both tears and snot running down her face as she buried herself in Wei Jiajia’s shoulder.

The old woman was utterly speechless. She had no idea why Zhang Huimin was even crying in the first place.

Annoyed, the old lady walked over and gave her a firm slap on the back.

Zhang Huimin yelped in pain and immediately jumped up, turning to glare at her grandmother in protest.

“Grandma! What was that for?”

“You seriously don’t know why I hit you?”

Grandma Zhang cast Zhang Huimin a sharp look before saying, “What are you crying for? You’ve never been this reluctant to part with your cousin before. Stop causing unnecessary trouble.”

“I…”

Zhang Huimin was at a loss for words. She honestly didn’t know why she was crying either.

Seeing her bewildered expression, Wei Jiajia suddenly burst into laughter, the sadness of parting instantly dissipating.

After some thought, she realized there was no need to dwell on it. She was heading to university, and he was graduating and going to the army. They wouldn’t be able to spend time together if they had stayed in the same place. This was just her first real relationship, and she needed time to get used to being apart.

A few days later, it was time for Zhang Huimin to enlist. Wei Jiajia, along with the rest of the Zhang family, accompanied her to the assembly site to see her off.

Seeing Zhang Huimin dressed in a green military uniform, a bright red flower pinned to her chest, standing among her fellow recruits with a beaming smile, Wei Jiajia felt genuinely happy for her friend.

Because now, Zhang Huimin was chasing her dream. And soon, Wei Jiajia would also be working toward hers.

After returning home, it took Wei Jiajia two full days to regain her composure.

Ever since she arrived in this era, Zhang Huimin had been a constant presence by her side. The two had always been inseparable. Now that she had suddenly left, Wei Jiajia found herself struggling to get used to it.

That evening, while they were having dinner, Aunt Fen suddenly covered her mouth, looking extremely uncomfortable, as if she were desperately trying to endure something.

Uncle Zhuzi was the first to notice her condition and asked worriedly, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

Hearing his question, everyone turned their gaze toward Aunt Fen.

“Xiaofen? What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell? Your face is so pale!” Great-aunt asked anxiously.

“It’s nothing, Godmother, I just suddenly feel a little nauseous,” Aunt Fen replied, shaking her head, but she still looked unwell.

“Nauseous? Do you have a headache?” Uncle Zhuzi immediately reached out to touch her forehead, worried that she might have a fever.

Before he could properly feel her temperature, Aunt Fen suddenly gagged—“Urgh!”—and rushed outside.

Everyone was taken aback. Uncle Zhuzi immediately followed after her, and Wei Jiajia quickly got up as well to see what was going on.

The children sat frozen, their hands hesitating over their chopsticks, not daring to move. None of them understood what was happening to Aunt Fen.

“Is Aunt Fen sick? Does she need to take medicine?” Nuannuan lifted her head and asked Grandaunt in a soft voice.

Great-aunt gently stroked Nuannuan’s little head.

“Yes, Aunt Fen is sick. You all need to behave, alright?”

“I’ll be good! I won’t take any medicine,” Nuannuan said, looking rather apprehensive.

“I won’t get sick either! Getting sick means getting shots, and that hurts!” Yangyang quickly chimed in, making his own firm declaration.

At that moment, Uncle Zhuzi helped Aunt Fen back inside, with Wei Jiajia following closely behind. As soon as Aunt Fen sat down at the table, she started dry heaving again.

She covered her mouth and nose with one hand while pointing at the fish dish on the table with the other.

“This fish smells so strong! Urgh—I can’t, I feel like throwing up again.” The words had barely left her lips before she rushed outside once more.

Everyone at the table looked at each other in confusion.

Xiangxi picked up the dish, brought it close to his nose, and sniffed. Then he looked up at everyone and said, “It doesn’t smell bad at all! In fact, it smells quite appetizing! Is there something wrong with my nose? Brother, you try.”

Saying this, he passed the dish over to Xiangdong, who also leaned in to take a sniff.

“No, it’s not fishy at all.”

Now everyone’s attention was on the fish dish. One by one, they took turns sniffing it, but no one detected any unpleasant odor. Why was Aunt Fen the only one reacting so strongly?

Wei Jiajia pondered for a moment before casually remarking, “Could it be that she’s pregnant?”

In an instant, the room fell into silence. Even Aunt Fen and Uncle Zhuzi, who had just reached the doorway, froze in place.

“Jiajia, do you really think so? Could I be pregnant?” Aunt Fen snapped out of her daze, rushed over, and grabbed Wei Jiajia’s arm in excitement.

Wei Jiajia was momentarily startled by her reaction but quickly understood—after all, Aunt Fen was in her thirties and had yet to have a child of her own.

In this era, a woman without children had to endure enormous social pressure. Fortunately, although Uncle Zhuzi was a man of few words, he treated Aunt Fen with unwavering devotion and sincerity.

“That’s right. Isn’t it commonly said that pregnant women often develop a heightened sense of smell and become sensitive to certain odors?”

As Wei Jiajia spoke, she gently patted Aunt Fen’s arm. It was only then that Aunt Fen realized that in her excitement, she had gripped Wei Jiajia too tightly and hurt her.

Great-aunt and Uncle Zhuzi were equally taken aback by Wei Jiajia’s words. After thinking about it for a moment, they recalled that when Aunt Fen had been pregnant the first time, she had also become highly sensitive to certain smells and had developed strange cravings.

However, after losing that child, their bodies had suffered from the harsh conditions of their escape during the famine. They had consulted many doctors, all of whom had told them that conceiving again would be impossible. Eventually, they had come to terms with this painful fate.

Greataunt quickly steadied Aunt Fen and said reassuringly, “Let’s eat first, then get a good night’s rest. Tomorrow morning, Zhuzi will take you to the hospital for a checkup. From what Jiajia is saying, there’s a good chance you’re really pregnant!”

Both Aunt Fen and Uncle Zhuzi were overwhelmed with emotion. Aunt Fen, in particular, found herself so overjoyed that even the pickled fish, which had seemed unbearable only moments ago, now no longer bothered her.

The children, hearing that Aunt Fen might be carrying a baby, leaped with joy. The youngest, Nuannuan, was especially thrilled, exclaiming that she was finally going to be a big sister. She couldn’t wait for the baby to arrive so they could play together!

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