Axolotl Translations

Early the next morning, Wei Jiajia woke up with a sense of urgency and quickly rushed to the bathroom.

As soon as she locked the door behind her, she stepped into her hidden space and headed straight for the pharmacy section at the supermarket entrance.

She grabbed one of every pregnancy test available before exiting the space and setting to work.

When she saw the two bright red lines on the test strip in her hand, her fingers trembled slightly. She took several more tests—different brands, different types—but every single one gave the same result.

One test could be wrong, but this many, from different manufacturers, all showing the same result? There was no doubt—she was pregnant.

Wei Jiajia gently placed a hand over her stomach and whispered to the tiny life growing inside her, “Is this your way of letting me know you’re here now that Mom and Dad are finally home?”

Lately, she had been so focused on taking care of her husband that she hadn’t noticed anything else—not even the fact that her period was so late. If she hadn’t suddenly been repulsed by the smell of meat yesterday, she might never have given it a second thought.

A surge of emotion welled up inside her. She wanted to scream with joy, but it was still early morning. She didn’t want to wake the whole house and have people think she’d lost her mind.

After taking a moment to calm herself, she walked back to the bedroom, a radiant smile lighting up her face.

“Did you pick up some money on the way?” Qiao Haoyu teased, puzzled by his wife’s unusually cheerful expression. How did a quick trip out of the room leave her looking this happy?

“This is even better than finding money,” she said, carefully climbing into bed. Now that she knew she was pregnant, she had to be extra careful. She had heard that the first three months were the most delicate time.

“Well, tell me what it is so I can be happy too,” he said with amusement, watching her move so cautiously.

“Nope, it’s a secret for now,” she replied with a playful smile. First, she had to go to the hospital today and see a doctor—only then would she decide when to tell him.

Right now, she had no solid proof. If her husband asked how she knew, was she supposed to say she had simply guessed? That wouldn’t be very convincing.

Qiao Haoyu had only asked out of curiosity. He wasn’t particularly eager for an answer—he knew she would tell him when she was ready.

Wei Jiajia lingered in bed for another half an hour before finally getting up to prepare breakfast.

As she stepped out from the backyard, she caught sight of her husband emerging from their room. Immediately, she hurried over, reaching out to support his arm with a hint of disapproval in her voice. “Why are you up? If you needed something, you could have just called for me.”

“I needed to use the bathroom…” Qiao Haoyu replied helplessly, looking at her with amusement. Back in the hospital, at least there were nurses to assist him. But now that they were home, of course, he preferred to do things on his own.

Hearing his explanation, Wei Jiajia suddenly found herself at a loss for words. What was she supposed to do? Help him, or let him go on his own? In the end, her concern for his health outweighed her embarrassment.

“I’ll help you,” she said.

Qiao Haoyu: “…”

That was really unnecessary. It wasn’t like his legs were broken.

In the end, Wei Jiajia had no choice but to concede. Seeing that he could manage on his own, she reluctantly let him be.

For breakfast, she prepared fermented rice porridge, fried eggs, a selection of cold appetizers, and steamed mantou buns.

Perhaps it was the excitement of knowing she was pregnant, or maybe it was simply because there was no meat in the meal, but Wei Jiajia had an unusually hearty appetite today. She finished two large bowls of porridge and even ate one and a half mantou buns. Qiao Haoyu was completely stunned—this was the most he had ever seen her eat for breakfast. He kept asking if her stomach felt bloated or if she was uncomfortable.

Wei Jiajia herself was startled by her own appetite. If she kept eating like this, it wasn’t just a matter of affording the extra food—what would she look like later on? Just the thought of gaining weight after childbirth and being covered in rolls of fat sent a shiver down her spine.

Looks like she’d have to keep her portions in check. Chubby people might be a rare sight these days, and some even found them endearing, but that wasn’t a look she wanted for herself…

“Are you cold?” Qiao Haoyu asked, noticing her sudden shudder. His concern deepened—she had been acting strangely since yesterday.

“I’m fine!” she quickly reassured him. “You stay home and rest for a bit. I’m going to the hospital to pick up some gauze and alcohol. We don’t have any stocked up, and I completely forgot to buy them when we came back. The only thing I brought was the wound medicine.”

“All right. Take your time, no need to rush back. I’ll find something to keep myself busy here,” he replied.

At the hospital, after asking a nurse downstairs for directions, Wei Jiajia made her way toward the obstetrics and gynecology department.

As she reached the second floor, she spotted Li Linlin sitting outside the department’s entrance.

What a coincidence, she thought.

It wasn’t until after she had returned from the service station last time that she found out she had an unexpected connection with Li Linlin.

No wonder she had felt that woman’s gaze was strange that day, and her excuse for trying to snatch things away had seemed absurd. It turned out their history went beyond just the rivalry between Li Linlin and Zhang Huimin over the soloist position in the performing troupe—there was also the fact that she was Qiao Haoyu’s wife.

Of course, she simply listened and let it go. After all, she had never even spoken a single word to her husband before marrying him. No matter how envious Li Linlin felt, all she could do was wallow in her own bitterness. The best way to get back at her was simply to live a good life.

Besides, her husband had given her the confidence to ignore other women entirely.

When Li Linlin saw Wei Jiajia approaching, she was momentarily taken aback—what a small world.

However, noticing that Wei Jiajia had come alone, with no one accompanying her, she quickly made a connection. Given that Qiao Haoyu was still hospitalized due to his injuries, he probably couldn’t even take care of himself, let alone accompany his wife to the hospital.

Li Linlin turned her head slightly, glancing at her own husband, who was in the doctor’s office asking detailed questions about her health. A strange sense of superiority welled up inside her.

At that moment, in her eyes, Wang Jianjun’s presence seemed much more dignified. Even the fact that his rural mother had been staying with them for so long without any plans to leave—something that had previously annoyed her—suddenly seemed tolerable.

Wei Jiajia, however, was completely unaware of Li Linlin’s ridiculous vanity.

Without sparing her another glance, she simply waited until Li Linlin’s husband stepped out of the office before making her way inside.

“What symptoms are you experiencing?” the doctor asked, glancing at her.

“My period is more than two weeks late, and last night I suddenly felt nauseated when I smelled meat. Other than that, I haven’t noticed anything unusual,” she replied.

Hearing this, the doctor immediately had a pretty good idea of what was going on. She wrote out a lab order and instructed Wei Jiajia to get a blood test.

When Wei Jiajia returned with the results, the female doctor smiled and said, “Congratulations, you’re pregnant. You’re already nearly two months along.”

The confirmation brought her a wave of relief, but that relief was quickly replaced by nervousness as she anxiously began asking the doctor about all the precautions she needed to take during pregnancy.

Although Aunt Fen had shared some advice about what to be mindful of during pregnancy when she was expecting Xiao Xiangqing, experiencing it firsthand was a different matter entirely. Now that it was happening to her, Wei Jiajia couldn’t help but ask more questions to ease her worries.

The female doctor showed no impatience and carefully explained everything she needed to pay attention to during pregnancy. She also reminded her to return for a fetal development check-up once she reached the three-month mark and advised her to come in for monthly check-ups afterward. Additionally, the doctor mentioned that the military hospital had a highly skilled veteran traditional Chinese medicine practitioner. She suggested that when Wei Jiajia returned for her next visit, she could consult him for a pulse diagnosis to confirm the baby’s health.

Listening intently, Wei Jiajia absorbed all the information with humility. Once she felt she had understood everything, she sincerely thanked the doctor and headed to buy the gauze and alcohol her husband needed before making her way home.

By the time she got back, Qiao Haoyu was already feeling a little anxious. The moment he saw her return, he breathed a sigh of relief and asked, “Why did you take so long? It’s been nearly three hours.” As he spoke, his eyes scanned her up and down, checking to make sure she was alright. The trip to the hospital should have only taken about forty minutes round-trip, so it was impossible for him not to overthink why she had been gone for so long.

Wei Jiajia had rushed home in excitement—she was bursting to share her joy with someone, and who better than her husband?

Grinning, she handed him her test results and stood by eagerly, waiting for his reaction.

“What’s this?” Qiao Haoyu asked, puzzled as he unfolded the paper, not knowing what she wanted him to see.

His eyes landed on the words “Pregnancy Test: Positive”, and he stared at them for a long time, completely dumbfounded. He didn’t even blink for what felt like ages.

“Well? Cat got your tongue? At least say something!” Wei Jiajia waved her hand in front of his face. Was he so happy that he had gone blank, or did he simply not understand what he was looking at?

“Wife… this… I don’t get it! Explain it to me—what exactly does pregnancy test: positive mean?” Qiao Haoyu, for once, lost his composure. His voice was slightly shaky, and his eyes flickered with both excitement and disbelief.

Alright, it seemed he really was in shock!

Wei Jiajia took his large hand and placed it gently on her lower abdomen, her eyes twinkling with joy. “Congratulations, Comrade Qiao, you’re going to be a father!”

“I’m going to be a father?” His voice carried a note of disbelief.

“I’m going to be a father!” This time, his tone was full of certainty and excitement.

The realization hit him all at once, and he burst into hearty laughter—only for his joy to turn into pain as he accidentally pulled at his wound. “Hiss—ah! Cough, cough!”

“Be careful!” Wei Jiajia gasped in alarm. She quickly patted his back to soothe his coughing, then pulled him down to sit on a chair, preparing to check his wound.

“Hold it in for now—don’t laugh too hard, or you’ll hurt yourself again.” Seeing the struggle on his face, wanting to laugh but knowing he shouldn’t, Wei Jiajia sighed helplessly as she warned him.

She hadn’t expected her pregnancy to spark such a strong reaction from him. She knew he had been hoping for a child of their own, but given his reserved nature, she had assumed he would just quietly celebrate in his heart. She never thought he would be this expressive—so much so that even she was caught off guard.

In all the years she had known him, this was the first time she had ever seen him laugh so openly.

Noticing that his wound had started bleeding again, Wei Jiajia sighed in exasperation. As she carefully applied medicine, she patiently began scolding him, urging him to be more mindful and not take his injury lightly.

Qiao Haoyu sat obediently, letting his wife bandage his wound without moving an inch. The soft murmur of her nagging drifted past his ears, but none of it actually registered.

His mind was entirely consumed by one thought—he was going to be a father.

Then, glancing down at his current state and recalling how his wife had felt nauseated by the smell of meat the night before, a trace of worry crept into his heart.

He needed to figure out how to take care of her properly—how to take care of both her and the child growing inside her. He also needed to learn more about what to expect during her pregnancy.

It seemed like a good time to call his mother for advice on how to care for a pregnant woman. And, of course, he had to share this wonderful news with his great-aunt and the others—they would surely be overjoyed.

A deep sense of happiness swelled in Qiao Haoyu’s heart. If not for his current physical condition, he would have run outside and announced his fatherhood to the world, just to make Zeng Guoqiang and Zheng Kaixuan envious…

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