Chapter 92: Are You Pregnant?
Because she was so excited, Yun Qinghuan’s hands trembled as she opened the envelope. The weather was too hot, and she tended to sweat easily. In just a short while, her palms were already damp with sweat, soaking through the envelope and darkening its color.
After some effort, she finally got the envelope open—and immediately clapped a hand over her mouth in delight.
It was truly a stack of “Great Unity” notes (the 10-yuan bills), along with a thick pile of various other vouchers.
She counted them—eleven full Great Unity bills. That meant 110 yuan in total! She also pulled out a letter, which was from the editor-in-chief. The letter said the first issue had already been published, and it was selling well. They had even printed an additional hundred thousand or so copies across the country. Her share of the royalties was more than ten yuan, but they rounded it up and sent her twenty.
The editor-in-chief also said that, based on the story’s appeal, future chapters were likely to sell even better. After all, the cliffhanger she wrote at the end made readers eager to keep reading. So Yun Qinghuan’s royalties would only go up from here.
They also mentioned that any future stories she wrote could be submitted to ‘Guangming Newspaper’ first. As long as there were no major issues, her submissions would be accepted. In fact, her second submitted piece had already been approved—they were just waiting for her to finish and send it in.
The letter included a copy of the newspaper where her article had been published. She held it in her hands, unable to stop smiling.
An’an noticed the newspaper and tiptoed to peek. “Mama, I want to see too! What does it say?”
Bai Naihan caught sight of the newspaper, where the byline showed a large pen name: ‘Clouds and Breeze’. He heard An’an’s question and smiled. “Your mama’s article has been printed in the newspaper.”
“Wow! Mama is amazing!”
Little An’an didn’t understand much, but he knew that only really amazing people got their articles printed in a newspaper. If his mom could do that, then she must be super amazing too!
Yun Qinghuan was delighted by the praise and gently tousled the little one’s soft hair. His big, shiny eyes looked at her so seriously that her heart softened. “Today, Mama will buy you a new set of clothes—you can choose it yourself.”
“Wow!”
The little guy was even more excited! Mother was buying him picture books AND clothes today—how lucky was he?!
Now that the manuscript fee had been received, Yun Qinghuan decided to go ahead and buy everything she’d planned for the family. Cheerfully, she joined Bai Naihan and the others at the station, waiting for the county bus to depart.
There were a lot of people around—of all kinds. As her mother-in-law had warned, some did look suspicious, with shifty eyes and shady appearances. Definitely not good people.
She was glad she’d listened to Liu Yuzhi’s advice and sewn a small pouch into the inside of her blouse. She left twenty yuan out and tucked the remaining ninety into the hidden pocket to avoid getting pickpocketed.
She also held tightly onto An’an’s hand, afraid he’d get swept away in the crowd—he was so small, after all.
Child traffickers were common in this era, and An’an was a boy, with a good-looking face and an innocent nature—exactly the type those people would target. If he really were abducted, given how underdeveloped transportation and information networks were, it’d be almost impossible to find him again.
In her past life, she’d read many tragic news stories like that. Just thinking about them broke her heart.
So she didn’t dare let go of Bai Jin’an’s hand even a bit. She even explained to him that bad people might try to take children away. She described the consequences very seriously, telling him they’d break his legs, starve him, and he’d never see his mom or grandma again. The little guy turned pale from fright and clung tightly to her side.
Even when they reached a less crowded area and Yun Qinghuan momentarily let go to adjust her belongings, he still kept a tight grip on her clothes, refusing to let go.
Overly cautious?
Perhaps. But Yun Qinghuan thought it was a good thing.
Kids needed to develop safety awareness from a young age.
She remembered that, in the original novel, it was said that the antagonist Bai Jin’an had been kidnapped as a child. Even though his uncle Bai Naihan had used all his connections and found him in time, Bai Jin’an had still suffered a lot.
It was later discovered that the person who sold him off was his ‘own maternal grandmother’. The novel didn’t go into much detail, just that Bai Naihan retaliated against the Yun family, ensuring they never rose again.
But after that kidnapping, Bai Jin’an’s personality drastically changed and became more erratic.
Thinking of that, Yun Qinghuan looked at the boy beside her with pity and gently patted his head.
The little one looked up in confusion. “Mama?”
“Mm, let’s hurry and sit down.”
Yun Qinghuan smiled at him gently, trying to look especially loving.
An’an was made a little uncomfortable by her affectionate smile. He sat very upright in his seat, not daring to move a muscle.
The buses of this era were nowhere near as good as modern ones. There was no air conditioning, and it was sweltering in June. The bus rocked as it moved forward, and Yun Qinghuan had trouble keeping her balance.
She gripped the seat in front of her tightly to steady herself.
Since Bai Naihan used a wheelchair, the wheels rolled with the bumps. He also held onto a seat tightly to keep from shifting.
The back of his hand brushed against her back. With each jolt, she would accidentally press against it. The warmth of his skin came through her clothes, making Yun Qinghuan feel even more flushed.
Because An’an was still small, he didn’t need a bus ticket. Only the two adults had tickets, which meant they only had two seats for three people.
Since the bus was full, it would’ve drawn criticism if they occupied more than their share.
Luckily, Bai Naihan preferred to avoid trouble and simply sat in his wheelchair.
But the wheelchair wasn’t stable in the jostling bus. Yun Qinghuan worried he might not stay balanced, so she tied his wheelchair to her seat with a rope. As a result, they were now sitting very close together.
Bai Jin’an sat by the window, safely nestled between two adults.
It took 30 to 40 minutes to reach the county. It wasn’t exactly nearby.
Yun Qinghuan hadn’t been riding long before she was drenched in sweat. Feeling uncomfortable, she unbuttoned her collar and opened the window wider—but even the air coming in was hot.
She really missed modern air conditioning—it was so refreshingly cool.
There was no question: everyone in the bus was hot. People were sweating everywhere, and all the smells mixed together. The odor was so bad, Yun Qinghuan nearly vomited.
She already tended to get carsick. Combined with the stench, her stomach turned.
She almost threw up.
A kind older woman sitting nearby noticed and asked with concern, “Miss, are you pregnant?”
Yun Qinghuan’s eyes flew wide. She forgot all about her nausea and quickly waved her hands. “No, no! I just get carsick!”
♥ If you like or appreciate my work, please do ♥
Special Xoxo🤍💜🤍
