Chapter 519: Chapter 519: Postpartum Recovery Exercises
Wen Shi let out a long sigh, "You almost scared me to death."
Yi Chichi burst into laughter, and Wen Shi laughed along with her.
After laughing, they got down to business.
"Have you set the date for the sea trip?"
"Yes, the day after tomorrow at 6:15 AM we’ll leave the port."
"Do you want me to make some marinated food for you to take along?"
"That won’t last long."
"Share it with others, are you planning to eat it all by yourself?"
Wen Shi suddenly realized, "I forgot about that, make some."
So, when Wen’s mother went to the market the next day, she added a few more dishes to her originally planned menu.
Wen Yi was woken up by the morning bugle and was now full of energy.
Seeing his grandma heading to the courtyard gate with a basket, he turned his head to Yi Chichi, as if asking where his grandma was going.
"Grandma is going to the market to buy groceries."
Yi Chichi wasn’t sure if Wen Yi understood, but he suddenly got excited, waving his little hands and feet.
Yi Chichi, "...Do you want to go too?"
Wen’s mother, as if she had growing ears, came back just as quickly as she left and eagerly looked at Yi Chichi, "Why don’t we take Yi Yi to see the morning market, daughter-in-law?"
Her tone was consultative, and the anticipation on her face was obvious.
Yi Chichi looked at the little friend with big lively eyes in her arms and thought for two seconds before agreeing to Wen’s mother’s proposal.
The old lady was instantly overjoyed, "I’ll go and pack things up."
The market is a bit far from here, about a 20-minute walk. This distance is nothing for those used to it, but taking a clueless little baby is not easy.
Because he might cry if he pees or gets hungry on the way.
So, everything needed had to be brought along.
Then, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law took Wen Yi out of the house.
On the way, they met Captain Ke’s wife, Ye Sang, who was also heading to the market. She was pregnant and was at the stage of overwhelming maternal instincts.
Seeing Wen Yi, her eyes were immediately filled with affection, "Yi Yi, where are you going with mommy and grandma?"
Wen Yi could respond; no matter who spoke, he felt they were talking to him and responded eagerly.
This time was no exception. Strapped to Yi Chichi’s chest facing forward, he was waving his hands and feet and making excited noises.
Wen’s mother laughed at this and answered for him, "He’s never been far, so we’re taking him to see the market. Xiao Ye, are you heading to the market too?"
"We’re out of meat at home, I want to buy some meat."
Ye Sang carried her pregnancy well, much like Yi Chichi, without issues like nausea or lack of appetite. Instead, she could eat and sleep, like she was carrying a little glutton and her mouth was never idle all day.
Speaking of meat, she swallowed, "I feel like I haven’t had meat in forever, I’ve almost forgotten the taste."
She sounded pitiful, but her hand honestly pulled a small pack of jerky out of her pocket, opened it, and fished out a piece to put in her mouth, offering the rest, "Auntie, sister-in-law, have a taste."
"You eat it yourself."
They maintained decorum and didn’t snatch food from a pregnant woman.
However—
"I dried that jerky."
Wen’s mother glanced at the shape and color of the jerky, immediately recognizing it as what she had helped Old Ke make at the cooking class, a side project when making braised pork.
Ye Sang was surprised and adorably said, "Did auntie dry this? I didn’t know, Old Ke brought it home saying my mouth was always craving and to chew on a few when I had nothing to do."
Yi Chichi laughed, "That’s good, eat more. But later on, you’ll need to start controlling your diet, otherwise your belly will be too big, and you’ll suffer when you give birth."
Ye Sang got interested, "Sister-in-law, did it hurt when you gave birth to Yi Yi?"
"It hurt!"
It was no exaggeration, it was genuinely painful during childbirth. It hurt so much that her vision went dark, and she almost wished to die.
Recalling the pain of childbirth, Yi Chichi felt a shiver down her spine.
"Actually, the pain isn’t the most difficult part."
After all, the pain caused by contractions during delivery is often finite, and success at delivering is a relief.
"The tough part is postpartum recovery."
"What’s postpartum recovery?"
There was so much to say.
Yi Chichi explained to her what postpartum recovery was, and how to maintain and exercise.
Ye Sang was almost numb from listening.
But as numb as she was, since it concerned her own body, she was very interested.
"Sister-in-law, can you teach me recovery exercises later?"
"Sure."
Yi Chichi agreed quickly, "After you give birth, when I come to visit, I’ll teach you."
"Great, thank you, sister-in-law."
"You’re welcome!"
The three adults and one child chatted and laughed as they walked, gradually joined by other military families.
By the time they reached the market, the group had grown to more than thirty people.
There were military families, familiar villagers from nearby, and workers from the factory.
With the reform and opening up, although various tickets haven’t completely exited the market, some goods can be bought without tickets.
Ye Sang didn’t get along well with other sisters-in-law, mainly because she had a tendency to be a bit of a homebody with social anxiety.
She got acquainted with Yi Chichi because soon after she joined the army follow-up, she sprained her ankle during an outing, coinciding with Yi Chichi passing by, who helped her treat her ankle and gave her a ride back on a bicycle, they got to know each other then.
So when other sisters-in-law invited her to join, she refused but followed the mother-in-law and Yi Chichi like a little kid.
Luckily, she only bought meat, not following everything else.
When Yi Chichi went to the stall of an ethnic minority villager to negotiate the price of brocade, she also said, "Give me 8 feet too."
The ethnic minority villager spoke Chinese quite well, albeit with a heavy accent that didn’t hinder communication.
Upon learning she wanted eight feet, the villager swiftly took scissors and cut it out for her.
Yi Chichi wanted five times that amount.
On the way back, Ye Sang asked her, "What are you doing with so much brocade?"
"I’m making clothes for my mom and two other elders."
There would be enough leftover cloth to make two little jackets and pants for Wen Yi, for him to wear when he learns to walk.
Wen’s mother’s eyes moved slightly, but she said nothing.
Ye Sang responded and said with a smile, "Can I come over to your house to play later, is that alright?"
"Sure, but let’s be clear, I’ll be busy later and can’t play with you completely."
She had the tone of coaxing a child.
Ye Sang blinked, "Why do I feel like you’re treating me like a kid?"
Yi Chichi paused, "Am I?"
"Yes."
Wen’s mother chimed in agreeably, "Indeed, a bit."
Yi Chichi looked at Ye Sang and gave an irrefutable reason.
"Maybe it’s because you have a baby face."
Not to mention, Ye Sang’s appearance was quite charming, with a baby face, big eyes, small nose, small mouth, and dimples when she smiled, she looked very pleasant.
Also, because her family conditions were fine, she hadn’t suffered much, and had inherent social anxiety and a homebody tendency, she encountered little messy stuff, her eyes were very clear.
The aura around her was also gentle.
Yi Chichi liked her quite a lot, "Besides, you’re several years younger than me, so treating you like a kid isn’t wrong."
This reasoning was incontrovertible, and Ye Sang, who felt something was off but couldn’t rebut, had no choice but to accept this explanation.
