Chapter 82: Guarding Against Trouble
“People say children’s dreams are very accurate. I think you should have your Uncle Bai take a look. If you really are pregnant, you’ll need to be careful these days.”
Grandma Miao had always thought her daughter didn’t have enough children only Meng Xiangxue which never put her mind at ease. In her view, two children weren’t enough, and three wouldn’t be too many. If she could give birth, more would always be better; after all, the Meng family could provide for them.
Jiang Dazhen felt a flicker of hope at her mother’s words and glanced at her husband, who also looked expectant. “Should we have Uncle Bai check my pulse again?”
Meng Chuanping nodded. “No rush. We rode here today; it’ll take about forty minutes to get back to the city. If we are careful on the way tonight; an hour will still be fine.”
Seeing both agree, Grandma Miao immediately urged her eldest granddaughter to go ahead to the livestock shed to find someone. Jiang Dani hesitated; she felt embarrassed to expose her younger brother’s unreliable “divination” and the fanciful dream he had spun for everyone, but she had no choice and reluctantly went to fetch him.
This was actually a good thing it would quickly show her little brother that such tricks were unreliable and extinguish his desire to play at being a fortune-teller.
Jiang Yiliu, hearing his grandmother’s hint, lit up. Right once Uncle Bai arrived, he could explain pregnancy precautions and taboos. That way, Auntie and Uncle would pay attention and avoid things like eating soft-shelled turtle, which are forbidden for pregnant women.
The group returned to the house to wait for Jiang Dani to bring Bai Fangqiu. Outside, the air was chilly, especially as dusk fell and the wind howled.
“Auntie, before the teacher arrives, let me check your pulse.”
Jiang Erni saw her aunt eager to proceed. Over the years, Grandpa Bai had taught her some theoretical knowledge; she could almost recite basic medical texts by heart, but she had never applied it in practice.
“All right, Erni, one day you’ll be a little doctor. Go ahead and check Auntie’s pulse first.”
Though Jiang Dazhen was stirred by her nephew’s dream, in truth she hadn’t expected anything. Ever since giving birth to Xiangxue, she had hoped for another well-behaved daughter, but no matter how hard she tried, she never conceived again. Xiangxue was already eleven she had long stopped expecting anything.
Jiang Erni directed her younger siblings to bring two chairs, having her aunt sit and place her left hand on the armrest. She inhaled deeply and sat beside her, placing her index, middle, and ring fingers in turn on Jiang Dazhen’s “chi,” “guan,” and “cun” positions.
“Looks pretty proper,” Meng Chuanping said with a smile, watching her seriously examine the pulse, his tone tinged with mild tension.
“What do you feel?” came a calm voice from behind.
“Teacher!" Jiang Erni turned to see Grandpa Bai, startled, standing there, and instinctively straightened, hands flailing behind her.
“Don’t panic. Your hand gestures were correct. What did you feel when taking the pulse?” Bai Fangqiu guided her back to the chair, signaling her to continue. His encouraging, gentle gaze immediately calmed her nerves.
“The pulse flows smoothly, like beads running along a plate.” Jiang Erni recognized the phrase from medical texts describing a pregnant woman’s pulse. Feeling the faster-than-normal pulse under her fingers, her heart lifted.
“Auntie, have you noticed anything different lately?” Jiang Erni asked, now taking on the air of an experienced doctor, inquiring carefully about her aunt’s recent condition.
Bai Fangqiu nodded approvingly. He had worried that Erni’s fiery temperament might hinder her medical path, but now she seemed very suitable. Her careful questioning, rather than immediately announcing the result, reflected precision, seriousness, and steadiness the basics of being a good physician.
“Lately I’ve felt a bit fatigued, and I’ve been eating more, but with the New Year rush, that seems normal,” Jiang Dazhen answered, thinking carefully about recent symptoms, uncertainly.
“How about your periods?” Jiang Erni asked next. As a girl who hadn’t had her first menstruation long ago, she asked without embarrassment. Jiang Dani blushed and stepped back awkwardly.
The gender boundaries were still clear; Grandpa Jiang Cheng and Jiang Dahai had stepped outside to avoid the awkwardness. For Meng Chuanping and Bai Fangqiu, a husband and a doctor, it didn’t matter. The other unmarried kids probably didn’t even know what menstruation was.
“My periods have always been irregular. I didn’t pay attention, but this month it seems like it hasn’t come,” Jiang Dazhen said, embarrassed.
Erni immediately understood. Suppressing her excitement, she stood and handed her seat to Bai Fangqiu. She had wanted to experience checking a pregnant woman’s pulse, but the real diagnosis was doctor Bai’s responsibility.
Bai Fangqiu took the chair and examined Jiang Dazhen’s pulse.
“Erni, describe what you felt just now,” Bai asked, not immediately revealing the result, turning instead to Jiang Erni.
Erni paused, flushed at the attention, then carefully recounted, “The pulse is smooth and strong. She’s definitely pregnant.”
“Really!” Jiang Dazhen leapt from her chair in excitement. She was truly pregnant!
“Be careful, don’t hurt the baby,” Meng Chuanping said, startled by her sudden movement, stepping forward to steady her.
“Auntie, Erni didn’t make a mistake, right?” Jiang Dazhen asked, half in disbelief. First her nephew dreamed of a daughter, and now her niece confirmed she was really pregnant. She pinched her husband’s arm anxiously, only relaxing when he groaned in pain.
Good it wasn’t a dream.
“Yes, you’re two months along. Given your age, take care not to overexert yourself. Some foods are now off-limits,” Bai Fangqiu said with a smile. Those who had doubted were relieved and offered their congratulations.
“Great, I’ll have a little sister!”
Meng Xiangxue, watching everyone focus on his mother’s unborn daughter, didn’t feel jealous; instead, he grinned like a fool.
“Too bad it’s a girl. Would’ve been nice if it were a boy,” Grandma Miao grumbled.
“I like both sons and daughters,” Meng Chuanping said.
“Xiaobao, here’s a big red envelope for you, and thank you for your dream. Otherwise, your aunt and I wouldn’t have realized this so quickly,” Meng Chuanping said, happily emptying his wallet. He gave a portion to Jiang Yiliu and Erni.
“Goodness, Chuanping, you’re too generous,” Grandma Miao laughed, taking the money for them.
“You’re too young; Grandma will keep this safe for you,” she said, licking her fingers like a cheerful Buddha. The stack was easily thirty or forty yuan. Jiang Yiliu and Erni exchanged a glance, shrugging, letting her hold it.
“Uncle Bai, consider this your consultation fee,” Meng Chuanping offered, holding the remaining bills.
It wasn’t extravagance he was simply overjoyed. After so many years, he thought he would only have Xiangwen and Xiangxue, and now his wife was pregnant again. Near fifty, having a daughter at this age, he could barely contain himself.
“This wasn’t my pulse-taking; I can’t accept a fee,” Bai Fangqiu shook his head, dodging Meng Chuanping’s attempts to hand him money.
“All right, Uncle Bai won’t take it. Next time, we’ll just bring a few good packs of cigarettes,” Jiang Dazhen said, laughing at her husband’s daft excitement.
Bai Fangqiu smiled, accepting the gesture. He wouldn’t take the money directly, but he was happy to accept the gift.
“Xiaobao, did you dream anything else? Is Auntie’s little girl cute?” Jiang Dazhen asked her curious nephew. She now fully believed the dream and wanted to know more about the unborn child.
In fact, Jiang Yiliu didn’t know the baby’s gender; when the previous pregnancy ended, it was too early to tell. He only said “sister” because Auntie hoped for a daughter.
“She’s very cute, smart, obedient, and healthy,” Jiang Yiliu said, giving all his imagined blessings. Jiang Dazhen and Meng Chuanping smiled widely, already full of expectation for the child.
“However" Jiang Yiliu’s words made Jiang Dazhen tense.
“However what?” Meng Chuanping asked quickly.
“In the dream, my little sister said Auntie should guard against troublemakers.” Though speculative, he wanted to warn his aunt and uncle so they’d be careful if anything had happened to Meng Xiangwen in the past, this warning might help them avoid it this time.
“Guard against troublemakers.”
Both Jiang Dazhen and Meng Chuanping immediately understood: the only potential threat to this unborn child nearby would be that child from the previous incident. Especially Jiang Dazhen, who still remembered what Meng Xiangwen had done when she was pregnant with Xiangxue.
“It’s just a dream, not necessarily accurate,” Jiang Dazhen said with a wry smile, patting her husband’s hand to comfort him.
Meng Chuanping nodded stiffly. “Yes, but it’s better to be careful.”
Neither spoke further, but Jiang Yiliu’s warning left an impression. In the following days, they were indeed more cautious. Though he felt a twinge of guilt toward the potentially wronged Meng Xiangwen, he also felt relief.
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