Yang Jinhan languished in his room for two hours, but pregnancy was a fact that couldn't be changed. He had to go to work tomorrow and needed to resolve this awkward situation.
So, he mustered his spirits and sneakily went to the downstairs supermarket to buy some extra-large diapers, which he wore when going out each day. He dared not change into them at the company for fear of being labeled a pervert. Thus, he could only use one a day.
It was August, and the weather was scorching. Before long, he developed a rash that was red and itchy. He spent his days fidgeting in his seat. Several colleagues assumed he had hemorrhoids and looked at him with pity.
Yang Jinhan had to bear the pressure from work, his pregnancy, and Jun Jiuli. He felt like he was going bald.
He persevered for another two months, and his hands and feet began to swell. He couldn't fit into his clothes or shoes, and driving became inconvenient. There was no choice but to submit a sick leave request to the company.
A company doesn't stop operating because someone leaves. The position he had finally climbed to was taken by someone else. During his leave, he would receive 70% of his salary. Upon his recovery and return, he would have to start all over, facing the risk of being laid off.
Although Yang Jinhan was unwilling to resign a hundred times over, his body could no longer support his daily commute. He frequently had to go to the restroom, vomited, and gained weight. He was mentally dazed and couldn't concentrate, and his superior had already taken notice.
Many people at the company believed he had an unspeakable illness and avoided him as if he were a plague. If he didn't have the good sense to submit a leave request soon, he might be directly dismissed by the company.
Upon returning home, he thought his situation might improve, at least without the pressure of work. However, his daily range of activity was confined to this 100-square-meter apartment.
He wanted to go downstairs for a walk, but he had no one to accompany him. He feared having an accident and, even more, feared the strange looks from others.
Staying indoors all day, he began to feel depressed. His days were filled with the same chores and the same meals. Everyone was busy with their own affairs, and no one paid him any attention.
He often sat on his bed, staring at the white wall, letting the day pass. He felt a desperate urge to go crazy, but he feared being beaten by Jun Jiuli, so he suppressed it.
Three months after he requested leave, he received notice from the company that he had been fired. Work no longer mattered to him; he just wanted to survive this ordeal.
He dared not tell his close friends about his pregnancy, fearing they would also look at him strangely. He could only bury the secret in his heart and endure the torment alone.
Later, he even deliberately picked fights, wanting Jun Jiuli to hit him. Because at least that way, he could still feel a sense of existence; he feared numbness more than pain.
He managed to hold on until the last day of October. Jun Jiuli took Nannan to a hotel in advance. That night, Yang's mother was awakened by her son's screams.
She hurried to knock on the door of the guest room, but it was locked from the inside, and she couldn't get in no matter what. She could only worry outside.
Yang Jinhan felt a sharp pain in his lower abdomen, which extended to his abdomen, inner thighs, and waist. The pain below was indescribable, like twenty ribs being broken.
Fearing he might bite his tongue, he put a pre-prepared wooden stick in his mouth. The pain caused him to lose control of his bodily functions and break out in a cold sweat.
The sweat dripped through the bedding and soaked the mattress. He endured the torment all night and finally fainted from the pain as dawn approached. Yang's mother, listening to her son's pained cries outside the door all night, felt an unbearable heartache.
When Yang Jinhan woke up again, he found he couldn't move. Enduring the pain, he touched his belly; it was flat. Before he could feel happy, he thought about the child and how to deal with it.
With the last of his strength, he forced himself to sit up. But the bed was empty. Had he given birth to nothingness after enduring such pain all night? He was somewhat confused but secretly delighted, as he didn't want a monstrous child.
At his instruction, Yang's mother found the key to the guest room. Opening the door, she saw her son had suffered so much. She quickly cleaned up the bedspread and personally bathed and dressed him, telling him to go sleep in her bedroom for a while.
Just then, Jun Jiuli returned with Nannan, timing it perfectly. "Oh, husband, you've given birth."
"Zhuozhuo, stop joking. Where is this child you speak of?" Yang Jinhan said, forcing himself to speak.
Jun Jiuli walked over and pressed on his lower abdomen. "Speak louder, I couldn't hear. You just gave birth to a child, what's the big deal? As if no one has given birth before. What are you pretending for?"
Yang Jinhan gasped in pain. He said, word by word, "Wife, I'm fine. Thank you for your concern."
"That's a good boy. You're worthy of being Xu Zhuozhuo's man. Your pain tolerance is top-notch. I didn't intentionally abandon you yesterday; I went to buy food for your postpartum recovery. Aren't you happy?"
"Ha-happy. Thank you, wife, for worrying about me."
"I knew you'd understand my good intentions. Don't worry, I bought all your favorite foods."
"Come on, Nannan, let's not disturb your father's rest. We'll go prepare his postpartum meals."
"Okay."
A moment later, Jun Jiuli brought three cold, hard steamed buns, and Xu Nannan held two washed green onions as they entered the guest room.
"Here, husband, hurry up and eat."
Now, Yang Jinhan felt like vomiting at the sight of green onions and steamed buns. He felt as if his lower abdomen had been cut with a knife. He dared not eat the green onions.
Jun Jiuli stood with his arms crossed, looking down at him. "Eat up, husband. These are the freshest green onions I painstakingly bought from the market this morning. Don't disappoint my good intentions."
Hearing his voice was like hearing a demon calling to him. Yang Jinhan mumbled, "Wife, I don't want to eat now. Can I eat later?"
"No."
At this moment, the precocious Xu Nannan also leaned forward. "Dad, Mom says you're injured and need to eat more to recover. These are all your favorites. Nannan washed them himself, so they're very clean."
Under Jun Jiuli's coercion, Yang Jinhan resentfully picked up a steamed bun and ate it with the green onion.
"That's a good boy. You'll eat like this for the next month."
Yang Jinhan: ***(▼へ▼メ)