Chapter 342: Friends and Comrades-in-Arms

Chapter 342: Chapter 342: Friends and Comrades-in-Arms

Although Old Madam Xu had been praying every day for Han Xiaorui to get pregnant soon, she never expected it to happen this fast.

Counting the days, she must have gotten pregnant right after the wedding.

No wonder the fortune-teller she consulted had said Han Xiaorui was very fertile. Those words weren’t the least bit false—they were spot on.

"Xiao Rui, are you feeling sick? Are you craving anything?" Old Madam Xu asked with a smile. "When I was pregnant, I had the strangest craving—stinky tofu. I normally never touch the stuff; I think it reeks. But back then, I thought it smelled heavenly. To me, there was nothing more fragrant in the world."

Hearing his wife reminisce about her youth, Mr. Xu paused, a flicker of nostalgia in his eyes, as if he’d been pulled back into memories from decades ago.

"That’s right. And you insisted on eating the stinky tofu made by Bridgehead Old Li. You could smell that stench from a mile away."

Old Madam Xu nodded repeatedly. "Yes, but the morning sickness only lasted a month. Once it passed, I didn’t want to eat it anymore."

Han Xiaorui smiled. "Grandma, Grandpa, you don’t need to worry. I feel great right now, no discomfort at all. The baby is being good to me; I don’t have any morning sickness, so I can eat anything."

Xu Yingying smiled. "Xiao Rui, are you really not tired? Even with the pregnancy?"

Han Xiaorui shook her head. "Not tired at all. I don’t even feel it. I had a feeling I was pregnant, but I didn’t think much of it and went out to sea just like always."

Xu Yingying was taken aback. "Out to sea? Xiao Rui, are you nuts?"

Han Xiaorui pursed her lips into a smile. "I’m the owner; it’s not like they make me do any manual labor. I just have to lead the fleet and find schools of fish. I’m really experienced. As long as I’m on a voyage, the ship’s income increases by thirty, or even fifty percent."

Old Madam Xu looked at her husband, then back at Han Xiaorui. "Xiao Rui, dear, now that you’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be going on the boat anymore. You’re just drifting out at sea. What if you start feeling sick? You can’t just come right back!"

Han Xiaorui just smiled. "Alright, I’ll be careful. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine."

Xu Yingying was exasperated to hear Han Xiaorui’s reply. It was clear there was no convincing her.

Han Xiaorui was too strong-willed; not even Ye Feng could stop her.

’Fine,’ she thought. ’I won’t say any more.’

They had dinner at the Xu family’s home and left right after the meal.

With the children at home, there was no way Han Xiaorui would leave them to spend the night with Ye Feng.

"Drive slowly," Old Madam Xu instructed. "Don’t get distracted for a second. You have your wife and child in the car!"

"I know, Grandma. You know how well I drive," Ye Feng said with a laugh. "Auntie, please take good care of Grandma and Grandpa. We’ll be back on the weekend."

"Alright. I’ll have the kitchen prepare some nourishing soups to build up Xiao Rui’s strength," Xu Yingying agreed, waving goodbye.

On the way home, Ye Feng drove steadily and kept his speed down.

"Ye Feng, if Grandma and Grandpa ask, don’t tell them I went out to sea. Just say I’m at home," Han Xiaorui said with a laugh. ’If telling the truth makes the elders worry, then I’ll just have to lie.’

Ye Feng was exasperated. "I can cover for you, but what if they miss you and come over? If you’re out drifting on the ocean, where am I supposed to find you?"

Han Xiaorui giggled. "I’ll be counting on you then! Remember, I’m the kind of person Mazu herself would chase after to make sure I’m fed. I’m invincible at sea. Oh, right! You whisked me away the second I got off the boat, and I forgot there was something valuable I didn’t bring with me."

Ye Feng chuckled. "What’s so valuable that it has you this worked up?"

Han Xiaorui gave a triumphant smile. "Ambergris. Didn’t see that coming, did you? Seven pieces, probably weighing over a hundred pounds. I’m going to take them to be sold tomorrow."

Ye Feng paused, surprised. "If you don’t need the money right away, I’d actually suggest you hold onto it."

Han Xiaorui blinked. "You mean its value will go up?"

Ye Feng nodded. "Natural ambergris is already a rarity. With the economy growing, the price of everything is going up. Something as precious as ambergris is naturally on that list."

"I’d even say that the value of ambergris will increase more than other things. After all, it’s a luxury item primarily sought after by the wealthy."

"As the modern economy continues to open up and attract more investment, the number of wealthy people will only increase. And when that happens, the price of things like this will rise even more."

Han Xiaorui thought for a moment, then nodded. "Alright then, I’ll keep all of it! Once it’s air-dried, I’ll find a place to stash it."

Ye Feng smiled. "Our house in the city has a basement. After the ambergris is dry, we can store it down there."

Han Xiaorui completely agreed. "Good idea. The basement is a much better place for it than my house."

Han Xiaorui was the one who found it, but it was Xiao Dai the sea snake and the little dolphin who had brought it to her.

Han Xiaorui would just give the crew a bonus; there was no need to calculate a percentage for them.

When they got home, Liang Xiaoyu had already delivered the ambergris, which had undergone some basic processing.

Han Xiaorui placed the pieces in a cool, shady, and well-ventilated spot in the attic to dry. That should do the trick.

Yang Zhigang was playing with pebbles with Pingping and An’an. When he saw Han Xiaorui and Ye Feng return, he smiled and asked, "So, is it true?"

Han Xiaorui replied with a smile, "It is, Uncle Yang!"

Yang Zhigang was deeply pleased. "Wonderful! Now Pingping and An’an will have a little brother or sister!"

Ye Feng smiled. "Pingping and An’an will definitely be great big sisters!"

Yang Zhigang said his goodbyes, and Ye Feng walked him to the door. "Uncle Yang, don’t worry. Even when I have children of my own, I will always treat Pingping and An’an as if they were my own."

Yang Zhigang let out a sigh of relief and patted Ye Feng’s shoulder. "I believe you. You’re a man who takes his responsibilities seriously. There have been many times I’ve wished I had a son like you. Of course, that’s just a silly thought."

"But it’s great that we can be friends. Drinking, chatting, playing chess together... that’s great, too. Life can’t be perfect, but this is pretty good. I’m very satisfied."

Ye Feng nodded. "Yes, life is good now. For me, every day I’m alive is a day I’ve gained."

There was a time when Ye Feng, fresh from the battlefield, was like a walking corpse—his heart numb and lost, burdened by severe psychological trauma.

But now, Ye Feng felt light and unburdened. Every day was full of meaning, and he eagerly welcomed each new sunrise.

Yang Zhigang smiled too. "Yes. We may not be father and son by blood, but we were both soldiers of the people. I fought in the counterattack against India, and you fought in the one against Vietnam. But my war was an easy one; yours was much harder."

"Back in the sixties, we thought India was a major power in Asia, so we expected a tough fight. We never imagined we’d fight our way right to Delhi. If they hadn’t called a halt and reminded us it was a defensive war, not a war of aggression, we could have actually occupied the city."

Ye Feng smiled. That war had produced many absurd stories.

Tales of three men chasing a few hundred, trying to get them to surrender. And the legendary complaint: "Not only did the enemy refuse to surrender, they actually dared to shoot at us!" That was some real bravado.

"Still, for you to be born by the sea, Uncle Yang, and be able to overcome the high-altitude sickness to defend our country over there... that’s truly commendable."