The Stunningly Beautiful and Delicate Darling in the 1980s Military Compound - Chapter 88

It turns out that in any era, people are driven by curiosity toward the novel and the unknown. In just a single day, their shop had become famous in Moshi, making an immediate splash.

By 4:00 PM, the street traffic had slowed, and after the initial frenzy, the shop finally grew quiet. Once the doors were closed, the legs of all three women were trembling with exhaustion.

Zhang Jingjing ran over to Song Mingyue, looking concerned. “Mingyue, how are you feeling? You’re pregnant—you really shouldn’t work this hard.”

Song Mingyue hadn’t felt much throughout the day. But since noon, a dull ache had been growing in her abdomen. It wasn’t sharp, so she had simply endured it. Now that she had stopped moving, the pain intensified. However, she didn’t want Zhang Jingjing and Pei Xiaoyu to worry; she convinced herself it was just fatigue and the result of high stress.

Suppressing the pain, she forced a smile. “I’m fine. We had a great first day, but this is just the beginning. We can’t let our guard down.”

Hearing this, Zhang Jingjing couldn’t hide her joy; her success was beyond her wildest dreams. In that moment, she understood what it felt like to have her hard work finally pay off. It was a feeling she had never experienced before—she was no longer defined as someone’s appendage or someone’s wife. She was herself, achieving her own heights through her own efforts. This was the realization of self-worth.

Tears welled in Zhang Jingjing’s eyes as she hugged Song Mingyue, repeating her thanks. She didn’t know how to express it, but she knew that without Song Mingyue, there would be no shop and she wouldn’t have found this sense of fulfillment. She remembered how, when she first arrived at the compound, she had been ostracized for her blunt personality. Song Mingyue’s arrival had been like a beacon, lighting her path.

Pei Xiaoyu was equally moved. She wasn’t as expressive as Zhang Jingjing—her upbringing had made it difficult for her to articulate her emotions—but in her heart, she had made a silent vow: she would follow Song Mingyue unconditionally, no matter what.

The first day’s harvest was bountiful; more than half the stock had been sold. The items that remained gave them insight into what didn’t quite match current tastes. Since business was so good, they needed to strike while the iron was hot. Song Mingyue planned to negotiate a deal so that the latest styles could be shipped directly by train, saving them from having to make the trips themselves.

If she hadn’t been pregnant, she could have handled the negotiations in a few days. But with a baby on the way, traveling wasn’t convenient. This child really came at a bad time, she thought. The fleeting, regretful thought crossed her mind before she immediately suppressed it. Since she had already decided to keep the baby, there was no point in complaining; finding solutions was more important.

As Zhang Jingjing and Pei Xiaoyu discussed logistics, Song Mingyue sat on a stool, one hand pressed to her lower back, the pain in her abdomen worsening.

Zhang Jingjing suggested that she and Pei Xiaoyu go to Shanghai for inventory, leaving Mingyue at home to rest and watch the shop. Pei Xiaoyu asked, “Jingjing, do you know how to get from the train station to the wholesale market?”

Zhang Jingjing searched her memory, but her mind went blank. Last time, she hadn’t known Song Mingyue was pregnant, so she had just acted as a follower and hadn’t paid attention to the route. Shanghai was vastly different from Moshi, with its complex streetcars and winding roads; she knew she wouldn’t be able to navigate it alone.

Without Song Mingyue, she realized, she couldn’t even manage the supply run, let alone run a business. “Mingyue,” Zhang Jingjing said, scratching her head, “I really have no memory of the way. Maybe you could write down a detailed strategy for us?”

She glanced over and noticed Song Mingyue’s lips were deathly pale, her face contorted in discomfort. Zhang Jingjing’s heart sank. “Mingyue, your lips are so pale—it’s frightening! We need to go to the hospital right now.”

Song Mingyue waved her off, her voice growing weak. “I’m fine. It’s just the exhaustion from today. I’ll be better after a rest.”

The main reason she didn’t want to go to the hospital was sheer lethargy; the idea of getting up and walking so far felt impossible.

Since Song Mingyue wouldn’t budge, Zhang Jingjing didn’t press the matter. She remembered neighbors saying that pregnancy induced deep exhaustion.

Zhang Jingjing helped Song Mingyue toward home, moving slowly. She didn’t know how to ride a bicycle with a passenger on the front bar, so she could only push the bike while supporting Mingyue. Usually, the two of them had endless topics to discuss, but today, out of concern for Mingyue’s pain, everything was quiet.

Zhang Jingjing grew anxious, desperate to get her home. Seeing beads of sweat on Song Mingyue’s forehead, she couldn’t stay silent. “Mingyue, let’s not go home. Let’s just go to the hospital to make sure everything is okay.”

There wasn’t a single clinic for miles, save for the one inside the military residential compound. Zhang Jingjing decided they would get to the compound, and if Mingyue was still in pain, they would go straight to the clinic.

As they approached the compound, Zhang Jingjing saw Chen Che in the distance, cycling toward them. She waved her arms, breathless. “Battalion Commander Chen! Over here!”

Chen Che picked up his speed, seeing immediately that something was wrong with Song Mingyue. He helped her down and steadied her, his voice brooking no argument. “You’re covered in sweat. We’re going to the hospital right now.”

Song Mingyue felt lightheaded and exhausted; after the tension of the day, she just wanted to lie down. But for the first time, when she tried to resist, Chen Che didn’t listen. “Yueyue, your complexion is terrible. You aren’t in a good state. I won’t be at peace until a doctor sees you.”

Because cycling was uncomfortable for her, Chen Che borrowed a tricycle, letting Song Mingyue lie down on it. As they made their way to the hospital, Song Mingyue nodded weakly. She realized this wasn’t just ordinary fatigue—this pain was definitely related to the child.

Could this be it? she wondered. Could the baby be lost because of today’s strain? On one hand, this was the perfect outcome—she had wanted to terminate the pregnancy from the start, and if it happened on its own, it would save her the trouble. But on the other hand, since she had made the choice to keep the baby, she had begun to harbor expectations. As she imagined countless scenes of the child’s future in her mind, Song Mingyue realized a startling truth: She had developed maternal love for this child.