Marketplace

With Li Ping, a new pair of hands, joining in, Zhao Danshi worked much faster in the fields.

He and Li Ping tidied up everything in the fields. They processed whatever could be processed, sold off the vegetables that had matured, and left the immature ones where they were. The old man could sell some when he went to the market. It did not matter if he could not sell them all; they had grown them themselves, so they could gather them up for the chickens.

The weather was good now. The north wind was dry, and the days here were clear and cold. If they could not finish the vegetables, they could pickle them into sauerkraut or dry them into preserved vegetables.

Ran Yuanyao had been keeping an eye on Zhao Danshi's situation and basically chatted with him every day or two.

Zhao Danshi ate well and slept soundly, and he was in good health. Aside from the occasional vigorous fetal movement and some soreness in his waist and legs, he felt almost no discomfort. Watcher had also confirmed with Zhao Danshi several times that he was healthy and the fetus he carried was healthy as well, so there was no need to worry too much.

Ran Yuanyao called that evening and urged Zhao Danshi to pack up and come over as soon as possible.

Zhao Danshi agreed, and the two discussed a specific date.

"Yuanyao, shall we come over the day after tomorrow? I've mostly taken care of things here."

Ran Yuanyao chuckled softly on the other end, his voice carrying through the phone. "Sure. The weather's good these next two days. I'll wash the quilts and wait for you to come."

The book in Li Ping's hand had remained unmoved for quite some time. His long lashes cast shadows beneath his eyes, and his pupils had not moved for a while either, as though all his senses were focused on listening.

Zhao Danshi's voice was equally cheerful. He glanced at Li Ping, who was leaning against the headboard reading, then continued speaking to Ran Yuanyao. "Then I'll bring you some vegetables."

"If you're tired, don't bring them. You're pregnant, so everything is inconvenient."

"Fine. If I feel tired, I'll mail the vegetables to you."

The two chatted idly. Once Zhao Danshi hung up, Li Ping shifted closer and massaged his legs. "Are your legs sore today?"

Zhao Danshi let out a comfortable breath. "They're all right." Then he looked up, his eyes meeting Li Ping's with a sly smile. "But the air is pretty sour."

They were still living in the same room. Zhao Danshi had originally wanted to tidy up the guest room, but Li Ping said there was no need. They had lived together for so long, and there was nothing in particular they needed to avoid. If they stayed in the same room, he could take better care of Zhao Danshi. Zhao Danshi's belly was getting bigger and bigger, and Li Ping could not rest easy without keeping an eye on him.

Zhao Danshi added another quilt, and they each slept under their own covers. Sharing a bed was nothing much anyway; who cared?

The old man had more or less noticed that something was off with Zhao Danshi. Both Li Ping and Zhao Danshi reassured him that nothing was wrong. He had merely put on weight, and he would slim down after a while.

Only a month remained until Zhao Danshi's due date. He needed to go to W City to meet Ran Yuanyao, and the old man was somewhat worried about his condition. At the dinner table, he hesitated before speaking. "Yun Yun, it looks like you've been putting on weight rather quickly lately. How about when you go keep that girl company, you also visit the hospital for a checkup? See whether there's anything wrong."

"You should get checked. It'll put your mind at ease, too."

"All right. Once I'm done, I'll bring the examination report back for you to see." Zhao Danshi agreed. "Grandpa, I'm really fine. When I go stay with her, I'll definitely work hard at losing weight."

Seeing that his expression did not seem fake, the old man's anxiety eased a little. "It's not that this old man is overthinking. Look at you—you're so young, yet you've gotten this fat. If it were you, wouldn't you think too much about it?"

Zhao Danshi felt rather embarrassed. His enlarged belly was indeed quite unsightly now. Even the way he walked had changed; like a duck, he could not help sticking out his belly and waddling with his legs apart.

Li Ping gently patted his leg beneath the table, his face utterly serious. "Grandpa, don't just look at how quickly Danshi gained weight. He loses weight quickly too. Young people are like that. If they're not careful and life is too easy, the flesh just piles on. Gaining twenty or thirty pounds in a month isn't unusual."

The old man asked, "Everyone's like that?"

"Everyone's like that. Look how happy Danshi has been since he quit his job and came here. And your cooking is so good. It's only natural for him to put on some weight."

The old man was reassured at last and finally stopped nagging.

Zhao Danshi secretly gave his senior brother a thumbs-up. Li Ping raised an eyebrow slightly.

They had to find time to go to W City in the next couple of days. After spending this time together, the two had grown familiar, and Zhao Danshi simply stopped hiding it and confessed the existence of Watcher.

Li Ping was touched. "You trust me that much?"

"I do. I have faith in my own judgment."

After being touched, Li Ping grew a little jealous. "You told your childhood friend too. You trust him a lot, huh?"

Zhao Danshi smiled. "We practically grew up together. I know every step of his life inside out. If I didn't trust him, there wouldn't be many people left for me to trust." As he spoke, he narrowed his eyes and gave Li Ping a light glance. "Besides, civilization from outer space isn't so easy to deal with."

Li Ping could not help laughing. Once his smile faded, he gently hugged him. "What about your parents? What happened there? Can you tell me?"

The old man was elderly, so it was understandable not to tell him. But Zhao Danshi had been back for so long and had never once mentioned his still-living parents. That was somewhat strange.

Hearing this, Zhao Danshi froze for a moment, and the smile vanished from his face. "It's nothing. My parents just couldn't accept homosexuality."

Zhao Danshi glossed over the brutal confrontation and struggle from back then in a single sentence. So many years had passed, and he himself did not want to revisit that bloody past, much less mention it to someone else.

Thinking of his own parents, Li Ping's heart sank. He did not want to dwell on it any longer, so he simply asked about Watcher. "What does Watcher look like? Can I see it?"

After communicating with Watcher in his mind, Zhao Danshi readily agreed and summoned it.

Watcher's silver-white body suddenly appeared in midair. For the first time, its clear voice greeted Li Ping. "Li Ping, hello."

"Hello," Li Ping said in a low voice.

Watcher spun in a circle, welcoming him. Its delight was evident from its movements, and Li Ping found it secretly remarkable.

Before setting off for W City, Zhao Danshi specifically asked Watcher to activate the Marketplace.

Zhao Danshi asked, "How many points do I have left?"

Watcher projected a light screen listing his information. "Your current total points are 13,673.6."

"Then open the Marketplace."

"Activating the Marketplace requires 1,000 points. Would you like to activate it?"

"Yes." Zhao Danshi confirmed by voice. The information on the light screen changed, dividing into several sections: Home and Living, Grains, Oils, and Food, Agricultural Supplies and Tools, and Personal Services. At the top was a search bar.

Watcher's delighted voice came through. "Congratulations."

"Thank you." Xu Jing licked his dry lower lip and stared intently at Watcher's screen. "I want to use the medical function."

"Okay."

The Personal Services section changed, splitting into Personal Assets and Medical Health.

"Would you like to use the registration function?"

Zhao Danshi nodded nervously, his voice hoarse. "Yes."

Sixty points vanished from his account in an instant. Watcher asked, "What is your request for this registration?"

"I want to see how Dou Dou is developing and find out the due date. When the time comes, I want you to help perform a C-section."

A wash of green light poured over Watcher's screen. Moments later, densely packed data appeared, and it said, "Dou Dou is developing very well and is healthy. The due date is February 7. Congratulations. Do you really want me to perform the surgery? A C-section requires quite a lot of energy on my end, and the medication is rather expensive. If you want me to do it, you'll need 10,080 Bio-Energy."

"That's enough. I'll pay the points when the time comes, and you can help deliver him."

"No problem." Watcher reminded Zhao Danshi, "The Gestation Sac is much safer and more scientifically advanced than an ordinary uterus, so you don't need to worry too much. You also don't need to be overly cautious in your daily life."

Thinking of Li Ping, Zhao Danshi shook his head slightly. "It's fine."

Though he could not say it outright, he rather liked his senior brother fussing over everything. After all, every ounce of worry came from the affection behind it.

Since Zhao Danshi was willing, Watcher had no objections. "Then just wait for the birth with peace of mind."

Li Ping came in after showering and saw Zhao Danshi leaning against the headboard reading, a smile still on his lips. He asked, "What's making you so happy?"

"I just asked Watcher. It said Dou Dou is developing very well and is healthy. The due date is February 7, and when the time comes, it can help perform the C-section."

Seeing a mound of quilt raised over Zhao Danshi's abdomen, Li Ping bent down, moved closer, and casually arranged it for him. "The Spring Festival is on February 16 this year. Dou Dou will be born before the New Year."

Li Ping's dry, warm skin carried a pleasant scent. As he bent down, it rushed into Zhao Danshi's nose. Zhao Danshi softly hummed. "Dou Dou can celebrate this New Year with us."

Li Ping smiled. "I haven't asked you yet—does Dou Dou have any special meaning? How did you think of using that as his nickname?"

Zhao Danshi felt a little embarrassed when he mentioned it. "Watcher told me Dou Dou is a boy. I named him Dou Dou with the meaning of keeping the earth-shattering secret of two men having a child safely tucked away, as a commemoration of his birth. Under another interpretation, Dou Dou can mean holding on to love and holding on to beautiful hopes. I hope he can grow up bright, sunny, and healthy."

At this point, Zhao Danshi pressed his lips together and added somewhat shyly, "I've already picked his nickname. You can choose his formal name."

Li Ping sat beside him. The two leaned against the headboard together, and the light cast two warm shadows behind them.

Li Ping asked gently with a smile, "Is that so? Then will the child take your surname or mine?"

"Either is fine." Zhao Danshi's ears reddened. "Senior Brother, do you want the child to take your surname?"

Li Ping smiled and nodded. "I do. But it might be better if the child takes your surname. Danshi, I hope you and Dou Dou can both be happy in the future."

They had already agreed that Zhao Danshi would raise the child, and Li Ping would not fight him for custody. If Dou Dou stayed by Zhao Danshi's side yet bore the surname Li, it might give him the wrong impression.

"Then... let's think about it some more?" Zhao Danshi let out a breath. "The child doesn't need to be registered until within three months after birth, so we can take our time."

"All right." Li Ping glanced at the time. "It's already nine. Go to sleep."

Zhao Danshi slowly burrowed beneath the covers. Li Ping had already tucked two hot-water bottles into his bed, making it warm and cozy. Even sleeping alone, he did not need to worry about cold feet.