Chapter 85: The Second Road of Exile, Part 27

When Xi Yanyu had only just woken, her mind was still hazy. Hearing that, she only grew more bewildered.

“...Not menstrual pain?”

The room was dark. Ye Liuyun sat half-reclined on the sofa, her expression unreadable in the dim light. In a low voice, she said, “Actually... I haven’t had a period for two months. I thought it was just irregular. Only now did I suddenly realize...”

She paused, and there was a tremor in her voice. “Could I... be pregnant?”

Xi Yanyu’s eyes widened, and in an instant, every trace of sleep vanished.

“Pregnant?” she said, stunned. “But didn’t you say only surrogate mothers would...”

“This has happened before,” Ye Liuyun said, biting her lip, both hands pressed over her abdomen. “A woman who was originally unable to bear children suddenly regains fertility one day. Maybe her body was restored by clean food and proper nourishment, or maybe for some other reason. No one can really say...”

“Then, then what do we do?” Xi Yanyu was starting to panic too. “Should we go to the hospital for a checkup?”

“No!” Ye Liuyun refused without a second thought.

Xi Yanyu looked at her anxiously. “This is not a joke! If you really are pregnant, and you’re in this much pain now, something must be wrong with the fetus! Painkillers alone won’t help!”

“If they find out I’m pregnant, I’ll never be able to return to the squad!” Ye Liuyun clutched her hair with both hands, her frustration reaching its peak. “And this time, during the mission, we ran into a pack of desert hyenas. I fell several times during the hunt. The fetus could easily be malformed or unhealthy. I can’t give birth to it!”

The woman who had always been strong, who had never shown weakness even when trapped by a thorn serpent, was now deeply frightened by a child not yet fully formed. She did not dare imagine that a life was already taking shape within her, and she could not accept that her own health should be held hostage by something so small.

Although she had always spoken so passionately in praise of life in the oasis park, now that she was truly carrying a child, she felt not the slightest joy. Only fear. Fear of a future she could no longer control.

Xi Yanyu tried to persuade her. “If you don’t get proper treatment at the hospital, what if something happens to the baby? What if something happens to you?”

“Help me,” Ye Liuyun said, lifting her head to look at her with earnest eyes. “Xiaoyu, you’re not a resident of the oasis, so there’s no medical record for you in the hospital. If I just get the abortion pills under your name, none of the trouble afterward will come back on me!”

Xi Yanyu was speechless.

She looked into Ye Liuyun’s eyes for a long time before finally finding her voice. “You... do you want to think it over a little more? Are you really sure you want to end the pregnancy?”

Ye Liuyun’s expression was lost. “But how could I possibly keep this child... Once it’s discovered, I’ll only be sent into the park to become a surrogate mother, giving birth over and over and over, until I can no longer bear children and my body is completely hollowed out. By then, even if I wanted to become a soldier again, it would be impossible.”

At that, she stared straight at Xi Yanyu. “Xiaoyu, do you know how hard it is for a woman to become a warrior? I’ve worked for so many years. I can’t lose everything because of one child... I can’t.”

She bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening, her fingers digging tightly into the sofa armrest. “As long as I earn one more medal of honor, I’ll be eligible for general promotion. I can’t let all my efforts be ruined at the last moment!”

Xi Yanyu asked softly, “I heard from Radish that some people raise their children themselves. They don’t have to go to a nursery home.”

Ye Liuyun gave a cold laugh. “Those people... either stand high within the oasis hierarchy, or they control water and power resources. They never have to worry about food or clothing, so of course they can raise their own children. But someone like me? Once I’m no longer a soldier, what am I supposed to feed a child with?”

Ye Liuyun closed her eyes, her voice tightly restrained. “Besides, if that man finds out... he’ll definitely send me and the child into the park.”

“That man?” Xi Yanyu looked confused.

Ye Liuyun gave a bitter smile. “The child’s father...”

She lowered her head in agony, not knowing whether to cry or laugh. “How ironic. He and I were both originally infertile, prepared to devote our whole lives to the squad. Who would have thought I’d end up pregnant...”

Xi Yanyu did not know what to say. After thinking for a moment, she tried to comfort her. “Maybe we’re both mistaken. Maybe you aren’t pregnant at all, and your stomach just hurts a little?”

“To buy a pregnancy test at the hospital, you still have to register your information. I can’t let them discover me...” Ye Liuyun looked up at Xi Yanyu, pleading. “Xiaoyu, please... I do know someone at the hospital, but I need you to go on my behalf. No one can be allowed to know I’m carrying a child.”

Xi Yanyu felt torn for a long while, but at last she nodded. “All right. If you’ve made up your mind, I’ll go to the hospital for you...”

At three in the morning, Ye Liuyun contacted the hospital through the internal network, then roused the bearded man from bed and had him drive Xi Yanyu to the hospital.

As Xi Yanyu was leaving Ye Liuyun’s house, she was startled to suddenly see Lu Li lying against the window outside. She nearly jumped.

“Little Li.” She caught her breath and walked over to lift Lu Li down from the windowsill. “Why did you run out here without saying a word? Can’t sleep?”

Lu Li was wearing a thin nightdress, and her body felt cool in the night air. Xi Yanyu carried her back into the motorhome, coaxing her to sleep while changing clothes and preparing to go to the hospital.

Lu Li lay on her side on the bed, quietly watching Xi Yanyu. After a while, she suddenly asked, “Why does Aunt Ye not want her own child?”

Xi Yanyu’s movements froze. She looked at her in surprise, having not expected that her conversation with Ye Liuyun in the room had been overheard by Lu Li.

“Um... it’s a little complicated to explain,” Xi Yanyu said carefully. “Because Aunt Ye is now the team captain, and in no time at all she’ll be promoted to general. If she has a child, she’ll lose the chance for promotion, and she might even lose her job.”

“Is work more important than a child?” Lu Li asked again.

“Well... not exactly. Work and children are both very important,” Xi Yanyu explained hesitantly. “If you don’t have a job, you can’t support yourself. If you can’t even support yourself, how could you support a child?”

“Why not go to the nursery home?” Lu Li looked at her, puzzled. “The nursery home has free meals, free clothes, free pens, and free textbooks. As long as Aunt Ye goes there, she and her child can survive.”

Xi Yanyu forced a smile. “But Aunt Ye doesn’t want to go to the nursery home. She likes life in the squad better.”

Lu Li pressed her little mouth shut and fell silent.

“Go to sleep now. We still have to attend the nursery home performance tomorrow morning. Be good.” Xi Yanyu soothed her a few more times, turned off all the lights in the motorhome, leaving only a small night lamp on, and then prepared to leave.

At that moment, Lu Li spoke again. “I know now.”

Xi Yanyu turned back to look at her.

Under the lamp’s shadow, the girl’s tender face somehow looked a little eerie. In a measured voice, she said, “She is a bad mother.”