My wife and I are both time travelers.

Chapter 125 Waiting
Lin Ying was filled with mixed emotions of joy and sorrow. She subconsciously placed her hand on her stomach. The thought of a little life being born inside her filled her with complex feelings of becoming a mother for the first time in both her lives.

"I'm going to be a mom..."

Joy and sadness welled up in her heart at the same time. This was her child, her and Zhou Jiye's child! Judging from the timeline, she must have conceived around the time Zhou Jiye returned from Lingnan. They had been married for over a year. At first, Lin Ying had been mentally prepared for the pregnancy, but they hadn't conceived for a long time, which made Lin Ying a little anxious.

In Lin Ying's opinion, it was probably because of her hard work and malnutrition at the Lin family home that she had difficulty conceiving. Although her living conditions had improved a lot since the two got married, and she could not only eat her fill but also eat well.

After arriving in Shanghai, they gradually escaped poverty through their hard work. With money in hand, Lin Ying and Zhou Jiye naturally didn't mistreat themselves. They ate and drank better than they did back home. Because of this, Lin Ying is now completely different from the naive girl she was in the rural Northwest. Not only does she dress and act like a sophisticated Shanghainese, but her dry, yellow hair has also turned black. Her thin figure and face look much fuller, and she has also grown taller.

However, even if one tries to compensate for a congenital deficiency later in life, the imbalance is ultimately not so easily reversed. Therefore, Lin Ying and Zhou Jiye discussed that if Zhou Jiye was still not pregnant after returning from Lingnan, they would go to the hospital to find out what the problem was.

But to her utter surprise, she was now pregnant. How happy Zhou Jiye would be if he knew! But where was Zhou Jiye? Where was he now? Thinking of this, Lin Ying couldn't help but shed tears again.

"What exactly happened?" Fang Manxia asked softly.

"Jiye... Jiye has disappeared..." Lin Ying's words startled Fang Manxia, ​​who quickly asked what had happened.

Lin Ying didn't hide anything from Fang Manxia and told her everything Lao Wen had told her. Fang Manxia listened carefully to Lin Ying's story, her brows furrowing slightly, and then she understood why Lin Ying had suddenly fainted.

Firstly, she was already physically weak after becoming pregnant, and secondly, she was devastated by this unexpected news.

Fortunately, Lin Ying was not seriously injured. Her fainting was only due to a sudden change in mood and high blood sugar. In addition, after being sent to the hospital, the doctor on duty discovered that Lin Ying was pregnant. For the sake of the baby's health, the doctor did not dare to give her any other medications and only gave her an IV drip of glucose. Lin Ying slept for a long time before gradually recovering.

“Jiye is a blessed man. Since there’s no news yet, that’s good news. Maybe he’ll be back in a few days. You don’t need to worry so much. Now that you have a child, your health is the most important thing. You don’t want to lose the child because of your own reasons, or to see Jiye looking like this when he comes back, do you?” Fang Manxia comforted her softly.

Lin Ying understood the reasoning behind it. She was a strong woman, but this incident was a huge blow to her. In addition, the changes in Lin Ying's body and emotions after becoming pregnant caused her to faint suddenly.

Wiping away her tears, Lin Ying nodded vigorously. Yes, she had to be strong. No news was good news. She absolutely couldn't give up; she had to persevere and wait for Zhou Jiye to return.

Holding Lin Ying's hand, Fang Manxia talked to her for a while, gradually calming her down. Not long after, Lin Wen and Lin Xi returned, bringing porridge and some side dishes they had cooked for Lin Ying.

The two younger sisters fed Lin Ying something, and after she finished eating, Lin Ying fell into a deep sleep. Fang Manxia got up and told one of them to stay with Lin Ying, as she would be observed at the hospital overnight and could go home tomorrow if everything was alright.

Lin Wen offered to stay with her, and Lin Xi thought about it and didn't refuse. When it came to taking care of someone, Lin Wen was more reliable. So Lin Xi helped Fang Manxia back first, while Lin Wen stayed at the hospital to keep her company. As for the rest, they would talk about it tomorrow.

The next morning, Lin Ying, who had slept through the night, seemed to be fine. The doctor on the early shift examined her and, after confirming that there was no problem, agreed to let her go home.

When Lin Ying got home, she originally planned to change her clothes and go to the coffee shop, but Fang Manxia stopped her. Fang Manxia said that Lin Ying needed to rest at home in this situation, and that Lin Wen and Lin Xi could go to the coffee shop. Helpless, Lin Ying could only listen to Fang Manxia and go back to her room. Looking at the familiar room and some of Zhou Jiye's things, and thinking about Zhou Jiye's whereabouts being unknown, Lin Ying felt very sad.

After hearing the news that Lin Ying had fainted and was resting at home, Xie Xiangrong couldn't sit still and rushed over to visit her. After seeing that Lin Ying had recovered quite a bit, Xie Xiangrong was slightly relieved.

He told Lin Ying that she didn't need to go to the coffee shop for the next few days, as the finishing work wasn't too busy and he could keep an eye on things. He told her to rest and recuperate. Lin Ying nodded in agreement, but she still told Xie Xiangrong that she should let him know if anything happened. She assured him that she was mostly recovered and that another day of rest should be enough.

After offering Lin Ying a few words of comfort, Xie Xiangrong left the room on the first floor. Once outside, he immediately saw Fang Manxia standing at the door on the second floor.

Fang Manxia gave him a wink, signaling him to come up. Xie Xiangrong nodded and went straight upstairs to the second floor. After entering Fang Manxia's room and closing the door, he couldn't help but ask, "What happened to Xiaolin? Why did she suddenly faint? She seems to have something on her mind." "Sit down and tell me," Fang Manxia sighed, pointing to a chair beside her. After Xie Xiangrong sat down, she recounted the whole story to him.

"What! Xiao Zhou is missing? No wonder..." After listening to Fang Manxia's account, Xie Xiangrong finally understood what had happened; it turned out that such a serious incident had occurred.

"The situation is quite complicated. People who came back from Lingnan said that Xiao Zhou may have gone to Hong Kong on the fast boat. But no one knows the exact situation, whether he is in Hong Kong or whether he is in danger."

“Hong Kong…” Xie Xiangrong frowned and sighed, “This is troublesome. We can’t get in touch with anyone now. No wonder Xiao Lin is worried.”

"Are you alright today?" Fang Manxia asked.

"With something like this already happened, how can I care about anything else?"

"Alright, come out with me."

"Sister, you...?" Xie Xiangrong suddenly looked up, seemingly guessing what Fang Manxia was going out to do.

“Xiao Zhou is a good kid, I can’t just stand by and watch him die. We need to find someone to help with this. You’ll come with me.” As she spoke, Fang Manxia stood up.

"But sister, didn't you already...?"

Before Xie Xiangrong could finish speaking, Fang Manxia sighed and shook her head: "Times have changed. In extraordinary times, who can care about so much? Besides, no one can guarantee whether this matter can be accomplished. We can only try. After all, so many years have passed, and although we have a history, we are ultimately not on the same side. It is also uncertain whether the face we have here will still be useful in Hong Kong."

Xie Xiangrong sighed, nodded, and stood up to help Fang Manxia downstairs. The two left the small building to look for someone. They were gone for the whole day, not returning until evening. No one knew where they had gone, who they had met, or what they had said, but when they got home, Fang Manxia's expression was less serious than before she left, and more relaxed.

After resting at home for another day, Lin Ying refused to stay at home any longer on the third day. Regardless of Zhou Jiye's current situation, Lin Ying knew she couldn't give up like this. Moreover, being pregnant, she had to be strong not only for herself and Zhou Jiye, but also for her unborn child. She had to face reality bravely, no matter what the final outcome was.

Having returned to work, Lin Ying used her busy schedule to ease her worries about Zhou Jiye and continue preparing for the coffee shop. In the days that followed, Lin Ying continued to keep an eye on Zhou Jiye's news while devoting most of her energy to the coffee shop, which was about to have its trial opening.

Another week has passed in the blink of an eye. The coffee shop's renovations are complete, and it's almost time for a trial opening. Following the schedule, Lin Ying rejected Xie Xiangrong's suggestion to postpone the opening slightly, insisting on starting the trial opening as planned.

Seeing her insistence, Xie Xiangrong had no choice but to agree. Thus, the trial operation of Violet Café began under these circumstances. Thanks to thorough preparations and the presence of an experienced expert like Xie Xiangrong, the trial operation was quite successful.

The coffee shop's aromatic coffee and unique pastries attract hotel guests, who all praise it highly. The outdoor area in the garden is especially popular, with a constant stream of customers. Many guests enjoy sitting there in the afternoon, ordering their favorite coffee and dessert, chatting and enjoying a leisurely time.

The trial operation is limited to the hotel premises only; it will not be open to the public until the official opening. Even so, the achievements and results so far are already very encouraging.

After a few days of trial operation, everyone praised the coffee shop for both its quality and service. It not only created a buzz inside the shop, but also gradually became known to the outside world. When people learned that this was the most upscale and authentic coffee shop in Shanghai, many people came to inquire about it. The purpose of their inquiries was simply to ask when the coffee shop would officially open to the public. Many people hoped to enjoy a cup of authentic and good coffee here, just like the hotel guests.

That afternoon, Lin Ying had just finished processing a batch of egg tarts and was instructing her assistants to arrange them. Just as she was about to continue her work, a waiter who had been transferred from the hotel to help out came to find Lin Ying, saying that someone outside was looking for her.

Lin Ying thanked them, took off her white coat, and walked out in her well-fitting blazer. At the door, she immediately spotted two familiar figures – weren't they Lao Wen and Xu Guoqing?
"Brother Wen! Brother Aqing!" Lin Ying paused slightly, then quickly stepped forward. She was a little nervous, afraid they would bring her bad news, but more than that, she wanted to know about Zhou Jiye's situation. Xu Guoqing looked like he had just returned; could it be that he had news of Zhou Jiye?

(End of this chapter)