After being separated from my family, I became a darling of the military region thanks to my medical

Gu Linlin turned to the last page, first looked at Grandma Gu, then tilted her head towards Gu Zheng.

She lowered her voice.

"Sister-in-law, are you pregnant?"

The spoon in Ye Zhen's hand touched the rim of the bowl, making a soft sound.

Gu Zheng looked up: "Who told you to ask that?"

"No one told me to ask; I brought it up myself."

Gu Linlin held the notebook to her chest.

"In the afternoon, the school radio station needed to make up for the trip to the United States, so they called the Foreign Affairs Office. Xu Wenqiang answered, and I interviewed him personally."

Gu Zheng tapped the table.

"You also interviewed Xu Wenqiang?"

"This is a normal interview, not just platitudes."

Gu Linlin immediately listed the evidence.

"Officer Xu said it himself: your sister-in-law didn't touch a drop of alcohol at the award ceremony banquet, she only drank water. She slept for more than six hours on the way back, and you were very careful the whole time, always supporting her arm and holding her waist."

She held up two fingers.

"Our six roommates analyzed it, and there's at least an 80% chance she's pregnant."

Did Xu Wenqiang tell you that she had just had surgery the day before and then spent several hours providing free medical consultations in Chinatown?

"I said so."

"Why weren't these two items included?"

Gu Linlin paused for a second.

"That's a distractor. We're just doing a preliminary screening."

Ye Zhen put down her spoon and turned the notebook in front of her halfway around.

"To draw an 80% conclusion without taking a medical history, identifying any physical signs, or conducting any tests is not medical deduction."

Grandma Gu's face darkened.

"Linlin, this is a private matter between the couple. Why bring it up at the dinner table and keep asking about it?"

"I just care."

"Concern should be expressed in moderation."

Gu Linlin shrank her neck, still waiting for Ye Zhen's answer.

"Not pregnant."

"Why wasn't there any alcohol at the banquet?"

"I have to catch a flight the next day. Alcohol can affect sleep and impair judgment."

Why did my brother help you up?

"Is he overprotecting me? Is he afraid I'll fall and embarrass myself?" Ye Zhen pouted.

Gu Zheng straightened his chest. "This is a political mission."

Gu Linlin was unwilling to give up, "You slept for so long on the plane?"

"Transoceanic flights require time zone adjustments."

All three grounds for action were dismantled.

Gu Zheng reached out and closed the notebook.

"The conclusion is in, let's call it a day."

Gu Linlin pulled the notebook back.

"So when are you planning to have children?"

"Gu Linlin".

Gu Zheng's voice deepened.

"Is this also within the scope of the interview?"

Just as Grandma Gu was about to speak, Ye Zhen pushed the soup bowl forward half an inch.

"This question can be answered."

The area around the table quieted down.

"Don't say it!" Gu Zheng interrupted hastily.

Ye Zhen shook her head and looked apologetically at Grandma Gu, "Actually, we've been using contraception since we got married."

Grandma Gu paused for a moment, then quickly put her chopsticks back on the table.

"Are you feeling unwell, or is the surgery too tiring?"

"Neither."

Ye Zhen spoke directly.

"The catheterization lab requires prolonged use of X-ray fluoroscopy. Lead aprons can reduce the dose of scattered radiation, but they cannot reduce the risk to zero."

"There is a gap between ovulation and confirmed pregnancy. A woman may be pregnant but not even realize it, yet she still goes to the catheterization lab for several hours of fluoroscopy. There is no need to take this risk."

Gu Linlin looked at her right hand.

"Would it be okay to wear two layers of lead apron?"

"Too heavy. Excessive weight on the shoulders and neck can cause arm fatigue. Even a millimeter deviation of the guidewire could hit the blood vessel wall or conduction bundle."

"Should we stand a little further away?"

"The surgeon must control the guidewire, catheter, and sheath and cannot leave the operating position."

Gu Linlin finally stopped looking for solutions, and her pen stopped on the paper.

Ye Zhen continued speaking.

"The department also needs a shift change. Gao Yuan and Liu Xiaohe can now handle routine cases independently, but I still need to step in for high-risk cases. Now that I'm pregnant, I have to leave the fluoroscopy area, and the current team can't handle all the surgeries."

Gu Zheng took over the conversation.

"We agreed on contraception beforehand. If your family has any objections, come at me; don't let her explain it all by herself."

Grandma Gu raised her hand and patted him.

"Anyone have a problem with that?"

"I long for my great-grandchildren, but I must first hope that you are safe and sound. Zhenzhen stands under the radiation every day to save people, so she must protect herself as well."

She turned to Ye Zhen.

"It's okay if the child is a little late in life; the family won't pressure us."

Grandpa Gu took off his reading glasses and placed them on the newspaper.

Having children is never a task to be completed.

Gu Linlin raised her head again.

"Will your sister-in-law be leaving the interventional radiology department?"

"Won't."

Ye Zhen answered quickly.

"Within a month, I will reassess the existing team. Training will be conducted separately for teaching, operation, postoperative monitoring, and crisis management."

"Gao Yuan and Liu Xiaohe are in charge of routine surgeries. Within three months, I will set up a team for routine surgeries and backup surgeries for high-risk cases."

"Once someone is ready to take over, I will leave the X-ray area when I start trying to conceive, but I will not leave the interventional radiology department."

Grandma Gu sat up straight immediately.

"Three months?"

"Three months is just the beginning; there's no guarantee you'll get pregnant immediately."

"As long as we are prepared, that's fine."

Grandma Gu stood up and walked towards the cabinet.

"There are still two jars of red dates at home, and that bag of walnuts is untouched. Starting tomorrow morning, I'll have one egg a day, and I'll make different kinds of soup."

Grandma Gu stopped in her tracks, as if she had remembered something.

She turned and stared at Gu Zheng.

"Zhengzi, from now on, you're quitting smoking."

Gu Zheng had just picked up his water glass when he stopped.

"Why did it happen to me again?"

"Your wife even protects against radiation, and you still want to smoke?"

"I never smoked in front of her."

"Being slapped from behind counts too."

Gu Linlin immediately added a sentence.

"My brother still smells of cigarettes."

Gu Zheng turned his face away.

You're being unusually talkative today.

Grandma Gu reached out her hand to him.

"Take it out."

"What?"

"cigarette."

Gu Zheng remained seated.

Grandma Gu simply patted the pocket of his military uniform.

He had no choice but to take out a flat cigarette case and put it on the table.

There are three left.

Old Master Gu glanced at it.

"We used to rely on cigarettes to stay awake during the war, that was out of necessity. Now that life is peaceful, don't use old habits as an excuse."

Ye Zhen picked up the cigarette case.

"The sperm production cycle is about 74 days, so quitting smoking three months in advance is beneficial. Nicotine can affect blood vessel function, and secondhand smoke can also increase the burden on the respiratory tract."

Gu Zheng pushed the cigarette box in front of his grandmother.

"Do it, and take it easy."

Gu Linlin immediately gave a thumbs up.

"For the sake of his child, Commander Gu quit smoking on the spot."

"It's for the children."

Gu Zheng corrected her.

"But more importantly, it's for my wife."

Grandma Gu pinched the three cigarettes, broke them off one by one, and threw them into the bowl of herbal tea.

"From this moment on, if anyone dares to offer you a cigarette, I'll take care of that person too."

Gu Linlin drew a period to the end of her notebook.

"Sister-in-law, could I do another interview in three months?"

Gu Zheng raised her hand and closed her notebook.

"cannot."

"I haven't said what I want to interview about yet."

"Not a single word is allowed to be written about what will happen three months from now."

Gu Linlin paused for a moment, then smiled, picked up her laptop, and ran out the door.

"Brother, you seem even more anxious than Grandma!"

"Hey, what did you say? Don't run away!"