He Yuyang: The tough eldest brother of the courtyard house

The autumn sun shone through the window, casting a warm glow on the kang (a heated brick bed). Liu Yan sat on the edge of the kang, needle and thread in her hand, trying to sew a small bib for her unborn child. But after only a few stitches, her stomach churned violently. She quickly put down the needle and thread, covered her mouth, and ran outside to vomit under the pomegranate tree in the corner of the yard.

"Mom, what's wrong?" He Yuyang came out of the kitchen with a glass of water that had just been cooled. Seeing that her face was pale, she quickly handed her the glass.

Liu Yan rinsed her mouth, took the water glass and sipped it. After a while, she said, "It's an old problem. I probably caught a chill last night." She avoided her son's gaze, her ears turning slightly red. She knew that her nausea and drowsiness had been getting worse lately, but she was too embarrassed to say it to her eight-year-old son.

He Yuyang could easily see through his mother's thoughts. He had noticed long ago that his mother's appetite had increased significantly in the past two months, but she always craved sour foods, and she frequently woke up at night. Coupled with her morning sickness today, it was highly likely that she was pregnant. According to the timeline, this should be his younger sister, He Yushui. He suppressed his excitement and pretended to be oblivious: "You've caught a cold, you need to rest well. Shall I ask Dad to fetch a doctor to take a look?"

"No, no, no!" Liu Yan quickly waved her hand, her face turning even redder. "It's nothing serious, why call a doctor? It's a waste of money. I'll be fine after a rest." She turned and walked into the house, her steps hurried, as if afraid of being questioned by her son.

He Yuyang watched his mother's retreating figure, his heart heavy. He clearly remembered that in the original story, his mother had suffered a difficult childbirth, which damaged her health and led to her becoming frail and sickly. This time, he absolutely could not let history repeat itself. He carried the water cup back to the house, secretly filled it halfway with spiritual spring water from his spatial storage, and mixed it with some well water to make the temperature just right.

"Mom, have some water. Uncle Yan gave me some calming herbs a couple of days ago. I made some water, would you like to try it?" He handed her the water cup, deliberately mentioning "Uncle Yan"—Yan Bugui was a well-known figure in the alley who "knew a little about medicine," although he mostly pretended. But using him as a front made it easier for his mother to believe him.

Liu Yan, as expected, didn't suspect anything and took the water glass, taking a big gulp. The water didn't taste particularly special, but after swallowing, the churning in her stomach actually lessened considerably, and she felt much more comfortable. Looking at her son, her eyes were full of satisfaction: "Yangyang is so thoughtful, much better than your rough father."

"Of course, I'm Mom's little darling," He Yuyang said with a smile, picking up the unfinished little bib her mother was sewing. "Mom, is this for my little brother or sister?"

Liu Yan was taken aback by his question, then smiled and said, "I don't know yet, we'll sew it first, it can be worn by both men and women." Looking at her son's serious expression, the slight embarrassment in her heart gradually dissipated. Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to talk to this child about it?

Before she could speak, He Daqing returned from outside, carrying a paper bag. As he entered, he called out, "Honey, look what I brought you!"

Liu Yan went out to greet them and her eyes lit up when she saw several bright red hawthorns in the paper package—she'd been craving sour things lately. Just as she was about to take it, her stomach started to feel a little uncomfortable, and she subconsciously frowned.

"What's wrong?" He Daqing asked, putting down the hawthorn and touching her forehead. "You don't have a fever."

"It's an old problem, nothing serious." Liu Yan avoided his hand and walked into the house. "Yangyang made me some herbal tea, it feels quite comforting."

He Yuyang quickly tried to smooth things over: "Dad, Mom is probably just tired. Please let her rest more. I'll do the housework." He gave his father a wink, indicating that he had something to say.

He Daqing was a quick-witted man; he could tell something was wrong just by looking at his son's eyes, and followed him into the kitchen. "What's wrong? How long has your mother's 'old problem' been acting up?"

"It's been almost two months," He Yuyang said in a low voice, "I feel nauseous all the time, and I'm always sleepy. I even threw up just now. Dad, what do you say..."

He Daqing was stunned for a moment, then his eyes widened and his face broke into a wide grin: "You mean... your mother..." He was too excited to speak, rubbing his hands and pacing around the kitchen, "Great! Great! We're going to have another member!"

"Keep your voice down!" He Yuyang quickly pulled him back. "Mom is embarrassed to say it, please don't make a fuss."

"Yes, yes, keep your voice down." He Daqing quickly covered his mouth, his eyes full of laughter. "I'll go buy your mother an old hen right now, to help her recover!"

"No," He Yuyang stopped him, "chickens are expensive now, and we have chickens in our space... don't we raise chickens in our yard? We can just kill one. Besides, Mom can't stand greasy food right now, we can make it up later." He almost let slip "space" and quickly corrected himself.

He Daqing thought about it and nodded, "Then I'll go buy some brown sugar for your mother; it's good for her to drink it."

After He Daqing left with the brown sugar, He Yuyang returned to the house and saw Liu Yan dozing against the headboard, still clutching the little bib in her hand. He tiptoed over, placed the water cup beside the kang, and then took a thin blanket to cover his mother. The sunlight shone on his mother's face, revealing fine downy hairs, and her complexion was much better than before—thanks to the spiritual spring water.

From that day on, He Yuyang would brew "herbal water" for his mother every day, which was actually all undiluted spiritual spring water. He calculated the time when his mother drank the water: one cup when she woke up in the morning, one cup after lunch, and one cup before going to bed at night, always using "Uncle Yan's herbs" as an excuse. After drinking it for a few days, Liu Yan indeed felt much lighter, her morning sickness decreased, her appetite improved, and even the number of times she got up at night decreased.

"Yangyang, your herbal water is really effective. I'll have to thank Grandpa Yan properly later." That evening, Liu Yan was drinking corn porridge and had a big appetite. She even ate two cornbread buns.

"I've already thanked him. Grandpa Yan said the herbs aren't worth much, and that Mom should just rest." He Yuyang said while serving his mother some food. "Mom, if you're tired, don't do any work. I'll water the vegetables in the yard and wash the clothes."

"You little kid, you can't get it clean." Liu Yan patted his hand with a smile. "Mom's fine, I'm in good health now."

He Daqing listened from the side, feeling secretly pleased. He could see that his wife had indeed changed a lot lately. She used to always complain of being tired, but now she could not only do housework but also help him pick vegetables. Her complexion was also rosy. It seemed that the "herbal water" really worked. He secretly gave his son a wink, meaning, "Well done."

He Yuyang returned the glance, but dared not relax. He knew this was just the beginning; the real test was yet to come. He pulled out a "Pregnancy and Postpartum Care Handbook" (a sign-in reward) from his spatial storage and secretly read it by moonlight every night after his parents had fallen asleep, memorizing the precautions one by one: when to supplement nutrition, when to exercise appropriately, what to prepare before delivery... He even began secretly preparing the supplies for childbirth: disinfectant alcohol (distilled from grains in his spatial storage), clean cotton cloth (woven from cotton grown in his spatial storage), and scissors (forged from iron materials in his spatial storage and sharpened to an razor-sharp edge), all hidden in a corner of the cellar and covered with straw.

That day, the third aunt of Yan Bugui's family came to visit. She saw Liu Yan sitting in the yard sunbathing, sewing shoe soles with her hands. She looked rosy-cheeked and couldn't help but say enviously, "Aunt Liu, you are so healthy. When I was pregnant with Jiecheng, I was vomiting so much that I lost several pounds."

Liu Yan touched her belly and said with a smile, "Maybe this pregnancy is easier, with fewer problems." She didn't mention the spirit spring water; it was her son's gift, and she didn't want outsiders to know.

The third auntie, with her sharp eyes, noticed the water glass by the kang (a heated brick bed) and casually asked, "What are you drinking? It looks quite clear."

"Oh, it's herbal water that Yangyang made for me. He said it was given to me by Grandpa Yan to calm my nerves," Liu Yan said truthfully without thinking much of it.

After the third aunt returned home, she told Yan Bugui about it. Yan Bugui, who was hunched over the kang table doing accounts, was taken aback upon hearing this: "When did I ever give Yangyang any herbs?"

"You forgot? Didn't you give Grandpa Wang some calming herbs a while ago? Yangyang probably just took some with him," the third aunt said casually.

Yan Bugui frowned. He had prepared the herbal medicine himself, and its effects were mediocre. How could it have made Liu Yan recover so quickly? He muttered to himself that this He family boy was probably hiding something. But he didn't think too much about it. In this day and age, every family has its little secrets, as long as they don't bother his own family.

He Yuyang was unaware of Yan Bugui's thoughts; he was busy recording his mother's physical condition. He found a small notebook and recorded his mother's diet, sleep, mental state, and even the number of fetal movements every day (although it was still early, he was preparing in advance). The notebook was hidden in a wooden box under the bed, locked securely.

"Yangyang, what are you writing about every day? You're so secretive." That day, He Yuzhu came back from the martial arts master's house and saw his brother hunched over the table writing and drawing. He curiously went over to take a look.

"Nothing, just keeping accounts." He Yuyang quickly closed the notebook. "How's your training at your master's? Is your stance stable now?"

Upon hearing about martial arts, He Yuzhu immediately forgot what had just happened and excitedly said, "Master praised me for my rapid progress and said he'll teach me boxing soon! Brother, once I learn it, no one will dare bully you!"

"Okay," He Yuyang said with a smile, ruffling his hair. "Then you'd better study hard so you can protect your mother and sister."

"A younger sister?" He Yuzhu was taken aback. "Is Mother carrying a younger sister?"

"Maybe so," He Yuyang teased him deliberately. "When you become a big brother, you'll have to dote on your little sister."

He Yuzhu blushed and scratched his head: "I know, just like how my brother dotes on me."

Seeing his younger brother's earnest expression, He Yuyang felt a warmth in his heart. With family by his side, and with the help of his space and system, he was confident that his mother would safely give birth to his younger sister and that his family would continue to prosper.

At night, He Yuyang lay in bed, listening to the wind outside the window, his hand stroking the small notebook. The handwriting on it was crooked and messy, but it recorded his longing for his mother. He knew that the road ahead was long and there would be many difficulties, but as long as he took one step at a time and wholeheartedly protected his family, he would definitely be able to get through it.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the notebook. The dense handwriting seemed to come alive, as if telling a son's promise to his mother, a brother's longing for his sister. He Yuyang clenched his fists, silently praying: Mother, sister, wait for me, I will definitely protect you.