Chapter 49: Sincerely

At this moment when passion surged and was about to erupt, Yan He’s expression changed.

Suddenly, he let go of Jiang Miao, turned his head… and vomited.

Nothing really came out, just a nauseous feeling in his chest, and he dry heaved a few times.

Jiang Miao: “Are you okay?”

“What’s that smell?” Yan He covered his mouth and nose, frowned, and asked.

Jiang Miao was puzzled: “What smell?” She raised her arm to smell herself. She had just taken a shower, so she smelled fresh. It was only her usual scent.

“No, it’s not coming from you.” Yan He let go of his hand and sniffed, then his face changed slightly again, quickly covering his nose.

His gaze swept across the restaurant, stopping at the food processor. “What’s in the food processor?”

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Tl oyzjle shla nshlakdt bkp xswvb yde dspl, srldle vbl essa sq vbl qsse rasnlppsa, yde kxxlekyvlzu nzsple kv ytykd!

Kkydt Ykys: “…”

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Kkydt Ykys pweeldzu alyzkgle yde fwxrle sqq vbl vyczl. “Gal usw pvyavkdt vs byhl xsadkdt pknjdlpp?”

Bdqsavwdyvlzu, ulp.

Gqvla kxrzydvyvksd kd vbl wvlawp, vbl raltdydv bwpcyde dllep vs kdflnv y plaklp sq bsaxsdlp, kdnzwekdt rastlpvlasdl vs pvyckzkgl vbl wvlawp. Mbl pkel lqqlnv kp dywply yde hsxkvkdt, yzps jdsod yp xsadkdt pknjdlpp.

Although they couldn’t continue with certain activities, Jiang Miao’s attention was immediately drawn to Yan He’s physical condition. After all, he was the pregnant one!

And now that things have calmed down, she felt relieved. If things had continued just now, she didn’t know if it would have affected Yan He’s body.

She instructed Xiaona to direct the robots to dispose of the contents in the food processor directly. She also turned the power of the house’s air purification system to the maximum. Looking at Yan He’s complexion, it seemed to have improved.

“Much better,” he said, taking a deep breath as if he could finally breathe again.

“Thank you for your hard work,” Jiang Miao said, sympathetically touching his face.

Yan He chuckled, catching her hand and lightly biting it. “It’s nothing.”

Actually, before finding a parenting partner, the idea of men giving birth to children and enduring morning sickness, backaches, swelling, leg cramps, and a series of sufferings that women had endured for thousands of years had a somewhat gleeful meaning to Jiang Miao.

But when the suffering man was Yan He, Jiang Miao began to feel sorry for him.

“Do you want to eat something? Are you tired from the meeting? Should we eat something first or just take a shower and go to sleep?” she asked with concern.

“Don’t worry,” Yan He reassured her, caressing her slender waist. “It’s only noon on the ship now. I worked the day shift yesterday, so it’s only been a few hours since I woke up, just a morning of meetings.”

Jiang Miao breathed a sigh of relief, then remembered they hadn’t seen each other for half a month and asked, “How’s your body? Any changes?”

Yan He frowned. “Yes.”

Jiang Miao’s heart tightened again. “Where does it hurt?”

Yan He lifted his shirt hem, not very happily. “My abs are deformed.”

Jiang Miao looked closely. They were clearly flat and solid, with distinct blocks. She raised her head. “No, they’re not?”

But Yan He insisted, “They’re out of shape.”

He continued, “I consulted with the military doctor, and he advised me not to do overly intense abdominal exercises starting from February.”

“You shouldn’t do it now,” Jiang Miao strongly advised.

She had seen pregnant women before, and they were all so cautious from the moment they found out they were pregnant, even walking lightly.

“That won’t do. Physical fitness will deteriorate,” Yan He smiled and rubbed her head. “Don’t worry, I know what I’m doing.”

Jiang Miao remembered hearing someone say something about her father being a football player and still playing while she was pregnant. People in this era were indeed different from those in ancient Earth. Their overall genetics had been optimized.

Especially in the military, where there were so many men with big bellies, they should be very experienced, right?

With these thoughts in mind, she felt a little more at ease and nodded. “Okay.”

After speaking, she hugged his waist, her face against his chest. “You’ve worked hard.”

“Not at all,” Yan He kissed the top of her head.

Her hair had just been washed, fragrant and slightly tangy. She slept messily on the sofa without straightening her hair with a hair straightener, still retaining its natural curves. Yan He sniffed again; her scent was incredibly comforting, enough to suppress the nauseous feeling in his chest.

Feeling the slight calluses in her palm against his smooth skin, he felt content and peaceful inside.

“Did you have a good vacation?” he asked gently, holding her close.

Jiang Miao was awakened by his question, lifted her head in his arms, and said somewhat cryptically, “It was fine, except Tanaka only had an invitation to a macho party, and he couldn’t take me along.”

Yan He remained composed. “That party isn’t all that interesting; it happens every year, and everyone says it’s quite boring.”

“But it’s said to be ranked in the top ten ‘most desirable parties’ in Bliss, and just the name itself is quite stimulating,” Jiang Miao retorted playfully.

As her hand slid over his spine, Jiang Miao subconsciously straightened her back.

Oh, damn instinctive reaction!

Yan He chuckled softly, leaning down to her ear. “Am I not enough for you?”

Taking her hand, he ran it over the muscles that he insisted were “out of shape.”

Jiang Miao greedily explored and felt. Once the line was crossed, the whole army often collapsed. With her slip-up today, she had already lost the battle, so she might as well give in completely.

Yan He felt the temperature of his body rising, but unfortunately, his body was not in the best condition at the moment.

Yan He could only suppress the dual desires in his heart and body and comfort Jiang Miao slightly.

Her emotional state was so beautiful.

Yan He couldn’t help but curse inwardly; damn morning sickness, it came at the most inappropriate time.

After picking up the home clothes from the floor and putting them back on, Jiang Miao sat Yan He down on the sofa and they talked about their lives over the past half month.

When Jiang Miao heard Yan He say that at least ten female soldiers on the ship had propositioned him, her eyes widened instantly. She sat up from his embrace, her expression full of disbelief as she asked, “And then?”

“Then, I remembered how you used to tell me to go find a girlfriend, not to waste time on you…” Yan He said deliberately.

No, shouldn’t you remember our agreement later on not to see anyone else during the parenting period?

Jiang Miao didn’t say anything, just stared at Yan He, waiting for him to continue.

But Yan He said, “I just thought, I was really stupid.”

“…” Jiang Miao, “Huh?”

“You clearly liked me, clearly didn’t want me to be with other women,” Yan He looked into her eyes, “yet you said such stupid things.”

Jiang Miao blushed, stuttering, “But, but didn’t we later agree not to see anyone else?”

“That was fake.”

“Huh?”

Yan He leaned his arm on the back of the sofa, supporting his head, and spoke the truth. “You were so drunk that day, what kind of agreement could we make?”

“But…”

“It was a promise I made to you unilaterally. I won’t see anyone else, Jiang Miao,” Yan He said, “The invitation to the macho party was also arranged by me for Tanaka, to ask him to take care of you, just as you thought.”

His deep eyes reflected Jiang Miao’s figure, and his casually spoken words felt like hammer blows on Jiang Miao’s heart, making her heartbeat accelerate and her mouth dry.

She didn’t know what to say.

Yan He’s hand slipped into Jiang Miao’s beautiful hair, gently stroking it.

“You only accept clear one-on-one relationships, and you must understand human possessiveness well. Jiang Miao, all I want from you now is exclusivity, complete exclusivity. I propose this requirement with the premise of restraining myself. Will you accept it? Will you agree to it?”

Jiang Miao’s eyes were watery.

She didn’t dare to ask if Yan He’s feelings for her could last long. Such a question was too foolish; who could guarantee the future?

But at this moment, she could feel Yan He’s sincerity.

Genuine sincerity.

Love is never about possession; it’s about restraint.

Yan He, a man returning from the battlefield, a man who believes in seizing the moment because there might not be a tomorrow, would willingly restrain himself, because his heart for Jiang Miao at this moment is sincere.

Perhaps it may not necessarily last forever.

But the truth of this moment is already enough.

Jiang Miao covered Yan He’s hand and rubbed her cheek against the calluses on his palm, sighing, “I agree.”

Yan He smiled, gently stroking her cheek.

“Yan He,” Jiang Miao looked up, saying her true feelings to him for the first time, “I like you, I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

There was laughter in Yan He’s eyes, wanting to kiss her, but suddenly furrowed his brow and pressed his chest.

Damn morning sickness.

After the nauseous feeling finally subsided a bit, Yan He lay back on the sofa, sighing, “Why didn’t they develop extracorporeal uterine incubation?”

Jiang Miao sat beside him, gently stroking his chest, and chuckled, “That direction failed.”

Jiang Miao remembered when she first learned that both men and women in this world could become pregnant, she had searched online about artificial uteruses.

“That was initially the direction they researched. At that time, the holy war was raging, and men were desperate, trying to find a way to escape women’s independent childbirth. But back then, who would willingly give birth to children themselves? It was an era where women capable of reproduction were numbered and imprisoned, forced to give birth.”

“The children born from extracorporeal uterine incubation, totaling over a million over several decades, had more than two hundred thousand cases of autism, and about fifty thousand cases of depression, bipolar disorder, and similar conditions. Altogether, the rate exceeded twenty-five percent. This rate was simply unbearable. Especially for autism, with the highest incidence, patients could hardly contribute any value to society and required professional care.”

“The extracorporeal uterine project was ultimately declared a failure. Men had no choice but to turn their gaze to the initially unpopular intrauterine incubation. The success of intrauterine incubation led the government to abandon control and capture of women capable of reproduction. Meanwhile, a large number of pregnant husbands emerged, experiencing firsthand the hardships of female childbirth, laying the foundation for later peace talks.”

“Speaking of which,” Jiang Miao couldn’t help but say, “In those days, at least men still had a strong sense of ‘procreation’ and ‘inheritance,’ including property and family names. Nowadays, people, regardless of gender, almost don’t have this kind of awareness anymore.”

The vast majority of people believe in living for the moment, putting themselves first.

Financially speaking, everyone doesn’t need to support the previous generation, their savings are all for entering better conditions in retirement homes in the future, or purchasing more advanced care robots.

“Because… there is no family, no relatives,” Yan He said, “That kind of upbringing, being nurtured by loved ones, and the unbroken bloodline, everyone has not experienced. Because they haven’t received it from the previous generation, when facing the next generation, they are also unwilling to give. Everyone is only living for themselves.”

His eyes flickered slightly as he asked Jiang Miao, “Do you think this is good?”

The people of this era have good genes, long lifespans, and appearances that are younger than their age.

Yan He is thirty-nine years old, but he looks completely like a youth, which often makes his eyes seem deeper than his appearance.

Jiang Miao always felt that his questions carried a deeper meaning.

She didn’t directly answer the question, only saying, “As long as everyone thinks it’s good, it’s fine. Everyone can think what’s good for themselves.”

As for herself, whether she thinks it’s good or not, occasionally she would ponder this question when alone late at night, and the answer is a vague one.

Life and career cannot be said to be bad, but there always seems to be something missing.

Yan He’s gaze flickered slightly as he said, “Actually, countries like the Nash Republic are quite interesting.”

“Nash?” Jiang Miao found herself knowing very little about this country that had been at war with the Gita Republic for years. “What kind of country is it, and why do they keep fighting with us?”

Yan He sighed, “The people on the front lines fight with blood and sweat, while those in the rear don’t even know why they’re fighting.”

Jiang Miao scratched her face, embarrassed, “It seems like the news hardly mentions it, and… they’ve been fighting for so many years, is it some ancient grudge?”

“People have changed generations, what grudges can they keep remembering?” Yan He said, “Between countries, it’s nothing but border issues. And borders, it’s nothing but competition for resources. It’s all about interests, nothing to do with feelings.”

Jiang Miao activated the screen and searched for “Nash,” but found little information, almost unable to find any detailed introduction to this country.

“Like I said before, there are walls,” Yan He said, “You can hardly see any useful information in the country.”

Jiang Miao flipped through the screen page by page, “Hmm, it says this country is very conservative, stubborn, and not free…”

“Because they still maintain the tradition of marriage there?” Yan He asked.

Jiang Miao’s hand paused, looking up at Yan He, quite surprised, “Huh?”

“Although they still maintain the tradition of marriage and family structure there, aren’t these things also preserved in the upper echelons of Gita? If criticizing them as stubborn and conservative just because of this, does it mean that the upper echelons of our country, who hold power and wealth, are also stubborn and conservative?” Yan He questioned.

“How can there still be such countries?” Jiang Miao’s surprise couldn’t be concealed, “I thought, I thought…”

“You thought that all existing human civilizations are like Gita? Without marriage, without family?” Yan He asked.

Jiang Miao nodded.

Yan He said, “You have to understand, Gita is just a single case that developed during the era of human colonization. Thousands of years ago, humans fled from Earth, divided into several major colonization groups, and moved forward in different directions to explore. This was to spread the risk and ensure the continuity of the human species. This approach, while not necessarily wrong, has led to the fragmentation of humanity and because of the vast distances, surviving civilizations are isolated in corners of the universe, making it difficult to establish contact with each other.”

“In fact, hundreds of years ago, we successively obtained several drift bottles sent from other human civilizations, and only then learned about their whereabouts and status. With the journey being too distant, it’s not feasible to come and go, we can only pay respects from afar.”

“In distant corners of the universe, humans fled from Earth and survived. Some became communist societies with distribution according to need. Some developed into imperial states with strong military force. The direction of civilization development can be said to be diametrically opposed.”

“As for the Nash Republic, which is in the same colonial zone as us, it actually split off during the era of holy war. The trajectory of civilization development is roughly similar to ours, with only slight differences,” Yan He said.

Jiang Miao was surprised, “If it was during the holy war era, why isn’t it mentioned in the history books?”

“You should take a closer look at the history books,” Yan He said.

Jiang Miao connected to the national library of the capital star, retrieved the history textbook from middle school, and after a quick search, found the chapter on the holy war era.

“Huh? Huh?” Jiang Miao looked carefully for a while and finally discovered, “Could it be this?”

Yan He sat up, looked intently for a moment, and said, “It should be.”

[Later, people with different political views left by boat to explore new planets and seek development.]

“Just this sentence?” Jiang Miao was speechless for a long time.

The history book’s casually written sentence concealed who knows how many twists and turns of real history.

“The so-called different political views… At that time, the government and the Maria Holy War Organization jointly held power, which was the embryonic form of the later government. Surprisingly, the extreme anti-marriage and anti-male factions in the Holy War Organization joined forces with the extreme male chauvinists from the original government, intending to abolish the marriage system and implement equal birth control for men and women to increase the dangerously low population at the time.”

“But the moderate faction disagreed. Unfortunately, since the beginning of the war, power has always remained out of reach of the moderate faction.”

“Although the war has ended, the lingering hostility among the people has not dissipated. Political struggles have always been bloody. After a series of conspiracies, assassinations, and riots, the government once again split, and the moderate faction left with their supporters. They sought to explore new planets and establish a brand new country.”

“Among those who left together were the top medical scientists of that time. Since then, Nash has been leading in genetics and medicine compared to Gita.”

“Do they still, do they still get married?” Jiang Miao asked in astonishment, “Is marriage compulsory for everyone?”

Yan He laughed, “Of course not. Like I said, they were the moderate faction, so their governing style and national policies naturally leaned toward moderation.”

He paused and continued, “The main difference between their overall society and Gita’s lies in the preservation of the family structure. But economic oligarchic families like Allison and Alva are actually the main targets that the government is trying to restrain and divide.”

“Marriage is a personal choice. In fact, the marriage rate in their society is not much higher than in ancient times, only about forty-five percent. Many people choose not to get married but still have children. However, whichever choice is made, it is respected by society. Regarding marriage and reproduction, the government only encourages and does not forcefully intervene,” Yan He said.

Jiang Miao pondered and understood his meaning, “You mean, the current social status of Gita is actually…”

Yan He’s eyes were deep, and he continued, “After the moderate faction left, they actually maintained contact with this side. After the opposition disappeared, the ruling faction began to manage reproduction for the entire society, this time without gender discrimination, which was fair. Regardless of men or women, as long as they are of age and healthy, they must undergo compulsory management according to the ‘Reproduction Law.’ In those years, the chaos in Gita was unimaginable.”

“But, the history book didn’t say anything.” Jiang Miao said, flipping through the history textbook again, and suddenly found it, “Ah, it did!”

[After experiencing forty years of turmoil, under the management of the united government, society gradually stabilized.]

“It’s another understatement,” Jiang Miao stared.

“Because those in power are always reluctant to record their own mistakes in history books. It’s human nature,” Yan He said, “After all, they are also human. The history of the holy war is recorded so clearly because the Maria Holy War Army does not allow this history to be forgotten. But what if both sides of the government want to cover it up together?”

“The result is that we, the common people, are like fools, knowing nothing,” Jiang Miao sighed.

Jiang Miao understood. The social form of Gita Republic, where everyone doesn’t get married and cooperates in child-rearing, must have undergone distorted reproductive policies and a series of twists and turns, even… perhaps overcorrection.

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Sansukini: This is a late post because I was editing this chapter last night and I noticed that some parts have been repeated, but I was too sleepy to find the beginning and the end so I thought to edit it in the morning. But I was so busy the whole day, I only remembered tonight that I haven’t edited and posted this chapter yet.

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