Extra Chapter: Wanting a Child

Shi Yiqiao once said that if Lu Zhenyu were to be compared to anything, she would be a vast and boundless land.

The land bears and nourishes all things; it is gentle, tender, and profound, inspiring reliance and a sense of security.

Those who love the earth will sow seeds and reap a harvest.

Those who love Lu Zhenyu will receive her sincere, pure, and inexhaustible response in return for even a little love from her.

And Shenjingsi is that river that flows from mountain springs to streams to rivers to lakes, passing through the land and gradually gathering into a vast ocean.

Water is produced from the earth, and the water nourishes the earth.

They were born as one.

Shen Jingsi's love is scarce, but Lu Zhenyu's is not.

She can love many people, even the five children her husband adopted on his own initiative, which she always cherished and cared for with sincerity and patience.

In this family, wherever she is, she is always surrounded by her children and husband.

As the family servants put it, "Now it's all good. Wherever the madam goes, she's always surrounded by a group of bodyguards. Let's see who dares to bully her."

Influenced by Shen Jingsi, Lu Zhenyu no longer wants to have a second child.

What she used to worry about was that Little Pearl was born weak. As the doctor said, although she would gradually get better as she grew older, she would still be worse than ordinary people.

A girl, like her who had no parents back then, was bullied because she had no one to rely on.

I can't imagine what would happen if she and Shen Jingsi both left one after another, leaving Zhenzhu alone in this world. Who would protect her? Who would support her?

It's not like you can just hand her over to some close friend, cousin, or younger brother.

Not everyone is like Shen Jingsi, willing to risk their life for Lu Zhenyu.

In other words, even if there was Shen Jingsi, Lu Zhenyu was still severely punished back then.

In the past, Feng Manman always regretted that if she had let Lu Zhenyu live with her, her life would have been different.

Leaving aside the fact that life doesn't offer "what ifs," if it did, Lu Zhenyu's answer would be...

"It could get even worse."

If she had gone to the Feng family back then, and been raised by Feng's second mother, who already had two sons and a niece and had lost her father at a young age, she might have died at the age of five, the year when the flu virus was at its most severe.

Because of the persistent high fever, the patient either developed intellectual disabilities or died of pneumonia.

Because not all adoptive parents are like the former Shen father and mother, who treated their brother's daughter as their own, taking turns caring for their daughter, who had a persistent high fever, for a month without ever taking off their clothes.

He may have died at the age of eight, bullied to death by Zheng Yaozong and a group of spoiled young men in the capital.

Because not every brother without blood ties could do what he did: use his fists to break five of the bastard's ribs to avenge his sister who had been bullied.

Not everyone can do that. At the age when boys love to play and run wild, they should stay by their beloved girl's side every day, using their hardened claws to protect her, pamper her, and try every means to make her happy.

Lu Zhenyu knew all along why her father had sent her to the Shen family instead of the Feng family.

Because only a father can see who can protect his daughter.

As for the dark and frustrating five years that followed, Lu Zhenyu believes that everyone has their own tribulations to go through when they come into this world.

Calamities may change depending on your choices, but you can never escape them.

Because of her own experience, Lu Zhenyu always carried a sense of unease in her heart.

She was genuinely afraid that if she and her husband were to pass away one day, what would happen to their daughter?

So one late night, she said to Shen Jingsi, "Why don't you get some reconstructive surgery, and we can have a few more children?"

Since ancient times, large and prominent families have always valued the prosperity of their lineage.

First, to continue the family line; second, a large population means greater power.

This wasn't the first time Lu Zhenyu had brought up the topic of having a few more children with Shen Jingsi.

Moreover, judging from the girl's expression, having two children isn't enough; she'd prefer to have ten or eight.

If any child is bullied outside, the older brothers, older sisters, younger brothers, and younger sisters can all stand up together, each throwing a stone, and knock the other person unconscious.

With the intention of teasing his wife, Shen Jingsi asked with a smile, "So, how many do you want to have?"

Lu Zhenyu answered without hesitation, "Three is the minimum, and if my health allows, I can have seven or eight."

Shen Jingsi suppressed a laugh, "This is quite a large project. Back in the days of the 'iron rice bowl,' the performance targets weren't this high."

Lu Zhenyu glanced at him sideways, "What? You're not good enough?"

Then my chin was pinched.

Shen Jingsi rolled over and pressed down on him, "Doesn't your wife know whether her husband is capable or not?"

It was because of the Taihang Mountains that Lu Zhenyu felt she shouldn't dawdle any longer; time was tight and the task was heavy, so she should hurry up and give birth.

Let's just turn the tables and take the lead.

"Huh? Huh?"

"How dare you, woman, forcibly abduct a man in broad daylight?"

Seeing that he was almost completely stripped naked, Shen Jingsi stopped teasing the girl and laughed as he pulled her into his arms.

How could he not see his wife's worries? Similarly, he had already planned these things back when his daughter was born.

"My silly wife, isn't it said that pregnancy makes you stupid for three years? You've been pregnant for almost seven years, and the effects are still so strong."

Lu Zhenyu: "What do you mean?"

Shen Jingsi looked down at the person with furrowed brows, felt a surge of affection, and kissed her fair neck.

Then, his expression turned serious, and he hugged her tightly, patiently explaining, "Don't worry, I assure you, none of the things you're worried about will happen in the future. Before we both die, I'll make sure our daughter has a safe haven."

Those five children adopted from around the world were the path that Shen Jingsi, as their father, paved in advance for his daughters' stable future.

As the next heir of the Shen family, Shen Xinyi, who meets all the requirements, has been strictly trained as the heir of the Shen family ever since the day he was brought back by Shen Jingsi.

If the two children can end up together, that would be the best possible outcome, according to all expectations.

If they can't reach him, Shen Jingsi has plenty of ways to keep this adopted son in check, so that he can protect and safeguard his daughter and the Shen family for the rest of his life.

As for the remaining four children, they each have their own uses in Shen Jingsi's eyes.

Although Shen Jingsi did have many motives and plans on the day he brought them back.

But providing them with the best education, life, future, and supreme status and power was also something this adoptive father genuinely did.

"So, honey, these are not things you should worry about."

Shen Jingsi gently squeezed Lu Zhenyu's soft little hand, his steady voice reassuring her.

“Your husband will take care of the children’s future. As for you and the children, all you need to do from now on is be happy and joyful every day, okay?”

Lu Zhenyu didn't know when it started, but the silly boy who needed her to endure and love him, and who paved the way for her future, grew from a sapling into a towering tree.

It spreads out all its branches, casting shade over a patch of land, providing shelter for her and her child to roam freely in their innocence.

She thought of the "idol-raising" phenomenon that has recently become popular online.

She watched him grow up, and he gave her a peaceful life for the rest of her days.

How can it not be considered a nurturing/developmental relationship?

Lu Zhenyu nestled into Shen Jingsi's warm embrace, closing her eyes, which were filled with tender smiles. "Okay, I'll do whatever you say, my husband."

After reaching an agreement with her husband on two issues—not having children and their daughter's future—Lu Zhenyu felt that life had become boundless.

In fact, Shen Jingsi's theory is correct.

Having more children doesn't necessarily mean you'll have more reliable siblings; it might just cause trouble for your eldest daughter's future.

Moreover, bringing other children into this world with the intention of protecting the eldest daughter is even more unfair to their lives.

But the couple wasn't in a hurry about Shinichi and Lu Xinsen's relationship.

When it comes to matters of the heart, it's best to let things take their course.

Success is predestined, failure is simply a matter of fate.