Chapter Seventeen is not the designated one.
"The baby is greeting Daddy." She smiled gently, her tender words filling him with joy. The maternal glow he felt when he looked up, coupled with the sound of her calling him "Daddy" on behalf of the child, made his hands tremble with excitement.
"Want to touch it?" He said he would treat the child as his own, and he truly did during her pregnancy. He tried his best to ensure she ate nutritious food, reassigned her to a different job so she didn't have to work night shifts and could do nothing at home. He cared for her and the baby; while most families didn't have prenatal checkups, he accompanied her regularly, following the doctor's advice. Therefore, he was capable of fulfilling this role.
"May I?"
"Sure," she smiled, pointing to her protruding belly. "Look, the two kids are eager to say hello to you."
With permission, he knelt down in front of her and placed his hand on her stomach. He could clearly feel the bulge in her belly, then the other side rose, and he moved his hand over. The baby was moving around inside her, and he cooperated by feeling around her belly.
"Baby, be good, stop kicking. If you kick again, it will hurt Mommy. Daddy will play with you after you come out."
He touched my entire belly, and I don't know if his words worked, but the little one did stop moving so frequently.
When he looked up and saw her smiling face, he was so happy he didn't know how to express it. He reached out and patted her head, "They'll definitely have two lively and healthy children in the future."
She nodded: "Mm."
After dinner, she sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), touching her belly to give her baby prenatal education. In her hand was a copy of "Records of the Grand Historian," which she had found at a recycling center.
"Can the children understand the Records of the Grand Historian? You used to tell them stories, why did you switch to this?"
“Reading history can enlighten you. It’s okay if you don’t understand it; you can cultivate your understanding.” Seeing the longing in his eyes, she beckoned him in.
“Come here and read it to the children so they can get used to their father’s voice. That way, it will be easier for you to take care of them after they are born.”
He quickly sat down next to her and took the book from her. He had never done it before, but seeing her do it every day, he copied her. Then she continued reading, her deep, magnetic voice making him feel very comfortable.
After he finished reading, she smiled and took the milk he offered. "Would you like to read to the children every day from now on?"
"Okay." He used to feel a little envious and longing when he heard her tell stories to the baby in her belly in a gentle, childlike voice, but he knew he definitely wouldn't have that tone, so he didn't say anything. Actually, he really wanted to be closer to her and closer to the baby.
He felt very good about things as they were. Although they hadn't become more intimate, this interaction was warmer and made up for any other shortcomings.
"Take your maternity leave after the New Year. Normally, you get about four months of maternity leave. I got a certificate from the hospital saying that since you're carrying twins and can't work in late pregnancy, you can extend your leave by six months."
"Okay." In her previous life, she also took four months off work. In the late stages of her pregnancy, she simply couldn't work for long periods, so she went to the hospital to get a certificate and then went to her workplace to have her supervisor handle the paperwork. Now, he has everything she needs, and he always thinks ahead and gets things done in advance.
It's because of his age; he makes her feel incredibly safe. Before, she would think things through meticulously, but after having a child, she started experiencing insomnia. Now, however, she doesn't have that problem at all; she worries much less. Subconsciously, she knows she has someone to rely on, and that he will take care of everything.
The power was out, and only one candle was lit in the room, making it very dim. The ancients said that a beautiful woman is alluring under lamplight, and he truly understood that now. His wife was already beautiful, but now she was even more stunning, captivating his heart.
A voice inside him told him that he should leave now that he had finished reading, but he sat there, reluctant to go. Shu Yao, having lived a full life, had a certain understanding of men.
It's perfectly normal to want to get close to a woman you like, especially your wife, who is your lawfully wedded wife. Seeing his desire yet hesitation, she took the initiative to move closer to him and sit down next to him.
"My legs are so tired, can you massage them for me?"
"Okay." What's wrong with that? You should have told me your legs were tired earlier; I would have been more than happy to oblige.
The room was warm, and she was only wearing long underwear. She put her legs on him, and he started to massage them. But as soon as he touched her, she gasped in pain.
"Be gentle."
"oh."
The sweet, seductive voice made his already restless heart even more uncontrollable. He continued to massage her, adjusting the pressure according to her reactions. He remained silent, taking deep breaths to calm himself down.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked softly. Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the room became ambiguous.
"fine."
He tried hard to control his wildly running thoughts, but the sensation under his hand kept reminding him of something. It didn't feel like his wife's legs were resting on his lap; rather, it felt like a spark igniting the tinderbox of desire within him.
After kneading for a while, he put down the fire that was making him restless. "Well, go to sleep early. Goodnight."
"Goodnight." Shu Yao looked puzzled. What's wrong? She was so excited just now, why is she suddenly so cold?
The man got up, pushed open the door, and stood in the outer room, taking several deep breaths. After washing up, he lay down on the bed, but despite the outer room not being as warm as the inner room, he was covered in sweat. In the dead of winter, a time when all things should be resting, he was restless, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Just then, the door to the inner room creaked open. He got up and, by the light of the flashlight, saw Shu Yao coming out wearing a coat. Seeing that she had disturbed him, she smiled and offered to explain.
"I need to use the restroom. You go to sleep first, I'll be right back."
That's how it is for pregnant women; their internal organs are displaced by the fetus. And nowadays, without a toilet, they can't squat for long periods to develop the necessary sensation. They can only rely on their bodies and go whenever they feel the urge.
"I'll stay with you, just wait for me for half a minute."
"No need, I can go by myself."
He quickly put on his coat, got up, put on his shoes, and took the flashlight from her hand. He naturally put his arm around her waist in a protective gesture.
"Let's go. I can't trust you to go by yourself so late at night."
He accompanied her to the public restroom, which wasn't far from their home and was deserted at night. She stayed inside with a flashlight while he waited outside after coming out of the men's room alone.
The sky was overcast, and it looked like it might snow. He couldn't help but breathe on his hands to warm them. He thought to himself, "Heavens, please don't let it snow. If it snows, the roads will be slippery, and it will be inconvenient for my wife."
It was not even 11 o'clock, which was already quite late for that time of day. He hadn't expected to run into anyone. Sun Yaozu was stunned when he saw him. "Going to the bathroom so late at night and not going home? Standing outside freezing? Are you crazy?"
Neither of them spoke. Sun Yaozu, who was squatting on the toilet, suddenly noticed that there was a light on in the women's restroom. It must be Shu Yao there. So Su Xiangdong was waiting for her earlier.
"Really? She's just going to the toilet. She's a grown woman, does she need a man to accompany her or wait for her to use the toilet?" He snorted coldly. Shu Yao is really pretentious after remarrying.
He didn't rush back to his house; he stood in his doorway smoking. Seeing Shu Yao come out of the bathroom, he saw that Su Xiangdong was indeed waiting for her. He even had a handkerchief in his hand to wipe her hands, and under the flashlight's beam, he gently pulled her into his arms.
"What are you doing? We're outside."
"It's okay, I just wanted a hug. Nobody's around."
It was late at night and there was no one around, so she relaxed and let him hold her. Then she felt his warm lips on her cheek, one kiss wasn't enough, he kept kissing her lips.
"Su Xiangdong,"
"Sweetie, Sun Yaozu is watching."
His voice was tender and gentle, sending shivers down her spine. She felt dizzy as he kissed her and led her home by the hand. Only after he closed the door behind him did she move closer to him.
He turned around and his wife's beautiful face was right in front of him. His heart skipped a beat, but he pretended to be calm in front of her. "Why aren't you asleep?"
"Tell me honestly, are you really bothered by Sun Yaozu? Or rather, are you bothered by the fact that I was once married to him?"
If he minds, she'll find a way to rent a place and leave after the baby is born. She has money and a stable job, and she can support the child on her own. Her main reason for rushing into marriage was to mislead the Sun family and prevent them from pursuing her for the child.
"How could that be?" He stopped laughing and replied seriously. "I've never taken him seriously. I scolded him because he was unruly. Honey, why would you say that?"
"Then why do you always lose control when you're with him? You're usually so composed."
"I am..." He knew what she meant before he finished speaking, but hesitated for a moment before getting stuck. After a moment's hesitation, he simply reached out and hugged her, lowered his head and kissed her red lips, turning them over and over. This time it was no longer a fleeting kiss, but a surging surge, letting her feel the emotions he was trying so hard to suppress.
Despite his turbulent emotions, he didn't forget she was pregnant, and his embrace remained gentle. When he released her, he supported her body with his arm, and in the dim light, meeting her shimmering eyes, he couldn't help but lower his head and kiss her again.
"I was thinking of doing this while I was inside the house."
Shu Yao chuckled and tiptoed closer to him: "You don't need to borrow anything else in the future, you can kiss me whenever you want."
The man's eyes lit up: "Really?"
He was waiting for an answer when the woman who had been teasing him so intensely turned and left, leaving him bewildered in the air. Then she chuckled softly, as if things had progressed.
The next day, he drove Shuyao to work. She would be on leave in twenty-two days, and looking at her pregnant belly, he was alarmed; he needed to get her rest quickly. Shortly after becoming pregnant, Shuyao was transferred to quality control, a job that wasn't actually very demanding. But her belly was so heavy that even he felt tired just looking at her.
She went out to get water at lunchtime and saw Meng Xi in the canteen. The two didn't work in the same workshop, so they rarely interacted. Today, when Meng Xi saw her, his gaze was quite complicated.
Shu Yao didn't care what Sun Yaozu said to her. "You two were entangled for decades in your past life, why don't you come together early in this life? I'm quite curious to know what it's like for a scumbag and his mistress to live together."
She told herself not to waste her emotions on jerks, but deep down she knew she hadn't forgotten what they'd said to her. "They're the true love? True love? Fuck you! I'll wait and see how great your 'true love' really is."
She filled her water bottle and left on her own, Meng Xi's gaze following her until she disappeared from sight. A coworker nudged Meng Xi's arm.
"Shu Yao divorced the Sun family, and everyone's saying she was bullied by Sun's parents. Are you really sure you want to date Sun Yaozu?"
“She’s talking nonsense. I hate people like her. The Sun family raised her for ten years and spent so much money to save her back then. Now she turns her back on them and is smearing the Sun family.”
"Is that so?"
"Of course. The two elders of the Sun family treated her like their own daughter. The mother of the Sun family is a particularly kind person."
The coworkers shook their heads in silence. Many of them had heard about Shu Yao's situation and were generally on her side. But Meng Xi had clearly been brainwashed by Sun Yaozu, and she was too lazy to say anything more; it would only annoy people.
After the Lunar New Year, Shu Yao officially took her leave. Sitting down with her hand on her belly, she couldn't sit still and picked up a shoe sole to sew. During this period, shoe soles had to be made stitch by stitch, so she would usually take some extra time to make some.
"Oh dear, Yaoyao, can't you just stay still and rest? Why can't you stay idle? Look at your belly, it's bigger than when I was about to give birth."
Her aunt brought her some egg tea and took the shoe sole from her hand. She smiled and touched her belly; it was indeed enormous. In her previous life, it wasn't this big; both her children weighed less than four pounds at birth. She had carefully nurtured and raised them, placing them on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).
Her health had been poor since childhood, especially her son, who was even lighter and constantly ill, both major and minor. She spent countless days and nights without sleep.
But now, her belly is alarming to everyone who sees it, yet she feels at ease. In her past life, she was a low-birth-weight baby, and her son almost didn't survive. Fortunately, he was a boy, and her in-laws valued him more. To give him more milk, she ate well during her postpartum period.
Now that things are like this, if both children weigh more than four pounds each, then she won't have to worry about their health anymore. In her past life, raising those two children was incredibly difficult; now, as long as they're healthy, she doesn't care about anything else.
She has a naturally strong constitution; the elders say it's because her belly is wide, preventing it from tearing. From a medical perspective, it's simply because her skin has good elasticity and a strong ability to repair itself. In her past life, her belly wasn't particularly large, and in this life, she applies glycerin to her belly for skincare. Anyway, even now, although her belly is large, she has almost no stretch marks.
It's okay to have it, but women love beauty, so it's best to have none if possible. Or at least have less, so it's easier to recover later.
Now she's the most protected person at home; she's not allowed to do any chores. She doesn't have to lift a finger to do anything—no cleaning before the New Year, washing sheets and blankets, preparing food for the holiday.
The snow outside had just melted, and the sun was shining brightly today. She drank some egg soup and went for a walk. Everyone she met greeted her, and all they talked about was her belly.
"They're taking such good care of you. Twins must be exhausting!"
"good."
"Where's your husband? Why didn't he come with you?"
"He's busy with a big house cleaning."
Sun Yaozu's mother watched from the doorway and couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "They treat her like a grandmother, feeding her well and making her do nothing. I used to suspect this child might be ours, but now that I see it, it's definitely not. No man could treat someone else's child this well."
In her past life, her two children were born at the end of February, so in this life she is especially careful. She wants the babies to stay in her womb longer so they can develop better. She is very careful when walking, and she didn't go anywhere during the Lunar New Year, staying home comfortably to rest and prepare for childbirth.
As the first month of the lunar calendar passed and the second month began, Su Xiangdong packed all the necessary items for childbirth into a large bag. The doctor said that the baby in her womb was developing very well and that premature birth was possible at any time.
"Honey, sit down and rest." You're so heavily pregnant, walking back and forth looks tiring.
"No need. The doctor said that walking more will help with childbirth."
"Alright, I'll help you up."
"Do you think the shepherd's purse has sprouted yet?"
"I'll go check later, it should be ready. How would you like it?" He immediately gave her his plan without her having to say anything more.
"Make dumplings. Shepherd's purse and egg filling, they're especially fresh and delicious."
"Okay. Then sit down and rest for a while, I'll go dig some shepherd's purse for you."
She ate well and was in a good mood, but she still felt a little nervous on the 24th. She reached out and touched her belly, wondering if her baby would choose this day again.
Having been through a lot, she actually believes in metaphysics to some extent. If fate really is related to birthdays, she hopes her two children can switch birthdays.
In her past life, her grandparents favored boys, and Sun Yaozu didn't pay much attention to his children. At the time, she thought he was young and immature. Plus, the child was frail, so she poured all her energy into him. Later, he accused her of only having maternal instincts and no femininity.
She didn't blame him for being irresponsible or not acting like a father. He, on the other hand, blamed her for neglecting him because of the children, saying he was growing to hate her and her two children more and more.
"Change my birthday, change my birthday. God bless me."
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Author's note: Please add this to your favorites, my darlings, thank you so much.
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