Chapter 281
He walked gently to the bedside to look at the sleeping child, then reached out and gently touched the child's little hand.
Wang Jiazhi was very proud and happy when she saw his delighted expression. This was her child.
The child woke up after a while and whimpered a few times. She coaxed him and he didn't cry anymore.
Then he looked at them with his big eyes and smiled with the corners of his mouth raised.
He was so happy to see it.
Each of them held one of her little hands. He looked at the child and then at her.
She said, "There are always some things that look like me. The nose looks like me, and the hair looks like mine."
He smiled and said, "It's best to be like you."
She said somewhat dejectedly, "It's better to be like you. Not like me."
The child fell asleep easily, and she carefully placed him in a large cardboard box that served as a makeshift crib.
He laughed and said, "Your mother raised you like a kitten, and always liked to keep you in a cardboard box."
She patted the child and said, "She likes it too."
They slept on the bed, and he said, "I took her place."
She nestled into his arms, feeling like she was dreaming. Living alone in this little house, waiting to have a child, all alone, she wished he could stay with her. And now he was actually in this house.
He stroked her hair and back and said, "No one will control you from now on. You are free and don't have to be afraid anymore. If you want to go abroad, you can. Don't you want to go to England? If you want to take the child with you..."
She grabbed his clothes and started crying, saying, "I don't want to go there. I don't want to leave. Don't you want me anymore?"
He said sadly: "Of course I want you to be with me."
"Then why do you want me to leave?"
He sighed and said, "Well, if you're willing to go back with me, we can go back to the way we were before. As long as I live, we'll..."
"Don't say that anymore." She grabbed his clothes and cried softly against his chest.
"You shouldn't be with me. You'll have a better future."
"Do you dislike me?"
"How could I dislike you? You're very good. It's me who doesn't deserve to keep you."
She said woodenly, "I'm not okay at all, not okay at all."
"You're really nice."
“If you…” She choked and didn’t continue, but said self-deprecatingly: “I’m very good. Good things are meant to be destroyed and sacrificed to the heavens, aren’t they?”
"Don't talk nonsense."
Her tears soaked a large area of his clothes on his chest.
At this moment, she really wanted to be honest with him and tell him what had happened in the past. In fact, she had wanted to be honest with him many times in her life, but she didn't dare. This was the most likely time, but she still didn't say it.
She was determined not to tell him anything, no matter how despicable or shameless it was, she would never let him know.
At that moment, she wondered what she had said to him, and how much he knew. She was the only one who knew what happened back then; as long as she didn't tell him, he would never know. Those people could certainly fabricate rumors and slander her, but as long as she denied it, he wouldn't alienate her. As long as he still loved her, he would of course choose to believe her. Besides, people like Kuang Yumin wouldn't slander him directly. He and Old Wu had always been at odds, so he naturally didn't believe anything Old Wu said.
"Does giving birth hurt?"
She was thinking about something when he reached out and touched her belly.
The tears that had been held back burst out again, and she said aggrievedly: "Other people have someone to accompany them when they give birth, but I only have one to give birth on my own."
"It's my fault. I should have stayed with you."
"You know, I'm all alone with my big belly."
When he found out that she was living alone with a big belly, he almost broke down and went crazy.
Wang Jiazhi had long sensed something was amiss. The only people looking for her were him and Old Wu. Old Wu and the others had ever treated her like a human being. If they had arrested her, they would have bound her like Kuang Yumin had done to her, tying her up like a pig. How could they possibly honor her like this, requiring everyone on this floor to serve her?
But if he didn't come looking for her, how could she go back to him? He knew her identity, and she really didn't know what he would do to her. If she really walked into his trap, death wouldn't be the most important thing, and she couldn't let the child die with her. Of course, he wouldn't be so cruel, but if he just felt sorry for his child and didn't want to have anything to do with her anymore, wouldn't she be humiliated if she went back to him?
He was even more tormented than she was. She wanted to leave, and of course he couldn't stop her. But he was worried and had to have someone watch her. As she walked further and further away, he gradually gave up hope. Unexpectedly, she came back after walking around, and she was so close to him that he even rented a house to live with her.
Then he found a way to buy food at the black market. Of course, he didn't want her to lose sleep and eat, as that would make him even more worried. But seeing her enjoying life like nothing happened, he felt a little disappointed.
"She doesn't seem to miss me at all."
But later they reported that they couldn't finish the food they had bought, so they gave most of it to neighbors and fed the cats. They stayed up late at night, even sitting by the river and daydreaming.
I deliberately chose a very obedient and beautiful kitten to keep her company, but the effect seems average.
How could this not be frustrating? He'd always been a master at judging people, able to discern most of their meaning from even the most casual glance. But it sometimes didn't work so well with her. He was a little confused when she was around, and even more so when she wasn't.
In fact, he could see through her in his previous life. The surprising thing about this life is that she still has memories, but he has none.
Unexpectedly, she later became pregnant. Those who looked after her were told from the outset that this person was of great importance and must be carefully cared for, with absolutely no room for error. Their superiors were also filled with tedious formalities, demanding every detail, making their work daunting and uneasy.
But they figured as long as they kept a close eye on her, and she wouldn't die or become disabled, their responsibility would be limited. Unexpectedly, one day they discovered she was pregnant, and they were devastated. With her pregnant and carrying someone, if anything happened to one of them, they felt their path might have reached its end.
But the one who was most shocked was himself. For quite a long time, he couldn't believe it.
Since he was young, although he was not sure, he did not rule out that there was something wrong with him. No matter what, he never thought that he would have a child.
And how could she get pregnant? He thought she would be on guard. Of course, they were too indulgent in this kind of thing, so it was not surprising that there was an accident.
At the time, such surgery was extremely dangerous, with the potential for death, disability, or the inability to have children. Some people with special circumstances would rather abandon or give away their babies than take that risk.
He wanted to take her back, but then he thought, what if she didn't want the child at all, and it was just an accident, so she couldn't help but give birth? Or maybe she wanted the child, but just wanted to raise it on her own. Bringing her back would put her in a difficult position, and then asking her to break up with him in person. He didn't have the courage to deal with that blow right now.
Because of this reason, they didn't contact each other and just dragged it on.
Ever since he accepted the fact that she was pregnant, he had lived with more anxiety and worry.
People reported that she couldn't eat or sleep because of her big belly, and she went out for a walk for no reason, played with a flashlight in the middle of the night, broke her nails from peeling lotus seeds and nuts, and made fried snacks endlessly in the hot summer... It made him unable to sleep or eat, and he was worried to death.
The few people around him who knew about their separation, although they didn't know the specific circumstances, couldn't help but sigh in their hearts when they saw his state: "What a sin!"
It also made life difficult for those who watched over her, fearing something might happen to her. For example, in the dead of night, if she didn't turn off the lights to sleep, someone would always be watching her upstairs, always waiting for a long time after the lights were out to hear her room was quiet before they could rest assured. Or when she went out, someone would always follow her, fearing she'd get lost or caught in the rain... Or when she went out to sit by the river in the middle of the night, someone had to watch her to make sure nothing happened. Or when she took a bath inside, several women would take turns tiptoeing to the door, listening for any noise, fearing she'd slip.
He was already overly meticulous, asking those people to report her situation like a daily record. Later, because it involved her and the baby in her belly, his meticulousness was even more insane.
For example, she loved sweet-scented osmanthus cake, but she was too lazy to heat it up herself, so she had the steamer on the first floor kept warm all day long, ensuring she always had a hot snack. He'd ask her if she wanted to eat or buy anything that wasn't available locally, and she'd say she didn't know. So he'd secretly follow her shopping, trying to find out what she wanted and send it to her if she couldn't find it. He'd ask her if she had a fan in the house when it was hot. He'd ask her what kind of bathtub she used, and when he heard it was a high one, he was afraid she'd fall out of the tub, so he'd persuade her to switch to a lower one. He'd receive the snacks she made, asking her if she had to make a lot of defective ones to get those few pretty ones, because they were always in front of the frying pan, surrounded by smoke and fire, to avoid getting splashed. Once she noticed, she'd think someone would report her to him, so she'd deliberately refuse to change. He'd also deliberately insisted she wash her hair during her postpartum confinement period, insisting she'd take care of it herself. He was just testing his ability to see if he still cared about her.
She thought, if he really cared about her, why didn't he come to pick her up; he thought, if she still wanted to be with him, why didn't she come back? The two of them were like this, but it was hard for those people.
She lay in his arms, trembling and said sadly, "Do you know how scared I am?"
She had never been like this in her previous life. This went against her rebellious nature and she acted in a very embarrassing way, acting like a spoiled child.
"I know you've suffered."
Keep stroking her fur.
Speaking of childbirth, he was also tormented. Cesarean sections were still in their infancy, making them impractical. The news of someone's family dying during childbirth, which had previously been ignored by everyone from young to old, now came as a torrent of news.
He asked an authoritative and trustworthy professor to go to her local hospital for every prenatal checkup. He especially went to the hospital during the delivery days. Because she suddenly had to move to another place, he had to trouble the professor to go with her to the hospital.
At that time, he specially arranged for the cook and the nanny who used to serve her at home to live near the hospital. He made a list of what dishes to cook for her every day, what soups to make, what snacks to serve with her, and what flowers to put on her bedside.
Later, the ruffian was also beaten away, for fear that it would make her unhappy.
Fortunately, everything went smoothly without incident. When he told him that both of them were fine, he nearly fainted from the mixture of emotions he felt.
Giving birth to a child is so difficult! I still feel scared when I think about it now.
He looked at his daughter who was sleeping peacefully in the cardboard box. He thought to himself that his daughter would have children when she grew up. Oh my God!
The women who cared for her had all given birth before, but they felt that their childbirth was completely different from hers. They were terrified, fearing any mishap. The older women stood guard at the door, chanting sutras.
The pressure and fear these people bear are no less than Wang Jiazhi's.
The obedient little kitten was sleeping soundly in her cardboard box.
This group of people truly let her down for being so thoughtful and understanding. In her previous life, she was so understanding, yet her parents, so careless, still failed her. It was the same in this life. She was clearly healthy, clearly didn't torture her mother at all, and clearly didn't suffer much during her birth. But it was these adults who didn't appreciate it, turning the simplest of things into a turmoil, making them incredibly complicated. She was tortured by a group of people, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted and horrified.
She was now soft and boneless in his arms, and both of them felt the familiar feeling again.
He had initially hesitated about whether to come find her first. But then he heard she was actually staying home after her postpartum confinement, and he knew this wasn't going to work. He also felt that no matter what she chose, even if she left him, they should have a proper farewell. If she wanted to leave, he wouldn't hold her back. But she, as he had thought, was willing to go back with him.
It was already very late at night. He stroked her fur and said, "Go to sleep."
"I don't want to fall asleep. If I wake up, you'll be gone."
"I'll leave when you wake up. I'll go back first, take care of you guys, and then go back tomorrow."
"Hmm~"
But she still couldn't sleep, nestling in his arms, listening to his heartbeat and smelling the herbal scent on him. Why did he start drinking Chinese medicine again?
He stroked her hair and back, a familiar yet incredible feeling, and before she knew it she fell asleep.
Before daybreak, he stood up to leave. As usual, she whimpered and clung to his waist with her two little paws. As usual, he kept her clinging for a while, finally kissed her and said, "I'm leaving now. This time, I'll wait for you at home."
Before leaving, I looked at the sleeping kitten.
As he was about to leave, he turned around and saw her in white pajamas, with her long hair draped over her shoulders, looking at him with tearful eyes like a kitten. He felt sad. She was afraid it was all a dream and she would never see him again.
Thinking of this, she opened the curtains, but he didn't appear for a long time. There was nothing outside. Was it really a dream? How did he come and how did he leave?
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