Chapter 340 Pregnancy
On the day of the baby's first birthday celebration, Tan Qingrou and her husband were the first to arrive.
Tan Qingrou looked at Zhuozhuo, who was squirming and not letting anyone hold her, and smiled as she took the gift box from the maid. She opened the box to reveal the shiny gifts inside.
With wide, bright eyes, she stretched out her little paws toward the gift, her sweet, clear voice pleading, "I want it!"
Tan Qingrou picked up the gift and waved it in front of the little guy: "Let Auntie hold you for a bit, and these glass puppy toys are yours."
The newborn Zhuozhuo didn't understand Tan Qingrou's meaning. Seeing that she couldn't reach the shiny thing in front of her, she turned her head and pounced on Sheng An's lap for help: "Mommy, I want it!"
Song Zhihang, standing to the side, was extremely surprised and looked at Xu Jinnian with envy and jealousy: "Your daughter's mind works really fast."
Before the Hou family divided their property, there were so many children in the second, third, and fourth branches that it was impossible to count them all. Every month, when the families from all branches would eat together, even the babies who were still breastfeeding would make an appearance.
When those children were just over one year old, they looked dull and silly, and none of them could express their needs as clearly as Zhuozhuo.
When faced with something they cannot achieve, they don't cry or make a fuss, but instead seek help from adults without the slightest hesitation.
Xu Jinnian was raising a child for the first time and was unfamiliar with the behavior of other one-year-olds. Seeing Song Zhihang's overreaction, he said calmly, "Aren't all children like this?"
Song Zhihang: "..."
Sheng An didn't spoil her daughter. She took the gift for her to play with and patted her head, saying, "Give Auntie a hug, then the gift is yours."
After saying that, she gestured for Tan Qingrou to hug her, to show the little one.
Tan Qingrou was happy to cooperate, handed the gifts to the maid, hugged Sheng An, and then, with a worried little expression, handed one of the glass dogs to Sheng An.
Now Zhuozhuo understood. Without Tan Qingrou even reaching out again, she proactively jumped onto her lap, stretching out her little arms for a hug: "Eee~"
"What a clever child!"
Tan Qingrou beamed and picked up the little one, nuzzling her rosy cheeks, then picked up another glass dog for her to hold.
"Eee-woo~"
The glass dog is about the size of an adult's palm, and its two tiny paws can barely hold it.
She happily hugged the glass dog tightly, refusing to let go, and even brought it to her mouth, ready to nibble on it.
Seeing this, Sheng An quickly stopped him: "You can't bite into this, or you'll break your teeth."
These glass dogs haven't been washed. If they have any pathogenic bacteria on them, my daughter could easily get an upset stomach if she chews on them.
Zhuozhuo remained calm and didn't get angry when she was stopped. She chattered to the glass dog in a way that no one else could understand, and she looked incredibly happy.
These glass dogs were quite valuable. Sheng An was worried that the little one might fall because she was unsteady on her feet, so she instructed Hong Liu to bring a mat to lay on the ground so that she could sit on it and play.
Zhuozhuo wasn't having enough fun by herself, so she called Doubao and Tangyuan, who were frolicking in the yard, in as well.
Six months have passed, and the two puppies have grown up quickly, now almost fully grown teenage dogs. It's a time when they're very playful.
At their little owner's call, they rushed over, stood by the mat wagging their tails and tilting their heads to look at Zhuozhuo and the glass dog in her arms.
Without the permission of their master, the two dogs dared not put their four dusty paws on the mat and roll around with their little master.
Tan Qingrou couldn't help but praise, "Sister An'an, you not only know how to raise children, but you also know how to raise dogs, and even your dogs are so well-mannered!"
Sheng An humbly replied, "No, no, these two dogs are very intelligent. They've only needed a little training to become like this."
She wasn't lying; the two dogs were indeed intelligent, just like her daughter, very good at reading people's expressions. They would remember what they weren't allowed to do after being reminded a few times.
While the two were talking, Zhuozhuo took advantage of their inattention and generously pushed the glass dog in front of the two dogs, sharing her new treasure with them.
Doubao and Tangyuan came over and sniffed the glass dog. Under their expectant gazes, they pawed at it a few times, then, realizing it was neither edible nor playable, they lost interest and walked away.
Seeing that her two dog friends didn't like her baby, Zhuozhuo's little face showed disappointment. She grumbled a few words and was about to take the glass dog back to play with by herself.
Fortunately, Hongliu reacted quickly, wiping the glass dog clean with a handkerchief before placing it on the mat for her young mistress to continue playing with.
Not long after, Ning Sihan and Tan Zhenlin arrived one after the other.
They also prepared gifts for Zhuozhuo, knowing she liked sparkly things, and the gifts they gave were all quite expensive.
Ning Sihan gave a small doll carved from a single piece of emerald, while Tan Zhenlin gave a pure gold pony.
Zhuozhuo is born in the Year of the Horse.
Zhuozhuo was also very happy with these two birthday gifts. She hugged them both tightly in her arms and then arranged them neatly on the mat. She touched this one and then that one, and the smile on her face never stopped.
Seeing her adorable appearance, everyone couldn't help but smile.
When it came time for the baby's first birthday celebration, Zhuozhuo grabbed a small abacus adorned with gold powder and held it high to show Sheng'an, exclaiming, "Mommy~"
Sheng An smiled and picked up his daughter, abacus and all, and kissed her on the cheek: "Great job!"
She praised him verbally, but couldn't help but complain in her heart.
For the past two days, she had been teaching this girl how to hold a book and a pen, hoping to impress her friends and family.
Who knew that things would go so well during practice, but now she's been given a golden abacus.
Never mind, the abacus has a nice meaning, so I'll reward you with a kiss instead.
After grabbing the abacus, the little guy lost interest in everything else, refusing to move even after being coaxed by his great-grandparents and grandfather.
Finally, driven to desperation, he grabbed the nearest object and stuffed it into the arms of his three elders until they were full, only then did he stop, satisfied.
Everyone else who witnessed this couldn't help but laugh, gaining a clearer understanding of the young girl's aesthetic sense.
At noon, Sheng An cooked several dishes that Ning Sihan and the others liked, based on their preferences.
Tan Qingrou ate without any dietary restrictions, and suddenly her expression changed. She covered her mouth and ran out.
Song Zhihang was extremely anxious and hurriedly put down his chopsticks to chase after her: "Qingqing!"
The others reacted a beat slower. By the time they got up and went outside, they saw Tan Qingrou leaning against the wall, dry heaving.
Sheng An had a guess in mind, and quickly instructed Aunt Niu, "Go and fetch a doctor!"
The doctor rushed over and took Tan Qingrou's pulse, who was still feeling nauseous.
A moment later, he smiled and congratulated Tan Qingrou: "Congratulations, Madam, it's a happy pulse, the fetus is over a month along."
As soon as he finished speaking, the room fell silent.
Tan Qingrou stared blankly at her lower abdomen, seemingly unable to believe that there was already a small life inside.
Song Zhihang's reaction was even more stunned than hers. Just as everyone was about to congratulate the couple, he suddenly slapped himself across the face:
"Wow—it's not a dream! I'm going to be a dad! I'm going to be a dad! Hahahaha, I'm going to be a dad!"
Everyone: "..."
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