November 2nd.
It was a weekend. On Friday night, Lu Nanchen and Yu Ting received phone calls from Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Yu, respectively, inquiring if they would be free and at home this weekend, for they wished to come over for a visit.
For the past few months, Yu Ting and Lu Nanchen had mainly been shooting a variety show out of town and had barely been in Jiangqi City.
There was no opportunity for the two elders to visit.
With this in mind, Yu Ting and Lu Nanchen cheerfully agreed.
Taking into account Yu Ting’s sleeping habits, the elders arrived late in the morning on the following day. The moment the doorbell rang, Lu Nanchen opened the door.
As soon as the door opened, Mrs. Lu and Mrs. Yu gave the big and small bags they had brought to Lu Nanchen and directly passed by him with Lu Xiaobao, heading straight towards Yu Ting, who was sitting in the living room.
The moment Mrs. Lu saw Yu Ting, her eyes chuckled, and she quickly approached her "Ting Ting."
"Mom, you’re here." Yu Ting also responded with a smiling face, pushing the plate of fruit in front of her parents-in-law, suggesting, "Do you want to try some? Nanchen just prepared them, and they’re pretty good."
"No need, you keep it for yourself," Mrs. Yu responded, "You need nourishment at this stage."
"Exactly, you eat it. We won’t. If you find it to be insufficient, ask Nanchen to prepare more," Mrs. Lu chimed in cheerfully. Upon seeing Yu Ting’s belly, which was nearly the size of a soccer ball, she couldn’t help but smile even more.
"Ting Ting must be five months pregnant by now, right?"
"Yes, Yes."
"Then there are roughly four months left. You’ll have to put up with it for another four months," Mrs. Lu says, holding Yu Ting’s hand and speaking earnestly.
Both elders had been through it all and knew well the difficulties of pregnancy, let alone the moment of childbirth. Thinking of this, Mrs. Yu sighed deeply, looking a bit melancholic.
"It’s not too hard on me. I’m rather looking forward to the birth of this baby." Yu Ting quickly responded.
"Of course. The next few months might be a bit tough, but once the baby is born, everything will be great. The baby will be adorable," Mrs. Lu remarks with a smile. Mrs. Yu also chimes in from time to time. She examined Yu Ting and asked, "How are you feeling? Do you have any swelling?"
Pregnant women experience swelling in their hands and feet either sooner or later during pregnancy, also known as pregnancy oedema.
Yu Ting shook her head lightly, "No, I have been sleeping well recently. I walk around after meals every day, and Nanchen often massages my legs. My body is not swollen."
"That’s good." Mrs. Yu said with a smile and felt relieved that she had chosen the right son-in-law. She reminded Yu Ting, "If you start to have swelling, drink more winter melon soup, and have some job’s tears porridge in the morning and evening. It helps to reduce swelling."
"Your grandma taught me that."
"Alright."
Yu Ting responded quickly.
The two adults began to chat with Yu Ting about all sorts of family matters and various future plans. They planned to have Yu Ting hospitalized for observation when she was eight months pregnant, just in case.
At first, Yu Ting was a bit hesitant, feeling it unnecessary to be hospitalized so early. But seeing the determination of both families, she went along with them.
The three women chatted while Lu Nanchen took the stuff the elders had brought to the guest room. The several bags contained practical items like honey dates, job’s tears, bird’s nest, nuts, fish maw, and a neck pillow.
November 23rd
Lu Xiaobao, whom they hadn’t seen for several months, made a video call with Yu Ting in the evening.
As soon as the call was connected, the screen was still a bit shaky, not yet stabilized.
You could faintly hear the voice of Aunt Lu reminding Xiaobao, "Don’t keep Sis Yu on the phone for too long. She needs to rest."
"Mom, I got it," Xiaobao replied. Once he found a good camera angle and held the phone steady, he looked at Yu Ting on the screen and cheerfully greeted, "Good evening, Sis Yu!"
Xiaobao was probably just out of school not too long ago, still dressed in his school’s autumn blue and white uniform, neatly buttoned up.
Having not seen Xiaobao for a few months, Yu Ting wondered if he had lost weight as his jawline looked a tad sharper, his cheeks less chubby. The only thing that remained unchanged was his pure and joyful smile. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎
While Yu Ting was video calling with Xiaobao, Lu Nanchen was sitting beside her, half of his face visible on screen.
"Good evening Xiaobao," Yu Ting replied with a smile. "Has Xiaobao lost weight recently? Not eating well? I’ll tell your brother to buy some food for you."
"Even Sis Yu thinks I look thinner... My appetite is fine, though," Xiaobao blinked a few times, then grasped his chin, pondering a bit. His smile never faded.
"Sis Yu, I had a midterm exam last week! The results came out today. I am class top and ranked third in the grade. I scored 100 in math! Xiaobao is awesome, right?"
"Xiaobao is really great."
"Hehe."
Lu Nanchen watched the conversation without a word: ...
"How’s Sis Yu lately? Feeling unwell? Will I see my niece in about four months?" After Xiaobao finished sharing his news, he immediately asked about Yu Ting. He looked more excited than when he mentioned scoring 100.
After all, in his mind, getting 100 wasn’t the first time, but this would be his first time seeing his niece!
Lu Nanchen, who had been silent all along, suddenly interjected, "It’s a niece."
Then Yu Ting gave Xiaobao a smile, and a definitive answer.
"That’s great."
"So I have four months to prepare a gift for my niece."
Lu Nanchen: ...
"I’m going to prepare lots and lots of gifts for her." Xiaobao started murmuring to himself, drooping his head, and counting on his fingers, appearing so adorable that the adults around him couldn’t help but smile.
"He has indeed been saving money ever since your last visit. He has done quite a bit of housework too," Aunt Lu suddenly appeared in the frame, chiming in. Her laugh lines were slightly more pronounced due to her smile.
"Auntie."
"Hmm, how are you feeling recently? Are you okay?" Aunt Lu asked with a kind smile.
"I’m very well," Yu Ting said with a smile.
"That’s good," Aunt Lu let out a sigh of relief, her brows and eyes radiating kindness. "Wherever you can let Nanchen do the work, let him. If you need our help, just ask. We are all a family. His dad only has one son."
...
"Okay, I will."
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