Under the soft orange light, Zhou Jiao sat in the nursery with her arms folded and knees bent, watching Aunt Sun methodically preparing milk powder, changing diapers, and feeding the baby...
Little Ping An beside her also imitated her posture and snuggled up to her. After a moment, he asked softly, "Mom, are you reluctant to leave Liuyiwuyi?"
Zhou Jiao replied quietly, "I can't bear to leave all three of you. Your brothers are the most pitiful. I used to be with you 24 hours a day."
"I will accompany my brothers in my place."
"Okay, but from now on I will come back to spend time with you guys whenever I can at night. Just wait until I go to work, then I'll have time to watch you grow up."
Aunt Sun settled the children and listened to the conversation between the mother and daughter. She couldn't help but smile and waved to them.
Seeing this, Zhou Jiao stood up and took Ping An's hand and quietly approached. The children had already fallen asleep peacefully. Looking at the two sleeping faces, she felt a sense of loss in her heart.
"Mom, take me to bed."
Fortunately, there was still someone who needed her. Zhou Jiao nodded happily. Then she laughed at her own hypocrisy. If the children really started to cry and make a fuss, how could she really go to school with peace of mind?
"Mom, please keep the door open for me. I can hear my brothers crying." Ping'an, lying on his bed, reminded her again with concern.
"Okay. Mommy won't leave until you fall asleep." Zhou Jiao tapped her son's nose. This little lazy pig, even thunder can't wake him up when he's asleep, and you can hear him crying.
Zhou Jiao hummed a little tune by the bed, patting her son gently, while her mind was turning over and over many trivial matters. Over the years, habit had become second nature, and even the sensitive little boy didn't notice her absent-mindedness.
Compared to the Liang family's affairs, her biggest concern right now was her two youngest sons. They were less than three months old, and she didn't know if they would behave differently than normal.
After her previous experience with Ping An, Zhou Jiao couldn't leave her children behind to go back to work. Wasn't the motivation for her efforts to keep her family safe?
Alas... life is finally full of choices.
After sighing, Zhou Jiao looked at her son who fell asleep on time and smiled with relief. She hoped that the two little ones could be as worry-free as their big brother.
After leaving Ping'an's room, Zhou Jiao saw Aunt Sun lying on the bed next door and resting. She gently closed the door for her. After leaving the living room, no one in the family had returned yet.
For a moment, she didn't want to enter the room, and stood alone in the yard looking up at the sky.
Zhang Guoqing was dragged out by his friends to watch a movie. He looked at the black and white pictures on the white cloth and listened to the lively conversations around him. It was obviously very lively, but he always felt very lonely.
When the plot reached its most exciting part, the surroundings gradually became quiet. He was worried about his wife, so he found an excuse and slipped out of his urethra.
As soon as he entered the house, he saw Zhou Jiao looking up at the sky and jokingly asked, "Will it be sunny tomorrow?"
"The movie is over? Why didn't I hear anything?"
"They're still in the auditorium." Zhang Guoqing put his arm around her shoulders. "Are the children asleep?"
Zhou Jiao knew that he had sneaked back and nodded with a smile.
"Are you interested in going out for a walk? It's quite quiet on the streets tonight."
That’s a great idea!
After closing the gate, the couple walked aimlessly along the path leading to the small park. In the moonlight, crickets and frogs played a serenading chorus.
A cool breeze blew by, I took a deep breath, and all my annoyance disappeared in an instant.
"Sometimes if you stop, you may encounter more beautiful scenery. For example, the moonlight tonight." Zhang Guoqing whispered with a hint of meaning.
"Life can be busy or relaxing. What seems like a daunting problem today might be easily solved tomorrow."
"Seventeen to twenty-three, such a wonderful time, but we are busy having children, busy going to school, busy worrying about the unknown, adding invisible pressure and responsibilities to ourselves, and forgetting to treat ourselves well."
"Wife, it's time to slow down."
Zhou Jiao, walking side by side with him, sighed inwardly. She knew she was being overly nervous, but life had never taught her to enjoy life in the moment.
That sense of urgency and crisis was like a copy she had when she was born, always coming to her with every breath.
"You are no longer yourself. You have parents who love you dearly, a lover who deeply loves you, and a child who is as beautiful as an angel. If you continue to hurry up, where will the end be? What will it bring you?"
Following Zhang Guoqing's question, Zhou Jiao stared blankly into the distance... Yes, food, clothing, shelter, and transportation were all there was. No more staying up all night to pay for tuition; no more working part-time jobs to make ends meet; no more fear for safety; no more...
So what was she worried about now? Why did she always feel that sense of oppression and crisis surging like a tide?
Zhang Guoqing reached out and took her hand, whispering as they walked, "We had a child and went to college. We completed the major life events before turning thirty in six years. What about the next six years?"
The moonlight was so beautiful, and the deep and rich voice beside her ears was magnetic and gentle, like the attraction of gravity, which made Zhou Jiao fall into deep thought every minute and every second.
The demagogue Zhang Guoqing looked at his wife with heartache. He had said a lot during her pregnancy, and he didn't want to upset her. Now was the time to remind her.
"Marry a man to get food and clothing." In addition to basic survival, he is actually confident that he can build a safe house for the woman he loves, instead of watching her work hard and making plans in secret.
The saying "too much wisdom leads to harm" simply means overusing the brain, depleting one's vital energy. And what about this fool? After more than five years of meticulous care, this pregnancy with twins was incredibly taxing, and indeed, it had severely damaged her vitality.
In August and September, when her son complained about the heat, she would already be wearing long sleeves and covering herself with a thin blanket at night. How could she live a long life with such a physique?
One thing in particular terrified Zhang Guoqing: his wife actually claimed to bring her breast milk home every day. It might be fine if he was in school, but what if he was doing an internship? So, his son was a debt. How could the milk his wife squeeze out be milk? It was clearly blood!
"Okay, we don't want to think about it anymore." Zhang Guoqing squeezed his small hands together and pointed ahead, "Wait a moment."
Without waiting for Zhou Jiao to reply, she watched him run away. She looked behind her and could only slowly walk in the direction he left.
Not long after, Zhang Guoqing came running like a whirlwind, hugged her and ran, "Shh, don't make a sound, run quickly."
Zhou Jiao was confused when she heard it and subconsciously let him lead her to run.
When she was almost home, she was breathless and suddenly found him holding a bare red rose under the street light.
"It's a pity I didn't bring a pair of scissors. We were in such a hurry that I could only pick some flowers." Zhang Guoqing smiled smugly, "Do they look like roses? My wife will give them to you."
Zhou Jiao took it with both hands with a smile on her face and smiled at him foolishly.
"Are you touched? It was difficult to act at the flower show that day, and Old Man Yi was showing off to me a few days ago. Finally, he succeeded."
"I heard that it was given to the old man by the Rose Queen. If he finds out, he'll fight you to death. Let's go home and put it secretly in the house."
Zhang Guoqing looked at his wife, who was smiling like a flower, and didn't care about Mr. Yi anymore. He secretly decided to go to the Temple of Heaven one day and get a bouquet to make his wife happy.
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