appease
On Christmas Eve, a rare heavy snow fell in City A. The snow outside was nearly half a person high, and the entire city was shut down. Without thickened walls, it was impossible to keep out the biting cold. Yu Xi wrapped herself in a quilt and sat at the table, typing away on the keyboard.
There wasn't even a small window for ventilation in the rented room. She was busy writing the articles she had snatched up for a part-time job and was completely unaware of the heavy snow outside.
The phone screen lit up with a message from Meng Chou: "[Little Fish, it's snowing heavily today. I need to catch the last subway home before the roads close.]"
[What do you want to eat? I'll make it for you when I get back.]
Christmas Day was accompanied by a blizzard, and the company gave them a day off. But Meng Chou couldn't stay idle and still went out to deliver food. He didn't care what the media reported or whether his father was disappointed in him. He only knew that if he earned more money, he could give Yu Xi a better life sooner.
Yu Xi glanced at her phone briefly and replied immediately.
Fish and Rice: [I love your braised pork the most.]
The moment the message was sent, considering that the blizzard had blocked the roads, the two of them never put any food in the shared refrigerator. If they wanted to cook, they would buy the food on the same day. In this kind of weather, let alone going out to buy groceries, it would be difficult to even open the window for ventilation.
Yu Mi: [There are still a few packets of instant noodles left. The roads are difficult to travel on because of the heavy snow, so I'll just eat whatever's available.]
San Sui: [It's okay, I live near a supermarket, so I just bought it on my way.]
Meng Chou shook the snow off his shoulders and squeezed into the overcrowded subway station. His thick black cashmere coat was chilly, and the stray hairs on his forehead were dampened by the melting snowflakes and frosted over.
The aloof demeanor clashed with the undelivered takeout orders he was carrying along the way. The carriage was filled with people who had been temporarily notified to stop working and were rushing home. Most of them were looking down at their phones, and the whole carriage was unusually quiet.
Meng Chou found an empty seat, put his phone back in his coat pocket, and listened to the radio station announcements. The scene of Yu Xi going to the hospital for a check-up last week once again came to mind.
Good news and bad news came one after another, making it hard for him to breathe.
First of all, congratulations on being three weeks pregnant. The baby is doing very well so far.
"Furthermore, given your pre-existing congenital heart disease, the various discomforts you experience during pregnancy may worsen later on. Considering the worsening of your heart failure, we recommend terminating the pregnancy and arranging surgery for you."
"This is the best method at present."
Yu Xi suddenly stood up, overwhelmed by the shock of the two pieces of news, feeling a mix of joy and sorrow.
"No way! He's my child! I must keep him!" Her face flushed red as she roared with all her might.
Meng Chou quickly stepped forward and gently patted her back, "Xiao Yu, it's okay, I'm here."
"Our child, I will not let anyone hurt him."
He was trying to calm Yu Xi down, not even noticing his own erratic heartbeat and blank mind. The words of the attending physician kept repeating in his ears like an alarm bell.
Yu Xi hugged him, buried her face in his chest, and suppressed her sobs, "I really don't want to lose him, even if it means giving my life for him."
When she learned she was pregnant, she was momentarily dazed and overjoyed.
After graduation, Meng Chou disregarded his family's objections and got married to her in a simple wedding attended by only a few close friends.
Everything seemed to be slowly getting better, but Yu Xi knew in her heart that her illness was a ticking time bomb. Meng Chou was working so hard, firstly to raise enough money for her surgery as soon as possible, and secondly to give her a better life.
Who would have thought that tragedy would strike so soon, following a young life?
"Don't talk nonsense, you'll all be fine." Meng Chou wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and parted his thin lips slightly.
As they were talking, the doctor lifted his eyelids and gave Meng Chou a look. The latter immediately understood, took Yu Xi out of the consultation room, and soon returned alone.
“A minor problem has already emerged, and if the pregnancy is not terminated, her condition will only worsen.”
Meng Chou's eyes reddened, and he said in a deep voice, "We haven't found a matching heart for her yet. She has always wanted a child. How can you expect me to persuade her to give up?"
"If this keeps dragging on, aren't you afraid of losing both you and your baby during childbirth?"
At this moment, Meng Chou could no longer suppress his emotions. He took two steps forward and slammed his fist heavily on the table. The pressure of life and his heart was enough to break him, but he dared not stop for a moment, and dared not shed tears in front of Yu Xi.
"Until then, I will find a solution, and I will do everything in my power to prevent anything from happening to her and the child."
"We've known each other for so many years, and no matter how I try to persuade you, you just won't listen. You insist on being so stubborn, don't you? You can have children in the future, why are you so inflexible?"
Meng Chou did not answer again, and only a silent standoff remained in the consultation room, the atmosphere as cold as the blizzard that day.
As the announcement of the stop was made, Meng Chou snapped out of his reverie and got up to join the crowd getting on and off the bus.
He knew that Yu Xi had grown up in an orphanage without her parents' company, and because she was a girl, she also suffered from congenital heart disease. Many adoptive families would skip her after learning about this situation.
Perhaps because she knew all too well the pain of abandonment and the lack of a happy childhood, she wanted to make up for it all with her child. Therefore, Yu Xi strongly opposed the idea of giving up her child.
She didn't want to do the same thing her parents did back then. She could clearly sense the existence of this little life, so how could she bear to abandon him?
Meng Chou understood this perfectly well.
He respects whatever decision Yu Xi makes, yet he is also deeply troubled by the possibility of losing his lover and child.
When his phone vibrated to notify him of a message, Meng Chou quickly picked it up to check.
YuMi: [It's snowing, the roads are slippery, be careful, and come back early.]
San Sui: [Don't overwork yourself. I'll take care of you; don't worry about money.]
He then sent a heart emoji, and his bad mood was dispelled by those few words of concern. He wiped away the tears welling up in his eyes and resolutely set off into the wind and snow.
The snow beneath his feet reached his knees, a vast expanse of white, crunching underfoot. He had no idea what the path was like, whether his next step would lead to a path or a deep pit.
The wind, sharp as a knife, blew against his face, unbearably cold. There was no one around, only Meng Chou struggling forward alone.
The nearby supermarket was closed, so he rushed to the next one, determined to buy meat and make braised pork, which Yu Xi loved.
The sky was overcast, and the snow was still falling. The air he exhaled instantly turned into white smoke. Meng Chou didn't know how many supermarkets and vegetable markets he had visited. Time passed by, and it was almost noon. Just when he thought he wouldn't be able to buy any meat, he saw that the glass door of a supermarket not far away was half open, and light was shining through the gap in the thick curtain.
The lights were still on, so it looked like they were open for business as usual.
As soon as I entered, the cashier exclaimed, "I thought no one would come in this awful weather, and I was about to go home after get off work."
"Sorry to keep you from getting off work. I'll be right back to pay." Meng Chou said, heading straight for the fresh produce section. He quickly picked out a piece of meat, bagged it, and weighed it.
People who used to never cook at home are now able to skillfully distinguish and select vegetables and meats.
Passing by the shelves full of candy, Meng Chou reached out and picked up a bag of White Rabbit milk candy. The supermarket was empty, except for the cashier who hadn't finished get off work yet, and Meng Chou was the only customer.
When I went to pay, the cashier asked curiously, "It's snowing so heavily, and you still came out to buy groceries. You really enjoy life."
Meng Chou laughed and said, "My wife wanted to eat my braised pork, so I came."
"Then you really love your wife."
Meng Chou rubbed his hands, which were already red from the cold, and replied politely, "Because it's her, it's worth it for me to do this."
—
The buildings in the old residential area are very close together, and the passageways are narrow, only wide enough for one person or one car to pass at a time. It is already dark and gloomy, and it becomes even darker when it snows. You can see a dense tangled mess of electrical wires overhead.
Meng Chou stopped in front of the rusty iron gate. Instead of opening the door and going inside, he put down what he was carrying by the door, turned around, went up the stairs, and opened the rooftop door.
A strong wind blew in his face, and the snow under his feet was still soft and deep, but the snowfall had lessened, with only a few flakes drifting by from time to time. He took out a cigarette case from his pocket, picked up a cigarette with his rather slender fingers, and put it to his lips.
The lit cigarette glowed a scarlet dot. Meng Chou stood on the rooftop and looked down. Gone was the usual hustle and bustle; it was so quiet that the sound of snow sliding off the branches could be clearly heard.
He had never smoked before, but ever since Yu Xi collapsed and was hospitalized and found out she was pregnant, a wave of worry washed over him, and he started trying to numb himself with cigarettes every day before going home.
Yu Xi hated the smell of smoke, so he would stand alone on the rooftop smoking until the smell of smoke on his body had mostly dissipated before daring to open the door and go back inside.
"Why are you here smoking all by yourself?"
Yu Xi put on a cotton coat and stepped onto the path that Meng Chou had trodden out, slowly moving towards him. Perhaps because she had come in a hurry, she hadn't even had time to put on socks and just walked over in cotton slippers.
Meng Chou glanced down at her exposed ankles, immediately stubbed out his cigarette, unfastened his gloves, squatted down in front of her, and placed his warm palms on her ankles, while a reproachful voice rang out at the same time.
"Why did you run over without socks?"
Yu Xi smiled and said, "I've been waiting for you to come home. I heard a noise at the door just now and guessed that it was you. When I opened the door, I saw the things left there and knew that you had come to the rooftop."
"You've been secretly smoking behind my back again?" Yu Xi touched his pale, frostbitten cheek. Meng Chou dodged back and whispered, "It's cold. Don't let you get cold."
As he spoke, he untied his scarf, stood up, and wrapped it around Yu Xi's neck. "It's too windy, you're cold! Let's go back."
The scarf was still warm from his body and had a faint smell of smoke. Yu Xi didn't show any disgust; instead, he buried half his face in the scarf.
"I need you to come back with me. It's so cold, don't stay up here." As she spoke, she stroked his frozen cheek again, her voice filled with concern. "You went to so many supermarkets to buy those groceries, didn't you?"
"I'm sorry, I've been writing in my room and didn't know it snowed so heavily outside. I also said I wanted to eat your braised pork."
Seeing her self-reproach and heartache for him, Meng Chou smiled and led her back. "Nothing of the sort, Xiaoyu. Let me tell you, I was very lucky today. After delivering the last order, there happened to be a supermarket nearby that was still open."
"I didn't go far to buy those things, so Xiaoyu doesn't need to feel guilty. I couldn't give Xiaoyu a better life; I'm the one who should feel guilty."
Yu Xi looked up into his burning eyes, her nose tingling with emotion. "Thank you, and I love you."
She hugged him tightly as she spoke, and at the same time, a notification popped up on Meng Chou's phone that the test results were ready.
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