Chapter 85
"Xiao Han?"
"This young Han got this drunk after only a few drinks?"
"Hahaha, he just said he has a high alcohol tolerance..."
"Xiao Han?"
Han Shuo's shoulder was shaken. He opened his eyes groggily and saw that all the men and women at the table were staring at him.
For a moment, his mind went blank. After scanning the faces of the people he barely knew, his thoughts gradually returned.
His pupils trembled repeatedly.
Wow, it seems like he really did give birth and traveled back in time!
"!" Thinking of having a child, Han Shuo suddenly looked down.
He immediately breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, he was wearing pants.
The breath that had just been released was immediately taken out again.
Holy crap! Where's the kid?!
The dinner before the time travel was held in a private room. Han Shuo quickly scanned the room but didn't see Meng Yuxiu or the child.
As expected, they didn't return from the same place. Most likely, Meng Yuxiu caught the child the moment he gave birth, and the child should be with Meng Yuxiu at this moment.
Han Shuo immediately became restless. He told his boss that he had something urgent to attend to and then got up to rush out of the private room.
However, to his surprise, his legs went weak when he instinctively stood up, and his stomach and buttocks ached terribly. He lost his balance and almost fell to the ground, chair and all.
Fortunately, his male colleague caught him in time.
"Xiao Han, why can't you stand up straight?"
Han Shuo was shocked. He hadn't expected to be transported back in time, still suffering from postpartum symptoms. He couldn't even stand up straight, let alone walk out of the private room.
But he was in a hurry to find Meng Yuxiu, so he could only say to the male colleague who was supporting him, "Brother Hong, I feel a little weak, could you please help me to the outside to take the elevator?"
"Okay!" The male colleague readily helped Han Shuo out of the private room, while the other colleagues assumed Han Shuo was too drunk and all laughed and teased him.
The male colleague helped Han Shuo to the elevator, and Han Shuo then told him to go back.
However, after he got off the elevator, dragging his weak body and supporting himself against the wall as he walked out, just as he was about to hail a taxi, he suddenly realized something.
Oh no... After being married to Meng Yuxiu for more than half a year, I don't even know which high school he attended in the 21st century, let alone his phone number.
Where is he supposed to hail a taxi?
He had just given birth and had only recently returned to the world of the living, so his mind was a little sluggish. However, just as he stood blankly at the restaurant entrance for half a minute, he suddenly heard someone call his name.
He quickly looked up towards the source of the sound and saw a tall boy wearing a white T-shirt and blue school pants across the street, anxiously shouting at him.
In the 1990s, Meng Yuxiu gradually matured and became more composed as he grew up. But now, having traveled back to the 21st century, he has regressed to the age of seventeen.
And so that youthful innocence returned to his fair and handsome face, making him look exactly like a male high school student standing across the street.
"Han Shuo!"
"Wow!" Han Shuo exclaimed in surprise.
He then remembered that Meng Yuxiu had asked for his address during the delivery.
Han Shuo tried to move his legs, but he was too weak and would probably fall over even if he tried to cross the street.
Meng Yuxiu naturally saw Han Shuo bracing himself against the wall, barely able to stand. He called out urgently from across the street, "Don't move! I'm coming to find you!"
Han Shuo nodded vaguely.
Meng Yuxiu was about to cross the traffic light. He kept looking back and forth between Han Shuo and the traffic light until the pedestrian green light came on, at which point he hurriedly walked across.
He didn't dare run, and could only walk while looking down at what was in his arms.
Han Shuo then noticed that Meng Yuxiu was carrying something wrapped in a school uniform, and he immediately realized what it was.
To be honest, Han Shuo was quite excited. After all, it was someone he had carried for so long and who had come out of his own belly. So, disregarding his weak body, he took a few unsteady steps and walked towards Meng Yuxiu.
Meng Yuxiu was a first-time father and didn't know how to hold a baby, especially a soft newborn infant.
The high school boy, his expression tense, seemed to have landmines in his arms. Despite his height, his long legs appeared unable to take long strides, and he practically shuffled to Han Shuo's side.
"Han Shuo." Seeing Han Shuo's pale face and lips, Meng Yuxiu's voice tightened for a moment, "How are you?"
Exhausted, Han Shuo slowly shook his head and said, "It's nothing... Quickly, let me see the child."
"Okay, okay." Meng Yuxiu quickly brought the baby wrapped in his arms to Han Shuo's face.
Cars and people come and go on the road, and the restaurant is doing good business, with customers coming and going.
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu standing there actually attracted a lot of attention. After all, the thing wrapped in a school uniform in Meng Yuxiu's arms made passersby suspect that it was a baby. In addition, Han Shuo was a boy and Meng Yuxiu was a student, so it was inevitable that some people would stop to observe.
Meng Yuxiu was worried that the newborn baby would catch a cold, so his school uniform covered his face. Han Shuo saw the thing moving under the school uniform and his heart pounded with nervousness.
He was so curious about what kind of child he and Meng Yuxiu could have, so he carefully lifted his school uniform...
However.
"?" Han Shuo looked up at Meng Yuxiu.
Meng Yuxiu was immersed in the excitement and joy of becoming a father for the first time. When he met Han Shuo's gaze, he looked at him with the pride and smugness of a primary school student presenting his treasure to someone.
He asked Han Shuo with great interest, "How is it? Isn't it cute?"
“It is cute…” Han Shuo said, frowning. “Let me take another look.”
He lowered his head again.
The child, wrapped in a school uniform, had rosy cheeks and was smiling at Han Shuo with her eyes crinkled.
...Not only that, but his mouth was wide open in a smile, revealing two rows of small teeth.
"Hiss—" Han Shuo gasped, his brows furrowing deeply. He reached out and pinched his eyelids, saying to Meng Yuxiu, "I'm probably really weak after childbirth, my vision is a bit blurry. Let me clear my head before I look again."
Han Shuo closed his eyes briefly before taking another look.
Wow! It really does look a bit precocious. How come it looks like it was five or six years old when it was just born?
However, no sooner had he finished speaking than the child opened and closed his mouth, uttering a clear and crisp voice: "Uncle!"
Han Shuo was stunned.
The child turned his head and shouted again, "Uncle's awake!"
Immediately afterward, as Han Shuo remained dazed, people began to approach. A hand draped over his shoulder, and he turned to see Meng Yuxiu's face, slightly visibly moved by his emotional outburst.
"?"
"Xiao Shuo".
Han Shuo looked over and saw Han Hong, who looked worried yet happy, as well as Meng's father and mother. He then turned his head and saw several empty beds nearby.
"Brother? Mom and Dad?" Han Shuo exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hey, hey!" Han Hong and Meng's parents responded in unison, "You just fainted from exhaustion."
Han Shuo was somewhat dazed until he looked at Meng Yuxiu again. When he saw the complex emotions in Meng Yuxiu's narrow eyes, he realized that they had not left this era, that they were still in this world.
The heartache and reluctance of parting, suddenly being left in this world. The emotions that had reached their peak suddenly subsided into calm. One can only imagine that Han Shuo's feelings at this moment were beyond description.
For a moment, he didn't even know what expression was on his face.
Even as his family members talked to him in the ward, and Han Ting's happy voice kept ringing in his ears, he remained dazed and confused.
"Xiao Shuo, oh dear, you've really had a hard day." Mother Meng wiped away tears of joy as she walked to the bedside and said to Han Shuo, "Quick, look, oh right, what's his name again? Didn't you two give him a nickname?"
Meng Yuxiu sat on the stool by the bed, leaning slightly forward, his hand outstretched, seemingly doing something next to Han Shuo.
He breathed slightly faster and told his mother, "Call the schoolbag."
"Oh right, come on, Xiao Shuo, look at our schoolbags." Meng's mother smiled gently.
Meng's father and Han Hong smiled with satisfaction.
Han Shuo turned his head on the pillow and realized that there was a child lying next to him, and Meng Yuxiu's hand had been teasing him.
The ward was cold. The child was wrapped up tightly in a small blanket, the same material as the Raschel blanket at home. Only half of his face was visible. On his head was a red woolen hat that his father had bought, with a pointed tip that looked like a carrot.
Before he opened his eyes, Meng's mother pulled down the small blanket covering his chin so that Han Shuo could see clearly.
After Han Shuo looked closely, he realized that the baby was small in every way; even its face wasn't as big as his palm. He had heard somewhere that newborn babies looked like monkeys. But the backpack was white and smooth, without any redness or wrinkles.
Perhaps because the people around were talking, the backpack closed its eyes and slowly wrinkled its little nose.
Looking at his delicate features and fair complexion, Han Shuo asked Meng Yuxiu, "Is he a young girl?"
Meng Yuxiu can't help but smile whenever he hears about his child.
His eyes were almost unable to leave the child's face. "It's not a little girl, it's a little boy."
"Can you handle it?" Han Shuo asked again.
"He's the attacker."
"Really?" Han Shuo examined it more closely. "It doesn't look like a boy either?"
Meng's mother laughed and said, "Oh dear, he looks just like Xiao Xiu when he was little. When Xiao Xiu was little, he was as pretty as a little girl, and everyone thought I didn't give birth to a son."
However, as soon as Mencius' mother finished speaking, Han Shuo's ears exploded.
He had just thought the child was small in every way—small nose, small mouth. But then the schoolbag started wailing, its mouth opening wide enough to make its throat visible.
"Holy crap! Why is it so loud? It's like a loudspeaker." In an instant, the ward was filled with the sound of a child crying, so loud that Han Shuo wanted to find something to cover his mouth.
Han Hong laughed and said from the side, "Oh my, Shubao's voice is nothing like Xiao Xiu's. It's just like my Xiao Shuo's. He's been a loudmouth since he was little, hahaha."
Han Shuo was at his wit's end. He hurriedly called out to Meng Yuxiu, "Quick, quick, coax her a little."
Meng Yuxiu is a new father, and all he can do is gently pat the little blanket wrapped around his schoolbag.
To be honest, at his age, it's a little embarrassing to coax your son in front of his parents, so he coaxes him in a very soft voice, like a mosquito buzzing.
The schoolbag, with its eyes closed and mouth open, kept crying. Every two sobs seemed to rise and fall twice under the small blanket, as if preparing for the next wave of crying.
Unable to coax Meng Yuxiu, he could only turn to his mother for help, "Mom..."
Meng's mother smiled and teased the child a couple of times, "Oh my, you little rascal, why is your voice so loud? Hmm? Why are you in such a hurry? Are you eager to come out and celebrate the New Year with your grandparents, parents, uncles, and brothers?"
The boy in the schoolbag couldn't understand, but as his mother spoke softly, he whimpered and cried twice before stopping, though he still had a furrowed brow, as if he was very unhappy.
Seeing him like this, Han Shuo felt that what Meng's mother said made a lot of sense. When he wasn't yelling, he really did look a lot like Meng Yuxiu.
Because when Meng Yuxiu gets angry, he just purses his lips, furrows his brows, and acts stubborn and arrogant.
Han Shuo looked at the child for a while before turning to Han Hong and Han Ting.
His feelings were complicated, but when he saw Han Hong, such a big man, with red eyes because he felt sorry for his younger brother, and when he saw Han Ting's bright eyes because he was happy, he felt as if all his resentment had been settled.
"Brother," he asked Han Hong, "when did you arrive?"
Han Hong grabbed Han Shuo's hand, "You put down your schoolbag, and I'll be there just in time."
Han Shuo nodded weakly.
Han Hong put his hand under the covers, tucked him in, and asked, "Are you hungry? I'll get you something to eat."
Han Shuo shook his head.
Han Hong patted his blanket lightly, "Alright, you should get some rest."
Han Shuo was too emotionally volatile today, and with the birth of a child, he couldn't fall asleep even though he was exhausted.
After a while, Meng's father said that the breakfast shops in town were open, so Han Shuo told the others to go and have breakfast first, while Meng Yuxiu stayed behind to keep Han Shuo company and wait for his family to bring them breakfast back.
The ward quieted down, and the two of them were able to calm down and talk.
Meng Yuxiu sat to the side, gazing at Han Shuo.
After looking out the window for a while, Han Shuo turned his head and looked at the child for a bit more.
Seeing Han Shuo's calm expression, Meng Yuxiu hesitated for a moment, but still couldn't help but speak up: "Han Shuo, we didn't go back."
Han Shuo hummed in agreement.
"You..." Meng Yuxiu paused, then asked, "What are you thinking?"
Han Shuo looked away from his schoolbag, leaned against his pillow, and stared at the ceiling with a slightly confused look in his eyes.
“I don’t know,” he said.
Meng Yuxiu didn't speak. He lowered his eyes and gently stroked the small blanket wrapped around his schoolbag with his fingers.
After a long while, he heard Han Shuo sigh.
“Actually, this is for the best,” Han Shuo said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever felt this way, but even though I’m the one occupying this body, even though my will controls the body’s thoughts, it seems like the body’s own consciousness has never disappeared, as if it has merged with my thoughts.”
Meng Yuxiu raised his eyes and listened quietly to him speak.
“I originally thought my desire to return to the 21st century would be stronger, but it wasn’t.”
"Actually, it's something that coexists with me, and the desire to stay here is just as strong." Han Shuo let out a deep breath. "So... my desire to go back is just as strong as my desire to stay."
Meng Yuxiu was silent for a moment, then asked, "Why do you say it's okay this way?"
Han Shuo pondered for a few seconds, and then slightly curled the corners of his lips.
"At least I don't have to worry anymore, and I don't have to count the days on my fingers. At least... I feel at ease."
After saying that, he seemed relieved and leaned back against the headboard.
"I've made up my mind."
"What have you decided?" Meng Yuxiu asked.
Han Shuo reached out and touched the pointed tip on the hat of his backpack, saying, "Instead of letting those lousy novels make me live in fear and anxiety, I might as well take control of my life. Maybe I can spend my whole life here and then go back to spend my whole life there. Who knows what life will be like? Instead of thinking so much, I'd rather live in the present."
Meng Yuxiu slowly raised the corners of his lips, looked at Han Shuo and said, "Okay, live in the moment."
Han Shuo gestured with his chin at him, "Do you know what I just had a dream?"
"Are you dreaming?"
"I dreamt that we went back, and you came to find me with your schoolbag." Han Shuo said, then shook his head in admiration. "It's really hard to say. Maybe if we stay here, things will really turn out like in my dream. After all, we can both travel through books and even into this absurd world. Maybe there will be even more absurd things."
Meng Yuxiu smiled.
Han Shuo sighed, then said indignantly, "I shouldn't have believed that lousy novel! It's just as ridiculous as Pinduoduo!"
Actually, I had my doubts before; this lousy novel keeps throwing around this task and that task. If I hadn't doubted it earlier, I wouldn't be losing my appetite and having trouble sleeping every day.
Meng Yuxiu smiled and said, "That's good too, we'll have more time in the future."
“That’s true.” Han Shuo nodded with his arms crossed. “We’ll have time to run our tutoring classes in the future, and we’ll also have time to buy houses and cars for our families and bring them to live with us.”
Now that they no longer had to agonize over leaving, Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu felt a weight lifted from their hearts.
Meng Yuxiu looked down at his son and couldn't help but touch his little nose.
Han Shuo hurriedly reminded him, "Damn it, don't touch him! Mom's not here, or he'll start crying again!"
“I won’t wake him up,” Meng Yuxiu said. “I’ll just take a look.”
Han Shuo frowned. "Tsk! Then why did you stick your hand in there and grab his foot?"
"..."
The schoolbag finally cried because of the clumsy new dad. Han Shuo gave up and urged Meng Yuxiu, "Hurry up and pick it up to comfort it!"
Actually, when Han Shuo gave birth to Shubao in the delivery room, Meng Yuxiu rushed over to catch him, but he was a step too slow. When he saw Shubao being caught by the doctor and kicking wildly, and that he and Han Shuo hadn't put their clothes back on, he froze.
So when he first held his newborn schoolbag, it was his mother who told him to position it properly before placing it in his arms.
At this moment, Meng Yuxiu couldn't lift him up, nor did he dare to. He couldn't find a good way to put his arms, so he kept changing his posture.
Fortunately, his family returned with breakfast, and the doctor came into the ward to examine Han Shuo's body.
When Meng Yuxiu saw them, it was as if he had seen saviors.
"Mom, my schoolbag is crying."
Meng's mother quickly put down her breakfast and went over to pick up the crying child.
After examining Han Shuo's body, the doctor looked at the baby and then said to Han Shuo, "He's hungry, you can feed him now."
Han Shuo: "Oh, then go ahead and call me."
Mencius' mother gently rocked the baby in her arms, coaxing him, "Oh, oh, oh, our little schoolbag wants to nurse."
After she finished speaking, she walked happily to Han Shuo's side and then put the crying child in her arms onto the bed.
Meng's father and Han Hong went out for a smoke.
Only the male doctor, Meng Yuxiu, Han Ting, and Meng's mother remained in the ward.
The child was still crying loudly with his mouth open.
Han Shuo looked up and asked, "Hey? Aren't you going to feed him?"
Feeling sorry for her son, Meng Yuxiu looked up and asked, "Mom, aren't you going to feed him yet?"
Meng's mother slapped her forehead and said to the doctor with a smile, "Oh dear! I was so confused. It's Xiao Shuo's first time being a mother, and I don't even know how to feed him. Come here, Xiao Shuo, let Mom teach you."
Han Shuo and Meng Yuxiu were both momentarily stunned. When they realized what this meant, they stared at each other intently.
"?!?!"
"!?!"
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