Chapter 76
Lying in bed on rainy or snowy days is the most comfortable thing. After Meng Yuxiu left, Han Shuo didn't get up until almost nine o'clock.
If he weren't pregnant and prone to hunger, he probably could have stayed until noon.
"It's freezing, it's freezing!" Han Shuo shivered as he got out of bed late at night, then forced himself to put on his clothes.
However, he is now really clumsy. Six months ago, apart from a slightly protruding belly, he didn't feel anything else. But six months later, his belly seems to have inflated overnight like a balloon, making it difficult for him to even put on his pants.
When he got out of bed to put on his shoes, he couldn't even bend over. Fortunately, his legs weren't swollen like pig legs. Apart from his big belly, everything else was pretty much the same as before.
The washing area was on the first floor. Meng Yuxiu was worried that it would be inconvenient for him to carry the thermos downstairs, so he placed a thermos under the sink before leaving the house.
Han Shuo then grabbed the washbasin, teacup, and toothbrush and went downstairs to wash up.
Meng Yuxiu was right. The snow was incredibly damp, and there was even snow kicked off the stairs that hadn't melted yet. Han Shuo was originally holding the basin with both hands, but looking at the muddy stairs, he used one hand to hold the basin and the other hand to hold onto the wall as he carefully walked down.
Today is Saturday, and with the snow, everyone got up late, so the first floor is bustling with activity at this time.
While washing up and chatting, everyone noticed a young man on the third floor with a large pregnant belly walking down the stairs and expressed their concern.
"Hey, Xiao Han, you'd better be careful! The ground is very slippery in this weather."
The landlady, Sister Zhang, even went over to help Han Shuo get his washbasin.
"It's alright, big sister, I'm almost at the end of the road."
Seeing that Han Shuo had made it safely to the first floor, Sister Zhang felt relieved and continued chatting with the others.
Han Shuo picked up the thermos from under his sink, added hot water to his teacup, then added some tap water before walking to the door to brush his teeth.
I didn't realize it when I was in the room; I never expected that the snow would fall so heavily before I knew it.
Not only was a thick layer of snow accumulated on the ground, but also a dense, fluffy snowflake was falling from the sky, blurring the view.
"Holy crap! Such heavy snow!" Han Shuo stood by the door for a while, his eyes filled with snowflakes, which instantly turned into icy water droplets as his eyes moved.
Sister Zhang laughed and said, "The snow on the ground will probably be even thicker tonight, Xiao Han, you shouldn't go out today."
"Ugh." Han Shuo frowned and brushed his teeth twice. He was worried about how Meng Yuxiu would get back tonight. He could only pray that the snow would stop or the snowfall would be lighter when Meng Yuxiu returned.
After brushing his teeth, Han Shuo poured half a basin of hot water from the thermos. He was washing his face with a towel when he saw a man outside the door shivering and running in through the wind and snow, saying "Ouch, ouch." He stood at the door, brushed the snow off himself, and chatted with the people on the first floor.
"Master Wang, how's business today?"
The man who ran in was Mr. Wang, the restaurant owner. Mr. Wang said with a wry smile, "With such heavy snow, how can there be any business? It's almost noon, and we've only had two tables."
Han Shuo was planning to go to the restaurant next door after washing up, but Mr. Wang happened to be there, so he said to him, "Master Wang, could you make me a bowl of dumplings? I'll come over and eat later."
Mr. Wang said, "Okay! I'll go download it for you right now."
He left quickly after saying that.
An older woman next to Han Shuo teased him, "Little Han is so rich. We can save money and knead the dough ourselves if we want to eat dumplings."
Sister Zhang smiled and said to the older woman, "That's right, Xiao Han and Xiao Meng, that couple, have probably made money. They're big bosses now!"
"Oh, I'm not some big boss at all." Han Shuo was a little smug, but he waved his hand modestly on the surface. "We're just small hustles."
Sister Zhang said cheerfully to everyone, "Don't be so modest, Xiao Han. I heard that the young couple's educational institution is doing very well. That's why I saw Xiao Meng riding his bike out early this morning. Hey Xiao Han, if your institution needs someone to clean, I can come and clean for you."
Sister Zhang jokingly told Han Shuo, "You can just give your older sister some salary."
Han Shuo said, "Big sister, you're already struggling to keep up with the business in your little workshop, how do you still have the energy to clean for us?"
Others: "So what if it's an extra salary and a little extra effort?"
Sister Zhang smiled and agreed, "Exactly."
Han Shuo then said to everyone, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Sure! It's a waste of your talents to have you talkative ladies doing cleaning. How about this, you help promote our organization and ask around if anyone's child needs tutoring. I'll give you a commission for every student you recruit, how about that?"
The older women on the first floor said, "This job is perfect for us. Not to mention other places, just in these few alleys, we know exactly how many puppies each dog has."
"Thank you for your hard work, keep up the good work!" After Han Shuo finished chatting with them, Mr. Wang, the owner of the restaurant next door, came over and called out to him.
"Xiao Han, would you like to eat at the restaurant or should I bring it to you?"
Han Shuo: "Let's eat at the restaurant. It's too much trouble to carry things around."
"Okay, then be careful when you walk."
"It's nothing." Han Shuo walked out the door. He did need to be careful when the ground was covered with a thin layer of snow or when the snow was melting.
Now that a thick layer has accumulated, there's no need to worry. It's just that wearing a cotton-padded coat and with her big belly, she walks with a limp like a goose.
Mr. Wang didn't have much business today, and since Han Shuo was his neighbor, he made a few extra dumplings for him.
On a snowy day, Han Shuo ate a bowl of steaming hot dumplings, and afterwards, even his hands and feet felt warm.
In the evening, he went downstairs to the restaurant and asked the owner to make dumplings. He was craving something sweet during his pregnancy and wanted to eat something else, but these days resources are scarce. For example, he wanted to eat fruits from other seasons, but there was nowhere to buy them in the dead of winter.
So the handmade dumplings he ate at noon tasted pretty good, and he could only make do with them to satisfy his craving.
It snowed all day, but stopped by evening. If he had a cell phone, Han Shuo would have loved to call Meng Yuxiu right away and tell him to come home. Unfortunately, he didn't have a cell phone, so he had to ask the shop owner to pack the dumplings separately so he could take them home for Meng Yuxiu as a late-night snack.
After finishing his work in the kitchen, Boss Wang placed the dumplings on a small bamboo sieve and asked Han Shuo, "Little Han, are twenty enough?"
Han Shuo was eating the dumplings in his bowl when he heard this. He glanced at the bamboo sieve that Boss Wang was holding and said, "That's enough, Master Wang. Take your bamboo sieve with you later. I'll get it down for you tomorrow. Otherwise, I won't have anywhere to put these dumplings."
“Okay,” Mr. Wang readily agreed. “It’s nothing, just a small matter between neighbors.”
Actually, the other people eating at the restaurant were all residents of the alley. They had met Han Shuo before or chatted with him. Seeing that Han Shuo was eating alone, they started chatting with him.
"What time will Xiao Meng be back?"
"I don't know, probably around nine o'clock." Han Shuo said to the others with a sigh as he ate dumplings. "Sigh, I don't even feel like eating when he's not back."
"Hahaha, what's wrong with you? You seem to be enjoying your food quite a bit, aren't you?"
However, Han Shuo did not expect that Meng Yuxiu would return early today.
He was worried that it would continue to snow that night, so he told Dong Xin and the others that they should close the gate early today, in case the students got into trouble on the way.
Although the thick snow on the ground makes cycling difficult, at least it's not snowing anymore, so visibility isn't affected.
Meng Yuxiu practically rode for a while, then got off and dragged the bike for a while before finally getting back to the alley.
When he got downstairs, he subconsciously looked up at the third floor and saw a light coming from the glass window. He thought Han Shuo should be upstairs.
Just as he was about to carry his bicycle into the first-floor entrance, he suddenly heard Han Shuo's voice coming from somewhere. He followed the sound, dragging his bicycle to the restaurant entrance and looking inside.
Isn't that pregnant husband of hers sitting at the table eating and chatting with someone?
"Hey?" Boss Wang, with his sharp eyes, spotted Meng Yuxiu first. "Isn't this Xiao Meng? Xiao Meng is back."
Han Shuo was still drinking his soup when he heard Meng Yuxiu's name and turned around.
Seeing Meng Yuxiu park his car and walk in, she raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Oh wow? You're off work so early today?"
Meng Yuxiu nodded and greeted Boss Wang and the others in the restaurant, then smiled and walked towards Han Shuo.
Han Shuo chuckled and said, "I was just telling them that I have no appetite when you're not around."
Meng Yuxiu sat down next to him, chuckled softly, and said, "Aren't you enjoying your food?"
Han Shuo touched his stomach and winked at him, "I didn't enjoy my food, he did."
Meng Yuxiu smiled and reached out to touch Han Shuo's round belly.
"Was your schoolbag behaving well today?" he asked Han Shuo. "You didn't poke it, did you?"
Han Shuo chuckled at his protective manner, "Don't worry, he's very obedient. I've told you before, he's like you, a bit of a simpleton."
However, Han Shuo miscalculated, because after another half month, this simpleton started causing trouble. He couldn't sleep well at night and couldn't concentrate on his lessons during the day.
Han Shuo could even clearly feel whether the bulge on his belly was a small hand or a small foot. He could no longer poke it with his finger. The movement became louder, and the pain made him wince and gasp for breath.
Because Han Shuo was not feeling well during this period, Meng Yuxiu was worried and asked Gao Ze to help look after him at school.
When Gao Ze saw Han Shuo sitting in the chair, constantly rubbing his stomach and grimacing in pain, he was immediately terrified.
Han Shuo's own complexion was normal, but when he turned his head and saw Gao Ze's pale face, he was immediately startled.
"Holy crap! Are you sick?"
Gao Ze shook his head, then cautiously and nervously leaned closer to ask, "Han Shuo, you...you're not going to give birth, are you?"
Han Shuo said speechlessly, "Are you crazy? I'm not even eight months pregnant yet, how could I have given birth?"
Gao Ze asked, "So what's wrong with you?"
Han Shuo said wearily, "Fetal movement, you understand fetal movement, right?"
"Oh." Gao Ze nodded hesitantly. "That's good, at least you're not about to give birth. I was just worried you'd give birth at school, in the classroom. If that happened, I really wouldn't know what to do. You know, Meng Yuxiu told me to take good care of you, but I'm really scared because I'm a little hemophobia..."
"..." Han Shuo's lips twitched. "What the hell are you babbling about?"
"No, it's nothing..."
After the baby's movements subsided, Han Shuo took a break before packing up his things to leave get out of class.
Snow had been falling intermittently for some time, and Han Shuo hadn't been to his tutoring classes for a while. This morning, when he left home, he told Meng Yuxiu that he would go and check on things.
Meng Yuxiu agreed, so he left his bicycle in the rented room. Since the roads were covered in snow and it was difficult to ride a bicycle anyway, he decided to accompany Han Shuo to and from school by bus.
When Han Shuo and Gao Ze arrived at the school gate, Meng Yuxiu and Yuanyuan were already waiting. Dong Xin and two senior students from Jinhua University, who had nothing to do in the afternoon, had already gone to open the gate. When Meng Yuxiu saw Han Shuo come out, he went over and helped him walk to the bus stop.
The bus was extremely crowded today; after four people got on, there was only one seat left.
Since Yuanyuan was the only girl among the four of them, Han Shuo's straight-male instincts kicked in, and he urged, "Quickly, Yuanyuan, sit down here."
Yuanyuan looked at Han Shuo's huge belly in surprise, and said with a smile, "Brother Shuo, you're so funny. Why are you making me sit? Look how heavy your belly is. You should sit down!"
Han Shuo realized what was happening and chuckled, "Okay, okay, okay."
Meng Yuxiu helped Han Shuo sit down slowly.
After Han Shuo settled in, he reminded them to hold on to a few points to be careful, lest they lurch forward with a sudden stop.
Like any model husband, Meng Yuxiu now carries a lot of things in his backpack when he goes out. The bus ride to the tutoring center takes half an hour, so he takes off his backpack, pulls out a water bottle, and asks Han Shuo, "Would you like some water?"
Is it hot?
"It's hot; I filled a thermos with boiling water at school."
"Okay, I'll have some."
Meng Yuxiu then tucked his schoolbag under his arm, unscrewed the lid of the water bottle, and handed it to Han Shuo.
Han Shuo drank some water and said he was hungry.
Meng Yuxiu quickly took out some cookies from his schoolbag and handed them over.
Han Shuo's seat was next to the aisle, and next to him was a mother with a child who looked about one year old.
The child was curious and stared at Han Shuo and the others ever since they got on the bus.
Especially when Meng Yuxiu pulled out the cookies from his schoolbag, he opened his round eyes wide, put his little fist in his mouth and gnawed on it, drool hanging from his chin like spider silk.
Han Shuo found the child amusing, so he made a few sucking noises to tease him. The child immediately became excited, waving his arms and making little noises, struggling in his mother's arms to grab Han Shuo's cookies.
His mother patted his bottom sheepishly and scolded him with a laugh, "You little rascal, be good."
Han Shuo asked Meng Yuxiu to bring out another cookie, which he then handed to the child.
The child's mother repeatedly instructed the child to say thank you: "Quickly thank your brother."
The child, who couldn't speak, grinned at Han Shuo with two tiny teeth drooling.
Han Shuo had never thought he liked children that much before, but now that he has one in his belly, he finds them quite cute.
So he teased him a few more times along the way.
When Meng Yuxiu saw Han Shuo playing with the child, and then looked down at Han Shuo's protruding belly, his chest was instantly filled with tenderness.
The child's mother looked at Han Shuo's belly and asked, "How many months pregnant are you?"
Before Han Shuo could speak, he heard Meng Yuxiu say from the side, "It's almost eight months."
The child's mother looked at Meng Yuxiu beside her and smiled, "You're the father, right?"
"kindness."
The child's mother exclaimed, "Wow, with both parents being so good-looking, your child will definitely be incredibly beautiful!"
Han Shuo sat in his seat and watched Meng Yuxiu, whose smile was almost impossible to suppress after hearing those words.
Even after getting off the bus, the kid was still showing off.
"Han Shuo, that child's mother just said the backpack will definitely be beautiful when it's born."
"Mmm." Han Shuo nodded, amused. "Beautiful, beautiful."
What do you think he'll look like?
How would I know?
"Think about it."
"Hey, just walk properly, you'll know when the baby is born, right?"
"I want to know right now."
"I'm not a 4D ultrasound!" But Meng Yuxiu's stubbornness flared up again, and Han Shuo was driven crazy by his persistence. He could only joke, "Like you, like you, with a flat nose like you, okay?"
"You're talking nonsense," Meng Yuxiu retorted, but he still touched his high nose bridge with a hint of insecurity.
Gao Ze and Yuan Yuan walked ahead, overhearing the conversation between Meng Yuxiu and Han Shuo behind them.
Gao Ze had already witnessed Meng Yuxiu's strange side before, but this was the first time Yuan Yuan had seen it.
The Meng Yuxiu she usually saw in the tutoring class always had a slightly cold expression and spoke concisely and succinctly.
But today, when she turned her head, she saw Meng Yuxiu carrying a schoolbag, holding a water bottle in one hand and supporting Han Shuo with the other. He barely looked at the road and just stared at Han Shuo, asking him questions.
Han Shuo got annoyed by the questions and gave a perfunctory reply.
Meng Yuxiu frowned slightly, then shook Han Shuo's arm and continued to ask.
Yuanyuan twitched her lips and complained to Gao Ze, "How come Teacher Meng... is so tall and big, yet he acts like a child?"
Gao Ze: "You don't understand, this is just a romantic gesture between the couple."
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