Extra Chapter: Gu Yan – The Child
Gu Yan has always felt that children are probably the most useless and annoying things in the world.
He himself had been a child once, and he knew all too well the detestable nature of children—noisy, disruptive, incredibly destructive, and capable of doing anything stupid in a moment of anger.
They eat your food, use your things, spend your money, and still find ways to annoy and torment you—they're a bunch of debt collectors.
So when he discovered that his brother Gu Xiao and sister-in-law Nan Zhiyi were about to have a child, Gu Yan's first reaction was not joy, but bewilderment.
Looking at Nan Zhiyi's swollen belly, a sense of awe and fear inexplicably arose in his heart.
Inside... a life is being conceived? The process itself made him feel both amazed and terrified.
The arrival of life, carrying the risks and pain of the mother, seemed almost barbaric to him.
But that's my brother's child.
Blood ties mean that, in a sense, he is also half a child of Gu Yan.
The thought of anticipating the birth of this child quietly grew, startling even himself, and he dared not reveal it in the slightest.
—If my brother finds out, I'm afraid I'll get a beating again and he'll scold me for thinking such nonsense.
Soon, he left Jian'an and returned to the south, burying himself in a mountain of work.
But that heart is different now.
He began to unconsciously pay attention to baby products.
Finally, he simply called his assistant over and presented a long list, from imported formula and diapers to baby clothes, cribs... and various supplements and herbs that were supposedly to relieve postpartum discomfort, demanding that everything be prepared before the due date.
He was at the negotiating table when he received the good news from his father.
The phone on the table rang.
"It's a boy, both mother and child are safe." The father's voice was filled with barely suppressed joy.
In that instant, Gu Yan's heart pounded so hard that his eardrums rang, and he could barely hear what his father said next.
He gave a brief reply, hung up the phone, and returned to his desk, his face now calm again: "Mr. Wang, I think the terms you just mentioned are acceptable. I'll have my legal department finalize the details with your team tomorrow. That's all for today, I have something urgent to attend to."
The other party was taken aback, but seeing his unusually decisive manner, he immediately agreed.
Gu Yan quickly arranged the urgent matters at hand and drove to Jian'an overnight.
A cool night breeze blew in through the car window, but his blood was burning hot.
He first went back to the Gu family's small building to unload various maternity and baby supplies from the car. His father noticed that he looked unwell and told him to rest at home.
He refused, eager to go to the hospital immediately to see his eldest nephew.
At first glance, um, how ugly, a rosy, wrinkled little face, with eyes tightly closed.
His father punched him.
Actually, he found her incredibly cute, but he was just being hypocritical and habitually trying to hide his true feelings.
He held his breath and moved closer to the swaddled baby.
So small, so soft... so obedient, so pure, so defenseless.
Gu Yan stretched out his hand and gestured vaguely, indicating that it was almost the size of two of his palms.
He carefully touched the small fist with his fingertips. In an instant, a corner of his heart felt like a dam had been breached by a warm tide, a sour and swollen feeling that rushed through his nose and reached his eyes.
While his father and brother and sister-in-law were talking, he quickly wiped the corner of his eye with his fingertip.
When he turned around again, he had his usual smile on his face. "Brother, Zhiyi, have you come up with a name for my nephew yet? We can't just keep calling him 'Hey' and 'Hey' all the time, can we?"
The older brother frowned, completely oblivious to the fact that he was henpecked. His sister-in-law smiled and suggested that their father should choose one.
Finally, the father went back and looked up the full name in the dictionary.
The nickname used was "Xiaoman," which Gu Yan came up with on a whim.
He said, "Xiaoman is good, it has a good meaning, and it's easy to pronounce."
My brother and sister-in-law were very accommodating and agreed immediately.
"Xiaoman, Gu Xiaoman." Gu Yan silently repeated it to himself several times, a wide grin spreading across his face that he couldn't stop.
He secretly resolved to make his Xiaoman the happiest and most carefree child in the world.
In the first few days after Xiaoman was born, Gu Yan was completely obsessed. Whenever he had free time, he would stay by the crib and stare at the baby for hours on end.
Watching Xiaoman sleep, watching Xiaoman unconsciously smack his lips, watching Xiaoman wave his little hand.
He touched that smooth, tofu-like face with his finger, and his heart softened.
For the first time, he experienced what it meant to be "heartbroken," and for the first time, he understood how real the feeling of "wanting to pluck the stars and the moon and present them to him" was.
Of course, Xiaoman's poop smells terrible, and her crying is also ear-piercing.
But Gu Yan felt that even the stench and the crying were endearingly self-righteous.
He was reluctant to leave, but his business in the south was waiting for him, so he had no choice but to leave again.
As I got into the car, I looked back at the small building gradually disappearing into the distance, and for the first time, I felt such a clear sense of longing.
From then on, this concern never ceased.
From Jian'an to the capital, from the south to the north, the distances varied, but Gu Yan's life gained a new, constant thought.
When Xiaoman was learning to speak, every time he called home, he would tease her by calling her "Little Uncle." Hearing her mumbled "Susu" on the other end would make her laugh for a long time, and she would immediately ask her assistant to find the latest children's toys to send back.
Xiaoman, three or four years old, was lively and active, like a snow-white little dumpling. Gu Yan couldn't resist carrying him on his shoulders and running around the yard, listening to his giggles, which made him feel more comfortable than earning any amount of money.
Xiaoman started elementary school and began to look like a young boy. He started learning calligraphy and practicing martial arts, his little face tense as he tried to put on a serious expression. Gu Yan still loved to tease him, but he also began to intentionally tell him about the outside world, about history, about geography, about the vivid and complex human affairs that weren't in textbooks. He didn't want Xiaoman to just know how to study by rote; he wanted him to be like his uncle, to see the wider world.
Xiaoman has grown into a handsome young man, excelling academically and politely. He possesses the maturity of his older brother, yet also a unique clarity and openness in his demeanor. Gu Yan is incredibly proud, and even boasting to his business partners now carries more weight. He begins to think about more practical things, such as secretly saving money for his nephew, and planning to show him the real world in the future.
Time flies, and this summer, eighteen-year-old Gu Zhao stands before him, already taller than him.
Gu Yan fulfilled his promise from many years ago by presenting a new car. When Gu Zhao took the car keys, his eyes were calm and his shoulders were broad, showing that he was already a man who could shoulder responsibilities and see the road ahead clearly.
Gu Yan looked at him, and that familiar sense of melancholy welled up in his heart again, but this time, he felt more gratified and proud, like an old father.
His little girl, Xiaoman, has finally grown up well.
Gu Yan suddenly felt that children weren't so annoying after all.
At least, his Xiaoman was never like that.
but.
His twin sons are definitely...
Gu Xu and Gu Yang, those two lads, were practically sent by God to ward off him and cure all his unruly and carefree nature in the first half of his life.
When they're on good terms, they shower you with sweet words that make you lose your bearings, making you sit on their laps and say things like, "Dad is the best," or "Dad, you've worked so hard."
Most of the time, however, they are walking troublemakers, with outrageous energy, boundless curiosity, and destructive power that increases exponentially with age.
This month after Gu Zhao returned to the capital,
Gu Xu and Gu Yang filled the draft of the important contract that was about to be signed with colored pens, depicting "alien warships fighting dinosaurs," and even poked several holes in the key clauses, euphemistically calling them "pierced by laser cannons."
Gu Yan was so angry that his vision blurred, and he threw the two brothers directly into the Chen family villa.
Within two days, the two brothers joined forces to uproot several precious orchids that their father had carefully tended for over a decade in the garden, claiming they wanted to "build a water park for the ants," and plastered half the yard with mud.
Not to mention the everyday little mistakes she made before, like sticking chewing gum to her grandmother's wig, adding "ink and color" to her grandfather's treasured rare calligraphy copybook, and using Anna Chen's lipstick as crayons to create abstract paintings on the wall...
Every time they get into trouble, the two of them are extremely good at admitting their mistakes.
She knelt upright, her little hands behind her back, tears welling up but not falling, looking extremely pitiful.
"Dad, we know we were wrong."
"We won't do it again next time."
"We want to help/learn/create..."
But then, a fresh idea pops into his head, and he forgets his promise again, never learning his lesson.
What troubled Gu Yan even more was that the two brothers had an overwhelmingly powerful support group.
The father-in-law and mother-in-law doted on their grandson, always thinking, "What little boy isn't naughty?" and "They're still very obedient," and were overly protective of him.
His wife, Anna Chen, is charming and lively, and she is incredibly tolerant of her sons, always feeling that her husband is too strict.
“Well, little boys are mischievous when they’re young,” she said dismissively. “They haven’t committed any heinous crimes. They just love to play, and curiosity is a good thing.”
Even his sister-in-law Chen Anni and his older brother Chen Siming were exceptionally indulgent towards their two lively nephews, giving them whatever they wanted.
Sometimes, when Gu Yan puts on a stern face and tries to discipline someone seriously, he often just gets started when reinforcements arrive from all directions, and in the end, nothing ever comes of it.
Gu Yan could only respond with a cold snort.
If he were to commit a truly irreparable and irreversible mistake, he would have already taken action, regardless of who was protecting him.
But these mischievous acts happen to fall into the gray area of "children being naughty," which makes you furious but doesn't seem to be a matter of principle.
Looking at his two sons, whose features were exactly like his own, and their fearless and reckless attitude, he felt as if he were looking in a mirror that made his blood pressure soar.
When we returned to Jian'an for the New Year, my brother and sister-in-law saw the twins climbing on the roof and tearing off the tiles, and they shook their heads and laughed.
His sister-in-law would offer a few words of gentle comfort, but his brother would often give him a meaningful look and casually remark, "Like father, like son."
Gu Yan was so angry that he suffered internal injuries, but dared not speak out.
What could he say? Praise his brother's wisdom? Praise his sister-in-law's correctness? He could only swallow his anger silently.
The only person who could make these two little devils behave a little was Gu Zhao.
The twins have a kind of blind worship for Gu Zhao. As long as Gu Zhao is around, the two will behave much better. Although they are still jumping around, they can carry out most of the instructions.
Gu Yan was more than once grateful that Gu Zhao, the "mountain-guarding tyrant," could occasionally come and suppress him.
Because of these two debt collectors, he felt that the wrinkles around his eyes had deepened, and a few strands of white hair had quietly sprouted at his temples.
Sigh, it must be something I owed from a past life.
After the two little devils moved in with their grandparents, the house suddenly became quiet.
That night, Gu Yan collapsed on the large bed, feeling utterly exhausted.
Anna Chen sat in front of her dressing table, slowly applying skincare products in front of the mirror.
Gu Yan looked at her slender figure and sighed, "Let those two boys stay at your parents' house for a while longer... I really can't take this kind of trouble. Anyway, my older brother is there too, he can help keep things under control."
Anna Chen glanced at him in the mirror: "Okay."
Gu Yan rolled over and lay on his side watching her apply skincare products.
His wife is well-maintained; although she is in her thirties, she looks like she is in her late twenties. The immaturity in her eyes has faded, and she has gained a more capable air.
Over the years, she has skillfully navigated between his business and family, and has raised the twins to be... at least presentable to outsiders.
Gu Yan knew that she deserved most of the credit for how comfortable he was as a hands-off manager.
After applying the last layer of night cream, Anna Chen picked up the perfume bottle and lightly sprayed it twice on her wrists and neck.
A familiar scent, with fruity and white musk notes, wafts over.
She got up, walked to the bedside, lifted a corner of the blanket, and snuggled up to him.
"Hey, honey, don't you always complain that our son is noisy and not sweet enough?"
Gu Yan's vigilance increased, and he gave a vague "hmm".
“My mom said it again today,” Chen Anna looked up at him, her voice soft, “that now that we’re in a better position, why don’t we… have another daughter? They say daughters are like warm little cotton-padded jackets, well-behaved and sensible, definitely not as naughty as Xu Xu and Yang Yang.”
Gu Yan's heart skipped a beat.
As expected, this is an old story being brought up again.
In the past six months, Anna Chen has mentioned wanting a daughter much more often. Sometimes it's because she sees her friends' little girls wearing princess dresses, and sometimes it's because she sees cute and well-behaved child actresses in Hong Kong and Taiwan dramas.
The year she gave birth to twin sons, Anna Chen suffered a lot, and her postpartum recovery was slow.
The two reached a consensus at the time: once the mission was completed, they would never do it again.
Anna Chen loves beauty, is afraid of losing her figure, and is also afraid of going through the hardships of pregnancy and childbirth again.
Gu Yan himself, although he loved Xiaoman and his two sons very much, felt a chill run down his spine at the thought of the newborn's constant crying day and night and the endless trivialities of growing up. He was naturally happy to not have children.
Moreover, he's been over forty for several years now... He secretly weighed his options and realized that his energy and stamina had reached their limit, so how could he possibly have another one?
"Forget it, Anna," he pleaded earnestly. "If we end up with another pair of twin sons, I'll go crazy. Besides, you're not the same age you used to be. Having children is no small matter; it's too taxing on your health. We have Xuxu and Yangyang; that's enough."
Chen Anna didn't reply immediately, but leaned closer to him, it was unclear whether she had heard him or not.
Gu Yan assumed that it was just a passing fancy, or that she was wavering because of her mother-in-law's nagging, and that she would be fine after this period.
However, in the following months, Gu Yan discovered that things were not so simple.
His mother-in-law invited them to the Chen family home for meals much more frequently, and each time there was a carefully prepared nourishing soup, specifically for him and Chen Anna.
"You work hard in business, it takes a lot of effort. This soup will help you replenish your energy and strengthen your body." His mother-in-law smiled kindly and pushed the soup bowl in front of him without saying another word.
"Anna, you too, you look thin. Drink some soup to nourish your body, it's good for women." Another bowl was pushed to Chen Anna's side.
Gu Yan felt a little apprehensive looking at the dark, murky medicinal soup and wanted to refuse: "Mom, I'm perfectly healthy, I don't need any tonics..."
"Mom specially brewed this for you, drink it quickly, it won't be as effective if it gets cold." The mother-in-law's attitude was gentle.
Gu Yan glanced at his father-in-law, who remained silent and only smiled beside him, and then at his wife.
Anna Chen, however, remained calm, took the soup bowl, and sipped it slowly.
So, Gu Yan forced himself to drink the mixed-tasting tonic soup.
I thought to myself, at worst... I'll just consider it a way to show respect to my parents-in-law. What's the worst that could happen? I wonder if drinking some soup could actually result in a baby?
As it turns out, some things shouldn't be said carelessly, and some soups... shouldn't be drunk carelessly.
Not long after winter began, on an ordinary morning, Chen Anna sat down beside him and announced, "It's been almost two months. My mom says... there's a high probability it's a girl."
In his forties, with gray hairs already visible at his temples, Gu Yan experienced that familiar feeling again after ten years—a feeling mixed with fear, confusion, and a sliver of secret anticipation.
He's going to be a father again.
again.
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