Challenges and Growth
On February 20, 2017, on the early spring campus, the sycamore trees shed their last few leaves. Xiaofeng, wrapped tightly in a camel-colored scarf, walked out of the teaching building, her mind awash with thoughts: Which advisor should I choose for my thesis? Will there be any problems with my prenatal checkup? What gift should I buy for my weekend home? As she pondered theses, she was suddenly enveloped by a familiar body warmth.
"Why are your hands so cold?" Wen Qing held her fingers in his palm, and the white air he exhaled formed small clouds between the two of them, bringing warmth.
"I made an appointment with Uncle Zhou for a prenatal checkup this afternoon." Wen Qing's voice was mixed with the sound of dribbling from the distant basketball court. The muffled "dong dong" sound seemed to be beating an irregular rhythm to this gloomy afternoon.
"Right now, we can only determine based on the ultrasound results. The due date is late July or early August." Zhou Yong looked at the medical report on the computer and couldn't help but mutter, "You didn't create the prenatal checkup file in time, and you even took a plane to such a remote mountainous area. You..."
"Uncle Zhou, it was my oversight. I'm so sorry." Wen Qing quickly took over the conversation. "From now on, I will definitely accompany her to prenatal checkups on time and promise not to take her to dangerous places again."
Just as he finished speaking, the office phone rang. Zhou Yong glared at Xiaofeng before answering the phone.
When hanging up the phone, Xiaofeng called out softly before Zhou Yong could speak: "Dad..."
This address instantly softened Zhou Yong's serious expression: "What's wrong?"
"Are the test results all right?"
"Everything is normal." Zhou Yong scrolled the mouse wheel and suddenly changed the subject, "What were you talking about with Doctor Zhang in the ultrasound room just now?"
This sudden question made Xiaofeng straighten his back instantly, as if he was under a spell.
"She said that it might be difficult to achieve her wish." Zhou Yong deliberately dragged out his tone, and his eyes swept meaningfully across Xiaofeng's face, which froze for a moment.
Xiaofeng finally breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, "Oh, that's it. Doctor Zhang asked if we wanted a boy or a girl." Wenqing, who had been listening quietly, suddenly interrupted, "What did you say?"
"I said I wanted a daughter." As soon as Xiaofeng finished speaking, she saw a relieved smile on Zhou Yong's face.
Wen Qing continued, "Late July, early August, that's Leo, so let's call him Liou, Jiang Liou."
Xiao Feng nodded, but after a while, she lowered her head and unconsciously sorted the lint on her gloves. Her voice was as light as a feather: "One more thing - please help me make an appointment with a psychologist."
After they left, Zhou Yong called Liu Yixu. Finally, Liu Yixu asked, "Do you want me to be a counselor or her elder?"
"You'll know when you meet Xiaofeng." There was an imperceptible sigh in Zhou Yong's voice.
On the morning of Saturday, February 25, 2017, Xiaofeng curled up in the corner of the elevator car, her palms unconsciously cupped against her slightly swollen belly, her fingertips gently caressing the fabric. As the elevator stopped at the first floor, a stream of people poured in, carrying the scent of coffee and perfume. A broad figure in a gray sweater inconspicuously shifted sideways half a step, like a soft dam, steadily blocking the jostling flow.
When the number "17" popped up on the LCD screen, Xiaofeng followed the man out of the elevator when he suddenly turned, casting a gentle shadow over her. She instinctively took a half step back, her lower back almost colliding with the cold fire hydrant. "Are you Rao Xiaofeng?"
"You know me... Are you Doctor Liu?"
Liu Yixu's eyes wrinkled with laughter, and he said in a friendly tone: "You are easy to recognize. You are exactly like Wenqing described."
"You know Wenqing too?" The air suddenly froze at the name, and Xiaofeng subconsciously asked, "Is there anything wrong with him?"
Liu Yixu patted her shoulder gently: "Come in first."
Xiaofeng sat down in the conference room. Liu Yixu poured her a glass of water and asked, "Why are you here so early?"
"I'm a little nervous. I didn't sleep well last night. I came here straight away without having breakfast this morning."
"Would you like to eat something first?"
"Wenqing went to buy breakfast."
"Wenqing brought you here?"
"Well, he's with me full-time now." Xiao Feng held the water cup in both hands, his fingertips trembling slightly, and asked tentatively, "He... talked to you about me?"
"According to the rules, I can't talk about the content of his conversation with me."
Xiaofeng nodded: "I understand."
"If you want to know, you can actually ask him directly."
After hearing this, Xiaofeng suddenly remembered what he had said to Wenqing about "indirect communication", and his heart moved slightly.
Liu Yixu was absorbed in preparing his work when the door hinges creaked softly. Wen Qing, hands full of shopping bags, stepped through the doorway, dusty and tidy, placing the bags neatly on a corner of the conference table.
"Xiaofeng," he turned around and called out, with warm smile lines on the corners of his eyes, like the sunlight suddenly shining into the room on a winter day, "eat something first, there is still time before it officially starts." His voice was like jade soaked in warm water, warm and steady.
Xiaofeng's eyes swept over the dazzling array of food on the table: milk bread exuding a sweet wheat aroma, spinach and egg rolls stacked layer by layer with a greasy sheen, shrimp and vegetable porridge emitting curls of steam, steamed corn kernels golden and plump, bananas curved into elegant arcs... Every food was as tempting as if cast under a spell.
"If you don't have an appetite," Wen Qing gently opened the packaging of disposable tableware, and the plastic film made a slight crisp sound, "it's okay to try a little bit of each." The words fell as softly as a feather, but with a concern that could not be refused.
The air conditioner in the conference room suddenly hummed, pulling Xiaofeng's thoughts away from the aroma of the food. "I'm going to talk to Dr. Liu. Wait for me." With that, she stood up and left the conference room, heading for the reception room.
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