Chapter 165
After skating on the ice, they set off fireworks together.
Watching his younger siblings enjoying themselves ahead, Xiao Zhuang, dressed snugly, said to the bundled-up Wu Shuang beside him, “This year is the happiest I’ve ever been in my life.”
He said this while looking into Wu Shuang’s eyes.
Wu Shuang also looked at him, his large eyes filled with changing emotions, finally focusing on his lips.
In that moment, as if their minds were connected, Xiao Zhuang clearly realized that Wu Shuang wanted to kiss him.
His eyes brightened, and he grinned broadly, taking a few steps forward and lifting Wu Shuang up high in his arms.
He lifted him so high that Wu Shuang didn’t make a sound but nervously grasped Xiao Zhuang’s face, squishing it out of shape. Yet Xiao Zhuang was even happier. He lowered the person in his arms a bit, and Wu Shuang let go of his face and instead hugged his neck.
In the flickering fireworks’ light, Xiao Zhuang lightly touched Wu Shuang’s lips.
After that, the two stared at each other closely.
Wu Shuang said, “There are so many people, put me down quickly.”
Xiao Zhuang said, “I won’t.”
Wu Shuang didn’t say anything, but he wasn’t angry either. His small body was confined in Xiao Zhuang’s strong arms.
Looking at him, Xiao Zhuang’s eyes contained something he himself didn’t quite understand, something he was eager to express but couldn’t find the courage to say.
Wu Shuang looked at him, his lips moved, saying something.
However, just at that moment, a firecracker nearby exploded on the ice, drowning out Wu Shuang’s voice in a sudden boom.
After the noise, Xiao Zhuang wanted to ask what Wu Shuang had just said. However, Xiao Ling and Xiao Hong ran over from that direction, so he had to abandon the idea and quickly put Wu Shuang down.
On the way back, Xiao Ling and Xiao Hong bounced ahead, while Xiao Zhuang quietly held Wu Shuang’s hand and followed along unhurriedly.
Whenever his younger siblings turned around to talk to them, Xiao Zhuang quickly let go of his hand. Once they turned back around, he quickly held Wu Shuang’s small, soft hand again.
Wu Shuang let him play around.
By the time they returned home, they were both tired. After a quick wash, they took off their clothes and lay down on the bed.
Xiao Zhuang held Wu Shuang and asked what he had just said, but Wu Shuang refused to speak. Xiao Zhuang wasn’t in a hurry; he just kissed him eagerly.
Wu Shuang asked, “Are you coming?”
Xiao Zhuang really wanted to, but although they slept late tonight, they still had to get up early tomorrow to pay New Year’s respects. He didn’t want to tire his little husband out so much.
Xiao Zhuang said, “Let’s sleep. Not tonight.”
Although he said that, he still couldn’t let go. As soon as he finished speaking, he tightly held Wu Shuang in his arms, his hands exploring inside his clothes, kneading his body like dough.
Wu Shuang felt his excitement and whispered softly, “Come on, just once.”
Xiao Zhuang’s head was buzzing.
He pressed it against Wu Shuang’s soft cheek and said, “Not now. Let’s sleep.”
…
After New Year’s Eve, they were both a year older.
Jindou had already started studying characters with Mr. Zhang next door. Before the New Year, Jindou saw his father take out brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone, and the bright red paper looked particularly pleasing to him.
Qiu Henian finished writing for Aunt Li and his family. When it was his turn to write for his own family, he hesitated and asked Jindou, who had been peering at the table the whole time, if he wanted to give it a try.
Jindou’s chubby eyes were bright, and his father put him on a chair. Standing on it, he watched his father write an example on white paper and marked and divided it on red paper, making it much easier to write.
Jindou wrote carefully for a long time, without the slightest impatience.
After writing it out, though it was crooked, he was quite satisfied, and his father also lifted it up and looked at it for a long time, praising Jindou for writing well.
On New Year’s Eve morning, their house was adorned with a pair of couplets. Aunt Li observed them and remarked that next year she would have Jindou write couplets for her family, making Jindou proud and lifting his spirits up to the sky.
On the fourth day of the lunar month, Zhuangzhuang came to play at home.
Jindou showed off the couplet he wrote to Zhuangzhuang.
Although Zhuangzhuang was older than Jindou, he hadn’t started his studies yet.
The tofu shop had been doing well these past two years, keeping them very busy. After the children grew up, Qi Yinglan also often helped with the work.
Originally, they weren’t in a hurry and planned to send the children to a private school in a few years.
Now that they saw Jindou, who was so young, able to write couplets for the family, they felt a bit anxious.
So, after the New Year, Qi Yinglan and Liu Cai discussed it and sent Zhuangzhuang to Mr. Zhang’s place. Jindou and Jiuliang got another study companion.
Just a few days after the New Year, Qingyan heard that Yu Qingxi and the wealthy woman had divorced.
It was said that during the New Year, Yu Qingxi drank too much and clashed with the woman’s brother, causing a scene and being driven out.
Later, he came back to cause trouble several times, and the family paid him off to sign a divorce agreement.
Some time later, when Shen Min returned, he informed Qingyan that Yu Qingxi had been attacked.
Although Shen Min no longer had any ties to them, he still occasionally showed up at their door after drinking too much, behaving rudely and using offensive language.
However, the person who attacked Yu Qingxi was not from the wealthy family. They seemed to appear out of nowhere, as if they had been lying in wait, then assaulted him before disappearing.
By the time the county officials arrived, everyone had vanished.
When questioned, the nearby witnesses couldn’t identify the attackers. They claimed they had never seen them before and thought they looked like outsiders.
Although this matter was said to be investigated, it was ultimately inconclusive.
Following the incident, Yu Qingxi no longer dared to cause trouble at their doorstep. Instead, he spent his days drinking heavily at the tavern and only returned home after getting drunk.
Qingyan grew disinterested and decided he wanted nothing more to do with him.
His belly was almost full-term, and every day he felt his belly tighten slightly. With the experience of the last time, he knew he was about to give birth.
During this period, his family never left his side.
When Qiu Henian was busy, Aunt Li often came over. If she was also busy, Wu Shuang would come and accompany him.
Wu Shuang was efficient and decisive but also attentive.
When taking care of Qingyan, he was extremely careful, afraid of him getting bumped.
Although the Spring Festival had passed, the weather was still cold, and it wouldn’t warm up until March.
The old doctor had advised him to be more active before giving birth so that it would be smoother.
Supporting Qingyan along the river, they walked and walked.
Suddenly, Qingyan’s steps paused, and Wu Shuang stopped with him, anxiously asking, “What’s wrong?”
Qingyan smiled and said, “The little one inside kicked me. It was quite a strong kick.”
Wu Shuang hesitated and asked, “Can I touch it?”
Qingyan nodded, grabbed his wrist, and placed his hand on his high, bulging belly.
At this moment, the little one inside the belly woke up and moved around. As soon as Wu Shuang’s palm touched the belly, he felt a little fist give his palm a bump.
Wu Shuang’s face showed a surprised expression as he said, “You’re so strong!”
Qingyan looked at him and chuckled, “You’ll find out later. If this one inside gets unhappy, it might even headbutt you, and that really hurts.”
That evening, Qiu Henian returned home and insisted he stay for dinner. Qingyan was heavily pregnant, and there was also Jindou to take care of at home. Wu Shuang didn’t want to cause trouble for them, so he quickly found an excuse to leave.
After dinner at home, they played cards with Xiao Hong and others for a while before retiring to their room.
In bed, shortly after their intimacy, Xiao Zhuang held Wu Shuang in his arms and kissed him randomly.
Wu Shuang said, ‘We’ve been married for so long, how come there’s been no movement?’
After a moment of confusion, Xiao Zhuang finally understood what Wu Shuang meant by ‘movement’—he was referring to the movements in his belly.
He touched the spot on Wu Shuang’s belly where the pregnancy mark was evident and said, “We’re not behind at all. Old Zhang next door took over a year to conceive after marriage. There’s no rush; when the time comes, it’ll happen.”
Wu Shuang furrowed his brows slightly and said, “It’s almost been a year since we got married.”
Xiao Zhuang asked, “Did mother say something to you?”
Wu Shuang shook his head.
Xiao Zhuang still suspected that his mother had pressured Wu Shuang and wanted to ask again, but Wu Shuang reached down and held him, saying, “Want to do it again?”
Xiao Zhuang instantly forgot what he was about to say and was light-heartedly enticed into another round of play.
Wu Shuang rolled over assertively and took the lead.
Xiao Zhuang arched his waist, lifting him to the highest peak.
…
Just after the Lantern Festival, Qingyan gave birth.
As expected, it was smoother than his first delivery, just as the old midwife had predicted.
After the red dates fell, Qiu Henian asked Aunt Li to watch over them at home and went to fetch the old midwife.
Upon his return, Qiuniang and the others also came over to help.
Qiu Henian stayed by his side, silently enduring as Qingyan suffered from intense pain, biting his hand until it bled.
After over an hour of labor, the child finally arrived.
Indeed, Jindou was right—it was a girl.
Qiu Henian held her for a long time, feeling fulfilled in life with no regrets.
After the eldest daughter was born, sleeping arrangements became an issue at night.
Initially, Qingyan and Jindou slept in the inner room, while Qiu Henian and the newborn in the adjacent room. At night, Qingyan didn’t have to get up; Qiu Henian handled feeding and diaper changes.
However, after a while, Qiu Henian’s eyes became red from exhaustion.
The second child was more troublesome than the first; sometimes she cried loudly without apparent reason, refusing to feed or have her diaper changed.
When she cried too much, Qingyan would wake up and comfort her.
Strangely, whenever Qingyan held her, she would gradually stop crying.
Later on, Qingyan had Qiu Henian sleep with Jindou in the adjacent room while he handled their daughter at night.
Still, Qiu Henian worried about his fatigue; whenever he heard movement from the next room, he hurried over to help.
Eventually, Aunt Li took Jindou to sleep at her place at night, and the couple took care of their daughters together.
But after just a few days, Jindou became unhappy.
With the arrival of the newborn, his father’s attention to Jindou lessened. Though young, Jindou already had a vague awareness of this.
Qingyan noticed this and had Qiu Henian bring Jindou back.
The four of them slept together in one bed.
In the middle of the night, when the younger sister woke up crying for milk or a diaper change, Jindou was awakened several times.
After a few days like this, Jindou’s daytime studies were not as good as before, and the teachers didn’t praise him much.
At night, Jindou took his own small pillow and went to Grandma Li’s house on his own volition.
Before this child was born, Jindou had been eagerly anticipating a younger sister. When she was born, Aunt Li teased him, asking if his sister was good.
Jindou wrinkled his little brow and said, “Dad, give me a quiet sister next time!”
Everyone laughed at his words!
