She didn’t want anything too complicated for a name.
Zhao Ying said, "My daughter, and my daughter’s child, just need to be happy."
So, the child was named Xiao Le.
Zhao Xiaole was a premature baby. Since Su Lu had complications early in her pregnancy and later went through so many things, even though Professor Zhou closely monitored her condition and tried everything, he couldn’t ensure Zhao Xiaole’s full-term birth.
He was born three weeks early, delivered by emergency cesarean section, and weighed just over four pounds at birth, the size of a small cat—not fully grown and red, crying in a soft, weak voice.
When Professor Zhou handed him to Su Lu, she held his tiny body in her hands, tears streaming down her face, his little body warm and indicating his vitality.
Su Lu could only hold him for a short while before Professor Zhou took him back and put him into an incubator and wheeled him away.
Because he was born early, Zhao Xiaole didn’t have a strong body to begin with.
Su Lu devoted all her attention to her son, and the memories that might have been painful, torturous, or sad seemed to lose the destructive power she had imagined they would have.
It’s not clear whether it was the diluting effect of time or the presence of the child that made the pain less evident, so mothers rarely regret enduring such great pain to bring their child into the world. Even if they could do it all over again, they would still be willing to bear the same or even greater pain, just to bring their child into this world.
In any case, Su Lu was rarely tormented by those memories.
A weak child was already enough to occupy almost all her heart and mind.
It was only when he grew up a bit that Zhao Xiaole’s health began to improve, and now he is indistinguishable from other children his age.
Su Lu’s phone rang, and she connected to the car’s Bluetooth.
A magnetic and pleasant male voice filled the car.
"Qianqian, where are you?"
Just hearing this voice made Zhao Xiaole happy, and in a sweet, prolonged tone, he called out, "Uncle—!"
"Oh my." Shen Xun’s voice instantly filled with laughter, "Listen, listen, who is this?"
"Shen Xun’s!" Zhao Xiaole immediately said.
Zhao Xiaole never had a father figure by his side, but he never felt insecure about lacking a male elder, because he had no shortage of male relatives around him.
He has three uncles, each of whom dotes on him to the extent of desiring the moon without any stars.
Zhao Xiaole also knows how to play his cards right. Whenever he sees Shen Xun, he’s "Shen Xun’s household," and when he sees Su Yi, he’s "Su Yi’s household."
Shen Xun laughed again on the other end, his laughter deep and hearty, filled with joy.
Just then, a sudden light cough interrupted, "Ahem, it seems he’s not from my family, then. This whole set of mini excavator toys, I can save them now."
Zhao Xiaole’s eyes rounded, and he quickly said, "No, no, no, that’s not it!"
"Oh? Then tell me, whose family are you from?" Su Zhe teased him on purpose, his voice filled with laughter.
Zhao Xiaole pursed her lips and said, "It’s from the Su Zhe family."
Shen Xun said on the other end of the line, "Oh, then I especially brought back Spanish mackerel from Zhougang to make Spanish mackerel dumplings for my little one. Since it’s not for my little one, then never mind."
Zhao Xiaole was utterly distressed and looked at Su Lu with a pitiful expression, pleading, "Su Xiaolu..."
Su Lu laughed. The child was smart but still young, and sometimes unavoidably single-minded.
Su Lu chuckled, "This isn’t a multiple-choice question."
Zhao Xiaole giggled with a louder baby voice, sounding crisp, "It’s Shen Xun’s and the Su Zhe family’s!"
"Okay, stop teasing him; he might start crying if you keep it up," came the voice of Zhao Ying from the side.
"Ah, my darling, come back, Grandma misses you." Zhao Ying was still brisk and efficient, but her voice transformed to gentle spring rain when talking to her grandchild. When addressing Shen Xun, she immediately turned into the brisk Ms. Zhao, "Alright, hurry up and hang up. Don’t distract your sister from driving."
"Oh, okay, then I’m hanging up."
Despite that, when Su Lu drove back to her mother’s house, Zhao Ying was still scared stiff.
Zhao Ying lived in a suburban villa community, not because she couldn’t afford a city property, but the environment was better here, and the air quality was higher.
The suburban villa boasted a large yard.
Especially after Su Lu got pregnant and returned to Beijing with her, Zhao Ying even hired a gardener to revamp the yard. She cleared out all the flowers and shrubs, set up several vegetable plots, and planted a variety of organic vegetables and fruits.
After Zhao Xiaole’s arrival, they grew even more of their own organic produce.
Zhao Xiaole also enjoyed it here, as children’s hearts are naturally drawn to nature.
Upon hearing the car, Zhao Ying stepped out of the house, initially smiling in welcome. But as she saw Su Lu drive into the yard’s parking space and noticed the messy rear end of the car, her facial expression changed instantly.
"What happened? What’s with the car’s rear end? Who hit you?!" Zhao Ying’s face darkened, and her tone abruptly changed.
Shen Xun, who had been inside the house, along with Su Zhe, were startled by Zhao Ying’s suddenly raised voice. Both rushed out without even changing their shoes, still wearing slippers.
Thus, they too saw the messy rear end of Su Lu’s car.
"What happened?" Shen Xun spoke gravely, approaching to check the damage. Luckily, it was just a broken tail light and a rear bumper. The damage seemed minor, so it was likely that no one inside the car suffered any serious injuries.
"Is everyone okay?" But Su Zhe couldn’t help but ask.
Su Lu shook her head, "We’re fine. It happened at the Yanghe Interchange roundabout. A car with an out-of-town license plate didn’t understand the roundabout exit and ended up hitting my car’s rear. With the speed limit on the interchange, how serious could it be?"
"Still, that’s not okay. What if something had happened?" Zhao Ying was not completely reassured, shaking her head as she spoke, "I told you to get a driver and you never wanted one. From now on, don’t go via the Yanghe Interchange. It’s complex and prone to accidents. You may understand the routes now, but you can’t account for others who might not and end up hitting your car."
Su Lu’s smile was warm and easy, as her family’s concern filled her with warmth. This was a feeling she had not experienced in the first twenty years of her life, so even though she had felt it almost every day for the past five years, she still felt grateful and happy every time.
However, she didn’t want her family to worry too much, so she brought out Zhao Xiaole, "Okay, that’s enough. Zhao Xiaole, come on, say hello."
Zhao Xiaole gave her a sidelong glance, "Mama, you just don’t want Grandma to nag you anymore."
"Oh, you little clever clogs."