Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Unassured at home, Xiyan kept bombing Mingyu with texts urging him to keep her pregnancy a definite secret. Only until he made the serious promise over and over again was she able to breathe a sigh of relief.
The place felt lonely, as usual, for she didn’t know any other neighbor except Hao, who’s also the only friend she had in this city.
After cooking herself rice porridge for dinner, she decided to do a home cleanup. Wiping the floor of every room, she was soon soaked with sweat in less than half an hour. It was not easy for a pregnant woman to do even the normal housekeeping. Most would be doing nothing but lying in bed at her stage, but she couldn’t. She needed to do everything herself.
Sometimes the fear for premature labor would instantly seize her – what if no one was around to take her to hospital?
Done with cleaning, she grabbed a book and started reading. First time being a mother, she thought she’d better educate herself as much as she could to be ready for the little one. Her mother would have taken good care of her and walk her through what might happen in this long journey, if only she were still alive.
The clatter from outside constituted a sharp contrast with her quiet, lonely life.
Having no clue who to talk to, she spared her time browsing through friends’ posts.
A number of old colleges she used to work with in Ye City seemed all recently married, posting wedding photos and sharing their love and joy. Other friends she connected with on WeChat were posted about their life, some travelling, some flattering themselves over selfies.
As the browsing continued, a familiar profile was dragged up from the bottom of the screen that stinged her eyes.
She quivered, almost dropping her phone.
It was a post from Li Qin, her mother-in-law-used-to-be.
She forgot to delete her.
And her new post tediously read:
Over 200 days and nights of waiting, my baby grandchild has finally arrived in this world in all’s expectation. Thank you, Weiwei, for bringing such a joy to our family.
The post came with a picture of a diamond necklace embedded with a giant blue gem that looked like her present for her favorite daughter-in-law. One could tell its formidable value merely through the picture.
Xiyan blinked her eyes, tears sneaking out against her will.
She threw the phone away and hugged herself like a bullied kid.
She’s not jealous, simply sad, heart breaking sad.
In the other city –
Li was loading the trunk with bags of necessities for the mother and the expected baby while hustling her son at the same time.
“Alright, Yixuan, let’s go to Ningze!” Exhilarated, she got in the car and buckled herself up on the passenger’s seat. On the back seats seated a maid and the maternity matron she retained.
In front the wheels, Yixuan looked fresh and ready in a tailored white shirt and black suit pants, his hair shorter. His thin lips were pulled tight together with the corners slightly arched, forming a subtly cheerful smile, and his ink-black eyes flashing with sparks of joy. He’s going to be a father.
“Mother, how could you let Yuwei go back to her mother’s at that point?” They had booked a VIP labor room long ago at the No.1 Women and Children’s Hospital of Ye City. If Yuwei didn’t make this spontaneous trip, they would have not missed the first moments of the baby.