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Getting pregnant was no simple feat.
Tang Yin had quite severe morning sickness. Even the slightest hint of an unpleasant smell would make her nauseous, and if she ate the wrong thing, she’d throw it all up. She also woke up easily at night.
Lu Chi often got up in the middle of the night to cook congee or some plain noodles. Over time, Tang Yin didn’t lose weight, but he became noticeably thinner.
Jiang Qiuhuan brought Aunt Sun over for two days and taught Lu Chi many methods, which finally helped Tang Yin’s appetite improve significantly.
By the fifth month, everything returned to normal.
One evening, Tang Yin leaned against him and asked curiously, “Chi Chi, do you prefer a boy or a girl?”
Lu Chi thought for a moment and said, “A girl.”
Upon hearing this answer, Tang Yin became unhappy: “They all say daughters are their father’s little cotton jackets. If it’s a girl, will you stop doting on me?”
Lu Chi, interrogated by her, quickly changed his answer: “...Then a boy.”
Ever since she became pregnant, Tang Yin’s temper had become unpredictable. She often complained that he didn’t dote on her, sometimes even asking him vaguely in the middle of the night.
He had felt her discomfort before and thought it might be better not to have a child, but then she scolded him, and Tang Yin didn’t speak to him for three days.
Since then, Lu Chi had learned to change his words on the fly.
As her pregnancy advanced, Tang Yin’s legs began to swell and cramp, often requiring Lu Chi to rub and massage them to relieve the discomfort.
She herself felt that pregnancy was simply suffering and vowed never to have a second child.
However, this period was much better than the earlier morning sickness, and she gradually started eating more, with a varied appetite.
Lu Chi’s hospital was very busy, and it was difficult to take leave. He could only take leave when Tang Yin was almost seven months pregnant.
But thanks to Tang Yin’s usual exercise, after her morning sickness improved, she had no major health issues and could still go out with her baby bump.
Sometimes in the evening, she would go for a walk alone, ending up at the Third Hospital, and then wait there to go home with him.
________________________________________
Everyone in the department basically knew her by now.
As soon as a colleague saw her, he quickly came up to help her: “Tang Yin, you’re here again! Come in and sit down quickly, it must be freezing outside, the air conditioning is on inside.”
Tang Yin smiled at him: “Thank you, Uncle Wang.”
This colleague was the oldest and highest-ranking in the department, but he had a very good temper and especially liked being around young people.
Uncle Wang smiled, “Lu Chi’s surgery should be over in half an hour. Wait here. Do you want some water?”
Tang Yin shook her head, “Uncle Wang, please go back to your work.”
There was a lot to do here, so Uncle Wang was just being polite and went back to his own tasks.
Half an hour later, Lu Chi, wearing a mask, entered the department, revealing only half of his face, which was strikingly handsome, with a high nose bridge.
Tang Yin gazed at him with adoration; this was her husband.
Lu Chi walked over, squatted beside her, and asked, “Are you uncomfortable?”
Tang Yin obediently replied, “No.”
Lu Chi was relieved, his eyebrows slightly curved, “Then... let’s go home.”
He changed his clothes and helped Tang Yin out of the hospital.
Two months ago, they bought a car for convenience. Although the apartment and hospital weren’t far apart, Tang Yin’s pregnancy made it necessary.
As they approached the outside of their residential complex, Tang Yin suddenly rolled down the car window and said in a muffled voice, “I want to eat spicy strips.”
Lu Chi thought he had misheard and repeated, “Eat what?”
Tang Yin raised her voice: “Spicy strips!”
Lu Chi: “...”
Why would she want to eat that?
Tang Yin’s face crumpled in grievance, “Don’t you love me anymore? You won’t even buy me a pack of spicy strips for a few bucks...”
Lu Chi hastily said, “...No, I’ll go buy them. Don’t run off.”
His handsome face creased slightly. He got out of the car and went to the supermarket across from the complex. Looking at the dazzling array of spicy strips, he finally picked up a bag that looked not too spicy.
The auntie at the supermarket gave him a few extra glances.
Back in the car, he handed her the bag, opened it for her, and gently coaxed, “I’ve bought it.”
Tang Yin suddenly said, “Chi Chi, I suddenly don’t want to eat them anymore.”
Lu Chi said, “Okay, let’s go home.”
He put the bag aside, afraid she might want to eat them later.
________________________________________
When they lay in bed that night, Tang Yin squeezed his palm and mumbled, “Was I very spoiled today?”
Lu Chi said, “No.”
Tang Yin leaned closer, “Then why didn’t you kiss me today?”
Lu Chi froze for a moment, not understanding the connection between the two, but he still obediently pecked her lips.
Tang Yin twisted her body again, “Chi Chi, I want to...”
Lu Chi knew what she meant, his face growing a little warm, but he still interrupted her, “You told me to abstain before.”
Tang Yin was cornered by him and hummed unhappily, pulling up the covers, turning her back to him, turning off the light, and going to sleep.
Lu Chi sighed inwardly and quietly lay down.
In the hazy middle of the night, he found Tang Yin clinging to him again. The small night light was on in the room. Her face was scrunched up, and she was groaning, obviously her legs were uncomfortable again.
He got up in the dark and carefully massaged her legs.
After almost half an hour, he finally saw Tang Yin’s brows relax. Like a doll, Lu Chi carefully lay down.
Never again would he let her get pregnant.
________________________________________
A few months later, Tang Yin was pushed into the operating room.
Because everything was normal, the doctor recommended a natural birth. She had to wait in the operating room for her cervix to fully dilate before they could proceed.
Tang Yin realized for the first time how painful childbirth was. She hadn’t even given birth yet, and it was just the beginning, but she already couldn’t bear it.
It was worse than fighting.
When she finally gave birth, her face was covered in sweat, cold sweat pouring down, but the thought that this was her and Lu Chi’s child gave her renewed motivation.
Lu Chi could hear her cries from outside, his heart filled with panic.
He had naturally seen many surgeries and performed them himself, but he had never experienced childbirth... Just two days ago, there was an incident at the Second Hospital where a pregnant woman died on the operating table.
He stopped those thoughts, waiting outside with his heart in his throat.
...
Tang Yin gave birth to a baby boy. She had used too much strength and later fell asleep.
When she was pushed out, Lu Chi rushed forward, startling both the nurse and the doctor.
The doctor recognized Lu Chi and pulled down his mask, saying, “It’s alright, it’s alright. Both mother and child are fine, Dr. Lu, don’t be so nervous.”
Lu Chi was so nervous his lips were dry.
He didn’t even hear whether the doctor said it was a son or a daughter.
Tang Yin woke up in the early morning, opening her eyes to see Lu Chi staring at her, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly having stayed up all night.
Lu Chi stammered, “Are you... are you hungry?”
He hadn’t stammered in many years. Tang Yin was amused by him, not daring to laugh too hard. She shook her head and asked, “Where’s the baby?”
Lu Chi frowned, “The baby is fine.”
He held Tang Yin’s hand, and Tang Yin casually scratched his palm, “What kind of expression is that? The baby will despise you when he grows up.”
Lu Chi could only coax, “He’s fine.”
Tang Yin: “...”
The nurse brought the baby over. The little one had his eyes closed, a wrinkled face, truly tiny.
Yet, Tang Yin thought her son was beautiful no matter how she looked at him, surely as handsome as her, or else as handsome as Lu Chi.
Lu Chi took the baby handed to him by the nurse, and a strange feeling surged in his heart again.
He had just said he was fine after only glancing at him from outside, and had stayed in the hospital room ever since. Now that he was holding him himself, it felt truly different.
Tang Yin felt her heart melt, her voice soft: “What should we nickname our baby?”
Lu Chi hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
Tang Yin stared at the sleeping baby, suddenly wanting to be mischievous. She touched his little face, “I think... let’s just call him Tang Guan (Sugar Jar).”
Lu Chi was stunned, asking in confusion, “Sugar Jar?”
Tang Yin explained seriously, “Yes, yes. You’re the vinegar jar, my surname is Tang, so how great would it be if our son was called Sugar Jar?”
Lu Chi: “...”
He was speechless.
Tang Yin felt like a mother now and said warmly, “I heard that breastfed babies are smarter. Sugar Jar can try it.”
Lu Chi’s face instantly fell.
After a long while, he said in a muffled voice, “None of that has scientific basis... I’m a doctor.”
So she should listen to him.
Despite this, after being discharged and returning home, Tang Guan liked to fuss at night, and Tang Yin still often woke up groggily to feed him.
Lu Chi would sit beside her, watching.
Finally, when he was a few months old, Lu Chi took over Tang Guan, and from then on, the little baby was away from his mother’s embrace, drinking formula milk.
Tang Guan grew day by day.
He felt his dad’s gaze was a bit scary.
He heard that when he was a baby, his dad didn’t even let him drink breast milk, especially when his kindergarten classmates brought it up, he felt like he was picked up from a trash can.
His desk partner was a girl who often boasted that her dad loved her the most, her mom loved her the most, and at night, he would tell her fairy tales to lull her to sleep.
Tang Guan felt very indignant.
So that night, he secretly opened the door and crept into his mom’s room.
Tang Yin wasn’t asleep. Seeing him peek in, she smiled and waved him over: “Little Sugar Jar, come here quickly.”
Hearing this, Tang Guan immediately pushed the door open, jumped onto the bed, and snuggled into the covers beside his mom, revealing half of his small face, flushed with excitement.
As soon as Lu Chi came out of the bathroom, he saw a small, dark head.
Seeing him come out, Tang Guan shrunk further into the covers, squeezing against Tang Yin, holding onto her leg, refusing to let go.
No way he was going to be kicked out tonight.
Lu Chi didn’t say anything either. He pursed his thin lips, turned off the light, and lay down beside him, saying in a low voice, “Go to sleep.”
The room was pitch black. Tang Guan suddenly asked, “Dad, why don’t you tell me bedtime stories? Don’t you love me?”
Lu Chi: “...”
Why did that sound so familiar?
Tang Yin burst out laughing, “Chi Chi, quickly tell your son a story.”
With his mom backing him up, Tang Guan felt like he was the most powerful tonight and repeated the question, “Dad, are you going to tell a story?”
Lu Chi said, “...Yes.”
He licked his lips, got out of bed, fumbled for his phone, searched for a fairy tale, and read it to him in a soft voice.
Soon, the child was silent.
Tang Yin lowered her voice: “He seems to have fallen asleep.”
Lu Chi breathed a sigh of relief. He turned his head and saw Tang Yin, looking like a beauty in the night under the dim light. He leaned over and pecked her on the lips from a distance.
“Dad, why aren’t you kissing me?”
“Dad, don’t you love me?”
Little Sugar Jar wasn’t asleep at all. He opened his big, bright black eyes and stared intently at Lu Chi, asking questions in confusion.
Tang Yin couldn’t help but laugh, “Quick, kiss him.”
Lu Chi stiffened for a long time, then finally cradled the boy’s face and kissed him. He turned off the light and went to sleep, not doing anything else.
Little Sugar Jar had a wonderful dream all night.
When he woke up at dawn, he found himself in his own little bed.
His mouth instantly drooped.
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