RMM – Chapter 118 A Child Should Be Raised in Comfort

Su Ruo was both surprised and pleased by the nursery that Zhang Huaqing had prepared for her unborn child.

What surprised her was that the room was way too luxurious for a baby. What pleased her was that although it felt a bit extravagant, it really was beautiful.

Seeing Zhang Huaqing looking at her expectantly, clearly waiting for her approval, she suppressed her true thoughts, turned to her mother with a bright smile, and exclaimed in delight:

“Wow, Mom, this is gorgeous. You’ve really put so much thought into it—it’s so refined.”

Hearing her daughter say she liked it, Zhang Huaqing finally gave a satisfied smile. “This is my first grandchild. How could I not take it seriously? And there will be more in the future.”

Hearing her mother’s words—already hinting at going even further—Su Ruo let out a helpless sigh, her forehead covered in imaginary black lines.

“Mom, if you spoil the child like this, you’ll ruin them. They’ll pick up bad habits, and when that happens you’ll regret it. You should rein it in a little.”

“Who says so? Look around you—aren’t all the kids raised spoiled nowadays? Which one of them turned out bad? Don’t talk nonsense.”

Zhang Huaqing didn’t mind in the slightest. Their family had the means to raise a child in comfort, so what was wrong with that? As for character and morals, that was a matter of upbringing. With the combined influence of the Xi and Su families, she simply didn’t believe they could raise a wastrel.

At this point, what else could Su Ruo say? With both her mother and her mother-in-law so enthusiastic, how could she stop them? Forget it. Grandparents loved to dote on their grandchildren—that was universal…

“But…” Su Ruo hesitated, then said seriously, “if we do things this way, won’t others think it’s too extravagant? Say we’re wasteful?”

True enough, the spending was obvious—renovating a whole room, and soon filling it with furniture. Many people were bound to see it. And people’s words could be harsh.

“What’s there to be afraid of? We’re not using public funds. Other than his salary, your father hasn’t had a penny of extra income all his life. This is my private money. I’m spending it on my grandson—what right do others have to criticize? Don’t worry, if you’ve done nothing wrong, you don’t have to fear shadows.”

Well… she had no comeback for that. Now that she thought about it, wasn’t her mother’s family a scholarly clan? She had heard they were a well-known noble family with a good reputation, though not based in the capital. Since her rebirth, she hadn’t been to her maternal grandfather’s house, nor met any relatives from there.

Last time, after her rebirth, no one from her mother’s side came to the hospital—maybe they were busy, or maybe they weren’t notified. Whatever the case, she hadn’t dwelled on it.

Still, “Mom, I know you’re well-off, and I know you’re generous for the sake of your grandson, but you should save a little too. I’m his mother—I can’t just do nothing.”

She looked straight at Zhang Huaqing, her eyes firm. “The card I gave you last time—you’d better not just keep it unused. I’ll cover the major expenses. I’ve got plenty of money and nowhere to spend it.”

Not long ago, Su Ruo had given both Zhang Huaqing and Shen Liang each a credit card. With her shares in Muyou and Siqi, her dividends alone gave her considerable income every year. She didn’t need so much money just sitting there. Better to hand it over to her mother and mother-in-law and let them spend it.

She knew neither of them lacked money, but it was her way of showing appreciation, and she had insisted they accept.

Afraid her mother would be reluctant, Su Ruo reminded her seriously—she couldn’t always let her mom pay for everything; she felt guilty.

Hearing this, Zhang Huaqing frowned. “Keep that card for now. See where it’s really needed later. Anyway, my money will just sit there if I don’t use it. Enough. Don’t argue with me on this.”

“Mom,” Su Ruo protested, tugging at her arm, “just use my money too, okay? Otherwise, when the baby’s born, they’ll think I’m stingy and call me a miserly mom.”

Not wanting to discuss it further, Zhang Huaqing brushed her off. “Mm, I know, I know. Stop shaking me, I’m getting dizzy. Anyway, is there anything about this room you’re not satisfied with? We can still make changes now.”

Seeing she couldn’t win this battle, Su Ruo dropped it. Some things weren’t worth arguing endlessly. She turned instead to carefully look over the room.

“Tsk, tsk. Mom, this room is already perfect—flawless, really. I couldn’t find a fault if I tried.” She beamed.

Hearing this, Zhang Huaqing was overjoyed. She chuckled twice. “Later, ask Yuechen to come up and take a look. He’s the father—let him give his input too.”

“If it’s just looking, sure. But if you want him to give opinions, don’t bother—he never has any.”

Su Ruo recalled how Shen Liang had eagerly dragged the commander to see the nursery, full of expectation. In the end, all he said was, “Mm. Very good.”

Asked if he had any suggestions, he said it was already perfect. Asked what to buy, he said, “Do whatever you think best.”

Poor Shen Liang had looked utterly deflated. After that, he stopped asking him anything about the baby.

If she didn’t know Yuechen’s temperament, Su Ruo would’ve thought he wasn’t interested in the child at all.

But she knew better—when it came to his profession, his words were precise and weighty. But when it came to domestic matters, he was utterly helpless. He trusted his family’s judgment, knowing they would never shortchange the child.

In truth, he was deeply looking forward to this baby. This was the child his beloved woman was bearing for him, a bond of flesh and blood hard-won. How could he not treasure it?

Su Ruo understood that, so she just laughed and didn’t press the matter.

After that day, the two of them seemed to grow even closer. Sometimes Su Ruo could even guess Yuechen’s thoughts at a glance—their tacit understanding had deepened.

Sure enough, when Yuechen came to see the room, he simply nodded and said it was good, then fell silent, carefully surveying the space.

Had Su Ruo not already warned Zhang Huaqing beforehand, her mother might have felt a bit slighted.

“You two keep looking. I’ll go see what Su Heng is up to. Talk it over if there’s anything lacking in this room.” Leaving them their space, Zhang Huaqing turned and closed the door behind her.

Su Ruo understood her mother’s intention and smiled knowingly. Once she left, Su Ruo couldn’t help laughing.

Mom’s hasty retreat wasn’t just to give them privacy—she probably also wanted to go settle scores with Su Heng. No wonder she had held back this long.

Yuechen glanced at her, helpless at her mischievous expression. Such a child at heart.

After her moment of glee, Su Ruo moved to the center of the room, looked around, and then at Yuechen, who was also inspecting it.

“Commander, do you really have no opinions? This will be your child’s room.” She asked earnestly.

Though her tone was serious, her sparkling eyes gave away her teasing. Yuechen chuckled and shook his head.

Not surprised at all, Su Ruo shrugged. She strolled onto the balcony, then turned back, watching him with a thoughtful look.

“Commander, don’t you think decorating the room like this is a bit over the top?”

She wasn’t sure. With his principled nature and dislike for ostentation, maybe he disapproved of such extravagance for an unborn child.

Yuechen followed her onto the balcony, standing beside her with one hand resting casually on the railing.

“No. It’s good. Let’s keep it this way.” His lips curved faintly as he spoke.

He himself couldn’t provide these things for the child. Sometimes he felt he was failing both mother and child. He had nothing to offer. With the elders handling everything, how could he feel dissatisfied?

Besides, if they had the means, why not give the child the best? At the very least, his child should never suffer materially.

In this, Yuechen was more open-minded than Su Ruo, every inch the doting father. Of course, that was before the child arrived—afterwards, who knew whether he’d play the good cop or the bad cop?

Hearing no trace of dissatisfaction in his voice, Su Ruo felt relieved. “That’s just how grandparents are—they’ll do anything to give the best to their grandchild.”

His expression softened as he looked at her lowered head. “Let them be.”

He knew both families had been waiting for a grandchild for so long, especially his own. He wasn’t young anymore—they had been anxious. Now that his beloved woman was finally pregnant, it would have been strange if they hadn’t gone overboard.

They stayed at the Su house until evening before returning to Zhengjia Courtyard. Zhang Huaqing had wanted to keep them overnight, but glancing at Su Feng’s face, she swallowed her words, silently cursing that old stick-in-the-mud.

Su Feng, for his part, was surprised at Yuechen’s sudden return. He knew the situation at the front wasn’t good. The special ops team hadn’t been deployed long, so Yuechen should still have been in Province D, busy with work. Why had he come back? And even stranger, why had Zhou Tingzhang allowed it? Unexpected indeed.

Though they hadn’t interacted much, everyone in the military knew Zhou Tingzhang’s style. Su Feng had thought he would make things hard for Yuechen.

Instead of dwelling on it, he just asked about the general situation and his team, then reminded Yuechen to be cautious. This mission was unlike the others—it was a battle with desperadoes. A single misstep could be disastrous.

Ah, once you got old, you lost that iron-blooded passion of youth. You couldn’t help but worry about your children and grandchildren, fearing something might happen.

“Commander, how long will you be staying in Province D?” Leaning back in her seat, Su Ruo turned to look at his stern profile.

It wasn’t ideal for them to be separated so often. She missed him.

Yuechen hesitated before replying. “I’m not sure. It depends on the orders from above.”

Once the mission was completed, he could leave. But easier said than done—he had no idea when that would be.

“Oh.” Her eyes fell, a little disappointed. Orders could come at any time—who knew when? Then a thought struck her, and excitement bubbled up. She looked at him, testing, “If the baby is born and you still haven’t come back, how about I join you on deployment?”

The more she thought about it, the better it sounded. Perfect, really.

“No.” Yuechen wavered inside—he had long entertained the idea of having her by his side. But not in Province D. “The conditions there aren’t good. You’ll suffer.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not afraid of hardship. Don’t use that excuse to block me. Anyway, don’t rush to refuse—we still have a few months before the baby arrives.”

She wasn’t worried. In her heart, she’d already decided: if he wasn’t back by then, she would follow him. No one could stop her.

Yuechen said nothing more, quietly driving. He thought to himself: Yes, there are still a few months. I’ll just have to speed things up.