RMM -Chapter 134 Fireflies Fly

While Xi Yuechen was still on the plane, Su Ruo was at home flipping through a dictionary with Shen Liang, racking their brains over what nickname to give the baby.

Yes—just a nickname. The two of them were currently putting a great deal of effort into finding one that sounded nice and also had a good meaning.

They both knew very well that it wasn’t their turn yet to decide the child’s formal name. There were still the old man and Xi Jian’an above them.

“Ugh, that’s it, I’m done picking. The more I look, the dizzier I get—my eyes are full of characters,” Shen Liang finally couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled her gaze away from the dictionary, rubbed her eyes, and complained, “All these tiny characters are giving me a headache. You stop looking too—don’t tire yourself out. We can come up with a nickname later. There’s no point doing it so early anyway; we don’t even know the baby’s gender yet.”

Su Ruo was just as overwhelmed and hadn’t come to any conclusion either. Her initial enthusiasm had long since been worn away. Hearing Shen Liang’s words, she nodded obediently, put down the dictionary as well, and let out a breath of relief.

Up to now, no one knew whether the baby in Su Ruo’s belly was a boy or a girl. They hadn’t gone to check, nor had they asked the doctor.

If they really wanted to know, there would be no obstacle at all. But on this matter, Su Ruo was uncharacteristically firm—she said she wanted to wait until Xi Yuechen came back and go together with him.

The chief had hardly participated in anything related to the child. Su Ruo was afraid he might feel regretful about that, so she had insisted on this point for a while. Before the baby was born, there had to be at least one thing he could take part in, right? He was the baby’s father, after all.

After Su Ruo shared this thought with Shen Liang, Shen Liang didn’t object and nodded in agreement, feeling rather emotional inside.

Yuechen really must have accumulated good karma in his previous life. Ruoruo treated him with genuine sincerity—true and wholehearted. Shen Liang’s heart finally settled at ease.

A loving young couple—what could be more pleasing to see? As for the baby’s gender, not knowing for now was no big deal. Ruoruo had such thoughtfulness; it wasn’t anything major. Of course it should be accommodated. Besides, whether it was a boy or a girl didn’t matter—so long as it was her grandchild, she would love it!

Thinking about it, ever since Ruoruo got pregnant, Yuechen had barely been home. He’d been stationed in Province D the whole time, sometimes unable to come back even once a month. Shen Liang didn’t know exactly what he was busy with, nor did she ask—she knew very well that people in the military had to observe confidentiality rules.

But she could tell one thing clearly: Xi Yuechen’s feelings for Su Ruo were anything but ordinary. She had never seen him care so much about anyone before. It was obvious that he carried Ruoruo in his heart. Still, this son of hers wasn’t like the younger one—ever since childhood, he had been taciturn, a closed bottle. Whatever he thought, he never said out loud, and he never asked anything of others.

This time, with Ruoruo’s pregnancy, he hadn’t been able to participate in anything concerning the child. He must feel rather bad about it. So if there was a chance, they should wait for him to come back and then go check together. He would definitely be happy.

It was only six months along now. No matter how busy things were over in Province D, surely it wasn’t so busy that he couldn’t come back even once in three months, right?

Once Shen Liang had made up her mind, the others naturally had no objections. Household matters were always under Shen Liang’s control anyway—if there was something to decide, her word was enough. This time was no exception. No one voiced any disagreement. As for the baby’s gender, what difference did it make whether they knew or not? For necessary items, they’d just buy two versions. As for the name, they could simply prepare two and decide later.

And so, the matter of the baby’s gender was put on hold just like that. No one was in a rush. If they happened to like something for the baby and it came in boy and girl versions, they would wave a hand grandly and buy both—exuding a rather lavish air.

What no one knew was that at this very moment, Xi Yuechen had already set foot on the land of City B and was on his way to Zhengjia Courtyard.

“Oh right, Mom—has Dad come up with the baby’s formal name yet?” Su Ruo asked.

Nicknames could be improvised later, but the formal name couldn’t be chosen casually. Her father-in-law was probably thinking about it too.

“Not yet. Just like us, he keeps going back and forth and still isn’t satisfied. These past few days he’s been deep in thought over it,” Shen Liang said, shaking her head and shrugging.

Naming a child was truly a technical job. She hadn’t realized it before, but now that it was her turn, she finally understood the mix of sweetness and bitterness involved. One character might look good on its own, but once paired with another, something would feel off. Dissatisfied, they’d abandon it and start all over again.

Su Ruo sighed with a laugh, a bit helpless. “Choosing a name is really such a hassle. Mom, don’t let Dad put all his energy into this—he’ll really give himself a headache.”

Shen Liang nodded. “True, but with your dad’s stubborn temper, if he can’t come up with a name he likes, no amount of persuasion from me will help. Forget it—let him be. Even if he’s exhausted, he’s probably enjoying it.”

Faced with everyone’s almost strangely intense enthusiasm for the baby, Su Ruo felt utterly helpless. Calling it a joyful torment or a sweet burden wouldn’t be an exaggeration at all.

She checked the time—it was already past eleven, nearly lunchtime.

“Mom, what are we having for lunch today?” Su Ruo now felt a bit hungry every time it was mealtime; they had practically trained her into this habit.

“Let’s keep it light. I told them this morning—didn’t you say you wanted something light?”

In both the Xi and Su households, as long as Su Ruo was around, the entire family’s meals were planned according to her preferences. Whatever Su Ruo wanted to eat—that was what they made for the day.

Feeling a little embarrassed, Su Ruo scratched her head. “Mom, how about asking Grandpa or my dad what they want to eat? Or we could just make what you feel like eating.”

Being treated so much like a queen was making Su Ruo feel awkward—like the head of some feudal household, where everything revolved around her preferences and everyone else had no say at all.

She really didn’t look like a daughter-in-law at all—more like a high-and-mighty queen…

“It’s fine. Your grandpa and your dad are already at that age—if we make heavier food, they won’t even like it. I want something light too; it’s better for the body.”

Shen Liang understood Su Ruo’s thoughts and found them amusing. This girl—why was she still being so polite in her own home?

Xi Yuechen had left Province D yesterday afternoon, made a stop in City S first, and only flew into City B this morning, arriving right around noon.

When he got home, lunch wasn’t ready yet. Shen Liang was in the kitchen supervising and helping out, while Su Ruo, draped in a red padded cape, was in the garden playing the harmonica.

Su Ruo had learned the harmonica from Shen Liang. Originally, she had wanted to learn the violin or guitar, but Shen Liang had rejected that idea decisively—you’re carrying such a big belly and still want to fuss with those? Ancestor, please behave yourself.

With the guitar and violin vetoed, Su Ruo didn’t feel like practicing the piano either—she couldn’t sit still for long now. So what could she learn?

That’s when Shen Liang bought her a harmonica, telling her to just learn that to pass the time. Shen Liang knew how to play and could teach her.

When Su Ruo first saw the harmonica in Shen Liang’s hand, several black lines visibly slid down her face… Why did it feel a bit shabby? Or was that just her imagination?

But when Shen Liang pulled out a harmonica she’d apparently kept hidden for who knew how long and played a tune with a proud expression, Su Ruo immediately changed her mind.

Oh wow—why did it suddenly seem kind of nice?

Shen Liang played beautifully. A melody flowed smoothly from the harmonica, mellow and gentle.

Su Ruo had had no idea her mother-in-law was this skilled at playing the harmonica, and she was quite astonished. After some persistent questioning, she even dug up a bit of gossip.

It turned out the harmonica had been a gift from her father-in-law to her mother-in-law. Wasn’t that the legendary token of love?

Who would have thought that her usually stern and dignified father-in-law had been so romantic when he was young? No wonder her mother-in-law wore such a blissful expression whenever she played the harmonica.

How wonderful. Su Ruo suddenly felt a little envious. If only the chief would give her a token of love someday—she would treasure it for her entire life.

And so, Su Ruo quite naturally began learning the harmonica from Shen Liang. From the initial ear-splitting sounds to now being able to smoothly play a simple tune, her progress was remarkably fast.

One day, when Xi Jian’an came home from work and saw Shen Liang teaching Su Ruo to play the harmonica, he paused in his steps. Looking at the two of them in the garden, he didn’t know what memory had been stirred. A layer of gentleness surfaced on his face, and his eyes shimmered with a smile.

Back then, it had been him who taught her to play the harmonica. Scene after scene came back to him, as vivid as if they had happened just yesterday.

It had been so long since he’d seen her play the harmonica—he’d thought she’d lost it ages ago. Who would have guessed she’d kept it all this time?

Ah, time really did fly. Just yesterday, Little Liang had been the same age as Ruoruo now.

When Xi Yuechen walked into the house, no one noticed. Xi Yuehui had gone out early in the morning, Xi Jian’an hadn’t gotten off work yet, and Shen Liang was busy in the kitchen. Only Su Ruo was free—though at the moment, she was busy playing the harmonica, practicing the tune she’d just learned yesterday.

The weather was lovely today—warm sunshine, no wind at all. In high spirits, Su Ruo went into the garden to play the harmonica. Wrapped in the cape Shen Liang had bought for her, she wasn’t afraid of catching a chill.

As Xi Yuechen pushed open the front door, he heard the sound of a harmonica drifting over from the garden. The melody was soft and unhurried. He recognized the tune and had heard it before—its name seemed to be Fireflies Fly. Played on the harmonica, it had a unique flavor and sounded quite pleasant.

He walked closer—and then froze.

He hadn’t expected that the person playing Fireflies Fly in the garden would be the very woman he’d been longing for day and night.

Su Ruo stood there lazily with her hair loosely draped, eyes closed as she played the harmonica. The corners of her lips curved upward slightly, her mood clearly a good one. The red cape on her shoulders gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight, making her look vibrant and eye-catching.

At that moment, the languid Su Ruo playing the harmonica radiated pure joy. She looked serene and captivating. Xi Yuechen stood rooted to the spot, watching her. Suddenly, his mind filled with the photo Su Ruo had sent him before—she had looked just like this in it too: tranquil and beautiful, yet exuding a fatal allure.

After a month apart, his little woman seemed even more beautiful. And her belly—it had grown bigger again.

Xi Yuechen’s heart softened completely, a gentle warmth spreading across his face.

Su Ruo was absorbed in playing when she suddenly felt a gaze fixed on her. The sensation was so strong she couldn’t ignore it. Frowning slightly, she opened her eyes and, still playing, looked over.

And that single glance left her completely stunned.

The sweet, flowing Fireflies Fly came to an abrupt stop. She stared blankly at Xi Yuechen, her face dazed, her reaction so slow that Xi Yuechen let out a soft laugh.

That laugh finally snapped Su Ruo back to her senses. The harmonica at her lips fell to the ground with a clatter.

“Chief…?”