RIRW – Chapter 187

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Dizziness is no small matter, and after all, Zuo Dan was already a mother. She and Shen Yiming had recently been trying for a second child, so when there was a problem with her body, both of them took it seriously.

Shen Yiming didn’t dare touch Zuo Dan anymore. After all, he had learned from experience that some things could be harmful to the baby. Even if there was a chance she was pregnant, they couldn’t take risks.

Holding Zuo Dan in his arms as they sat on the bed, he said, “Let’s go see a doctor. We’ll use Dad’s car.” At this point, he didn’t mind relying on his father-in-law anymore. This was more important than a man’s pride.

Zuo Dan said, “It was just a brief dizzy spell, no need to alarm the whole family. Besides, it’s late now — not the best time for a checkup. Let’s go tomorrow.”

Shen Yiming still wasn’t at ease. “Are you sure you’re alright? Don’t lie to me.”

Zuo Dan’s thoughts turned over in her mind a few times, then she gently massaged her temples and leaned against Shen Yiming. “Shen Yiming, help me massage my body a bit, I’m feeling a little uncomfortable.”

Shen Yiming was helpless seeing her act like this. She just wanted to enjoy being pampered.

“Lie down, I’ll give you a massage.” Shen Yiming rolled up his sleeves and flexed his fingers.

“Alrighty,” Zuo Dan quickly lay down on the bed, thoroughly enjoying Shen Yiming’s service. Time to return to her former queen-like treatment.

The next morning after class, Zuo Dan took leave from Professor Qin, and Shen Yiming was already waiting downstairs with his bicycle.

Once she got on, Shen Yiming slowly started pedaling out.

Zuo Dan looked a bit worried. “Shen Yiming, do you think I might be pregnant?”

Shen Yiming replied, “Just let nature take its course. But I do have a lot of confidence in myself.”

“Stop being so smug. It’s also thanks to me.” Zuo Dan suddenly remembered something the old ladies in the village used to say, so she mimicked their tone: “If the land’s not fertile, even if the ox dies from exhaustion, no crops will grow.”

“…” Shen Yiming’s bicycle swayed a little, and he quickly righted it. “Comrade Zuo Dan, please be serious.”

Zuo Dan looked innocent. “What did I say that wasn’t serious? Anyone who hears that will think it makes perfect sense.”

Shen Yiming: “…” At this point, he just hoped the baby would take after him.

Beijing hospitals were always crowded. By the time it was their turn, it was already noon.

After the examination, the middle-aged female doctor in a white coat beamed and said, “This young lady is pregnant — four weeks along. The dizziness may have been caused by recent emotional fluctuations.”

Hearing this, Zuo Dan looked at Shen Yiming, and he looked back at her. Both of their eyes held subtle, unspoken emotions.

On the way back, Shen Yiming cycled even slower. His emotions were complicated — although he had already experienced becoming a father once and the initial excitement had passed, he still couldn’t suppress the surging joy in his heart.

He even had a strong feeling that this time, it would definitely be a cute little girl — smart and adorable like Dandan, someone everyone would love.

Just thinking about that cute image made Shen Yiming chuckle aloud.

Zuo Dan nudged him. “What bad things are you thinking about again? Let me tell you, Shen Yiming, this time I must give birth to a daughter who looks like me. If there’s another Shen Youyou, I won’t be able to handle it.”

Shen Yiming stifled a laugh. “Mm, whatever you say.”

By the time they got home, the family had already eaten, but food was saved for them.

Chen Zhisen was playing puzzles with Shen Youyou. Seeing the two come in, he asked with concern, “Why are you back so late? Was school that busy?”

“No, we went to the hospital,” Zuo Dan said with a flushed smile.

When Chen Zhisen heard they had gone to the hospital, he immediately became worried. “What’s going on? Are you feeling unwell? Where does it hurt? Why didn’t you say something earlier? I could’ve had a doctor come check on you.”

Zuo Dan smiled and said, “Dad, don’t worry. Ahem… Shen Yiming and I might be giving Comrade Shen Youyou a little brother or sister.”

Shen Youyou, hearing her name, looked up at her parents, her big round eyes filled with confusion. “Little brother or sister… sister.”

Chen Zhisen froze for a second, then realized what she meant. A delighted smile spread across his face as he stood up. “Really? Is it confirmed? I’ll have Dr. Smith come over to take a look.”

Zuo Dan came over to help him sit down again, and said seriously, “Dad, it’s true. Don’t you trust the hospitals in Beijing? Their medical standards for this kind of thing are very accurate. Dr. Smith doesn’t even specialize in this.”

Once he got a definite answer, Chen Zhisen was overjoyed. He seemed at a loss for what to do, then stood up again. “I’ll have Xiao Qiu contact someone from the U.S. to bring over a specialist in this field. It’s more convenient to have someone nearby. And let’s get some medical equipment too — we can set it up at home so you don’t have to queue at the hospital.”

Seeing Chen Zhisen like this, Zuo Dan felt a little overwhelmed. “Dad, don’t get so worked up. It’s still early. Plus, we already have experience with Shen Youyou. It’s nothing serious. Don’t worry.”

“Alright, I won’t worry. But you go eat right now. Don’t starve yourself.”

He quickly called for the housekeeper, “Auntie Zhang, do we have any ingredients at home for making soup? From now on, we need to pay more attention to nutrition. Be careful to avoid any food that pregnant women shouldn’t eat.”

Auntie Zhang, who had already learned that Zuo Dan was pregnant, beamed with joy. “Got it, sir. Don’t worry.”

Shen Yiming sat with Zuo Dan and ate with her, occasionally picking out dishes for her, but then sighed in frustration.

“You’re pregnant, and dad is even more excited than I am. I feel like I’ve been completely outdone.” He had just been quietly delighted in his heart, but his father-in-law had gone straight to ecstatic.

Zuo Dan smiled as she ate. “Try to understand him. When he and I reunited, I was already grown, and Shen Youyou had already been born. He missed out on all those things, so it’s only natural he’d be emotional. Now, this is like finally making up for my dad’s regrets. I know he dotes on Shen Youyou so much because he wants to give her the childhood love he couldn’t give me. Now that I’m pregnant, of course he wants to make up for the care I missed before I was even born.”

Shen Yiming thought for a moment, then sighed with a hint of helplessness. “I suddenly realize that compared to your dad, we’re kind of heartless. How did we even raise Shen Youyou before?”

Zuo Dan also paused to reflect and was suddenly filled with regret. She righteously declared, “Shen Yiming, our approach to raising kids was correct. Spoiling children is a no-go. Once the Shen Erbao is born, we must not waver from our parenting philosophy.”

“Shen Erbao?” Shen Yiming raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah. Shen Youyou took after my name, so this one should take after yours. Your name has a ‘Yi’ (one) in it, so the baby can have a ‘Er’ (two). Shen Erbao.”

Shen Yiming couldn’t help but chuckle and said, “Alright, as long as you promise the kid won’t resent you in the future.”

“What’s there to resent? It’s such a cute name.” Zuo Dan rubbed her still flat belly.

Just after the two finished eating, Grandma came back from outside. These days, she went out for a walk after every meal to help with digestion. When Zuo Dan and the others had returned earlier, she was chatting and stretching her legs with the elderly ladies next door. She happened to run into Auntie Zhang, who was on her way out to buy meat for making soup, and that’s how she learned there was happy news at home. She immediately rushed back.

“Dandan, you’re truly amazing. You’re going to suffer again, though.” Grandma’s eyes turned red with joy. The Shen family had always had few descendants, and now they were even going to have a second child—an unexpected blessing they wouldn’t have dared hope for.

Chen Zhisen was still basking in excitement when he heard those words. His brow twitched. He had only known that women get happy when pregnant—his sisters-in-law at home were all like that. He had forgotten that pregnancy and childbirth involved real suffering.

If it had been someone else, he wouldn’t have felt much. But thinking about his own daughter enduring such pain…

He shot a dissatisfied look at Shen Yiming.

Shen Yiming felt that look and glanced back, then guiltily shifted his gaze away.

At a moment like this, he figured it was better to take a step back.

Even though she was pregnant, school was still on schedule. After all, the National Day holiday wasn’t until tomorrow.

Chen Zhisen insisted on having a car send her. Zuo Dan couldn’t refuse her doting father’s love and came up with an excuse to enjoy a rare moment of luxury. She got into the car with Shen Yiming. But neither of them wanted to be seen—too showy—so they got off near the school.

After getting out of the car, Zuo Dan said to Shen Yiming, “Shen Yiming, I just did the math in my head—the baby will be born in February next year. That means it’ll be during the winter break! Comrade Yiming, how is our child so good at picking dates?”

Shen Yiming smiled proudly. “That’s called being well-planned. Just like me.”

“And why not like me?” Zuo Dan protested.

“Alright, alright, if you say it’s like you, then it’s like you.” Shen Yiming readily agreed.

But Zuo Dan was even more annoyed. “You’re just brushing me off. Shen Yiming, you’ve changed! You have no patience for me anymore!”

“…”

Zuo Dan didn’t plan to make her pregnancy public. Technically, the school didn’t support students being pregnant while still in school. But she had no choice—she had to hurry and have the second child before family planning policies caught up. So it had to be done quietly. Since she was still early in her pregnancy, it wasn’t suitable to go around telling people anyway.

Because tomorrow was National Day, there weren’t many classes in the afternoon. After school, Zuo Dan waited downstairs at her teaching building for Shen Yiming to come pick her up.

Once most people had left, Zhu Min came out of the building hugging her books.

She spotted Zuo Dan and pressed her lips together. “Zuo Dan, you used to look down on me, but aren’t you just like me now?”

Zuo Dan looked at her as if she were mentally unwell. “What’s wrong with you?”

Zhu Min sneered, “You and Shen Yiming came by car today. Aren’t you also cozying up to some rich and powerful people now? You used to look down on me. What’s the difference between you and me? I’m just more honest—I don’t like the countryside, so I got a divorce. But you two suck up to others for favor. First it was the teachers and leaders at school, now it’s some rich people outside. You’re even more hypocritical than me!”

Zuo Dan looked her up and down. “You’ve got way too much drama going on in your head. Zhu Min, you need a healthier mindset. Oh right, I heard you’re close with a freshman guy now? You should focus on building a proper relationship and stop thinking such nonsense. Jealousy will rot your heart.”

“Who’s jealous of you? I’d never be jealous of you. Zuo Dan, I will definitely live better than you!” Zhu Min snapped, then hugged her books and stormed off.

Zuo Dan really thought Zhu Min had something wrong with her brain. Ever since Zhu Min had reported her and ended up being punished and ostracized instead, Zuo Dan had stopped paying attention to her. Zhu Min had become a loner in class. Occasionally, Xiang Honghua mentioned her, but Zuo Dan never took it seriously.

It now seemed that Zhu Min had gone down a path of obsession.

Zuo Dan was just thinking about when to ask Xiang Honghua about Zhu Min’s situation. Better to be prepared than let Zhu Min stir up trouble. Just then, Shen Yiming walked over with his backpack—there would be a car picking them up in the afternoon, so neither of them had ridden their bikes.

As he approached Zuo Dan, he naturally helped her carry her bag and asked, “What are you thinking about?”

“Do you still remember Zhu Min from our class? She probably saw us taking the car this afternoon…” Zuo Dan proceeded to tell Shen Yiming about the situation with Zhu Min.

After listening, Shen Yiming offered a meaningful warning, “Don’t get involved with people like her. Just keep your distance. Some people bring trouble on themselves—it’s inevitable.”

“What do you mean by that?” Zuo Dan asked curiously. “You know something behind the scenes?”

“Well, not exactly a secret. The male student she’s seeing is a freshman in our economics department. I heard his family is fairly well-off. Zhu Min actively pursued him and was quite attentive… I heard it from a few guys in the dorm. Didn’t pay it much mind until you brought it up.”

Zuo Dan curled her lips. “No wonder she said she’d live better than me in the future. Turns out she found someone from a rich family.”

Shen Yiming added, “The key point is, that boy never admitted publicly that he was in a relationship with her.”

“…Women really have to be careful when choosing partners. You could easily end up with a fake boyfriend.”

As long as Zhu Min didn’t provoke her, Zuo Dan wasn’t going to waste energy on her. She was pregnant now—better to steer clear of unnecessary drama.

Besides, the next day was National Day. Even if she wanted to keep an eye on Zhu Min, she wouldn’t be able to.

Back at home, Chen Pingping and Zuo Cong had returned. Zuo Cong now lived on campus and only came home during holidays.

As soon as Zuo Dan entered the courtyard, she saw Zuo Cong chatting with Chen Zhisen. It was mostly Chen Zhisen doing the talking while Zuo Cong listened. Chen Pingping sat nearby, resting her chin on her hand, gazing at Zuo Cong.

When they saw Zuo Dan, Chen Pingping was the first to jump up and run over. “Dandan, I heard that you—”

“It’s true,” Zuo Dan replied.

Chen Pingping covered her face, eyes sparkling. She loved babies. She had originally come here under the pretense of helping take care of the child, but Shen Youyou had been monopolized by her Fifth Uncle, so she wasn’t needed. If Zuo Dan had another child, she could finally be useful.

Zuo Cong also came over and said with a grin, “Sis, I’m going to be an uncle again. That’s great!”

Zuo Dan laughed, “It’d be even better if I could be an aunt sometime soon.”

Zuo Cong’s face immediately turned red.

Chen Pingping shot him a glance. “Don’t get your hopes up. Every girl in the physics department wants to ‘study and make progress’ with him, but not a single one’s actually dating him. Right, Xiao Cong?”

Zuo Cong nodded awkwardly.

Chen Pingping shrugged dramatically.

Zuo Dan looked at the two of them, then gently rubbed her belly and walked away.

She wouldn’t be going out for fun during the National Day holiday. After all, she was only one month pregnant—she couldn’t tire herself out. And it was dangerous outside with all the crowds. Better to rest at home.

While Zuo Dan stayed home, Grandma and Chen Zhisen also didn’t go out. They all kept her company.

Chen Pingping, however, felt that too many people at home might disturb Zuo Dan’s rest, so she took Zuo Cong out, saying they were going to “see the world.”

Zuo Dan, left behind, felt a bit resentful and bored. So she decided to go out and make a phone call to share the good news—she hadn’t informed her family of the pregnancy yet.

When Chen Zhisen saw she still wanted to go out to make a call despite being pregnant, he discussed it with Shen Yiming about getting a phone installed at home.

Previously, Chen Zhisen didn’t want to disrupt their daily life. Other than adding a bathroom, he hadn’t changed much—not even installing a phone. He handled work affairs over at the Western-style house.

But now, he felt the home needed some upgrades. Of course, it had to be done with his son-in-law’s agreement. As a good father, he always considered his son-in-law’s feelings.

“I’m doing this for Dandan. She’ll need her mother’s comfort more often in the future. Having a phone at home will be convenient. I won’t use it for work, so it won’t be disruptive.”

Shen Yiming smiled sincerely. “Dad, it’s all for Dandan, so of course I have no objections. Don’t overthink it. My love for Dandan is no less than yours—I am her lifelong partner, after all.”

Chen Zhisen laughed. “Don’t blame me for overthinking. In this world, no one loves a daughter more than her father. A father’s love is the most selfless.”

Shen Yiming slipped his hand into his pocket and smiled. “Dad, as long as you’re happy.”

Getting a phone installed in the capital was quick. It was done that same afternoon.

Zuo Dan sat in the study, ready to make a call, when it suddenly occurred to her that the education bureau was on holiday. Her dad had probably gone to the provincial capital. So she decided to call the university there.

After a few transfers, she finally got in touch with her mother, Li Hui.

Upon hearing the good news, Li Hui was both happy and worried, urging her to take good care of her health. Chen Zhisen sat quietly nearby.

Once Li Hui was done talking, Zuo Dan spoke to her father, Zuo Dacheng. Chen Zhisen stood up and walked out.

Zuo Dan twitched her mouth. Her father was being very obvious.

On the phone, Zuo Dacheng’s voice boomed with excitement. “Dandan! Listen to your mother and take good care of yourself. Once we have some time, we’ll come visit you.”

Zuo Dan chuckled. “Dad, Mom said you came to the provincial capital for training. Does that mean you’re getting promoted?”

“No, no, your dad’s not that capable. Just a reserve cadre,” Zuo Dacheng replied, a hint of pride in his tone.

Zuo Dan picked up on it. “Don’t be so modest. I have faith in you.”

Zuo Dacheng laughed so hard he couldn’t speak.

After a while, Zuo Dan asked about the situation back in the commune. When she heard that they were still using the household responsibility system, she said, “Dad, I heard that a village has already started dividing land. Each household is working their own land. Have you ever thought about doing the same?”

Zuo Dacheng got excited. “Dandan, really? Tell me more specifically.”

So Zuo Dan gave him a brief explanation of the household contract responsibility system.

After hearing it, Zuo Dacheng said excitedly, “Dandan, I think this is a great idea! Since someone else has done it already, we can give it a try. But we shouldn’t rush—we can start small. I’ll try it out in Zuo Village first. I’ll call Aimin and have him divide up the land.”

After hanging up, Zuo Dan felt a bit melancholic.

Many of her original ideas were now hard to carry out. After moving to the city, a lot of things became inconvenient. She had once hoped to do something in Zuo Village, but now she could only try to guide things from a distance.

When she came out, she saw Chen Zhisen sitting in a chair, watching Shen Youyou and Shen Yiming play with a Rubik’s cube.

Zuo Dan sat beside him. “Dad, since Shen Yiming and I are both at home today, why don’t you go out for a walk? We can watch Shen Youyou.”

“No need. I’m fine like this. Being with you all is when I’m happiest.”

Chen Zhisen smiled gently. “Don’t worry about how I feel—I’m already very happy. Just being able to live with you now, I’m more than content.”