TPW – Chapter 102

There’s a saying: never celebrate too early before the final moment.

The first four months of pregnancy passed uneventfully, and just when Qiao Lu thought she would sail smoothly through the next few months, she was hit hard with severe morning sickness.

The seven or eight pounds she had finally managed to gain were all gone in a flash, as if she’d gone straight back to square one. She got so thin that Xu Haizhou didn’t dare joke about being some kind of “pig-raising expert” anymore.

Sometimes it got so bad that she would cry while vomiting.

“I’m never having kids again! Urgh—”

“Ugh— I feel terrible… bleugh—”

“Honey! Bleugh—”

She would vomit endlessly, so loudly it seemed like she was trying to cough up her internal organs. Xu Haizhou hurried to pass her tissues and water, gently patting her back.

Qiao An was frightened. He stood helplessly by Qiao Lu’s side, his baby voice trembling and tinged with sobs: “Mommy… sob sob… I don’t want a little sister anymore. I want Mommy to be okay. Mommy, don’t throw up—”

Mommy had gotten so skinny! Mommy looked so miserable and uncomfortable!

Waaah— What could An’an do to make Mommy feel better? An’an didn’t know what to do!

Qiao Lu mustered up all her strength to raise a hand and gently touch her son’s tear-streaked face. “Sob— An’an, my baby… urgh—”

After vomiting, mother and son embraced each other and wept, leaving Dad feeling utterly awkward.

Looking at the trash can filled with food that was eaten and promptly thrown up… Forget it. Better go to the kitchen and come up with a new recipe for his wife.

“Mommy.”

“Hmm?”

After their crying session, mother and son wiped away each other’s tears. In the kitchen, Xu Haizhou silently cooked while constantly monitoring the living room, not daring to slack off for even a second.

The little guy sniffled, rubbing his tears with one hand and Mommy’s with the other. “When An’an was in your belly before, did I make you throw up too?”

That guilt-ridden tone—oh dear, it really tugged at the heartstrings.

Qiao Lu pulled her son into her arms, comforting the sensitive little guy. “Not really, just occasionally. An’an was a good boy, very well-behaved even in Mommy’s belly.”

She wasn’t lying. When she was pregnant with Qiao An, it hadn’t been this rough. The morning sickness had only come occasionally.

The toughest part had just been not eating enough, which made the baby come out scrawny and small, like a little monkey.

Unfortunately, the baby in her belly now clearly wasn’t as easygoing—it tormented its mom day and night!

Qiao An felt heartbroken. Tears hung from the corners of his eyes as he gently stroked Mommy’s belly, speaking softly and seriously to the little one inside:

“Little sister, you have to be good. Mommy’s in pain. Don’t make Mommy hurt. She’s our mommy. We have to love Mommy and take care of her…”

Who says everything in the world can be explained by science? Ever since Qiao An started gently talking to Qiao Lu’s belly, asking the baby to stop tormenting their mom, things actually improved!

At least at night, the baby seemed calmer. Daytime was still troublesome, but at least it wasn’t nonstop torment.

Sigh, what else could they do? Just endure it.

That year, the Spring Festival came late. The Xu family arrived in Lian two days before the New Year.

Qiao Lu had already brought her parents to the city three days prior to help Haizhou prepare for the holiday and clean the house.

Because of this, Niu Qiaoli got upset, complaining that the old couple chose to spend the New Year at their daughter’s place instead of with their son. “Is it because we’re poor and live in a dirt house in the countryside? The minute she called, they dropped everything and ran off to the city.”

At first, Qiao Lu’s parents felt a little guilty, but after hearing that, it felt like they’d swallowed a fly—disgusting.

Later, after some comforting from Qiao Lu and Haizhou, they hardened their hearts and decided to stay in Lian to help the young couple through the holiday.

“What’s wrong with a daughter? What’s with the talk of ‘disdain’? If I really looked down on you, I’d have moved to the city with my daughter years ago! Lulu’s pregnant, her in-laws are far away and can’t help. If I don’t care for my own daughter, who will? If you have a problem with it, then so be it—I won’t argue anymore!”

For once, Lu Xiuhua stood her ground, leaving Niu Qiaoli speechless.

But Qiaoli was never one to take things lying down. In a fit of anger, she took her husband and daughter back to her parents’ home.

“Fine, we won’t celebrate together! You go to your daughter’s house, I’ll take Guobin back to my parents’! Who needs you to have a New Year’s at all?!”

Originally, Qiao Lu’s parents had only planned to help the couple prep for the New Year, look after their daughter for a few days, and then return to the countryside before New Year’s Eve.

But after seeing Qiaoli act so unreasonably, they decided—why go back at all? They’d just enjoy a lively New Year in the city.

Business had been great for Qiao Lu and Haizhou, especially during the Spring Festival season.

They’d opened two shops and hired two workers, yet were still busy to the point of exhaustion. They were even considering hiring another one or two people. That’s why they brought her parents over to help them get through the busiest stretch.

Lu Xiuhua looked at her daughter with worry. “Can you find people? Should I help you look?”

Qiao Lu nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, we’ll find someone. There are so many people in the city—of course we’ll find someone. It’s just that Haizhou has high standards, so it’s taking a while.”

She was actually quite wary of her mom helping them hire staff. Her parents only knew people from the countryside, and rural hires often came with their own problems.

It wasn’t discrimination—she was just scarred by people like Niu Qiaoli and that blockhead Niu Erxiong. Hiring people like that was just inviting trouble.

“Oh, I see. That’s fine then. Anyway, if you two need anything, just tell your parents,” she said, affectionately patting her daughter’s hand with a sigh of helplessness.

“Lulu… You’re all grown up now. Pregnant with your second child, and your mom’s barely taken care of you…”

They barely saw each other throughout the year. And now, seeing her daughter already four months pregnant—it really made time feel like it had flown by.

“Ever since you got married, I’ve hardly helped or looked after you. Please don’t think I don’t care about you.” The mood grew somber, and Lu Xiuhua’s voice dropped with sadness.

“Don’t be silly. I’ve never thought that way. I know you’ve been busy helping sister-in-law take care of her kids back in the village. I didn’t bother you before because things were manageable, but I really needed help this time.”

Besides, when Qiao Yan was pregnant, their mom stayed in the countryside the whole time. She didn’t come to the city to help her second sister either.

If she had only helped her second sister and not her, then it’d be something to dwell on.

“It’s okay. I know you love me. Don’t overthink it. I’m not overthinking either. As long as we’re all doing well and living happily, that’s what matters.”

“Yes, we just need to be well. That’s all I ask.”

During the Spring Festival, Qiao Lu’s parents arrived early and stayed in a small spare room. When Xu Haizhou’s parents arrived later, they cleaned out Qiao An’s children’s room for them.

Xu Haizhou’s parents were meticulous—cleaner even than Qiao Lu. When they visited the north last year, Qiao Lu had already noticed how neat their home was, so she didn’t worry that they’d mess up Qiao An’s room.

And sure enough, the elder Xu couple lived up to their reputation.

As for Xu Haizhou’s older brother and sister-in-law, the original plan was to have them sleep on the living room sofa. But that would make it hard to set up tables and chairs for the holiday and wouldn’t look good if guests came over.

More importantly, the sofa was too small—three people simply couldn’t fit. So Xu Haizhou arranged for them to stay at a nearby guesthouse.

They could stay however long they liked. It only cost two or three yuan a night—a trivial expense for Xu Haizhou now.

Although this year’s New Year wasn’t spent at the Xu family’s “old base,” it wasn’t lonely at all.

Just counting the Xu family, that was five people! Add in Xu Haizhou’s family of three—well, four, counting the baby on the way.

Then, on the second day of the new year, Qiao Yan came to visit with her husband and child, making things even livelier!

The house was lively, the atmosphere was cheerful, and Qiao Lu’s mood followed suit. Even the baby in her belly seemed to calm down a bit, no longer tormenting their mother as often.

They spent New Year’s Eve and the first day of the lunar new year at home chatting and enjoying the reunion dinner. Starting from the second day, they began wandering around street markets and temple fairs.

This time, they properly brought Qiao An to worship Buddha and the Child-Giving Guanyin.

The little fellow made a wish: “Please, please, please give me a little sister! I really really want a little sister!”

Then it was just eating and drinking non-stop, playing non-stop… and before they knew it, the time for the Xu family to leave had arrived.

Qiao Lu actually felt a bit reluctant to part.

Even more reluctant were Father and Mother Xu.

They had already reached the train station to say their goodbyes, but the old couple still clung tightly to Qiao An, unwilling to let go.

“We didn’t even get to see the baby come out, and now we’re leaving. Sigh, really bad timing.”

Qiao Lu smiled and exchanged a glance with Xu Haizhou. “It’s okay, Mom and Dad. We’ll come back next Spring Festival with Haizhou and the baby. If you miss us, just write, let’s stay in touch.”

They’d return to the north next Spring Festival, when the baby would be just over six months old. If they booked a sleeper, it would be manageable. And if needed, they could upgrade to a soft sleeper — whatever was most comfortable. Money wasn’t a problem.

“Sigh, guess that’s the only way.” Finally, they gave Qiao Lu’s belly one last gentle pat, and the five-person family officially began their journey home.

“Goodbye!”

“Safe travels!”

“See you next year. Bye, Mom and Dad!”

Qiao Lu’s due date was in August. If all went on schedule, she’d be giving birth to a Leo baby.

Judging by this one’s “lively” performance during the pregnancy, it might end up being a “hot-tempered little lion” — the complete opposite of their older brother in personality.

Sigh, now she only hoped the little one would be understanding and stop tormenting Mama.

After the New Year passed and they finally made it to spring, the warm weather didn’t arrive — instead, they got hit with a cold snap.

Qiao Lu’s belly started growing at the speed of a balloon, and by midnight, her legs would often cramp. Since she couldn’t bend down to massage them herself, she had to rely on Xu Haizhou’s help.

Sometimes, she would wake up in a daze from the pain and subconsciously shove at her man’s shoulder. Half-awake, Xu Haizhou would reflexively cradle her leg and massage it.

Sometimes, he wouldn’t even be fully conscious — eyes closed, massaging nonstop, purely out of muscle memory. No complaints at all. The next morning, he’d even ask:

“Did I massage your feet last night?” He’d been so exhausted he didn’t remember a thing.

“You did. It felt great,” Qiao Lu said with a laugh.

“Oh, good. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to sleep again.”

Aiya, so warm. Her slightly downcast mood from the leg cramps was instantly healed by him.

With such a warm-hearted husband by her side, taking care of her… going through a little suffering to bear his child didn’t feel like such a big deal.

Later, the weather got even colder, and Qiao Lu, caught off guard, came down with a mild cold.

Since it wasn’t serious, the doctor advised letting her immune system handle it — no need for medicine.

Xu Haizhou also feared that taking too much medicine might harm the baby, so every morning he braved the chill to make his wife a pot of nourishing herbal soup. Whether it cured her or not didn’t matter — at least it was good for the stomach.

Besides the leg cramps, Qiao Lu’s mood swings became especially intense!

How intense?

One day, Xu Haizhou came home early, rolled up his sleeves, washed his hands, and made a full table of delicious food for his wife. But as soon as Qiao Lu sat down at the table — she vomited.

“Nope, nope, I don’t want to eat any of this.”

“What should we do then? You have to eat something.”

Qiao Lu thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered the roasted duck from that old street on Ziyuan Street. Her mouth watered.

“Haizhou, I want to eat roast duck — the one you used to buy for me when we lived in the courtyard house. I think it was from Sister Long’s place. Ask her to put chili powder, a lot of it.”

After all that hard work making a table of meat dishes… and now his wife wanted someone else’s roast duck?

He had so many things he wanted to say, but when he saw the anticipation in her eyes, he could only sigh in defeat.

He threw on a coat and went out, biking through the cold to buy that roast duck from Sister Long’s place — with lots of chili powder!

But by the time he returned, Qiao Lu was already eating at the table — the same food that had made her nauseous just an hour ago!

And she was eating a lot. So much that she was stuffed, slumping onto the sofa while cradling her belly: “Haizhou, I’m full now. Can’t eat the roast duck. Let’s save it for the next meal.”

And there stood poor Xu Haizhou, dusty from the ride, wrapped in cold air, holding the roast duck in the doorway — utterly bewildered by the wind.

The neighbor from upstairs came down and saw him: “Oh my, Mr. Xu, what are you doing standing at the door in this freezing weather? Why not go inside?”

Waving the duck in his hand, Xu Haizhou said helplessly, “Just bought roast duck for my wife.”

“Oh~” Mrs. Li and her husband gave him a look of understanding. “You really dote on your wife.”

Back inside, Qiao Lu took the initiative to clean up the dishes. Qiao An also finished eating and brought his bowl to the sink.

When the mother and son came out, they saw Xu Haizhou sitting alone at the dining table, eating their leftovers. So, so pitiful…

“Daddy, is your food cold?” Qiao An walked over, stood on tiptoe, and touched the bowl — yup, icy cold.

“Daddy, cold food’s not good for you. You’ll get sick. I’ll heat it up for you.”

Xu Haizhou paused and chuckled, pinching his son’s cheek: “You’re just a little guy. You know how to heat up food?”

“Daddy cooks every day, and I watch every day! I’ve learned just by watching!” Qiao An said with adorable confidence.

Xu Haizhou smiled and shook his head, picking up a piece of cold meat. Despite the chill, his heart felt warm: “No need, Daddy’s just having a few bites. Don’t trouble yourself.”

“Hmm…” Qiao An tilted his head and touched his dad’s cold coat: “Daddy, you’re so cold. I’ll go get you some hot water.”

He ran off to the kitchen with a dada-dada sound.

“Thank you, son.”

Just then, Qiao Lu appeared behind him, pulling over a chair and sitting beside him. She leaned in, wrapped her arms around his waist.

She smelled sweet and milky — very comforting.

“Your face didn’t look right earlier. Were you angry?” Qiao Lu pressed her cheek to his — so cold.

Riding a bike in that freezing weather must’ve been really rough.

“I didn’t mean to. I really wanted roast duck earlier, but after you left, I suddenly got my appetite back. I wanted to call you back, but my legs were cramping so bad I couldn’t get downstairs…”

As she spoke, she started crying in grievance again.

Pregnant women’s emotions come fast and without warning.

Even when it’s clearly her fault, in the end, she’s the most upset.

“If you’re really angry, I won’t blame you. I really was being unreasonable…” Her voice got smaller and smaller, tears dripping onto his neck — hot and startling.

Xu Haizhou sighed and lifted her onto his lap.

She was a bit heavier than before — maybe gained ten or so pounds — but still easy to lift. She had been way too light before, anyway.

“Not angry. Just a little confused. But I understand.” He kissed her cheek twice, comforting her.

Hearing Xu Haizhou’s gentle voice, Qiao Lu was filled with guilt: “Sigh, you’ve worked so hard during this time. I don’t even know why my temper’s gotten so bad — I can’t control it at all.”

“It’s fine. It’s normal. The book I read yesterday said pregnant women have higher hormone levels, which affect mood. It’s normal to have a shorter temper.”

After she got pregnant, Xu Haizhou bought tons of books from the bookstore. They were meant for Qiao Lu to read, but he ended up reading more than she did — and knowing more, too.

Qiao Lu got lazy and just let him handle everything.

Completely spoiled!

She was really becoming more and more dependent on him.

“To be honest, your bad temper isn’t your fault. Blame the baby in your belly,” Xu Haizhou said again.

Qiao Lu laughed and pushed him away: “Hey, they’re still just a little bean! Why blame them?”

Xu Haizhou chuckled: “Then blame me — for not cooking something you liked at first sight.”

That immediately cheered her up. All her grievances vanished.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and sweetly said, “Mr. Xu, I’ll be relying on you for a while longer.”

Unexpectedly, Xu Haizhou shook his head seriously and said, “I’ve never felt this was a hardship. If this is suffering, then what about you? You wake up in pain every day, you can’t eat or sleep well, and all the physical pain of pregnancy falls on you. I’m just enduring a bit of emotional stress — it’s nothing. If I could share your burden, even just a tenth of it, I would.”

Qiao Lu was touched. She hugged him tightly, pressing her face to his: “Yeah, no matter who’s suffering, we’re in this together. But once this baby is born, I’m never getting pregnant again.”

Xu Haizhou nodded. “Okay. No more. Just this one.”

Qiao Lu tilted her head: “What if it’s a girl? Would you still want a boy?”

Xu Haizhou shook his head again: “No need. One is enough.”