Jiang Min asked, “Lin Lin, has Wen Sheng been feeling better?”

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Look at him now, he’s doing just fine. He’s carefree and even making money.”

Wen Sheng, hearing her voice, waved to them and handed over two clean, ripe tomatoes, “They’re very sweet.”

Then he went back to tending the vegetable garden.

He took care of the garden himself with Cheng Yunzhi, only asking He Liang and others for help during the initial digging.

He treated the vegetable garden with the same dedication he had for his theater performances, knowing that it provided essential vegetables for their family.

After watching him for a while, Jiang Lin asked Jiang Min, “Has Liang Tiefeng written to you?”

Jiang Min nodded, “Yes, he has. Xiao Meng replies to his letters.”

Since Liang Laopo’s fall, her health had worsened repeatedly, leading her to pressure Liang Tiefeng to remarry.

He refused, and she became difficult, demanding from Xiao Jun and Xiao Meng.

It’s no surprise that their lives weren’t easy.

However, Liang Tiefeng had only mentioned sending money and letters, and even sent the wolf fur blanket that Cheng Rushan had arranged for Jiang Lin.

Jiang Lin smiled and said, “Things will get better.”

Jiang Min agreed, “Yes. Our accounting major is great for job placement. As soon as we graduate, we can get internships at big factories and become permanent employees in just six months.”

She was full of confidence and anticipation for the future.

At noon, Cheng Rushan didn’t come back for lunch.

Xu Aimei and the others ate, played for a while, and then left.

Da Bao and Xiao Bao promised to invite Xiao Meng, Xiao Jun, and Xiao Luo to play during the summer vacation.

Xu Aimei also planned to visit then and bring some clothes for the children, which was a local custom.

When a daughter gives birth, her family sends clothes for the baby, including both new and old ones.

After they left, Jiang Lin rested under the grape arbor in the yard, while Yan Runzhi did some needlework nearby.

Wen Sheng, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao took turns around Jiang Lin, doing prenatal education for the baby.

They had learned this from Cheng Rushan.

Jiang Lin noticed that whenever Cheng Rushan spoke to her belly, the baby seemed to respond more sensitively.

She encouraged Cheng Rushan to talk more to the baby, whether it was just casual conversation or chatting between them.

She thought it might be because Cheng Rushan’s voice was slightly deep and resonant, which might make the baby more sensitive.

Wen Sheng, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao also picked up the practice.

Wen Sheng sang nursery rhymes, Da Bao recited arithmetic problems and classical texts, and Xiao Bao read stories and Tang poetry.

They even listened to the radio to ensure the prenatal education was thorough.

Jiang Lin was reclining on a lounge chair, and despite the tender care she received from everyone, she had fallen asleep.

They were so gentle that she couldn’t resist the drowsiness.

Seeing her asleep, Wen Sheng signaled Xiao Bao to keep the noise down. “Mom is asleep,” he said, lowering the grass curtain on the rack to shield Jiang Lin from the wind.

Xiao Bao whispered, “Is Baosheng asleep yet?”

Da Bao replied, “I’ll check.”

He touched Jiang Lin’s belly and felt the baby moving.

His eyes widened in surprise. “She’s not asleep! The baby is still awake and listening!”

So, they lowered their voices and spoke softly next to Jiang Lin’s belly, deciding to check again to see if there was any response, believing the baby would be asleep if there was no reaction.

Yan Runzhi was sewing nearby.

Lu Hang had brought her a lot of thick gauze, which she quilted into small pieces for the baby’s clothes.

She made a few monk robes for Baosheng and vests and pants for Jiang Lin.

Although Jiang Lin had asked her not to embroider, Yan Runzhi couldn’t resist.

Instead of traditional patterns, she used coarse thread to stitch cartoon patterns based on Jiang Lin’s drawings.

The lines were simple and rustic, perfect for a child.

In the evening, Cheng Rushan returned from outside and saw Jiang Lin soundly asleep under the grape arbor, covered with a blanket.

Wen Sheng, Da Bao, and Xiao Bao were lying on the grass mat nearby, each wearing clothes with a scent of floral water.

The grape arbor had colorful cloth strips hanging down, swaying gently in the breeze, possibly to ward off mosquitoes or flies.

Yan Runzhi was picking vegetables, while Cheng Yunzhi was likely out playing chess with someone.

Yan Runzhi said, “She’s had a nap; wake them up before they sleep too much and can’t sleep tonight.”

Cheng Rushan leaned over to look, touching Jiang Lin’s face, which was sweaty and cool to the touch.

As the weather had warmed up, she was sweating more due to her pregnancy.

She had woken up three times last night, feeling uncomfortable and resting against the pillow, and it was hot, so she didn’t sleep well.

Now that she was sleeping so soundly, Cheng Rushan hesitated to wake her.

Suddenly, Xiao Bao cried out in his sleep.

Cheng Rushan frowned slightly and patted him awake. “What’s the matter? Did you have a nightmare?”

Xiao Bao blinked, confused between dreams and reality.

He scrambled up, looking at his father and mother, and seeing Jiang Lin’s belly still rounded, he sighed with relief and patted his chest. “I scared myself.”

Wen Sheng and Da Bao also woke up and asked him what happened.

Xiao Bao, looking terrified, said, “You don’t know. I had the scariest dream ever in my life.”

Da Bao glanced at him and asked, “How scary? Was it scarier than being taken away by the bad guys?”

Xiao Bao said, “It was a really scary dream.”

Wen Sheng asked, “What kind of dream was it?”

Xiao Bao replied, “You all sit tight.”

Yan Runzhi, curious, came over to listen, “What happened? I’m intrigued.”

As a Grandmother, Yan Runzhi was always eager to support her children, no matter what they did.

Even if it wasn’t particularly interesting, she would praise them enthusiastically to boost their confidence.

Xiao Bao said, “I dreamt that Lin Lin went to the hospital and brought back two more little brothers.”

Da Bao looked horrified and disgusted, “Are you sure you’re not dreaming?”

Wen Sheng said, “Having more brothers isn’t so bad. Aren’t you and Da Bao both brothers?”

Yan Runzhi chuckled, “It’s not that having brothers or sisters is bad. Why the dislike for more brothers?”

Previously, Da Bao and Xiao Bao had expressed that they liked having siblings, but now they were showing disdain, which seemed insincere.

Xiao Bao confidently argued, “Grandma, having two more little rascals at home would be so annoying. How much more annoying would it be for you and Grandpa? And for Dong Sheng and Lin Lin, it would be unbearable. Look at you, you’ve made several little dresses. If there are more little brothers, who will wear them? You won’t have any more chance to make little dresses for the rest of your life.”

Children often like to mimic adults and think phrases like “for the rest of your life” are impressive.

The group: … This twisted reasoning is oddly convincing.

Da Bao said, “Mom had an ultrasound and said there’s only one baby. There won’t be two.”

Xiao Bao’s eyes widened in horror, “How come I didn’t know this? Didn’t they say there were two? One isn’t enough; don’t try to take my baby sister away!”

Their arguing woke Jiang Lin.

Cheng Rushan shot them a disapproving glance.

Xiao Bao looked at Jiang Lin with tearful eyes, “Lin Lin, when did you have the ultrasound? I didn’t know about it.”

He didn’t really understand what an ultrasound was, and even if Jiang Lin had mentioned it before, he had forgotten.

But he was sure he had heard there would be two babies.

Why did he always remember there being two?

Da Bao and Xiao Bao were brothers, so he thought Baosheng must also be twins.

Had he misunderstood something?

Actually, at first, he also thought BaoSheng would be one, but as Jiang Lin’s belly grew, the women in the courtyard kept speculating that it might be twins, like Da Bao and Xiao Bao.

Hearing this often, he started to believe firmly that there were two babies.

Da Bao smirked, “You’ve got amnesia. We’ve talked about this many times.”

Xiao Bao buried his face in Wen Sheng’s arms, “Wen Sheng, I think I have early-onset dementia.”

Yan Runzhi, who wasn’t elderly or forgetful, was left speechless: “……!!!”

Jiang Lin laughed so much that she had to hold her belly, saying, “I can’t laugh anymore.”

The baby inside her seemed to be waking up, punching around.

Xiao Bao leaned closer to Jiang Lin’s belly and whispered softly.

Jiang Lin could faintly hear him saying, “Baosheng, my dear Baosheng, you must be a little sister, right? Your big brothers will take good care of you. If you were a little brother, Da Bao would bully you!”

Jiang Lin: “……”

When it was time for dinner, Xiao Bao seemed a bit down.

He sighed and said, “We’re all lively here, but Baosheng is alone. It must be lonely on that long train ride.”

Da Bao responded, “She’s here, so how can she be lonely?” He glanced at Jiang Lin’s belly.

Da Bao had consulted someone and understood that the baby in Mom’s belly was Baosheng, not an actual train.

He didn’t quite grasp how Dad had put it inside, and nobody dared explain it to him in detail.

Though Xiao Bao saw that Jiang Lin’s belly was big, he still firmly believed it was just a big belly and that Baosheng would arrive on the train, to be brought home from the hospital.

As for why the belly was big and why there were baby movements, he thought of it as a magical train, no explanation needed, like how Sun Wukong sprang from a stone.

Xiao Bao said, “Grandma, sew a doll for Baosheng to keep her company.”

Yan Runzhi responded, “Sure, should I sew one for both of you as well?”

Da Bao replied, “I don’t need one. I have a sister!”

Xiao Bao said, “Grandma, sew more for sisters, and let them wear floral skirts.”

Da Bao said, “Skirts might be for Nezha.”

Xiao Bao looked exhausted and replied, “I don’t want to talk to you. Just look at you sideways.”

Wen Sheng commented, “Nezha was initially bare-bottomed. When he wore skirts, he wasn’t considered either male or female.”

This time, not only Jiang Lin but even Cheng Yunzhi laughed so hard that he spat out his soup.

Cheng Rushan barely managed to keep his composure and grabbed a napkin to clean the soup from Jiang Lin’s chest.

Cheng Rushan said, “No laughing during meals.”

Xiao Bao asked, “Why is Dongsheng getting more serious? Is it because there are more children and the pressure to support the family is high? Uncle Di said that having more children means more pressure and that family planning is necessary.”

Da Bao said, “I can take care of my sister.”

Wen Sheng added, “Then I’ll take care of Mom. Grandma, don’t save money. Spend it all on buying good food for Mom.”

Da Bao quickly ate a few bites, put down his chopsticks, and left.

Yan Runzhi asked, “Da Bao, where are you going? You’ve barely eaten.”

Da Bao said, “I need to finish my story and submit it tomorrow to get the manuscript fee sooner.”

Jiang Lin cradled her belly, feeling that the little one must be happy and excited as well.

In the evening, the brothers didn’t go searching for cicadas.

Xiao Bao pulled Yan Runzhi to sew dolls, while Da Bao got Wen Sheng and Grandpa to write stories.

Jiang Lin and Cheng Rushan went for a walk, then listened to the radio and planned to go to bed around nine.

Jiang Lin had slept during the day and now couldn’t fall asleep, so she asked Cheng Rushan to go ahead and sleep first.

Cheng Rushan read to her.

Jiang Lin said, “Shan Ge, why don’t you sleep in the south room?”

Cheng Rushan responded, “You’re pushing me away again.”

Although he was cautious around her growing belly, he didn’t want to sleep apart.

Jiang Lin explained, “I’ll be getting up several times at night, which will disturb your sleep. Besides, when I’m in confinement, you won’t be able to sleep with me either.”

Cheng Rushan was puzzled, “Why not? I can help take care of the baby.”

Jiang Lin replied, “You work so hard. Where will you find the time to care for the baby? Mom will help me. I’ll be getting up two or three times a night now, and after giving birth, I’ll likely be up all night with the baby. You already work long hours and can’t afford to be sleep-deprived. Besides, you have fieldwork and might be in dangerous situations.”

Cheng Rushan patted her and said, “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” They hadn’t had the baby yet, so arguing about it now seemed pointless.

Despite having limited sleep, Cheng Rushan’s sleep quality was high.

As long as Jiang Lin was comfortable, he could fall asleep quickly.

Even if he woke up in the middle of the night, falling back asleep was relatively easy due to his good physical condition and years of training.

Jiang Lin accepted his decision.

He could be easygoing sometimes, but also very stubborn.

She rested her head on his arm, listening to his steady heartbeat, and soon fell asleep.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Lin got up and heard the baby crying from the south room.

Wen Sheng, He Liang, and others woke up and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Da Bao replied, “Oh no! I caught Xiao Bao’s fear and had the scariest dream of my life!”