Chapter 34

Before going to bed, Jiang Yu peeked in on the baby. The little one was sleeping soundly, looking like a pink little piglet—so adorable!

Jiang Yu felt her heart soften.

How could someone be so cute?

That little mouth really looked like soft jelly, making her want to give it a kiss.

She had originally thought about slacking off a bit, but at this moment, she surprisingly wanted to take care of the child.

When Jiang Zhe returned, she said, “How about I take care of the baby tonight?”

Her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Jiang Zhe thought, They really are different. Although they look alike and both find the baby cute, the Jiang Yu he liked was always eager to do something.

As Jiang Zhe held a cup of water, he recalled what had happened earlier and couldn’t help but feel uneasy. Even though he knew it wasn’t Jiang Yu’s intention, he still felt bothered.

He lowered his eyes and said, “If you don’t want to go back, then stay in my room tonight. You might not be able to handle her by yourself.”

Sleep together?

While she had missed him during her absence, she thought that jumping straight into something so stimulating might not be a good idea.

Jiang Yu declined and stood up, laughing lightly. “Forget it; I don’t think I can take care of her well. I’ll go back to my own room.”

“I’m heading back. Goodnight.”

Although she felt a bit reluctant to leave the baby, she knew she could see her in the morning, so Jiang Yu left without hesitation.

As she reached the door, she heard Jiang Zhe’s voice behind her: “Jiang Yu, how can couples sleep in separate rooms all the time?”

Jiang Yu’s back stiffened, but she pretended not to hear him, practically fleeing from the scene. Once out of his sight, she ran to her room, closing the door behind her. She pressed her back against the door, feeling her heart race.

Really? Coming back and jumping straight into something so thrilling? She could bet that if she agreed, they’d probably end up in bed together right away.

It was different from when they shared a room while she was pregnant; back then, he could restrain himself for the sake of the child. Now she didn’t believe that a grown man could maintain his composure.

Suddenly, a knock echoed on the door, startling Jiang Yu. She quickly turned around.

“What… is it?”

Jiang Zhe, realizing he was too hasty, didn’t want to scare her. He gently reminded her, “About what I said earlier, don’t take it too seriously, Jiang Yu. I can wait for you to accept me at your own pace.”

Jiang Yu felt confused. Why did it seem like he had become more eloquent after her short absence?

She tried to recall what had happened, but she only remembered bits and pieces. Much of her memory of Jiang Zhe was inexplicably missing.

She forced a laugh. “I also think taking things slow is better. Anyway, I’m tired now. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Jiang Yu was indeed exhausted. After returning to her room, she quickly fell asleep. In the middle of the night, she woke up thirsty, got a glass of water, and grabbed a pear to munch on. As she stood at the door, contemplating whether to check on the baby, she heard the baby crying intensely from Jiang Zhe’s room. Just as she hesitated at the door, the cries suddenly stopped, and Jiang Zhe came out. His pajamas were stained with milk from the baby spitting up.

“Why aren’t you asleep in the middle of the night?”

The man spoke first, his voice a bit hoarse, likely due to the late-night baby soothing, showing signs of fatigue.

Jiang Yu even noticed he had stubble—a short one that looked a bit prickly.

Feeling a bit sneaky, she took a bite of the pear in her hand and replied, “I was thirsty and heard the baby crying, so I came to check.”

“Is the baby okay?”

“She’s already asleep.”

Jiang Zhe stepped aside, seemingly waiting for her to enter.

Jiang Yu felt sleepy too. If she went in now, she might not want to leave the baby, so she stood at the door and said, “That’s good. I’ll go back to sleep then. You didn’t get much rest last night, so I’ll go to the temple by myself in the morning.”

“It’s fine, I’ll go with you.”

“Then let’s go in the afternoon. As for the hospital…”

The weekend was approaching, and Jiang Yu said, “We can go to the hospital on Monday. We’ve already had two check-ups, so there’s no rush.”

“Okay.”

“Then I’ll head back to sleep. You don’t need to wake up too early tomorrow.”

“Mm.”

The next morning, Jiang Yu slept until eleven. When she woke up still feeling groggy, she yawned and stepped outside, only to see Jiang Zhe watering flowers on the balcony, wearing a white shirt.

Jiang Yu rushed over and asked, “Didn’t I tell you to sleep a bit more? Why are you up so early?”

Jiang Zhe held the watering can and gestured for her to look at the clock on the wall. “It’s already past eleven; I’m getting lunch ready.”

Jiang Yu glanced back at the time and realized it was almost noon. Feeling a bit embarrassed for sleeping in so late, she suddenly felt more awkward when she saw Jiang Zhe’s parents and her own parents had come over.

“Xiao Yu, you’re up!”

Upon seeing them, Jiang Yu felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her, and she forced an even more awkward smile. “Mom, Dad, what are you all doing here?”

It was humiliating to have everyone gathered, watching her, the lazy “rice bug,” wake up at nearly noon.

She felt like she could dig a hole to hide in.

Mother Jiang said, “Didn’t you say you were going to the hospital this afternoon? I’m afraid Auntie can’t handle it herself.”

Shen Qiuli was already aware of Jiang Yu’s struggles. Although she didn’t say much as a mother-in-law, she felt Jiang Yu was being too heartless for ignoring the baby. Now that she knew Jiang Yu was dealing with postpartum depression, she promptly urged, “You need to be careful; postpartum depression can be serious. If the baby is to be well, the mother needs to be well too.”

Jiang Yu felt deeply touched by their concern and quickly slipped into the dining room to eat breakfast.

In the afternoon, after leaving the baby in the care of the adults, they set off.

While in the car, Jiang Yu still wasn’t fully awake. Yawning, she asked Jiang Zhe, “Are you tired? What time did you wake up?”

“Just after nine. I’m not tired.”

Incredible! He was up earlier than she was after a night of taking care of the baby.

“You have great energy,” she said enviously.

Jiang Zhe replied, “It might be because you’re still recovering, so you need to rest well.”

Jiang Yu didn’t feel weak at all. “I didn’t do anything; I’m fine.”

Having just returned, Jiang Zhe instinctively thought she might still be weak.

But since she didn’t want to mention it, he wouldn’t press further.

“You just gave birth a few months ago.”

“Almost four months,” Jiang Yu thought. She felt lively and energetic.

“Many people are already back to work by now,” she reasoned. If they could do it, so could she.

One couldn’t be idle forever. It wouldn’t be easy to ask her husband for money every day. While Jiang Zhe was willing to pamper her now that she wasn’t working, what about in the future? She didn’t want to challenge the limits of human nature.

Besides, staying home every day was boring. Finding something to occupy her time was a good idea.

With that in mind, Jiang Yu suddenly had a thought. “Jiang Zhe, maybe I should find something to do?”

Jiang Zhe actually wanted her to rest at home, knowing she had a low tolerance for boredom. She had been more sluggish during her pregnancy, but now that the baby was born, she naturally wanted to be out and about.

“What do you want to do?”

“Get a job—”

“Not even a dog can do it.” Remembering how she had been working like a dog previously, Jiang Yu felt that her time off was quite refreshing.

Now that she had the opportunity, she didn’t want to force herself back into a job.

But if she wasn’t going to work, she found it hard to think of anything else she could do. Having been a corporate slave for so long, the only path she could envision was work.

“Oh no, I don’t know how to do anything. I can’t even consider freelancing. What else can I do?”

Jiang Zhe glanced out the window and said, “How about you open a shop? You could hire people, and if you’re free, you can just go check in whenever you want. The hours would be flexible.”

Jiang Yu thought this idea was feasible.

“Open a shop? I’ll build it up and expand it into a chain, going global, reaching the universe!”

She realized she was being a bit unrealistic.

Next to her, Jiang Zhe chuckled and replied, “Sounds good.”

Jiang Yu was surprised that he actually supported her idea. “I was just joking.”

Jiang Zhe encouraged her, “Having dreams is great. What if one day you actually succeed?”