Chapter 36: Love (2)

After breakfast, He Dongchuan left the house.

When He Yan saw his father leave while his mother stayed at home, he asked in confusion: “Mom, weren’t you going to the hospital?”

“I’m not going to the hospital today.”

“Why? Didn’t Dad say you should go to the doctor soon? If you’re not feeling well today, you should go today.”

“My discomfort is different from what your dad mentioned. If I go to the hospital now, they won’t be able to find anything. I have to wait until the middle of the month for the examination to be accurate.”

“Okay.” He Yan sighed: “So, Mom, even after seeing the doctor, you won’t need to take medicine?”

“Probably not.”

“Really?” He Yan’s eyes brightened.

Su Ting asked with a half-smile: “What’s the matter? Do you really want to see me take medicine?”

“No!” He Yan laughed awkwardly, denying it. “I just want to know what kind of illness Mom has.”

He Yan believed that an illness that didn’t require medicine must not be a serious one. So, he wanted to know what illness his mom had. Could he get it too? If he could, then he wouldn’t need to drink milk or take medicine!

The little one thought no one knew what he was planning, but Su Ting, who had known him for so long, could easily tell what was on his mind. She ruthlessly shattered his little fantasy, saying: “Don’t think about it. You can’t get my illness.”

He Yan immediately looked disappointed, but he still wasn’t giving up and asked: “Why not?”

“Because…”

Su Ting had just said two words when she stopped herself. She hesitated whether to tell He Yan about the possible arrival of a little brother or sister.

After discovering that her period was delayed and suspecting she might be pregnant, Su Ting’s biggest worry was how to tell him this.

Although family planning policies hadn’t yet been written into national policy at the time, and most families in their neighborhood had multiple children, He Yan had been an only child for many years, and Su Ting didn’t know if he could easily accept having multiple little brothers or sisters.

At first, she had planned to wait until the pregnancy was confirmed and then slowly reveal it to He Yan, but now, she felt this might be a good opportunity.

Looking at the curious little face in front of her, Su Ting pressed her lips together and said: “What I have isn’t actually an illness.”

“What is it then?”

Su Ting didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she asked: “Do you know how you came into this world?”

He Yan answered: “I was born by mom.”

“Do you know what your mom had to go through to bring you into this world?”

He Yan was still young and had little understanding of pregnancy and childbirth. After a long pause, he finally managed to mumble: “Uh… uh…” but couldn’t say anything else. “What did she have to go through?”

“She had to go through pregnancy. In the beginning, you were just an embryo, and your mom’s belly was flat. As you grew bigger every day, her belly got bigger too. After almost ten months, you were born. During this time, your mom might have gone through morning sickness, and she might have had cramps in her legs when she slept. But in the end, she gave birth to you.”

As Su Ting spoke, He Yan unconsciously bit his lip and asked: “It was so hard… Why did she give birth to me?”

Su Ting shared this just to help He Yan understand the process of childbirth and lead up to the next part of the conversation. Hearing his question, she was momentarily stunned, but then she noticed something in his expression.

In the original story, He Yan’s family members were mostly represented by his stepmother, the villainous character, and then He Dongchuan, though his role was minimal and his presence even smaller than the flashbacks in the side stories of the original work.

As for He Yan’s biological mother, she was just a background character in the background.

Moreover, after Su Ting and He Dongchuan became a couple, they never asked He Yan about his biological mother.

Su Ting thought this question was too dangerous. Regardless of how He Yan answered, she likely wouldn’t feel too happy about it. So, she figured it was better not to ask.

Therefore, Su Ting didn’t know why He Yan asked this question, but she thought, no woman ever has a child out of hatred.

She gently patted He Yan’s head and said: “It’s because of love.”

He Yan’s eyelashes fluttered slightly. “Really?”

“Of course it’s true. Pregnancy is very tough. No one would have a child if they didn’t love.”

He Yan lowered his head, his eyes becoming slightly moist.

Since he could remember, he had never seen his mother. Whenever he saw other children being taken out to play by their moms, he would wonder what his own mother was like. 

If she were still here, would she take him out to play? Would she hold his hand? Would she…

But as he grew older and heard more and more gossip from others, he gradually came to his own conclusion: no, she wouldn’t.

She wouldn’t hold his hand, wouldn’t hug him, and wouldn’t love him.

He Yan thought, if she didn’t love him, then so be it. He wouldn’t think of her anymore.

But now, Su Ting told him that his mother had given birth to him because she loved him.

It was love, not hate.

He Yan couldn’t help it. He threw himself into Su Ting’s arms and began crying uncontrollably.

Su Ting held him, saying nothing, only gently stroking his head.

However, He Yan didn’t cry for long. After about five or six minutes, he pulled himself out of Su Ting’s embrace and, upon looking up, saw the tear stains on the hem of her clothes. He pointed awkwardly and said: “Your clothes…”

Su Ting looked down and said: “It’s fine, it will wash out.”

He Yan nodded, wiped the moisture from the corner of his eyes, and asked: “Mom, are you going to have a baby?”

Su Ting was stunned. “You guessed it?”

“I’m really smart.” He Yan said arrogantly.

Su Ting smiled. “Yes, yes, you’re the smartest. I… well, it’s possible that I’m pregnant, but it’s not certain yet. I need to get checked first.”

As she spoke, Su Ting observed He Yan’s expression. Although he had cried earlier, he seemed to be in a good mood now, and there was no sadness on his face.

He Yan asked: “So, is it also because of love that you’re having a baby?”

“Of course.”

He Yan reached out and gently touched Su Ting’s belly. “Then I’ll love him/her too.”

Su Ting didn’t consider herself a very sentimental person, but at that moment, hearing He Yan’s words, she couldn’t help but sniffle, fighting back the tears as she said: “Mom loves you too.”

“Do you love me more than Dad?”

Su Ting laughed. “Are you jealous of Dad?”

He Yan was too shy to admit it, clinging to Su Ting’s arm and acting coquettishly. “Is it true?”

“You’re my child, your Dad is my partner, and you’re different.” Su Ting thought for a moment before saying: “The love between partners may fade, but it won’t be the same for children.”

Although her relationship with He Yan stemmed from her marriage with He Dongchuan, she had accepted becoming He Yan’s mother not because of He Dongchuan.

She accepted He Yan because he was the protagonist, and she was the reader.

Although Su Ting had never left a comment like “Baby, Mommy loves you!” when reading novels, after transmigrating into the book and seeing the child version of the protagonist, she really wanted to scream.

Su Ting thought, if one day her marriage with He Dongchuan came to an end and they got divorced, she probably wouldn’t want to keep in touch with him. But if possible, she would try to stay in touch with He Yan.

Just like she had said before, in her heart, their mother-son relationship was eternal.

…

Just as Su Ting had planned to tell He Yan about the pregnancy after the results were confirmed, He Dongchuan had also planned to wait until it was certain before telling the family about it.

However, after sending the letter, he saw the line of people waiting to make calls nearby and suddenly thought that since he was already at the Post and Telecommunications Bureau, it wouldn’t be quite right not to make a call back home.

So, instead of heading back, He Dongchuan turned and went to the next booth to make a call.

More than half an hour later, the call went through. He Dongchuan entered the cubicle, picked up the receiver, and greeted: “Hello?” He waited for the familiar voice of his mother to come through the line, and then immediately said: “My wife might be pregnant.”

On the other end of the line, Cheng Xiaoman immediately swallowed the words she was about to say and changed her question. “When did this happen? Is it confirmed?”

“It happened just recently, but it’s not confirmed yet. We’re going to get checked on the 18th.”

“Why wait until the 18th?”

“The time is too short now, it might not show up. It’s more accurate to check after a month and a half.”

Cheng Xiaoman understood. Her son hadn’t even confirmed the situation, yet he was already urgently calling her with the good news.

Who could have imagined that, just a few months ago, he was stubbornly saying he didn’t want to marry Su Ting, and now, just a few months later, he was calling her and saying “my wife” all the time.

At first, Cheng Xiaoman wanted to tease him, but when she thought about it, this was her son, and the words of sarcasm that had come to her lips melted away. She smiled and asked: “Is Xiao Su there?”

“I came to the post office to send something and decided to call you. She and He Yan didn’t come with me.”

“She’s pregnant now, she needs to take care of herself.”

He Dongchuan corrected her: “It’s not confirmed yet, it’s just a guess. We’ll know for sure after the check-up.”

Though Cheng Xiaoman couldn’t see her son’s expression, she knew from the tone of his voice that he was gloating. She spoke with a bit of irritation: “Alright, alright, I know it’s not confirmed yet. You don’t need to be so pleased with yourself.”

After reprimanding her son, her tone softened as she asked: “Once you get the results, call me again, okay? By the way, have you told Xiao Su’s family yet?”

“They don’t have a phone, so I can only write them a letter. I’ll wait for the results first, so they don’t worry.”

Cheng Xiaoman thought for a moment, then replied: “Alright, that’s good. Her mother will definitely be happy when she hears this.”

“Mm.”

“By the way, how’s Xiao Su’s health? Any symptoms?”

“None before. This morning, she felt a bit nauseous after drinking some milk.”

“She needs to take good care of herself.” Cheng Xiaoman thought for a while and then asked: “What do you eat every day?”

“Sometimes we eat at the canteen, sometimes we cook at home.”

As soon as Cheng Xiaoman heard this, she immediately said: “The food at the canteen is bland. Now that she’s pregnant, how can she eat there every few days? Here’s what I’ll do—I’ll have Auntie Wang go over and take care of Xiao Su during her pregnancy.”

Auntie Wang was the He family’s housekeeper. She had some distant familial ties to He Dongchuan’s father. After her husband passed away and she was mistreated by her in-laws, she came to work for the He family. It could be said that He Dongchuan had been raised by her.

He Dongchuan certainly welcomed Auntie Wang to Pingchuan Island, but he wasn’t sure how Su Ting would feel about it. He said: “It’s still not confirmed whether she’s pregnant. Let’s wait for the results of the check-up. Besides, the food at the canteen is quite good. The chefs change up the seafood dishes every day. We’re too lazy to cook at home.”

“That’s just you being lazy. Auntie Wang wouldn’t be like that.” Though she said this, Cheng Xiaoman didn’t insist on sending Auntie Wang to Pingchuan Island. She added: “We’ll see when the time comes.”

…

After He Dongchuan had bragged to his mother about the canteen’s chefs changing up the seafood dishes every day, he came home to experience one of their chef’s “innovations.”

Braised Mango and Ma You Fish?

What kind of dish was this?

Looking at him with a confused expression, Su Ting shrugged and explained: “Didn’t I tell you before? The canteen’s chef has recently been very enthusiastic about developing new dishes.”

It just so happened that his approach was a little offbeat—he was eager to combine seafood and fruit, which caused most people in the compound to complain and led to a significant increase in food waste.

In the face of widespread protests, the canteen chef quickly adjusted the menu—each meal would now include two meat dishes, increasing the supply of standard dishes and reducing the supply of the new experimental dishes to just a dozen portions to satisfy those eager to try new things.

For example, today, in addition to the Braised Mango Ma You Fish, they also served an oyster omelette.

He Dongchuan and Su Ting quickly chose the oyster omelette, while He Yan, one of the few brave souls in the compound, as usual, decided to try something new.

Normally, Su Ting’s choice would have been fine.

But it was unclear whether the morning’s nausea had triggered her pregnancy sickness or if the canteen hadn’t handled the ingredients well, but as soon as she took a bite of the oyster omelette, she felt a wave of nausea and quickly spat it out.

“Still not feeling well?” He Dongchuan asked.

Su Ting nodded and ate a couple of bites of vegetables to suppress the feeling of nausea.

Because of this, she didn’t dare to eat the remaining oyster omelette and gave it all to He Dongchuan and his son. He Dongchuan looked at the two vegetables left in her bowl and said: “I’ll fry a couple of dishes when we get back.”

“Go back and start the fire again, by the time it’s cooked, it will be one or two o’clock.” Su Ting waved her hand and said: “I’ll eat some vegetables; they taste good too.”

Hearing that Su Ting could only eat vegetables, He Yan pushed the lunchbox over and asked: “Mom, do you want to try my fish? It’s really delicious.”

Although Su Ting was enthusiastic about trying different kinds of food, the combination of mango and horsehead fish just seemed like a dark cuisine, no matter how one looked at it.

She thought it was strange even now—He Yan, a person who wouldn’t even dare to eat tunsun jelly, was so eager to try these dark dishes. Was he drawn to the appearance of new dishes instead?

Though the combination of mango and horsehead fish looked better than tunsun jelly, who was Su Ting? Having gone through the baptism of the Ninth Cuisine, she wouldn’t be fooled by the appearance of food.

With the idea of “better him than me.” Su Ting decisively pushed He Dongchuan out and suggested he try the taste first, as she thought their tastes were quite similar.

To be honest, He Dongchuan wasn’t very eager to try.

But not only was his wife looking at him with an expectant expression, but his son was also giving him a look that seemed to seek approval… After a brief struggle, He Dongchuan resigned himself and extended his chopsticks, picking up a piece of fish and putting it in his mouth.

Before he could even swallow the fish, Su Ting anxiously asked: “How is it? How does it taste?”

“It’s a little sour, a little sweet, but it’s alright.” He Dongchuan answered cautiously.

He Yan was not satisfied with his answer and emphasized with a serious expression: “It’s really delicious!”

“Really?” Although Su Ting was skeptical, her attitude softened quite a bit. Since He Dongchuan said so, the dish probably wasn’t too bad.

“Yes, mom, try it.” He Yan said, pushing the lunchbox toward Su Ting.

Finally, Su Ting gave in, picked up her chopsticks, and said: “I’ll try it.”

Though she thought the taste wouldn’t be too bad, seeing the fish soaked in mango juice, Su Ting couldn’t help but lick her lips and mentally prepare herself before slowly putting the chopsticks into her mouth.

When the fish entered her mouth, Su Ting’s first impression was sweetness, followed by a slight sourness. The sweet and sour taste perfectly masked the fishy odor, leaving only the freshness of the fish.

The texture was quite unique, but the flavor was really good.

Seeing Su Ting swallow the fish, He Yan hurriedly asked: “Mom, how is it? The fish is delicious, right?”

“The taste is good.”

“Then, mom, do you want to eat more? I can give you all my fish.”

Su Ting didn’t want to take the food from He Yan and said: “No need, just give me a few pieces of mango and fish.”

They quickly divided the dish, and then each took a bite of mango and fish, while He Dongchuan, who was watching from the side, fell into deep thought.

Were their taste buds still normal?