Chapter 7: Got it Under Control

Lin Shufen felt a little embarrassed from being watched, so she quickly tried to divert her husband’s attention.

“By the way, Hai Ge, my father told me before breakfast that he wants you to name our daughter. He said you have a good education, and you’d come up with a beautiful name.”

“Alright,” hearing that he would be naming his daughter, Chu Minghai’s eyes brightened with excitement. “I’ll choose the formal name, and you can pick the nickname. Let me think…”

Chu Linyu also perked up, subtly focusing her little ears to eavesdrop.

Actually, ever since his wife got pregnant, Chu Minghai had already begun thinking about the baby’s name.

The name should match with the brothers in the family, have a good meaning, and he had spent several sleepless nights pondering it.

Though everyone said it would be a boy, he had prepared names for both a boy and a girl.

What if… what if it was a girl? Well, now it seemed like his wish had come true!

Unconsciously, he furrowed his brows, carefully searching his personal collection of names.

“How about we use a name with the ‘jin’ radical? What do you think of the character ‘Yu’? Lin Yu. The character ‘Yu’ means treasure, and it also refers to a strong metal. Our daughter is our treasure, and we hope she can have a strong will.” Chu Minghai said earnestly.

“Lin Yu, that’s a nice name,” Lin Shufen said, pausing for a moment, then added, “But I think ‘Chu Lin Yu’ is an even better name.”

Chu Minghai froze. The child would have the surname Chu?

Seeing her husband’s confused look, Lin Shufen smiled and explained, “My father secretly told me this morning. Zhen Zhen has the surname Lin, but our daughter will have the surname Chu.”

At that moment, Chu Minghai’s heart was overwhelmed with many emotions, a mix of bitterness and warmth.

When he had first decided to be with Lin Shufen, Old Man Lin had strongly opposed it.

In the end, unable to resist his daughter’s wishes, Old Man Lin made a condition: the child must carry the Lin surname, and only then would he consent.

To outsiders, a child taking the mother’s surname seemed like an embarrassment—who would want to be a son-in-law? Even if one’s background wasn’t great, it seemed too much.

Old Man Lin’s real intention was to make Chu Minghai give up.

Unexpectedly, Chu Minghai didn’t care about such things. He believed that his wife had suffered so much in giving birth and raising children, contributing more to the family. It was only natural for the child to take the mother’s surname. Without hesitation, he agreed.

In the end, Old Man Lin was moved by his sincerity. Of course, the main reason was Lin Shufen’s insistence. She even threatened to leave home if her father didn’t approve of their marriage.

With no other choice, Old Man Lin reluctantly agreed to their marriage.

After the wedding, Chu Minghai kept his promise and let their son take his wife’s surname, which Old Man Lin was very pleased with.

At that moment, Chu Minghai wanted to say something but found himself unable to speak, and for a moment, he felt choked up.

After a while, he softly said, “Thank you to my father-in-law. He’s really been very good to me.”

Lin Shufen smiled but didn’t respond. She affectionately pinched her husband’s nose.

Although her father often pretended to dislike her husband, deep down, he was actually very proud of him.

She had overheard him many times boasting to his close friends and relatives while drinking, saying that his son-in-law was kind, filial, and well-educated—even if, at this point, being educated didn’t necessarily mean much.

Seeing Chu Minghai almost moved to tears, Lin Shufen quickly changed the subject, trying to make him feel more comfortable.

“Alright, dear, you’ve chosen the formal name. Now, what about the nickname?”

Lin Shufen had already thought of one herself.

“How about ‘Tian Tian’? I hope our daughter can live a life without hardship, never worry, and always have a sweet life, with a sweet smile every day.”

“Nice name, simple but meaningful. No wonder you’re my wife, so smart,” Chu Minghai, a devoted husband, seized the opportunity to praise his wife.

Lin Shufen knew him well but was still pleased by his words.

Upon hearing her formal name, the same as in her past life, Chu Linyu kicked her little chubby legs in joy. She was even more certain that she was truly meant to be the child of this family.

And now she had a never-before-used nickname—”Tian Tian.” Such a lovely name!

In that moment, she became even more enthusiastic about breastfeeding, as if more milk would help her feel even more excited!

As time passed, Lin Shufen pulled one hand away and gently nudged her husband.

“Alright, don’t delay any longer. You should leave now.”

Just as Chu Minghai was about to put on his coat and leave, Chu Linyu, who was leisurely breastfeeding, suddenly felt a sense of unease, as though something was about to be taken away from her forever.

Her small mouth opened, and she began to wail.

Hearing his daughter’s cry, Chu Minghai stopped putting on his hat and turned around, worriedly asking, “What’s wrong? Why is the baby crying?”

Lin Shufen was also surprised. The baby had been fine just moments ago.

However, not wanting to delay her husband’s departure, she said, “It’s nothing. Babies are like this. She might have been uncomfortable with the position. Hai Ge, don’t worry about it. Go on with what you need to do.”

Chu Minghai thought about it and recalled that his son had cried like this when he was little, so he felt reassured and continued preparing to leave.

However, Chu Linyu’s anxiety grew stronger as she heard her father was about to leave, and her cries became even more intense, each sob pulling at one’s heartstrings.

Chu Minghai couldn’t bear it anymore. He pulled back his hand from the door and hurried to the kang to take his daughter in his arms, trying to comfort her.

Strangely enough, as soon as she was in his arms, the crying slowly stopped.

Lin Shufen laughed, scolding her daughter affectionately. “This little imp, she knows her dad’s leaving and doesn’t want him to go, huh? Looks like she’s closer to you after all!”

Chu Minghai felt a little smug, but he didn’t argue with his wife. Instead, he quickly said, “How could it be? Of course, she’s closer to you. She just wants to say goodbye to her dad, since she won’t see him for a while.”

He gently rocked back and forth, soothing the baby. “Isn’t that right, my little sweetheart? Daddy really has to leave now, but whenever I have the chance, I’ll come back to see you and Mommy, okay?”

When he saw his daughter close her eyes and calm down, he slowly passed her back to Lin Shufen, preparing to sneak out. However, before he could pull his hands away, the baby started crying again.

This time, he was truly at a loss. Why was she crying again?

Chu Minghai quickly picked her up again, and the little one stopped crying.

The couple exchanged a glance.

Chu Minghai pretended to repeat his earlier actions, and sure enough, the baby began crying again.

“Hey, this is really strange!” he muttered under his breath.

In the end, even though he held the baby in his arms, she still softly sobbed, unable to be comforted.

Chu Linyu knew that if she stopped crying, her dad would leave, and that feeling of unease was real.

In her past life, her instincts were always on point, helping her avoid several attacks.

Just before the accident that caused her death, she had felt a terrible sense of discomfort.

But with so many people waiting for her to show up, and the leadership constantly urging her, she had no choice but to go, pushing aside the bad feeling. That was when the tragedy happened.

Now, she had no choice but to cry her heart out. She cried until she was tired, then softened her sobs, but she couldn’t stop.

Her goal was clear: she needed to stay in her father’s arms. If he was capable, let him take her out, even in the freezing cold. Hmph, they certainly wouldn’t want to leave her.