Chapter 4: The Baby is Born

After returning home, Jiang’s mother went to cook, and Jiang Banyue sat on the sofa to rest. Recently, she had been feeling a lot of back pain and getting exhausted after walking just a few steps.

There was a sound at the door, and a young couple entered. Jiang Banyue turned her head and saw them.

“Big Brother, Big Sister-in-law, you’re here.”

“Banban, listen to your mother. You’ve gotten a divorce?”

“Yes.”

Li Mei sat quietly to one side, listening to the siblings talk.

“Banban, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, what am I going to do?”

Jiang Banyue poured tea for her brother and sister-in-law, then looked up at him.

“Well, about your divorce… you can’t be raising the child all on your own, right? Doesn’t Shen Yunhe does not care about anything?”

“Big Brother, I’ve divorced him. The child will be my responsibility, and he has nothing to do with it.”

Jiang Chenggong took a sip of water and patiently advised:

“How are you going to take care of everything? You’re a woman; you’ll have to make money, support the family, and take care of the child. It’s not as easy as you think. Big Brother believes that, unless it’s a matter of principle, if you can get back together, you should. Even for the child’s sake… you can’t just let the child be born without a father!”

Jiang Banyue lowered her head, silent. As for her father… having him around was worse than not having him. If it weren’t for him marrying Liu Juan, the three children wouldn’t have ended up like this. Thinking about the tragic fate of the three children from the book, Jiang Banyue’s heart ached, and she felt a deep resentment toward Liu Juan.

“Big Brother, stop persuading me, I will not remarry!”

Jiang Chenggong couldn’t help but add:

“Then just think of Shen Yunhe as free labor and a money-making tool!”

Li Mei looked at her husband in surprise.

Jiang Banyue said firmly, “Big Brother, I don’t want anything to do with him!”

“Really can’t be saved?” Jiang Chenggong didn’t want his sister to divorce. A woman who divorces and has a child would have a hard life.

“Yes!” Jiang Banyue looked at him with firm eyes.

“Okay, Big Brother respects your decision. I won’t persuade you anymore.”

“Thank you, Big Brother.”

Two months later.

The store renovations were completed, and a big sign hung on the door: Sweet Home.

Jiang Banyue had custom furniture made by a carpenter, even ordering three beds. She gradually arranged her and the babies’ home piece by piece.

At the end of the month, her twins, Jiang Qingfeng and Jiang Qingyue, came home for the holidays. Jiang’s mother joyfully prepared a big table of dishes, and Jiang Qingfeng ate quickly, wolfing down his food. Jiang’s mother and Jiang’s grandfather, seeing him so hungry, lovingly served him more dishes.

“Slow down, how long have you been starving? Every time you come home, it’s like you’re running from a disaster.”

Jiang Qingyue sat next to Jiang Banyue, leaned close to her, and curiously touched her belly.

“Sister, you’re having a baby! I’m going to be an aunt!”

“Yes, three babies.”

“Wow! How amazing!”

———

Six months later, the triplets were born. Since the original mother had died from complications during childbirth, Jiang Banyue had arranged early hospitalization and regular check-ups by doctors to prevent any issues. Jiang’s mother took extra care to help her.

The triplets were born smoothly—two boys and one girl.

Jiang Banyue named them Jiang Huaijin, Jiang Huaiyu, and Jiang Huairou.

Jiang’s mother was delighted, holding one baby, then the other. Jiang Qingfeng and Jiang Qingyue each held one baby and gently comforted them.

“They’re such cute babies!”

Jiang Qingyue couldn’t resist pressing her face to one of them. The baby in her arms opened its eyes, staring at her with a dazed look.

“Ah, the baby is awake.”

Three months later, Jiang Banyue returned to the Sweet Home with all three babies. Jiang’s mother had taken a month off work to stay and help her daughter during her confinement. Whenever Jiang Qingyue had a break, she would also come over to help her sister look after the babies.

The babies changed day by day. From their wrinkled appearance when they were born, they became plump and fair. After a month, the family had already noticed the different temperaments of the triplets.

The eldest was very quiet, rarely crying. Whenever he was hungry or needed a diaper change, he would only make a little noise. The second was very lively, always moving at night and sleeping very little. The third was delicate and loved being held to sleep. As soon as she was put down, she would wake up.

“Dear, in a couple of days, I have to go back to work. You’ll be looking after all three babies by yourself. Will you manage? If not, I can take another month off,” Jiang’s mother said with concern.

“No need!” Jiang Banyue, holding one baby, replied.

“Mom, I found two nannies to help look after the babies.”

“Are you sure about the nannies?” Jiang’s mother still worried.

“It’s fine, I’ll be around to supervise them. I’ll only let them do the work, and I’ll be downstairs making cakes at night, so I’ll handle things myself.”

“Alright then. If you need help, just let me know, and I’ll come over.”

“Thanks, Mom.”

Two days later, the nannies arrived. After chatting briefly with the two nannies, Jiang’s mother hurried off to work. Jiang Banyue set up a corner in the downstairs room, where she laid thick blankets on the floor. During busy times, the babies would sleep on the floor while the nannies watched over them.

Jiang Banyue began making cakes early in the morning. A family from the county had ordered a three-tier longevity peach cake for an elderly person’s 80th birthday, paying a deposit of ten yuan. This was the biggest cake she had made since opening her store.

In this era, most people couldn’t afford to buy birthday cakes, and only wealthy families would spend money on such luxuries. Jiang Banyue’s shop mostly made money from selling various pastries.

One day, a mother and daughter entered the shop, dressed simply. The woman and child looked cautiously at the beautifully decorated cakes in the display case.

Jiang Banyue smiled and walked up to greet them.

“Hello, may I help you?”

The woman smiled shyly, “Can I buy a piece of cake? It’s my daughter’s birthday today, and she’s never had cake before. I… I don’t have much money, so I’m not sure if I can afford it.”

Jiang Banyue glanced at the girl, who seemed about ** years old. She was skinny and shyly looking at her.

“Of course. We have some sliced cakes in the display. You can take a look.”

The girl chose a slice of strawberry cake, priced at one yuan per slice. The woman hesitated for a moment, holding a crumpled one-yuan note, and looked at Jiang Banyue.

“We don’t need the strawberries on top. Can we just pay one yuan?”

Jiang Banyue was momentarily stunned but then smiled.

“I made a mistake with the price. This strawberry cake is only one yuan, not one fifty.”

Jiang Banyue opened the display case, took out the strawberry cake, and handed it to the girl.

“Here you go. The strawberry cake tastes the best with the strawberries.”

“Thank you, Auntie!” The girl took the strawberry cake with joy, and the woman smiled and handed the money over.

“Thank you!”

Jiang Banyue accepted the one yuan and handed over two spoons.

“No problem. There’s a table by the window. You can sit and eat.”

The mother and daughter sat at the table. The girl gently scooped a spoonful of cake and offered it to her mother. The mother shook her head, smiling.

“You eat it, Mom doesn’t like this.”

The girl insisted, offering it again.

“No, Mom should eat first. It’s my birthday today, not Mom’s. If you don’t eat, I won’t either.”

“Alright, Mom will eat.” The woman took a small bite of the cake, and it was sweet.

When the girl saw her mother eat, she happily began eating her slice, bit by bit. Jiang Banyue’s eyes welled up with tears, and she turned to look at her three babies, smiling with happiness.