Chapter 83

After Jiang Suihan finished feeding, Chenchen yawned slightly, tilted his head, and fell asleep again.

She tapped the little guy’s nose and said, “He eats and then sleeps, then eats, what a little pig.”

Xu Zhao walked in, smiling. “What little piglet? Are you speaking ill of Chenchen again?”

Jiang Suihan turned and glared at him. “Your son is the most adorable and unbeatable in the world. Happy now?”

In these days, except for not being able to bathe or go outside, she had been living like an empress. Everything was taken care of—she didn’t have to lift a finger. Her mother-in-law was worried that Chenchen’s crying at night might disturb her rest, so she didn’t let the baby sleep with her. Xu Zhao would eagerly help with preparing formula and changing diapers whenever he had the chance.

Wu Guihua came by again, bringing some plums and mulberries. Seeing Jiang Suihan comfortably settled in her postpartum confinement, with people taking care of her and the baby, her complexion rosy and her spirits high, she joked that Jiang Suihan had fallen into a nest of happiness.

Xu Zhao carefully stroked Chenchen’s soft little face and confidently said, “Of course, my son is the most beautiful and adorable baby.”

He truly believed this and said it naturally.

Jiang Suihan was momentarily at a loss for how to react. Then, after a moment of silence, she said, “I’ve noticed that since Chenchen was born, you’ve changed.”

Xu Zhao raised an eyebrow. “How have I changed?”

Of course, becoming a father would bring changes.

Jiang Suihan said bluntly: “You have become a good father who praises his son all the time. Have you thrown your calmness and composure into the water?”

Last night, Chenchen had poop, and Xu Zhao’s sudden action scared her. He held Chenchen, took off the dirty diaper, and wiped Chenchen’s little butt with a warm wet towel. That was not all, he bent down and kissed Chenchen’s little butt with a loud sound.

Jiang Suihan sat on the bed with her eyes wide open in shock. To be honest, Chenchen was her child, but if she was asked to kiss the little butt after it pooped, she couldn’t do it and couldn’t get over the hurdle in her heart.

She said inexplicably: “Isn’t it smelly?”

Xu Zhao didn’t think it was a big deal. He skillfully changed Chenchen’s diaper and answered without raising his head, “Newborn babies’ poop doesn’t smell bad. Our Chenchen smells good.”

Jiang Suihan looked at him with a complicated expression. At this moment, she realized very clearly that in the mind of this new father, her son’s poop was not only not smelly, but also fragrant.

She secretly sighed. It turns out that her son is so charming that he has already charmed his father even before he can speak. When he can start speaking and acting like a spoiled child, will his father still have any principles?

Seeing Xu Zhao getting ready to leave, she asked, “Are you going out?”

Xu Zhao looked at her with slight exasperation. “Did you forget? Considering the time, your cousin should be arriving around noon today. She’s a young girl in an unfamiliar place, so I’m going to pick her up and also stop by the department store to buy some rice and flour. We’re running low on fine grains at home.”

Their family was very generous when it came to food. They were always willing to spend money on it. Normally, they ate white rice and noodles made from refined flour, unlike some families in the family compound who mixed coarse grains with fine grains due to financial constraints. Only during special occasions did they get to enjoy fine grains.

Jiang Suihan disliked coarse grains, finding them irritating to her throat and difficult to swallow. Xu Zhao was aware of this. On days off, he would go to the nearby market to buy fine grains, ensuring their supply was never interrupted. His only thought was, if she liked fine grains, why not let her have them? It’s not like they couldn’t afford it.

Fortunately, the Xu family had their own house, and the neighbors weren’t too close. Jiang Suihan wasn’t fond of going out and had only a couple of close friends. If people in the family compound found out they had fine grains every meal, there would be more gossip, which would be very annoying.

Jiang Suihan slapped her forehead and said, “I really have a pig brain. I completely forgot about such important things. I remembered yesterday, but now it’s slipped my mind.”

It’s often said that pregnancy makes you forgetful for three years. Although she wasn’t entirely forgetful yet, it was clear her intelligence had decreased. She hoped it wouldn’t drop any further, as she didn’t want to be looked down upon or to dislike herself.

Xu Zhao patted her head and joked, “Why do you have such an affinity for pigs? You called Chenchen a piglet, and now you’re calling yourself a pig brain. Is our family becoming a new species?”

Jiang Suihan couldn’t hold back and hit him lightly, glaring. “You’re the pig! Your whole family is pigs!”

As soon as she said it, she realized she had misspoken, including herself in the insult. Embarrassed and angry, she continued to glare at him. “It’s your fault. I just said it offhandedly, and you’re picking on it. Is that fair?”

Xu Zhao held her hand and smirked. “I heard people say that pregnancy makes you forgetful for three years. There might be some truth to it. I’m suddenly worried about our son.”

Jiang Suihan shot him a cold look. “Worried about what?”

Xu Zhao stroked his chin, pretending to be serious. “I’m worried that he might inherit his mother’s lack of intelligence. What if he’s not smart?”

Was she being criticized for her low intelligence?

Jiang Suihan clenched her teeth and said through gritted teeth, “You have one more chance to say that again.”

Seeing the fiery look in her eyes, Xu Zhao realized he had gone too far.

He quickly bent down and pecked her cheek. “I’m leaving now. I’ll bring back something delicious for you.”

Jiang Suihan wanted to hit the bed in frustration but seeing Chenchen sleeping quietly in the small crib, she could only lightly punch the bed and mutter, “I’m not a child. I don’t need you to buy me anything.”

Since Chenchen was born, Xu Zhao has become more lively. While other new fathers grew more mature and composed, he seemed to be the opposite. It was quite strange.

Hearing the announcement of their arrival, Jiang Weiyu tightened her grip on her package and slowly moved with the crowd. She noticed that the woman who had given her the dried fruit seemed to be watching her. When she looked over, the woman immediately turned her head, pretending to be casually looking around.

Jiang Weiyu felt a pang of anxiety, her back sweating. She realized she had been targeted and needed to come up with a way to escape quickly.

Surveying her surroundings, with unfamiliar faces and accents, she didn’t know whom to ask for help. The more critical the situation, the calmer she became. She knew she absolutely couldn’t panic and needed to stay composed.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a man in a military uniform ahead on the right. Without thinking, Jiang Weiyu squeezed through the crowd, ignoring the complaints behind her, and made her way through.

“Hey, why did you come out without waiting for me?”

Wang Dahe turned around to see a girl of about sixteen or seventeen grabbing his arm, looking surprised as if afraid he would leave. She was quite strong.

He tried to pull his arm free, confused. “Are you sure you’ve got the right person?”

Jiang Weiyu subtly glanced to the left and saw the woman and a middle-aged man standing not far away, glancing towards her occasionally. She was even more determined to stick with this soldier.

The green military uniform seemed the most trustworthy color.

Wang Dahe saw the girl clinging to him, his face reddening. Not wanting to be rough with a female, he prepared to reason with her. Just as he was about to speak, Jiang Weiyu leaned closer and whispered quickly, “Someone is following me.”

Wang Dahe was startled and began scanning the crowd for suspicious individuals. Jiang Weiyu hurriedly pointed out, “To the right, a woman in a blue top and black pants, around thirty years old. She has a black mole above her right lip. There’s also a man with her, about the same age.”

Following Jiang Weiyu’s description, Wang Dahe quickly spotted the two individuals. They exchanged nervous glances when they saw him looking at them.

It was clear there was something wrong.

Wang Dahe wanted to chase after them but was concerned that if he left, Jiang Weiyu might be in danger. Human traffickers usually work in groups, and he couldn’t be sure there weren’t others around.

In the blink of an eye, the two people had disappeared into the crowd.

Jiang Weiyu followed Wang Dahe closely, fearful that he might leave her behind.

Once they exited the train station, Wang Dahe decided to see her safely to her destination, thinking that the young girl was likely terrified.

“Comrade, where are you going? I’ll take you there.”

Jiang Weiyu mentioned the unit where Xu Zhao was stationed and asked if he could take her there.

Wang Dahe looked surprised. “You’re going there too? I’m heading back to my unit as well. It’s perfect. We can go together.”

Jiang Weiyu was relieved to hear that Wang Dahe and Xu Zhao were from the same unit. She smiled, “That’s wonderful!”

She had been worried about how to get there and was pleasantly surprised by the help.

“Hmm?” Jiang Weiyu glanced towards one side of the station entrance.

Wang Dahe followed her gaze. “What’s wrong?”

Jiang Weiyu pointed to a sign held up by a young man and asked, puzzled, “That’s my name. How does he know who I am?”

Fear gripped her as she thought, “Could it be that I’m being followed again?”

Wang Dahe took a closer look and exclaimed, “Captain?”

Earlier, Xu Zhao had been turned slightly, so Wang Dahe hadn’t recognized him. Now that Xu Zhao faced them, he realized it was someone he knew.

Jiang Weiyu asked, “Captain?”

Wang Dahe nodded. “Yes, he’s our Captain. I’ll go over and check.”

Xu Zhao glanced at Wang Dahe. “What are you doing here?”

Wang Dahe scratched his head. “The family sent a letter saying my mother is ill. I haven’t been home in two years and was worried about her, so I took a half-month leave to visit.”

He then asked, “Oh, by the way, this is Comrade Jiang Weiyu. Captain, what brings you to see her?”

Xu Zhao’s gaze settled on Jiang Weiyu, and he said kindly, “I’m Xu Zhao, or you can call me ‘brother-in-law.’ Your cousin asked me to pick you up.”

Jiang Weiyu’s mind was blank. She responded reflexively, “Ah?”

Wang Dahe was even more bewildered and asked loudly, “Captain, are you related to Comrade Jiang?”

What a twist of fate.

Xu Zhao replied calmly, “Call me Deputy Commander.”

Wang Dahe responded with a subdued “Oh.”

He thought that the title “deputy” didn’t sound very nice, but given the captain’s ability, removing the “deputy” was just a matter of time. Whether it was now or later, it made no difference.

Xu Zhao said, “Let’s get in the car. Your cousin must be anxiously waiting for you at home.”

Wang Dahe followed with a smile: “That’s great, at least we don’t have to wait for the bus.”

He originally planned to wait until the afternoon to take the logistics department’s car back. The logistics department usually goes out to purchase at a fixed time every month and returns at three o’clock in the afternoon.

Jiang Weiyu sat in the back seat and timidly asked, “Are you really my brother-in-law?”