Chapter 89

Xu Zhao raised his eyebrows. “Didn’t I tell you?”

Qi Zhengming picked the reddest apple from the bag he brought, wiped it on his clothes casually, and asked while munching, “What did you tell me?”

As the two exchanged glances, Jiang Suihan appeared at the doorway.

Seeing a man she didn’t know in the ward, Jiang Suihan guessed he must be Xu Zhao’s friend. She nodded and smiled, while Chenchen curiously eyed the stranger.

Holding Chenchen the whole way back had tired her arms. Since his birth, he had been well taken care of. The milk formula never ran out, and as soon as it was finished, the Xu family and friends would send more. Chenchen had grown from a little six-pound bundle to a hefty fifteen or sixteen pounds, making him heavy to hold for long.

Qi Zhengming looked at the adorable little fellow with sparkling eyes and eagerly approached Chenchen. He wanted to pick him up but didn’t know how to go about it, looking a bit foolish.

Last year, he hadn’t completed the task his parents assigned him. When he returned home for the New Year, his mother forced him to go on blind dates—more than seven times, in fact. One day, he even met three prospective partners, feeling like he was in a matchmaking circus.

While others joyfully celebrated the New Year, he was either on a blind date or on his way to one. The holiday was nothing short of torture, and as soon as it ended, he packed his bags and rushed back to the military, unable to face his mother’s disappointed gaze.

But as fate would have it, three months ago, a female doctor joined his unit, and he fell for her. After two months of pursuit, he finally won her over. With his brothers already married and with children, he felt the pressure to settle down himself.

Who wouldn’t want to cuddle such a cute and playful little one?

Jiang Suihan smiled at Qi Zhengming, “You can hold him. He just finished eating and is in a good mood.”

Qi Zhengming’s eyes widened as he rubbed his hands together, “Really?”

“Here I come, little cutie!”

With Jiang Suihan’s encouragement, Qi Zhengming bent down cautiously and carefully picked up Chenchen. The child smelled like milk, soft and delightful, feeling like a bundle of cotton in his arms. He was so tense, afraid to squeeze too hard and hurt him.

Seeing Qi Zhengming’s nervousness, Jiang Suihan stifled a laugh and showed him how to hold the baby so he would be comfortable.

Chenchen was bold. Even though it was their first meeting, he showed no fear and smiled widely, drooling happily.

Qi Zhengming gently used a handkerchief to wipe Chenchen’s face, his gaze glued to the baby.

Even drooling, he looked adorable!

At that moment, he envied Xu Zhao deeply. This guy was typically stoic and aloof but had produced such a cute child!

It had to be thanks to his sister-in-law; it had nothing to do with Xu Zhao.

Meanwhile, Xu Zhao was completely unaware of his friend’s inner thoughts. He was sitting in bed, enjoying being fed by his wife.

Jiang Suihan hadn’t packed the noodles for him since he had just undergone surgery and needed to eat light, so plain noodles were perfect.

Qi Zhengming turned and saw Xu Zhao’s shamelessness!

So what if he had one hand injured? He still had the other. How could he not feed himself?

He had endured much worse injuries before and managed on his own.

In front of others, he acted one way, but in front of his wife, he was another. Xu Zhao shouldn’t just be called Xu Zhao. He should be named Xu Schemer.

What a scheming man!

The two of them naturally didn’t know that Qi Zhengming had been complaining crazily in just a few seconds.

“Wow, Deputy Commander Xu, you’re living the high life! Someone’s here to serve your meals. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were disabled and couldn’t move.”

His sarcastic tone was evident to everyone present except for the self-entertained Chenchen.

Xu Zhao swallowed his noodles and glanced over indifferently. “Do you have a problem with it?”

Qi Zhengming smirked, “What could I possibly have an issue with? Your wife traveled a long way, taking care of you while handling the baby. And you have the nerve to make her feed you? Xu Zhao, you’ve changed.”

Without looking up, Xu Zhao replied, “I’ll take that as envy and jealousy.”

Qi Zhengming jumped up in outrage, careful not to drop Chenchen, “Me? Jealous of you? Are you dreaming? What’s there to be jealous of?”

Xu Zhao replied slowly, “I have a wife. Do you? I have a son. Do you?”

Those simple questions hit Qi Zhengming hard. He gritted his teeth, “Fine, you win.”

No way. He had to get his partner to agree to marry him. He was falling behind and needed to catch up.

Jiang Suihan watched the two men bicker, thinking that the saying “Men remain boys until death” was spot on. They needed to compete over everything, even childish matters. Even three-year-olds were more mature than them.

Jiang Suihan knew Xu Zhao’s appetite well. One bowl of noodles wouldn’t be enough. “I also bought two steamed buns. Do you want one?”

Two steamed buns, one for Xu Zhao and one for Qi Zhengming. He rushed to the hospital as soon as he got off the train. He had a quick lunch on the train and didn’t have dinner. He was extremely hungry. Otherwise he wouldn’t have eaten the apple to fill his stomach.

Xu Zhao, being from the north, enjoys eating noodles, and sometimes his family makes steamed buns and dumplings. Chenchen, having seen this, noticed Qi Zhengming eating a steamed bun, and his little mouth started drooling over the sight. He waved his tiny hands and feet, eager to snatch the bun from Qi Zhengming.

Qi Zhengming quickly raised his hand and asked Jiang Suihan, “Can Chenchen eat steamed buns?”

Jiang Suihan replied, “He had some noodles for dinner. It’s better not to give him too much. He might get a stomachache.”

The buns from the state-owned restaurant are made with solid ingredients—real, substantial buns. Qi Zhengming stuffed a couple into his mouth and mumbled, “All gone.”

Watching the bun disappear right before his eyes, Chenchen’s eyes widened in disbelief, then he pouted, looking like he was about to cry.

In a hurry, Qi Zhengming passed the child back to Jiang Suihan, explaining to Chenchen, “It’s not that Uncle doesn’t want to share. It’s your mom who won’t let you have any. If you want to cry, you should cry to your mom.”

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but chuckle as she held Chenchen. Seeing his mother, the little one forgot about the bun and started playing with her, filling the room with his cheerful laughter.

Qi Zhengming watched with envy, thinking about how nice it would be to take Chenchen home for a few days. He sighed, “You’re such a lucky little guy.”

With a lovely wife and a cute child, who wouldn’t want a life like that?

Uncle Xu had made the decision to arrange a marriage for his son without consulting him, and the brothers who knew the backstory couldn’t help but feel anxious for Xu Zhao, fearing he might end up with a troublesome match. Who would have thought that what seemed like chaotic matchmaking would lead to a happy union?

Xu Zhao nodded naturally, his gaze falling on the mother and son. Jiang Suihan gently touched her forehead to Chenchen’s, making him giggle uncontrollably.

After half an hour of fun, Chenchen yawned twice, his eyes half-open.

There was a guesthouse near the hospital, and Xu Zhao, concerned about safety at night, asked Qi Zhengming to take Jiang Suihan there.

Once Qi Zhengming dropped them off, he left. The military had its own guesthouse at cheaper rates. Besides visiting Xu Zhao, he had other matters to attend to in Yun City.

Jiang Suihan requested a single room. It was clean enough, though the bedding was a bit yellowed from use. Thinking of how many people had slept on that bed made her feel uneasy, and she wished she could change the sheets and quilt cover.

With only a little luggage, she quickly tidied up and went downstairs to find the duty staff. After giving the lady a few candies, she requested some hot water and a basin to wash up.

The next morning, as usual, Jiang Suihan was awakened by Chenchen’s antics.

Since having a child, her sleep schedule wasn’t her own anymore; it revolved entirely around Chenchen. He went to bed early and woke up early.

When Chenchen woke up, he stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before slowly burying his head in his mother’s arms, seeking his breakfast. Occasionally, Jiang Suihan would wake up and groggily feed him, but more often, Chenchen would help himself. After finishing his milk, he would wake his mom up to play.

Yawning and keeping her eyes shut, Jiang Suihan swayed as if she might fall back into bed at any moment.

Chenchen’s small hands patted the bed, seemingly a bit impatient, urging her to wake up.

Once she regained her senses, Jiang Suihan leaned over, pressing her nose against Chenchen’s little nose. “Your dad says you’re a little troublemaker, and he’s not wrong. Can’t you let Mommy sleep a little longer? Look at my panda eyes. Don’t you feel sorry for me?”

In unfamiliar surroundings, she needed time to adjust. Otherwise, she would have trouble sleeping. She hadn’t rested well last night, feeling exhausted, but her mind wouldn’t allow her to sleep. It took a long time for her to drift off, only to be woken early by Chenchen’s antics. Now, her head felt heavy and fuzzy.

Chenchen thought his mother was playing with him and laughed heartily, spraying saliva all over her face.

Jiang Suihan wiped her face in disbelief and pinched Chenchen’s cheek. “Are you a little dirty kid? Mommy doesn’t like messy children. You can’t spray saliva at people anymore, okay?”

Chenchen smiled, revealing his little teeth, babbling in baby talk that only he understood. After a while, when his mother didn’t respond, he tilted his head, showing a look of helplessness on his face.

Jiang Suihan couldn’t help but smile and kiss the little one before getting up to tidy up.

By the time she reached the state-owned restaurant, it was already past eight o’clock. Most workers started their shifts around seven or eight, so there weren’t many customers in the restaurant.

Today, the staff included no Zhong Jing, and Jiang Suihan guessed she might have taken the day off. The menu board outside listed the breakfast options, and she was pleasantly surprised to see fried dough sticks. She hadn’t had them in a long time and suddenly craved them.

However, when she asked the staff, they informed her that the fried dough sticks were sold out, but they still had some buns left. Jiang Suihan felt disappointed and ordered two meat buns, two vegetable buns, and a bowl of pork rib noodles.

In the hospital room, Xu Zhao was eagerly waiting for breakfast.

Jiang Suihan didn’t eat at the restaurant but brought everything back to the hospital to share with Xu Zhao.

Today, Xu Zhao didn’t pretend to be weak; he served himself breakfast while keeping an eye on Chenchen. When he noticed Chenchen had moved close to the edge of the bed, almost about to fall, he quickly pulled him back.

“Has Chenchen had his milk?”

Jiang Suihan replied, “He had a bit but isn’t hungry yet. I’ll make him some more later.”

She opened the meat buns and noticed some fatty meat inside. She picked it out and placed it on the lid of the lunch box for Xu Zhao.

“Didn’t sleep well last night?” Xu Zhao asked.

Jiang Suihan inquired, “Is it that obvious?”

Xu Zhao nodded. “It couldn’t be more obvious.”

Her fair skin contrasted with the large dark circles under her eyes, making her look exhausted.

“I’m just not used to the bed and blankets at the guesthouse. I’ll be fine. I’ll adjust in a few days.”

Jiang Suihan was already sleep-deprived and not feeling very hungry. She had one vegetable bun, a few bites of noodles, and half a meat bun before feeling full. She then went out to get hot water to prepare milk for Chenchen.

Chenchen, with his big, bright, black eyes, looked up at his dad, drooling slightly as his gaze expressed a strong desire to eat.

Xu Zhao glanced at the door and quickly fed Chenchen a noodle. As the soup-soaked noodle reached his mouth, Chenchen’s eyes lit up, and he waved his little hands excitedly.

Xu Zhao poked Chenchen’s nose with a smile, saying, “Little foodie.”

He had learned this term from Jiang Suihan, who sometimes called her younger brother a foodie. It was quite fitting.

After finishing the noodles, Chenchen blinked at his dad.

Xu Zhao smiled, “Still hungry?”

Chenchen seemed to understand and nodded his little head.

Hurry up, I want more to eat!

Xu Zhao nervously peeked at the door again and fed Chenchen a bit more noodle. Chenchen waved his little hands in delight, grinning widely.