Chapter 95.1

Jiang Suihan turned her head to him and asked, “What?”

His sudden question about whether she wanted to stay in the capital made her feel a bit uneasy.

Xu Zhao played with her long, fair fingers, which clearly weren’t the hands of someone who did manual labor. He looked up at her earnestly. “Mom just told me in the kitchen that she wants you to stay. You’re pregnant, and the long train ride back home might be tough on your body. I’m often out on missions and can’t take care of you. Grandpa hasn’t been in great health these past two years, so Mom needs to be home with him. With you pregnant and Chenchen still so small, you might find it hard to manage everything.”

He felt hesitant and conflicted. From a rational standpoint, Mom was right—staying in the capital would be much better than being at the base. There were people at home, plus a housekeeper, making everything more convenient. His family could take good care of Jiang Suihan. However, if he were to express his true feelings, he didn’t want to be apart from her. The thought of her not being by his side made him uncomfortable.

He had grown accustomed to holding her while they slept at night, waking up each morning to see her beside him, and wanting to bring her treats to enjoy together. The idea of suddenly being separated felt painful.

Jiang Suihan noticed his furrowed brow and gently touched his face. “Do you want me to stay in the capital?”

She didn’t answer directly but turned the question back on him.

Xu Zhao paused for a moment. “Everyone’s in the capital—my parents and my sister. They can take good care of you.”

Jiang Suihan gazed into his eyes. “They can take care of me, but what about you? Can’t you take care of me? Besides, I’m not helpless. I can look after myself.”

Xu Zhao stroked her belly, remaining silent.

Jiang Suihan stood on her toes, pinched his face, and pretended to be angry. “Aren’t you the one who talks so much? Why are you quiet now?”

Xu Zhao let her play with his face. “I’m listening to you.”

Jiang Suihan lightly huffed. “Then listen to me: I don’t want to stay.”

Xu Zhao wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned his forehead against hers. “Why?”

Hearing her answer, his anxious heart settled, and a smile crept onto his lips.

“There’s no reason for everything. You’re just pretending not to know,” Jiang Suihan wrinkled her nose, looking up at him with bright, clear eyes reflecting his image. “Now let me ask you—do you want me to stay?”

Xu Zhao paused before answering, “No.”

What man would want to live alone, away from his wife and child?

Jiang Suihan gently tapped his forehead, laughing. “Then that’s settled. We agreed before, wherever you go, I go. I’m not the kind of person who can only enjoy good times and not endure hardships. Don’t underestimate me. We’re a couple, and with Chenchen, we should stay together as a family.”

Her little expressions were quite adorable.

Xu Zhao lightly bit her lip, his voice muffled. “Our Sui Sui is the best.”

Just then, a small, furry head popped up between them.

Chenchen looked up, hands gripping his mother’s legs, grinning like a little fool. “I want one too!”

The child spoke early and was learning more words, but his tongue still struggled with some sounds.

The warm atmosphere was instantly shattered. Xu Zhao rubbed his temples in frustration, muttering, “Brat!”

Jiang Suihan leaned against him, stifling a laugh.

After having a child, finding a quiet personal space wasn’t easy.

Xu Zhao bent down and picked up Chenchen. The boy preferred his mother’s soft embrace to his father’s strong chest.

Chenchen stretched his small hands toward his mother, but despite using all his strength, he couldn’t budge his father’s strong arms. Exhausted, his little face turned red, and sweat beaded on his forehead.

Xu Zhao looked down at his son. “Not going to make a fuss anymore?”

Chenchen turned away, giving his dad the back of his head, pitifully complaining to his mother, “Daddy is bad.”

Jiang Suihan patted Chenchen’s little face. “Right, Daddy is so bad. We won’t play with him.”

Chenchen struggled to get down, and Xu Zhao let him go. As soon as his feet hit the ground, he scampered over to his mother.

Jiang Suihan crouched down to welcome her precious son, but Xu Zhao secretly reached out and grabbed Chenchen by the collar, forcing him to stop, his little legs kicking in the air.

Chenchen turned his head. “Bad!”

Jiang Suihan couldn’t hold back her laughter. “Alright, stop causing trouble. If Grandma sees, she’ll definitely scold you.”

As soon as she finished speaking, they heard Grandma’s urgent voice: “Xu Zhao, let him go! Carrying him like that will make him uncomfortable. Are you even his father? With a dad like you, our Chenchen is suffering.”

Suyi pushed Xu Zhao away, hugging her precious grandson. “Don’t worry, Grandma will scare off Daddy. Chenchen, don’t be afraid.”

With that, she slapped Xu Zhao’s arm.

Chenchen blinked in surprise, his big, round eyes wide, then broke into a cheerful smile, clapping his little hands, revealing his tiny teeth.

The child’s sudden reaction stunned everyone present. Jiang Suihan laughed uncontrollably, nearly shaking out of her skin.

Suyi laughed until she had tears in her eyes, teasing her son, “Look at you today! You bullied your own son and now you’re dumbfounded? Chenchen can be temperamental too.”

Xu Zhao was both angry and amused, pinching his son’s little face. “Look at you being so capable! Just remember not to come to me for milk or diaper changes.”

Chenchen scrunched up his little face and slapped his dad’s hand, as if to say, “How dare you pinch me?”

The child’s strength was small and didn’t hurt. Xu Zhao felt embarrassed and huffed, “What’s with the little temper? What’s wrong with a pinch? You’re my son. I take care of you every day, making milk at midnight and washing diapers in winter, and you’re glaring at me?”

Xu Zhenguo: “Who’s your dad?”

Xu Zhao calmly replied, “Of course, I’m my son’s dad.”

Xu Zhenguo walked over, picked up Chenchen from Su Ying’s arms, and glanced at Xu Zhao. “I thought you forgot who your dad is.”

Xu Zhao looked at the child bouncing in Grandpa’s arms, thankful that his dad was strong; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to hold onto this little guy.

Grandpa Xu cheerfully pulled out a toy tank from his pocket. The little tank was exquisitely made and clearly not cheap. Chenchen’s eyes lit up when he saw it, and he reached out to grab it and start playing, completely ignoring his father, who had just made him upset.

At dinner that night, Su Ying happily announced to the family that her daughter-in-law was pregnant again, and they would be welcoming another baby.

Grandpa Xu cheerfully urged his son to bring out the rare wine he had treasured for years. Both father and son loved to drink, but with Grandpa getting older and not in good health, the doctor had advised him to watch his diet and limit alcohol.

Holding onto the wine bottle tightly, Grandpa Xu said, “It’s New Year’s, and my granddaughter-in-law is pregnant again. Double happiness! We should celebrate!”

Grandpa Xu had a good reason, and Xu Zhenguo could see that his father was genuinely eager. Plus, he had been eyeing that bottle of wine for a long time, so he didn’t stop him but just watched to make sure he didn’t drink too much.

The Xu family’s New Year’s meal was lavish, featuring plenty of fish and meat. There was braised pork, steamed fish, four happiness meatballs, and yam chicken soup. What delighted Jiang Suihan the most was the shrimp, which she loved.

Since the capital is far from the sea, seafood is expensive and hard to come by during the New Year. This pound of shrimp was something her mother-in-law had rushed to buy early that morning at the nearby market. The Xu family had a housekeeper, a relative from back home, who came to help out. She hadn’t returned home in two years, and during the holidays, she was given two weeks off before coming back. For the past few days, all the meals had been prepared by her mother-in-law, with Jiang Suihan occasionally lending a hand.

However, after learning that her daughter-in-law was pregnant, Su Ying didn’t let her touch anything in the kitchen, treating her to plenty of delicious food, which made Jiang Suihan feel a bit guilty, as if she were being spoiled.

When the shrimp arrived, Su Ying immediately asked Jiang Suihan how to prepare it. Mingjiang City was a coastal city, and its residents often ate seafood, typically cooking it in a way that preserved its freshness. The most common method for shrimp is simply boiling it.

Jiang Suihan loved shrimp but was too lazy to peel them herself, afraid of getting her hands dirty. Xu Zhao, noticing this, picked up a shrimp and began to peel it. His long, slender fingers made the task look effortless. However, since he didn’t have much practice, he was a bit slow. Just as he had peeled half of it, a small, chubby hand reached out beside him.

Jiang Leyun grinned at his sister, “Sister, eat shrimp! After you’re done, I’ll peel some for you.” He looked over at his brother-in-law with a bit of mischief.

Xu Zhao shot a glance at his brother-in-law, and Jiang Leyun quickly shrank back, too intimidated to tease further.

Jiang Suihan looked at the pile of shrimp in her bowl and sighed softly, “That’s enough, really.”

Xu Zhao had only peeled one shrimp for his grandparents, leaving the rest for her, which made her feel a little embarrassed.

Compared to shrimp, Chenchen preferred meat. The tender, juicy braised pork was his favorite. With a spoonful of rice and a spoonful of braised pork, he sat happily on his grandmother’s lap, his face smeared with grease.

Xu Zhao picked up a napkin to wipe his hands, then attempted to clean Chenchen’s face. Chenchen turned away in disgust, “No!”

Su Ying laughed, teasing the child, “Oh, our Chenchen has his little temper now! He doesn’t want the dirty napkin Daddy used. Grandma will get you a clean one in a moment.”

Jiang Suihan added, “You’ve already wiped your hands with that, and now you want to use it on our son? Are you that critical of him?”

Xu Zhao silently set down the napkin, “I forgot.”

He really did forget, as he had been preoccupied with thoughts of Jiang Suihan’s pregnancy.

“Do you want some fish?” Xu Zhao asked, picking up a piece of fish meat. They had bought a live fish that morning and kept it in a basin of water. The steamed fish was delicious and had no fishy smell.

Previously, when she was pregnant with Chenchen, the smell of fish made Jiang Suihan nauseous. She wrinkled her nose at the thought but bit into a small piece and, to her surprise, didn’t gag. After swallowing, she found her appetite coming back.

“I want more.”

Su Ying quickly encouraged her, “If you like it, eat more! I’ll go to the market tomorrow morning and get some more for you. Fish is nutritious and won’t make you gain weight.”

The fish was a bit far away, but Xu Zhao reached over easily, removing the bones and placing the fish meat into Jiang Suihan’s bowl.

With the elders watching, Jiang Suihan felt a little shy, as if being pregnant meant she couldn’t move and could only sit there waiting to be served.

By the end of the meal, Jiang Suihan had eaten more than half of the fish, several shrimp, and only picked at the chicken and braised pork, leaving most of it untouched. She had eaten a good portion of rice but still had a bit left.

Noticing she was counting the grains of rice, Xu Zhao realized she was full. He took her bowl, dumped the remaining rice into his, and stood up to pour her a bowl of soup, saying, “It’s a bit hot.”

The chicken soup had simmered for hours and smelled wonderful. Jiang Suihan preferred her soup hot, and after finishing it, she set down the bowl.

“Do you want more? There’s still some in the pot,” Xu Zhao asked.

Jiang Suihan shook her head, “I’m full.”