Chapter 31: Hotpot

“The baby’s fever is caused by a viral infection. All the blood work results are fine, no big issues,” the doctor said as she looked at Xiao Wen’s test results.

Zhu Jia asked, “This is his first fever. Is there anything we should be careful about?”

The doctor, reviewing Xiao Wen’s medical records, said, “At eight months old, babies are more susceptible to illness.” She looked up at the young parents in front of her. “At this age, their immunity tends to weaken because the antibodies from the mother gradually fade away, while their own immune system hasn’t fully developed.”

Although the night-shift doctor was tired, she took the time to explain a little more, “If the temperature exceeds 38.5°C, give fever medicine. You can repeat it every four hours. If the fever doesn’t subside in three days, come back for a check-up.”

Zhu Jia nodded in understanding. The doctor didn’t say more, as this was a common situation with the change of seasons. Most babies were fine, and it was just a test to help them build immunity.

At 4:30 AM, Zhu Jia, holding the medicine prescribed by the doctor, and Mo Yichen, holding the now-sleeping Xiao Wen, finally returned home.

Seeing the fatigue on Zhu Jia’s face, Mo Yichen glanced at her with concern. “Tonight, Xiao Wen will sleep with me. You go rest.”

Zhu Jia looked up, surprised.

“It’s almost dawn. I’ll keep an eye on him. You should sleep,” Mo Yichen insisted as he carried Xiao Wen upstairs.

Zhu Jia went back to her room, feeling a mix of emotions. She finally understood how important it was to have a reliable partner during parenting. Though she could handle many things on her own, the feeling of having someone to share the burden was truly comforting.

After staying up all night, Zhu Jia fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

In the next few days, Zhu Jia carefully monitored Xiao Wen’s condition. Fortunately, after getting through the first night, Xiao Wen didn’t have a fever again. Apart from the difficulty of giving him medicine, his condition gradually improved day by day.

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One day, just after Xiao Wen finished his afternoon nap, Zhu Jia’s phone rang.

“Qing Qing?” Zhu Jia answered the phone with a smile.

“Big sister-in-law! Second sister-in-law finally gave birth this morning! It’s a little sister! How about we go visit them in a few days?” The excited voice of Mo Qingqing came from the other side of the phone.

Zhu Jia’s eyes lit up, and she became excited, “Lin Lin gave birth? How so soon? Wasn’t the due date still half a month away?”

“Yeah, it was so sudden. I heard Second Sister-in-law’s water broke yesterday, and Second Brother was so shocked,” Mo Qingqing whispered to Zhu Jia, sharing a bit of gossip. “How about we go visit them on Sunday? Chengxin and I are both free that day.”

“Sure, no problem. We’ll see each other on Sunday,” Zhu Jia said as she hung up with a smile.

She opened Lin Lin’s Moments and saw an update from 10 AM that showed a photo.

In the photo was a newborn with a bit of red in her eyes, and she didn’t look very good, but Zhu Jia’s gaze softened, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile.

It seemed that ever since she became a mother, seeing any child made her smile uncontrollably.

On Sunday afternoon, Zhu Jia, with Xiao Wen in tow, went to the hospital to visit Lin Lin with Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin.

Zhu Jia brought a beautifully packaged newborn gift set containing stylish baby clothes, hats, and wraps. Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin also had gifts and the four of them headed to Lin Lin’s hospital room.

This private hospital was well-known for its maternity ward. Not only was it spacious and cozy, but it also had the best team of obstetricians and state-of-the-art equipment in the city.

When they arrived at the ward, Lin Lin was lying at an angle on her bed. She looked pale and exhausted but her eyes sparkled with vitality. Her husband was feeding her some afternoon congee. Next to the bed was a small baby crib.

“You guys are here?” Lin Lin greeted them with the same gentle tone as always.

“Second Sister-in-law, how do you feel?” Mo Qingqing quickly ran to Lin Lin’s bed, then turned to look at the baby in the crib, exclaiming, “Oh my gosh, the baby is so tiny! She’s so mini!”

Mo Chengxin, who was standing by, quickly said, “Sister, don’t speak so loudly, the baby is sleeping!”

Zhu Jia, holding Xiao Wen, stepped forward to check on Lin Lin. “Lin Lin, how are you feeling now?”

“I’m feeling much better now, but the labor was really tough. I ran out of strength, and it took so long that the baby didn’t come out,” Lin Lin replied, her voice trembling as she nearly choked up.

Her husband, sitting beside her, couldn’t bear to see her like this. He immediately fed her a spoonful of sweet porridge. “Don’t be sad. We won’t have any more babies after this.”

Just after giving birth, Lin Lin was more delicate than usual. She gave her husband a red-eyed glare before obediently eating the porridge.

Zhu Jia couldn’t help but smile, her eyes turning into crescents. This couple was so adorable, so sweet.

Zhu Jia then moved toward the crib, where the little baby was sleeping peacefully. “Xiao Wen, you’re going to be a big brother now. Look, this little baby is your sister. From now on, you need to set a good example for her and be a good boy, okay?”

Xiao Wen stared at the baby in the crib without blinking, mumbling words no one could understand, reaching out his hand to touch her.

“You can’t touch her yet. You’ll have to wait until she’s a bit bigger before you can play with her.”

Zhu Jia looked at the crib and recognized it as the same model Xiao Wen had slept in when he first came home. It seemed that Xiao Wen was born in this hospital as well.

She gazed thoughtfully at the little newborn inside, remembering how Xiao Wen had been when he first came to her—a delicate and soft little thing.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Wen was already over eight months old, growing from a baby who could only cry and drink milk into a little rascal who could crawl, laugh, and even argue with adults.

Zhu Jia felt both sweet and bittersweet. Time flew by so quickly, but she also felt comforted knowing that the people around her were growing at such a delightful pace.

While everyone was admiring the baby, she suddenly started crying.

Lin Lin’s husband quickly pressed the nurse’s bell, and soon a nurse arrived to pick up the baby.

“She’s probably hungry. Do you want to feed her now?” the nurse asked. Lin Lin was breastfeeding, but there were visitors in the room.

Zhu Jia immediately understood and said, “Lin Lin, you rest. We’ll leave today, but we’ll come back to see you next time.”

As she spoke, she handed Lin Lin a thick red envelope. “This is for the baby, for good luck. Please take it.” After all, as the eldest sister-in-law, she had to give a red envelope.

Lin Lin smiled and accepted it obediently. Zhu Jia then said her goodbyes and left the room with Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin. It was already 4:30 in the afternoon.

“Big sister-in-law, come have dinner with us tonight. Let’s go eat hot pot, okay?”

Zhu Jia thought for a moment and realized she was in the mood for hot pot. “Sure! How about we have it at our place? We can buy some ingredients at the supermarket!”

Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin, who had been eagerly waiting for her answer, both lowered their heads when they heard this.

Zhu Jia couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry, your big brother is going on a business trip abroad tonight and won’t be home for the next two weeks.” A few days ago, Mo Yichen had told her he was going on a business trip, though she wasn’t sure why he often told her his schedule lately.

Mo Qingqing’s eyes brightened. “Great! Then I’ll play with Xiao Wen longer tonight and won’t go home early.” She tugged at Mo Chengxin’s sleeve. “Let’s go buy the ingredients!”

Mo Chengxin nodded, a shy smile spreading across his face.

Zhu Jia thought to herself, How much do these two siblings fear their big brother?

In a EuroLe supermarket in the city center, a man was pushing a shopping cart while two women walked beside him, picking items. On the cart sat a child under a year old, curiously looking around.

“This is Xiao Wen’s first time at the supermarket, and I didn’t expect him to be so well-behaved, sitting quietly in the cart without making a fuss.” Zhu Jia and Mo Qingqing were selecting hotpot beef slices in the frozen section while watching Mo Chengxin, who was playfully waving a candy in front of Xiao Wen.

“Don’t worry, big sister-in-law. Although my brother is a boy, he’s very thoughtful. You don’t need to worry about Xiao Wen with him.” Mo Qingqing, with her arm linked with Zhu Jia’s, turned back to continue choosing meatballs.

“Your personalities are totally different from your eldest brother’s.” Zhu Jia said, thoughtfully looking at Mo Qingqing.

“Sigh, from the first time we met, Big Brother has disliked us.” Mo Qingqing leaned close to Zhu Jia’s ear. “When we first arrived at the Mo family, my brother was eleven and I was six. I remember that the previous Mrs. Mo had just passed away not long before we were brought into the house.”

Mo Qingqing sighed again. “At the time, I think Big Brother was in college. When he saw us, without a word, he moved out of the old house. It wasn’t until I grew up that I understood why he disliked us so much—after all, my mom and dad must have gotten together a long time before that.”

Mo Qingqing bit her lip. It was certainly an unflattering situation, but such things were probably common in rich families.

“It’s not your fault.” Zhu Jia thought for a moment before saying this. Neither Mo Qingqing, Mo Chengxin, nor Mo Yichen should be involved in the grievances of the previous generation.

Mo Qingqing nodded in agreement. She didn’t overthink these things, and the only impact they had on her was her fear of Mo Yichen.

As they continued talking and picking out items—hotpot ingredients, fruits, soda, snacks for Xiao Wen—the shopping cart quickly became filled to the brim.

After buying several large bags of items, the four of them returned to the villa. When they arrived, the two siblings were unusually restrained.

“What’s wrong? Come in quickly,” Zhu Jia said, puzzled, as she looked at the two siblings standing awkwardly by the entrance.

Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin cautiously entered, each carrying shopping bags. “Big sister-in-law, you don’t know…we have a bit of a psychological trauma.”

Zhu Jia raised an eyebrow. After asking, she learned that when Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin came with their mother to visit Mo Yichen in the past, Mo Yichen had made them stand in the entrance for an hour before they could meet him.

Zhu Jia was speechless: “That’s too harsh…”

She cast a sympathetic glance at the siblings.

At this point, Aunt Liu had already prepared the hotpot dishes and base. They only needed to clean and prepare the ingredients before they could start eating.

The two hotpots, one red and one white, were steaming. Surrounding them were plenty of hotpot ingredients: fresh red beef and lamb slices, duck intestines, shrimp balls, pig brain, cuttlefish balls, sweet potato noodles, tofu skin, enoki mushrooms, chrysanthemum leaves…

Zhu Jia placed Xiao Wen in a children’s high chair at the table, planning to feed him baby food while she ate.

Everyone was a little hungry, and as they watched the steaming hotpot, they couldn’t help but swallow.

“Let’s start eating,” Zhu Jia said, as the hotpot base boiled. She was about to dip some beef slices in when the sound of the door opening came from the entrance.

When they saw who it was, Mo Qingqing and Mo Chengxin hurriedly set down their chopsticks, stood up nervously, and whispered, “Big, Big Brother…”

Dressed in black, Mo Yichen walked in, his expression cold as he looked at the guests at the table.