Chapter 73.2

When Lu Nong woke up, the sunlight flooded the room. She squinted uncomfortably, feeling as though she had just experienced a long dream in which she returned to the modern world to help the original owner deal with a scumbag. After confronting the scumbag, she even gave the original owner a lesson on values. She wondered if the original owner would ever make a comeback in the future.

She turned sideways and found a swaddling cloth under her arm, inside which was a wrinkled little baby.

The moment she saw the baby, Lu Nong’s heart melted.

“Hello, Pei Xia. I’m your mother, and I hope to learn a lot from you,” Lu Nong said as she gently shook Pei Xia’s tiny hand.

Pei Xia pouted her lips and began to whimper, which left Lu Nong feeling flustered. What was going on? She hadn’t even squeezed too hard, so why was the baby crying?

In a panic, Lu Nong looked around for help. Just then, Aunt Wu walked in with a kettle. Seeing that Lu Nong was awake, she was nearly in tears. “My lady, you’re finally awake. The doctor said you were just exhausted and needed some rest. But sleeping for two days straight isn’t good. You don’t know how worried your husband has been. He watched over you for two whole days and went out to get you food at dawn.”

Lu Nong was stunned. She just had a dream. Had she really slept for two days?

“My poor little ancestor has only been drinking milk powder these past two days. You need to feed her now.”

“How to feed?” Lu Nong asked stupidly.

Aunt Wu chuckled, covering her mouth. “You feed her milk.”

Lu Nong: “…” She has been sleeping for two days. Does she have milk?

She looked around and found that there was not even a curtain. The woman in the next bed lifted her clothes to feed her baby, and the man in the other bed was sitting on a chair watching, as if the person in front of him was no longer a woman, but just a breastfeeding person. It was as if he didn’t even care about modesty.

Lu Nong felt embarrassed. She didn’t want to do things this way and said to Aunt Wu, “Godmother, did we bring any curtains? I’d like to put one up.”

Aunt Wu realized what Lu Nong was getting at. “Are you feeling shy?”

Lu Nong nodded.

“I didn’t think about that when I was packing… what should we do?” Aunt Wu knew Lu Nong was particular about these things and didn’t try to convince her otherwise.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Nong suggested, “Why don’t we ask that man to step outside for a bit?”

“Alright! I’ll go ask him.”

Aunt Wu gritted her teeth, stood up, and walked to the bed of the second woman, addressing the accompanying man. “Excuse me, comrade, our child needs to be fed, and it’s a bit inconvenient for her with you here. Would you mind stepping outside for a moment?”

The man didn’t respond, but his wife immediately objected, her big belly on display. “What’s there to be shy about after giving birth? Just look at the girl in the third bed; she’s nursing just fine. Why should your child be treated like royalty just because she’s a girl?”

“Not going to happen. If you have the ability, go find a place without anyone around to feed her!”

The woman kept chattering, giving Aunt Wu no chance to speak. After finishing, she muttered under her breath, “A precious little girl who’s fussing over milk powder. If she doesn’t like it, she should give it to us instead.”

Aunt Wu was furious.

Just then, Pei Ji’an and Pei Zheng walked in, one carrying a lunchbox and the other holding Huaihuai.

When Pei Ji’an saw that Lu Nong was awake, he quickly set down the lunch box and grabbed her shoulders, staring at her intently.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Lu Nong asked, feeling uneasy.

Pei Ji’an seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and replied, “It’s nothing.”

“Did something happen earlier?”

Aunt Wu returned, clutching her chest. She said to Pei Ji’an, “Xia Xia is hungry and needs to be fed. Nong Nong thinks it’s inconvenient to have a man in the room while she’s breastfeeding. I went over to ask the man in the second bed to step out for a moment, but that woman refused and mocked us for having a girl.”

“Oh, I’m so pissed off.”

Lu Nong hurriedly handed the baby to Pei Ji’an and helped Aunt Wu rub her chest. “Don’t be angry. I can just turn around…”

Pei Ji’an held the little bundle carefully, afraid of hurting her. As the baby whined softly, it broke his heart.

He glanced sharply at the man in the room. The man didn’t dare to look at Pei Ji’an. Seeing this, the man’s wife wanted to make a scene, but was held down by the man.

Pei Ji’an handed the baby to Aunt Wu and scooped Lu Nong into his arms, saying, “It’s my fault. Let’s move into a single room.”

Seeing that her son-in-law had picked Lu Nong up, Aunt Wu felt reassured. She hurriedly instructed Pei Zheng to pack their things. “The bed sheets, quilt covers, washbasin, spittoon and kettle are all ours. Xiao Zheng, you pack them carefully. I’ll send the child over first and come back to help you pack.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everything is spotless!” Pei Zheng exaggeratedly emphasized the word “spotless,” clearly doing it on purpose.

While Lu Nong was sleeping, the couple from the second bed tried to sneak into her space under the pretense of casual chatting. Thankfully, Pei Zheng saw through their intentions and didn’t let them take advantage.

The couple missed their chance, and when Pei Ji’an and Pei Zheng stepped out—one to get food and the other to take the baby to the restroom—their expressions toward Lu Nong and Aunt Wu turned cold.

Now, seeing Pei Ji’an carry Lu Nong out and announce they would be moving to a private room, the woman immediately objected. “Why should they get to stay in a private room?”

She shoved her husband. “You tell me, why can they stay in a private room? I want to stay in a private room too!”

The man sighed in annoyance. “Stop making a fuss. Do you think anyone can stay in a private room? The one they’re going to is for cadres. Even if you have money, you can’t stay there, let alone us. Do you want to spend extra money for a private room?”

As soon as the woman heard it would cost more, she was displeased. “Why should I pay more? I thought the price was the same as our room.”

The man scoffed, “What kind of delusional dream are you having?”

The woman was furious but didn’t dare to raise her voice, fearing Pei Zheng would laugh at her.

Meanwhile, Pei Ji’an carried Lu Nong into an empty room, gently placing her on the bed. He helped her lie down and said, “I’m sorry. The hospital director originally wanted you to stay in a private room, but since I thought you wouldn’t be here for long, I declined. I didn’t expect…”

Lu Nong shook her head. “You said it yourself, we won’t be here for long. It’s not your fault.”

Lu Nong couldn’t help but gaze at Pei Ji’an. After two days apart, he looked much more haggard, with stubble on his chin and bloodshot eyes.

She remembered how, during her labor with Pei Xia, Pei Ji’an had whispered “Please” in her ear. Those words had left a profound impact on her. A strong man like Pei Ji’an, proud as he was, had ultimately softened before her.

“I like this ring,” she said, taking it off her finger and handing it to Pei Ji’an. “Can you put it back on for me? I looked so terrible while giving birth.”

Pei Ji’an accepted the ring and quietly placed it back on her finger. “You weren’t ugly. You looked beautiful in my eyes then.”

Pei Ji’an never lied.

Lu Nong smiled in satisfaction, turning the ring over in her hands. The ring symbolized their marriage, making everything feel more official.

She had only mentioned wedding rings once a long time ago while telling stories to Xiao Huai, not realizing that Pei Ji’an had remembered.

“What about you? Where’s your ring?”

She wanted to see Pei Ji’an wear a wedding ring.

Pei Ji’an pulled a matching silver ring from his pocket and handed it to Lu Nong.

Lu Nong feigned confusion. “What are you giving this to me for? Isn’t this your ring?”

Pei Ji’an pressed his lips together and said warningly, “Nong Nong.”

“Alright.” Lu Nong grinned mischievously, taking the ring and slipping it onto Pei Ji’an’s ring finger.

It was remarkable. Once Pei Ji’an wore the ring, he exuded an even more intense aura of restraint. Lu Nong felt like she could burst into flames.

Pei Ji’an wrapped his hand around hers, his eyes filled with unease like shattered ice, and said softly, “Don’t leave.”

Lu Nong was puzzled. When had she planned to leave?

Pei Ji’an didn’t explain. He just held her hand tightly.

Aunt Wu entered the ward, carrying the baby and placing Xiao Xia in Lu Nong’s arms. As soon as Xiao Xia sensed her mother’s scent, she began to nuzzle close.

Lu Nong pulled her hand away and said to Pei Ji’an, “I need to try nursing. Please step outside for a moment.”

Aunt Wu disagreed: “What are you thinking? How can you guarantee that Xia Xia will be able to get milk? If you can’t produce milk, it would be useful to keep the son-in-law here.”

Lu Nong: “…”? ? Godmother! ? You’re supposed to be my mother!

Wasn’t the inability to nurse due to her not having eaten anything?