Chapter 74

Because of the so-called joke, this family gathering at the Song household wasn’t as joyful. After the meal, the relatives from both families left, leaving only Shen Li and Song Chaowen’s friends behind.

Perhaps thanks to Baby Panda’s promise, Nongnong quickly seemed to forget about the incident and happily played in the small garden with Baby Panda.

Shen Li stood in front of the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window, watching Nongnong’s smiling face and finally breathed a sigh of relief. She rested a hand on her still-flat belly and sincerely thanked Xu Yuan beside her.

“Baby Panda and Nongnong are good friends; it’s only natural to protect your friends.”

Shen Li shook her head with a smile. “Baby Panda is such a wonderful child. Xiaoyuan, do you know? Sometimes I feel that adults can be quite selfish.”

“How so?” Xu Yuan casually asked.

“Clearly, we want a second child, but we hope more than anyone that the first child accepts this and looks forward to it just as we do. If they don’t, many people will think the child is being unreasonable, right? It’s our decision to have another child, yet we still worry. They can’t decide their own birth; does that mean they can’t decide whether they want a younger brother or sister? It’s quite contradictory.”

Xu Yuan understood that Shen Li’s moodiness stemmed from her pregnancy. She stepped closer, wrapped an arm around her shoulder, and softly reassured her, “They can’t choose their own birth, and sometimes they can’t even choose whether they want siblings. We can’t expect them to anticipate another little life like we do.”

“Nongnong is really looking forward to having a younger brother or sister. You and Chaowen should discuss how to help Nongnong forget about what happened earlier; that’s the most important thing right now.”

“Hmm, you’re right.” Shen Li turned to Xu Yuan. “Xiaoyuan, you know how much I love Nongnong, right?”

“Of course I do.”

While there are indeed mothers in the world who don’t love their children, both Xu Yuan and Shen Li are the kind of mothers who would do anything for their kids.

“I won’t allow anyone to hurt her, not even myself.” As Shen Li spoke, her eyes reddened. “Having a second child won’t make me love her any less—not even a tiny bit!”

Xu Yuan sighed. “Nongnong will understand in the future.”

Just as adults rarely truly grasp a child’s inner world, children rarely understand their parents’ concerns.

As evening approached, Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan took Baby Panda home.

Nongnong was still reluctant to part with Baby Panda. In fact, they were still attending the same primary school; they just had different classes, so they would see each other every day.

As netizens often say, these two children are truly childhood sweethearts.

Once home, Baby Panda usually took his own bath, but today he was too tired from playing and was drenched in sweat. Xu Yuan worried he wouldn’t clean himself properly, so she asked Meng Zhengrong to help him wash up.

Baby Panda sat in the bathtub, letting Meng Zhengrong wash his hair. The father and son were in good spirits, chatting away casually.

Suddenly, Baby Panda asked, “Dad, do you want to have another son or daughter?”

Meng Zhengrong knew this was a side effect of what had happened earlier that day.

He seriously thought about the question and replied earnestly, “I do, but right now, your mom and I are too busy.”

It wasn’t that Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan didn’t want another child; it was simply a matter of timing.

Especially now, with Xu Yuan running a company, she wouldn’t have the time for the next couple of years. They could only consider it once the company was on track.

Meng Zhengrong and Xu Yuan had reached a consensus when it came to raising their child: to be as honest with him as possible.

After hearing Meng Zhengrong’s answer, Baby Panda nodded, looking like a little adult. “Can I give my future brother or sister a nickname?”

“Of course you can.” Meng Zhengrong rinsed the foam from his hair with the showerhead.

“Let’s call them Baby Panda Junior. It sounds like a brother or sister!”

Meng Zhengrong thought for a moment and surprisingly found it quite good.

Baby Panda and Baby Panda Junior—it was perfect!

“Alright. I’ll definitely take your suggestion into account.”

Baby Panda immediately perked up with joy.

Meng Zhengrong felt pleased as well; Baby Panda didn’t ask if he would love him less once Baby Panda Junior arrived.

Perhaps Baby Panda hadn’t even considered that question. He had just told Nongnong today that Mommy and Daddy wouldn’t love her any less just because they had another child; in fact, another little baby would love her just like Mommy and Daddy did.

A child who can express such thoughts must be growing up in a loving environment.

Meng Zhengrong should be proud; he and Xu Yuan had provided Baby Panda with such a wonderful upbringing.

After Baby Panda finished his bath, as usual, Xu Yuan came to his bedroom to talk with him. Sometimes, she wondered if her frequent conversations with him had sparked his linguistic talent.

Although this thought might seem self-serving, Xu Yuan felt quite happy about it.

Her son might be better than her in the future, and he might even catch up to his dad. That made her delighted.

Even though Baby Panda could be a little rascal, he had one wonderful trait: he was never mischievous at the wrong times.

For example, when they took him to the movies, even if he didn’t want to see it, he would never complain or cause a fuss.

In Xu Yuan’s eyes, she couldn’t stand those kinds of children, so she would never allow her child to be like that.

Baby Panda nestled under the covers, his big eyes fixed on Xu Yuan, as if he had something to say.

Xu Yuan played along, asking, “Do you have something to say to Mommy?”

She was unsure if he wanted a robot or a remote-controlled plane.

Whenever he had a request, he would always act like this, and Xu Yuan had grown accustomed to it.

Baby Panda nodded vigorously. “Mommy, Daddy told me he wants another son or daughter, but you guys are too busy, so I don’t have any siblings.”

Xu Yuan knew that what had happened earlier would definitely have affected Baby Panda, so she was mentally prepared. Hearing this, she replied honestly, “That’s right; we’re all too busy.”

“Then,” Baby Panda said seriously, trying to mimic adult speech, “if you could let me know before planning for the baby, I would be really happy.”

Hearing Baby Panda say that made Xu Yuan feel a pang in her heart, and she quickly reassured him, “We will definitely consult you first, Baby Panda. You’re very important; you’re part of this family. We have to discuss any decisions we make.”

“Mommy, I know that even if you have a younger brother or sister, you will still love me the same way.” Baby Panda said confidently. “So I’m at ease. Whenever you want to have a baby and have time, just let me know, and I can prepare to be a good big brother.”

Baby Panda was so considerate and mature that Xu Yuan felt a bit shy.

“Mommy, I also want to tell you that even if I have a younger brother or sister, I will still love you and Daddy just the same. That won’t change.”

“Really?” Xu Yuan teased. “Will you still love us the same way when you have a girlfriend?”

Baby Panda’s expression turned serious. “That’s something that will happen many years from now; I’ll answer you then.”

Xu Yuan couldn’t help but laugh, reaching out to tousle Baby Panda’s hair and bending down to kiss his forehead. “Alright, I’ll ask you again then.”

After a pause, she smiled and added, “But are you sure that will happen many years from now? You might want to date in just a few years.”

Baby Panda’s face turned red, and he turned his head away from Xu Yuan. “I’m not going to date early!”

“Setting a flag too early isn’t a good thing.”

After chatting with Baby Panda for a while, Xu Yuan left his bedroom.

On her way back to the master bedroom, she passed by Meng Zhengrong’s study. The door was open, and he was bent over writing something. Xu Yuan didn’t go in; she leaned against the door and asked, “Aren’t you sleeping yet? What are you busy with?”

Meng Zhengrong looked up and smiled at her. “I’ll be going to bed soon; you go ahead.”

“Alright then.”

Xu Yuan was exhausted from the day and, as soon as her head hit the pillow, fell into a deep sleep. She didn’t even wake up when Meng Zhengrong lay down beside her and held her close.

They had been together for several years, so they were too familiar with each other’s bodies and scents.

Touching or smelling one another brought a sense of security.

The next morning, when Xu Yuan woke up, Meng Zhengrong had already taken Baby Panda out for a morning jog.

Baby Panda had previously been slightly overweight. To help him exercise and strengthen his physique, Meng Zhengrong took on this daunting task, waking up half an hour early every morning to take him running.

Fortunately, it was effective; Baby Panda’s physique was now quite standard, and his health had improved significantly.

Xu Yuan sat up, planning to slip into her slippers and head to the bathroom to wash up as usual. However, she inadvertently caught sight of a brown paper envelope on the bedside table and a flower dewy with moisture, which looked freshly picked.

Another surprise?

She picked up the flower and smelled it, which still carried a faint fragrance, making her feel quite happy.

She opened the envelope, and inside was a letter. Could it be that he was writing this last night?

Meng Zhengrong had beautiful penmanship.

The familiar handwriting greeted her eyes, yet the salutation felt a little strange.

[Dear Miss Xu,]

Hello:

You’ve probably received a lot of love letters in your life. If you’ve never received a love letter from your husband, you might end up finding reasons to argue with me when you’re eighty, reminiscing about the past.

Being as clever as I am, I certainly won’t allow such a situation to happen.

It’s strange; although our child is already six years old, we should have settled into a routine by now. In fact, our life is relatively routine; we develop in our respective fields, and most of the time we spend together is devoted to that damned bed.

However, my feelings for you remain as passionate as when we first fell in love; they have never changed.

I get anxious and restless when you suddenly become cold and moody.

I’m overjoyed when you suddenly kiss me affectionately, and it makes me happy all day.

Sometimes, while busy, a thought suddenly flashes through my mind: what are you doing at this moment?

I won’t hide it; this has become my entertainment during busy work hours. In ancient times, without mobile phones or computers, how did lovers get by? Probably like this.

I’m several years older than you, and I should be more mature, guiding you towards a happier life. As I write this letter, I try hard to recall; it seems I’ve never played the role of a leader. Yet, I don’t feel like I’ve failed at all because, looking back, this long road has been walked hand in hand.

No one has lagged behind; no one is inferior to the other. That’s great.

In the past, I hated the passage of time. I longed to stay young forever, to never grow old. But after having you and Panda, I’ve begun to enjoy the passage of time.

Because I can look forward to growing old with you until we leave this world. Because I can anticipate seeing our child settle down and achieve their goals one day.

Perhaps this is the meaning of marriage.

I used to not understand what love was; now, I vaguely understand.

Thank you.

If possible, please keep this love letter safe because it’s the only love letter your husband will write in this lifetime. Thank you.

Xu Yuan smiled, genuinely happy and content.

Mr. Meng, this is also the only love letter I will receive in my lifetime.

Thank you.

Author’s Note:

The story ends here. Of course, in another parallel universe, perhaps Mr. and Mrs. Meng are happily living together.

I’ve written a few romance novels and can say I wrote them with idealism. After all, life has too many frictions, and I still hope that the stories can be more complete.

To all the readers, some of you might still be in love, some enjoying the freedom of being single, and some already married with children. No matter which category you fall into, I hope you can be as happy as Mrs. Meng.

***

T/N: We’ve come to the end of this story, and I just want to say a big thank you for sticking with me till the end. Your support has meant so much. I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed translating it. Wishing you good health and happiness, and I look forward to seeing you in my other translation projects! ୧(-′º◡º‵)(′º◡º‵-)୨

Check out Ayalee’s other translation projects here  ʚ(*´꒳`*)ɞ