Winter at the Mei Residence
Winter had arrived, and the weather had turned cold.
Xia City rarely saw snow, but today a thin layer had fallen.
Mu Wan looked out the car window and breathed onto the glass.
A patch of mist appeared.
She drew a heart with her finger.
Liu Qianxiu was stopped at a red light in front of her.
“Liu Qianxiu.”
The man looked back.
Mu Wan smiled and pointed at the heart on the window.
She watched as the corners of his lips gradually lifted and tenderness filled his dark eyes.
The heart slowly disappeared.
Mu Wan breathed onto the glass again and redrew it.
She remembered Finland.
Back then, she had drawn a heart on the window from outside.
It had disappeared almost immediately too.
In the end, Liu Qianxiu had painted the heart onto the house for her with red paint.
Halfway up a mountain covered in white snow, amid forests dusted in white, there had been a single villa.
And on its crystal-clear window, that one point of red had looked warm and bright.
The light turned green.
Liu Qianxiu faced forward and started driving again.
Mu Wan leaned back against the car window.
Her gaze lowered to her rounded abdomen.
Today was the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month.
The Mei family was holding a family dinner, and Old Madam Mei had called to ask Liu Qianxiu and Mu Wan to come.
Originally, she had wanted them to spend New Year’s Eve at the Mei residence as well.
But Liu Qianxiu had only just established his own household this year.
He was also the head of the Liu family and had an entire clan to manage.
So in the end, Old Madam Mei gave up on the idea.
Instead, everyone would simply gather the day before New Year’s Eve.
Mu Wan was now five months pregnant.
She had never suffered from morning sickness, but her abdomen had grown quickly.
Her belly was already quite large.
When she reached three months, Liu Qianxiu had taken her back to live at the Liu residence.
There was a nutritionist there who prepared specialized meals for her.
Mu Wan had not gained much weight.
Apart from her stomach, her limbs remained slender.
When they arrived at the Mei residence, Mu Wan unfastened her seat belt.
Ever since entering her second trimester, she had been sitting in the seat behind the front passenger seat.
She had only just undone the belt when she heard Liu Qianxiu opening his door.
Before getting out, he reminded her,
“Wait.”
Mu Wan did not open the door.
She simply sat there.
A moment later, Liu Qianxiu came around.
He opened the door partway and stood outside, tall and lean.
Then he reached for the scarf behind her and wrapped it carefully around her neck.
Snow had begun falling again.
There was not much accumulation on the lawn.
Short blades of grass still showed through.
Snowy days were not necessarily bitterly cold, but the car had been warm from the heater.
Stepping suddenly into the cold could expose Mu Wan to a sharp temperature change.
Liu Qianxiu was especially careful because he did not want her catching a cold.
Once the scarf was secure, he took her hand.
The two walked toward the Mei residence, one ahead of the other.
Even through the scarf, the air was cool.
Light, icy snowflakes landed on Mu Wan’s face.
She narrowed her eyes slightly.
Breathing in the clean, fresh air, she looked down at her own footsteps while walking.
Her belly rose prominently in front of her.
She found the whole thing strangely amusing.
The two walked slowly, stopping from time to time and joking along the way.
Mei Yaozhi stood at the entrance watching them.
When Mu Wan finally approached, he laughed.
“Why do you look like a penguin?”
Mu Wan and Mei Yaozhi had fairly similar personalities.
They could joke easily with one another.
Mu Wan rubbed her belly and smiled.
“Just wait until I go inside and complain to Grandma.”
“You actually called me fat.”
From inside, Old Madam Mei heard them.
“Who’s calling you fat?”
Mei Yaozhi immediately let out an exaggerated sigh.
Mu Wan was already laughing as she climbed the steps.
The moment she entered, warm air rushed over her.
Her heart warmed along with it.
With a smile on her face, she called sweetly,
“Grandma~”
Mu Wan had never experienced the special affection of grandparents when she was growing up.
But she was beautiful, sweet-tongued, and very good at making elderly people happy.
Old Madam Mei adored this granddaughter-in-law.
Just hearing her call “Grandma” was enough to make the old woman smile from ear to ear.
Naturally, the complaint about Mei Yaozhi had only been a joke.
By the time he entered, Old Madam Mei, Mrs. Mei, and Mei Zhizhi’s wife had already surrounded Mu Wan.
Women seemed to have endless things to talk about when it came to pregnancy.
“How have you been sleeping lately?”
As the belly grew, pregnant women became especially cautious while sleeping, afraid of putting pressure on the baby.
“Pretty well.”
Mu Wan answered,
“My pregnancy doesn’t seem to have caused me any major problems.”
The Mei family had followed her pregnancy closely from the beginning.
Mu Wan had never experienced morning sickness or any other severe symptoms.
Only after confirming that everything had remained fine recently did Old Madam Mei finally relax.
As soon as Liu Qianxiu and Mu Wan arrived, the kitchen announced that dinner was ready.
Everyone sat down together.
Mu Wan had a specially prepared nutritional meal, but she had not completely restricted her diet.
Apart from foods that were genuinely unsuitable during pregnancy, she could eat small amounts of almost anything.
This was not irresponsibility toward the baby.
Mu Wan had simply become more easily tempted by food during pregnancy.
Liu Qianxiu always checked for her first.
Only after confirming something would not affect the fetus did he let her eat it.
After dinner came the usual card games and mahjong.
Mu Wan was carrying a large belly now.
Her stamina was not what it used to be.
Pregnancy had also made her somewhat sleepy.
She only played for a short while.
A little after eight, she withdrew from the table.
Since she needed to rest, Liu Qianxiu did not remain in the mahjong room either.
Holding hands, the two returned to their room.
Calming incense and candles had been lit inside.
Mu Wan showered first.
When she came out, she lay down on the bed.
Liu Qianxiu had already prepared everything.
Once she settled down, he began applying oil to her belly.
Her abdomen had expanded quickly, so stretch marks were possible.
But even before any appeared, Liu Qianxiu had started applying oil to her at the same time every day.
Now her belly was prominently rounded.
Yet the skin remained smooth, pale, and completely free of marks.
Lying on the bed, with the fragrance of the incense helping her relax, Mu Wan gradually became sleepy.
Just as her awareness started to blur, a sudden boom sounded near her ear.
Light flashed across the window.
Mu Wan woke and turned toward it.
Part 2: The Baby Moved
It was not yet New Year’s Eve.
But with the holiday approaching, the atmosphere of the New Year was already spreading everywhere.
Someone outside had begun setting off fireworks.
While Mu Wan watched, another explosion sounded.
Her eyes slowly widened.
A beautiful firework burst across the sky.
“The fireworks are so pretty!”
Mu Wan was lying flat.
Getting up had become somewhat difficult.
Like a little turtle, she flailed her limbs, trying to sit up.
But her strength was clearly insufficient.
She did not manage it.
She looked toward Liu Qianxiu and stretched both arms toward him.
“Pull me up~”
Liu Qianxiu still had one hand on her abdomen.
He did not answer.
He simply stared at her.
There was something in his dark eyes that Mu Wan could not understand.
“What is it?”
Confused, Mu Wan lowered her gaze toward her stomach.
At that moment, another firework exploded outside.
Boom.
Multicolored light illuminated the entire sky.
Mu Wan stared blankly at her bare abdomen.
At the instant the firework burst, a tiny bump appeared beneath the skin.
Mu Wan’s eyes gradually widened.
The sensation was astonishing.
She had never experienced morning sickness.
Her body had never rejected the pregnancy.
In fact, apart from her stomach growing larger, almost nothing about her pregnancy had felt especially different.
This was the first time she had truly felt the baby’s presence.
A tingling sensation swept over Mu Wan’s skin.
A small sound escaped her throat, somewhere between confusion and shock.
She looked up at Liu Qianxiu.
He was watching her too.
“It just... moved?”
Mu Wan’s voice trembled.
Her eyes were excited but uncertain.
“Mm.”
The baby was reacting to sounds from the outside world.
Whenever the fireworks exploded, it moved inside her.
Liu Qianxiu had not only seen it just now.
He had felt it beneath his palm.
He lifted his hand from her abdomen and climbed onto the bed.
Sitting behind her, he drew Mu Wan into his arms.
Then he took her hand and placed it against her belly.
His own palm covered the back of hers.
Once they settled into position, the two seemed to share the same thought.
Together, they looked toward the window.
The sky had remained quiet for a moment.
Then another firework burst above them.
At the same instant, Mu Wan felt something gently tap against her palm through her abdomen.
Her entire body relaxed.
She leaned back against Liu Qianxiu.
Her heart was beating rapidly.
Her clear dark eyes gradually softened.
A quiet sigh escaped her.
She moved her lips, turned back toward Liu Qianxiu, and looked at him.
Now her eyes held nothing but joy.
Feeling the presence of this new little life filled her with excitement and happiness.
Watching her smile, Liu Qianxiu lowered his head and kissed her lips.
Mu Wan giggled.
She turned and wrapped both arms around his neck.
Meeting his kiss, she kissed him back.
Their kiss was lingering and tender.
Outside, fireworks continued blooming across the sky.
Their flashes illuminated the room again and again.
A quiet warmth seemed to fill everything.
Mu Wan leaned in his arms.
Together, she and Liu Qianxiu watched the fireworks outside.
Perhaps because they had suddenly acquired meaning, these fireworks seemed far more beautiful than any she had ever seen before.
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.”
“And the day after that is the New Year.”
Mu Wan rested her head against Liu Qianxiu’s chest, murmuring while she watched the sky.
The little one inside her had already become accustomed to the outside noise and had stopped moving.
Liu Qianxiu pulled a soft blanket over her belly.
Then he lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
“Mm.”
“This will be my first New Year with you.”
Mu Wan laughed as his kiss tickled her.
She was truly, deeply happy.
Liu Qianxiu’s expression gradually softened.
A faint smile appeared as he watched her laugh.
Mu Wan’s eyes seemed filled with fireworks.
Looking out at the sky, she declared with complete conviction,
“We’re saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.”
“I’ll leave behind every unhappy thing from before.”
“My future is with you.”
“So from now on, there’ll only be happiness left.”
After saying it, Mu Wan giggled and hugged him tightly.
Her fluffy head rubbed against his chest.
Still acting spoiled, she murmured,
“Liu Qianxiu, I love you so much~”
He answered by carefully tightening his arms around her.
His chin rested against the top of her head.
He rubbed against her gently.
“I love you too.”
Mu Wan had been pregnant for more than five months when she first felt the baby move.
Not long afterward, Xu Xingkong gave birth.
However, she delivered in her hometown of Huai City.
After the birth, the baby was still too young to travel back and forth.
Huai Jing simply brought an entire postpartum-care team to Huai City.
Xu Xingkong remained there for over a month before finally returning to Xia City with the baby.
The moment Xu Xingkong returned, Mu Wan and Liu Qianxiu went to visit her.
They rang the doorbell.
Huai Jing came to open it.
Seeing them, he stepped aside and let them enter.
Mu Wan had called Xu Xingkong in advance to tell her they were coming.
Xu Xingkong was already waiting.
The moment she saw Mu Wan, she smiled happily.
“Mu Wan, you’re here.”
After giving birth, Xu Xingkong looked even gentler than before.
Her complexion was rosier.
Even her skin appeared softer and more delicate.
Mu Wan smiled as she approached.
“Where’s the baby?”
Xu Xingkong smiled and took her hand.
“Come on.”
“I’ll take you to see.”
The two women went upstairs together, laughing and chatting.
Huai Jing and Liu Qianxiu remained below the staircase, watching their wives disappear.
Once the two women entered the room upstairs, Huai Jing looked back at Liu Qianxiu.
“What are you here for?”
Mu Wan and Liu Qianxiu had brought gifts.
Liu Qianxiu handed the items to Huai Jing.
Then he answered calmly,
“To learn from experience.”
In three more months, they would also need to prepare themselves to become first-time parents.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
If you like what I do, please donate on our website to show your support and help me update you regularly. Thank you. ☕️💕
Comments
Post a Comment