Su He noticed the changes in Su Ying.
After Su Ying returned home with her boyfriend, she was a completely different person. Su He couldn't quite describe it, but she felt Su Ying had become more grounded.
Before, Su Ying's life revolved around her family and work, with work often taking precedence. Among the four siblings, she was the busiest, sometimes flying across the country during Chinese New Year and missing family dinners.
It wasn't that Su Chen and Su Lin were idle; they also had their own responsibilities. However, compared to them, Su Ying was more deserving of the title "workaholic."
Recently, Su Ying had canceled many appointments and social engagements and had suddenly become enthusiastic about yoga and swimming. Once, she even proactively asked Su He to go shopping, which left Su He feeling flattered.
"Sis, why are you suddenly free?" Su He asked curiously.
"Don't worry, the company hasn't gone bankrupt," Su Ying replied with a playful smile. "I just felt tired and wanted to take a break."
"Is everything... okay with your health?" Su He glanced at Su Ying's belly.
"What are you thinking!" Su Ying almost spat out her water. "I'm not pregnant!"
Su He chuckled dryly and asked, "So, did meeting your parents go smoothly? Did they make things difficult for you?"
Su He had overheard Su Ying mention before that Fu Zheng's mother had spoken to her unkindly. From then on, Su He knew that the groom's family would be difficult to get along with.
"They didn't make things difficult, but it's hard to feel close to them right away." Su Ying had a lingering resentment and couldn't forgive them so quickly. Perhaps with time, she would be able to let it go.
Su He propped her head on her hand, listening with great interest as Su Ying recounted her experiences in G City.
With her own pregnant belly, Su He couldn't go anywhere and felt extremely envious.
"When I give birth, I'm going traveling too!" Su He clenched her fist and made a grand declaration.
Su Ying smiled and poured cold water on her idea. "Don't even think about it for the next six months!"
"Why?" Su He thought that confinement only lasted a month, and after the baby's full moon, she could go out.
"You're thinking too simply!" Su Ying explained, counting on her fingers. "You have a month left until your due date, plus a month of confinement... After confinement, you'll have to hold a full moon party, right? For the first three months, babies are extremely fragile, and it's best not to travel far. Calculate it yourself, can you really not go out within six months?"
"Even after six months, you might not be able to go out with peace of mind. Do you know how much care a baby needs after birth? You have to pack so many things when you go out! Formula, diapers, bottles, spare clothes, sleeping toys, bibs, baby shampoo, body wash, lotion..."
"Even if you go to your desired destination smoothly, the baby will cry and you'll have to hold and soothe them. You'll worry if they've eaten enough, if they've been bitten by mosquitoes, and you'll want to take photos... Your mind will be entirely on the baby, and you won't be able to enjoy yourself at all."
Su He: ...
What Su Ying said made sense.
If she were to go out, she would definitely be worried about the baby. Even if she hired nannies to help, she would want the baby under her watchful eye at all times.
In that case, she wouldn't be able to have her own life.
Su He looked down at her large belly and sighed. "If I want freedom, do I have to wait until they go to kindergarten?"
"Much longer than that! Once they start school, you'll have even more things to do. Parent-teacher meetings, school open days, sports days, craft projects..."
"Stop!" Su He interrupted her. "What about after they start primary school?"
"Helping with homework, taking photos of assignments for check-ins. You know, children in the early years of primary school can't complete their homework independently. Parents have to do a lot of it!"
Su He smacked her forehead, feeling utterly dejected.
"Of course, what I'm saying isn't absolute. With your family's resources, you can hire private tutors for one-on-one training. You can just play with them!" Su Ying said, trying to comfort her when she saw Su He's disheartened expression.
Su He was fortunate to marry into a good family, and with a responsible man like Lu Yanbei, she would have it much easier.
"It's okay, you still have your husband," Su Ying patted Su He's shoulder reassuringly.
Mentioning Lu Yanbei, Su He's expression visibly brightened. "Oh, that's right, how could I forget him! I'll just bring him along when we go out!"
She believed Lu Yanbei would be a good father.
Recently, when she attended parenting classes, Lu Yanbei always made time to be by her side. He listened attentively as the teacher explained how to care for a baby, change diapers, and feed them. When called upon to demonstrate on stage, he performed flawlessly. His movements were so skilled and precise that the teacher often praised him.
Other fathers-to-be, who were also about to become parents, were either forgetful or mixed up the steps, leaving the teacher amused and exasperated.
Many expectant mothers watching nearby couldn't help but envy Su He.
"Your husband is amazing! He remembers everything after the teacher only explains it once!"
"Yes, with so many steps, I haven't learned them yet, and he's already proficient! What a heavenly dad!"
"Is this your first child? You're learning so well!"
"Look at your husband, and then look at you! What can you do besides eat and sleep?" Some expectant mothers, out of frustration, would even grab their husbands' ears and scold them on the spot.
Su He also felt she was very lucky to have found Lu Yanbei.
*
The day Su He went into labor was on an autumn night.
Her pregnancy had gone a week past her due date, but the baby showed no signs of coming. Just as Su He and Lu Yanbei were discussing whether to schedule a C-section, there was a sudden sharp cramp on one side of her abdomen, followed by an uncontrollable flow from below.
Su He felt her wet pajama pants and thought she had accidentally urinated.
"Hus... husband..." Su He was terribly frightened and quickly nudged Lu Yanbei beside her.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanbei immediately got up and turned on the light.
"I think my water broke..." Su He took deep, nervous breaths and, following the advice from books, placed a pillow under her waist.
Despite being mentally prepared, the young couple couldn't help but feel a pang of panic.
Lu Yanbei forgot to put on his shoes when he rushed downstairs to get help.
Fortunately, the hospital bag had been prepared long in advance, so they could leave with just the bag. Once the driver was ready, Lu Yanbei carried Su He into the car and headed straight to the hospital.
Grandpa Lu was woken by the commotion outside, put on his clothes, and followed them.
His great-grandson was about to arrive!