Chapter 364: The Daily Life of a Dad-in-Training

Early autumn.

The leaves of the maple trees had already turned fiery red. When the wind blew, leaves slipped free of their branches, drifting with the breeze and dancing gracefully like one butterfly after another.

Xiao Yu’s life as a dad-in-training had begun.

Mu Qingwu now felt hungry easily. When she ate, the baby ate too.

Every day, Xiao Yu got up very early and went to the market to buy fresh produce—fruit, fish, eggs. After breakfast, he would take Mu Qingwu for a walk. When they got home, the little pregnant lady would be tired again, sprawling on the couch to command her younger husband to fetch the fetal monitor.

But by the time Xiao Yu returned with it, Mu Qingwu would be fast asleep.

Seeing his wife so drowsy, he felt a twinge of heartache.

Pregnancy was so hard on a woman, but Mu Qingwu had never complained, saying that the baby wasn’t Xiao Yu’s alone—it was hers too.

Slowly crouching, Xiao Yu picked up a light blanket and gently draped it over his wife. Then he lifted it slightly to begin the daily fetal-monitor records.

After counting kicks, he also measured the fetal heart rate.

Listening to its whoom-whoom-whoom, like a little train inside her belly, Xiao Yu would show a silly dad smile.

When he was done listening, he massaged her legs. Pregnant women’s legs swell easily. Frequent massages would help relieve it, make his wife more comfortable.

Mu Qingwu awoke from her slumber, a hint of pain knitting her brow.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yu asked.

“The baby kicked my ribs.” Frowning, Mu Qingwu looped her arms around her brother’s neck, complaining like a child, “When you weren’t home, the baby was constantly punching and kicking me. I couldn’t sleep at night or nap in the daytime. It was always bullying me!”

“Yeah, so naughty.” Xiao Yu coaxed her, distressed: “Once the baby’s born, I’ll smack him for picking on you.”

“You dare.” Mu Qingwu objected. “Believe me, I’ll tell your mom to beat you.”

“Fine, fine. In that case, I’ll just give the baby a stern talking-to.”

After soothing his wife, Xiao Yu gently patted her belly, suddenly adopting the attitude of a strict father, “Stop kicking Mommy all the time. She’s having a hard time carrying you, so behave yourself, okay?”

“Haha!”

Watching her earnest, rather silly younger husband lecturing the baby, Mu Qingwu’s gloom lifted into cheer.

“Sis, I asked around… maybe the baby’s hungry,” Xiao Yu said solemnly once he finished scolding the baby. “How about eating a bit more?”

“All right.” Mu Qingwu looked at him, eyes curved like crescents. “Give me a kiss.”

“At your service, my little mommy.” Leaning down, Xiao Yu pecked his wife’s red lips. “I’ll go fix something to eat.”

“Mhm.”

She closed her eyes again, smiling as she drifted back to sleep.

When Xiao Yu returned, he saw that his wife was sleeping soundly. He set down the food by the sofa, then leaned against her and dozed off himself.

Time slipped by. 

Around noon, sunlight streamed in through the window, spilling over the young couple.

Mu Qingwu opened her eyes, glancing at her brother asleep next to her. In her eyes was a tenderness like that gentle sunlight.

***

Afternoon.

Unlike their usual routine of visiting their parents, both sets of elders came over instead.

Neither family wanted Mu Qingwu to tire herself.

“Keep this in mind.” Liu Yunqing pinched her son’s cheek, smiling as she reminded him, “Be extra considerate of your wife. Pregnancy is no small matter.”

“Mm.” Xiao Yu nodded seriously, grinning while he gripped his sister’s hand. “Sis and I decided that tomorrow, I’ll go experience childbirth myself.”

“Huh?”

The elders were stunned.

After Xiao Yu’s explanation, they realized there was now a device that lets men experience the pain women endure during labor.

All the elders looked at one another as if thinking: Is this kid out of his mind? What’s the point of putting yourself through that?

Then they turned their eyes to Mu Qingwu.

“I’ve tried talking him out of it,” Mu Qingwu said, glaring at her brother, “but he won’t listen.”

She knew it was because Xiao Yu wanted to understand how much pain she would be in.

What a silly younger brother!

The next day, the young couple went to the hospital. Xiao Yu got a thorough taste of the agony of childbirth, that wrenching, piercing pain known as ten-level agony.

When he climbed off the recliner, his legs were trembling.

After ten months of pregnancy plus a pain even a man can barely bear, Xiao Yu stayed quiet the entire way home, holding his wife’s hand without saying a word.

Mu Qingwu wore a sweet smile, knowing her husband understood everything. Sometimes, she felt she was being silly and losing her rationality, even wishing she could be pregnant a while longer, to keep on receiving this pampering from her elders and her brother—because it felt so very, very nice.

***

Night fell, full of warmth.

“You’ve kept me company for three days now.” Mu Qingwu rested her head on her brother’s shoulder. “Go to work. Just come home early.”

“I’ll take a few more days off,” Xiao Yu said, shaking his head. “The Earth won’t stop turning if I’m not there.”

“That might not be true.” Mu Qingwu giggled. “Your squad and National Security can’t manage without you.”

“Your brother’s not as amazing as you think.” Xiao Yu gave her fair cheek a quick kiss and smiled.

“Really?” She laughed. “Then who was the one who once told me… ‘For the great cause, fear no sacrifice, dare to force the sun and moon to change the sky’?”

‘Hey, Sis, why are you bringing that up, being all contrary? Show some kindness, will you?’

“I also said I was a clean-living, beautiful young man, honest and reliable,” Xiao Yu retorted, rolling his eyes. “Don’t you remember?”

“I remember.” Mu Qingwu nodded with a laugh. “I know you’re still the same boy you were, not a bit changed. But you’re about to be a father now. You sure you don’t want to change?”

“Ah, well…”

Xiao Yu felt an instant headache. He hadn’t expected to be called out so suddenly.

‘Hmph, all women are big pig hooves indeed!’

“Sleep.”

He hugged his wife, closing his eyes with a smile.

“Haha…”

Mu Qingwu slowly shut her eyes too. Ever since her husband came back and devoted himself to caring for her, she had seen every little thing he did. A man who’d earned countless honors and served as a National Security group leader… now acting like a stay-at-home husband: cooking, cleaning, helping her wash her feet, massaging her, trimming her nails, putting on her socks and shoes.

Just yesterday, he had bought a crib, a stroller, and all sorts of baby supplies, even a baby doll to practice holding and coaxing. He’d learned how to change diapers and learned so many things.

Every time he noticed the baby moving, watching her belly with a grin like a kid himself, Mu Qingwu’s heart practically melted.

Having a husband like this younger brother, the hardships of pregnancy no longer felt like hardships. They became sugar, dissolving in her mouth—so sweet.