My Happy Daily Life After Being Reborn-Chapter 52 - 32 Pouring Out_2
52: Chapter 32 Pouring Out_2
52 -32 Pouring Out_2
“This is the baby’s very first kick!”
Lin Xiaoguai touched the spot where she had just been kicked, and before she knew it, her eyes had moistened.
Shen Chi had also realized what happened and, excitedly, he asked, “He just moved, right?
He did move, didn’t he?”
But clearly, Shen Chi didn’t need an answer; he pressed his ear close to Lin Xiaoguai’s belly and joyfully said, “Son, did you hear that?
I’m your daddy.”
Lin Xiaoguai was startled by his silly behavior and watched with a sense of unfamiliarity as Shen Chi’s pure smile softened some unknown corner of her heart.
Forget it, she thought, she didn’t need his feelings for her to be that pure, as long as his love for the child was pure enough.
Thinking like this, they could live out their lives together in tranquility, right?
Shen Chi didn’t know why his wife had suddenly stopped squabbling with him, but he was more than happy to relax.
He had thought it through; to truly turn their “weapons” into gifts of jade and silk, he needed to fight the long battle, and he no longer held any immediate expectations.
So, he became more composed without the previous urgency.
Time flew by, and soon it was the day of Shen Chi’s departure.
For some reason, just before leaving, he suddenly suggested that Lin Xiaoguai should see him off.
Lin Xiaoguai was puzzled.
Shen Zhangming and Luo Yufang thought their grandson wanted to spend more time with his granddaughter-in-law, and after only a few seconds of hesitation, they agreed.
Though they said goodbye, the train station wasn’t far from home, and it was not as crowded as it would be in later years, so there wasn’t much to worry about.
As they reached the station, Lin Xiaoguai suddenly thought of something—could it be that Shen Chi wanted to avoid other people in order to abuse her?
Shen Chi looked at Lin Xiaoguai with some amusement and exasperation as he saw the wariness in her eyes.
What on earth had she thought of?
He pulled Lin Xiaoguai aside to a secluded spot, sighed, and said, “I don’t know when I’ll be back next time, and I don’t know if I’ll make it for the child’s birth.”
Lin Xiaoguai looked up at him, stirred, “What are you going to do?” His eyes were now of someone who had made a firm decision; they reminded her of the way he had looked the day before he agreed to a divorce in her past life.
“You don’t need to worry, just wait for me to return,” Shen Chi said, running his fingers through her hair.
“Next time I come back, we can be a family reunited.”
Lin Xiaoguai’s expression suddenly turned cold, and she walked away without looking back.
Shen Chi was taken aback, belatedly realizing that he seemed to have unconsciously slipped back into his behavior pattern of manipulating Wanwan’s emotions.
He shook his head helplessly.
She was such a difficult girl.
How had he managed to find such a challenge for himself?
But, he was enjoying himself, nevertheless.
A pleased smile graced the corners of Shen Chi’s mouth for a fleeting moment.
When she got home and saw grandma cooking in the kitchen, Lin Xiaoguai hurried in to help.
“Grandma, what was Shen Chi like when he was little?” Lin Xiaoguai hesitated before giving in to her curiosity and asking.
Luo Yufang paused at the question, then smiled.
Nothing made her happier than seeing Wanwan take an interest in Chi.
She wiped her hands on her apron and laughed, “When Chi was a boy, he was quite the monkey, always up to mischief.
He was skinny and not very tall; he was only this tall when he was twelve,” she indicated a spot just below her chest.
“But that boy was spirited.
All the kids in the village, big and small, liked to follow him around on adventures, causing trouble everywhere.
When he did, he would just give you a grin, so proud and so endearing, you couldn’t imagine how clever he was.”
“And he was bright, too.
Even though he only started school at the age of nine, he finished primary school in just two years and graduated from middle school at fourteen, passing the exams to high school.
Their dad was decent back then and treasured Chi; he liked to take him everywhere and hear people praise his smart son.”
“But then Min Cheng got robbed by some hooligans from another village on his way home after he had exchanged his labor points for money; the money was gone, and so was Chi’s school fee.
His daughter-in-law was so mad that she chased Min Cheng with a stick, but the money couldn’t be recovered.
The whole family was in distress, and Chi didn’t speak for days.
Then, one day, we discovered he was gone, leaving behind a note saying he had gone to earn money.”
“Before he sent his first letter home, his mother cried every day; Xiu’er cried along with her, and Min Cheng went out looking for news daily.
When he sent money home, they were beyond joyful; Min Cheng even went so far as to send him food and clothes.
But people change in the blink of an eye; no one knows where their hearts wander off to.”
At this point, Luo Yufang’s eyes reddened, and she lowered her head, “He used to tell me everything—discovering bird eggs, catching crickets, chasing someone’s chickens, scaring someone’s uncle into the river, stealing fragrant melons from people’s fields, not wanting to play with certain kids.
He was such a happy child back then, now he keeps everything to himself, not sharing his hardships or fatigue.
He just laughs when asked, but it doesn’t seem as heartfelt as it used to be.”
“I know Chi’s temperament isn’t great nowadays, and he’s sometimes overbearing.
But I just can’t help but indulge him.
When he was little, he wanted to eat white rice, to have meat, to wear new clothes, to grow tall…
he wanted so much, but now he doesn’t seem to want anything.
Every time he comes back on leave, I urge him to find a wife, but he always says there’s no rush, that he wants to find the best one.
Watching others his age become fathers doesn’t bother him, but it bothers us.
Everyone needs something to aim for in life, how can I be reassured when he’s like this?”
“When he took a fancy to you and brought you back home forcefully, I was actually more delighted than worried.
Men are like that; they settle down once they get married and have a child, and only then can life get back on track.
I don’t know what hardships he’s faced outside, and as much as it pains me, I can’t help him.
But from now on, no matter how much he suffers, having a wife and child at home will always bring sweetness to his heart.
Isn’t that how everyone gets by?”
Luo Yufang had intended to share some lighthearted tales of her grandson’s childhood with Lin Xiaoguai, but as she spoke, the conversation grew more serious, and even the thoughts she had kept to herself for so long began to pour out.
