7L: "My heart goes out to you. My wife just gave birth, so I can relate. It"s going to be a long ten months for you. You have to be really careful during the first three months so ensure that she and the baby are stable. If her emotions are affected in even the slightest, it might jeopardize the pregnancy. Her morning sickness during the first three months will be the worst. Her appet.i.te would improve if she is in a good mood. Of course, don"t think for one moment that everything will take a turn for the better after the first three months. The mood swings will come later. The bigger the tummy, the bigger the headache. She will be visiting the bathroom often at night and get cramps in her tummy and her feet. Don"t even dream about getting any sleep. Be prepared to be woken up at midnight. Of course, this proves that it"s not easy for a woman to deal with pregnancy. Be strong, brother."
9L: "You have to treat pregnant women like they are queens when taking care of them. Whatever she says goes. If she doesn"t say a word, you have to do everything you can to get her to talk to you. You have to treat her like the G.o.ddess she is, like you did when you were wooing her. "The G.o.ddess of My Eye" and "36 Ways to Pursuit Your Girl" are books you should own. Ps: I got through coaxing my pregnant wife with these two books."
Yan Beicheng silently took note of these two books and made a mental note to find time to study them properly.
He was about to continue reading the forum when the car in front started to move. Thus, Yan Beicheng had no choice but to temporarily put his phone back into his pocket. However, he left the forum site running on the phone.
Lin Chu also felt that she was suddenly having mood swings. It was not great to act so temperamentally only to use her child as an excuse, so she tried to calm herself down.
She suddenly realized that Yan Beicheng was not driving toward Qi Lin Hotel, so she quickly asked, "Where are we headed to?"
"We"ve got good news tonight so we"re heading to the old mansion immediately, of course," Yan Beicheng noticed that Lin Chu was back in a good mood. For some reason, he suddenly felt relieved. Only now did he dare let his joy show on his face.
"Are you sure? Look at the time, it will soon be 11 pm. The two elders will be asleep by the time we reach the mansion.," Lin Chu said in surprise as she looked at the clock in the middle of the car"s dashboard.
"It doesn"t matter. They"ll be so happy they won"t be able to sleep once we give them the news," Yan Beicheng said without much worry. He had no qualms about waking up the two elders from their slumber.
Lin Chu, "…"
It was 11 pm sharp when they parked their car at the gate of the old mansion.
Yan Beicheng got out of the car and Lin Chu unbuckled her seat belt. Just as she was about to get out of the car when she b.u.mped into Yan Beicheng, who was standing right next to the pa.s.senger"s side of the door.
Lin Chu, "…"
She looked up and saw a strange look on Yan Beicheng"s face. Lin Chu"s face started to burn as she remembered which part of his body her lips had b.u.mped into. She suddenly felt weak all over and fell back to her chair before blus.h.i.+ng furiously.
Yan Beicheng took a deep breath. He had felt a reaction when she b.u.mped into his groin, but it was mild enough for him to hold it back.
Lin Chu could not help looking up at him as Yan Beicheng stood in place stoically without moving.
Lin Chu knew what Yan Beicheng wanted, but she could not grant his request. She had no choice but to say, "You need to let me get out of the car."
Yan Beicheng stood there without saying a word and watched her silently.
Lin Chu had no choice. She could only lower her head and stop resisting.
Yan Beicheng had a smile on his lips as he bent over to pick up Lin Chu.
Lin Chu protested as she covered her face with both hands. Her head pushed against his chest as hard as she could as she cried, "It"s too embarra.s.sing for me to be carried over by you to see the two elders! Besides, are you planning to carry me all the way through the next nine months and not allow me to walk at all?"
"I"m just worried for your safety, that"s all," Yan Beicheng smiled as he said.
"Excuses! Don"t think I"m silly enough to believe you. It"s my first pregnancy, but I know that exercising and keeping fit is a must," Lin Chu removed one hand from her face to pinch him on the shoulder.
"I can"t always carry you, but I"m going to do it as much as I still can. Besides, I"m happy about your pregnancy," Yan Beicheng held on tighter to her.
Yan Beicheng was so overjoyed that he could not wait for the first three months to pa.s.s so that he could announce the news.
Suddenly, he remembered what he had just read online. Pregnant women tended to have mood swings. He was acting so happy, but would Lin Chu think that he was carrying her because of the baby?
Even if it was because of the baby, no one could see it!
They would think that he was carrying her just for the sake of it!
With that, Yan Beicheng stiffened as he considered putting Lin Chu down, but he was too happy at the moment to relent.
He felt that no man who had just found out their wife was pregnant would be as hesitant as he. He did not even dare express his happiness too openly.
When they were at the hospital, Yan Beicheng had wanted to scream out in joy. When he had gathered his senses and confirmed that Lin Chu was really pregnant, he wanted to pick her up and spin her around.
Even though he did not want her to get pregnant so early, he could not help feeling excited when he heard the news.
"Why aren"t you moving?" Lin Chu lifted her head and looked at him suspiciously.
"Aren"t you mad?" Yan Beicheng asked cautiously.
Lin Chu did not understand. "What am I supposed to be mad about?"
She was feeling embarra.s.sed but she was not angry. Was her temper that bad?
Yan Beicheng glanced at her as if trying to make sure of something. Then, he carried her toward the doorstep of the old mansion. "Help me with the doorbell."
Lin Chu pressed the doorbell for a long time before they heard Aunt Chen yawn as she called out sleepily, "Who is it?"
"Aunt Chen, it"s me and Lin Chu. Open up," Yan Beicheng said happily. He had broken into a smile before even seeing anybody.
"Aren"t you tired after carrying me for so long?" Lin Chu asked in embarra.s.sment.
"I"m not. I"m energized," replied Yan Beicheng.
Aunt Chen could not differentiate his tone as she was still sleepy and they had spoken through the intercom. She could only tell that there was a sense of urgency in her voice. She was scared for them and worried that something bad had happened to them, so she quickly opened the door for Yan Beicheng.
After this, she quickly put on her coat and ran to knock on the bedroom door of the two elders. She knocked for quite a while before Old Lady Yan came to the door sleepily. "What"s going on?"
"Old Master, Old Madam, Beicheng and Lin Chu are here. There was a sense of urgency in their voices, and I"m worried something bad has happened to them," Aunt Chen said from outside the door.
The news immediately woke up Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan.
The elders quickly put on a coat over their pajamas and hurried out in their slippers.
Aunt Chen turned on the living room lights and went to open the front door as she waited.
They were shocked to see Yan Beicheng walk in not long after while carrying Lin Chu.
Old Lady Yan immediately rushed over. "What happened? What"s wrong with Lin Chu?"
"Grandpa, grandma, Lin Chu is pregnant," Yan Beicheng still would not let go of Lin Chu as he announced the news with a big smile.
"Lin Chu, what"s wrong…" Old Lady Yan was so shocked at them appearing in the middle of the night.
She was halfway through her sentence when she stopped herself short, "What did you say?"
Aunt Chen was already prepared to call 120 on the phone when she turned back with the phone still in her hand and her mouth hanging open wide.
Lin Chu quickly began s.h.i.+fting in his arms, so he relented and finally put her down. She said quietly and embarra.s.sedly, "Grandpa, grandma, I"m pregnant. We just came back from the hospital after getting the results."
"Really?" Old Lady Yan asked, but immediately felt that her question sounded silly. She was smiling so widely that her eyes could hardly be seen. One could only see the wrinkles and the big smile on her face.
"Stop standing around and sit down!" Old Lady Yan quickly pulled Lin Chu to sit on the sofa.
"Today is Lin Chu"s birthday. I brought her to celebrate her birthday at Qi Lin Hotel. However, she threw up after having just one mouthful of cake. I was worried that she was not feeling well and brought her to the hospital, which was when the results of her pregnancy test came back positive. It"s been 46 days," Yan Beicheng explained.
"It"s such a coincidence. There"s no better birthday gift than this," Lin Chu rubbed her tummy. It felt so real at that moment.
"It"s a good day, a really good day! Old man, quick! Quickly give Huaian a call and tell them the good news," Old Lady Yan could not stop nodding.
Old Master Yan already had his hands on the phone when Old Lady Yan said this. He was quick to take the initiative on this.
"Huaian, it"s your brother."
"What have you been doing? You sound breathless,"
Old Master Yan gave an unnatural cough before saying, "Ahem! It"s good news, good news! Lin Chu is pregnant! It"s been 46 days! She and Beicheng are in our house right now. They just went for a check-up tonight and came over immediately after. We couldn"t wait to share the news with you."
"Okay, okay, okay. Come to our house tomorrow!"
After he hung up, Old Master Yan continued punching numbers in on the phone excitedly."
Old Lady Yan spotted him doing this and asked, "Who are you calling now?"
"Old Hu, Old Liu, Old Qi, Old Wei, Old Han, Old Chu, so many old friends! I have to personally inform them one by one to show my sincerity," Old Master Yan smiled so widely that his beard trembled.
"Stop, stop, stop. Don"t inform them yet," Old Lady Yan quickly stopped him.
"Why not! You have no idea how mad Old Wei and Old Qi are making me by constantly talking about their grandchildren," Old Master Yan said in dissatisfaction.
"Don"t you know? It"s not good to let others know about this for the first three months. You"ll scare the Fetal G.o.d off. You have to keep silent for the first three months and you"re not allowed to show off to others - you"ll have to wait until Lin Chu gets stable," Old Lady Yan glared at him.
Old Master Yan was itching and immediately snapped back, "How can you guarantee that you won"t say a thing?"
Old Lady Yan was equally impatient to share the news as she replied, "I"ll lock myself at home for the next three months!"
As long as she did not see anyone else, she would be able to hold the news in.
As Yan Beicheng had expected, the two elders were too excited to go back to sleep. They were now wide awake.
Old Lady Yan suddenly thought about something and asked, "Lin Chu, you had nothing to eat tonight, right?"
Yan Beicheng immediately nodded. "She said she had no appet.i.te."
Old Lady Yan glared at Yan Beicheng. "What kind of husband are you?! You"re letting it go just because she told you she had no appet.i.te? If she has no appet.i.te, you have to find a way to help Lin Chu get an appet.i.te!"
Lin Chu could not help but laugh. "Grandma, you really do dote on me. Do you know what Beicheng said to me? Chu Tian Hospital gave a specially prepared "Pregnancy Guide" to me. I said I didn"t have any appet.i.te and he told me that the pamphlet wrote that I"d have to force myself to eat even if I had no appet.i.te. However, he did not even take any trouble to get me something to whet my appet.i.te."
Old Lady Yan walked past Lin Chu and immediately hit Yan Beicheng on the arm. "This stupid child! When will you learn?! It"s difficult for women to go through pregnancy. How could you say something like that?!"
"I didn"t… I just wanted Lin Chu to eat something," Yan Beicheng did not hide from Old Lady Yan. She did not manage to hurt him at all, but he still winced to accommodate her. He knew it would soften the hearts of both women.
As expected, Old Lady Yan stopped hitting him after a while.
Lin Chu too, hugged Yan Beicheng as she smiled shyly at Old Lady Yan. "Grandma, you can stop hitting him. I"m starting to feel sorry for him."
Old Lady Yan smiled but then turned to immediately glare at Yan Beicheng. "See how much Lin Chu dotes on you."
"Well, she should. She"s my wife. Who else can she dote on but me?" Yan Beicheng took the opportunity to pull her into his arms.
It was okay to act so loving in from of the two elders since Lin Chu was now pregnant.
It did not seem to bother Old Lady Yan at all as she asked Lin Chu, "It"s not okay to skip meals. Try to think about what you"d like to have, won"t you?"
Lin Chu could easily reject Yan Beicheng without worry but she was not that stubborn when it came to Old Lady Yan.
She thought about it for a while and suddenly remembered the cold noodles Dai Huimin had brought over for her in the afternoon. "I"d like to have cold noodles, the kind that"s sour and spicy."
The thought of the sour flavor made Lin Chu"s mouth water as her appet.i.te started to return.
"No problem. I"ll get Xiao Chen to make some for you, but let"s not make it too spicy. It won"t be good for the baby."
Lin Chu nodded obediently.
Aunt Chen immediately left to get to work in the kitchen. Lin Chu smiled as she said, "Aunt Chen, please add extra vinegar."
Aunt Chen paused as she asked in surprise, "You"re craving for sour dishes at such an early stage?"
Lin Chu shrank back as she saw Old Lady Yan smile widely while staring at her flat belly. "No, it"s just that the sour taste helps with my appet.i.te."
"What"s there to be worried about, my child? I"m not asking for you to give me a great-grandson," Old Lady Yan pretended to look angry. She was not someone who treasured boys above girls.
Even if the baby was a girl, they could very well have another. Besides, the Yan family was not worried about heirs. After all, they still had Yan Ningbai.
Lin Chu smiled in embarra.s.sment as Old Lady Yan continued, "Stay here tonight. It"s so late night and it"s tiring to travel around. Lin Chu should take care and rest well."
Yan Beicheng immediately agreed, he had the exact same thought.
However, Lin Chu was pining for Qi Lin Hotel as they had spent a fortune on it. They did not even manage to stay long before they left the place.
Nevertheless, it was pretty late now, and she did not want Yan Beicheng to get tired out from driving another hour or two on the road.
"Grandpa, grandma, you need to go rest. It"s so late now. We"ll talk again tomorrow morning," Yan Beicheng looked at the time. Even though he was still on a high, he was starting to feel bad about waking the two elders up.
Old Master Yan and Old Lady Yan may be excited but they were quite old now and could not handle the late night.
Thus, Old Lady Yan said, "Sure. Xiao Chen cleans up your room every day. You can go straight to bed after Lin Chu is done with dinner. You rest early too. Don"t be in a rush to wake up tomorrow morning, just stay in bed and wake up whenever."
The two elders went back to bed after giving these instructions.
The cold noodles were soon ready. After a few minutes, the cooked noodles were cooled down with cold water and mixed with vinegar and ground-up nuts; there was a generous layer of shredded cuc.u.mber and omelet as well. It would have tasted better with garlic and chili but it was not that advisable for pregnant women to have spicy food while garlic would give her bad breath, especially at night. Thus, Aunt Chen did not add in these condiments. However, she did prepare some garlic paste on the side and placed it in a small dish.
Lin Chu could have some if she wanted.
After making the noodles, Lin Chu made Aunt Chen go to bed as well. It was not too nice to trouble her so late at night.
When everyone left, the dining and living room fell silent. So, Lin Chu brought the bowl of noodles with her back to the room.
Unless Lin Chu"s request was harmful, Yan Beicheng would agree to anything she asked.
So, they went back into the room.
Aunt Chen did not make too much noodles. Even though Lin Chu did not have dinner, it was still not that healthy for her to eat too much so late at night, so Aunt Chen made her a small bowl of noodles.
Lin Chu poked into the noodles. The fragrance of the fresh, sourish rice vinegar wafted up to her, making Lin Chu"s mouth water.
She tasted it and frowned. Yan Beicheng, who was staring at her all this while, quickly asked, "What"s wrong? Do you still not have an appet.i.te?"