Finally tasting the familiar flavors, Yao Yao ate heartily and felt completely satisfied after the meal.
After dinner, Yao Yao made the other two promise not to tell anyone about her crying over missing her husband – it was too embarrassing! After all, Yao Yao had her pride to maintain!
It was the second-to-last day of their four-person trip. Tomorrow they would experience Iceland’s Blue Lagoon hot springs, and the day after, the four would fly directly back to Shanghai.
Shi Dan had already fallen asleep, but Yao Yao tossed and turned, unable to sleep, perhaps because she had eaten too much.
After another ten minutes or so, Yao Yao still hadn’t felt the slightest bit sleepy. She considered chatting with Shen Yu but gave up the idea when she remembered the time difference with China.
It was then that Yao Yao realized she didn’t know where she had put her phone. She had been holding it before crying, but from after her crying episode until bedtime, she hadn’t touched it. The phone should still be somewhere on the bed.
Rustling around as she searched the bedding, Yao Yao finally found her phone wedged in the gap by the headboard.
When she turned on her phone, a series of messages from Shen Yu filled the screen.
[Wife, are you feeling unwell? Has your period been delayed until these past couple of days? Is that why you’ve had no appetite recently?]
[Wife, when are you planning to return? I’ll come pick you up early.]
[Wife, are you asleep?]
[Wife, Xingzhi said you’re eating. Enjoy your meal and take good care of yourself.]
[Wife, I transferred some money to you. Make sure to take good care of yourself and have fun. I love you.]
When Yao Yao saw Shen Yu’s first message, she froze instantly. When was her period supposed to come? It should have arrived in late June, but now it was already July with no sign of it!
Yao Yao knew the basics. As understanding dawned on her, her eyes widened in disbelief – could she be pregnant?
She reached down to touch her lower abdomen, gently rubbing it. Could there already be a little life growing here? Just the possibility made Yao Yao so excited she wanted to jump up and celebrate.
After the initial excitement subsided and she calmed down, Yao Yao continued reading Shen Yu’s messages, a brilliant smile remaining on her face. She opened her bank SMS, where similar transaction information appeared on screen: Shen Yu transferred 10,000,000.00 yuan to your account 8858 on June 10th at 7:30.
Perhaps because of the maternal connection, even though it wasn’t confirmed yet, Yao Yao felt certain the baby had arrived. She murmured to her abdomen, “Baby, your daddy is so generous! You stay healthy now, and we’ll spend your daddy’s pocket money together~”
*
Early the next morning, Shi Dan got up first to wash up in the bathroom. After coming out, she went to Yao Yao’s bedroom to wake her.
Before she reached the door, it opened from inside, revealing a refreshed and energetic Yao Yao. Shi Dan’s eyes widened in shock – Yao Yao waking up early was nothing short of a miracle!
Shi Dan: “You…”
Yao Yao: “Dan Dan, my period hasn’t come.”
Shi Dan was even more confused by Yao Yao’s statement and replied somewhat indifferently, “So it hasn’t come, what’s the big… YOUR PERIOD HASN’T COME!!!”
Her tone was normal at first, but by the end, Shi Dan’s voice could only be described as a scream!
Yao Yao was a married woman! What did a missed period mean! Shi Dan began spinning in place anxiously! This was the Shen family’s precious treasure they were talking about!
A priceless little treasure! Oh heavens, Shi Dan felt an immense weight pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe!
Yao Yao: “Dan Dan, are you just overly excited?”
Shi Dan’s eyes were vacant, her voice faint: “No, I’m reviewing everything I did over the past month, wondering if it could have affected the little treasure.”
Yao Yao: “Uh… little treasure?”
Shi Dan clasped her hands together, spinning around as she prayed: “Heaven bless, heaven bless! The little treasure must be perfectly safe!”
Shi Dan: “We’re not going to Blue Lake today. I’ll take you to the hospital first for a check-up. We’ll pay extra to get the results quickly, and then we’ll fly back home tomorrow!”
“I don’t feel unwell at all. There’s no need to go to the hospital. We can just go to the pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test. No need to go through all that trouble.”
Shi Dan nodded: “Alright then. We’ll wait until we’re back home and let Shen Yu arrange the check-up. It’s more reliable back in China.”
Once the decision was made, Shi Dan didn’t dare let Yao Yao step outside. She firmly helped her back to the bedroom to lie down.
Thanks to Shen Yu’s financial support, the four of them were staying in the best suite of a top-tier hotel.
Without calling her cousins, Shi Dan rushed out of the hotel in a frenzy. She first went to a Chinese restaurant to pack various breakfast items, then headed to the pharmacy to buy a pregnancy test.
On opposite sides of the bathroom door, the scenes inside and outside were completely different.
Inside, Yao Yao leisurely picked up her phone to translate the instructions on the box.
Outside, Shi Dan, Ji Xingyun, and Ji Xingzhi anxiously paced in circles, none of them daring to urge her.
Time ticked by, and the waiting felt excruciatingly long.
After what seemed like forever, just as the three had worn themselves out from pacing, the door opened. Three pairs of eyes instantly fixed on her.
Yao Yao’s eyes curved into happy crescents, her smile radiant: “You’re all going to be aunties and uncles!”
Ji Xingyun and Ji Xingzhi excitedly hugged each other, while Shi Dan swiftly stepped forward to support Yao Yao: “Let’s eat first, and take it slow.”
Yao Yao smiled helplessly: “Dan Dan, don’t be so nervous. I’m fine.”
Shi Dan’s voice was stern: “No, I won’t rest easy until I’ve personally handed you over safe and sound to Shen Yu.”
Ji Xingyun chimed in: “Yes, yes, let Dan Dan take good care of you. You’re the most important right now!”
Ji Xingzhi: “Cousin, let’s change our flights. We can leave this afternoon and fly straight back to the capital. We’ll arrive tomorrow.”
Shi Dan: “Yes, yes, change the flights! Let’s head back to the capital first!”
Yao Yao: “We can go back to the capital first, but you three mustn’t spill the beans in front of Shen Yu. I want to tell him this news myself!”
The three of them nodded in agreement.
The four of them didn’t have much luggage, as most of their purchases had already been shipped back to China.
They quickly packed up, hailed a taxi straight to the airport, and before boarding, Yao Yao sent the flight details to Shen Yu.
[Husband, see you tomorrow (heart emoji).]