“Ah gu, ah!” The little one chimed in agreement with Jiang Lizhu’s words, then smiled sweetly, his eyes curving into crescents. His chubby little hands grabbed at the air. “Ah ya ah.”
“Ah, my son is so handsome, so adorable! No wonder, since I gave birth to him.” Jiang Lizhu immediately forgot about the man, immersing herself in her son’s looks and cuteness.
Mother and son engaged in a nonsensical, delightful interaction for a long time before Jiang Lizhu remembered the crucial issue.
“Son, whether Mommy can get through this safely all depends on you. Work your charm, dazzle him senseless!”
Jiang Lizhu was coming to realize that Gu Mingyan was quite sly. Showing up in Suzhou without any notice meant he must have been shocked… and angry, about suddenly having a son.
As Jiang Lizhu, the one who gave birth, she definitely needed to give him an explanation.
One couldn’t underestimate a soldier’s keen perception. Her explanation had to be reasonable and, for the most part, acceptable to Gu Mingyan.
Gu Mingyan pushed open the bathroom door and came out. He had not only bathed but also washed his clothes. He had even taken the initiative to wash the baby clothes and diapers piled in the small basket in the bathroom.
Receiving Gu Mingyan’s inquiring look, Jiang Lizhu pointed towards the open wooden window on the east side. “Over there, that bamboo pole is ours. Just hang everything there to dry.”
There was a two-meter-wide walkway between her small room and the outer wall of the eastern small courtyard. The communal kitchen provided direct access to the back courtyard and was more convenient, so this walkway was rarely used.
Jiang Lizhu had Aunt Mei string up a bamboo pole above the walkway for drying clothes. Sometimes, when she was feeling lazy, she didn’t even need to go out; she could just open the east window to hang or take down clothes.
Gu Mingyan quickly hung the clothes and also brought back the already-dried diapers and such, folding them skillfully.
“In this cabinet?” Gu Mingyan, after Jiang Lizhu nodded, opened the wardrobe and immediately saw the small compartment specifically for diapers, estimating there were forty or fifty of them.
“Yes,” Jiang Lizhu watched Gu Mingyan work while holding her son, showing no embarrassment and not the slightest intention of helping.
“During my confinement, I hired Aunt Mei, who lives in the same family quarters, to come and take care of me at home. Even after the confinement ended, I’ve had her come once a day to help, like washing the diapers and stuff.”
So, what Gu Mingyan was doing was basically the work Jiang Lizhu had contracted out to Aunt Mei. But since Gu Mingyan was the child’s father, Jiang Lizhu saw no reason to stop him.
As Jiang Lizhu spoke slowly and methodically, her gaze rested on Gu Mingyan’s face. One of the secrets to surviving in a wealthy family was being able to read people, and she was well-versed in this skill.
Gu Mingyan, facing her and his son, not his enemies, would inevitably reveal some emotions.
But in this short time, Jiang Lizhu had already confirmed that Gu Mingyan was the same difficult-to-handle type as her wealthy clan grandmother. Insincere flattery would be hard-pressed to move them.
“It’s only right,” Gu Mingyan nodded. How could he have any objection to that? Hiring someone to care for her during confinement and for the child was both proper and necessary. He just felt that many of Jiang Lizhu’s actions were incredibly audacious and yet left him with no recourse.
Jiang Lizhu’s fox eyes curved. She beckoned him over. “Come on, come hold your son.”
Gu Mingyan took a deep breath, then exhaled, before walking up to Jiang Lizhu. He extended his hands, his expression a little flustered.
He had held the children of comrades, but those were rambunctious boys at least a few years old. He had never held an infant this young, especially his own flesh and blood.
“Don’t be so stiff. Just support his bottom and back so he doesn’t fall. He loves being held like this.” Jiang Lizhu paused only briefly before handing the son over to Gu Mingyan.
Her strength was limited; she often played with the baby while lying down. Whenever she did hold him like this, he was especially excited and active.
Jiang Lizhu helped Gu Mingyan adjust his hold a few times. The little one waved his hands and feet excitedly, and sure enough, he didn’t cry. He even proactively leaned his little head against Gu Mingyan’s shoulder, then turned back to look at him curiously.
“Ah,” the baby’s waving hand tapped Gu Mingyan’s face, then grabbed at it a bit. Seeming to have seen enough, he turned back and leaned against Gu Mingyan’s shoulder again. “Ah gu gu…”
“Oh my, you like Daddy so much? Mommy’s going to get jealous.” Jiang Lizhu rotated her wrists, then used her fingertip to gently tap the little one’s nose.
The little one giggled, his laughter quite loud.
The corners of Gu Mingyan’s mouth lifted into an involuntary smile. The soft, warm little body in his arms, the milky scent at his nose, the sound of his son’s and Jiang Lizhu’s laughter in his ears.
At this moment, his feelings finally became real. He truly had a son of his own flesh and blood. He was a father.
“Sit down, let’s talk,” Jiang Lizhu pulled a chair over for Gu Mingyan and sat down herself on the edge of the bed near the window facing the front courtyard.
Gu Mingyan sat down, one hand instinctively and gently stroking his son’s back. His attention was split, focusing on both mother and child.
Jiang Lizhu was silent, still considering how to begin. She personally didn’t have much experience apologizing to people.
Just then, Gu Mingyan turned his head, his peach blossom eyes slightly lowered, his gaze falling on Jiang Lizhu’s face. He took the initiative to speak. “From now on, don’t keep things from me anymore, about you or our son. Okay?”
Childbirth was a brush with life and death for a woman. The fact that Jiang Lizhu had managed to go through it without telling anyone… if something had happened… it was unthinkable.
Before leaving for Suzhou, Gu Mingyan had spoken on the phone with his mother-in-law, Ruan Yumin, who was stationed in another military district. She, too, had been completely unaware of Jiang Lizhu’s pregnancy and childbirth.
And his brother-in-law, Jiang Liuhe, who was in the Northwest and cut off from all communication, was even less likely to know.
Jiang Lizhu hadn’t just kept it from him; she hadn’t told her parents or brother either.
Talking about this, Jiang Lizhu couldn’t help but feel she was in the wrong and a bit guilty. She glanced at Gu Mingyan’s exceptionally serious expression, straightened her posture slightly, and matched his seriousness.
“Mm, keeping it from you was wrong of me. I thought wrongly, and I acted wrongly. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry,” Jiang Lizhu said, her head slightly bowed, continuing to apologize with utmost sincerity.
“And about our marriage back then… I’m sorry for that too. You’re a soldier; marriage affects your career and future.”
Jiang Lizhu looked up, meeting Gu Mingyan’s gaze, and spoke frankly. “At that time, you were someone I felt I had to secure by any means necessary. I only considered myself… When I found out I was pregnant, I was also very shocked and panicked. After that, I didn’t know how to face you, how to face your family.”
“The night I gave birth to him… I thought I was going to die. In the time since, I’ve thought a lot and gradually come to understand. No matter what, I shouldn’t have transferred my own hardships and emotions onto you, who are warm-hearted and innocent.”
Speaking of it, the original host’s scheme against Gu Mingyan was actually very simple and crude. She simply exploited Gu Mingyan’s sense of responsibility as a soldier and his special consideration for the daughter of his leader’s old friend. She managed to achieve her goal fairly smoothly.
When Gu Mingyan came to the old Jiang family home on his leader’s orders, the original host took a liking to his identity as a soldier and the possible family background suggested by his charming demeanor.
Immediately, she revealed the panic and fear she had been suppressing. Her state was so real and worrying that when Gu Mingyan was leaving for the train station, she jumped into a small lake he would inevitably pass by.
As a soldier, Gu Mingyan couldn’t ignore an ordinary person in distress, let alone the daughter of his leader’s old friend. But this rescue led to trouble.
After being rescued, the original host practically laid her cards on the table, acting as if her honor was compromised and threatening to continue seeking death if he didn’t marry her.
Gu Mingyan immediately realized he had been set up by Jiang Lizhu.
He had been passing through Suzhou on his way home to visit his family, and had also been tasked by his leader with a personal errand. The main purpose of his home leave was to appease his parents, who were constantly worrying about his marriage, and perhaps attend a few matchmaking meetings.
Gu Mingyan didn’t have strong feelings about marriage, but he wasn’t opposed to it. Besides her “scheming” nature, Jiang Lizhu had a face like a celestial being, a level of education rare among rural folk, and a stable job.
Perhaps if they had been given more time to get to know each other, Jiang Lizhu’s scheming wouldn’t have been necessary.
Considering these factors, Gu Mingyan submitted a marriage report to his military district leaders. They approved it very quickly.
In less than ten days, Gu Mingyan and Jiang Lizhu received their marriage certificate in Suzhou.
After the wedding, they lived in the old Jiang family home for less than three days before Gu Mingyan was urgently summoned by phone to a neighboring city for a secret mission. After the mission, he returned to Suzhou for less than a day before officially ending his leave and going back to the military district.
His home leave was over. From then on, all their communication was through telegrams and letters.
Jiang Lizhu lowered her eyes, her long lashes fluttering slightly. She continued, “If you still mind, I can accept a divorce…”
If Gu Mingyan couldn’t get over it, she would have to fall back on her backup plan: seeking refuge with her remarried birth mother, or finding another soldier to marry who wouldn’t mind her “background.”
Both the original host and the current Jiang Lizhu believed they needed the protection of military spouse status in this special era.
For Jiang Lizhu, Gu Mingyan’s identity as the male lead of a book was actually a huge hidden danger. Who knew how he would react and decide when he met his true female lead?
Jiang Lizhu was a little attracted to Gu Mingyan’s face, and the fact that he was her baby’s biological father gave her reason to try for a friendly relationship. But he wasn’t the only option.
And what the original host hadn’t understood, Jiang Lizhu now did.
When the unexpected change occurred, Ruan Yumin’s extremely quick divorce from Jiang Yuanbai and subsequent remarriage were largely to protect their children, especially their eldest son, Jiang Liuhe, working at the Northwest research institute.
Now, Jiang Lizhu and Jiang Liuhe’s parental relationship was officially with Ruan Yumin. The man Ruan Yumin remarried was the vice president of a key hospital in a military district. He had been a student of Ruan Yumin’s father; they were fellow disciples. The vice president’s wife had passed away many years ago, and the daughter his late wife had adopted was already married.
This vice president was devoted to medicine and extremely grateful to Old Ruan for his teachings and care. When Ruan Yumin expressed a need for help, he agreed immediately.
With the backing of his military connections and the help of Jiang Yuanbai’s old friend (Gu Mingyan’s leader), Jiang Yuanbai’s downfall had little impact on the futures of Jiang Liuhe and Jiang Lizhu.
Naturally, this also wouldn’t affect Gu Mingyan, who had married Jiang Lizhu.
The speed at which Gu Mingyan’s marriage application was approved at the time partially proved this. But the original host, having just experienced upheaval and the disintegration of her happy family, was terrified. Ruan Yumin hinted at this several times before leaving Suzhou, but the original host didn’t understand.
Ruan Yumin probably never expected Jiang Lizhu to take such a bold, unconventional path in such a short time.
However, after learning the details, Ruan Yumin was relatively satisfied with the husband Jiang Lizhu had found for herself. Although Gu Mingyan’s family background wasn’t great, his personal character and abilities were exceptional enough to compensate for his origins.
Gu Mingyan’s eyebrows twitched slightly, and he immediately made his stance clear. “There is no ‘if.’ When I submitted the report to my leaders, deciding to marry you, I was serious. To be serious, I never thought about divorce. Now that we have a son, divorce is even less of an option.”