642. Life
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When Kola was pregnant, she was sent to stay at the class teacher’s house.
Although science has shown that house cats and dogs are nearly impossible to contract Toxoplasma, especially for a homebody cat like Kola who hasn’t stepped outside in a year and only eats high-quality cat food, you never know if something could happen. Better safe than sorry, right?
So now, after a full-body check-up at the pet hospital, Kola was sent back home to Lin Nan.
The parrots and the cat lived on the first floor, while the now-not-so-little Chen Jing, with his youthful appetite for food and naps, hardly ventured downstairs with Lin Nan, who mostly stayed upstairs on the balcony or in the bedroom.
Chen Yao’s half-month paternity leave wasn’t a total waste—he tidied up a side room next to the master bedroom on the second floor, laid down soft foam mats, and bought some infant educational toys, planning to turn it into Chen Jing’s future playground. Once the kid was a bit bigger, it would be his bedroom.
After all, Lin Nan didn’t plan to have a few-year-old Chen Jing still sharing a bed with them. That would totally ruin their night-time romance!
“Tomorrow, I have to go back to work,” Chen Yao said, grilling skewers on the balcony and glancing over at Lin Nan, who was sitting not far away, holding the baby.
The balcony was filled with various flowers and plants, and they even had a little pond with a mini rock garden, housing a few goldfish. Unfortunately, those fish didn’t last long; they had to be replaced every month or so.
Lin Nan was sure it was due to some shady merchants selling her sick fish!
“Once you’re back at work, should I take the baby to the side room to sleep?” Lin Nan asked, worried about Chen Yao’s sleep loss affecting his job.
This time, Chen Yao didn’t refuse. After half a month, he finally grasped just how tiring it was to deal with a baby crying at night. Both of them had been sleep-deprived anyway, but the silver lining was that during the day, one of them could sleep in a bit while the other took a nap.
After a brief hesitation, he suggested, “How about we ask Mom to help out? Otherwise, you’ll be sleep-deprived every day.”
“No need,” Lin Nan shook her head and looked at the edge of the balcony.
Three parrots lined up on the railing, sunbathing and stretching their wings, occasionally performing aerial tricks, flapping around the entire apartment complex.
The smoke was bad for the baby, so Lin Nan sat by the fish pond, occasionally tossing a few fish food pellets into the water.
“How about we get some black carp or grass carp? We could just catch them when we want to eat,” Lin Nan said, gently pinching Chen Jing’s cheek.
Chen Jing was being quite well-behaved, gazing with those big eyes that clearly took after Lin Nan, rolling his round pupils in curiosity about the world.
Unlike adults, a child’s eyes didn’t contain red veins or hidden emotions; they were clear and bright.
After watching for a while, Lin Nan felt her mood lightening.
Just as Chen Yao finished grilling a few lamb skewers and was about to hand them to Lin Nan, Chen Jing inexplicably pouted and burst into tears.
Having just fed him, Lin Nan immediately scooped him up and dashed back to the room to change his diaper.
It had to be said, it was a smelly mess… but he was her child, so no matter how gross, it had to be done.
After changing the diaper, the kid calmed down, and Lin Nan washed her hands with disinfectant before returning to the balcony.
“This little guy, not a moment of peace,” Chen Yao sighed with worry. “Even if we don’t get Mom to help, we could hire an aunt.”
“Your monthly salary isn’t even enough to hire an aunt,” Lin Nan shot him a look, took the lamb skewer from him, and sat on a small stool, munching while playing with the baby.
Chen Yao sighed again. Even though he had some money saved up, he wanted to invest it to make more or save it for emergencies—not spend it on daily expenses.
If only he could earn a bit more.
Back when Lin Nan was pregnant, he had to work, and though he was aware of her struggles, he hadn’t truly seen them until now. Watching her care for the baby made his heart ache more than ever.
Lin Nan, appearance-wise, was no longer the vibrant beauty she once was before pregnancy. She just tied her hair back in a simple ponytail, had faint dark circles under her eyes, and her shoulders were noticeably thinner. It seemed like she aged five or six years in these few months.
Chen Yao wasn’t doing too badly; even though he worked the 996 grind, the harm to his body was more subtle and not as obvious.
“Chen Yao… I bought some stretch mark cream, but it hasn’t done a thing,” Lin Nan complained, setting her skewer on a side table after finishing the lamb. “Cost me a few hundred bucks!”
In the past half month, due to her recovery period and the baby’s care, they hadn’t really had any “quality time” together.
The most they managed was a quick physiological release using hands or mouths… but they were an old married couple, so it was nothing out of the ordinary.
As for Lin Nan, all her energy was dedicated to the baby. She was too exhausted at night to have any extra thoughts.
In just half a month, the house seemed to have transformed into a jumble, filled with baby supplies. Chen Yao took care of it daily, but it felt like an uphill battle.
Lin Nan finally got Chen Jing to sleep; she carefully carried him back to the bedroom and put him in the crib before returning, relief washing over her face.
Every time Chen Jing fell asleep was Lin Nan’s rare chance to rest… but unfortunately, baby sleep tends to be fragmented, waking up to cry after just ten or thirty minutes. Recently, he seemed to have a boundless amount of energy!
Sitting on a small stool beside Chen Yao, Lin Nan placed some skewers of chicken wings on the grill, gazing at the glowing coals.
Chen Yao eyed Lin Nan’s expression, deliberated for a moment, then suggested, “How about I get you some skincare products? Those dark circles are getting worse.”
“What money do we have?” Lin Nan sighed heavily.
“Then how about I buy you a…”
Before he could finish, Lin Nan suddenly slammed the chicken wing skewer down with unexpected fury, her brow furrowing as her frustrations burst forth: “Buy, buy, buy! You think we have money for everything?!”
“We’ve spent over ten thousand in just half a month, you know! On formula, diapers, clothes, a ton of toys! It’s fine if you’re using money for Chen Jing, but what about you buying me stuff? Where’s that money coming from? Did it just grow on trees? Don’t you know how much you earn?”
“Over ten thousand in a month! How long can our bride-price money last? In this special situation, can’t you spend a little less? Is it always beef and milk tea for night snacks? I…”
She paused, realizing she was out of control, her chest heaving. But seeing Chen Yao’s still warm smile, she finally lowered her head, defeated: “Don’t take it to heart… I know you’re under more pressure than me.”
He understood that Chen Yao had only graduated a few years ago and that his salary had already surpassed many of his peers, and he knew supporting a family of three put a heavy burden on him…
“A newborn needs some good nourishment,” Chen Yao gently patted Lin Nan’s head. “It’s okay, I’ll work harder to earn money. We can use the money for now; money is meant to be spent anyway.”
“But what if someone at home gets sick? Don’t we have to spend money then…”
Lin Nan pursed her lips. As a housewife not making any money, her reliance on the savings in the card left her feeling incredibly insecure.
Plus, taking care of a baby isn’t exactly a walk in the park, especially when they cry for long stretches without stopping. As a first-time mother, she was often at a loss, feeling like crying with frustration, but in the end, she could only bury those emotions deep inside.
“It’s fine,” Chen Yao gently pressed Lin Nan’s head against his chest, straightening up as he cheerfully said, “Before my paternity leave, my boss said I’ll get a raise! Once I’m back, my salary will definitely be higher than before.”
“But be careful when you’re home alone during the day. If anything comes up, just give me a call. My office is only twenty minutes away, and skipping out a bit won’t hurt.”
Closing her eyes, Lin Nan tucked stray hairs behind her ear and leaned against Chen Yao while reminding him, “Um, if you’re feeling unwell at work, just take a day off to see a doctor. Don’t tough it out. If you collapsed, I might run off with another man!”
“Too many news stories about people collapsing from overwork. Luckily you don’t have to deal with clients. Otherwise, working 996 plus client meetings would be too much for your body.”
“Don’t exaggerate! I hit the gym every noon during work hours, alright?” Chen Yao rolled up his sleeves to show off his bicep.
“Well, I haven’t noticed you being all that impressive at night…” Lin Nan pouted, “It’s about ten minutes, too weak! You used to brag about lasting half an hour with me!”
“That’s different!” Chen Yao blushed, “You’re getting bolder!”
“That’s thanks to you!”
Just as she was teasing Chen Yao, Chen Jing started crying again. Lin Nan jumped up and raced back into the house.
It seemed her life had boiled down to just Chen Yao and baby Chen Jing.
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Should I wrap it up at the end of the month or give it another couple of days?
