New Year's Day had just begun when Gu Yi rushed to the Lu residence early in the morning, claiming he wanted to have a casual chat with Shen Xuan. However, his demeanor suggested otherwise.
"Why are you here so early?"
Shen Xuan, who was in the midst of amusing the child in the mansion, was truly surprised by his early arrival. A little startled, he assumed Gu Yi had something urgent. He signaled for Ah Da to take the child from Gu Yi's arms.
"Xuan'er, I have something to ask of you." Gu Yi had prepared himself mentally and got straight to the point, "I heard that Miss Lu previously had a contraceptive that was not harmful to the body."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xuan was taken aback. Seeing that they were alone, he quickly got up from the bed, took Gu Yi's hand, and led him to sit beside him, speaking softly, "Why are you suddenly asking about this?"
"I, I—" Even though he had thought about it beforehand, he still found it difficult to speak when asked directly.
"Does Miss Zheng not want children? Or—"
He understood what Shen Xuan had left unsaid. He awkwardly averted his gaze, guiltily avoiding Shen Xuan's questioning eyes. His sight happened to fall upon a small piece of clothing Lu An had placed on the bed. It was tiny, indicative of how adorable its owner was.
"It's me." After saying this, Gu Yi fell silent. He appeared calm, but his trembling eyelashes betrayed him.
The room grew increasingly quiet, so quiet that only their breathing could be heard. Lu An's little red garment on the bed seemed particularly striking in this atmosphere.
Shen Xuan looked at him, hesitating several times before swallowing his words. He could vaguely guess Gu Yi's reason. He had heard that Afu had suffered greatly during childbirth, and Gu Yi had been away at the time. Gu Yi himself had recently experienced similar pain. He couldn't offer any persuasion now.
"Alright, I'll help you ask."
At these words, Gu Yi seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, his straight back finally relaxing.
"But—"
Hearing the turn of phrase, Gu Yi immediately looked up at Shen Xuan. Only then did Shen Xuan notice that Gu Yi's eyes were bloodshot, with dark circles under them, and his complexion had worsened considerably.
"It's nothing." Shen Xuan gently patted Gu Yi's hand, signaling him to relax. "I wanted to ask how I should answer if my wife asks about this matter?"
How to answer?
Looking down at Shen Xuan's fair hand resting on his, Gu Yi gritted his teeth. Not wanting to make Shen Xuan difficult, he forced a smile. "Xuan'er, just tell her the truth. I will explain it to my wife in a few days."
"Mm." Shen Xuan truly felt relieved upon hearing this. He didn't want to hide anything from Lu Yu, and there was no other reason for this matter anyway. Since Yi'er had asked him to tell the truth, he didn't need to worry anymore.
"Yi'er, Miss Zheng will surely understand you. You two should discuss it together." Shen Xuan's heart ached at the sight of the dark circles under his eyes. He reached out, folded Lu An's small garment on the bed, placed it aside, and made space on the bed. "I see you haven't had a good rest these past few days."
"Now that I've agreed to this for you, you don't have to worry anymore. Hurry and take this time to catch up on sleep. Otherwise, Miss Zheng will be heartbroken when she sees you like this."
These past few days, Zheng Yu had gone to Feng County to visit Magistrate Zhu Ran. Too many things had happened in the past year, especially the incident where the magistrate was drugged. After the New Year, Zheng Yu had hastily left Qimu Town for Feng County.
It was precisely because Zheng Yu had been away from the mansion these past few days that Gu Yi had been constantly thinking about this matter. He hadn't slept soundly for several nights, tossing and turning in bed every night. He also refused to go out during the day, staying confined to his room. Even Zheng Chen inquired about his health more than once a day.
"I'm not sleepy," Gu Yi shook his head and reached for the little red garment Shen Xuan had placed aside. It was made of Huanhua brocade, with a plum blossom pattern, truly suitable for winter wear, festive and elegant. "I want to talk with you."
Shen Xuan's gaze followed his hand, his eyes clear and his voice gentle. "This is An'er's padded jacket. I wanted An'er to wear a hundred-piece garment, but my wife doesn't believe in such things. She had a tailor make these clothes for An'er."
That day, he had mentioned wearing a hundred-piece garment to Lu Yu. Lu Yu had immediately rejected the idea without a second thought. She knew about the tradition of wearing hundred-piece garments; it was common in modern society too. However, she didn't believe in such superstitions. She was determined to ensure An'er lived a happy and healthy life.
"Miss Lu is a good mother."
"Indeed. An'er is very fortunate, and so am I."
He had never known that such a good mother existed in the world, one who was responsible and dedicated, who played with An'er every day and personally put him to sleep.
Especially after she had given birth, she rarely had him personally hold the child. Every time he wanted to visit An'er, she would personally bring An'er to him and accompany him in making An'er laugh.
Whenever An'er cried at night, she was always the first to take him to the inner room to soothe him, telling him to rest quickly and that coaxing the child was her responsibility.
Perhaps it was because he had never experienced maternal love. Seeing her like this, he felt that his current life was like a dream, fantastical and beautiful.
She was truly a good mother, and even more so, a good wife.
When Lu Yu returned home, Gu Yi had already left. The room was quiet. Shen Xuan and Lu An were lying on the bed, fast asleep.
Little An'er lay on the inner side of the bed, sleeping soundly. As he breathed, his lips pouted, as if about to blow bubbles.
Shen Xuan lay on the outer side of the bed, turned inward towards little An'er. He lowered his head, completely enclosing the child in his arms, sleeping peacefully. His thick eyelashes cast a faint fan-shaped shadow beneath his eyes. A happy smile graced his lips. Bathed in sunlight, the scene was one of serene beauty.
Not wanting to disturb his sleep, Lu Yu tiptoed to the other side, picked up the thin blanket from the couch, returned to the bedside, and gently covered him. She tucked in the corners of the blanket, pursed her lips into a smile, and quietly left.
When Shen Xuan woke up, it was already completely dark. If not for the crying of little An'er in his arms waking him, he feared he would have slept until dawn.
"I actually slept until now." Sleeping for too long didn't seem like a good thing either. His head felt groggy. He first picked up the child, propped himself up on the bed with one hand, and opened his sleepy eyes to roughly survey the surroundings. Lu Yu was not in the room.
Lu An was very easy to coax. He cried a few times after waking up and then settled down. Now, he lay quietly in Shen Xuan's arms, diligently blowing bubbles.
The moment Lu Yu entered the room, she saw this scene. She crossed the threshold, closed the door tightly, and thoughtfully stood by the door to take off her outer robe, shaking off the chill from outside. She rubbed her hands, smiled, and walked quickly closer. She skillfully took the child from Shen Xuan's hands, placed her hands under Lu An's armpits, and lifted the child with force.
This was the method she usually used to play with little An'er, and Lu An loved it the most. In Lu Yu's hands, he giggled and frolicked, his little hands waving rapidly. Shen Xuan sat on the edge of the bed, watching this unique mother-daughter interaction, and smiled uncontrollably.