Chapter 879 - 878: Pregnancy and Childbirth

She coughed once: "That’s the me from your dream when I was a kid. I wasn’t like that as a child, I was very obedient and didn’t love wearing dresses to stand out."

Cheng Zhirang raised his eyebrows: "Really? But last time I asked Auntie, she said you were exactly like that as a child, you could spend half an hour picking out a dress from a whole bed of them."

"...How could you even discuss that?!"

He chuckled softly: "It’s nothing. Isn’t it normal for little, soft girls to be like that? If there are many dresses, they can choose one, go out looking pretty and beautiful, who wouldn’t like that?"

"I couldn’t tell, you’re a bit perverted. You actually like me in my childlike state." She leaned against his arm, looking at him with a subtly complex expression.

Cheng Zhirang was a bit at a loss: "No, I’m not that perverted. But the you who became smaller in that dream was really too cute."

"So? Are you wanting a daughter now? It’s true that people start longing for children around thirty."

She said it straightforwardly, but it made people feel a bit choked up.

"I very much long for a daughter who looks like you." Cheng Zhirang looked into her eyes seriously.

Mu Qiu blushed a little: "Do you have no sense of shame? Thinking about having a daughter without even getting a marriage certificate. And I haven’t even said I want to have children."

"Don’t you like kids? A daughter who looks like you would surely be adorable."

"That’s because you’ve only seen the end result."

Mu Qiu decided to offer a bit of female perspective to make him momentarily abandon that idea.

She sat up straight and said seriously: "Mr. Cheng Zhirang, let’s discuss the issue of giving birth and raising children now."

Cheng Zhirang sat up straight too, with a solemn attitude: "Go ahead."

"First of all, pregnancy is quite tough, isn’t it? Pregnant women gain weight, swell up, have mood swings, and more seriously, can experience several months of morning sickness, unable to eat, difficulty sleeping and turning over, and there’s a high chance of developing psychological issues."

He nodded: "Indeed, women have it very hard when nurturing a little life."

"Not only is pregnancy tough, but childbirth is even harder. Even a slight issue can be a matter of life and death. Also, after childbirth, raising the child is a big problem too. Kids are noisy, they recognize people, and parents might not get any good sleep, and women’s emotions fluctuate heavily postnatal. Someone sensitive like me could very likely have postpartum depression.

Moreover, I’ve mentioned before, raising a child is not easy. Fathers easily think of playing with their sons or daughters, but mothers tend to think more about the pain of carrying a child for ten months and the constant child-rearing struggles. I can’t manage to educate a child well, and I’ve told you about this."

Cheng Zhirang thought she was too tense about the matter, stubbornly holding onto her own ideas.

"Qiuqiu, bringing up that dream about wanting a daughter wasn’t to pressure you into having a child; the decision of giving birth lies with you. You have your concerns and thoughts, I agree and don’t plan to interfere, but I have my thoughts too, and I need to talk to you about them, right?

I really want a daughter, to see her grow from a wrinkly baby into a fair and soft little girl, and then slowly grow up until she reaches the age to be in a relationship, and then leave us to build her own family. I want to be involved in this process with you, not just casually find someone to have a daughter.

I also don’t think women need to have children, that would be imposing one’s wishes on others. I just wanted to express my own desire to you— I very much want to build a family with you, to have a bond between us. You’re not against having a child, are you? You’re just worried."

Worried about the hardships of a ten-month pregnancy, the dangers of childbirth, the issues post-childbirth, and even more about interacting with the child. These are all negative notions she gathered either from her own family or others’ unpleasant stories.

He held her hand, his voice gentle yet firm: "Those things don’t matter; this is just an idea, and you can refuse or disagree. Moreover, many ideas change over time. Whatever happens, I’ll be with you through it. Did you ever think you’d have a boyfriend from the entertainment industry at this age? I guess you never thought about it before."

Mu Qiu opened her mouth but didn’t answer, just saying: "Is my thinking a bit extreme?"

"Not at all, everyone has their own beliefs, and just because others have children after marriage doesn’t mean not wanting children is wrong."

She nodded with pursed lips, leaning against his arm again: "So, it seems we have different thoughts, but on the same wavelength... Wanting a fair and soft daughter isn’t an impossible thing."

Cheng Zhirang pulled her onto his lap, looking into her eyes, which were full of light: "Really?"

"Well, actually, it depends on genetics and probability, oh, and marriage law."

"It’s okay, just need to deal with the marriage law for now. Other things can come slowly, first I need your consent."

His smile was so captivating that Mu Qiu didn’t want to say anything else, cherished her and gave her a gentle kiss, she couldn’t help but smile along.

...

The next morning, everyone waved goodbye and returned to their own homes.

Mu Qiu and Cheng Zhirang sat in the car, talking softly.

"Should the Zhipu Electronics gift package be sent home? I gave the program team the office address."

Mu Qiu was a bit confused: "Which home?"

Chen Song, who was sitting in the front passenger seat, suddenly chuckled.

"Sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. But how many homes do you have? Cheng Zhirang almost seems homeless."

The large apartment over at Yishan hadn’t been visited in a long time, the Half Mountain Villa was visited occasionally, and most of the time was spent at Mu Qiu’s little villa. Besides that, what other home is there?

Mu Qiu scratched her head: "I haven’t quite reacted yet. Didn’t you say you already had that gift package yesterday?"

"Yeah, didn’t you say before that the big apartment was more suitable for smart home devices? I bought an entire set of smart home appliances. The things from this gift package aren’t needed. There’s a small temperature-regulating storage unit like a car fridge inside, which can hold your skincare products in the cooling section, and the warm section... can warm milk."

"Pffft, cough cough cough cough cough!!!"

Mu Qiu exploded into a fit of coughing.

Chen Song turned her head, looking at the two of them with an odd expression.

"What’s that? Warming milk? What’s going on? Are you pregnant?!"

"No, not at all, Sister Chen!" Mu Qiu quickly clarified, holding back the itchiness in her throat, "How could that be, we’re not even married yet!"

Chen Song: "Then you’re planning to get married. What’s the rush, I’m not stopping you. There have long been fans guessing you two will quickly head into the marriage hall. But if that’s in your plans, be sure to let me know first so I can promptly manage the public relations."