Chapter 520 - 504: Vying for an Embrace

Gu’er smiled at Cao Qiu, then let her grandmother know that Aunt Zhao didn’t need to make them dinner tonight. She and Sun Jiaming then carried Jiji over to the Lin family’s home.

When Chen Fengjiao saw Jiji, she was absolutely smitten. She hugged him and refused to let go, eager to pull out every snack in the house and offer it to him, whether he could eat it or not.

Seeing this, Gu’er could only shake her head and go start dinner. If she waited for Chen Fengjiao to remember, they’d be waiting all night.

When Lin Zheng got home from school, his eyes lit up at the sight of Gu’er, Sun Jiaming, and Jiji. After greeting them, he dropped his schoolbag, washed his hands, then rushed to his room. He emerged with an armful of his toys and set them down in the living room. Without a second thought, Jiji wriggled out of his grandmother’s arms and crawled toward Lin Zheng, flashing a grin that revealed a few pearly white front teeth. Lin Zheng began to play with him.

Lin Shan was also delighted to see Gu’er, Sun Jiaming, and Jiji when he got home. He joined them on the floor, playing with Lin Zheng and Jiji for a good long while.

After dinner, Gu’er told Lin Shan about Lin Shuying’s pregnancy, leaving him stunned.

"What? Your great-aunt is pregnant? You’ve got to be kidding me! She’s several years older than I am!"

Chen Fengjiao was also in disbelief. ’After I gave birth to Lin Zheng, I never got pregnant again, and I was fine with that. I have a son and a daughter, no need to go through that ordeal again. But Lin Shuying... she’s almost fifty! How could she be pregnant?’

"It’s true, Mom. Great-Aunt is really pregnant. But given her age, it will be a high-risk birth. Uncle Zheng is coming back in a couple of days, and he’ll probably talk to Dad about the wedding then. Because of this, Uncle Zheng will surely feel the wedding shouldn’t be too big, for fear of tiring her out. He’ll take good care of her. When the time comes, we should contact a hospital in advance and also ask the old gentleman to be there, just in case. If she can just deliver the baby safely, everything will be alright."

’Of course, Gu’er was worried. But she knew Lin Shuying would never choose to end the pregnancy. All they could do was their best to support her.’

"You’re right. When the time comes, I’ll personally go and invite the old gentleman," Lin Shan said, nodding at Chen Fengjiao. "Feng Jiao, you should visit my older sister more often when you’re free. Her age really does make this dangerous."

"Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to visit her often."

Chen Fengjiao didn’t need Lin Shan to tell her to do that. He only had this one older sister, and he respected her, so of course Chen Fengjiao would take it to heart. She barely kept in touch with relatives from her own side of the family; if they didn’t maintain a good relationship with Lin Shuying, they’d have hardly any family left at all.

Speaking of her own family, Chen Fengjiao’s mind wandered. It wasn’t as if she had completely cut off contact. She still thought about her older brother and had even called home. Her brother was the same as ever, but her sister-in-law had answered the phone and immediately started chewing her out. It was so aggravating. But as annoying as it was, they were still family. Around the New Year, Chen Fengjiao would still send some money back home. He was her older brother, after all, and she felt it was the least she could do.

Lin Shan could tell what Chen Fengjiao was thinking with a single glance. ’But there’s nothing I can do about it,’ he thought. ’Feng Jiao’s sister-in-law is just that type of person. She’s always after a handout, and if you can’t satisfy her, she turns into a total shrew. But her greed is a bottomless pit and her ambitions are sky-high—no one can ever satisfy her. I don’t mind her sending money home; it’s the right thing to do. As long as that sister-in-law of hers doesn’t come here and cause trouble, it’s fine.’

It was rather amusing, actually. For all the times Chen Fengjiao’s sister-in-law cursed her out, she never dared to show her face here again. She’d been thoroughly scared off that one time and knew that Gu’er’s family wouldn’t indulge her. She was afraid that if she came back, they’d just tie her up and send her away again. So, she could only vent her anger at Chen Fengjiao over the phone.

’Of course, I don’t want my wife to put up with that abuse,’ he thought. ’But she’s willing to, so my hands are tied.’

"Gu’er, when are you going to give Jiji a little brother?" Chen Fengjiao suddenly asked.

Gu’er froze. ’Do all the older folks do this?’ she wondered. ’Cao Qiu is always talking about it, and now Mom’s started in on it too.’

Before Gu’er could even answer, Jiji, who had been playing with a small wooden toy gun with Lin Zheng, overheard. He immediately dropped the gun, crawled over to Gu’er, and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck.

"What’s gotten into him?" Chen Fengjiao asked, puzzled.

"He’s been very possessive lately," Gu’er explained with a smile. "He won’t let anyone but him touch me. You just mentioned giving him a little brother, right? So he rushed right over to stake his claim."

"He already knows how to be possessive at this age? I thought that didn’t happen until they were three or four. My goodness, you’re a clever little imp, aren’t you! Come on, come give Grandma a kiss."

Chen Fengjiao clapped her hands at Jiji, but he ignored her. She then tried to tempt him with a snack, but Jiji refused to budge, keeping his arms locked around Gu’er’s neck.

After calling to him for a long time with no response, Chen Fengjiao started to feel a bit deflated. Nearby, Lin Shan and Sun Jiaming watched on with a chuckle.

"Jiji, come on, come to Uncle! Uncle will give you a horsey ride."

Lin Zheng beckoned to Jiji. He was starting to look like a young man now, almost five feet tall, but he still had a delicate, handsome appearance that made him very endearing.

Jiji’s grip on Gu’er’s neck loosened slightly. ’I like playing with my little uncle,’ he thought, ’but if I let go, will Mommy be snatched away by that... that *brother* thing? I don’t want Mommy to be snatched away, but I want to play with Uncle...’ He was completely torn.

"Jiji, come on, horsey ride!"

Over on the floor, Lin Zheng got down on all fours, calling out to Jiji. Jiji couldn’t hold back any longer. He scrambled over on his short little legs, and the moment he was on Lin Zheng’s back, he burst into innocent, happy giggles.

Gu’er shook her head. ’He’s the only child for now, and everyone spoils him. I’m so afraid we’ll spoil him rotten.’ But even as she thought this, the corners of her mouth curved into a smile. The moment she saw her son’s happy face, it was as if nothing else in the world mattered.

They stayed at the Lin family’s home for a while longer before Gu’er decided it was getting late and time for them to head back.

"Why don’t you just stay the night?" Chen Fengjiao said, reluctant to see them go. "Sui’er isn’t home, so there’s plenty of room."

"Xiao Zheng has been playing with Jiji ever since he got home; he hasn’t even started his homework. Besides, we didn’t bring anything with us. We should head back," Gu’er said, pointing out that it would be too inconvenient since they hadn’t brought anything with them.

"I’m fast with my homework! I know all the material, I’ll be done in a minute," Lin Zheng said, looking up at Gu’er. He didn’t want Jiji to leave either.

"You have school, so you need to finish your homework and get to bed early," Gu’er said, patting Lin Zheng’s head. "How about this: after school on Saturday, you can come over to my place to keep Jiji company. You can stay the night, and then you’ll have all day Sunday to play with him."

"Okay." Lin Zheng nodded sensibly. He didn’t pull away from Gu’er’s hand; there were no outsiders here, so he wasn’t worried about anyone teasing him.

"Alright, we’re going to head back now."

As Gu’er spoke, Sun Jiaming picked up Jiji. The boy struggled a little, wanting Gu’er to hold him instead.

"You’re a heavy little guy. Let Mommy hold you when we get home. If she carries you downstairs, she might lose her balance and fall," Sun Jiaming whispered to his son. After hearing this, Jiji immediately stopped struggling, though his dark, round eyes remained fixed on Gu’er.

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A note from the author: Thank you to Doudouzui and Sister Xiaohuo for the monthly tickets. My child was coughing half the night, threw up twice, and told me how awful she felt. Sigh... I couldn’t sleep from watching over her. She stayed home from school today. After I post this Chapter, I’m taking her to get an IV drip. I will do my best to keep writing.