ARC 2: Stepmother in the Seventies ✦ c71~116 (46)
✦ 44
Translator: InkyDragon (https://inkydragontranslation.wordpress.com)
Their separation hadn’t been about anything other than distance. He was staying, she was leaving for university in the capital. Simple. But now, here he was, in the capital too. Wasn’t it time to pick up where they left off?
“Have I…not been good enough?” he asked, leaning closer, his sincerity almost tangible.
His question brought back a rush of guilt. She remembered his drunken accusations from the night before, his hurt over her ‘abandonment’. Maybe her casual departure hadn’t been fair to him after all. Back then, going to university and leaving him behind seemed natural. Now, facing his pain, she squirmed internally.
“It’s not that,” she hesitated, “My life’s different now. It’s not… convenient.”
“Convenient?” His voice held a bitter edge. “It was convenient back in the village. What changed? You’re just tired of me, aren’t you?”
His words struck a chord. Was she becoming heartless? She hadn’t meant to hurt him, but…
But he was handsome, and familiar, and his hurt gaze was hard to resist. Besides, she had come to the city hoping for romance, and hadn’t found anyone who sparked her interest. Until now.
With a shrug, she gave in. “Fine,” she said, her usual directness returning. “Let’s pick up where we left off.”
His face broke into a genuine smile, and he pulled her close, sealing the deal with a firm kiss.
If he wasn’t afraid of scaring her off, he would have proposed right then and there. Marriage, a future together, it was all he wanted. But she seemed content with simply being together, not ready for more. He would have to be patient, strategic.
He wasn’t worried. They were together again. Wasn’t that the important part? The rest, the marriage, the family, he could plan for. Once a duck is cooked, it can’t fly again. After all, he’d learned his lesson.
Their affair resumed, a tangle of stolen moments between her studies and his burgeoning business. To make their meetings less conspicuous, she finally relented and gave him a title. They were officially “courting,” which explained his presence at her apartment.
Time flew. She was already halfway through her third year, her translation work flourishing. His department store was thriving too, a bustling hub of activity thanks to his savvy business sense. He stocked a bit of everything, offered excellent service, and kept his prices reasonable. No wonder he was running circles around the state-owned shops.
But success came at a price. Between sourcing goods, managing staff, and overseeing the day-to-day operations, he was always swamped. It was only after he’d finally trained a capable team that he could steal away and spend some quality time with her.
And that, as it turned out, led to some unexpected consequences.
It started with a wave of nausea one morning. She chalked it up to a chill from the night before. But when the dry heaves continued, triggered by the mere whiff of fish or cooking oil, a cold dread settled in her stomach.
The doctor’s knowing smile and congratulations confirmed her suspicions. She left the hospital in a daze, clutching the test report.
Finding him at the department store wasn’t difficult. She marched into his office, emotions a tangled mess, and punched him squarely in the face.
“You did this!” she accused, throwing the report at him.
He didn’t even try to dodge or retalie and took the punch.
Then he snatched the report from the floor. His eyes scanned the words, and disbelief gave way to unbridled joy. “You’re… you’re really pregnant?”
“I told you to be careful!” she fumed. “But you never listen! Was this intentional?”
Ji Ming Tao’s response was anything but defensive. He swept her up in a hug, spinning her in a circle, his usual composure forgotten.
“This is wonderful! Chu Chu, I’m going to be a father!” He peppered her face with kisses, his own radiating pure happiness.
His unbridled joy softened the edges of Gu Shi Chu’s anger. While a biological child hadn’t been part of the plan, she couldn’t deny the weight of the tiny life growing within her.
“Alright, alright, calm down!” she laughed, tugging on his ear.
He beamed at her, his eyes overflowing with affection. “Chu Chu,” he said, his voice thick with emotion, “Let’s get married. We’ll be a family, you, me, and our child.”
She sighed, a hint of resignation mingling with something more complex. What choice did they have? “I suppose we should make it official, shouldn’t we? Wouldn’t want the child born out of wedlock.”
“Thank you, my love,” he whispered, his eyes bright.
He had always hoped she would stay, but now, with her willingly agreeing to be his wife, a wave of bittersweet relief washed over him. Had fate finally smiled upon him? He held her close, his heart overflowing.
And so, with a baby on the way, she found herself swept up in the whirlwind of it all. She made time, amidst her busy schedule, to register their marriage, to make their union official.
Graduation was a year away, but with most of her coursework done, she had a relatively light schedule. Even with the pregnancy, she sailed through her remaining classes, finished her thesis, and still managed to keep up with her translation work.
He doted on her, his heart overflowing with tenderness for his pregnant wife. His business, thankfully, ran like a well-oiled machine, giving him ample time to pamper her. He did the grocery shopping, cooked her nutritious meals, took her on leisurely evening strolls, and even read stories to her belly, convinced it would give their child a head start in life.
Their daughter arrived just as she graduated, a healthy, robust little girl with a shock of jet-black hair. She was a feisty one, too, kicking with such enthusiasm that she’d once accidentally given her father a bloody nose.
Seeing his daughter for the first time brought tears to his eyes. He was a natural, it seemed, at fatherhood. Feeding, changing, soothing—he took it all in stride, letting his exhausted wife recover in peace.
Not that she minded. After all, she’d endured ten months of carrying and birthing their child. It was only fair he pulled his weight now, wasn’t it?
─── ❖ ── ☆ ── ❖ ───
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(๑✪ᆺ✪๑)
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