Chapter 298: Tenderness
Little Huzi watched in absolute shock as his father popped the piece of egg custard into his own mouth and ate it with great relish.
Unable to process the betrayal, Huzi pointed a trembling finger at his father and burst into a loud, tragic wail.
When Grandma Sheng saw Sheng Wanze actively stealing food from his own infant child, she didn’t know whether to laugh or scold him. She immediately slapped his shoulder, gave him a thorough tongue-lashing, and quickly spooned a generous portion of egg custard into Huzi’s mouth, only then managing to coax the boy back into good behavior.
“You are a fully grown man, yet you still have the nerve to fight an infant for his rations,” Grandpa Sheng muttered, looking away in pure embarrassment. He truly couldn’t fathom how his grandson had grown a skin so thick.
The Full Moon celebration grew even more lively with Huzi’s dramatic tears, and the courtyard filled with the sound of comfortable laughter and clinking dishes as the meal progressed.
Once the table was cleared, it was time for the family to present Yi Yi with her milestone gifts. Grandpa Sheng and Grandma Sheng handed over traditional red envelopes, Sheng Wanze presented a collection of smooth wooden toys he had hand-carved himself, and Pan Yue offered a pair of beautifully stitched tiger-head shoes.
Mother Gu also came forward with a red envelope of her own, which was remarkably thick and heavy. As her parents, Sheng Wanyan and Gu Tingxiao had naturally spared no expense, presenting their daughter with a set of vibrant, auspicious red clothes. The little girl slept soundly through the entire presentation, a serene, tiny smile gracing her lips as she received her treasures in her dreams.
Throughout the afternoon, Maodou remained glued to the side of the crib. The loyal dog had been longing for his little master’s arrival for months, and he took his guard duty very seriously.
Later that evening, after enjoying her first hot bath in a month, Sheng Wanyan returned to the bedroom and quietly retrieved her private gift for Yi Yi. What child could grow up without a traditional pair of solid silver bracelets?
However, given the strict societal eye of the current era, she couldn’t risk exposing such luxury to the neighbors without drawing dangerous suspicion. Since she couldn’t let her daughter wear jewelry out in the open, she had presented the red garments for the family to see, reserving these silver treasures for a private moment. She intended to store them securely for the next couple of years until the girl bloomed into a toddler.
Gu Tingxiao watched her organize the silver but didn’t utter a single question. He simply retrieved a sturdy wooden lockbox and carefully began lining up his daughter’s gifts inside.
Sheng Wanyan sat on the edge of the mattress, counting the cash from the elders’ red envelopes before sliding them into the box. Grandpa and Grandma Sheng had each gifted exactly 9.9 yuan—a highly auspicious number representing lifelong longevity and peace. Mother Gu had contributed a staggering 33 yuan, which explained why her envelope had felt so dense.
Sheng Wanyan had zero intention of absorbing the money into the household budget; this wealth belonged strictly to her daughter. She would safeguard it until Yi Yi grew old enough to manage it herself. After all, these funds represented the pure, unvarnished love and blessings of her elders, and even as a mother, she refused to usurp that special affection.
She neatly categorized the practical items, setting aside Sheng Wanze’s hand-carved blocks and Pan Yue’s meticulously stitched tiger shoes so they would be ready the moment Yi Yi hit her next growth spurt.
“Let me handle that, sweetheart,” Gu Tingxiao murmured, stepping forward to take the heavy lockbox from her hands. He securely turned the key in the brass lock and placed the container on the upper shelf of the wardrobe.
“The little thing has been an absolute magnet for affection since the literal hour she was born,” Sheng Wanyan smiled, gently tracing her daughter’s tiny fingers with a look of boundless tenderness.
Gu Tingxiao froze for a moment, his breath hitching at the sight. His wife’s maternal gentleness was utterly mesmerizing. She exuded such a soft, radiant warmth that anyone stepping into her presence would be instantly captivated by her aura.
As he stared down at her, a familiar, burning intensity flared in his dark eyes. Counting the days on his fingers, he realized with a surge of adrenaline that her confinement month was officially over—he was finally allowed to “eat meat” again.
Gu Tingxiao glided across the floorboards, wrapping his strong arms around her waist from behind and resting his heavy chin against her shoulder. When he spoke, his voice was a low, magnetic gravelly whisper. “Wanyan… let’s get you into bed.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded innocently, entirely unaware that she had just been firmly targeted by a big bad wolf.
The moment she lay down against the sheets, however, she felt like a helpless fish swept up in a powerful current. Unable to find a single anchor against the sheer force of his affection, she could only cling desperately to Gu Tingxiao’s sculpted, powerful arms. He lifted her against his chest without a single shred of effort, and the quiet chamber was instantly consumed by the sound of heavy, ragged breathing.
“Tingxiao… wait,” Sheng Wanyan gasped, her face flushing a violent shade of crimson. With the baby sleeping just inches away in the crib, a wave of intense bashfulness and shame washed over her. “Mom is resting right in the next room…”
Although their master bedroom faced Mother Gu’s guest quarters across the central corridor, the cottage layout wasn’t expansive. If they grew too loud, the ambient sound would carry easily through the thin walls.
Gu Tingxiao leaned down, capturing her lips in a bruising kiss before shifting his hot, heavy breath directly against her ear. “Then just focus entirely on keeping quiet, sweetheart. If it gets too intense, you can bite down on my shoulder.”
Sheng Wanyan’s cheeks burned with hot embarrassment. How on earth can this man say something so utterly shameless?
She balled her fists, striking his broad chest in a series of sharp, flustered thumps, her teeth gritted. Amused by her blushing fury, Gu Tingxiao ceased his teasing. He smoothly pinned her beneath his weight, gently pressing a hand near her cheek, and pulled the heavy quilt entirely over their heads, shielding her modesty from the room as he pulled her into the depths of a passionate night.
The following morning, the sun was well past the horizon by the time Sheng Wanyan finally stirred.
When Gu Tingxiao stepped into the kitchen to fetch breakfast, Mother Gu threw her third son a look of scathing, wordless disdain. Men are truly all the same—not a single one of them can control themselves!
Gu Tingxiao rubbed the bridge of his nose sheepishly, keeping his mouth shut as he balanced the tray of hot food and slipped back into the master bedroom.
Sheng Wanyan was still groggy, her limbs heavy. Gu Tingxiao set the tray down and gently gathered her into his arms to coax her awake.
“What time is it?” she mumbled, rubbing her blurry eyes against his shoulder.
“Just past ten,” he whispered, reaching for a fresh dress from the wardrobe. “Let me help you change.”
Hearing it was already ten in the morning, Sheng Wanyan bolted upright, her drowsiness evaporating. She scrambled out of bed to wash her face, her mind racing. It was incredibly late; Mother Gu would easily deduce exactly why she had slept through the morning.
Sheng Wanyan felt a wave of intense mortification, but when she stepped into the living room, she let out a massive sigh of relief to find the cottage empty. Mother Gu had intentionally gone out to tend to the vegetable plot, wanting to spare her daughter-in-law any awkwardness when she finally emerged from the bedroom. As a fellow woman, she understood the boundaries of modesty perfectly.
“Where is Yi Yi?” Sheng Wanyan asked, looking around.
“She’s sleeping soundly over in Mom’s room,” Gu Tingxiao replied, pouring her a cup of warm water. He had been terrified that the baby’s morning fussing would disrupt his wife’s hard-won rest, so he had carefully bundled the infant across the hall at the crack of dawn.
Once she finished her breakfast, Sheng Wanyan walked across the corridor to check on her daughter. Maodou was curled tightly against the base of the frame, watching over the sleeping infant. Seeing that the baby was perfectly content, Sheng Wanyan turned her mind back to her professional duties.
“The new batch of translation texts from the Capital editorial office should have arrived by now,” she noted. “I’m going to walk down to the main gate to check the registry.” She was desperate for a breath of fresh air; after being cooped up inside the house for a solid month, the walls were beginning to feel a bit tight.
Gu Tingxiao didn’t attempt to block her, well aware of her need to stretch her legs. “Alright, go ahead and take your time. I’ll stay right here and watch over Yi Yi.”
Sheng Wanyan nodded gratefully, slipped into her walking shoes, and stepped out into the crisp morning. The moment she crossed the threshold, she dragged a deep breath of the cool, pristine northern air into her lungs, a radiant smile blooming on her face. Freedom felt absolutely magnificent.
At this hour, the compound wives were heavily occupied with their indoor domestic chores, leaving the dirt roads beautifully quiet and clear.
As she passed the perimeter of the communal garden plots, Sheng Wanyan paused to glance over the fence. Mother Gu spotted her from a distance and gave her a subtle, knowing nod, deliberately refraining from calling her over so she wouldn’t have to face the neighbors.
Watching from the path, Sheng Wanyan finally understood why her mother-in-law was so thoroughly obsessed with this small patch of dirt. A large circle of compound wives had enthusiastically swarmed Mother Gu, hanging onto her every word as she eloquently described the grand architecture and culture of the capital. This garden plot was undisputedly Mother Gu’s elite social stage.
Amused by the spectacle, Sheng Wanyan quietly continued down the road toward the regiment’s main security checkpoint.
Sure enough, the clerk confirmed that several heavy parcels had been processed under her name. There were three massive packages in total. Sheng Wanyan reviewed the shipping labels; two had been dispatched directly from the central offices in the Capital, while the third bore a postmark from Chengdu.
She gathered the heavy boxes into her arms, preparing for the trek back to the cottage. Noting her load, the young guard on duty immediately stepped out of the security shack. He was well aware that Captain Gu’s wife had just given birth, and everyone knew how fiercely protective the formidable captain was of his spouse. If the captain discovered his recovering wife had been left to heft heavy freight across the base single-handedly, there would be hell to pay.
“Let me carry those for you, sister-in-law,” the soldier offered politely, smoothly taking the heavy boxes from her arms.
“Thank you so much for the assistance,” Sheng Wanyan smiled.
“Don’t mention it, sister-in-law. It’s no trouble at all.”
