A few days later, Xue Yue returned.

When He Lang saw she was safe and sound, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Why are you back so soon?"

Xue Yue sighed. "Don’t get me started. We were almost shot at, and on top of that, we were only in Moscow for an afternoon before they escorted us onto a train at gunpoint. How miserable is that?"

He Lang frowned. "They pulled weapons on you?"

Xue Yue nodded. "Mhm, I was so scared my legs almost gave out. Luckily, Sister Feng was there. Oh, right, Sister Feng is my boss, and she’s experienced. But I’m still upset we were sent back just like that."

"The important thing is that you’re back safe."

He Lang said, massaging Xue Yue’s shoulders, "You must be tired after such a long train ride."

"I’m okay. It’s just that the train ride was so long, I feel a little out of it."

He Lang immediately pulled her toward the bed.

He sat Xue Yue down on the bed. "You should lie down for a while."

As he spoke, he helped her take off her coat.

Xue Yue lay down on the bed and let out a soft sigh. "It’s so good to be home."

He Lang smiled. "Get some sleep. I’ll head out."

"Mhm."

Xue Yue slowly closed her eyes. When she woke up, it was already evening.

Before she even left the room, she heard laughter from the courtyard.

She pushed open the door and stepped outside to see her brother and sister-in-law were there.

The laughter she’d heard was coming from the children playing in the courtyard.

When Zhang Qian saw Xue Yue come out, she looked her up and down and grabbed her arm.

"You’re finally back! Your brother was so worried after he found out you’d gone abroad that he couldn’t sleep soundly."

Xue Yue glanced at Xue Xingzhou.

"I’m fine. See? I came back in one piece."

Xue Xingzhou chuckled. "I was okay. But He Lang, on the other hand... just look at the dark circles under his eyes. If you didn’t know better, you’d think they were birthmarks."

Xue Yue smiled and looked over at He Lang. Sure enough, he had dark circles, and his eyes were red, too.

Their eyes met, filled with an undeniable warmth.

Just then, someone hugged Xue Yue’s leg.

"Mommy, what took you so long to come back? I missed you so, so much," Ruanruan said with a pout.

Xue Yue stroked her head.

"Mommy, I missed you too," Shiyi chimed in, moving closer.

Xue Yue smiled. "Mommy missed you, too. Were you good at home while I was gone? Did you listen to Grandma?"

Shiyi nodded. "We listened. I even gave Grandma a back rub, and she praised me."

"Really? You’re such a good boy, Shiyi."

Daya watched them with a smile. Standing next to her was Xiao Yu, who was still very timid. When she saw Xue Yue look over, she hid behind Daya.

Xue Yue hadn’t paid her much special attention. The little girl followed Mrs. He around every day. When it was time to eat, she would clutch her bowl as if terrified someone would steal her food.

However, she had grown more familiar with Daya and the others and was now willing to play with them, though she mostly just watched Ruanruan and Shiyi clown around.

It was a rare opportunity to rest, so her work had given them two days off.

Xue Yue went to her clothing store. He Lang had told her a shipment of down jackets arrived a few days ago, and she wanted to check them out.

She hadn’t been to the shop in a while. It was now filled with winter down jackets, with very few cotton-padded coats in sight.

"How are the down jackets selling?"

Guan Wenwen said, "Very well. The down jackets are light and warm, and most importantly, they look better than the cotton coats. Everyone likes them."

Xue Yue looked around, tried on a couple of jackets, and thought they were nice.

"Bag these up for me."

She didn’t see Yang Wenxiu in the store.

"Is Yang Wenxiu not here?"

"She took the day off. Said she had to go to the hospital."

Xue Yue looked at her. "What’s wrong with Yang Wenxiu?"

Guan Wenwen pointed meaningfully at her stomach.

Xue Yue raised an eyebrow. "Pregnant?"

Guan Wenwen said with a smile, "Most likely. She went to the hospital for a check-up today."

Xue Yue nodded.

At the hospital, Shitou had skipped going to the supermarket to bring Yang Wenxiu in for a check-up.

Once the test results came out, they showed them to the doctor, who said she was already over a month pregnant.

A delighted Shitou hugged Yang Wenxiu and spun her around several times in the hospital corridor.

"Whoa, Shitou, the baby!"

Shitou quickly put her down and gently touched her stomach.

"Are you okay? Are you feeling uncomfortable? I’m just so happy."

Yang Wenxiu smiled at him. "I’m fine. Let’s go home and tell Mom the news."

Shitou nodded and clenched his fists.

"Right, let’s go tell Mom. This news will make her so happy."

Just as Shitou and Yang Wenxiu were leaving the hospital, their faces beaming with joy, they ran into Ge Meili at the entrance. She was carrying a cloth basket holding two cans of fruit.

Shitou was holding Yang Wenxiu’s arm, carefully helping her down the hospital steps and patting her belly every now and then.

Yang Wenxiu saw Ge Meili first and tapped Shitou’s arm.

Shitou glanced at her, then looked across and saw Ge Meili. He froze for a moment.

Ge Meili’s expression stiffened. Seeing Shitou and Yang Wenxiu acting so affectionately made her deeply uncomfortable, but she forced a smile.

"Long time no see. You two?"

Shitou said, "We’re married."

Ge Meili looked at them in astonishment. "You’re—married?"

Her fingers curled slightly. She probably hadn’t expected Shitou to get married so quickly.

Yang Wenxiu looked at Ge Meili’s unnatural expression and nudged Shitou.

Shitou snapped out of it and said to Ge Meili, "Well, we should get going."

With that, he took Yang Wenxiu’s arm and led her away.

Ge Meili watched them go, seeing how Shitou treated Yang Wenxiu like a precious treasure. ’He used to care for me like that,’ she thought.

Ge Meili glanced at the hospital building, didn’t go in, and turned to walk back the way she came.

Since breaking up with Shitou, Ge Meili had been on many blind dates.

The well-off men weren’t interested in her, and she looked down on the ones who weren’t as well-off. She dated one other person for a while, but she always found herself subconsciously comparing him to Shitou. He wasn’t as good to her, he didn’t earn as much—for all sorts of reasons, they ended up splitting, too.

She had recently met another man through a blind date, a factory worker. He’d told her yesterday that he’d been injured on the job, and she had been on her way to visit him at the hospital. But after running into Shitou and his wife, she completely lost the desire to go.

On the way home, Yang Wenxiu looked at Shitou and took his hand.

"Are you a little upset?"

Shitou looked at Yang Wenxiu and smiled.

He caressed her face.

"Upset about what? Because of Ge Meili?"

Shitou shook his head. "No. The past is the past. You’re my wife now, and the mother of my child. You two are the only ones in my heart."

Yang Wenxiu couldn’t quite put a name to the feeling in her heart. It was a mix of sourness and warmth. She leaned against Shitou’s chest.

Shitou said to her, "I’m still so excited. If Mom finds out you’re pregnant, she might just rush all the way to Beijing City."

Yang Wenxiu looked up at him. "Why don’t we ask Mom to come live with us? After I give birth, she can help with the baby, and we can take care of her while she’s here with us."

Shitou paused at her words. Looking at Yang Wenxiu, he could see she was serious.

"Okay. I’ll ask her if she wants to come when I call her in a little while."