Slowly Falling For Changkong 63

Chapter 63

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After Xu Lian and Xiang ChangKong got married, the little red box was temporarily banished into the cold palace. While they continued to act like a couple, they also began to take special note of their diet and exercise, to ensure that their bodies and minds were at top condition.

(T/N: a cold palace is a place to which a monarch banishes a wife or concubine who falls from favor / (fig.) the doghouse / a state of disfavor)

After working hard for some time, Xu Lian found that her 'auntie' hadn't come for a visit this month. After thinking for a while, she wondered if they succeeded?

(T/N: Auntie is a euphemism for a woman's period.)

Xu Lian wasn't so sure because other than her 'auntie' not visiting, Xu Lian's body showed no change or abnormality. The absence of your 'auntie' visiting could be due to a number of things.

So to be on the safe side, Xu Lian took a half-day from work and went to go to the hospital for a check-up. While she waited for the results, Xu Lian couldn't help but get nervous.

When the test results came out, the doctor told Xu Lian that she was indeed pregnant. Xu Lian was stunned for the first few seconds but quickly accepted it. She calmly took the report, left the hospital, then sent Xiang ChangKong a message.

Wife: I just left the hospital after getting examined. The doctor said I'm pregnant.

Xu Lian sent a few ultrasound photos with the message.

After seeing Xu Lian's messages, Xiang ChangKong directly called her. By the time Xu Lian answered Xiang ChangKong's call, she was already back in her store.

Without waiting for Xu Lian to speak, Xiang ChangKong eagerly asked: "I saw your message. How are you?"

Xu Lian replied: "I'm fine. I don't feel different."

Xiang ChangKong was so obviously nervous. He exhaled and asked: "You went to the hospital alone? Why didn't you ask me to go with you?"

"It was because I wasn't sure. I wanted to check things first before telling you."

"Are you back home now?"

"I'm in the shop."

"Why did you go back to the store?"

Xu Lian was very amused. "Why do I need to go home? I'm not that far along yet."

Xiang ChangKong finally realized that he was a bit too nervous. But he just learned that he was going to be a father, ah. How could he not be worried? "Then finish work early today and go directly to my mother's place for dinner. I'll go back home as soon as possible."

"Alright."

"By the way, have you told your parents yet?" Xiang ChangKong asked.

"Not yet. I was planning on telling them later."

"Alright. Well, be safe."

Xu Lian listened to Xiang ChangKong nag for a few more minutes, then hung up. When Xiang ChangKong put his phone down, his colleagues surrounded him and asked why he looked so nervous.

Xiang ChangKong smiled and replied: "It's nothing. It's just that I'm going to be a father."

As soon as he said this, the office became lively. Xiang ChangKong is a young, handsome man who just married and was now going to be a gather. To everyone in the office, he was simply a huge winner in life!

After happily congratulating Xiang ChangKong, everyone promptly went back to work.

Xiang ChangKong left work earlier than usual and went straight to his mother's home. When he arrived, he saw Weng ShuLi sitting on the sofa, excitedly telling Xu Lian something. Even Xiang Nuan was here.

"Brother, you're back!" Xiang Nuan was the first one to notice Xiang ChangKong's arrival and called out to him in surprise.

Weng ShuLi looked at her daughter and r reproachfully. "Don't shout, ah. You'll frighten Xu Lian."

Xu Lian didn't know whether she should laugh or cry. She wasn't that fragile, ah.

However, Xiang Nuan thought that her mother's words were quite reasonable. She lowered her voice and nodded. "Yes, yes, yes, I'll pay more attention in the future."

Xiang ChangKong didn't bother taking off his coat and immediately crouched down in front of Xu Lian. He held her hand, and warmly asked: "Are you alright?"

Xu Lian smiled at him and replied: "Why wouldn't I be?"

Xiang ChangKong honestly didn't know why he asked such a question. He just felt like his heart had been hanging by a thread the entire day. It was only now that he was beside Xu Lian that Xiang ChangKong finally felt at ease. 

Weng ShuLi stood up and said: "I've finished dinner already, so let me bring it out."

"I'll help." Xiang Nuan followed her into the kitchen and plated the dishes together.

Xiang ChangKong helped Xu Lian up from the sofa and brought her to the finding table. After sitting down, Xu Lian turned to Xiang ChangKong and said: "You're too nervous. I'm only a few weeks pregnant."

Xiang ChangKong replied: "This is the time we have to pay extra close attention, ah."

"Alright, alright, I got it. I'll pay close attention."

Weng ShuLi had been telling Xu Lian to be careful the moment she found out that she was pregnant. Now that Xiang ChangKong was home, Weng ShuLi turned and began telling her son to take care of Xu Lian during the entire meal. Weng ShuLi chattered non-stop, but her point boiled down to one thing: take care of your pregnant wife!

Xiang ChangKong, of course, solemnly nodded to each and every one of his mother's words.

After dinner, he and Xu Lian went back home. Xu Lian took a bath first, then picked up her cellphone to tell her parents about her pregnancy.

Her father recently took up some work overseas, so both he and her mother were staying abroad. Last time, her mother specially came back to China just to see Xu Lian's boyfriend. Xu Lian had a feeling that she would be doing it again when she finds out about her daughter's pregnancy.

And Xu Lian was right. As soon as she told her mother, Mother Xu's first reaction was to buy an airplane ticket. Her second reaction was to complain and ask why Xu Lian didn't tell her immediately.

Xu Lian replied: "I was afraid that you would immediately scamper back here, so I didn't tell you."

Mother Xu angrily said: "How can we feel assured if we don't come back and see you? How can you properly take care of yourself and your child if you can't even cook well?"

Xu Lian scoffed. "What do you mean, I can't cook well? Xiang ChangKong taught me a lot. I can cook many different dishes now, ah."

"Alright, alright, you're the best. I've already bought a ticket for tomorrow. You don't have to pick me up from the airport, I'll take a taxi."

"Well, fine."

After Xiang ChangKong finished his bath and came back to the bedroom, Xu Lian was still chatting with her mother. So naturally, once Mother Xu heard Xiang ChangKong say hello, she pulls him into the conversation, and the phonecall extended for another half hour. Mother Xu advised Xiang ChangKong on how to take care of Xu Lian until Xu Lian couldn't stand her mother's nagging anymore and preemptively ended the call.

Xu Lian leaned on the bed's headboard and sighed. "I was feeling fine, but now you've all made me nervous, ah."

Xiang ChangKong sat down beside her and gently wrapped his arms around her. "Pregnancy isn't a trivial matter. It's normal for everyone to feel nervous. To be honest, I still feel like this is all a dream."

Xu Lian found out that she was pregnant, but truthfully, she wasn't feeling the surge of emotion most women felt after finding out that they were with child. She leaned her head against Xiang ChangKong's heart and listened to its steady thumping. "Honestly, I think it'll only sink in and feel more real to me once I start having morning sickness."

Xiang ChangKong helplessly smiled and said: "You don't need to act or feel a certain way, ah. And morning sickness isn't something to look forward to."

Xu Lian clicked her tongue. "What am I to do? I'm going to be feeling unwell for the next couple of months."

Xiang ChangKong bowed his head and kissed his wife. In a soft voice, he said: "It's tough on you. If you ever feel uncomfortable in the future, just call me directly."

"Nn."

After a while, Xiang ChangKong helped her lie down on the bed. "Sleep early."

He helped Xu Lian under the blankets, then laid down beside her. Xu Lian hugged him and quickly fell asleep.

After that day, Xu Lian's life didn't change much. She still went to work every day, only paying a little more attention to getting proper exercise. Fortunately, she always had the habit of running in the morning, so her physical fitness was alright. She hadn't needed to change any part of her life too drastically.

There's nothing else she needed to pay attention to other than her diet, so Xu Lian didn't act much different. In contrast to this, the people around her had more apparent changes. They would stare at her from time to time, fearing that she might fall at the slightest touch. Her mother, in particular, was very concerned. Mother Xu even asked if she could move in with them!

After much haggling, Xu Lian eventually got her mother to give up on the idea. If her mother moved in, the couple's lovey-dovey days would get drastically affected. Although Xu Lian was pregnant and Xiang ChangKong can't-for a better lack of term- go all the way with her, there were no problems with using their hands, ah. It would be very embarrassing if her mother moved in with them.

But while Mother Xu didn't move in, she still ran over every now and again. In fact, she and Weng ShuLi began planning every detail of Xu Lian's life as a pregnant woman. Gradually, Xu Lian began showing some pregnancy signs, and her hormones finally began affecting her emotions. Fortunately, it wasn't so severe, and Xu Lian soon got used to it.

As time went on, Xu Lian's stomach became more and more evident, and moving became increasingly challenging. Whenever she was due for a check-up in the hospital, Xiang ChangKong would always accompany her. He would always go in the hospital anxious, then subsequently feel relieved after hearing that the mother and fetus were doing well.

Nowadays, Xu Lian didn't go to her store anymore, and the candles were basically made by the small staff she hired. Xiang Nuan would even come by the store and help out whenever she was free. These days, Xiang Nuan wasn't feeling very happy teaching and was thinking about opening a small shop like Xu Lian.

The idea had been in her mind for some time now, but Xiang Nuan wanted to put all her efforts into helping the pregnant Xu Lian. She planned to not make any decisions until Xu Lian had given birth.

Ah, at the thought of a cute little niece or nephew, Xiang Nuan excitedly smiled. One look at Xu Lian and Xiang ChangKong's face, and it would be obvious to anyone that the child would be a guaranteed beauty!

So under everyone's intense excitement, Xu Lian's due date finally arrived. A few weeks ago, Mother Xu really did move in with them, afraid that something would happen. Mother Xu feared that when the time came, Xiang ChangKong, a grown man, wouldn't know what to do.

(T/N: very masculine guy / a real man / (used ironically) a grown man)

In fact, Xiang ChangKong probably knew just as much as Mother Xu. After all, he watched all kinds of teaching videos and read all types of books more than ten times.

The day Xu Lian was brought to the delivery room was as bright and sunny as their wedding day. Xiang ChangKong and the two mothers came with Xu Lian, fully intending on camping outside the room all day. Even Xiang Nuan became worried and asked for leave from work just so she could stay at the hospital with them.

Xu Lian was healthy enough to do a natural birth, so Xu Lian had planned early on to have a cesarean section only if it was necessary.

Xiang ChangKong knew he probably will never forget this day. His tension during Xu Lian's entire pregnancy reached it's absolute peak today. It was November, yet he was sweating all over. Xiang Nuan had never seen her brother look so serious. No matter the exam, Xiang ChangKong had always been so calm. To think that she would see such an expression on her brother outside the classroom!

Xiang Nuan took the initiative and comforted him: "Brother, Sister Xu Lian is a strong, mighty person, ah. Everything will certainly be smooth sailing!"

"...." Xiang ChangKong was silent for a while. Eventually, he managed to squeeze out a croak of agreement from his throat.

Xu Lian didn't let Xiang Nuan down. Some mothers gave birth quite quickly, while some deliveries take the entire day. For Xu Lian, it only took half an hour after she was wheeled in the operating room to finish giving birth. And she didn't need to do a cesarean section!

When the family saw the doctor come out, they gathered around him. The doctor quickly assured them: "The mother and daughter are safe and sound."

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The author has something to say:

Congrats Lian Lian, for giving birth to a small official!

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