I'm Done with the Elite Marriage - Chapter 67

After returning from the hospital, Zhou Youling instructed her family to start preparing for settling down in B City.

Rong Duanjing was delighted about this, as being with family always brought a sense of warmth.

Eager to help, Rong Duanjing actively assisted Zhou Youling with the move to B City, hoping she could comfortably nurture her pregnancy there.

Due to the doctor’s advice, Zhou Youling took the matter of nurturing her pregnancy very seriously.

With Rong Duanjing’s help, the Zhou Family quickly relocated to B City.

Rong Huiying was quite satisfied with their new residence in B City. The house was neither too big nor too small, about 200 square meters, with three bedrooms, a living room, and a small study, perfectly adequate for the family.

Rong Duanjing said to her aunt, Rong Huiying, “Initially, I thought of choosing a large villa for you, but considering the inconvenience of running up and down stairs, especially after Lingling gives birth, a single-floor layout is more convenient for taking care of things.”

Rong Huiying had always trusted Rong Duanjing’s arrangements. As they strolled through each room hand in hand, she nodded with satisfaction, “It’s great to be closer to you now; we can visit each other more often.”

Rong Duanjing chuckled, “Aunt, I’ll be coming over for meals often, so don’t get annoyed with me.”

Rong Huiying playfully rolled her eyes, “I wish you’d bother me more; I’m just afraid you won’t come.”

“Hehehe,” Rong Duanjing laughed, pointing to Zhou Youling sitting on the sofa, “Aunt, it seems Lingling really likes children.”

Rong Huiying sighed softly, “Yes, indeed.”

Not far away, Zhou Youling was sitting on the sofa, holding Rong Duanjing’s son, Xingxing.

Xingxing was just a few days shy of his first birthday, chubby and utterly adorable. At this age, he couldn’t sit still, eager to walk but still unsteady. Yet, he managed to stay put on Zhou Youling’s lap, giggling and babbling, seemingly trying to express a lot.

Zhou Youling found herself incredibly fond of children, a realization that had dawned on her since her pregnancy. Every child seemed angelic to her now.

“Xingxing, why are you so cute? Look at your chubby little face and hands, they make me want to nibble on you,” Zhou Youling cooed, pretending to take a playful bite of the little guy.

Xingxing was tickled by Zhou Youling’s antics, laughing uncontrollably.

Despite being under a year old, Xingxing seemed to understand everything, having already formed a bond of trust with Zhou Youling. Upon seeing her from afar, he would excitedly call out and try to leap into her arms.

Rong Duanjing, concerned that Zhou Youling might tire herself, approached and said, “Alright, you should rest, don’t hold him too long.”

Zhou Youling refused, “It’s fine, Xingxing is very well-behaved.”

Rong Duanjing shook her head, “That’s because you haven’t seen him when he’s being a handful.”

Just then, Xingxing’s expression turned peculiar, his little face flushed, and he let out a soft “hmm.”

Rong Duanjing exclaimed, “Oh no! This little guy’s pooped again.”

“What should we do?” Zhou Youling looked completely bewildered.

Rong Duanjing replied, “What else? We change his diaper, of course.”

With that, Rong Duanjing deftly pulled out some wet wipes and training pants from her bag.

Although Zhou Youling had seen diapers before, she still found it quite novel. She watched as her female cousin laid Xingxing down on the sofa, removed his tiny pants, and then tore open the training pants that resembled little underwear.

The moment the training pants were opened, Zhou Youling caught sight of a mound of golden poop and instantly covered her mouth, feeling a bit overwhelmed.

Rong Duanjing, however, remained unfazed. She swiftly wiped Xingxing’s bottom clean with tissues, then meticulously used wet wipes to finish the job. Once everything was cleaned up, she wrapped all the mess in the small training pants, forming a neat little bundle. The mess was gone, replaced by a fresh and clean Xingxing.

Not only Zhou Youling, but even Rong Huiying watched attentively from the side. Rong Huiying held the wet wipes and training pants, wanting to help but feeling a bit out of her depth. She could only hand over the training pants with a sense of helplessness.

Once Rong Duanjing had put the new training pants on Xingxing, both Zhou Youling and Rong Huiying seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

“You’re amazing,” Rong Huiying said, not hiding the admiration on her face.

Rong Duanjing remained calm, saying, “Aunt, it’s really not that hard. Practice makes perfect. When Lingling has her baby, you’ll know how to do all this.”

Rong Huiying had hardly lifted a finger in household chores her whole life. The last time she cared for a baby was over twenty years ago when Zhou Youling was an infant. Back then, things were different; they had elders and a nanny at home, so Rong Huiying hardly had to do anything herself.

“Should I enroll in some sort of newborn care class? Otherwise, I won’t know anything when the time comes,” Rong Huiying suggested.

Rong Duanjing nodded immediately, “Yes, you should! Mu Shao attended one, and he learned a lot. When I had my baby, I hardly had to worry about anything; he took care of it all. Although there are many postpartum caregivers now, finding a good and considerate one isn’t easy. So, if you have time, you should definitely learn.”

Rong Huiying and Rong Duanjing were in complete agreement. Rong Huiying had heard stories about postpartum caregivers mistreating infants.

Rong Huiying remembered visiting when Rong Duanjing had her baby, and indeed, Mu Shao was handling everything with such professionalism and attention to detail.

Initially, Rong Huiying was very much against her niece marrying someone from another city. Even though B City and Nanzhou City were only about an hour’s drive apart, they were still two different cities with different social circles, making it hard to keep an eye on things. But since Rong Duanjing and Mu Shao had been together for years, the family didn’t have the heart to interfere.

Over time, Rong Huiying grew more and more satisfied with Mu Shao, often finding herself comparing him to her own son-in-law, Fu Xunzhou. The more she compared, the more disheartened she felt.

“By the way, Mu Shao mentioned earlier that today is the day for aunt’s family to celebrate their move. He specially reserved a private room at a hotel for us to have a casual lunch together,” Rong Duanjing said.

Rong Huiying responded, “Oh my, Mu Shao is really considerate.”

“Of course, after all, I’m aunt’s little darling.”

…

The Zhou Family’s move to B City was kept low-key, so much so that even close acquaintances were unaware. Rong Huiying publicly claimed the family was traveling to Europe, which had always been part of the Zhou couple’s plans, though it was delayed due to Zhou Youling’s pregnancy. Now, the Zhou couple lived a carefree life, and their unpredictable whereabouts did not arouse suspicion.

Mu Shao booked a five-star hotel, but the lunch gathering was small, consisting only of Mu Shao’s family and the Zhou Family.

After lunch, Zhou Youling planned to go shopping with her mom to buy some items for the new home. Zhou Zhishan and Mu Shao took a stroll nearby to get familiar with the surroundings.

B City’s economic development was on par with Nanzhou City, but its environmental construction was superior, which was one of the reasons Zhou Youling chose to settle there.

In the blink of an eye, Zhou Youling was already six months pregnant. As March arrived in B City, the weather was pleasant, evoking a sense of spring’s beauty.

With the warm temperature, Zhou Youling wore light clothing, and her pregnancy was finally showing more prominently. Especially after lunch, her belly appeared round and full.

Rong Huiying looked at her daughter’s belly with a loving smile and said, “I noticed you ate quite a bit at lunch. You should eat more; now you finally look pregnant.”

Zhou Youling replied, “You noticed I ate a lot at lunch? Why didn’t you stop me?”

Rong Huiying said, “Why would I stop you? I want you to eat more.”

Zhou Youling continued, “If I eat like this every day, I’ll quickly exceed my weight limit, and this little one inside will exceed it too. When it’s time to give birth, it’ll be painful. If I want a natural birth and the baby is too big, I won’t be able to deliver naturally, and I’ll have to have an episiotomy, which means stitches. If I can’t have a natural birth, I’ll need a C-section, and they’ll have to cut my belly…”

Before she could finish, Rong Huiying quickly interrupted, “That sounds terrifying!”

“It really is. Do you think a bigger belly is better?” Zhou Youling said. “Haven’t you watched those old palace dramas? Some people pretend to be helpful by giving pregnant women all sorts of delicious food, causing them to unknowingly gain weight, and the baby inside becomes oversized, leading to complications during childbirth. Do you know what complications mean?”

“Ah, stop! I won’t push you to eat more anymore!” Rong Huiying quickly raised her hands in surrender.

Zhou Youling laughed, “Alright, I was really hungry today. I’ll be more mindful.”

Once they arrived at the large shopping mall, Zhou Youling’s first stop was the flower section.

For Zhou Youling, buying flowers was always a simple way to lift her spirits, no matter the time or place.

Upon seeing the vibrant array of flowers before her, Zhou Youling swiftly chose her favorite variety and asked the shop assistant to wrap them up.

After buying the flowers and shopping around the mall, Zhou Youling and Rong Huiying left with their hands full.

As they were exiting the mall, Zhou Youling happened to run into Ji Yangwen, who was in B City for a work inspection.

Seeing Ji Yangwen, Zhou Youling’s expression remained calm. She nodded slightly in greeting.

Ji Yangwen, however, stepped forward to block Zhou Youling’s path.

“Is there some misunderstanding between us? Can we talk?” Ji Yangwen asked.

Rong Huiying glanced at the situation and said to Zhou Youling, “I’ll wait for you in the car.”

Zhou Youling looked up at Ji Yangwen and shook her head. “I don’t think there’s any misunderstanding between us. There’s nothing to discuss.”

Ji Yangwen furrowed his brow.

During this time, Zhou Youling had deliberately avoided him, not even replying to his messages. Ji Yangwen wasn’t naive; he had a general idea of what might have happened.

But Ji Yangwen was confident that he had never intended to take advantage of Zhou Youling.

From the beginning, their acquaintance had been purely coincidental, without any prearrangement.

Ji Yangwen glanced at Zhou Youling’s slightly rounded belly and asked, “You’ve moved to B City?”

Zhou Youling looked at Ji Yangwen with caution. “What do you want?”

Ji Yangwen shook his head. “Nothing, don’t look at me like that.”

Zhou Youling spoke softly, “I hope you won’t tell anyone about my being in B City.”

Ji Yangwen smiled lightly. “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything. But I must admit, I have my own interests.”

A hint of doubt flickered in Zhou Youling’s eyes.

Ji Yangwen continued, “When you were hospitalized in Nanzhou City, I specifically asked the medical staff to keep it from your ex-husband, not letting him know about your pregnancy. Honestly, Fu Xunzhou and I don’t get along well, but I don’t want to see you hurt.”

Zhou Youling’s expression remained indifferent. “Thank you, but I don’t want you to interfere in my affairs anymore. We’re just ordinary friends, after all.”

Ji Yangwen was momentarily stunned by her words, a faint disappointment showing in his eyes.

He knew he had been sentenced in her heart.