I don’t know if Ji Rui talked to Baobao, but after the little one’s sixth birthday, he never ntioned wanting a brother or sister again.
In Le Tong’s heart, there was naturally a sense of guilt. Initially, it was towards Baobao, but as her feelings for Ji Rui gradually ward up, this guilt would occasionally be directed at Ji Rui as well.
"Ji Rui, if my body remains like this..." One night, after finishing her studies, Le Tong was forced by soone to drink a full bowl of bitter and hard-to-swallow Chinese dicine. She nestled against him and spoke hesitantly.
Ji Rui, holding her shoulder, interrupted her before she could finish, pressing a fingertip to her lips.
"Don’t think about unnecessary things. Focusing on getting healthy is the most important thing. You should know, I’ve never been fond of children. It took years to finally care a bit for Baobao. One is enough, and I don’t want more little imps to bother us."
Ji Rui wasn’t wrong. A little over a year ago, he wasn’t attentive to Baobao, nor did he particularly love him. He knew very well that, strictly speaking, he wasn’t a qualified father. The harmonious relationship he now had with Baobao was partly because Baobao sought his favor and his illness made Ji Rui treasure this precious son more.
If he weren’t with Le Tong now, he wouldn’t be looking forward to new life at all.
So, if he and Le Tong couldn’t have children in the future, even though it once gave him a sense of regret, it was just a fleeting feeling. What worried him more was Le Tong’s health.
But even though Ji Rui said this, Le Tong’s guilt still couldn’t be diminished, though she pretended to be convinced on the surface.
After that night, Le Tong never brought up the subject of children with Ji Rui again. She simply and obediently cooperated with taking dicine every day, without complaint.
Living under the sa roof, they got to know each other more.
Their prejudices gradually dissolved as they understood each other better.
Once these prejudices were corrected, they transford into a subtle affection, slowly accumulating in their hearts. The emotional walls between them grew taller and stronger, making it clear that external forces were harder and harder to shake their feelings. Even though neither of them promised to stay with the other until the end of ti, they both inwardly had the determination and understood each other enough to keep going forward together.
Le Tong always thought that she and Ji Rui were people from two different worlds, from their thoughts to their upbringing.
Living together, there would surely be many frictions and adjustnts.
Although, because of Baobao, she and Ji Rui had been semi-living together for several months, back then their relationship remained friendly, and she was relatively more courteous to Ji Rui at that ti.
But now, having beco lovers, she appeared in front of Ji Rui most of the ti as her true self.
As she said herself, this true self sotis acted a bit stubborn, occasionally played childish pranks, and at tis sulkily lost her temper...
She thought that a domineering and overbearing man like Ji Rui probably couldn’t accept such a person like her.
Little did she know, Ji Rui never showed any sign of disliking her for being this way. Instead, he would indulge and comfort her without any principles.
This unfamiliar side of Ji Rui, though strange, ward Le Tong’s heart a lot.
Of course, she wasn’t soone who only threw tantrums, played pranks, or randomly lost her temper. She spent even more ti and effort caring for Ji Rui and Baobao than she used to.
However, Ji Rui would always use her poor health as an excuse to let Aunt Guan handle all household chores. Except for being able to cook on weekends, the kitchen was almost off-limits for her during weekdays.
Le Tong was not soone to sit idle. Being barred from the kitchen left her at a loss. After wandering uneasily in the apartnt for two or three days, she finally found a new source of enjoynt.
That evening, after finishing up affairs outside, Ji Rui returned ho and was changing his shoes at the entrance. Usually, mother and son would run out as soon as they heard the door, but today, not even their shadows were visible.
"Baobao..." After changing his shoes, Ji Rui loosened his tie and called out toward the living room.
"I’m here..."
Baobao’s clear voice seed to co from far away.
It wasn’t until Ji Rui walked into the living room that he saw the two figures, one big and one small, outside the floor-to-ceiling glass, squatting in front of the plants on the terrace, doing sothing with them.
Ji Rui casually tossed his jacket and the tie he had removed onto the sofa, took large strides over, and pushed open the terrace door.
"What are you doing?" he asked, poking his head out. He saw the mother and son, one holding scissors, the other wielding a trowel, trimming a large potted plant nearly as tall as a person.
"Daddy, Mommy and I are trimming the plants."
Baobao flashed the trowel, covered in soil, proudly toward Ji Rui.
Ji Rui frowned. This kind of job could easily be done by hiring a gardener to co and prune regularly, so why go through the trouble themselves?
"Le Tong, didn’t you go to all the major governntal departnts today? Why aren’t you resting and doing this instead?"
Ji Rui sounded sowhat displeased. For the sake of a single approval docunt, Le Tong had run around all day. She had returned only half an hour before him and instead of resting properly, she was enduring the harsh wind on the terrace.
Le Tong turned to glance at him nonchalantly and said.
"The car was running, not !"
Before Ji Rui could argue, she added, "Baobao has a practical assignnt today, a planting project. Just as it happens, this potted plant’s leaves are overly lush – if we don’t trim it, it won’t get enough nutrients. So, Baobao and I are completing this practical assignnt together."
Seeing that she showed no intention of returning to the living room to rest, Ji Rui frowned and loosened his lips before rolling up his sleeves deftly, taking a pair of scissors from the toolbox and squatting down beside them.
"I’ll help too. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can eat."
Le Tong turned her head to look at him with concern, "Are you hungry?"
Ji Rui sighed, "It’s you and Baobao who are hungry, you two little foodies!"
Le Tong, however, was in no rush at all, "Baobao and I had so snacks earlier, so we’re not hungry. But your help is nice, I’ll go move the orchid pot; the current pot is a bit small."
Before Ji Rui could respond, she was already standing up, carrying the flower pot the size of a big bowl from the shelf on the terrace’s side.
"Leave it, I’ll carry it!"
Ji Rui couldn’t help but get a bit annoyed. Was this woman torturing herself or him? The flower pot was filled with soil; it easily weighed several tens of pounds. Could she really lift it with her thin arms and legs?
Even if she could, what if she accidentally strained her back?
"Ji Rui, accompany to buy so flowers tomorrow. This terrace is big, and I want to grow a few different kinds. Once they bloom later, it will definitely be beautiful," Le Tong said undauntedly as she followed Ji Rui, who was carrying the flower pot.
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