Chapter 570: Consummation (Grand Finale)
Chapter 570: Chapter 549: Consummation (Grand Finale)
When Cao Qiu and Sun Zhuzi arrived, they were surprised to learn Gu’er had already given birth.
Cao Qiu hadn’t been visiting as often recently. Two months ago, Wei Hong had also given birth, but it was another daughter, dashing Cao Qiu’s hopes for another grandson.
Even though it wasn’t a grandson, Wei Hong had fallen out with her own family, so Cao Qiu stayed home to care for her daughter-in-law during her postpartum confinement. This moved Wei Hong deeply. She had always thought her mother-in-law was dissatisfied with her and treated her poorly. After giving birth to a daughter, she’d expected to be ignored or criticized. To her surprise, her mother-in-law took excellent care of her, buying nutritious food to help her recover. Wei Hong felt she had been wrong about many things in the past. During her confinement, she resolved to live a good life with Sun Jiasheng from now on and to treat her mother-in-law better.
Since she was busy taking care of Wei Hong and the baby, Cao Qiu visited less often. Still, she made sure to come over every two or three days to see her eldest grandson, Jiji.
When she heard Gu’er had given birth, she rushed to ask what the baby was. Upon learning it was another granddaughter, Cao Qiu slumped onto the sofa, completely deflated. ‘Both of them are granddaughters? Not a single grandson? Since heaven let both my daughters-in-law get pregnant, why couldn’t it have given me just one more grandson!’
But even though Cao Qiu was unhappy, she didn’t dare show it to Gu’er and her family. She could only grumble a bit to Sun Jiaming.
Sun Jiaming understood his mother’s feelings, but he was overjoyed about Xingxing’s birth. He now had both a son and a daughter, and his family was harmonious—what more could he ask for? So what if he had another son? Having one of each was the best outcome possible.
Cao Qiu might have grumbled, but she knew better than to say anything in front of Gu’er and still did everything she was supposed to.
That evening, after everyone had gone home, Sun Jiaming went into the room. Gu’er was nursing Xingxing.
Seeing the gentle look on Gu’er’s face, Sun Jiaming felt a heartfelt sense of bliss.
“Daddy, do you want some too?”
Sun Ji smacked his lips as he watched from the side. Though he had stopped nursing long ago, he felt a little envious seeing how eagerly his little sister was eating. He turned and saw his father, who was also watching his mother and sister with a serious expression. He figured his dad must be just like him and wanted some too.
Sun Jiaming was taken aback by his son’s question for a moment, then burst out laughing.
“That’s right, Daddy wants some too. You want some too, my big boy?”
Sun Jiaming teased his son.
Jiji nodded. He glanced at his little sister, then said to Sun Jiaming with great seriousness, “Daddy, only little sister can have the milk. Otherwise, she’ll get hungry and cry. I won’t have any, and you can’t sneak any either.”
Jiji lectured his father like a little grown-up, explaining that this was his sister’s food. They couldn’t have any; they had to let their little sister have it all.
Sun Jiaming laughed at Jiji’s words. ‘My son knows how to protect his little sister. He’s a good boy.’ He swept Jiji into his arms and tossed him into the air. Jiji giggled with excitement.
Watching the happy father-son duo play, a smile spread across Gu’er’s face. She was truly happy in this moment. ‘In this life, I have a daughter too. But she isn’t Zhang Juan; she’s a completely new life.’
A new life signified a new beginning. Gu’er’s feelings toward this daughter were different; she was more meticulous and patient with her than she had been with Jiji. ‘I want to raise Xingxing well. I don’t want her to turn out like Zhang Juan from my last life.’
The days flew by, and in the blink of an eye, more than two years had passed. On this day, Sun Jiaming and Gu’er were holding Jiji’s hand on their way to enroll him in school. Today, Jiji was going to become a student at First Elementary School.
“You must be Sun Ji, correct? I’m Teacher Wei. Welcome to First Elementary.”
A teacher at the entrance welcomed Jiji. He had attended the preschool program at this very elementary school, where he was the class monitor. He was smart and responsible, and all the teachers were quite fond of him.
After speaking with the teacher, Gu’er and Sun Jiaming walked Sun Jijie to his classroom door. Jiji waved goodbye to his parents and began his life as an elementary school student.
As they left the school gates, Gu’er noticed the many vendors gathered outside. Some were selling food, others toys. She knew there were always plenty of street vendors near schools.
Gu’er also spotted two people selling produce, one of whom had mushrooms and hazelnuts for sale.
“I still remember that time I ran into you on the mountain. You used to go up there all the time, but you were always too afraid to speak to anyone. You’d keep your head down, as if you thought people would eat you alive. But that time was different. You spoke to me, your voice so clear and crisp. And your eyes… they were especially bright. I knew then that you were different, but I couldn’t figure out what had changed. Looking back, I think it was your spirit. You had this newfound vitality, and it made you a completely different person. That’s why I started paying attention to you, and that’s what led to everything that happened afterward. It all feels like it was just yesterday, but our son is already in elementary school. Time flies, doesn’t it?”