Chapter 126 - 123: First Birthday Grab (Part 1)
The family of three had a wonderful time over the next two days. There weren’t many people out sightseeing yet, unlike decades later when every place would be packed during the holidays.
After the short break, the stir at school had mostly died down. Now, whenever Zhou Lian’s name came up, it was only to express envy that she had married a man who doted on her so much.
The days flowed by, simple and warm like a stream. Soon, winter arrived, and the weather grew colder by the day. With Nuonuo’s first birthday just two days away, Li Xiu had already prepared all the items for the zhuazhou ceremony: a book, signifying a love for reading and a future as a scholar or expert; a brush and ink, for becoming a writer or artist; a seal, for power and a future as a high-ranking official; an abacus, for a career in business as a merchant or accountant; coins, for future wealth; a chicken leg, for a life of good fortune, never worrying about food or clothing; a ruler, for becoming a designer or architect; a spring onion, for intelligence; garlic, for being skilled with calculations; celery, for diligence; straw, for a life in agriculture; a knife, for becoming a military or police officer; and a stethoscope, for a career in medicine.
Zhou Lian was dumbfounded as she looked at all the items Li Xiu had prepared for their daughter’s zhuazhou ceremony. ’Where on earth did he find all this? He’s thought of everything.’ Even in her past life, Li Xiu had done his best to gather eight items for their daughter. ’He really has been a doting, wonderful father in both lifetimes.’
The weather in the Capital City was dry and bone-chilling. On the day of Nuonuo’s first birthday, the sun cast a warm glow on the ground, but it did little to block the piercing, cold wind. Zhou Lian tightened her scarf and hurried home, her schoolbag on her back. It was so cold that Zhou Lian, worried their daughter would catch a chill, had stopped letting Li Xiu pick her up and drop her off. This agreement, however, had come at a great cost to Zhou Lian, involving some major concessions from which Li Xiu had benefited greatly.
Once inside, he quickly shut the door to the east wing room. Li Xiu immediately pulled Zhou Lian into his embrace and touched her face. It was ice-cold. He quickly led her to the heated brick bed, handing her a hot water bottle he had prepared in advance to warm her hands. Then, he cupped her face, reddened by the wind, in his own warm hands, sharing his heat with her.
The room was quite warm, and Zhou Lian warmed up quickly. "I’m much better, don’t worry," she said softly. "Why is Nuonuo sleeping at this hour?"
"I put her down for a nap on purpose. She was being such a little rascal today, she wouldn’t even let me cook."
"If she sleeps now, will she still be able to nap this afternoon?" Zhou Lian whispered, looking at her daughter’s rosy-cheeked face as she slept.
"It’s fine. I’ll play with her this afternoon. She’s still a bit unsteady on her feet but wants to explore everywhere. She can be a real handful," Li Xiu said. "Oh, right, you don’t have class this afternoon, do you?" he asked Zhou Lian gently, remembering that it was Saturday and she only had lessons in the morning.
"Mm, no class. Why?" Zhou Lian looked up and asked curiously.
"It’s nothing big. Your school break is coming up, isn’t it? I was thinking we could head back to our hometown a little later this year, maybe around the Little New Year. Would that be okay?" Li Xiu said softly, holding her.
"Do you have something you need to do?"
"I want to take a trip south. The overall environment is becoming more open now, and I’d like to go see for myself."
Zhou Lian abruptly lifted her head from his embrace and looked at him in surprise. "Go south? What for?"
"Bao’er, I’m not a fool. Now is the perfect time. Look around—the streets and alleys are full of idle people, and many have started setting up stalls to sell things. I want to go south and see if there’s an opportunity for me. I’ve been mulling it over for two or three months. I can’t just do nothing for the years you’re in school. If I took a regular job, I’d worry about you, and besides, there’d be no one to take care of Nuonuo."
Seeing her listening quietly, Li Xiu continued, "Besides, the pay from a regular job is too low, and it comes with too many restrictions. I want to start my own thing. That way, I can still take care of you and Nuonuo—it kills two birds with one stone. You can focus on your studies while I focus on taking care of you two, and I can earn some extra cash on the side. What do you think, Bao’er?"
’Good? Of course, it’s good! People who started their own businesses around this time almost all made a fortune. I remember from my past life, there were discussions online about how eighty percent of the super-rich got their start in this era. It looks like Li Xiu is planning on becoming a tycoon in this life.’
"Li Xiu, have you thought about what you want to do?" Zhou Lian asked him softly. He had never told her what he actually enjoyed doing; he only ever said that he would provide for her and their child.
"Haven’t I told you?" Seeing her shake her head, Li Xiu smiled. "Then I must have forgotten to say. I’ll work for myself. The environment is right for it now. You don’t need to worry about money, just focus on your studies. I’ll be the one to earn a living."
Watching his gentle smile, Zhou Lian felt a pang in her heart. ’It seems like everything he does, he does for me. But what about his own interests and passions? Does he really not have any?’
Seeing her staring at him in a daze, Li Xiu asked with concern, "Bao’er, what is it?"
"Li Xiu, isn’t there anything you want to do just for you? Don’t you get tired of your life revolving around me?" Zhou Lian asked, her tone a little somber. ’Every day, he’s either taking care of me or our daughter. But what about himself? Where does he put himself in all this?’
"Bao’er, you’re overthinking things. Haven’t I told you what’s most important to me? It’s Bao’er. The person I love most is you. Who else would you have me love?"
He kissed her tenderly and said in a soft voice, "What I love most is being with you. I would never get my priorities mixed up. Bao’er, don’t worry about me. Being with you is what I love most, what makes me happiest. All that matters is that you don’t look down on me for not being ambitious."
"What nonsense are you talking about? Who said you’re not ambitious?" Zhou Lian said, exasperated. "You earn all our money, you take care of our daughter... I haven’t done anything for this family. You dote on me so much, how could I ever look down on you?" ’This man had sacrificed so much for her; her heart wasn’t made of stone. How could she possibly look down on him?’
"Okay, as long as my Bao’er doesn’t look down on me, that’s all that matters. And who said you haven’t done anything for this family? Being pregnant and giving birth is exhausting work!"
Zhou Lian couldn’t help but laugh. ’Are they really competing over who has done more for the family now? So childish!’
"By the way, when is Nuonuo going to do the zhuazhou?"
Li Xiu looked at her gently and said, "We’ll let her do it right after the meal. Bao’er, why don’t you wake Nuonuo up? I’ll get the food on the table, and we can eat."
After the family of three finished their meal, Li Xiu arranged all the items on the heated brick bed. He turned to his curious daughter and said, "Nuonuo, go on and pick one. Pick your favorite."
Nuonuo looked at the items laid out on the heated brick bed, then at her smiling mother, and finally at her father. "Dada, Dada," she babbled, pointing at everything. "Nuonuo’s? Nuonuo’s?"