Qin Jiao chuckled and discreetly stepped on Shen Yi’s foot.
But Shen Yi just kept grinning.
Before, Shen Yi would have worried if Qin Jiao was actually angry. But now, he just felt like this was their way of flirting.
’Hitting is affection, and scolding is love.’
’And if all else fails, a good kick will do the trick!’
Du Liya’s pregnancy undoubtedly added to the festive atmosphere of the Chinese New Year. Because it was the holiday, even the children were allowed to drink champagne, but Qin Na only had a soda.
Su Yun asked curiously, "Xiao Na, what’s wrong? Not having a beer today?"
Qin Na blushed and whispered, "My period is late, but I’m not sure yet, so I’m not drinking for now. I’ll get it checked out later."
Su Yun’s face lit up. "You’re pregnant?"
"I’m not sure yet. It’s only a little over ten days late. I’ll take a test later."
"That’s wonderful news! Here, here, these few dishes are spicy, so you shouldn’t eat them either."
In her previous marriage, Qin Na had been horribly mistreated by her in-laws and even beaten by her husband, all because she couldn’t conceive. If she was pregnant now and actually gave birth to a healthy baby, it would prove that the problem hadn’t been with her back then!
Everyone was delighted to hear that Qin Na might be pregnant. Sun Jianhua was so thrilled that he pulled Qin Zhonghui over and refilled their glasses with baijiu. This New Year was just one happy event after another.
However, Xiao Cheng looked at his beaming father and his joyful stepmother, feeling a little down.
Xiao Shi, who was sitting next to him, picked up a piece of braised pork rib with her chopsticks and put it in his bowl. "Xiao Cheng, here, eat this. It’s delicious."
"Oh."
"What’s wrong? Why are you unhappy?"
"I..."
Xiao Shi leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Come on, whisper to your Second Sister. What’s making you so sad?"
The two children had always gotten along very well. Xiao Shi was pretty much Xiao Cheng’s first friend, and they weren’t far apart in age.
Xiao Cheng bit his lip, then whispered in Xiao Shi’s ear, "If my new mom has a baby, does that mean she won’t love me anymore?"
He had been abandoned by his birth mother when he was little. And no matter how good his own father was to him, men could be careless, so for a while, Xiao Cheng’s life was a cycle of one full meal and then a hungry one.
Later, his father remarried. His new mom was very good to him too, but they were both very busy trying to make money, so Xiao Cheng spent most of his time at Su Yun’s house.
But even so, Xiao Cheng was still very happy, because he had a mom and dad again, just like all the other kids.
But, if his new mom had a baby, she would surely stop loving him.
Seeing Xiao Cheng looking so dejected, Xiao Shi suddenly broke into a sweet smile. She said, "You’re thinking about it all wrong! Look at my family. My parents have me, but aren’t they still great to my older sister? Besides, you’re all alone right now. If you have a little brother or sister, you’ll have a sibling too. Then, you and I can play with the baby together, and we can let our aunt and uncle go make money. Wouldn’t that be great?"
Xiao Cheng was stunned, listening to her.
Xiao Shi smiled and said, "Trust me. In the future, you’ll just have one more person who loves you. Like me—I love my older sister so much!"
Xiao Cheng was finally won over by Xiao Shi’s dazzling smile. His tears turned to laughter, and he nodded vigorously.
The courtyard house was filled with laughter, but over in North City at the Shen Family’s residence, the New Year’s Eve dinner was deathly silent.
The table was laden with a dazzling array of expensive dishes that Li Xiaomei had specially prepared to please her mother-in-law. But Old Mrs. Shen’s expression was grim. She frowned and said, "What is all this fuss on New Year’s Eve! Did Xiao Feng really get that girl pregnant?"