Chapter 364: Everyday Dad-to-Be Adventures

Chapter 364: Everyday Dad-to-Be Adventures

Early autumn.

The maple leaves have turned a fiery red.

A gust of wind sends the leaves tumbling from their branches, drifting away.

They dance gracefully like beautiful butterflies…

Xiao Yu’s routine as a soon-to-be dad begins.

Mu Qingwu finds herself hungry more easily these days.

She eats, and so does the baby.

Every day, Xiao Yu wakes up early.

He heads to the market to buy fresh vegetables, fruits, and fish balls…

After breakfast, he takes Mu Qingwu out for a walk.

Back home, the expectant woman grows tired again, lying on the sofa and telling her brother to fetch the fetal movement monitor.

When Xiao Yu returns with the items, Mu Qingwu has dozed off once more.

Looking at his drowsy sister, he feels a pang of sympathy.

Pregnancy is such a hardship for a woman.

Yet, Mu Qingwu never complains.

She insists that the baby isn’t solely her brother’s—it’s also hers.

Slowly, Xiao Yu crouches down, picks up a thin quilt, and gently covers his sister before uncovering a bit to start the daily record of fetal movements.

After counting the kicks, he checks the fetal heartbeat.

He listens to the ‘rumble’ of the heartbeat, sounding much like a little train chugging along.

A goofy, fatherly smile spreads across Xiao Yu’s face.

Once the heartbeat is measured, he proceeds to massage his sister’s legs.

Pregnant legs tend to swell quite easily.

A good massage helps ease the swelling and makes her feel more comfortable.

Mu Qingwu suddenly wakes with a wince, a trace of pain marring her brow.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Yu asks his sister.

“The baby… kicked my rib!”

Frowning, Mu Qingwu wraps her hand around her brother’s neck, complaining like a child, “When you’re not around, the baby punches and kicks me. I can’t sleep at night, and I can’t catch up on sleep during the day—it’s always bullying me!”

“Oh, you little rascal,” Xiao Yu teases softly.

Feeling sorry, he promises, “Once the baby is born, I’ll give him a piece of my mind for you.”

“You dare,” she retorts.

Mu Qingwu adds indignantly, “Or I’ll tell Mom on you!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll set the baby straight,” he concedes.

After soothing his sister, Xiao Yu strokes her pregnant belly gently and admonishes in a fatherly tone, “He can’t keep kicking Mom. Carrying you isn’t easy, so you need to behave—got it?”

“Haha!”

Seeing how earnestly he’s lecturing their little one, Mu Qingwu’s frustration softens into delight.

“Sis, I checked—maybe the baby is just hungry,” he observes.

After the little scolding, Xiao Yu looks seriously at his sister, “How about having another bite?”

“Sure,” she agrees.

Mu Qingwu, eyes curving like crescent moons, teases, “Give me a kiss.”

“As you wish, my little lady,” Xiao Yu replies.

Bending down, he plants a soft kiss on her rosy lips, “I’m off to cook.”

“Mm-hmm,” she murmurs.

Mu Qingwu closes her eyes again, smiling as she drifts back to sleep.

When Xiao Yu returns, he finds his sister sleeping so soundly.

He sets the food aside, settles near the sofa, and, nestling into her embrace, soon falls asleep as well…

Time slowly passes until noon.

Sunlight streams through the window, bathing the young couple in warm, gentle rays.

Mu Qingwu opens her eyes, glancing at her brother sleeping beside her.

The tenderness in her gaze shines like soft, warming sunlight…

…

In the afternoon.

Unlike before, the couple doesn’t visit their parents.

Instead, Xiao Yu’s parents and his mother-in-law come over.

Both families are loath to have Mu Qingwu overexert herself.

“Take care of yourself,” one advises.

Liu Yunqing pinches his son’s cheek with a grin and says, “Make sure you cherish your sister—pregnancy isn’t easy for a woman.”

“Mm,” Xiao Yu agrees.

He nods energetically, grinning as he squeezes his sister’s delicate hand, “I’ve even promised her that tomorrow I’ll experience the pain of childbirth too.”

“Huh?” The elders are taken aback.

After Xiao Yu explains, they learn that new equipment can let men feel the pain of childbirth.

The elders exchange bewildered glances—has this kid lost his mind?

Why on earth would he willingly endure such agony?

All eyes then turn toward Mu Qingwu.

“I won’t let him go either,” she declares.

Mu Qingwu shoots a reproachful look at her brother, “He simply won’t listen.”

Everyone knows it’s because Xiao Yu wants to comprehend just how painful it can be.

That silly little brother!

The next day.

The young couple goes to the hospital.

Xiao Yu fully experiences the pain of childbirth—a torment usually reserved for women.

The excruciating, heart-wrenching pain shows him what level ten agony really is.

The moment he steps off the recliner, his legs begin to tremble uncontrollably…

Ten months of pregnancy combined with a pain so intense that even a man struggles to bear it.

On the way home, Xiao Yu silently clutches his sister’s hand.

Mu Qingwu smiles sweetly, knowing her brother understands everything without words.

Sometimes she wonders if she’s truly lost her mind.

She even considers extending her pregnancy a bit longer.

All to keep enjoying the constant love from both the elders and her brother.

Because that feeling is simply so wonderful…

…

Night falls, filled with warmth.

“You’ve stayed with me for three days now,” she remarks softly.

Resting her head on his shoulder, Mu Qingwu adds, “Go to work, but come back early, okay?”

“Maybe take a few extra days off,” he suggests.

Xiao Yu shakes his head, “The world goes on turning whether you’re here or not.”

“Not necessarily,” she teases.

Mu Qingwu laughs gently, “Your team at National Security won’t function without you.”

“Your little brother isn’t as formidable as you think,” he quips after kissing her soft, pale face.

“Really?” she challenges playfully.

She continues, “So, who was it that once told me, ‘Great sacrifices forge grand ambitions, daring to change the world’?

Hey, sis, don’t be so stubborn—win them over with kindness!

“I even said I was an immaculate, honest young man,” she laughs.

Xiao Yu rolls his eyes, “Don’t you remember, sis?”

“I do,” she replies with a smile.

Mu Qingwu nods, “I know you’re still that same young man, unchanged… but you’re about to be a dad. You sure won’t change?”

“Uh, this…”

A sudden toothache leaves Xiao Yu speechless—what a slap of reality.

Hmph, women really are softies!

“Time to sleep,” he declares.

Xiao Yu wraps his sister in a warm embrace and, with a cheerful grin, closes his eyes.

“Haha…”

Mu Qingwu too slowly drifts off, closing her eyes.

Since her brother returned, he’s taken care of everything.

A nationally celebrated hero and the esteemed leader of National Security… now transformed into a domestic man—laundry, cooking, cleaning, washing her feet, massaging, trimming her nails, and even helping her with socks and shoes…

Yesterday, he even bought a baby crib, a stroller, and various baby supplies.

He also got a toy baby to learn how to cradle and soothe a real one.

He has mastered changing diapers—and so much more…

Each time he notices fetal movement and smiles at her pregnant belly like a child,

Mu Qingwu’s heart nearly melts.

With a brother like him as her husband,

the hardships of pregnancy no longer feel burdensome.

They’ve turned into a sweetness that lingers, like candy on the tongue.

So sweet!