Chapter 71: School Starts
Because of Jiang Rong’s special situation, the guests He Zhixian invited this time were all close relatives and friends who knew the family well—each side sending representatives, so to speak.
On the He family’s side, the eldest uncle’s family came as representatives; on the Xu family’s side, the maternal uncle’s family represented them. Jiang Rong and He Siming also invited their own close friends.
Another reason was that the child was still too young and not suitable to be brought out constantly for everyone to see.
Wen Chengxu’s appearance was a bit sudden, but considering that he had driven all the way in the heat of summer to bring Old Liu to the He residence, his sincerity was evident. Moreover, he was also He Siming and Jiang Rong’s teacher, and Jiang Rong had a certain level of trust in him.
Everyone presented gifts for the baby’s one-month celebration.
The lunchtime banquet ended amid lively chatter.
He Shenglin seemed to know that the house was especially bustling today. After finishing his milk, he didn’t fall asleep. His beautiful big eyes stared at one unfamiliar face after another leaning close to him, and he didn’t cry at all. Everyone kept praising him.
After eating and drinking their fill, everyone moved to the living room to drink tea and chat. With the He and Xu families sitting together as in-laws, there was no end to the conversation.
Old Liu wasn’t feeling well, so after the meal, he left early with Doctor Liu.
Wen Chengxu had originally planned to find an excuse to leave too, but somehow he ended up staying to drink a cup of the baby’s celebratory wine. Now he was worrying about what gift to make up for the baby.
When He Shenglin was mentioned, Xu Mingzhuo suddenly remembered something.
“By the way, didn’t Doctor Liu do an IQ test on little Shenglin earlier?”
He Siming said, “What IQ test? How come I don’t know about this?”
He was one of the main hosts today and had already had a few drinks with the elders.
Xu Mingzhuo said, “That day you were anxious like crazy. Doctor Liu hadn’t even finished speaking before you ran off. Later he casually mentioned it to me.”
Jiang Rong was also curious about the test. “What were the results?”
Xu Mingzhuo deliberately teased them. “Take a guess.”
His aunt didn’t indulge his love of joking. “Little Shenglin’s IQ is 140—an unmistakable little genius.”
He Siming didn’t want to attach too many labels to the child before he had even grown up. “He’s still young. That doesn’t really count.”
Xu Mingqin chimed in, “Exactly. As long as the child grows up healthy and happy, that’s what matters. Genius or not—what’s more important than health and happiness?”
He Zhixian agreed. “That’s right.”
He Siyu also supported this view. “A child’s happiness is what matters most. Dad, don’t you think?”
The eldest uncle had originally wanted to praise the child some more, but since everyone agreed that health was more important, he felt there was nothing more to add. Their family didn’t seem to lack anything anyway.
“Mm, mm, that’s true.”
He Siyu suddenly changed the subject. “You said that yourself—then you’d better interfere less with me in the future.”
Eldest Uncle He: “…” He’d been tricked.
Wen Chengxu, who had been called a genius since childhood, also strongly agreed with He Siming. No one likes being stared at every day with eyes full of expectations—it becomes pressure rather than motivation. Too much praise makes people complacent, which is even worse for a child’s growth.
He looked at He Shenglin in the maternity nurse’s arms. The child really did seem to have a special connection with him.
While everyone else was chatting, he stood up and walked over to Jiang Rong. “May I take a look at the baby?”
“Of course, Professor Wen,” Jiang Rong nodded. The maternity nurse was sitting a bit farther away with the baby.
Wen Chengxu looked at the fair, pretty little infant. Sleepy, the baby’s eyes were narrowed into a thin line, clearly about to fall asleep.
He took a jade pendant from around his neck. “This is a jade pendant my grandmother had blessed by a master when she was young. I don’t know whether it truly works, but today was so sudden that I didn’t prepare a proper gift for little Shenglin. Take this as a present. I hope he grows up safe and sound and healthy.”
Jiang Rong examined the quality of the jade. “Professor Wen, a small gift or just a few words of blessing would be enough. This jade pendant is too precious.”
Wen Chengxu said, “It’s just a blessing—there’s no distinction between precious and not. Oh, and let me tell you another piece of good news.”
Jiang Rong asked, “What good news? Is it about progress on my project?”
“Yes,” Wen Chengxu replied. “I’m preparing to formally launch it. There’s already some direction now. Before publishing the paper, I’ll apply for a patent.”
Jiang Rong wasn’t overly surprised, but a technological breakthrough still made him happy. “I hope I can be of help to you.”
Wen Chengxu said, “That’s why you don’t need to worry about whether this gift is valuable. The topic you proposed is far more important than this small jade pendant.”
Jiang Rong said, “Alright.”
Wen Chengxu added, “Wait until your body has fully recovered before returning to the lab.”
Jiang Rong nodded. “Okay. Then I’ll thank you on Shenglin’s behalf for the jade pendant.”
They spoke quietly. Standing some distance away, He Siming couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Jiang Rong looked particularly happy—his expression was visibly different.
After chatting with Jiang Rong, Wen Chengxu also said goodbye to He Zhixian and his wife.
Yao Shule and Li Yizhou had made plans for dinner, so Wen Chengxu decided to hitch a ride with Tang Yucheng.
Xu Mingzhuo also had something to do in the afternoon, and people gradually took their leave.
In the end, only the eldest uncle’s family of three remained.
The eldest uncle usually lived in his hometown and didn’t often come to the capital, so he asked He Siyu to book a hotel near the scenic area.
He Zhixian said, “Why not stay at home? It’s not like there aren’t enough rooms.”
The eldest uncle replied, “We’re planning to go out sightseeing, so staying at a hotel is more convenient.”
He Zhixian said, “Alright then. Take one of the family cars. Tomorrow I’ll have the driver take you around.”
“No need—He Siyu can drive,” the eldest uncle said, not refusing. Having a car was better than walking.
He Siyu looked despairingly at the blazing sun outside, unable to understand why his father had so much energy.
Finally, the three of them also left the He residence, and the house suddenly became quiet.
Xu Mingqin, who was the least patient when it came to social interactions, had pushed herself for two days for her grandson’s sake. Now she pounded her shoulders and said she was going to rest. He Zhixian had been drinking as well and was tired.
Seeing that everyone had left, He Siming took Jiang Rong by the hand and led him back to their room.
He normally didn’t drink at all. Though he looked like he could handle alcohol, in reality his tolerance was poor.
The third floor was their space. He Siming leaned back on the sofa. “My head’s spinning.”
Jiang Rong knew he’d had a hard day. He was usually impatient with socializing, yet today he’d still drunk several cups. Fortunately, no one had pressured him to drink more.
“Do you want to lie on my lap?”
He Siming didn’t say a word and lay down on his lap. “Jiang Rongrong, I feel a bit uncomfortable.”
Usually it was He Siming who doted on him all the time, but this time Jiang Rong felt especially sorry for him.
Jiang Rong said, “Then next time let’s not drink. Should I make you some sobering soup?”
He Siming had been forcing himself to hold on. Now that he relaxed, his whole body felt numb from the alcohol and he didn’t want to move.
He was only dizzy, not truly drunk. “Okay—but no, don’t go yourself. Let the aunt do it.”
Jiang Rong said, “I have my own special sobering recipe that the aunt doesn’t know. Wait for me a bit.”
He Siming squinted and said, “How do you know so many special recipes?”
“Maybe everything I learned before was so that today I could come here and meet you.” Jiang Rong lowered his head and kissed his cheek. The familiar lime scent mixed with the smell of alcohol, like a cocktail. Thinking of that, he couldn’t help but smile.
He Siming asked, “What are you smiling about?”
Jiang Rong said, “Do you know what you smell like right now?”
He Siming asked, “What do I smell like?”
Jiang Rong said, “A cocktail with lime.”
He Siming asked, “Can it make you drunk?”
Jiang Rong said, “I don’t know.”
He Siming wrapped an arm around his already slimmer waist. “Let me smell what you’re like too.”
Jiang Rong smiled at him. “And what do I smell like?”
He Siming rarely lay on his lap like this. Half-closing his eyes and acting spoiled, he looked exactly like He Shenglin when the baby was half asleep.
He Siming took a deep breath against him, his voice growing hoarse. “You smell like milky peaches—sweet enough to make me want to take a bite.”
Hearing that his voice was off, Jiang Rong decisively got up and let him rest his head on the pillow.
“Stop messing around. I’m going to make the sobering soup.”
He pretended to be heartbroken and buried his face in a cushion. “Oh… my wife can’t be touched right now. I’m so sad.”
“You—you have no restraint at all. You’re the one who’ll feel uncomfortable later,” Jiang Rong said, unable to bear it.
“Oh, then we’ll talk about it after your wound heals,” He Siming said, drawing tally marks with his fingertip on the sofa back. “Wife owes me five more times.”
Jiang Rong: “…” What debt was that?
He could be sure now—He Siming really was drunk. He would never talk like this normally. Still, he was rather cute like this.
Smiling, Jiang Rong went to the kitchen to prepare the sobering soup.
When he came back, He Siming was already asleep on the sofa.
Jiang Rong covered him with a thin blanket.
He rarely saw He Siming asleep like this.
Their closeness had all developed after his pregnancy. During that time, he was especially sleepy—often going to bed earlier than He Siming and waking up later. After the surgery, he’d been focused on replenishing lost nutrients and blood, needing plenty of sleep. There was hardly any chance to see He Siming sleeping.
What’s more, this was the first time he’d seen He Siming drink alcohol. So it turned out his tolerance wasn’t good.
Thinking this way, that rare hint of cuteness beneath his handsomeness made his heart flutter even more.
When He Siming woke up, he found a blanket covering him.
The gentle sunset spilled across the floor, dyeing their world in golden hues.
Jiang Rong sat on the opposite sofa, immersed in reading. The afterglow softly brushed his smiling lips—gentle and beautiful, never tiring to look at.
He Siming sat up. “What book are you reading that’s making you smile so much?”
Jiang Rong said, “Huh? This book isn’t funny, but the author’s writing is very gentle.”
He Siming glanced at the title. That was indeed the case.
Jiang Rong remembered that there had been many people in the afternoon, and He Siming had been half drunk. He hadn’t had the chance to tell him what Professor Wen had mentioned.
Once he explained it, He Siming immediately understood.
“The probability of successful development will be over ninety percent,” He Siming said. “Congratulations. In the future, this will benefit many people—it’s a great merit.”
Jiang Rong probably understood better than anyone else the likelihood of success, since he’d experienced it before. But his purpose then had been different. His initial goal was simply to obtain prize money; he hadn’t thought about benefiting others. Now, however, the meaning felt entirely different.
Jiang Rong put down the book and walked over to him. “Really?”
He Siming nodded. “Yes. I know Wen Chengxu. What he told you must be far more conservative than what he actually expects.”
Smelling the soft, sweet peach scent on Jiang Rong, He Siming felt like he reeked. He truly disliked the smell of alcohol.
Jiang Rong wanted to hug him, but He Siming stopped him from getting close. “I smell like alcohol—too stinky. I’ll go take a shower first.”
Jiang Rong said, “I don’t mind.”
He Siming said, “I do.”
He didn’t want his wife to be tainted with that unpleasant smell.
“Oh, right—are you still going to drink the sobering soup?” Jiang Rong asked.
He Siming had only slept a little over an hour. The alcohol smell had dissipated somewhat, and he was clearer-headed.
“Yes.”
“I’ll heat it up for you,” Jiang Rong said.
“No need,” He Siming replied.
He downed the cooled sobering soup on the table in one go. It was sweet and sour; Jiang Rong had no idea what herbs were in it.
Then he hurried off to shower.
Seeing how fast he ran, Jiang Rong stood there laughing.
How could someone with such severe cleanliness issues be willing to change He Shenglin’s diapers?
He had just read a line in his book:
Those who love you will always lower their defenses. Those who love you never want you stained by dust. Those who love you will offer you their softest heart, letting you trample it as you please.
But he would never trample on He Siming’s boundless kindness. He would treasure it and love him well.
With so many guests visiting today, he finally understood that He Siming was someone who had been loved. Only those loved from childhood know how to love others. He could feel He Siming’s love. He himself didn’t know how to love, but now he had to learn how to love him.
That night, while He Siming was asleep, he quietly said, “He Siming, I like you so much.”
He Siming, who wasn’t sleeping deeply, heard every word of his confession and kissed him for a long time.
As expected, a physiological reaction followed.
With reddened ears, Jiang Rong said, “I—I can use other ways.”
He knew He Siming had endured for a month. As Jiang Rong’s engorgement gradually subsided, He Siming had lost many of his “benefits.”
All of He Siming’s drowsiness vanished. His voice was hoarse. “Jiang Rongrong, don’t tease me.”
Jiang Rong’s fingers slid over his abdomen. “Is this okay? I don’t want to see you suffer.”
He Siming’s breathing stalled slightly. “Okay.” The soft hands were soothing his pent-up desire, and he truly couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
After a long while, Jiang Rong regretted it. He wanted to cry. His hand was so sore—never again next time.
When He Siming finished, he kissed the pink corners of Jiang Rong’s eyes.
Exhausted, Jiang Rong leaned against him. “Can this cancel out one debt?”
He Siming: “…” Alcohol really does cause trouble!
Ten days after the one-month celebration, Jiang Rong finally finished his confinement period. His long “prison sentence” had finally ended.
Of course, the time hadn’t been too boring. Yao Shule often came over to keep him company.
They played many interesting games—mahjong, Fight the Landlord, murder mystery games, and more.
He Shenglin had grown a lot too; holding him now felt noticeably heavier.
On the first day after confinement, Jiang Rong took a thorough bath. Then he insisted that He Siming take him to the mall to get some fresh air!
He got up early, changed his clothes, and obediently sat beside He Siming, waiting for him to wake up.
He Siming was both soft-hearted and aching at the sight. He hugged him tightly and couldn’t help laughing. “My poor wife—I really feel bad that you haven’t gone out for over a month, but I have to tell you, it’s only seven in the morning. The mall doesn’t open until ten.”
Jiang Rong had his own plan. “Then let’s have breakfast first, go to the park to watch the uncles and aunties dancing, and then go to the mall.”
“Alright, alright. I’ll change clothes first,” He Siming said.
Xu Mingqin was at home that day. Seeing them change clothes and eat breakfast twice before heading out, she couldn’t help asking, “Going out today?”
He Siming said, “It’s cooler in the morning. I’ll take him out for a walk.”
Xu Mingqin asked, “Alright. Then what about Shenglin?”
Jiang Rong: “…” He’d been so excited he’d completely forgotten about their son.
He Siming said, “You’ll be at home today—please help watch him.”
“Mm, go have fun,” she said, fiddling with her phone and directly transferring Jiang Rong some spending money. “Spend it when you should. Don’t be stingy.”
“Thank you, Auntie,” Jiang Rong said. Refusing would have been pointless.
Xu Mingqin glanced at He Siming but said nothing.
While Jiang Rong was changing his shoes, Xu Mingqin quietly asked He Siming, “The child’s already been born—shouldn’t changing how you address things be put on the agenda?”
He Siming said, “We have our own pace. Right now, we’re still in the dating phase.”
Xu Mingqin said, “I don’t understand you young people. What’s wrong with getting married first and then dating?”
He Siming said, “You don’t get it. Romance should happen before marriage—that’s called a sense of ceremony.”
Didn’t he want to get married?
Of course he did—he wanted to marry immediately. But Jiang Rong needed a sense of ceremony. He lacked love too much, so not a single thing could be missing. Everything that should be there had to be there.
As long as Jiang Rong showed even the slightest inclination toward marriage, he would fan that spark into a blazing fire.
Xu Mingqin didn’t understand. “Why make it so complicated?”
He Siming said, “Then how did you and my dad get married?”
Xu Mingqin said, “An arranged meeting. We felt compatible in all aspects, found some time three days later to register, and skipped the wedding—it was too much trouble.”
He Siming said, “Okay. Your experience isn’t something I can learn from. I’m leaving.”
Xu Mingqin: “…” She thought her experience was great—fast, decisive, and most importantly, time- and energy-saving.
And just like that, the two young people ran off.
After being cooped up for over a month, Jiang Rong finally breathed in the fresh air outside.
They went to the park lake to watch mandarin ducks playing in the water, then saw a muscular old man hanging by his neck in the fitness area.
Jiang Rong was so shocked he almost went over to save him, only for the old man to laugh and say, “Young man, you can’t handle this.”
Indeed—he couldn’t. It was terrifying.
As noon approached, the heat intensified. He Siming pulled him into the mall. Whether they bought anything didn’t matter—the important thing was that he was finally out!
They had lunch and chose a movie. The lingering excitement made even a romance film full of illogical plots enjoyable. He Siming, however, spent the entire time watching Jiang Rong, not taking in a single scene.
Jiang Rong seemed to glow all over today—he really had been cooped up at home for too long.
After that indulgent day, Jiang Rong was still willing to stay home with the child. It was simply too sunny outside, and neither he nor He Siming were especially fond of going out.
As He Shenglin gained weight, the start of the school term arrived.
Three days before school began, they moved back.
Two nannies came with them, but they lived next door and didn’t stay with them at night.
At home, the crib had been in the nursery. Here, since they had to watch the baby at night, an extra crib was added to the spacious bedroom.
On the first night back, Jiang Rong, who should have gone straight to bed, went to see the baby first. “Good night, Linlin.”
He Siming, already lying in bed and ready to hold his wife: “…”
That crib was a bit of an eyesore.
