You helped him have a baby, what do you regret about the divorce? Chapter 071

“I know, Mom.” Lin Gengjin nodded.

Silence fell over the living room again, the atmosphere heavy. The earlier lightheartedness from discussing Liu Jiajia and TikTok had vanished.

After a while, Lin Mother seemed to recall something and looked at Lin Gengjin again.

“Then what about you and your high school classmate Zhang Lihua, and this college classmate Liu Jiajia,” Lin Mother’s tone was cautious, with a hint of probing, “What are your thoughts? Which of these two do you like?”

Lin Gengjin was startled, not expecting the topic to suddenly shift here. A trace of embarrassment flickered across his face, and he quickly waved his hand, “Mom, what are you talking about? We’re just ordinary classmates, nothing’s even started yet.”

“Ordinary classmates?” Lin Mother’s eyes brightened, and she pressed, “Then what do they feel about you?”

“How would I know?” Lin Gengjin forced a smile, “How could I possibly ask that?”

“Would you like me to find some time to sound them out?” Lin Mother was eager.

Lin Gengjin’s heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stopped her, “Mom, please don’t. Let’s just let things happen naturally. We need to get to know each other first. I don’t want another short-lived marriage.” His words carried a clear hidden meaning, and his parents understood the shadow in his heart.

Lin Father and Lin Mother exchanged glances, understanding their son’s concerns. The recent matter with Su Xinyue had left them shaken; they truly couldn’t be hasty again.

“Alright,” Lin Mother sighed, letting go of her earlier urgency, “You’re right, it’s good to get to know them better.”

The living room returned to quiet, though this silence wasn’t as oppressive as before. At least, in his parents’ hearts, they saw new possibilities for their son’s future. While divorce was a heavy matter, life had to go on, and now, a glimmer of hope seemed to appear.

Lin Father leaned back on the sofa, rubbing his temples, his voice sounding a little tired, “You’ve been tired these past few days. Get some rest early.”

“Mm, okay,” Lin Gengjin replied.

He stood up, looking at his parents’ aging faces, a pang of sadness in his heart. He knew this whole ordeal had worried them sick.

“Dad, Mom, you two should also go to bed early,” he said.

Lin Mother nodded, her eyes filled with concern.

…

On the other side, Su Xinyue’s life quietly changed after the successful IVF.

Initially, a strange, impending sense of motherhood enveloped her, tinged with a somewhat illusory anticipation. However, her body’s reactions were far more swift and real than she had imagined.

For the first few weeks, it was just occasional nausea, a discomfort similar to motion sickness. But this good fortune didn’t last long; starting around the fifth week, the true storm arrived.

Morning sickness hit her like a tidal wave, causing her to vomit several times a day, almost bringing up bile.

Her stomach felt like it held a mischievous sprite; the smell of cooking oil made her want to vomit, eating food made her want to vomit, and even on an empty stomach, she felt nauseous and dry-heaved.

Sleep became very light; she was often awakened at night by a sudden wave of nausea, after which she couldn’t fall back asleep.

Unable to eat well or sleep well, she quickly became gaunt, her eye sockets sunken, her complexion sallow, as if all vitality had been drained from her.

Zhao Ziyu and his mother, Zhao Mother, seeing this, naturally moved in, claiming it was to better care for her. At first, Zhao Mother indeed seemed dedicated, stewing soups, stir-frying dishes, constantly trying new things to encourage her to eat more.

Su Xinyue could initially force down a few bites, but soon, her taste buds became extremely finicky and unpredictable.

“Auntie, this morning I really want to eat steamed perch.”

“Alright, I’ll make it for you at noon!” Zhao Mother readily agreed. But when the fish was actually served at noon, its fishy smell made her stomach churn; let alone eating it, just looking at it made her uncomfortable.

“Suddenly, at noon, I wanted to drink pork tripe and chicken soup, to warm my stomach.”

“Okay, I’ll stew it for you tonight.” In the evening, the fragrant pork tripe and chicken soup was placed before her, but she found it greasy and waved her hand with a frown, “I don’t want to eat it, I have no appetite.”

The carefully prepared dishes on the dining table were often only tasted once or twice by her, or not touched at all. The leftovers, naturally, benefited Zhao Ziyu and Zhao Mother.

The two initially tried to persuade her, but later, seeing that she truly couldn’t eat, they stopped wasting words and ate heartily themselves. Su Xinyue watched them feast, feeling uneasy, but powerless to complain.

Morning sickness brought not only physical torment but also huge emotional fluctuations. Su Xinyue became unusually sensitive and irritable; a small matter could ignite her temper.

Sometimes she disliked the taste of Zhao Mother’s cooking, sometimes she complained that Zhao Ziyu wasn’t considerate enough, and sometimes, for no reason at all, she just felt annoyed and wanted to lose her temper.

Zhao Ziyu and Zhao Mother initially endured patiently, coaxing and accommodating her, after all, she was the “heroine,” carrying the hope of their Zhao family in her belly. But as days passed, their patience gradually wore thin.

Zhao Mother no longer completely catered to Su Xinyue’s unpredictable tastes when cooking, starting to prepare meals more according to her and her son’s preferences.

Anyway, Su Xinyue couldn’t eat much, and making too much would be a waste, so it was better to make what they liked.

What made Su Xinyue even more uncomfortable was that Zhao Mother began frequently asking her for money to buy groceries. At first, it was hundreds, then it became two or three thousand. Although Su Xinyue gave the money, she always felt something was off.

Three of them eating, even if it was big meals every day, shouldn’t cost so much so quickly. She herself hadn’t spent much money since she got pregnant, and Zhao Ziyu didn’t have a job, so the money spent made her uneasy.

“Xinyue, I don’t have money to buy groceries, you see…” Zhao Mother brought it up again in the living room.

“The three thousand I gave you last time, is it used up so quickly?” Su Xinyue frowned, the nausea from morning sickness making her tone unpleasant.

“Oh dear, buying all these nutritious things every day, how can it not cost money? Chicken, duck, fish, which one is cheap?” Zhao Mother complained, “Besides, besides buying groceries, there’s also buying fruits, snacks, and so on, that costs money too, right?”

Su Xinyue said nothing more, silently transferring some more money. But she noticed that Zhao Mother also became perfunctory with laundry.

At first, she would hand wash some of her intimate clothing, but later, she threw everything into the washing machine, regardless of whether it would be damaged. On the balcony, there were also many new clothes belonging to Zhao Mother herself.

Su Xinyue lay in bed, listening to the muffled sounds of Zhao Mother and Zhao Ziyu discussing what to eat for dinner in the living room, feeling increasingly regretful. It wasn’t that she didn’t know Zhao Mother’s character; she had experienced her harshness and petty greed before.

At the time, she thought that to repay kindness, to help Zhao Ziyu “leave a legacy” for his favor, enduring it might be enough, or perhaps with a child, Zhao Mother would change for the sake of her grandchild.

Now it seemed she was truly too naive.