Chapter 219: Should We Have Another Child?

Chapter 219: Should We Have Another Child?

Life on the island is busy yet fulfilling, simple but satisfying.

At least, Su Taotao is quite content with her current life.

Chenchen and Fu Yuanhang are both little angels, needing little attention from her.

Fu Yuanhang has started teaching Chenchen pinyin, but a two-year-old who’s still learning to speak clearly and whose tongue isn’t fully developed can’t be expected to pronounce things perfectly.

Whether it’s flat or retroflex sounds, he gets the idea when you explain it, but just can’t get the pronunciation right.

Su Taotao walked past the child’s room, listening to him mix up z, c, s with zh, ch, sh, and found it utterly adorable.

“No, this is the flat sound z, and this is the retroflex sound zh,” Fu Yuanhang repeated patiently, though a bit helplessly.

Chenchen could only manage a sound that blurred the flat and retroflex distinction, completely unaware of how his pronunciation differed from Uncle Shu’s, and looked at Fu Yuanhang with eager eyes:

“Uncle Shu~~ Did I get it right~~”

Fu Yuanhang, unable to say no under the gaze of those big, round eyes, could only reply:

“Just remember it, it’s almost there now, and it’ll get better as you grow up.”

Chenchen caught the hint: “I’m not doing it right now~~”

Fu Yuanhang, looking into the child’s big, round eyes, managed to say: “Pretty close.”

Chenchen squinted with a smile: “Really~~”

Su Taotao leaned against the doorframe with a doting smile, worried that laughing out loud would interrupt their “lesson,” and almost burst trying to hold it in.

“Mommy thinks Chenchen did a great job too,” Su Taotao said as she walked in.

Chenchen immediately left his uncle and jumped into his mother’s arms.

“Mommy’s still awake~~ You smell nice~~”

Su Taotao kissed him: “I’m getting ready for bed, Chenchen should sleep early too—more sleep helps you grow faster.”

“Ah~~ Doesn’t watering make you grow fast~~ Uncle Jiji waters the plants every day~~”

Su Taotao explained: “Seedlings are plants, and plants grow through air, soil, water, and photosynthesis.

Chenchen is a human, part of the animal kingdom, so you need to eat more, sleep more, exercise more, drink more milk, and get some sun… that’s how you grow fast.”

Not only was Chenchen fascinated, but even Fu Yuanhang wanted to take notes.

Su Taotao must’ve read a ton of books—she seems to know everything.

Can’t wait for the library to open.

The child then asked: “Mommy~~ has Chenchen done all that now~~”

Su Taotao nodded: “If you go to sleep now, then you’ve done it all.”

Chenchen wriggled out of Su Taotao’s arms, plopped onto his pillow, and closed his eyes.

"Night, Mama~~ Chenchen’s gonna start growing taller now~~"

Su Taotao gently touched Chenchen’s forehead: "Okay, good night, Yuanhang. Sleep tight, I’ll turn off the lights."

After Su Taotao left, the child secretly opened his eyes again, glancing at the door.

Once he was sure Su Taotao was really gone, Chenchen rolled over and tugged at Uncle Shu’s sleeve:

"Uncle Shu~~ Don’t sleep yet~~ I still gotta recite Tang poems~~ I haven’t hit three hundred yet~~"

Fu Yuanhang said: "Not now. Tomorrow I’ll add pinyin, then teach you the characters so you can recite."

Chenchen said: "But~~ if I don’t recite new stuff~~ I can’t sleep~~"

Fu Yuanhang said: "Then you can recite the digits of pi."

Chenchen thought for a moment and said: "Dad hasn’t taught me anything new~~ I’ve done it a bunch already~~"

Fu Yuanhang said: "Okay, one more poem, but that’s it for tonight."

In the darkness, Chenchen’s eyes sparkled: "Yes yes yes~~ Let’s go~~"

Fu Yuanhang thought for a moment, then decided to teach Chenchen a tougher poem: "Furious, hair standing on end, leaning on the railing, the rain stops..." (from Yue Fei’s "Man Jiang Hong. Writing My Feelings")

Chenchen followed along, reciting until he drifted off.

Fu Yuanhang watched his nephew’s steady breathing, tucked him in, and sighed in relief.

When’s the library opening? Chenchen’s memory’s too sharp—I’m running out of things to teach.

Having a nephew way smarter than you is kinda stressful.

...

In the room, Fu Zhengtu, fresh from a bath and chores, sat upright at the desk, flipping through a book at a safe distance.

His posture was textbook-perfect, like a model for elementary school kids.

Su Taotao quietly closed the door, tiptoed over, and covered his eyes: "Guess who?"

Fu Zhengtu smiled, pulled her hands down, and pulled her into his lap, nibbling her hand: "My love."

Su Taotao hugged his neck and gave him a quick peck: "You got it."

Fu Zhengtu’s fingers gently kneaded her neck: "Ready for bed?"

Su Taotao paused at his serious tone: "..."

Was she reading too much into it?

Su Taotao adjusted to a comfortable position in Fu Zhengtu’s arms: "First, can you leave work on time tomorrow?"

Fu Zhengtu rested his chin on her head, still flipping pages: "What’s up?"

Su Taotao said: "Tomorrow’s Yuanhang’s birthday. I’m making him a cake—can you come home for dinner?"

Fu Zhengtu nodded: "Sure."

Su Taotao sighed, "It feels like it's been ages since I last cooked. If I expand the factory into town, I might get even busier in the future."

Fu Zhengtu paused his hand from flipping the book, "Did you come to the base today just to talk about expanding production?"

Su Taotao nodded, "Yes, there are too many orders. The leaders, seeing a factory that could succeed and bring in revenue, are eager for me to start right away."

Fu Zhengtu smiled, "You're a business genius. Honestly, no one else could have built the factory up so quickly."

Su Taotao thought this was also a perk of the times, naturally due to the sugar-making method she brought, but mainly because of the material scarcity of this era.

Su Taotao sighed again, "At first, I just wanted to create a few more jobs for myself and some of the base's family members. Later, I figured since we're already baking, why not make the cake bigger. Besides solving the employment issue, we could also bring in some income for the base—killing two birds with one stone. As for how far we can take it, I really have no clue."

Su Taotao absentmindedly took Fu Zhengtu's hand and started playing with it.

Fu Zhengtu didn't offer any opinion, quietly continuing to listen to her:

"But I didn't expect the Vice Dean to approach me today, saying there's no limit to the resources he can offer. I can make it as big as I want, with funds, manpower, even land in town, all at my disposal. He's already made agreements with other local departments. The local area also hopes I can create a landmark enterprise—after all, it's state-owned and will benefit the base and the community."

After Su Taotao finished, Fu Zhengtu said, "This really caught me off guard."

After this period of "assessment," he knew the base would fully support Su Taotao in building the factory, but he didn't expect it to this extent.

Fu Zhengtu said, "Don't stress, just do what you can."

Su Taotao nodded, "I know, I'll find a balance and make reasonable arrangements. I might need Fu to help with the factory design."

Fu Zhengtu nodded with a smile, "My honor."

Su Taotao smiled and pecked his lips again, "What I regret is that I might have even less time for Chenchen. Since he started preschool, I've already had less time with him."

No matter how smart Chenchen is, this is the age when he needs the most attention. If possible, she doesn't want to miss any of it.

Fu Zhengtu thought for a moment and said, "I'll try to get home earlier from now on."

Su Taotao said, "You too, make sure to balance family and work. Once Chenchen gets a bit older, he might not cling to us as much."

Su Taotao took Fu Zhengtu's hand and stood up, "I'm tired, let's hit the hay."

Fu Zhengtu suddenly asked her, "Should we have another baby?"

Fu Zhengtu's expression was very serious, which stunned Su Taotao. She hadn't thought about this issue yet.

Su Taotao's been swamped since arriving in this time, but her married life with Fu has been sweet.

Fu Zhengtu's always used Family Planning Supplies and adores Chenchen. She thought Chenchen was enough for him.

"Are the Family Planning Supplies at home used up?" Su Taotao asked weakly.

Fu Zhengtu helplessly pinched her face, "Forget it, pretend I didn't say anything. Taking care of Chenchen is already quite tiring. Having Chenchen is enough for us, we can talk about it later."

So Fu was serious?!

She will be very busy in the coming years, and she also has to prepare for the college entrance exams. She doesn't have enough time to spend with Chenchen, and indeed can't afford to have another child these years.

"Well, let's wait until Chenchen is a bit older and ask for his opinion before deciding."

Fu Zhengtu lay on the bed, stretching out his arm, gesturing for her to lie down.

Su Taotao nestled into Fu Zhengtu’s arms, turning to wrap her arms around his waist.

Fu Zhengtu kissed her temple and turned off the light. "You’ve been exhausted these past few days. Get some rest."

It was rare for Fu to be so thoughtful, even in bed. Su Taotao didn’t refuse, but she couldn’t resist teasing him. "Looks like we’re out of family planning supplies."

Fu Zhengtu chuckled, finding her lips in the dark and planting a soft kiss. "Are you thinking about it?"

Su Taotao immediately shied away, clinging to him and shaking her head. "I’m sleepy, let’s sleep..."

Fu Zhengtu kissed her forehead and gently patted her back. "Sleep."

...

Once Su Taotao was asleep, Fu Zhengtu slipped out of bed, grabbed his briefcase, and left the room.

He first checked on the children, adjusting their blankets to make sure they were comfortable, then crept downstairs.

He’d been swamped all day. A data error had stumped the entire team, who’d spent hours double-checking without success.

Su Taotao seldom picked him up from work, so he decided to set his work aside for a bit. Even if it was just for a short while, he wanted to spend time with her and pick up the kids.

Fu Zhengtu brewed a cup of strong tea and was about to settle in for a late-night work session when a hushed voice called from outside.

"Zhengtu, are you still awake?"

Fu Zhengtu quickly got up to open the door.

Mo Gong stood outside with his briefcase, looking so furtive that Fu Zhengtu was puzzled.

"The kids are asleep. Keep it down."

Mo Gong felt slighted. Could he be any quieter? He was already whispering!

"You left early today, and I noticed your light was still on, so I came to check. You’re still up, huh?"

Fu Zhengtu stood at the door without moving, waiting for him to finish.

Mo Gong lowered his voice a bit more. "It’s hard to explain out here. Let’s go inside."

Fu Zhengtu: "Hold on, stay right there."

Mo Gong: "..." Fu, do you not know how to treat a guest? You’re seriously leaving me at the door?

But he didn’t. If he did, Fu Zhengtu would give him that ‘you’re being ridiculous’ look.

Fu Zhengtu came back with his briefcase and two little stools.

He handed one to Mo Gong and pointed to the street. "We’ll talk under the streetlight."

The kids were sound asleep and wouldn’t wake easily, but Su Taotao had been exhausted lately and wasn’t sleeping well. A few times in the middle of the night, she’d been half-awake, and only after he soothed her could she fall back asleep.

Mo Gong: "..." With that dim streetlight, you’re not worried about making my eyesight worse, are you?

But what could he say?

"Why don’t we go to my place?" Mo Gong suggested.

Fu Zhengtu shook his head and nodded towards the parking shed: "Let’s go there."

Alright.

Mo Gong gave in. The lights at home weren’t much brighter, but at least there was mosquito repellent. Fu hadn’t prepared well enough.

Two devoted husbands, fathers, and researchers, not wanting to wake their wives and kids, carried small stools and briefcases out in the middle of the night.

Under the dim streetlight outside the parking shed, they became a buffet for the mosquitoes, meticulously going over the data that hadn’t been completed during the day.

"Hey, Zhengtu, today our team tackled this set of data..."

Both were dedicated researchers, willing to skip meals and sleep for their work.

They sat for hours, covered in mosquito bites, but they didn’t mind.

When it itched, they’d scratch or slap it, sometimes leaving bloodstains, and kept working.

Mo Gong, being older, finally gave in and suggested calling it a night.

As he stood, he felt his body itching and his legs numb.

It took him a moment to shake it off.

Mo Gong sighed, "I can’t fight age. At your age, I could pull all-nighters without a hitch, but not now. Alright, let’s wrap it up. We’ll finish this tomorrow at the office."

Fu Zhengtu let him lead, keeping a hand on his back, and only left after seeing him to his door.

It was nearly 3 a.m.

Fu Zhengtu headed upstairs to check on the kids first.

In the bedroom, Su Taotao was frowning, restless in her sleep, with a faint sheen of sweat—whether from the heat or a dream.

Fu Zhengtu grabbed a palm-leaf fan, cooling her while softly patting her back.

Once she relaxed and drifted off, he carefully lay down.

Even with his eyes closed, his hand kept gently patting her back.

...

9.15 Lately, it feels like the sky in Guangdong’s been torn open—raining nonstop, clothes soaking and drying on repeat. It’s exhausting.