Chapter 317 Double Happiness, Congratulations

Chapter 317: Double Happiness, Worthy of Celebration

Xia Zhiqiu hadn’t considered this possibility before. She counted the days carefully, feeling uncertain. "My period didn’t come last month or this month, but my cycle is often irregular, so I’m not sure."

Auntie Zhong looked her up and down. "I’d bet on it. Oh, stop what you’re doing—go get checked at the hospital."

"Dongdong, go upstairs and call your dad."

Dongdong, assuming Xia Zhiqiu was in trouble, hurried upstairs to fetch him.

Xia Zhiqiu couldn’t stop him in time. "It’s not an emergency—tomorrow’s fine."

With everyone here, it was kind of embarrassing.

Su Taotao said, "Better get checked early. The sooner you know, the better."

Xia Zhiqiu blushed, recalling how she and Zhang Chuncheng had been messing around at night just a couple of days ago.

Zhang Chuncheng came downstairs quickly, also thinking something had happened to Xia Zhiqiu. Once he understood, he was thrilled and immediately took her to the hospital.

Fu Zhengtu, always quick to notice, saw that the kitchen needed help and jumped in to assist.

Mo Gong was handy with chores.

Naturally, Li Shouwang pitched in too.

With everyone pitching in, all the work was soon finished.

Even Auntie Zhong’s task of rolling out spring pancake dough was taken over by Mo Gong.

Auntie Zhong cheerfully took on the role of overseer.

Then, following Su Taotao’s instructions, she started making mooncakes with the kids.

The children weren’t very good at handling dough—Chenchen’s dog and duck mooncakes looked pretty rough.

Still, Su Taotao promised to bake them for him.

Su Taotao marinated the duck in spices, dried it, and glazed it for crispiness, catching the kids’ attention as she placed it in the oven.

Dongdong couldn’t help drooling at the sight. "Chenchen, your oven’s the best! Everything that goes in comes out smelling so good."

Chenchen beamed and nodded. "Yep, my daddy’s oven is the coolest~~"

Back then, there was no way to puff up the duck’s belly, so Su Taotao stuffed two potatoes inside to help it keep its shape.

"Mommy, isn’t the duck dead? Why’s it eating potatoes~~?"

Su Taotao couldn’t help laughing. "Mommy’s not feeding it—the potatoes just plump it up so it cooks better."

Little Cloud: "Quaaack quaaack..."

Chenchen turned to her. "Duoduo, be good and listen to Mommy, or next time it’ll be you going into the oven~~"

Little Cloud: "Quaaack quaaack quaaack~~" With a frantic flap of her wings, she bolted from danger, leaving this perilous place.

Pangpang drooled too. "Dad, can you build an oven like this? Then we could roast stuff at home!"

Li Shouwang said, "I can make it, but I don't have Aunt Su's skills. It'd turn out poorly anyway."

Fatty slumped: "Then let's just eat at the cafeteria. The cafeteria lady's cooking is better than yours."

Li Shouwang: "..." Alright then.

The goose was already prepped. Originally, Xia Zhiqiu planned to make saltwater goose, but plans shifted, and Su Taotao switched to braised goose at the last minute.

Actually, braised goose tastes even better than other braised dishes, but geese are hard to find and more expensive, so few people make it these days.

Using the same braising recipe, the scent filled the house as soon as the water boiled.

Mo Gong couldn’t help but give a thumbs-up: "Little Su’s cooking skills are top-notch. It’d make the neighbor’s kids drool with envy."

Fu Zhengtu fed the stove with firewood, smiling slightly. There was no need to be modest—he hadn’t met anyone better at cooking than Su Taotao.

Speaking of which, Auntie Zhong’s chicken stew with mushrooms didn’t have any weird additions this time—just chicken, mushrooms, and some vermicelli. It tasted incredible.

Uncle Mu was stunned his mom had cooked it.

"Auntie Zhong, tell the truth—do you think I eat too much, so you deliberately make bad food at home to make me eat less?" Her skills were clearly great!

Auntie Zhong knocked Uncle Mu on the head: "At home, there are always bits and pieces left over. It’s a shame to throw them away, so I just dump them all in the pot. Doesn’t it still taste fine? What’s so bad about it?"

Uncle Mu sighed: "Auntie Zhong, ask Aunt Taozi—you threw bitter gourd and pumpkin in together, one sweet and one bitter, basically clashing in the pot. How could that taste good?"

Auntie Zhong glared at him: "It’s not that exaggerated! Your dad eats it just fine. You’re just too fussy."

Su Taotao smiled and said, "Auntie Zhong, next time just keep it simple like this. If you’re worried about waste, sauté the leftovers separately with garlic instead of dumping them in."

Auntie Zhong said, "I know, but I’m just cutting corners. It wastes firewood and oil, so I just throw everything in. Fine, fine, I won’t mix random stuff next time, okay?"

Uncle Mu nodded in satisfaction: "That’s more like it."

His brother was always out early and back late, rarely around. Auntie Zhong did most of the cooking, and Uncle Mu had suffered for it. Now he finally had hope.

Xia Zhiqiu and Zhang Chuncheng returned from the hospital just in time for dinner.

"So, good news?" Su Taotao asked.

Xia Zhiqiu nodded shyly: "Yeah."

Su Taotao: "Congratulations."

Auntie Zhong also came over cheerfully to congratulate her.

Zhang Chuncheng’s smile never faded. He stayed protectively by Xia Zhiqiu’s side, afraid someone might accidentally bump into her.

Double the joy—worth celebrating.

Tonight’s dinner had everything—chicken, duck, goose, seafood, pork, everything you could want.

The pork was brought by Li Shouwang.

The seafood was bought by Fu Zhengtu early in the morning—a whole box of Su Taotao’s favorite oysters and the kids’ beloved prawns.

Fu Yuanhang and Uncle Mu had spent a long time peeling garlic earlier, all for the minced garlic sauce used in grilled seafood.

Su Taotao hadn’t grilled seafood in a while, and they’d all been craving it.

These days, unless multiple families teamed up, it was nearly impossible to prepare such a lavish dinner. Though the dishes seemed plentiful, there were also many people to share them, so each person’s portion wasn’t actually that large.

It wasn’t about how much anyone ate—it was all about the celebration.

In the kitchen, Su Taotao directed Fu Zhengtu to slice the roasted duck.

Fu Zhengtu was handy and could handle anything with skill. Su Taotao loved watching him focus on his work—it was downright sexy.

“If Fu ever loses his job, he could easily become a duck-carving chef at a restaurant,” Su Taotao teased.

Fu Zhengtu smirked. “Last time, you said I could be a carpenter.”

Su Taotao smiled brightly. “My Fu can do anything.”

Fu Zhengtu just chuckled, letting her tease him.

Later, when only the two of them remained in the kitchen, Fu Zhengtu asked, “Want to give Chenchen a little sister?”

Su Taotao shook her head. “Not right now. Why, do you really want one?”

Fu Zhengtu also shook his head. “Up to you. I’m good either way.”

He had always felt that having Chenchen alone was enough.

“Then we agree. We’ll decide whether to have another when I’m thirty-two,” Su Taotao said.

“Why thirty-two?” Fu Zhengtu asked.

“Because thirty is a big milestone. After thirty-three, the risks of childbirth increase.”

Honestly, it was just an excuse. What Su Taotao didn’t say was that she was currently twenty-three. By 1977, when the college entrance exams resumed, she’d be twenty-seven. After finishing university, she’d be just in time for the family planning policy.

She could decide at any point before the policy took effect whether to have another child.

She just wasn’t sure yet.

“Up to you.”

Fu Zhengtu left the decision entirely in Su Taotao’s hands.

If she wanted another child, he’d love them just as much as he loved Chenchen. If she didn’t, Chenchen alone was enough.

After Fu Zhengtu finished slicing the duck, Su Taotao had him fry the remaining duck bones in oil and sprinkle them with salt and pepper, turning them into peppery fried duck bones.

With all the dishes complete, the table was packed with food: roasted duck, peppery fried duck bones, braised goose in braising broth, chicken stewed with mushrooms, grilled seafood, stir-fried pork with green beans, tender greens, and a pot of seaweed soup.

The roasted duck came with all the fixings—Su Taotao’s homemade sweet hoisin sauce, freshly picked cucumbers and scallions, and Auntie Zhong’s spring pancakes. It was a real feast.

Everyone was practically drooling.

Even by 21st-century social media standards, this spread would be considered mind-blowing.

The aroma of mooncakes baking in the oven wafted through the air, leaving the kids in a daze.

Li Shouwang and his son Pangpang had never even laid eyes on half these dishes before.

Su Taotao raised her coconut water. “On this night of flowers in bloom and the full moon, here’s to peace and happiness, with family and the moon always together.”

Everyone raised their coconut water in response. “Family and moon, always together!”