Chapter 85 The Two Little Ones Are Trying

Chapter 85: The Younger Couple Prepares for Pregnancy

The talkative one was, of course, the younger brother, now a strapping 186 cm tall, about ten centimeters shorter than his elder brother. Though considerably more composed, he’d turn into a grinning joker the moment he stepped through the door. Since his elder brother wasn’t one for many words, he’d latch onto topics his brother was willing to discuss, pestering him to chat more.

What were they chatting about?

On the second-floor balcony, Shi Zai withdrew his gaze, smiling as he glanced at Qin Xihan. Down in the yard, the younger brother was badgering the elder with questions about expectant fathers. This was precisely why Qin Xihan had pulled him away from Yang Yun. According to Qin Xihan, Yang Yun was a "silly fool"—there wasn’t even a hint of a child yet, so why talk about pregnancy? And the elder brother was really something—such a reserved, stern man actually discussing these things with that silly fool.

Shi Zai burst into laughter. Once the young couple got pregnant and had a child, they would naturally understand. Even the most aloof person would boast endlessly when it came to their wife and children. Not only did Shu Yangkuo engage in the conversation, he even gave Yang Yun a book—a self-compiled and printed copy of *The Expectant Father’s Bedside Handbook*. It was hilarious. From the moment he learned Shi Zai was pregnant, Shu Yangkuo had scoured the internet and bookstores for all sorts of relevant information. Throughout the pregnancy, he had rearranged and printed all the collected content, reviewing it whenever he had time.

At this point, Shi Zai was cracking up:

"Han Bao, do you know Big Brother’s forum usernames?"

"What are they?"

"Hahahaha... They’re [Vernal Equinox of the First Trimester], [Summer Solstice of the Second Trimester], [Heavy Snow of the Third Trimester], [Early Autumn Due on August 14th], [Warm Family Born on August 8th]... Hahahahaha!"

Hearing this, Qin Xihan leaned against the railing, doubling over with laughter. He never would have guessed Big Brother was like this in front of Little Brother. After six years, he already knew Big Brother was very gentle in private and listened to Little Brother, but this... was hilariously silly!

Shi Zai raised an eyebrow:

"Of course! They say pregnancy brain lasts three years, and with these years of raising a child, sometimes I feel like he has a screw loose. But it also showed me how to love him better—taking such opportunities to reveal his vulnerability and sensitivity, filling in what’s missing, and finding ways to make him feel more secure. He does the same for me. Having children brings endless trivial matters, but it’s precisely through these small frictions and communications that we learn to love our child better and treat each other with more care. It’s strange—after more than six years, our love has only grown stronger."

"It’s not strange, Little Brother. I understand everything you want to say. I’ve long since moved on. Yang Yun is great, and so are you. I hit the jackpot meeting you guys. Life these days is just steady, easy, and happy."

Smiling, he patted Qin Xihan’s shoulder. These two had truly matured completely. He added:

"Right, don’t be afraid of friction. It’s unavoidable in any relationship. Think of it this way—the essence of friction and arguments between couples is dissatisfaction with each other. The root of dissatisfaction lies in unmet needs, and the true meaning of those needs is... love. Whether it’s because you feel your love isn’t reciprocated equally, or you want to be loved more, or vice versa—it’s all because love isn’t being fulfilled. So every time your Big Brother gives me a hard time, I’m actually really happy and proud, because it means he can’t get enough of my love, and I just feel like the luckiest person alive. When I make him feel my endless love, and he holds me, clingy and satisfied, I’m grateful for our little friction. It’s like fireworks—some people hate the noise, but others can't wait to see the show. Han Bao—after the flames, there will be fireworks."

"After the flames, there will be fireworks—Little Brother, I really, really like you."

Qin Xihan gave a firm nod, moved closer to Shi Zai, hugging him and burying his head in Little Brother’s shoulder. In this world, only Little Brother had his back no matter what, always worried that he might be wronged by Yang Yun.

Shi Zai patted Qin Xihan and sighed with a laugh:

"Ah, if only you had been the top—that’s what I thought at first. Back then, Yang Yun only came up to your chest. Who would’ve thought... Hahaha! If that were the case, I would’ve had Yang Yun win you over long ago. I’m a pro at chasing down husbands... But since it turned out the other way, there are some things I couldn’t teach him to say, or it would seem like he was being manipulative and disrespecting you... However, I can teach you how to coach him... Oh, wait, that doesn’t seem right either. Sounds like I'm plotting to corrupt my little brother. Hahahahaha!"

"..."

His face flushed red from Shi Zai's teasing, Qin Xihan whispered, "Little Brother, don’t be like that," which only made Shi Zai laugh even louder.

The two of them didn’t have their first time until their wedding night—exactly one year ago tomorrow. Hahaha!

It was only later that they realized one was playing hard to get, while the other, under his guidance, was "overly respectful," thinking that as the husband, Yang Yun shouldn’t disregard Qin Xihan’s wishes... but forgetting how he himself had quickly won over someone as reserved and easily embarrassed as Shu Yangkuo. Ah, it was all his fault they had wasted over three years. But it’s fine, they’re still young. Hahaha!

In the blink of an eye, the 16-year-old pink dumpling was now 23.

The next day was Qin Xihan’s 25th birthday, and also their first wedding anniversary. So, a while back, the two of them had gone on a trip to celebrate in advance. Waiting to get married and have kids had its perks—the young couple could enjoy alone time to be sweet on each other.

As for them... tsk, even kissing and hugging had to be done away from the little ones.

But each phase has its perks. Next year, the two of them would have daytime dates to themselves, and in the future, they could have earlier private time together. Life is like that—it’s not about the choices you make, but how you manage them, whether it’s for yourself, for the two of you, or for the whole family.

No matter how young Yang Yun was or how immature he seemed around them, he was still a married man. Originally a pink dumpling as caring and loving as Shi Zai, he was now beyond reproach when it came to his wife. Qin Xihan’s birthday was celebrated on a nearby cruise ship—with gifts, food, drinks, gazing out at where the sky meets the water, laughing, chatting, and savoring the warm, intimate moments, just completely relaxed and carefree.

The little ones jumped around on the deck, the wind tousling their hair, their joyful laughter music to the ears. Each child was like a ray of brilliant sunlight.

In the mid-afternoon, Shi Zai and the others played cards for a while before strolling out onto the deck—and at first glance, he did a double-take. What was that goofball up to with the kids now? Listening in, Yang Yun was shouting at the elder brother, who was leaning against the railing trying to look deep: "Big Brother, I think transferring baby dust like this works!" After a moment of silence, a deep, cold voice replied, "Don’t learn these improper things from your Little Brother."

Hey—this guy's got some nerve, huh.

He had never taught that fool Yang Yun anything about "transferring baby dust," right? It wasn’t him who got pregnant first! Yang Yun stood there, letting the kids take turns patting his belly to transfer "pregnancy vibes" to him. Tsk, how absurd.

How did he end up with such a... or rather, *pick up* such a brother?!

Shi Zai walked over, grabbed them each by an ear and gave it a half-turn, and said to Shu Yangkuo first:

"Improper?!"

"Brother was wrong. Brother really loves it when wifey is improper."

"Huh??!!"

"...Brother was wrong again. Brother is the one who loves being improper. Wifey, don’t be mad."

"Mm-hmm, now say something sweet."

Glancing to the side, Shu Yangkuo, his ears red, muttered, "Tonight..." But the person in his arms wasn’t having it. He bent down, kissed the blinking big eyes, and pushing past his embarrassment, said, "My little mermaid."

After a beat, Shi Zai burst into laughter. Good, very good:

"You have to remember, this mermaid isn’t awakened by a kiss—she’s awakened by f*cking. Understood?"

"..."

After a moment of silence, Shu Yangkuo wanted to say that it was Sleeping Beauty who was awakened by a kiss, not the little mermaid, but he held back and just nodded. "Understood."

Pleased with having handled one, Shi Zai turned to the other, puzzled:

"If you can’t get pregnant, is it because you’re not up to it?"

"...??!!! I’ve been using condoms! We’re only just starting to prepare!"

"Oh, then why the rush?"

"Hehe, I want the baby to have a birthday around the same time as Wang Wang. The key is—when I’m pregnant, each month will align with the season Big Brother was in during his pregnancy, so the precautions will be more relevant."

Huh, he's really put some thought into this.

Shi Zai calculated. It took him about half a year to conceive because... He paused and said:

"Has Han Bao’s conception canal matured yet?"

"Huh? What?"

"Have you... been inside? I mean, is there a place that draws you in?"

"..."

Suddenly, Yang Yun’s face turned bright red. Where was Big Brother? Why wasn’t he here to rein in Little Brother?! He nodded. Many times.

After hearing Little Brother’s detailed description of what "maturation" meant, Yang Yun suddenly understood—it hadn’t happened yet. Shi Zai added that it varies for everyone, taking anywhere from half a year to a year and a half to mature, which is normal. Yang Yun nodded. Okay, no rush. He’d start researching tips for managing a baby bump first.

It's really something, isn't it? It took about half a year to a year and a half to mature fully, to be ready for pregnancy.

Noticing Yang Yun’s confusion, Shi Zai smiled and said:

"Some people act differently before and after marriage, becoming indifferent once they've secured their partner. You can quickly tell after marriage whether the husband has a sense of responsibility. If not, a year or so is enough time to cut your losses before it's too late. Otherwise, having a child early on will only create more complications."

"...Brother, who are you warning? Go warn Qin Xihan! I think he’s changed a lot since marriage!"

"Whoa—"

"Hehe, he’s started fussing at me loudly, and I love it. It makes me really happy."

Hearing this, Shi Zai also laughed. The evening glow fell on the tall younger man beside him, casting a rare tenderness over his features. Indeed, the two of them were well-matched and would be happy together for a lifetime.

At night, Yang Yun was kicked off the bed. He quickly grabbed the edge of the bed and said:

"What’s wrong, gege? Since both Brother and I are younger, it’s only natural for us to chat about certain topics."

"...Him? You... how could you talk about that! How am I supposed to face Brother tomorrow?!"

Qin Xihan was utterly embarrassed, you fool!

Seeing this, Yang Yun shuffled closer and rested his chin on Qin Xihan’s arm:

"I'm helping you build up a thicker skin about this ahead of time. Otherwise, Brother would’ve asked you about it sooner or later—you know how he is. If he asked you directly, you’d be too embarrassed to say anything... Now that we’ve talked about it, we can just be happy. Ah, if only I’d known earlier, we could’ve skipped the protection—ah!"

"..."

Qin Xihan gave the big fool a light kick and turned away, still flushed with embarrassment. He felt like he had lost all dignity.

From behind, Yang Yun kept pleading, "Gege, do I still get kisses?" Qin Xihan, exasperated, snapped, "Get up here!" Yang Yun immediately scrambled onto the bed and covered him with kisses. "I love it when you ask me to take the initiative, hehe..." Before he could be kicked again, he quickly got down to the main event, adding cheekily, "So happy—I give you one lesson, and you give me the whole night..." He didn't even have the energy to scold him anymore. Qin Xihan decided he’d chop this fool up and feed him to the fishes tomorrow.