Axolotl Translations

That evening, when Zeng Guoqiang and his wife returned home from work, Qiao Haoyu proudly announced his exciting news—he was going to be a father. His declaration immediately sparked envy in Zeng Guoqiang, whose eyes turned red with jealousy.

Zhang Huimin, however, didn’t dwell on envy. Instead, she excitedly rushed to Wei Jiajia’s side, her gaze fixed on her belly, hesitating between wanting to touch it and holding herself back.

“How far along are you? What did the doctor say? You’ve been working so hard taking care of my cousin—can your body handle it? It won’t affect the baby, will it?” she asked, her voice a mix of excitement and concern.

“Two months already. But don’t worry, the doctor said I’m in great health, and so is the baby.” Thanks to the nourishing effects of her mystical spring, Wei Jiajia’s body remained strong despite the exhaustion from caring for her husband.

“That’s good, that’s good!” Zhang Huimin sighed in relief before immediately launching into excited speculation about the baby’s gender.

“What do you think? A boy or a girl?” Then, laughing, she added, “Honestly, it doesn’t matter—your child is going to be absolutely beautiful! You and my cousin are both so good-looking, the baby is bound to inherit the best of both of you.” In her mind, she was already imagining just how stunning their child would be.

Wei Jiajia gently touched her belly, her face glowing with maternal warmth. Her baby would undoubtedly be the most adorable in the world.

“I’d love to have a daughter just like Jiajia,” Qiao Haoyu chimed in when he heard his cousin’s guesses.

Ever since he first saw Nuannuan—so small, standing before him, her wide eyes filled with curiosity, just like Jiajia’s—he had imagined what his own daughter might look like. She would surely be as beautiful and graceful as her mother, as lively and charming as her aunt.

She would wait for him at the door every evening, eagerly calling out “Daddy” in her sweet, soft voice as she followed him around the house. The more he imagined it, the more his heart melted.

Zeng Guoqiang felt both happy for his friend and a little bitter for himself. He glanced at his oblivious wife and sighed. He wanted a daughter too…

For Wei Jiajia, it didn’t matter whether the baby was a boy or a girl. As long as it was her child, she would love them unconditionally.

“But now that you’re pregnant, can you still take care of my cousin?” Zhang Huimin asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

“No problem at all. Your brother is doing much better now—aside from moving a little slowly, he hardly needs my help. I just lend him a hand here and there,” Wei Jiajia reassured her with a smile.

“That’s good to hear.”

That evening, Wei Jiajia and Zhang Huimin prepared dinner together while Zeng Guoqiang helped on the side.

Unlike the previous night, Wei Jiajia felt perfectly fine while cooking—no discomfort, no nausea. Her appetite was as good as ever, and seeing her eat so heartily put Qiao Haoyu at ease. He had been worried she might struggle with food again, as she had the day before.

After dinner, Zeng Guoqiang and Zhang Huimin returned home. The moment they stepped inside, Zeng Guoqiang suddenly scooped her up in his arms and strode toward the bedroom without warning.

Caught off guard, Zhang Huimin let out a startled cry. “Ah—!”

Then, she smacked him a few times. “What are you doing? You scared me! Put me down!”

Her little bursts of resistance didn’t faze Zeng Guoqiang in the slightest. Ignoring her protests, he carried her straight to the bed, set her down, and began unbuttoning his uniform.

“What are you doing?” Zhang Huimin asked, exasperated.

“Making a daughter.” His voice was firm, determined. Sure, their child would come a little later than Qiao Haoyu’s, but if they got to work now, they could still have kids in the same year.

Zhang Huimin: “…”

Alright, she got the message loud and clear—he was jealous.

Still, she didn’t object to his plan. To be honest, seeing her friend get pregnant so quickly and become a mother had made her feel a little envious too.

While Zhang Huimin and Zeng Guoqiang were enthusiastically working on expanding their family next door, Wei Jiajia and Qiao Haoyu lay in bed, nestled together, discussing the all-important matter of naming their child.

“What do you think would be a good name for our daughter?” The soon-to-be father placed a hand gently on his wife’s stomach, trying to sense his little girl.

“How would I know? You’re the father—it’s your job to come up with a beautiful name for her.” Wei Jiajia admitted she was terrible at naming things, so she decided to leave this challenging task to him.

“Then I have to think carefully and come up with a name that’s both elegant and easy to write.”

“But what if it’s a boy?” Seeing how her husband was already calling the baby his little girl over and over, Wei Jiajia couldn’t help but wonder—what would his reaction be if the baby turned out to be a boy instead?

“A boy…” Qiao Haoyu frowned slightly, clearly reluctant to entertain the idea. But seeing his wife still waiting for an answer, he paused before finally saying, “If it’s a boy, we’ll follow the pattern of my big brother’s son, Dou Dou, so people will immediately know they’re brothers. Besides, Dou Dou’s formal name was chosen by Dad. If we have a son, he’ll probably insist on naming him too.” His tone was casual—it made no difference to him if his father wanted to name a grandson.

“Is your dad the type to favor boys over girls?” Wei Jiajia raised an eyebrow.

“No, it’s just that I don’t mind letting him name a son. But when it comes to a daughter, the naming rights belong to me—no exceptions. If he tries, his name won’t count.” Qiao Haoyu’s tone was firm—he was willing to compromise on many things, but not this.

Wei Jiajia chuckled at her husband’s obsession but didn’t argue. She decided to let him have his way.

She was only two months pregnant—there was still a long way to go before the baby was born. Let this foolishly excited father enjoy his happiness for a few months.

The next morning, after breakfast, the couple headed out to the reception office in the residential compound. There was a telephone there, available for families to use in case of emergencies.

Originally, Wei Jiajia didn’t want Qiao Haoyu to accompany her—she said she could go alone. But Qiao Haoyu insisted, saying he wanted to personally inform his family that his wife was pregnant.

Wei Jiajia strongly suspected that he just wanted to show off, but looking at his serious expression, she had no proof.

Since he had been in good health lately, she let him have his way.

When they arrived at the mailroom, Qiao Haoyu became unstoppable.

He picked up the phone and called both his parents’ workplaces, one after the other, to announce that they were going to be grandparents again. He listened intently as his mother gave him detailed instructions on how to take care of a pregnant woman and as his father praised him for reaching another milestone in life.

Next, he called the Wei family in Shencheng. This time, Wei Jiajia took the phone herself and shared the good news with her great-aunt.

Upon hearing it, her great-aunt was both overjoyed and worried. She immediately said that once Wei Jiajia was further along, she would come over to take care of her, as she wouldn’t feel at ease otherwise. Over the phone, she gave her many words of advice. Meanwhile, Qiao Haoyu reassured her that he would take excellent care of his wife and their unborn child, which finally eased her concerns a little.

Wei Jiajia also took the opportunity to ask about her younger siblings—whether they were behaving, whether they were studying well. She asked her great-aunt to relay a message to them: since her current situation made it difficult for her to personally go pick them up, they could come over with their great-aunt instead. Only then did she reluctantly hang up.

After finishing their calls to the elders, Qiao Haoyu began his real performance.

In his most composed yet subtly smug tone, he called Qiao Haoxuan, who was far away in the southwest, to inform him that he was about to become a father.

Qiao Haoxuan could only shake his head at the news. His own son was already over a year old, and he had never bragged about it in front of his brother—yet here was Qiao Haoyu, unable to contain himself.

Still, becoming an uncle was undoubtedly good news. So, despite his younger brother’s sudden bout of exuberance, Qiao Haoxuan decided to endure it.

Qiao Haoyu didn’t even spare his childhood friends from the Beijing compound. One by one, he called them up, soaking in their congratulations, blessings, and envious remarks. His smile never once faded.

The final call was to Wu Wei, the lifelong bachelor of the group. Hearing Wu Wei wail enviously over the phone, Qiao Haoyu finally felt completely satisfied and ended the conversation.

Watching her husband act so childish, Wei Jiajia could hardly bear to look.

Not long after they left the mailroom, rumors began to spread throughout the compound—rumors that Captain Qiao had been so ecstatic about his wife’s pregnancy that he had practically overheated the telephone lines, calling every single person he knew to share the news.

Meanwhile, as Doctor Zhang was leaving work, someone greeted her.

“Dr. Zhang, you’re home early today!”

“That’s right! No overtime today, so I figured I’d come straight back,” Zhang Wenjuan responded with a smile before heading home, visibly in high spirits.

Hearing movement in the courtyard, Aunt Liu—who was preparing dinner in the kitchen—stepped outside. She was a bit surprised to see her employer return so early. After all, Dr. Zhang was known for her relentless work ethic and hardly ever finished at a normal hour.

“Dr. Zhang, you’re home early today. I haven’t finished making dinner yet.”

“No problem! Help me bring these inside first,” Zhang Wenjuan said, stopping her bicycle and calling for Aunt Liu to carry the bags hanging from the handlebars.

Once inside, Zhang Wenjuan opened the bags and began unpacking the items, mentally going over her plans.

“What’s all this cotton fabric for?” Aunt Liu asked curiously, eyeing the table now covered with various textiles. So much fabric—how many ration tickets had it taken to buy all this? And then there was the cotton… The household’s supply of tickets probably wasn’t enough, so she had likely borrowed some from colleagues.

“This isn’t a lot at all! I’m actually worried it might not be enough,” Zhang Wenjuan replied with a broad smile, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes deepening with joy.

“Something good must have happened—you’re in an especially good mood today,” Aunt Liu remarked, noticing her employer’s unusually cheerful demeanor.

“Jiajia is pregnant. I’m going to be a grandmother again,” Zhang Wenjuan announced, breaking into a chuckle. Technically, she wasn’t supposed to share the news before the three-month mark, but she had been holding it in all day. Now that she was home, she could finally share her excitement with Aunt Liu.

Little did she know that her younger son had practically declared to the whole world that he was going to be a father.

The next day, when people started congratulating her left and right, Zhang Wenjuan was completely baffled. Once she learned the reason, she was so furious at her son that she nearly exploded—but that was a story for another time.

For now, she was still basking in the joy of preparing clothes for her soon-to-arrive grandchild.

“That’s wonderful news! So you bought all this fabric to make clothes and swaddling blankets for the baby?” Aunt Liu asked, sharing in the happiness.

Zhang Wenjuan smoothed her hand over the fabric and replied, “Of course! There’s no relying on those two. Jiajia doesn’t know how to sew clothes at all. I figured we should make them now and send them over when the time comes. And I can’t forget about my little Dou Dou—he’ll need some, too.”

They were both her grandchildren, and she would love them equally. Favoritism simply wasn’t in her nature.

Unfortunately, with her workload, she likely wouldn’t be able to take care of Jiajia during her postpartum confinement. Even taking a few days off to visit would be difficult. The hospital was short-staffed, and she could only hope that next year they would bring in more doctors. That way, she could have someone cover for her and make a proper trip to see her son’s family. The thought left Zhang Wenjuan with a tinge of regret.

She needed to call her in-laws and discuss whether Auntie could make the trip. That way, Jiajia would have a family member by her side, and she wouldn’t feel so scared.

A similar scene was unfolding in the Wei household. As soon as great-aunt hung up the phone, she and Aunt Fen began rummaging through old storage boxes, searching for the fabric she had carefully saved over the years. They wanted to get a head start on making baby clothes, which she could bring along when she visited.

“This fabric is nice. We can make two swaddling blankets so they can be used interchangeably,” Aunt Fen said, holding up a piece of blue plaid twill cotton. The fabric’s color was beautiful and perfect for an outer layer.

“Yes, yes! This color works for both boys and girls,” grand-aunt agreed, pulling out another bundle from the bottom of the pile.

“The winters up north are freezing. We’ll need to line the baby’s winter clothes and blankets with fur and then add a layer of cotton on top. That way, the child won’t suffer from the cold.” She ran her fingers over the long, soft fur, lost in thought. She had bought this material years ago, back when the family was better off, from a foreign goods store. Back then, this kind of fur was all the rage among wealthy ladies and young socialites.

Fabrics from that part of the world had always been excellent. But now that relations with the “big brother” had been severed, it was nearly impossible to find such high-quality materials anymore.

After a brief moment of nostalgia, grand-aunt and Aunt Fen picked up another piece of fabric, chatting and laughing as they shared their hopes and excitement for the baby growing in Wei Jiajia’s belly.

Meanwhile, the soon-to-be mother herself had it much easier. After all, she had her space supermarket—stocked with more baby supplies than she could ever need. While most of them couldn’t be used openly, just knowing the shelves were lined with infant formula was enough to put her mind at ease.

She glanced at the neatly arranged items inside, feeling completely reassured. No matter how many children she had in the future, she wouldn’t have to worry about being able to provide for them.

At this moment, she felt especially grateful to the elderly woman who had given her that necklace years ago.

Because of it, she had come to this world and met so many wonderful family members and friends.

Because of it, she had not only avoided hardship but was also able to help others.

It was proof that kindness never went unrewarded. One never knew when an act of goodwill might bring unexpected blessings.

---

Previous Chapter | TOC | Next Chapter