Chapter 922: Chapter 795: Comforting the Wife

Under the soft orange light, Zhou Jiao sat in the baby’s room with her arms crossed and knees bent, watching Aunt Sun methodically preparing formula, changing diapers, and feeding the baby...

Next to her, Little Ping’an was mimicking her posture, cuddled up beside her. After a moment, he asked softly, "Mom, you really miss Liu Yiwu and May 1st, don’t you?"

Zhou Jiao replied wistfully, "I miss all three of you. Your little brothers are the most pitiful, I used to be with you 24/7."

"I’ll accompany the little brothers for mom."

"Alright, but I’ll come back to be with you whenever I can in the evenings. Once I start working, I’ll have time to watch you all grow up."

Aunt Sun set the kids down and, listening to their conversation, couldn’t help but smile and wave at them.

Seeing this, Zhou Jiao stood up, took Ping’an’s hand, and quietly approached. The children were already peacefully asleep. She felt a pang of loss as she gazed at the sleeping pair.

"Mom, take me to sleep."

Fortunately, there was still one who needed her, Zhou Jiao nodded happily, amused by her own sentimentality. If the kids had really kicked up a fuss and cried, could she still go to school peacefully?

"Mom, leave my room door open so I can hear if the little brothers cry," Ping’an, lying on his bed, reminded again, worried.

"Okay. Once you fall asleep, I’ll leave." Zhou Jiao tapped her son’s nose, playfully. Just this little lazy pig, once asleep, wouldn’t wake even in a storm, let alone hear a cry.

At the bedside, Zhou Jiao hummed a tune softly, gently patting her son, while her mind wandered through a myriad of random thoughts. Years of habits felt so natural that even the sensitive little guy hadn’t noticed she was absent-minded.

Compared to the matters of the Liang Family, her biggest worry now was the two younger sons. Less than three months old, who knows if they’ll be different from others?

Having the experience of Ping’an before, Zhou Jiao really couldn’t abandon the children and go to work. Isn’t her effort and motivation all for the family’s peace?

Oh... life, truly full of choices.

After sighing, she looked at her son who fell asleep at the same time each night, and Zhou Jiao smiled contentedly. Hopefully, the two younger ones would be as easy as their big brother.

Leaving Ping’an’s room, she saw Aunt Sun resting in the next room. Zhou Jiao quietly closed her door. Walking out to the living room, the family hadn’t returned yet.

For a moment, she didn’t want to enter the rooms, standing alone in the yard looking up at the sky.

Zhang Guoqing, taken to a movie by his friends, watched the black-and-white images on the screen and listened to the lively conversations around. Despite the lively atmosphere, he felt lonely.

When the plot reached its most exciting moment, the room gradually quieted down. He found an excuse, slipped out, and hurried away.

Upon entering the house, he saw Zhou Jiao looking up at the sky, teasingly asking, "Will tomorrow be a sunny day?"

"Is the movie over? How come I didn’t hear any noise?"

"They’re still in the hall over there." Zhang Guoqing put an arm around her shoulder, "Are the kids asleep?"

Zhou Jiao smiled, knowing he had snuck back, and nodded.

"Would you like to go for a walk? Tonight the streets are quiet with few pedestrians."

This suggestion was a great idea!

Closing the yard gate, the couple walked aimlessly along the path to the small park. Under the moonlight, crickets and frogs played a nocturnal symphony.

A soft breeze blew, and taking a deep breath, all the anxiety dispersed at once.

"Sometimes when you stop, you might encounter an even more beautiful view. Like tonight’s moonlight." Zhang Guoqing spoke softly with hidden meaning.

"This life, you get by whether you’re busy or relaxed. The difficulties you find insurmountable today may easily resolve tomorrow."

"Those beautiful years from seventeen to twenty-three, we spent them having children, studying, and worrying about unknowns, burdening ourselves with invisible pressure and responsibility, but forgetting to be kind to ourselves."

"Wife, it’s time to slow down."

Walking alongside him, Zhou Jiao sighed inwardly. She knew she was too tense, but life never taught her how to enjoy the moment.

That sense of urgency and crisis seemed inherent since birth, always coming to her with each breath she took.

"You are no longer you. You have parents who love you, a husband who loves you dearly, and children as angelic as can be. If you keep rushing forward, where is your end? What can it bring you?"

With Zhang Guoqing’s probing, Zhou Jiao gazed distantly... Indeed, she had everything she needed. No more sleepless nights over tuition; no more working everywhere for living expenses; no more trepidation over safety; no more...

So why was she still uneasy now? Why did that oppressive feeling and sense of crisis constantly flood her like an unstoppable tide?

Holding her hand, Zhang Guoqing spoke gently as they walked, "We’ve had children, you’ve attended university. We’ve accomplished the major milestones before thirty in just six years. What about the next six years?"

The moonlight was too beautiful, and the deep, magnetic, and tender voice seemed like gravitational attraction, drawing Zhou Jiao moment by moment into deep thought.

The mischievous Zhang Guoqing watched his wife with concern. Many things he hadn’t wanted to address during her pregnancy, not wanting to affect her mood. Now was the time for a reminder.

"With me, it’s shelter, clothing, and food." Besides basic survival, he was confident he could provide a safe haven for his beloved woman, rather than watching her exhaust herself with silent planning.

"Smartness often comes with harm." It’s none other than overuse of the mind, draining one’s energy. And this fool, after five years of careful nourishment, having twins this time was not just arduous, but a real strain, badly depleting her vitality.

In the heat of August and September, while the son complained of heat, she had already donned long sleeves and covered herself with a thin blanket at night. How could such a constitution ensure longevity?

One point particularly made Zhang Guoqing’s heart race—his wife actually said she would come home daily to nurse the babies. While she was at school it was manageable, but what if during an internship? As they say, children are debts, but what she expressed was surely blood!

"Alright, let’s not think anymore." Zhang Guoqing squeezed her small hand, pointing ahead, "Wait for me."

Before Zhou Jiao could respond, she watched him run off into the distance, took a glance behind, and slowly wandered in the direction he left.

Before long, Zhang Guoqing ran back like the wind, pulling her along quickly, "Shh, don’t make a sound, run."

Befuddled, Zhou Jiao instinctively obeyed, letting him lead her to run.

Near home, panting beneath the streetlights, she found him holding a bare red rose.

"Sadly, I didn’t have scissors, and time was tight, so I could only pick a flower," Zhang Guoqing smiled smugly, "Does it look like a rose? Wife, it’s for you."

Zhou Jiao accepted it with a broad smile, looking at him in goofy amusement.

"Feeling touched, aren’t you? It was hard to move at the flower show the other day, but Old Man Yi was bragging to me recently; I finally got away with it."

"Heard the Rose Queen gave it to Mr. Yi. If he finds out, he might fight with you. Come on, let’s go home and secretly place it inside."

Seeing the wife smiling like a flower, Zhang Guoqing didn’t care about Old Yi anymore. Secretly deciding in his heart to procure a bouquet from the Temple of Heaven one day to delight his wife.