Chapter 200: Chapter 198: Why Not Have a Little Sister?

After the baby was born, Wang Xinxin still couldn’t accept how ugly he was.

Not until more than ten days later, when his fair, tender skin started to show.

Looking at the baby who had transformed in just over ten days, Wang Xinxin finally broke into a smile.

You couldn’t blame her for not overflowing with maternal love. When the baby was first born, he was all wrinkly, his skin bruised and discolored. He was anything but cute.

Cheng’an adored his new little brother.

Having only recently learned to talk, his daily refrains of "daddy" and "mommy" were replaced with "brother."

That was why after Su Tang got off work, she would head to the Chen family’s house instead of her own. Things were always lively there now.

Everyone doted on the newborn, growing more and more fond of him the more they looked at him.

Chen Zhengnian gave him a name: Xingzhou. Chen Xingzhou.

It symbolized that life was like sailing a boat—one must always watch the path ahead, for only by treading carefully can one avoid capsizing.

Lu Xiao laughed at him for choosing such a poetic name.

But Chen Zhengnian was delighted. This was his first son, so of course, the name held all of his hopes and blessings.

On the day of Xingzhou’s one-month celebration, so many people came. Mr. and Mrs. Chen had invited nearly all their relatives from the Chen family.

They threw a lively one-month party for Xingzhou.

About half a month after the celebration, Mr. Su and Mrs. Su prepared to return to Shanghai.

They had planned to go back much earlier, but their departure was delayed by Cheng’an’s kidnapping and Su Tang’s collapse.

After her collapse, Su Tang had thought they would decide to stay and live with her forever.

But to her surprise, Mrs. Su just winked and said mysteriously that they would all be seeing each other again very soon.

This surprised Su Tang, but she didn’t press for details.

’Looks like Mom is planning a surprise for me.’

After Mr. and Mrs. Su left, life seemed to return to its peaceful rhythm.

After Wang Xinxin finished her month of postpartum confinement, Mrs. Wang also returned to Shanghai.

Although Wang Xinxin and Chen Zhengnian tried their best to persuade her to stay, and Mrs. Wang had even considered the idea of remaining in the Northwest for good, she still wasn’t quite used to the wide-open spaces, feeling that the old alleyways of Shanghai were a better fit for her.

The days passed, and in the blink of an eye, Cheng’an was old enough for elementary school.

Xingzhou was also ready for kindergarten.

One day, Su Tang had just gotten home from work when Lu Xiao pulled her into his arms.

"Tangtang, I have great news. I received my promotion and transfer orders. I’m going to Beijing."

When Lu Xiao was in Beijing before, he’d thought the orders would come through quickly, but he never expected such a long wait.

But good things come to those who wait. This would likely be the final promotion of his career.

It was a high-ranking position, and Lu Xiao was very pleased.

Hearing this, Su Tang tilted her head and pulled away from his embrace.

"Really? Well, I have some good news for you, too. My director recommended me to a major hospital in Beijing. He said my skills were recognized by their leadership, and they’re very eager for me to join their team."

As she spoke, Su Tang pulled a set of transfer orders from her bag.

It was for the Peking Union Medical College Hospital in Beijing—a place countless people dreamed of working.

Seeing the orders, Lu Xiao’s eyes lit up and he swept Su Tang into his arms.

Her feet left the ground, and for a moment, she thought she was going to pass out.

"This is wonderful! I was just thinking about how I’d be asking you to give up your job for me again, and I felt terrible about it."

"But then I thought, ’My Tangtang is so capable, she’ll find a way.’ I never imagined it would turn out to be a double blessing."

Neither of them should have to give up their own life for the other.

But their success was destined to take them to even greater heights.

The best way forward was to walk side by side, each shining brightly in their own field, in their own world.

That evening, Lu Xiao and Su Tang told Mr. and Mrs. Lu the news.

As parents, they were of course thrilled that their children were so successful and could move on to bigger and better things.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu, who had been farmers their whole lives, never imagined their son would be so accomplished, or that their daughter-in-law would be recognized by a major hospital in Beijing.

Lu Xiao and Su Tang exchanged a smile. Soon, they had packed all their luggage.

They also asked a friend in Beijing to find a school for Cheng’an ahead of time.

They never expected, however, that Lu Xiao’s unit had already arranged everything for them.

Their son Cheng’an could even attend the elementary school for military families.

It had the best educational resources available.

Not long after, the family boarded a train to Beijing.

When it was time to leave, Wang Xinxin cried her heart out, as if she would never see them again.

She never thought that after working so hard to come to the Northwest, she would have to be separated from the person she was closest to.

It wasn’t that Chen Zhengnian couldn’t go to Beijing, but the Northwest was his home base. It was better for his career to stay here.

And Wang Xinxin’s dream was also to build her own career in the Northwest. They were fated to be apart.

In the end, it was Su Tang who finally made Wang Xinxin laugh by telling her that as soon as they had the chance, she would invite their whole family to visit them in Beijing.

On their first day in Beijing, they were greeted by an aide assigned to Lu Xiao from his unit.

His name was Xiao Zhang. He was very enthusiastic, warmly calling Su Tang "sister-in-law" and Lu Xiao’s parents "Uncle" and "Auntie."

Not only that, but he also called over some of his comrades to help them carry their luggage and get their new place settled inside the unit’s compound.

The unit Lu Xiao was now assigned to was at the same level as the one where he had previously undergone confidential training in Beijing.

The high command had high hopes for a promising talent like Lu Xiao and had assigned him to a critical post.

The next day, Lu Xiao and Su Tang went to enroll Cheng’an in his new school.

Mr. and Mrs. Lu decided to stay in Beijing to help them out for a while. With both of them working and their child just starting elementary school, they couldn’t leave him unsupervised.

Life in Beijing wasn’t much different from life in the Northwest. The only real change was in Cheng’an’s personality, which was becoming increasingly wild and unruly.

Maybe it was from playing with the other kids from the Beijing compound.

He not only spoke with a Beijing accent now, but he also acted with a new, devil-may-care attitude, a complete departure from his previously shy nature in the Northwest.

Su Tang had a real headache watching her son’s transformation.

But Lu Xiao thought it was a good thing. "After all, boys should be bold and confident," he said. "Otherwise, they’ll seem awkward and unpresentable when they have to deal with people later on."

After saying this, Lu Xiao pulled Su Tang onto his lap and whispered in her ear.

"Actually, I think the most important thing is that we should give Cheng’an a little sister. Once he learns what it means to be a big brother, he’ll learn some manners. What do you think?"

His words, of course, earned him a slap from Su Tang, though it was just a light tap on his cheek.

"Commander Lu, now you’re really proving that a full belly leads to idle thoughts. Daring to suggest another baby... I don’t have the energy to raise another one."