Wang Xianbing gripped his flashlight tightly. ’Just as I thought,’ he mused.

He continued his patrol, his gaze fixed forward, his mind already devising all sorts of ways to get involved.

’For someone in a position of ambition, the real fear isn’t making mistakes. It’s being so mediocre and unremarkable that your superiors don’t even know who you are!’

By the time Chu Shenyu got home, Zhu Yun had already taken a nap. She had timed it perfectly to get up and make him some hand-pulled noodles. She simply stir-fried some green radish to flavor the wok, then added a fried egg, a spoonful of soybean and pork sauce, and a sprinkle of cilantro. The steaming bowl was enough to soothe all worries.

"Mmm, it’s been a while since I’ve had your cooking," he couldn’t help but sigh contentedly.

These days, every household ate at the canteens. Officially, home kitchens weren’t supposed to have iron woks, iron ladles, or grain, so they had to do all their cooking in secret.

Mrs. Chu had recently become very interested in cooking. With a master chef right there in the house, she was naturally practicing her culinary skills diligently and wouldn’t let Zhu Yun get involved.

As the designated guinea pig and ingredient-procurement station, Chu Shenyu had endured several months of torture from his dear mother’s "dark cuisine." It had gotten to the point where the mere smell upon returning home was enough to make him turn pale.

He couldn’t figure out how, with his wife being such a superb cook, his own mother had managed to create dishes that so challenged the very concept of flavor. Fortunately, after a long period of trial and error, his mother had finally grasped the basics. She had now graduated to the ranks of cooking pig feed—at least it was no longer inedible.

Zhu Yun said, gloating, "Mom’s unyielding spirit in the face of adversity deserves a medal. As her son, you have to cooperate and encourage her. After all, whether or not I get to enjoy all sorts of delicious and nutritious soups, porridges, and noodles during my postpartum confinement depends entirely on your sacrifice."

"It won’t be long now. I think another month of this bitter training and we’ll be all set!"

Chu Shenyu sighed helplessly, finished his noodles, and washed the bowl, chopsticks, and wok.

Feeling quite energetic after his meal, he cuddled affectionately with his wife on the sofa, gently patting her belly from time to time.

Zhu Yun couldn’t resist pinching his waist. "Chu Shenyu, you usually seem so reliable. How can you be so dense right now? The baby’s sleeping soundly, what are you waking it up for?"

"If you get its sleep schedule all mixed up, who do you think is going to be the one suffering?"

Chu Shenyu chuckled and pulled her hand over. "I’m just excited to be a first-time dad, that’s all. Did the little one act up today?"

The words had barely left his mouth when the little one in her belly delivered a swift kick. Zhu Yun arched her back and sucked in a sharp breath, glaring daggers at the culprit. "What do you think? With an unreliable father like you for a role model, it’s already staging a kung fu drama in my belly!"

Chu Shenyu, however, just said, "That’s my girl. Strong and healthy, so she won’t get pushed around when she grows up."

"Oh, so you know for a fact it’s a girl?" Zhu Yun scoffed. "With all this commotion day in and day out, if this baby’s a girl, I’ll take your surname!"

Chu Shenyu wrapped his arms around her and chuckled softly. "Darling, how about we make a deal? If you really want to take my last name, let’s wait until the baby’s born. We can handle the household registration and the name change all at the same time."

"Stop making these rash vows all the time. We’ll see you crying when you end up losing face."

Zhu Yun replied helplessly, "My luck and my instincts have always been solid! It’s just that ever since I met you, nothing I say ever comes true!"

The two of them then resumed the grand undertaking of naming their child. They would argue over the baby’s gender for a good half hour every time, with neither able to convince the other. In the end, they would just firmly stick to naming the daughter or son they were each respectively convinced they were having.

"My daughter will be named Chu Luoyan, and her nickname will be Dou Huahua!"

Seeing the proud, smug look on his face, Zhu Yun cracked up. ’Dou Huahua?’

"Are you sure? Dou Huahua will be absolutely furious when she grows up."

Chu Shenyu raised an eyebrow. "Tofu pudding is white, tender, and sweet. What’s wrong with that? Is the name you picked any better?"

Zhu Yun lifted her chin slightly. "My son will be named Chu Kunlin, and his nickname will be Maodou. Boys don’t need anything fancy, as long as it’s easy to say. It’s better than names like ’Dog Egg’ or ’Tiger Head,’ isn’t it?"

Chu Shenyu pursed his lips. "All green... Darling, what exactly are you implying?"

The couple glared at each other, then huffed and turned away.

The next morning, Chu Shenyu returned from his workout with their breakfast. He saw his wife was up and Mrs. Chu was cleaning, with the song "I Am a Soldier" playing on the radio. He smiled and asked, "Is our Dou Huahua awake already? Why does she like this song so much? She’ll definitely grow up to be a woman who’s a match for any man!"

Zhu Yun scoffed. "Our Maodou is definitely going to protect his home and defend his country. He’s had his calling since before he was even born."

Mrs. Chu looked from one to the other. ’What the heck was a Dou Huahua, and who was this Maodou?’

’So this young couple went ahead and picked out names without a single word to me?’ 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

She couldn’t help but ask, and the two of them immediately started talking over each other in their haste to explain.

"Honestly, you two," Mrs. Chu said, eating her breakfast with a deadpan expression. "It’s not like you’re only going to have this one child. The names you’ve picked will get used eventually. Is there really any need to argue?" ’One simply couldn’t judge first-time parents-to-be by normal standards.’

"That’s right, Maodou will be the big brother, and he can protect his little brothers and sisters later on..."

"Dou Huahua will be a cool little girl, and she’ll definitely dote on her younger brothers and sisters..."

The two of them retorted, refusing to back down.

Zhu Yun couldn’t resist putting her hands on her hips and whispering conspiratorially, "Chu Shenyu, they say a daughter is her father’s lover from a past life. Are you that desperate to see her again?"

Chu Shenyu’s eyes widened. "Well, a son is his mother’s ’little beau,’ too! Are you planning to cast your dear husband aside?"

Then he added in an aggrieved tone, "I just think it would be nice to have a little girl in the house who’s pretty, delicate, and sweet, just like you. Little boys are too smelly and naughty. Not cute at all."

Her anger subsided. She chuckled and said, "I still think it’s better to have an older brother first. That way, if they have a little sister later, she won’t have to worry about being bullied."

Hearing this, Mrs. Chu couldn’t resist shutting them down. "Listen to you two, as if you can determine the baby’s gender just by talking. You’re debating it like it’s already a fact. Eat. Hurry up and eat before the food gets cold. Whoever needs to go to work, go to work. Whoever needs to study, go study. You two clearly have too much time on your hands!"

The matriarch had spoken. The young couple sheepishly washed their hands and ate.

With her due date still two or three months away, Zhu Yun didn’t want any trouble cropping up, so she had Teletubbies keep a constant watch on the apartment across the hall.

Lin Jin had rarely gone out since becoming pregnant, usually just staying home to read and listen to music. On this particular day, however, she went with Wang Xianbing to the commissary, bought quite a few things, and then headed back to her parents’ home, carrying her child.

The Lin Family were considered "red capitalists," and Dad Lin was a scholarly type. He served as the deputy editor-in-chief at a newspaper that had been donated to the Organization, and from time to time, he would take up his pen to write and publish prose or poetry.