Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Do You Want Qiaoqiao to... Yu Jianghai was the only son in three generations of the Yu family. His vasectomy meant the end of the Yu family line. All of Father Yu's careful calculations had come to nothing. In his eyes, even though Yu Jianghai had married Lin Meiyan, divorce was not out of the question in this day and age. As long as they divorced, given his son's family background and career, he would still be a hot commodity even in a remarriage. However, the prerequisite for being a hot commodity was that his son still had reproductive ability—only then could he meet the standards for a strategic marriage. Families of comparable standing to the Yus weren't after anything more than marrying their daughters to Yu Jianghai so they could bear a child belonging to both families, binding them even tighter together. But Yu Jianghai's vasectomy had shattered all those fantasies and schemes. No wonder Father Yu was this furious. Yu Jianghai suddenly raised his head, instinctively moving to shield Lin Meiyan behind him. But he forgot that at this moment, he was lying in a hospital bed. He shifted forward slightly, grabbed Lin Meiyan, and pulled her to his side to shield her, then looked up at Father Yu with a calm expression. "Father, why are you so angry?" He wouldn't even call him "Dad" anymore. Father Yu stood at the doorway, leaning on his cane, trembling with rage. "You degenerate! Who told you to get a vasectomy?" Same question again. Yu Jianghai curled the corner of his mouth, his expression unchanged. "I did." Father Yu didn't believe it. He turned to look at Lin Meiyan and demanded, "Was it her? Was it her?! Did she put you up to this? Did she convince you to cut off the Yu family line?" Yu Jianghai gave a faint smirk. "Father, do you think anyone can force me to do something?" Hearing this, Father Yu could barely stand, his whole body seeming to tilt backward again. Mother Yu quickly steadied him, her voice tinged with pleading. "Jianghai, Jianghai." "Please don't anger your father anymore, alright?" "Your mother is begging you." Father Yu's health couldn't withstand another setback. Yu Jianghai lowered his eyes. He lay in the hospital bed, still wearing the blue-and-white striped hospital gown. It should have been his most vulnerable moment, yet his face was cold enough to send chills down anyone's spine. "Mother." His voice wasn't loud. "I'm not angering him." "He's choosing to anger himself." Mother Yu's lips moved, but she couldn't find a single word to say in response. Father Yu trembled with fury. "How dare you say that?" "Why wouldn't I dare?" Yu Jianghai looked up. "I signed my own name for the surgery. What does she have to do with it?" "You are a son of the Yu family!" Father Yu nearly roared. "If she had nothing to do with it, would you have gotten a vasectomy? If not for her, would you have gone and done it?!" People in the corridor heard the commotion and craned their necks to peek inside. Secretary Shen stood at the door, his face pale. He forced a smile while ushering people away. "Nothing to see here, nothing to see here. Just family talking. The patient needs rest. Everyone, please disperse." He said disperse, but who would actually leave? Director Yu's hospitalization was already big news. President Yu getting a vasectomy in the morning, then Director Yu storming into his son's hospital room to argue in the afternoon—who wouldn't want to eavesdrop on that kind of drama? The nurses at the station exchanged glances but none dared to come over. Dr. Yue heard the commotion too. He clutched his chart and walked over, about to intervene, but when he saw the scene unfolding in the room, he closed his mouth. With this father-son pair, whoever tried to mediate would only end up in trouble. Better to just watch the show and avoid getting caught in the crossfire. Inside the room, Lin Meiyan, the subject of the argument, stood beside the hospital bed, still holding the towel she had just wrung out. When Yu Jianghai had pulled her to his side moments ago, the sudden movement had tugged at his wound, and a fine layer of sweat had broken out on his forehead. Lin Meiyan noticed. She instinctively reached out to support him. But the moment her hand extended, Father Yu's icy gaze stabbed toward her, and he practically snarled her name through gritted teeth. "Lin Meiyan." Lin Meiyan froze mid-motion. Yu Jianghai shielded her almost instantly, raising his head with a sharp look. "If you have something to say, say it to me." "Why are you calling her name?" Father Yu watched his son protect his adversary with such devotion, and the pain in his heart was unbearable. But he pretended not to see it. He stared at Lin Meiyan and demanded, word by word, "Was it you?" Lin Meiyan looked up. Father Yu's eyes burned with the fury of a man whose hopes had been dashed, all pretense of scholarly dignity shattered. He shouted, "Was it you who put him up to it?" "Was it you who made him get the vasectomy?" At these words, Mother Yu also turned to look at Lin Meiyan with a hint of suspicion. Yu Qingya stood behind them, still holding the lunchbox she'd brought from the cafeteria. Her expression shifted. "Dad, you can't just say things like that without proof, right?" "If she hadn't stopped him, would he have gone through with it?" Father Yu pointed his cane at Lin Meiyan. "From his youth until now, Jianghai could never bear to see her wronged. If she didn't want children, Jianghai would be unwilling to let her take medicine, unwilling to let her go through pregnancy, unwilling to let her suffer again." "She knows exactly how to manipulate Jianghai!" At this point, Father Yu's voice suddenly rose several notches, carrying the force of thunder, "Was it you?!" The look on his face suggested he wished he could devour Lin Meiyan whole! Lin Meiyan's face gradually turned pale. She clutched the hem of her clothes and said nothing. Yu Jianghai's expression also turned cold. "Father," he said flatly, "Don't project your scheming ways onto her." Father Yu looked as if he had heard the biggest joke of the century. He sneered, "I scheme?" "You're saying I scheme?" "You're lying here now, missing the most important thing a man can lose, and you're still defending her?" "Yu Jianghai, are you even a man?" The air in the hospital room suddenly grew tense. Mother Yu closed her eyes and let out a sharp cry, "Old Yu!" Yu Qingya couldn't hold back either, "Dad, stop talking." Father Yu wouldn't listen. He couldn't hear anyone right now. All he felt was darkness before his eyes and a pain in his chest. He had raised his son for over thirty years—intelligent, accomplished, resourceful, with a bright future ahead. He could have lifted the Yu family to another level. But now? For a woman, for a woman who had left him all those years ago, he had cut off the Yu family's path forward. Yu Jianghai wasn't provoked by those words. He even smiled slightly. The faint smile fell on his pale face, carrying a hint of cold detachment, "I am a man." Yu Jianghai looked at Father Yu, his expression calm, "That's why I won't let my woman take medicine that harms her body, won't let her be pressured by childbirth again, won't let her suffer for me once more." "Isn't that what a man should do?" Father Yu's chest tightened. Yu Jianghai continued, striking precisely at his father's weak spot, "Unlike you—" Father Yu's eyes flew wide open. "All your life, you made Mother give birth, made Mother miscarry." Yu Jianghai's voice wasn't loud, but each word was colder than the last. "If the doctors hadn't said she would die if she got pregnant again, would you have kept making her have children?" The color drained from Mother Yu's face instantly. She staggered slightly, clearly never expecting that Yu Jianghai would still remember such things. Yu Qingya was also stunned. This matter was rarely mentioned in the Yu family. Mother Yu had been healthy when she was young, but her body had deteriorated badly over time. After giving birth to Yu Jianghai, she had conceived several more times, but none of the pregnancies had survived. Back then, Father Yu had said it was simply fate, but everyone in the family knew—he wanted more sons, he wanted the Yu family to flourish. Mother Yu had been young and obedient then. Bowl after bowl of miscarriage-prevention medicine she drank, time after time she lay in bed until her face turned pale. Eventually, the doctors said she couldn't get pregnant anymore—another pregnancy would cost her her life. Then later came Yu Qingya, a pearl in the oyster's old age, so to speak. The doctors had said she couldn't have any more children—her uterine wall was too thin, and another pregnancy could kill her at any moment. But Father Yu wanted to gamble, to see if the last child would be a son. Unfortunately, it was a daughter. Still, since there was already a boy in the family, Father Yu grudgingly accepted it. After all, in the end, he had both a son and a daughter. But this matter had passed many years ago. Mother Yu never expected her son to still remember it. Her eyes suddenly reddened, and her voice trembled, "Jianghai..." Father Yu couldn't stand seeing her like this. He struck his cane heavily against the floor, blustering, "Are you now accusing your old man?" "I'm telling you." Yu Jianghai looked up. "Your ways don't work on me." "I won't let Yanyan walk my mother's path." "And I won't let Yanyan suffer what my mother suffered." The moment these words fell, the hospital room fell silent. Father Yu said, "You won't let Lin Meiyan walk your mother's path." His sneer carried a hint of mockery. "At least I have a son in you. What do you have? Yu Jianghai, tell me, what do you have?" Yu Jianghai leaned against the hospital bed, his hands folded over his abdomen, his expression calm, speaking slowly and deliberately, "I have Qiaoqiao." "Ha—" Father Yu let out a cold laugh. "You have Qiaoqiao? Who carries on the Yu family line? At least I have you. And you have Qiaoqiao? Who is Qiaoqiao? She's a daughter. A daughter is destined to marry out and carry on someone else's family line. You have Qiaoqiao? Yu Jianghai, let me tell you—what use is having Qiaoqiao?" "You got yourself sterilized, cut off your own path forward. You will surely die without descendants!" This was the most vicious curse a father could bestow. But to Yu Jianghai, it didn't feel like a curse at all. He grasped Lin Meiyan's hand, interlacing their fingers right in front of Father Yu. He raised his eyes, his gaze deep, "Father, do you know what I was thinking before I found Yanyan?" "What?" "That if I died without descendants, it would be exactly what I deserved." The air in the hospital room seemed to freeze for a moment—no, it stalled. Father Yu's breathing was like a bellows. Almost hysterically, he shouted, "What did you say? What did you say?" Yu Jianghai held Lin Meiyan's hand tightly. He raised his eyes, his expression serious, "To you, dying without descendants is a terrifying thing. But to me, it isn't." "I've said it before—having Qiaoqiao is enough for me." Then, he shifted his tone. "Not to mention, I'm now the live-in son-in-law of the Lin family. Qiaoqiao's surname is Lin, not Yu." "Father, the Yu family line ends with my generation." "You should be happy about that." This was the most intense confrontation between father and son. Father Yu was so furious that the veins on his forehead bulged, and he even began to speak recklessly. "Qiaoqiao is a child of the Yu family!" He roared, "Qiaoqiao is a child of the Yu family!!" "The Yu family has not come to an end!" At this moment, he no longer minded that Qiaoqiao was born to Lin Meiyan, nor did he mind that Qiaoqiao was a girl. He only knew one thing—his son had been sterilized and could no longer have children, and Qiaoqiao would be the last bloodline of the Yu family. "She is my daughter," Yu Jianghai corrected him. "She carries the blood of the Yu family in her veins!" "Her surname is Lin. Her name is Lin Qiaoqiao." Lin Meiyan's fingers trembled violently. She suddenly raised her head, and a hint of moisture had already gathered in her eyes. Father Yu was completely stunned as well. He raised his hand, pointing at Yu Jianghai, and asked shakily, "What did you say?" Yu Jianghai enunciated every word clearly. "I said Qiaoqiao's surname is Lin now. In the future, if she grows up and willingly wants to change it, I won't stop her." "But until she can make that decision on her own, she takes her mother's surname." "No one can force her." Father Yu's chest heaved violently. He finally understood—Yu Jianghai hadn't acted on impulse. His sterilization wasn't just for Lin Meiyan, nor was it just to keep Lin Meiyan from taking birth control pills. He had thought through every path. Divorce, remarriage, marriage alliances, having more children, having Qiaoqiao change her surname back to Yu. He had blocked them all, sealed them off completely. Leaving him no way to retreat. Father Yu's hands were trembling, and he could barely hold his cane steady. His voice was choked with blood and tears. "Yu Jianghai, Yu Jianghai!!!" He was nearly screaming. "For the sake of that mother and daughter, you'd even abandon your ancestors?" "If the ancestors only recognize sons and not daughters," Yu Jianghai raised his head, his gaze dark and obscure, but the light deep within his eyes was exceptionally resolute, "then I'd rather abandon them!" The hospital room fell into a terrifying silence. Yu Qingya watched her eldest brother and suddenly felt he was a stranger, yet also felt that this was exactly who he should be. She had known since childhood that her eldest brother was different from her, and different from everyone in the Yu family. He was very intelligent, very calm. He was a genius, born a genius, and once he set his mind on something, even ten oxen couldn't pull him back. But in the past, what he had set his mind on was studying. Later, when the Yu family fell into ruin and the whole family plummeted from the heights into the mud, Yu Jianghai's goal changed—he had always wanted to drag the Yu family out of those ruined days. And in that process, he met Lin Meiyan. He fell from being heaven's favored son into the mud, becoming a madman, becoming a "stinking intellectual." He no longer carried the halo of his family's former prestige, nor the halo of a genius scholar. All that remained was ordinary, mediocre, pitiful, and even somewhat self-destructive. Lin Meiyan appeared at exactly that moment. She reached out and pulled him out of the gutter, leading him step by step forward. She shaped a brand-new Yu Jianghai, and after making him completely fall in love with her, she suddenly vanished—like air, disappearing entirely from Yu Jianghai's life. She was gone for five years. Yu Jianghai went mad for five years, searching for five years. Now, he had finally found her. No one could tear him apart from Lin Meiyan. No one. Not even Father Yu. Yu Qingya couldn't even find words of advice. At this moment, she had to admit that she both pitied her father and pitied her eldest brother. They were both so pitiful. Each, for the sake of their own obsession, was fighting the other to the bloody end. Mother Yu could no longer hold back. She wept sorrowfully. "Jianghai, do you have to talk to your father like this?" Yu Jianghai looked at Mother Yu, and his gaze finally softened somewhat. "Mom, I've already retreated once." Mother Yu was taken aback. "That time, I didn't know, so I couldn't stop it. I lost her for five years." He emphasized, "Mom, I lost her for five years." As he said this, a faint glimmer of tears had already formed deep in Yu Jianghai's eyes. He looked at Mother Yu, his expression calm to the point of deathly stillness. "Mom, look at me. Look at Yanyan too." "I beg you, look at how hard it's been for her and me to be together." "I didn't meet her in my prime, nor did I meet her under the halo of the Yu family. When I met her, I wasn't heaven's favored son—I was a stinking intellectual. I was dying then, and no one dared to stand up and help me, including the two of you." "Only Yanyan. Only Yanyan pulled me back from the beach, and it was Yanyan who snatched me back from the jaws of death." "Mom, she never coveted my money, never coveted my power, never coveted my rise to success." "She was only eighteen when she stayed with me. Mom, she was just a half-grown child herself." Yu Jianghai's tears suddenly fell as he spoke. "Mother, you are a woman too. You know better than anyone how difficult it is for a woman to carry and give birth to a child. What's more, when Yanyan left me back then, she returned to the city unmarried and pregnant, with her father dead and her mother remarried, with nowhere to go—" "Under those circumstances, she returned to Jiangcheng alone, pregnant and gave birth to a daughter. She endured the gossip, the insults, and the contempt all by herself, and she raised Qiaoqiao for four years." "Four years." Just mentioning Lin Meiyan's past experiences now made Yu Jianghai feel as if his heart was being sliced apart, to the point where he could barely breathe. "Mother." His eyes were bloodshot as he called out calmly, "You have a daughter too. If Qingya were in this situation, would you feel even a moment of heartache or pity for her?" Mother Yu's expression was dazed. At some point, she was already crying uncontrollably. She turned to look at Lin Meiyan. At this moment, Lin Meiyan kept her eyes lowered, her expression unreadable. Only at her lowered chin, tear after tear fell. Each one landed on Yu Jianghai's hand, burning him so much he could hardly breathe. As if calling out to Mother Yu for the last time, he said, "Mother, I'm not asking you to take my side. I'm only asking that when Father and I are at odds, you don't take his side." "You only see Father's hardships. Who sees my Yanyan's hardships?" "Who sees mine?" Mother Yu suddenly lost her voice. She slowly let go of the hand supporting Father Yu, her lips trembling, tears falling with a splash. "Jianghai, I'm done. I'm not getting involved in any of this anymore." She had wanted to say that your father was only doing this for your own good. But after hearing all this, she felt she couldn't even bring herself to say it. She couldn't say it. Her son had suffered so much, and wasn't Lin Meiyan the same? Wasn't she the same? If any of those experiences had happened to Qingya, Mother Yu would feel heartbroken just thinking about it. Mother Yu gave up. In this confrontation between father and son, she was the first to wave the white flag. She surrendered. She would neither support her husband nor her son. She chose to be a neutral party. Father Yu, who had been silent all along, suddenly let out a laugh. It was a harsh laugh, as if forced out from his throat. "Fine." "Very well." "Jianghai, using emotional appeals to attack your mother's weak spot—you're truly my son. That was a well-played move." Yu Jianghai looked at him. He didn't understand how his father could be so cold-blooded. He couldn't see his difficulties. He couldn't see Meiyan's difficulties either. He could only see the benefits and power before him. He only wanted the Yu family to climb higher and go further. Everything else could be sacrificed. Yu Jianghai said, "Not everyone is like you, treating emotions as cards to play." At least he wasn't. And neither was Lin Meiyan. Father Yu seemed not to hear him. His gaze passed over Yu Jianghai and landed on Lin Meiyan. He saw Yu Jianghai's Achilles' heel. He also saw Lin Meiyan's. "Don't you have a child?" Lin Meiyan's heart sank. Yu Jianghai's eyes also turned cold. Father Yu, as if finally grasping the last lifeline, struck with deadly force. "Qiaoqiao is Jianghai's only child." "She is also the only bloodline of the Yu family." "She must return to the family." "She must change her surname to Yu." "Her household registration, her schooling, her future—everything will be arranged by the Yu family." This was his concession. Since Yu Jianghai had gotten a vasectomy, Qiaoqiao would be his only bloodline. That bloodline must return to the Yu family. Lin Meiyan's hand holding the towel slowly tightened. The water in the towel was squeezed out, dripping onto the ground, drop after drop. When she looked up, the tears at the corners of her eyes had not yet fallen, and there was a hint of panic in her expression. Her voice was shrill. "Impossible!!" "If you want Qiaoqiao to return to the Yu family, it will only happen over my dead body!!" She could accept Yu Jianghai because he was also a victim in this matter. But if Yu Jianghai wanted to take her daughter back to the Yu family— Then she might not even want Yu Jianghai anymore. Father Yu looked at her coldly. "This is not for you to decide." "Nor is it for you to decide." Lin Meiyan lifted her head, her face deathly pale, and bit out each word. "Qiaoqiao was born to me, and I raised her." "Before she turned four, the Yu family never changed a single diaper for her, never fed her a single meal, never held her and rushed to the hospital when she was sick with a fever." "Now that you know she's Yu Jianghai's only child, you want to arrange her life?" Lin Meiyan curled her lip. "Comrade Yu, your family's calculations are a little too loud." Father Yu's face turned ashen at the word "calculations." Lin Meiyan placed the towel back into the basin, her voice still soft, but every word carried a sting. "I let you arrange things once before." "That lesson was enough for me to remember for a lifetime." "When it comes to Qiaoqiao, I won't let you interfere again." Father Yu wanted to say more, but Dr. Yue finally couldn't watch any longer. He slapped the medical record against the door. "That's enough." This voice wasn't particularly loud, but it drew everyone's attention. Dr. Yue frowned. "One just had a minor surgery, and the other was just resuscitated from a heart attack. Does the Yu family think the hospital has too many beds, wanting father and son to lie here together?" Secretary Shen barely managed to stop himself from applauding Dr. Yue. He didn't dare. He could only kowtow to Dr. Yue in his heart—only a doctor dared to speak like that. Father Yu's face darkened. "Dr. Yue, this is a family matter." "Once you're in the hospital, it's my business." Dr. Yue showed no sign of intimidation. "Do you even know what your heart rate is right now? President Yu just had surgery—his emotions can't be swinging like this. If you really want to argue, sign a waiver accepting responsibility for the consequences, then argue after you're discharged." Hearing this, Mother Yu was startled. Almost reflexively, she reached out to steady Father Yu. "Old Yu, let's go back first." Of course, part of that was also for her son's safety. Father Yu refused to leave. He stared hard at Yu Jianghai. "Qiaoqiao must return to the Yu family." Yu Jianghai's voice was calm to the point of coldness. "You can try." Those five words landed, and Father Yu suddenly felt a tightness in his chest. He knew Yu Jianghai was immune to any threat he could make. This son of his was no longer the boy who knew nothing and could only search the island for someone. He now had money, people, and influence. If it truly came to a fight, Father Yu might not win. But precisely because he knew this, Father Yu felt even more unwilling to accept it. The son the Yu family had raised was now standing on the opposite side, protecting the Lin family's woman and the Lin family's child. The cane in Father Yu's hand trembled violently. Yu Qingya, afraid he might actually collapse, quickly stepped forward to support his other side. "Dad, let's go back first." "If you really collapse again, my brother will be even less likely to listen to you." That one sentence was more effective than any persuasion. Father Yu panted heavily, and in the end, was helped out by Mother Yu and Yu Qingya. When he reached the door, he turned back to look at Lin Meiyan. That look no longer held the fury from before. Instead, it was deeper, carrying a hint of scheming calculation. Lin Meiyan broke out in goosebumps from that look. Yu Jianghai instinctively pulled her behind him. "Stand behind me." Fortunately, the door was closed. The ward fell quiet. Secretary Shen stood at the door, eyes downcast and mind focused—his role was purely that of a doorman. He absolutely was not going in there! Dr. Yue, however, walked in and asked first, "Did the wound get pulled?" Yu Jianghai's expression was indifferent. "It's fine." "You say it's fine and that's it?" Dr. Yue said with exasperation. "Lie down." Yu Jianghai didn't move. Lin Meiyan said softly, "Lie down." Only then did Yu Jianghai slowly lie back down. Dr. Yue: "..." Fine. He understood now. This man didn't listen to doctors—he only listened to Lin Meiyan. Dr. Yue examined him and confirmed there were no major issues before letting out a relieved breath. "Don't overexert yourself these next few days. Don't get angry, and don't move around too much." After saying this, he glanced at Lin Meiyan again, his tone heavier. "Family member—keep a close eye on him." Lin Meiyan nodded. "Okay." Dr. Yue walked to the door, paused, then turned back. "Also, the vasectomy isn't done and over with the moment you leave the operating room. You still need to be careful during the recovery period, especially you young couples." "To be safe, no intercourse for at least three months. Even if you really can't hold back, make sure to use condoms." "Oh, and our hospital's family planning department gives out free condoms. Remember to go pick some up." Hearing this, Lin Meiyan's face flushed bright red, burning hot. She felt like she wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. Yu Jianghai, meanwhile, kept his expression completely unchanged. Dr. Yue had originally wanted to be more explicit, but seeing Lin Meiyan's red face, he felt too embarrassed to be too direct. He could only clear his throat. "In short, don't fool around recently, and be careful for a while after that too. Don't assume that just because you had the surgery, you can throw all caution to the wind." Whether Lin Meiyan and Yu Jianghai understood, Secretary Shen didn't know—but he certainly did. He kept his head down, doing his best to play dead. Didn't hear it, didn't hear it. He was a tree. He heard nothing. After Dr. Yue left, Secretary Shen was about to slip away too, but then Yu Jianghai called out, "Secretary Shen." Secretary Shen immediately stopped in his tracks and turned around respectfully. "Boss." Yu Jianghai said, "Take Yanyan back to Linji to grab some things and bring them over." He hadn't expected that getting a vasectomy would require a hospital stay—he had nothing here. Secretary Shen naturally wouldn't refuse. He immediately nodded and said yes. After Lin Meiyan returned home, she was of course met with a barrage of questions. After dealing with her family, she looked at Linji's business and saw it was doing well, so she said to Secretary Shen, "Secretary Shen, you take the things over first. After I cook these customers' dishes, I'll come a bit later." Ye Qiuju and Gu Kaihua could also run the shop and do business, but most of what they sold were cold dishes, braised dishes, and cold noodles. When it came to stir-frying, Lin Meiyan was still the one with the real skill. Secretary Shen hesitated upon hearing this. "Youth Lin, if I go back alone, my boss won't be happy. How about this—I'll wait here for you?" It was already past five, right in the middle of dinner rush. Lin Meiyan thought for a moment. "That works. I'll also make Yu Jianghai's hospital meal while I'm at it." Since her family ran a restaurant, why should Yu Jianghai eat cafeteria food? Lin Meiyan had cooked six or seven dishes in a row, still carrying the smell of smoke and fire on her. She took the fastest shower possible before handing Linji over to Ye Qiuju and Gu Kaihua. By the time she arrived at the hospital, it was almost eight o'clock. Yu Jianghai was leaning against the headboard dealing with work, and when he heard the commotion, he looked over. Lin Meiyan smiled and carried the food over. "Something came up at Linji, so I was delayed." "Are you hungry?" Yu Jianghai nodded. Lin Meiyan took out the congee—just plain white congee, but with two salted duck eggs on the side, very light and simple. Yu Jianghai frowned at the food. He didn't like bland things. Lin Meiyan, however, wasn't the least bit intimidated. "Dr. Yue said that right after surgery, you need to eat light. Once you're discharged tomorrow, I'll make you something delicious." This time, Yu Jianghai didn't say anything. As Lin Meiyan fed him, he ate quietly, one mouthful of congee, one bite of salted duck egg, finishing everything cleanly. Lin Meiyan habitually said, "Good job." She was treating Yu Jianghai like Qiaoqiao. The moment those words left her mouth, both of them fell silent for a beat. Their eyes met. Lin Meiyan gathered the dishes. "Get some rest early." Yu Jianghai grabbed her hand and wouldn't let go. "Sleep with me." Lin Meiyan looked at the single bed—barely a meter twenty wide—and felt a headache coming on. "It's too narrow. Two people can't fit. I'll sleep on the side." "No." Just like a little kid. In the end, Lin Meiyan had no choice. She handed the dishes to Secretary Shen, washed up, and then lay down beside Yu Jianghai. The meter-twenty bed was truly too narrow. Yu Jianghai lay on his side, and she had to lie on her side too, the two of them sleeping foot to foot. Lin Meiyan dreamed she was being chased by Japanese soldiers, with a pistol pressed against her waist all night long. When she woke up in the morning, she looked at the hard thing behind her. She rubbed her brow. "Yu Jianghai?" She reached out and pushed him. Yu Jianghai woke up, still with that feeling of not knowing what day it was—even if the bed was only a meter twenty, even if both of them had to sleep on their sides. But for Jianghai, this was one of the rare nights he'd slept well in years. Yu Jianghai looked down at her and very naturally pecked her on the forehead, gentle as water. It was hard to imagine such an expression appearing on Yu Jianghai's face. Lin Meiyan paused for a moment, then said softly, "Time to get up. The rounds will start soon." She didn't mention the matter of the pistol at her lower back. Yu Jianghai hummed in acknowledgment and very naturally got out of bed first. Now that the anesthesia had worn off, he could move freely today. However, the morning reaction after just waking up was a bit pronounced. His gaze drifted to the wide collar of Lin Meiyan's pajamas, his eyes dark and unreadable. Lin Meiyan looked down and saw large expanses of fair, creamy skin exposed. She shot him a glare. "You've been snipped!" Only then did Yu Jianghai withdraw his gaze. "Soon." Soon what? He didn't finish the sentence before turning into the bathroom. Lin Meiyan stood in place thinking for a good while before she understood, and she couldn't help but spit, "Pervert!" By seven o'clock, after both of them had washed up, Dr. Yue came for the rounds and briefly checked on Yu Jianghai's recovery. "No major issues. You can be discharged today. Just remember my earlier instructions: no intimacy for one month. Aside from that, remember to take precautions in the early period. Got it?" Those words were directed at Lin Meiyan. She nodded, a little shy. "Got it." Next, Secretary Shen handled the discharge procedures while Lin Meiyan helped pack things up. Once everything was gathered, Yu Jianghai left the hospital with them. After all, he was someone who'd been cut open—his complexion was paler than usual, but his back was still ramrod straight, making him look less like a patient and more like someone just stepping out of a boardroom negotiation. Outside the hospital, Lin Meiyan deliberately asked, "Yu Jianghai, are you going back to Jianghai Dicai, or to Linji?" Yu Jianghai glanced at her and corrected, "It's going back to Linji, not going to Linji." Lin Meiyan thought to herself, isn't that the same thing? No. For Yu Jianghai, it was completely different. To him, Linji was his home. Secretary Shen, having received his instructions, drove all the way back. As the car passed the entrance of the street office, Yu Jianghai suddenly said, "Stop the car." Secretary Shen slammed on the brakes. "Boss?" Lin Meiyan also looked over, clearly puzzled. "Why are you stopping here?" Yu Jianghai rolled down the window and looked at the row of white characters on red background on the street office wall: "Fewer births, better births—husband and wife as one." He was silent for a moment, then pushed open the door and got out. "Wait in the car." Secretary Shen was even more confused. Lin Meiyan watched him too. "What are you going to do?" "Want me to come with you?" Yu Jianghai knew she was thin-skinned, so he shook his head. "I'll take care of something. Be right back." Seeing that he refused so decisively, Lin Meiyan didn't follow along. Of course, she also found it too hot—at ten-something in the morning in late August, Jiangcheng was like an oven. The sun outside was blazing; comparatively, it was cooler inside the car. Yu Jianghai got out and headed straight for his destination. The street office was quiet in the morning. Behind the family planning window sat a middle-aged woman, fanning herself with a palm-leaf fan. When she spotted Yu Jianghai walking in, her eyes lit up first—this man was tall, and undeniably striking. But his expression was cold and aloof. Standing before the window, he didn't invite casual banter. The woman asked with a smile, "Comrade, what can I do for you?" Yu Jianghai placed his marriage certificate on the counter. "I'm here to pick up contraceptives." The woman was taken aback. She'd worked this window for a long time—seen plenty of shy young wives, seen men shoved forward by their wives. But someone like this, who came in with his own marriage certificate and said it without batting an eye, was rare. The woman picked up the certificate and looked it over. "Lin Meiyan, Yu Jianghai?" Yu Jianghai grunted in acknowledgment. "You're her husband?" "Yes." Crisp and clean. The woman flipped open the registry, muttering as she did, "That Lin Meiyan from Linji, right? I know her. When she opened a few days ago, the neighbors all said her braised duck necks were delicious." Yu Jianghai didn't respond. The woman kept flipping, then her hand suddenly stopped. "Huh." Yu Jianghai looked up, his expression calm. The woman pushed the registry back half a page and studied it carefully. "Didn't your household already pick some up?" Yu Jianghai's fingers resting on the counter paused slightly. "Who picked it up?" "When?" "Lin Meiyan." The woman didn't think much of it, pointing to the line for him to see. "See, right here? Lin Meiyan, Linji, married, picked up one box of condoms on August twenty-second." Yu Jianghai followed her finger and looked. The handwriting in the registry wasn't particularly neat, but the three characters of Lin Meiyan—he recognized them at a glance. The date was there too. His gaze froze on those three characters. For a long moment, he couldn't produce a single word. That date was just a few days before he went to the hospital. Which meant that when they'd been intimate that day, there had been condoms in the house. Outside it was scorching hot, cicada sounds surging in waves. The old fan on the counter whirred with a creak. The woman saw him silent for so long and assumed he was embarrassed. She chuckled. "It's good that you young couples are careful. A woman's health matters most. The street office promotes healthy births now—better to suffer less where you can." Yu Jianghai wasn't really hearing what the family planning woman was saying. His gaze was still fixed on that line. Lin Meiyan. Married. Picked up one box. She'd prepared it long ago. He suddenly remembered that night—at the final step, he'd actually hesitated, and he'd asked her. Whether there were contraceptives. What had she answered then? Yu Jianghai searched his memory carefully, and only then realized that Lin Meiyan had never answered at all. She'd leaned against his chest, her fingers gripping his shirt. The bedside drawer had been so close, yet she'd said nothing. The corner of Yu Jianghai's mouth moved almost imperceptibly, but no smile came. The woman asked, "Comrade, do you still want to pick some up?" Yu Jianghai withdrew his gaze. "Yes." The woman deftly pulled a box from under the cabinet and had him register. Yu Jianghai picked up the pen. His handwriting was steady, bold and forceful, the strokes unrestrained—just like the man himself. Yu Jianghai. Lin Meiyan's husband. After writing those words, he set the pen down, picked up the brown paper package, and turned to leave the street office. The sun outside was blazing, so bright Yu Jianghai could barely keep his eyes open. He looked up at the azure sky, feeling for the first time that he hardly recognized the woman who slept beside him. Secretary Shen sat in the car, craning his neck as he waited. When he saw his boss coming back, he instinctively moved to get out and open the door. But just as his hand touched the handle, he saw that Yu Jianghai's expression wasn't right. Not anger. Not coldness either. It was a kind of intense stillness. Secretary Shen's heart skipped a beat. He immediately shut his mouth, opened the door, and hurried to the driver's seat. See no evil, hear no evil. Don't look, don't ask, don't listen, don't get involved. The strategy was simple: flee if possible. Lin Meiyan sat in the back seat, holding Yu Jianghai's jacket in her arms. When she saw him get in, her gaze landed on the brown paper package in his hand. That package was familiar to her. Because a week ago, after she and Yu Jianghai had gotten their marriage certificate, she'd considered this very thing. At her age, with Qiaoqiao already in the picture, she didn't want more children. But there would inevitably be marital relations between her and Yu Jianghai. She wasn't an ignorant young girl—of course she'd prepare in advance. Lin Meiyan suddenly clenched her fingers. Her knuckles were distinct, her skin so fair the blue veins showed through. "Yu Jianghai, what did you just go do?" She'd asked with a hint of doubt still lingering in her voice. Yu Jianghai set the package beside his leg. He didn't look at her, didn't answer, only said to Secretary Shen, "Drive." Secretary Shen immediately started the car. Silence fell inside. Lin Meiyan looked down at her hands. She chose to stay quiet, because his lack of an answer was answer enough. Her mind churned the whole ride. She was thinking about how to broach the subject with him. It wasn't until the car was nearly at the entrance of Linji that Yu Jianghai suddenly spoke. "Yanyan." Lin Meiyan looked up. His voice was faint. "What were you doing here before?" It wasn't a question. Lin Meiyan suddenly clenched her hands, the hem of her skirt wrinkling beneath her slender fingers—just like her heart, thrown into chaos. Up front, Secretary Shen's hands nearly slipped on the steering wheel. He wished he were deaf right now. His heart was pounding with anxiety. Trouble. Trouble. What on earth had happened?! Yu Jianghai observed Lin Meiyan's expression, then lowered his gaze to the kraft paper package. After a long moment, he said in a low voice, "We'll talk about it when we get back." Lin Meiyan said nothing, her expression dazed. From the street office to Linji was only a few minutes' drive. But for Lin Meiyan, those few minutes felt like years. When they finally arrived at Linji, Yu Jianghai got out of the car first. Qiaoqiao was tending the mung bean drink stall at the entrance. Hearing the commotion outside, she immediately looked up. When she saw it was Yu Jianghai, she let out a delighted cry. "Daddy, Daddy! You're out of the hospital?" Yu Jianghai nodded and crouched down to scoop Qiaoqiao into his arms. Qiaoqiao instinctively looked behind him. "Where's Mommy?" Lin Meiyan had lagged half a step behind. She got out of the car and forced a smile. "I'm right here." Qiaoqiao happily jumped down from Yu Jianghai's arms. "Mommy, I missed you so much." In Qiaoqiao's eyes, Lin Meiyan would always come first—naturally, even before Yu Jianghai. Lin Meiyan exchanged affectionate greetings with her. "Mommy missed you too. Did you listen to Great-Uncle and Great-Aunt while you were home alone?" "I did." Qiaoqiao nodded. "I even did my homework." "Good girl!" After praising her, Lin Meiyan looked up to find Yu Jianghai waiting for her. Her smile faltered slightly. She turned to Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju and said, "Uncle, Auntie, I'll go upstairs with Yu Jianghai for a bit." Gu Kaihua and Ye Qiuju weren't fools—they could tell something was off between the two. They nodded immediately. "Go ahead. The shop isn't busy right now anyway." Lin Meiyan followed Yu Jianghai up the stairs, step by step. Three minutes later, they sat together on the sofa. Neither spoke, until their eyes met. Their eyes met. Lin Meiyan understood almost instantly—he knew. He knew everything. Her face turned pale, her entire body rigid. She instinctively stood up. "I'll go pack things first." She had an ostrich mentality—she wanted to run away. Yu Jianghai said nothing. Lin Meiyan took out all the luggage. Yu Jianghai watched her place the cloth bag on the nightstand, watched her take out the razor and towel, watched her hang the change of clothes in the wardrobe. Lin Meiyan did everything very slowly. So slowly that even she recognized it as stalling. When everything was done, she still didn't want to come over. She lingered by the doorway, hesitant and uncertain. Finally, Yu Jianghai spoke first. "Yanyan." Lin Meiyan's hand froze. She was so anxious she started biting her fingers. Yu Jianghai strode over in two or three steps and snatched her hand away from her mouth. He looked down at her, his voice heavy. "Did you go to the street office to get contraceptives?" He finally asked. Asked it outright, completely. The sound in the room seemed to be suppressed by those words. Lin Meiyan instinctively turned her back to him, refusing to look at him or answer. Yu Jianghai watched her back and murmured, "That night... there were some at home, weren't there?" Some what? Condoms. They both knew it perfectly well. Lin Meiyan closed her eyes, then turned around. "Yes." Yu Jianghai's eyes darkened deeply. "Why didn't you use them?" Lin Meiyan twisted the towel in her hands, her brows lowered, her long lashes shielding all her emotions. She said softly, "I forgot." Yu Jianghai looked at her. After a long while, he said in a low voice, "Yanyan, you blink frequently when you lie." Lin Meiyan's lashes trembled violently. Yu Jianghai set the document he was holding aside. His voice wasn't loud, and there was no anger in it. But that made it all the harder for Lin Meiyan to bear. "You didn't forget." Lin Meiyan's fingers tightened bit by bit, her heart leaping to her throat. "Yanyan, you wanted me to get a vasectomy." When those words landed, all the color drained from Lin Meiyan's face. She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Yu Jianghai closed his eyes, his voice devoid of sorrow or joy. "You wanted to cut off the Yu family's line." "You wanted my father to never again use marriage alliances, remarriage, or having children to pressure you." At that, he suddenly opened his eyes. Those eyes that had always been gentle before her now held a sharp, knowing edge. He stared at her and said slowly, word by word, "And you wanted Qiaoqiao to be my only child—"