Su Miaomiao's pregnancy had not yet reached three months, so Ji Bo suggested keeping it a secret for now.
It couldn't be announced.
After all, the pregnancy was not yet stable.
The young couple agreed.
What else could they do when they had no experience at all? They had to learn everything from scratch.
But they were happy.
So, they first rewarded all the servants in their new home. Others would receive their bonuses three months later. By the time everyone knew, Su Miaomiao was already three months pregnant, and everyone was delighted.
Cheng Hao also sent out invitations to others, and soon everyone knew.
Then, blessings, replies, and gifts from everyone started arriving one after another.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi were the first to arrive.
They lived the closest, so they came over with gifts.
At that moment, Su Miaomiao was in the pavilion, enjoying the breeze leisurely. Knowing that the mood swings were caused by unstable pregnancy hormones, she relaxed and tried to face them. Although occasional outbursts were unavoidable, the situation improved significantly, and Cheng Hao became even more patient.
Although he was sometimes infuriated by her, he was more often understanding.
The morning sickness did not seem to be severe.
It was only on that day that her emotions fluctuated greatly, and perhaps she had been genuinely bumped around, which caused her to vomit.
Now, as long as she didn't travel by carriage or experience jolts, she had minimal morning sickness.
It was just occasional emotional outbursts.
When Cai Shi and Xi Shi arrived, they went straight to the courtyard. Su Miaomiao felt happy seeing them, as they were old friends she used to spend time with every day, and they had become like family. She felt a sense of closeness.
The two of them held Su Miaomiao's hands and looked her over. Finally, they concluded.
She was being taken care of very well.
Her face was still fair and tender, not at all like someone about to become a mother.
Her belly had not even grown yet.
It was impossible to tell she was pregnant, and her complexion was excellent.
She didn't look like a pregnant woman who couldn't eat or sleep well and was suffering from early pregnancy.
The two aunts were genuinely happy for her.
Cai Shi joyfully said, "Seeing that you are well puts my mind at ease. It's said that childbirth is like passing through the gates of hell for women, but as women, we have to go through it sooner or later. However, you look quite good."
Her good complexion and physical condition meant she would surely be safe and sound.
Xi Shi nodded in agreement, "Indeed. When I gave birth to my first child, it was a matter of life and death. I vomited whatever I ate, and when I was hungry, there was nothing else to eat. It was so uncomfortable! For my first child, I had to work in the fields while pregnant!"
Later, Cheng Xiaobao gave birth directly in the fields because she couldn't be moved home.
She gave birth wrapped in a quilt in the fields.
However, the birth was quick.
Su Miaomiao listened with wide eyes and repeatedly asked if it was true. "That's terrifying."
Xi Shi said, "What's that? Some people have given birth while using the toilet." Su Miaomiao was stunned.
Cai Shi told her to say less of these scary things, that children from wealthy families shouldn't hear them.
Xi Shi then smiled and said, "Then let's not talk about that. Miaomiao, do you prefer sour or savory tastes?"
Sour for boys, savory for girls.
They still believed in this and said it was very accurate.
Su Miaomiao heard this and thought, "Isn't this the same as the 'sour for boys, spicy for girls' saying in my previous life?" She smiled and said, "This saying isn't necessarily accurate!"
Besides, she had been having strong cravings lately, eating sour, spicy, and savory foods.
How could it be accurate?
Cai Shi clapped her hands again, then covered her mouth and chuckled, "It would be great if you had twins!"
To have both a son and a daughter with the first pregnancy!
Anything else afterwards would be good.
Xi Shi agreed, but carrying twins was harder than carrying one.
However, there was less pressure.
After some thought, the two aunts realized that the young couple had no elders to guide them, so they wouldn't be particular about it.
Unless they cared about it themselves.
Su Miaomiao waved her hand and said, "I don't want that many. Why have so many? Where would I get the energy to raise them? I'll take your good wishes, though. If it can be resolved in one go, I'd be happy; it's less hassle!"
She and Cheng Hao had discussed it, and both felt that a boy or a girl would be fine.
But having one boy and one girl would also be great.
That way, they would have both a daughter and a son.
Two different genders.
To form a good match.
This would be quite interesting, and the children could keep each other company.
They also planned to have only two children.
After all, Su Miaomiao and Cheng Hao were both left-behind children. They knew what that felt like and didn't want their own children to experience it again. They wanted to raise them themselves.
Since they were having children, they had to be responsible for them and treat them well.
They both felt that having a baby was a good thing, not for any other reason, but simply because they wanted to raise them. But having more than that was something neither of them could afford or had the energy for.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi could understand. In the past, they only thought about feeding their children and preventing them from starving because their families were not wealthy and had no other options.
Later, on their journey fleeing disaster, they learned the importance of knowledge by following the young couple. Now, their children were still pursuing their studies.
This demonstrated the importance of education, didn't it?
If they had too many children, they naturally wouldn't be able to attend to each child. It was better to have fewer.
Cai Shi and Xi Shi expressed their understanding and said that their ideas were good. They then stayed with Su Miaomiao, chatting and sharing their experiences.
Cheng Hao was now furiously working on his career, planning to resolve his business affairs before Su Miaomiao's fifth month of pregnancy, and then he would calmly accompany her to take care of her pregnancy and give birth.
After that, he would also accompany her in raising and educating their child as they grew up.
Su Miaomiao had an agreement with him. Although her emotions occasionally flared up and she wanted to see him, she trusted him implicitly and wasn't afraid of him betraying her. It was just that sometimes her emotions got the better of her, and she wanted him by her side constantly. Cheng Hao did his best to comply.
So, her emotions had been quite stable lately, which was hard on Cheng Hao.
Seeing her childhood friend working so hard, her emotions would still make her cry. In the past, she thought her temper was quite annoying, but now it was even more so.
She would also feel unhappy because of her unstable emotions.
Fortunately, Cheng Hao's emotions were very stable lately. Even when he was severely angered, he could handle it well.
When Cai Shi and Xi Shi saw Cheng Hao, they were shocked by his weary appearance and couldn't help but want to tell Su Miaomiao to ease up on her demands.
They had never seen a pregnant woman make her husband so exhausted.
But later, seeing that they were both willing participants, they felt there was nothing more to say.
It was their own private matter as a couple.
It wasn't for them to interfere, so they naturally didn't voice their thoughts.
However, they occasionally felt that Su Miaomiao was very fortunate to have such a patient husband who doted on her. They were also experienced women and knew that pregnancy could be difficult, leading to emotional distress. But they had endured it back then; who had comforted them? It was good that Su Miaomiao didn't have to bear it all alone now.
It was her good fortune.
Seeing the two aunts' hesitant expressions, Su Miaomiao would ask her childhood friend at night if she was being too annoying. But Cheng Hao would always tell her, "It's not your fault; it's physiological. You can't control it."
He even joked that if she had the ability to control it, she could write a paper and win an award.
Su Miaomiao laughed heartily.
Cheng Hao would also tell her not to overthink things, that no matter how annoying she was, it was fine.
Because love first and foremost is tolerance.
He loved her, including her flaws. As long as it didn't harm her, it was his bottom line.