"Second Sister-in-law, no need to move. Linlin and I can just sleep downstairs."
Deng Jing thought for a moment. "Alright then, I'll sleep in the next room. If you need anything, just call for me."
Su Lang coughed nervously. "Second Sister-in-law, give me something to do too."
Su Lang had been a father for quite some time, but this was the first time he had experienced his wife being pregnant.
After the initial surge of overwhelming joy, Su Lang felt a bit anxious.
He was both excited and flustered, somewhat at a loss.
Deng Jing had never seen Su Lang like this before and couldn't help but smile. "Calm down. Zhilan can't get agitated or overexert herself now. When she's further along, she'll have a harder time, so you need to take good care of her. I'll be staying for a while longer anyway, so I'll tell you more about it later."
Su Lang nodded hastily, wrapped an arm around Lin Zhilan, and headed toward the room.
Deng Jing watched their backs for a moment, smiling, then her eyes dimmed.
When she was pregnant with Peipei and Yaoyao, Su Jue hadn't been by her side.
She wondered how Su Jue was doing now...
No one noticed a shadowy figure flash by at the corner of the stairs.
Liang Ping hadn't been found yet, and Jiang Chengzhou hadn't been able to fall asleep.
When he heard the adults come back, he had been listening to the commotion upstairs.
Unexpectedly, he overheard the news that his aunt was pregnant.
Jiang Chengzhou couldn't tell if it was a pleasant surprise or a shock.
His uncle, aunt, and Second Aunt were all very happy, and Jiang Chengzhou naturally knew that his aunt's pregnancy was a good thing, but he felt an indescribable unease in his heart.
Jiang Chengzhou had never told anyone.
The truth was, he didn't really like it when Su Pei and Su Yao came over to play, nor did he like his aunt being too close with them.
And Li Xuan and Yan Yuan—Jiang Chengzhou didn't like his aunt getting too chummy with them either.
Jiang Chengzhou just wished that his aunt only liked him and his little sister.
He thought himself petty, but he didn't want his aunt to know about it.
And now there was going to be another baby in his aunt's belly.
Jiang Chengzhou tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep.
Su Lang didn't sleep a wink either. The next morning at the crack of dawn, uncle and nephew ran into each other in the living room, both with dark circles under their eyes.
Su Lang ruffled his nephew's hair. "You don't have school today. Why are you up so early?"
Jiang Chengzhou avoided his gaze. "Yan Yuan and I made plans to go beachcombing on the small island."
"Is an adult going with you?"
"Yes."
It was summer vacation now. The fishermen were busy, but the kids at home weren't idle either.
Usually, they'd be taken by boat to the small islands that emerged after the tide went out, where they could gather seafood.
Jiang Chengzhou had gone a few times with Yan Yuan.
Su Lang didn't ask further. He took a few pieces of peach pastry from the cupboard. "Take these to share with Yan Yuan. Be careful."
"Okay."
Jiang Chengzhou took the pastries and ran off.
...
Yan Yuan was fixing a fishing net in front of his house, skillfully smoothing out the broken parts and retying the knots.
Jiang Chengzhou crept up behind him, shouted "Hey!" and smacked him on the shoulder.
Yan Yuan wasn't startled. He just gave him a faint glance. "What brings you here today?"
Not having scared him, Jiang Chengzhou thought it a bit dull. He shoved the oil-paper-wrapped peach pastry into Yan Yuan's hand. "I brought these for you. I'm going beachcombing with you today."
Yan Yuan frowned. "Does Auntie Lin know?"
"My uncle will tell her."
Knowing that his family had agreed, Yan Yuan didn't say anything more. He placed the pastry on a clean stone ledge nearby and continued tidying the net.
"Were you all searching the mountain yesterday? Did you find him?"
Jiang Chengzhou pouted. "We did."
Yan Yuan finished putting the net away and looked at Jiang Chengzhou.
The dark circles under his eyes were plain to see—he clearly hadn't slept well.
"Is this person related to you?"
"A new neighbor, just a little brat."
Liang Ping was actually older than Jiang Chengzhou, but when Jiang Chengzhou called him a "little brat," he completely forgot about his own age.
Stealing money wasn't exactly a glorious thing. Jiang Chengzhou had been angry before, but now that the money had been retrieved, his temper had cooled, and he no longer dwelled on the theft.
Yan Yuan nodded.
He took two pairs of straw sandals for beachcombing off the wall and tossed a pair to Jiang Chengzhou.
Jiang Chengzhou, familiar with the routine, slipped off his shoes and put them on.
At that moment, Grandpa Yan came out of the house. Seeing Jiang Chengzhou, he also asked if his family had given permission.
The weather was good that day, with no wind, so the fishermen were willing to take the kids out.
After hearing that Jiang Chengzhou's family had agreed, Grandpa Yan led them onto the boat.
It was a collective fishing boat, with a crew of six to twelve people.
They only went out to the nearby coastal waters, leaving and returning the same day.
Grandpa Yan walked over to the small, battered boat, checked the engine, greeted the others, and ushered the kids aboard.
"Put-put-put-put—"
The rusty engine belched out thick smoke as the untied boat chugged forward.
The sea breeze was salty, and the water was a clear, deep blue.
A few seagulls circled in the air, occasionally skimming the surface to see if they could peck at fish swimming near the top.
Jiang Chengzhou sat on a stool in the cabin, chin propped on his hands, looking out.
He was unusually quiet.
Soon, the boat reached a deserted island.
The adults had to go cast their nets, so they dropped the kids off, repeated the usual warnings, and sailed away.
The island had a stretch of rocky reef, densely covered with rows upon rows of green-lipped mussels. The entire small island was littered with them.
Green-lipped mussels, scientifically known as Perna viridis, have large, emerald-green shells and live in shallow seabeds or rocky reefs. Their meat is plump and delicious.
Yan Yuan picked up an iron chisel and a bucket, stood on a rock, and demonstrated for Jiang Chengzhou.
"Use the tip of the chisel to pry them off. Pop one out, and the rest come off easily."
"I get it."
Jiang Chengzhou walked to a flatter area and clumsily pried at the mussels with the chisel.
Just as Yan Yuan had said—once he got one off, the others were much easier.
Yan Yuan was much more agile. He worked the chisel quickly, prying mussels off; once he'd finished a spot, he'd pick up his bucket and move to the next.
By the time Yan Yuan had filled two buckets, Jiang Chengzhou had only gathered half a bucket.
Yan Yuan helped fill Jiang Chengzhou's bucket to the brim, and then they found a flat rock to sit on, eating the peach pastries they'd brought that morning.
Two other kids who had come to the island with them sat farther away, eating coarse-flour steamed buns they'd brought from home.
After finishing his pastry, Jiang Chengzhou wiped his hands. "My aunt is pregnant."
Yan Yuan tilted his head slightly. "That's a good thing."
The island was big, but Lin Zhilan was famous there.
Everyone loves a bit of gossip about a famous person.
Everyone knew that Lin Zhilan had been married before and that Linlin wasn't Su Lang's biological child.
Some nosy people even liked to "show concern" about Lin Zhilan's belly.
