Chapter 890: Chapter 763: Renting a Courtyard for Pregnancy

Days passed by, and the weather gradually warmed up. Zhou Jiao took off her thick coat and wore only a loose jacket, her big belly becoming more conspicuous.

Even Old Mrs. Cheng could tell it must be twins. After being tipped off by her nephew, she also pretended not to know, waiting for Zhou Jiao to announce it herself and then acted surprised.

Fortunately, Zhou Jiao, with her big belly, looked rosy and moved freely, except for the conspicuous big belly, she seemed like a normal person. This made the family relieved even while being anxious.

In the lab, Qiao Na quickly finished tidying up and nervously hovered around Zhou Jiao, clicking her tongue and shaking her head again and again.

"What is this ghostly appearance?"

"I’m never starting a family, this is terrifying."

Zhou Jiao chuckled and said, "I think I’m doing fine, you don’t have to be so nervous, haven’t you noticed I’m not tired at all."

Zhang Guoqing, walking behind, frowned. He hated it when someone chatted with his wife while she was walking. What if she accidentally fell?

"Xiao Wu, don’t you find it strange?"

Zhang Guoqing, focused on his wife in front, absentmindedly replied, "What’s up?"

Yi Jiefang and others had long known his nature. Since this term began, this guy has been overly cautious, but everyone understands, twins, right?

"My sister standing there doesn’t look like a pregnant woman from behind. The ladies on the street aren’t like that. Just look at Sister Xiaomin back then; she was like a gasoline barrel."

"Yeah, my aunt is now incredibly fat too, her face swollen as large as a basin. The last time I saw her, I thought my uncle had changed wives."

Hearing this, the surrounding students burst into laughter.

Zhang Guoqing kept a straight face, nervously watching Zhou Jiao, worried she would turn to see what’s happening. Fortunately, his smart wife kept walking her own path.

In the dormitory, Zhou Jiao saw no one was around, helplessly gave him a side glance, and muttered, "I’m really fine."

"Yes, my wife is awesome, it’s all my fault."

"Dummy!"

Zhang Guoqing smiled, wrapping an arm around her, and looked down at the belly between them, softly murmuring, "It’s about time."

Zhou Jiao looked up at him puzzled.

"Little fool."

Seeing the indulgent look in her husband’s eyes, Zhou Jiao smiled happily and decided not to ask further, willing to cooperate with him when the time came.

After that day, every time Zhou Jiao had her lunchtime nap, Zhang Guoqing would go out for several hours and come back sweating in the early spring weather.

After asking him a few times and receiving his mysterious hint of having a surprise for her, Zhou Jiao stopped inquiring. After all, being pregnant made her feel tired often, and not being able to go visit her dad and son every few days made her secretly uneasy.

Watching her son reluctantly return to the Big Courtyard every week made her wish for time to fly by faster, to give birth sooner and spend time with her son.

She hid these emotions deep inside, continuing her studies undisturbed, mainly not wanting to see Zhang Guoqing worried. Now, seeing him less tense and not sticking close all the time felt quite nice.

No wonder the saying goes, "Pregnancy makes you silly for three years."

That weekend, Zhang Guoqing did something out of the ordinary by not waiting at the gate for their son. After washing up, he said with a smile they were going somewhere.

"To witness the surprise?"

"Yes, not sure if it’ll be to your liking?"

"What is it? Can’t you bring it here? Where is it now? Are we going home?"

Zhang Guoqing laughed at the bewildered person. Normally, with her attentiveness, she should have guessed the answer by now. It was a rare sight, if not pressed for time, he’d want to document it as a memory.

"Brother?"

"Uh, it’s rather big, I’ll take you to have a look."

"Did you tell the family? Ping’an would be upset if he came and didn’t find us. Last week, it was Auntie who brought him over, wonder who’s doing it this time?"

Zhang Guoqing cautiously helped her out of the dormitory, checked the ground outside for any small obstacles, and then replied, "I’ve arranged everything."

Downstairs, Zhang Guoqing didn’t dare to let her ride on the back of the bicycle, supporting her as they walked along the path.

As they walked, Zhou Jiao suddenly exclaimed, "Isn’t this the road where we first came to school and planned to rent a yard? Have you rented a yard?"

Finally, she realized.

Zhang Guoqing smiled at the words: "The weather’s warming up; we can’t keep using the stove inside. It’s inconvenient to cook, and we can’t keep eating from there all the time. The smell could easily raise suspicion."

"That makes sense, especially with more classmates visiting lately."

"That place can be used for rainy days and lunchtime naps. We’ll live outside usually so you can have peace. And our son can stay longer when he visits."

Zhou Jiao smiled at him without saying much. Inwardly, she felt guilty, having considered this option before, but it would inevitably tire Zhang Guoqing more.

"I thought about it, if we live outside, it’ll be more convenient when family visits. This way, it won’t be a commotion when a car or a few people come. I’ve also talked to the counselor, and they’ll notify us about school events, makes it easier."

"That’s a great plan, I love it. The villages in front are quite close too, you can come back alone if you have a meeting. Brother, you’re really smart. I love this surprise."

Zhang Guoqing smiled heartily. This was just the beginning. When his parents came over in a while, that would be the real surprise, right?

"Jiao Jiao, even Master wanted to come over, but I declined. It’s inconvenient for him to commute to the hospital from here, I’ll have him come over in a month, is that okay?"

"Not a big deal. My brain isn’t working well now, just handle it as you see fit."

After a fifteen-minute walk, they soon reached a village. Zhang Guoqing led her to a yard with a bamboo fence and earthen houses. From the next door, an elderly woman in her fifties or sixties, wearing a blue-gray cotton linen jacket, walked over.

The woman smiled and walked towards them: "Xiao Wu, are you moving in?"

Zhang Guoqing quickly replied, "Yes, Aunt Qian, have you eaten? This is my wife, Zhou Jiao. Jiao Jiao, this is Aunt Qian from Captain Qian’s house, very kind-hearted. This yard belongs to her family."

Zhou Jiao immediately understood that she was the spouse of a local notable: "Auntie, my husband and I will surely trouble you in the future; if we do anything wrong, please kindly advise us."

"No need to be polite, especially since you’re pregnant. If you need anything, just call from the yard, I’m always home looking after my grandson," said Aunt Qian, taking a good look at Zhou Jiao with a smile.

"Ah, thanks in advance, Auntie."

"Then I won’t hold you up from settling in. The vegetable garden needs tidying, if you need vegetables, just pick from our yard, don’t be shy."

"Okay, noted. Auntie, drop by often to chat."

As they watched Aunt Qian head into the next courtyard, Zhang Guoqing supported Zhou Jiao into the main room.

After taking a break, Zhou Jiao started wandering around the yard with interest. Speaking of a yard, it wasn’t very big, only three adobe rooms and two wing rooms.