Chapter Ninety-Two: The Plan Changes

Gui A County.

The day after learning that Liu Liping was pregnant, Lu Kun accompanied her for a prenatal checkup. Fortunately, she was indeed over five weeks along. Lu Kun finally breathed a sigh of relief.

But trouble soon followed.

Some time ago, Lu Kun had considered moving the headquarters of Huakun to the downtown area of Fengyang City. If the company relocated to Fengyang, his own little family would have to move there as well—otherwise, managing things would become troublesome.

Forget it. Better to wait another month or two.

According to certain customs, people believe it’s taboo to move house or renovate while a woman is pregnant, as such activities are thought to disturb the baby. Lu Kun wasn’t superstitious, but if Liu Liping were to bump into something during the move, that would be problematic.

…

“I’ll wash the dishes.”

As soon as they finished eating, Lu Kun saw Liu Liping gathering the dishes and hurried to stop her.

“There’s no need to be so delicate. In the countryside, pregnant women like me still have to work the fields for several months,” Liu said, laughing.

Lu Kun shot her a glare. “These days, I’ve never seen any man let his pregnant wife work the fields.”

“Dad, let Dad wash the dishes—he’s the laziest!” The clever little Er Ya placed her small hands neatly on the table, staring intently at Liu Liping’s belly.

Lu Kun was momentarily speechless.

“If I don’t discipline you for three days, you’ll end up tearing the roof off,” Lu Kun grumbled, pinching the baby fat on Er Ya’s face.

“Hmph!” Er Ya tossed her head arrogantly, wriggling free of Lu Kun’s hand, and snorted in protest.

“Dad, Mom, let me wash the dishes,” before Lu Kun could say more, Da Ya scooped up the dishes and headed to the kitchen.

“Eh?” Lu Kun thought to call her back, but decided against it—he really wasn’t much good at housework anyway.

“Look at your sister, then look at you,” Lu Kun tugged at the little ponytail on top of Er Ya’s head, dissatisfied.

“Look at you, look at the neighbors, look at Old Li next door,” Er Ya retorted, annoyed that Lu Kun had messed up her hair.

“Hey!”

Lu Kun was nearly exasperated by the girl.

“Who’s Old Li next door?!” The Lu family lived alone; across the street was Gui A County Number One High School—there was no Old Li. She must have picked that up from the boys at school.

“You come back here!”

…

“Brother Li, what’s the matter?”

With the children finally quiet, Lu Kun was peeling an orange for Liu when Li Erfu called.

“Oh, you mean about entering Hong Kong? Ah, I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot.” In recent days, Lu Kun had focused all his attention on his wife, barely concerning himself with company affairs. Li Erfu was calling to ask when Lu Kun would be heading to Hong Kong.

Lu Kun was troubled. He had originally asked Li Erfu for a favor to get Liu Liping Hong Kong residency. But now, with all the traveling, Liu Liping’s body might not be up to it.

Liu Liping herself was eager to see Hong Kong—it was, after all, known as the “Pearl of the Orient” in those days, a truly dazzling place.

“All right, I’ll set out in a few days.”

After hanging up, Lu Kun felt worried. He couldn’t let such a favor go to waste.

Looking at Liu Liping, he edged closer, rubbing against her chest in a helpless gesture. “What a pity,” he sighed.

Liu Liping stroked Lu Kun’s hair, as if she were petting a cat.

“Stop that,” Lu Kun brushed her hand aside, speaking softly.

“Give the Hong Kong residency to Brother Shitou. He probably needs it more than we do,” Liu Liping said gently.

“Eh?” True—Shitou did seem to have a greater need for Hong Kong residency.

Shitou was carrying quite a burden these days. With Hong Kong residency, he’d be much safer.

In fact, Lu Kun’s thoughts drifted further: once Shitou had Hong Kong residency, getting married might be a lot easier. At the very least, Gao Weiliang’s approval should come more smoothly.

“Yes, let’s do that!” Lu Kun nodded, then kissed Liu’s cheek.

He’d been holding back these past few days, but fortunately the two of them knew enough tricks to find some satisfaction.

…

“Shitou, hand over your current tasks to your subordinates. In a few days, you’ll be traveling far with me.”

“All right—when exactly?”

“In three days.”

“Okay.”

“It’d be best to bring the Cheng brothers, Yuan and Hao, along as well.”

“Hmm? Is it something tricky?”

“No, just in case. Better safe than sorry.”

“Understood.”

…

With Shitou’s arrangements settled, Lu Kun finally relaxed.

But the real trouble was yet to come.

What worried Lu Kun the most was Liu and their two daughters.

He had considered asking his mother-in-law from the countryside to help look after them, but thought better of it—Liu and her mother, Lin, always argued when they met, and living together could become a real mess.

His wife was pregnant now. At this moment, nothing was more important.

Hiring a nanny would’ve been easy, but Lu Kun didn’t quite trust strangers. Whether they were diligent was one thing—he mainly feared ill intent.

If he was away, with only Liu pregnant at home and the two young girls, if anything happened, it would be a disaster.

…

“Boss, you wanted to see me?”

“Yes. Zhaodi, here’s the thing. I’ll be away for a few days soon, and my wife is pregnant. I was hoping you could help look after them for a while. Of course, I’ll pay you extra. What do you think?”

“The boss’s wife is pregnant?” Ma Zhaodi was delighted, then said, “No problem, Boss. Don’t worry. When my mother gave birth to my many sisters, I took care of her plenty. As for the extra pay, that’s not necessary.”

This was true. Once Ma Zhaodi became store manager, her salary rose to fifty-five yuan a month. In Gui A County, that was truly middle-class, a much better living than most state enterprise employees.

Lu Kun, however, felt a bit uneasy. Ma Zhaodi had cared for her mother, who gave birth to six daughters before finally having a son.

But… this time, he really wanted a son.

Liu Liping was also a bit superstitious. With two daughters already, it would be best if this time they had a boy. That way, after they were gone, Da Ya and Er Ya would still have a brother in the family.

…

“You and the children must take care of yourselves at home. I’ll be back as soon as I can,” Lu Kun said, gripping Liu’s hand, full of concern.

“Dad, you have to take care of yourself too when you’re away,” Er Ya, who usually bickered with Lu Kun, was now in tears as he prepared to leave.