What Should I Do If I Time-Traveled Forty Years Later and My Lover Has Become an Old Man? - MLFYL: 39

Just like the young nurse had mentioned, the operation wrapped up in under thirty minutes. Yu Yao and her baby were wheeled back to the ward without a hitch.

Thanks to the anesthesia, Yu Yao felt no pain and was surprisingly alert, though still a bit dazed and unable to get out of bed.

She glanced at her little one beside her—a girl with tiny wrinkled features—and let out a sigh of relief, turning to Jiang Zhonglin with a smile, “You must be thrilled, it’s a girl!”

She knew how much he had always wanted a daughter.

Jiang Zhonglin sat next to her, his soft gaze sparkling with joy.

He held her hand, grinning as he nodded, “I’m really happy. You should get some rest; I’ll take care of the baby.”

Yu Yao closed her eyes, then opened them again after a bit, “Let’s make a deal. Can you promise not to make that peanut soup with pig trotters?”

Jiang Zhonglin replied, “…Alright.”

Hearing his agreement eased her mind, knowing she wouldn’t have to face that dreaded dish she’d been dreading after waking up. With that, Yu Yao drifted off to sleep again. But it wasn’t long before she was stirred awake by the sound of her little girl crying.

This baby girl weighed nearly seven pounds at birth and was perfectly healthy. The nurse attending to her mentioned how the baby opened her eyes early and seemed quite lively. It was clear that she’d been well cared for during the pregnancy, and she definitely looked like a bright little one.

Yu Yao couldn’t really figure out if she was smart or not; she just had a hunch that this little one was probably a lot like her—loud enough to make a racket.

Thanks to Jiang Zhonglin’s endless patience, he was holding the baby, soothing her, and feeding her that nutrient solution they had prepared at the hospital.

In the maternity ward, there’s a special nursery for the little ones. The moment Yu Yao opened her eyes, she spotted Jiang Zhonglin holding the baby, who was wailing at the top of her lungs.

She’d been so calm in the womb, but now that she was out, it seemed like she was in a mood. That little trickster probably didn’t want to step out of line while she was safe inside, but now that she’s here, she’s claiming her freedom.

Yu Yao’s mind was racing with thoughts when she called out, “Bring the baby over.”

Seeing that she was awake, Jiang Zhonglin approached with the baby in his arms, looking a bit unsure, “Did we wake you?”

She reached out, signaling him to place the baby beside her. He did just that, and she gently pinched the tiny hand, feeling like she was squeezing the soft pad of a little cub’s paw.

She looked at her newborn daughter, “You better not give your dad a hard time, okay? Why are you crying so much? If you keep it up, I might just have to send you back where you came from!”

Jiang Zhonglin was caught between laughter and tears, but the baby didn’t have a clue what was going on.

Surprisingly, the baby stopped crying. She opened her eyes, taking in Yu Yao’s face, her little mouth moving, and her chubby cheeks all rosy.

Yu Yao bent down to check on her little one and gave her tiny hand a gentle pinch.

The room felt just right—cozy and comfortable. The child seemed relaxed, not too stiff.

After pinching her hand, Yu Yao moved on to her little feet, which were snug in a pair of cute goose yellow duck socks that Yang Yun had picked out earlier.

She ran her fingers through the baby’s soft, dark hair, “This little one is all grown up; it’s time for a name.”

Mr. Jiang watched them quietly, his heart swelling with an indescribable warmth, like a soothing wave washing over him. He realized he had a daughter now, and not only would he look after Yu Yao, but also this precious little girl. He felt a surge of new strength, the kind that would keep him going for a long time.

Yu Yao didn’t catch what he said at first, but when she glanced up, she noticed he looked close to tears, clearly moved by this new life.

She gently touched her daughter’s soft little face, thinking how much Jiang Zhonglin adored their baby and how happy he was, almost speechless.

With a smile, she looked at him, waiting for him to snap back to reality.

When he finally met her gaze, he sat down and blinked, “Thank you, you’ve really gone through a lot.”

Yu Yao took it in stride. It had been quite the journey being pregnant.

“Thanks to you too. You’ve worked hard as well.”

“I’m going to bug you again. It’s time to give our little melon a proper name. Have you thought about it?” Before the baby arrived, she had mentioned letting Jiang Zhonglin name the child, but he insisted on waiting until after the birth, claiming it would make the moment more serious.

Yu Yao didn’t really get the difference between naming before or after, but since he loved his rituals, she let him have his way.

Mr. Jiang, with his scholarly vibe, gazed out at the flowers, “Guagua was born in spring, the season when everything comes to life. After surviving the cold winter, she’s arrived at just the right time. She’s definitely going to grow up healthy, strong, and full of energy.”

Yu Yao thought he was being a bit too serious. How could he be so sure about the baby when she’d just arrived? She could end up being a little spoiled brat, for all they knew.

After showering his daughter with praise for a bit, Mr. Jiang said, “I want to name her Rui, Jiang Rui, which means auspicious.”

Yu Yao raised an eyebrow. Such a simple name? She had expected him to dig through the classics for something with a fancy meaning and a nice ring to it, but this felt surprisingly ordinary.

He seemed to catch on to her thoughts and smiled as he explained, “Rui is a great character. I hope she’ll be lucky and happy in life. Even when things get tough, I want her to find the help she needs to get through it. I also hope she can just be ordinary, as long as she grows up safe and sound.”

They say parents dream of their sons turning into dragons and their daughters into phoenixes, but Teacher Jiang wasn’t aiming for that with his kid.

Yu Yao noticed all the love he had for his child, and it stirred something indescribable in her.

Eventually, she leaned back and handed her daughter to him, “Alright, good dad, go take care of your little one.”

But Little Guagua didn’t make it easy for her dad.

The moment he took her from her mom, she started wailing. So, Jiang Zhonglin had no choice but to let her crash next to Yu Yao.

Yu Yao just stared at the kid, lost in thought.

He reassured her, “You can sleep tight. I’ll watch over you both. No way I’m letting you roll onto her.”

Caught with her thoughts laid bare, Yu Yao didn’t even flinch, “Well, you better keep an eye on me. I’m a light sleeper, and honestly, I might just end up kicking her off the bed.”

Yang Yun had shared some hilarious stories about her own postpartum struggles. Like that one time she and her husband were so wiped out that their baby tumbled off the bed in the middle of the night. The little one didn’t even wake up after landing on the soft carpet and ended up rolling under the bed, snoozing there all night. When they finally woke up, they were freaking out because they couldn’t find their baby. And then, out of nowhere, the kid started crying from under the bed, and they finally found him.

Yu Yao listened quietly, and now she couldn’t shake off the worry that Guagua might roll right under the bed too.

…

“Oh, what an adorable little baby! Come on, let your grandma hold you!” Yang Yun cradled Guagua in her arms, her face beaming with affection.

Yu Yao, busy cracking walnuts, tossed a small piece at her friend’s head. “Hey, no stealing my spotlight!”

Yang Yun brushed it off and kept trying to get Guagua to respond, “Come on, call me grandma~”

Yu Yao munched on a walnut, smirking, “If you can get Guagua to say ‘grandma’ right now, I’ll totally accept you as my grandma.”

Come on, how could such a tiny kid talk? She was all about blowing bubbles.

After a bit, Guagua started crying again. But as soon as she was in Yu Yao’s arms, she settled down. Maybe it was just that familiar vibe that made her feel safe.

Yu Yao let the little one lie next to her, and Guagua began rolling her eyes and squirming around. She wasn’t exactly still, but being so little, she didn’t have much strength—Yu Yao thought it felt like a tiny turtle wiggling beside her.

Yang Yun perched on the edge of the bed, “So, Guagua’s gonna be on the hospital’s nutritional liquid for the first three days. After that, you’ll need to feed her yourself. Do you have any milk ready? Want to use a breast pump?”

“My breasts are a bit swollen. How does that thing even work? Did Jiang Zhonglin pick one up?”

Yang Yun suddenly erupted in laughter, so hard that she bumped her head on the bed and couldn’t stop giggling for a while.

Yu Yao was puzzled, “What’s so funny?”

She finally stopped laughing, wiped her eyes, and leaned in to whisper, “You know, it was Jiang Zhonglin who asked me to bring this up. He was too shy to say it himself, so he asked me to share my experience… I can’t stop laughing! You have no idea how embarrassed your Old Jiang was!”

Yu Yao was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter, shaking her head in disbelief, “He usually looks after me in such a normal way. I had no idea he was feeling awkward—he’s really good at putting on a front.”

When Jiang Zhonglin showed up with the food box, Yang Yun headed back to eat.

Yu Yao looked at him and asked, “Did you get the breast pump?”

He replied calmly, “I’ll pick some up this afternoon. The hospital probably has a few too.”

She responded with an “oh” and followed up with, “So, do you know how to use it?”

In a totally serious tone, Old Jiang said, “There should be a manual for that.”

Yu Yao noticed him trying to keep a straight face, so she played along, lowering her head to mess with Guagua’s little hand, “I never said it was swollen and painful. How did you know? Did you ask the nurse or look it up yourself?”

Realizing she was teasing him, Old Jiang pushed his glasses up with a sigh, “…You should have told me if you were feeling uncomfortable.” Truth is, he figured it out while helping his wife with her bra.

Yu Yao raised her eyebrows, “I’m not shy about telling you, but I’m worried you might be embarrassed to hear it, teacher.”

Guagua hummed, and Daddy Jiang quickly jumped in, “I’ll take her aside to feed her the nutrient solution.”

Yu Yao grabbed the food box that he had opened but hadn’t gotten to yet.

As she pulled out the food, she said, “Mr. Jiang, I suggest you get used to this sooner rather than later.”

Daddy Jiang held his daughter and hummed in response.

Yu Yao pulled out some chopsticks and a spoon, half-jokingly and half-confused, asked him, “I thought you were pretty open before. When I was pregnant, you helped me wipe my belly and massage my legs. Now, it seems like you see beauty as just a skeleton. What’s got you all shy now?”

Old Jiang didn’t reply. If it were anyone else, he could be open and straightforward because he didn’t have any feelings for them. But with Yu Yao—his beloved wife for all these years—he felt embarrassed.

Maybe he was a little ashamed too; after all, he was getting older.

She called out to him, “Hey, snap out of it, Daddy Jiang! You’re about to feed the nutrient solution right into Guagua’s nostrils!”

In a fit of anger, Guagua sprayed juice all over Daddy Jiang’s distracted hand.

Meanwhile, Yu Yao couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the scene.

Old Jiang looked at the two of them and let out a genuine laugh from the heart.

Well, I guess dealing with these two troublemakers is just part of the package.