The more Bai Xiong thought about it, the more frustrated he became, but he still maintained his composure. “Looks like I don’t have your good fortune. I’ll be going, then.” Something about his words seemed to hit Wu Xin’s sense of humor. She burst out laughing. Bai Xiong stared at her in confusion, but she did not stop. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes from laughing so hard. Only after wiping them away with a finger did she finally calm down. “Sorry. What you said was too funny. I couldn’t help it. Good fortune? You think I have good fortune?”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re worried you might never get a grandchild. I don’t even have the right to worry about it, because I know for certain that I will never have a grandchild in this lifetime.” Bai Xiong said nothing. He assumed perhaps Wu Xin’s daughter-in-law had some illness and could not have children.
“I know what you’re thinking, but unfortunately you’re wrong. My son, my precious son, the center of my life. He’s so outstanding, so perfect, and yet he married a man. Every day I worry that other people will mock or hurt him. I worry that the people at his company will find out and refuse to accept him. When it comes down to it, how many people can truly accept this kind of thing? Is the number really large enough to make anyone optimistic?” Wu Xin’s words shocked Bai Xiong even more. He thought he had misheard. An Zi Yan married a man? What kind of situation was that? Why would he marry a man? There was no reason for him to marry a man. How could a man marry another man? Countless questions flooded his head all at once, but he could not find an answer to a single one. Maybe Wu Xin was joking with him. That was the only explanation Bai Xiong could accept, but who would make a joke like this for no reason? He had no idea what to say, so he stayed silent. Wu Xin also fell silent, sinking into a grief she could not escape, the kind of grief rooted in a mother’s instincts and beyond anyone else’s ability to comfort.
After a long silence, Wu Xin suddenly raised her head. Her voice sounded extremely calm. “Do you want a grandchild?” Bai Xiong could not guess what she meant. “What are you trying to say?” He put a cigarette between his lips but did not light it.
“I’ve already accepted that Zi Yan likes men. I even accepted the man he brought home. I’ve compromised again and again, but I absolutely cannot accept having no grandchild. Originally, I wanted to find the right time to persuade that young man to agree to let Zi Yan have a child with a woman, then return Zi Yan to him afterward. Everyone would get what they wanted. But paying a woman to do that isn’t allowed domestically, so I never knew…” Wu Xin did not get to finish. The veins at Bai Xiong’s temples bulged with anger, and the unlit cigarette fell from his mouth onto the carpet. “Ridiculous! What do you take my daughter for? A tool for having children for your family?”
“Don’t get angry yet. Other women might be treated like tools, but I would never treat Xiao Si that way. You said it yourself. Xiao Si doesn’t want to marry or have children, but if it were Zi Yan, maybe all you’d need to do is spend some time persuading her and she would agree. They were together for four years, after all.”
“No matter what, I…”
“Once the child is born, both families can raise it together. That child would be your grandchild too. You can’t deny that. Are you sure you’ll ever find someone better than our Zi Yan? Their child would definitely be smart and adorable. We could use artificial insemination so Xiao Si wouldn’t suffer any indignity at all. Plenty of women abroad do this now. Don’t you want a grandchild? It wouldn’t hurt anyone. To outsiders, we can just say the two of them divorced after having a child together. No one would gossip.”
“Stop talking! Your idea is completely ridiculous!!” Bai Xiong’s thoughts were in chaos. After shouting twice, he headed for the door.
“Is it really ridiculous? Think about it some more.” Wu Xin’s voice was cold behind him as Bai Xiong shoved the door open and left. He drove home quickly, trying to shake Wu Xin’s words out of his mind. This was not what he wanted. He wanted to find a man who loved Xiao Si and give her a family. As he neared home, he noticed An Zi Yan’s car parked outside. Bai Xiao Si was standing there, but the person talking to her was not An Zi Yan. It was another young man. Bai Xiong parked near a tree not far away. No one noticed him. He lowered the window, trying to hear their conversation clearly.
“How much longer are you planning to talk? Didn’t you only come to drop off a New Year gift? I’m trying to escape before my dad gets back.” Bai Xiao Si showed no gratitude toward Mai Ding for making a special trip to bring her a New Year gift. Mai Ding did not mind. “Is your dad that scary?”
“A little, but he’s still better than my ex-husband.” Bai Xiao Si glanced at An Zi Yan’s reaction before continuing. “Every day he nags me about getting married and having kids. It gives me a headache.” At that moment, Mai Ding transformed into a substitute father. “You can’t just play around forever either. Don’t you get lonely by yourself? Are you seriously planning to stay single your whole life and never marry or have children?”
“Mm.” Mai Ding had expected Bai Xiao Si to joke her way past it again, but her short, firm answer was more convincing than anything else could have been.
“What a waste of a uterus. If I had a uterus…” Mai Ding’s unfiltered remark earned him a kick from Bai Xiao Si. Then she grinned and came up with another way to tease him. “Nothing I can do about wasting it. Lend me your ex-husband and maybe I’ll be willing to have one. Right, ex-husband?” Bai Xiao Si tried to get An Zi Yan to cooperate. Mai Ding immediately spread both arms and blocked the space between them. “Don’t use your uterus to tempt An Zi Yan!!” An Zi Yan did not appear interested in cooperating either. He reached one hand out of the car window and patted Mai Ding’s butt. “I’m only interested in this.” Mai Ding covered his backside and spun around. “W-what are you doing? Stop touching me whenever you feel like it!”
“We’re leaving. How much longer do you expect me to wait?” An Zi Yan ignored Mai Ding’s shouting. Bai Xiao Si urged him too. “Exactly. Why are you still standing here? Did you beat my uterus with your ass and now you want to brag about it?” Mai Ding really should not have put himself between the two of them. He could not handle either one. He could only wrinkle his nose and get into the car. An Zi Yan started the engine. Mai Ding leaned forward slightly and spoke through the window on An Zi Yan’s side. “Happy New Year, Xiao Si.” Bai Xiao Si smiled too and waved the gift in her hand. “Happy New Year, Mai Mai.” Then she remembered something. “Right, ex-husband, I haven’t wished you anything yet. Hap…” The car sped away before Bai Xiao Si’s prank could succeed. She turned and went back inside.