Extra Story 3: About Having Kids
“Work’s over~”
At five in the afternoon, An Yuan stretched and stood up from his computer. Thinking of his wife waiting for him at home, he felt eager to return.
His job wasn’t particularly busy, 9 to 5 with a two-hour lunch break, and plenty of time to slack off in between.
Compared to the exhausting hustle of his past life, his current one was unbelievably comfortable.
At first, he was anxious, wanting to earn more, start a company, buy Chen Cheng a big villa… Even though they were already financially secure, he still wanted to give her and their family an even better life.
But Chen Cheng talked him out of it.
She was always easy to satisfy, never had extravagant expenses, and wasn’t interested in keeping up with others. She was laid-back, even too lazy to go shopping or travel. All she wanted was a healthy body and a carefree, peaceful life.
Of course, that wasn’t easy. Most people had to work hard just to support a family. But since both of them were transmigrators, they were practically living the slacker dream.
Thanks to her influence, An Yuan also stopped overworking himself. He found a job he enjoyed, and as long as his salary covered their daily expenses, that was enough.
“An Yuan, wanna grab a drink after work?”
“My wife’s waiting for me at home.”
An Yuan was tall, good-looking, and still had a full head of hair. Plus, he kept himself in good shape. He was quite popular at the office, with plenty of female colleagues showing interest. But he was a married man and never stopped talking about his wife, and his home life.
After exchanging a few words with his coworkers, he took the elevator down. The moment he stepped out of the building, he spotted a familiar figure not far away, dressed in simple black clothes and glasses, trying to look all quiet and intellectual, but actually just kicking stones out of boredom.
“Chengzi! What are you doing here?”
She rarely left home unless it was to raid their parents’ house in the same neighborhood.
Hearing his voice, Chen Cheng turned and jogged over. “I ordered a bunch of packages, and they’re too heavy for me to carry alone.”
“You could’ve just texted me to pick them up on the way home.”
“And also… take a day off tomorrow. We’re going to the hospital.”
“You’re sick?”
Chen Cheng naturally wrapped her arm around his and looked up at him. “Nope, it’s for pregnancy prep~ I read online that it’s best to get a check-up before trying to have a baby.”
“Wait… you seriously want a kid?” An Yuan couldn’t wrap his head around her sudden change of heart.
“Mhm!” Chen Cheng stood on her tiptoes and patted his shoulder like an old man giving advice. “You better put in some effort, Little Yuan~”
“Little Yuan? It’s Big Yuan.”
“Pfft~ More like ‘just okay’ Yuan.”
“I’m crazy strong, okay?! You’re the one who might not be able to handle it.”
Chen Cheng never lost a verbal spar, scoffing, “Says the guy who drinks goji berry tea to keep up.”
Men really had it tough in this kind of argument.
An Yuan decided not to bother arguing. She could talk big now, but on the bed, she was the one crying for mercy.
Frowning slightly, he did some quick mental calculations based on their current income. “If we have a kid, we won’t have enough money.”
Their income was enough to cover their lifestyle, but raising a child wasn’t cheap. Even if they weren’t aiming for anything extravagant, at the very least, the kid had to make it through college. That alone would cost tens, if not hundreds, of thousands. And if it was a boy, they’d eventually have to think about a house and a car.
Sure, they had savings and stocks making steady profits, but it still didn’t feel secure.
This parallel world had followed the same economic trends as his past life so far, with only small deviations here and there. But after nine years, he was reaching the limit of how much he could profit from his previous life’s knowledge.
“How about I switch to a higher-paying job? It might be busier, with frequent business trips, and we’d probably have to move to a bigger city for better career and education opportunities.”
“Eh… I don’t want you to be too busy. Let’s think about it.”
Chen Cheng frowned, realizing she hadn’t considered everything. She brushed off the topic for now.
With her arm still hooked around his, they strolled toward the pickup station outside their community to collect her packages.
She usually wasn’t into reading or studying, but now, she had bought a whole stack of parenting books. The pile was so thick it looked like she was preparing for an exam.
“You bought this many? You really think you’ll read them all?”
An Yuan, holding the packages, scanned them one by one to pick them up, then turned to Chen Cheng beside him and asked,
“You think you can actually finish reading all these?”
“I should be able to… right?”
“You always lose interest after three minutes.” An Yuan said, “You even complain about game guides having too many words. You finishing all these books? That’s gotta be a dream.”
“Nonsense! I’m actually a very patient person, okay? I’m persistent with everything I do!”
“Persistent at being lazy.”
Chen Cheng huffed but didn’t argue further. She helped carry half of the packages.
She didn’t want to bicker with An Yuan. Starting today, she had to maintain the image of a gentle and patient person. She was going to mold herself into a good mother before the baby was even born.
After taking the elevator home, they set the packages on the table. But the moment they got inside, Chen Cheng completely forgot about the books and bolted straight to the second bedroom.
“Where are you going?”
“The game I downloaded earlier should be done by now!”
An Yuan glanced at the pile of unopened packages. As expected, Chen Cheng still had a childlike mindset, easily excited but quick to lose interest.
He honestly couldn’t picture her holding a baby, radiating motherly love. In his mind, Chen Cheng was just a socially anxious troublemaker and a little pervert.
Following her into the second bedroom, he saw Chen Cheng sitting cross-legged on her gaming chair, staring anxiously at the last bit of the download bar.
They slept in the master bedroom, while this room had been converted into a gaming setup. It had a height-adjustable desk, two computers, a projector, and a giant bean bag sofa.
Most of the time, the two of them played games or watched movies here. Since they didn’t have kids, they had spent money on high-end equipment.
An Yuan wheeled his chair over to her side and peeked at the screen. “What game? A new release?”
“Elden Ring!”
“Never heard of it.”
“It came out in our past life! You were always working overtime back then and never played single-player games.” Chen Cheng straightened her back proudly. “Right now, it’s just a pre-download. I can start playing tomorrow! I’ll definitely be one of the first players and even upload gameplay videos to gain followers.”
An Yuan rolled his eyes. “With your skills?”
He had never played the game before, but he knew Chen Cheng’s gaming channel had barely a few hundred followers.
Even if it was a game she had beaten in their past life, she still wasn’t on the level of top players. Plus, with her social anxiety, she didn’t even add voiceovers to her videos. Her most loyal fan was actually An Yuan himself. He had a secret account where he liked, commented, and even occasionally sent donations just to make her happy.
“So, you’re prioritizing games over having a kid now?”
“No way! I just need to wait for it to finish downloading…” Chen Cheng was still fixated on the screen. She suddenly stood up, leaning on the desk with her hands while sticking her butt out. “Oh yeah, by the way, I hid all the condoms in the house.”
“???”
Smack! An Yuan gave her a light slap on the butt. “Are you trying to get me turned on?”
“Aren’t we trying to have a baby?”
Chen Cheng pouted and sat back down. Then, after a moment of hesitation, she asked, “Do you think I’d be a good mom?”
“Of course.”
“I don’t believe it… I once lost my temper and accidentally stepped on a cat.” Her voice suddenly dropped, her chin resting on the desk. “I didn’t mean to… I tripped over it and stepped on it, but I totally lost control of my emotions. I was like a madwoman… just because it bit me once.”
An Yuan had never heard this story before. “That happened in the past?”
“Yeah… that’s why I never dared to get a pet after that. I tried to control my temper afterward, but you know how I am. I still snap at you sometimes.” Chen Cheng sighed. “I’m just like my mom… only losing my temper with the people closest to me.”
Her mother was the same, always kind and polite to outsiders but constantly picking fights with her dad over the smallest things. Chen Cheng had been caught in the crossfire many times.
Even after nearly forty years across two lifetimes, she still couldn’t escape her mother’s shadow. Sometimes, she felt like she was becoming more and more like her, and that terrified her. It made her hesitate about having a child, afraid they might end up with a mother just like hers.
“How about we start by getting a cat?”
“I don’t want one…”
Standing behind her, An Yuan gently stroked her hair. Her parents’ influence still loomed over her, even now. It made his heart ache.
“If you don’t even have patience for a cat, where are you going to find the patience to raise a child?”
“Then what about you?”
“I think I’d be a decent dad. I’ll just follow my parents’ example. At the very least, I can give our child a happy childhood.”
“That sounds nice~”