Zhang Yu knew that the journey was truly not easy, but she never expected it to be this difficult. Except for eating and dealing with biological needs, the car basically kept running constantly. Zhang Yu kept holding Xiao Xi, and when the young man said they had arrived, she was overjoyed. At the same time, she started to worry. Zhao Xi, being somewhat sensible now, also began to show signs of impatience and a bit of a temper. Imagine having to take care of not just this one, but also a child under a year old. How would she manage the journey? Zhang Yu couldn’t help but worry. She couldn’t just stay here for two or three years, could she? What about the situation in the Capital City? Although the old man was there, and even if Xiao Yi—the little fox—wanted to take advantage of him, it wouldn’t be easy, Zhang Yu was still a bit uneasy. Things were quite tumultuous in the Capital City. Plus, Xue Li had come back, and that girl had many grievances about their family. Zhao Lei received the news that Zhang Yu and his daughter had arrived, so he immediately took leave and rushed out. From a distance, he saw an old man and a child just standing at the entrance of the research institute. Seeing Zhang Yu’s figure, his once excited heart couldn’t help but feel anxious. If it weren’t for him, his mother wouldn’t have needed to travel such a long distance. Even though the child seemed a bit weary, Zhang Yu recognized him at a glance, "Hey, what are you standing there dumbfounded for? Come and help carry the stuff." "Really, I thought being with smart people, you’d at least become smarter, but you’re just this silly." Zhao Lei made a sound of acknowledgment and rushed over, "Mom." Zhao Lei gave Zhang Yu a big hug, "Thank you, Mom." He looked down at the child with big shining eyes, really similar to him just like in the photos. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽 Though they were obviously father and daughter, Zhao Lei didn’t know what to say. "Daddy." Zhao Xi knew they were there to see her parents and had seen their photos. Zhao Lei didn’t expect his daughter to call him daddy proactively without him even introducing himself, and it made him very excited. "Daddy." Zhao Xi noticed Zhao Lei didn’t respond and didn’t understand the situation, finding it a bit tricky. Could it be he didn’t hear her? Her voice was loud enough, so why didn’t he hear? Could it be, like her grandparents, his hearing wasn’t good? She decided to call louder. "Ah, Daddy’s good girl." Zhao Lei couldn’t control his tears, they flowed down as he picked her up. "Xiao Xi, Daddy will get the luggage, and we’ll go home together." Although he wanted to hold his daughter longer, there was so much luggage to move. Xiao Min knew that if things went smoothly, Zhang Yu and the others would arrive today, so she left work on time. Even though dinner was ready, there was no sign of them. Just as she wondered if there was a problem or a delay in the convoy, she heard Zhao Lei’s excited voice. Without needing to go outside, she knew Zhang Yu and the others had arrived. She swayed her way to the door, and as soon as she poked her head out, Zhang Yu saw a very pregnant belly, "Xiao Min, go back inside." November in the Northwest was truly cold, especially after sunset when the wind was brutally fierce. "Mama." Zhao Xi knew Xiao Min was her sister, and hearing the name, she happily shouted. Xiao Min had imagined countless times the scene of her daughter calling her Mama, waking up smiling every time, only to find Zhao Lei by her side. Now finally, her daughter was beside her, and she heard the long-awaited call of "Mama." "Mama’s good girl." Xiao Min really wanted to squat down and give Zhao Xi a big hug. But her belly was already pretty big now, and squatting was a difficult task. Zhao Xi hugged her leg, "Mama, don’t squat. It’s tiring." The sensible child knew squatting was hard for her, and her grandmother really educated Xiao Xi well, "Mom, thank you." "Thank you for what, she’s our child." Zhang Yu waved it off as it was her duty, "Besides, both Xiao Yi and Xiao Hong helped a lot." "Alright, let’s go inside." Zhang Yu carried the things into the house, finding it quite warm, "Have you installed heating?" In apartment buildings in the Capital City, they all had heating now. In winter, it was warm, making already sought-after apartments even more coveted. Zhao Lei had already tidied up the room, placing the belongings inside, "Yes, the boiler room is just next door, the leadership said we would use the boiler anyway." "Even the bathroom has heating. Mom, why don’t you take a bath?" Zhao Lei guessed Zhang Yu was really eager to take a bath. Being able to bathe at home delighted Zhang Yu, "I must take a bath." "Mom, you can even soak in the bath." Xiao Min knew Zhang Yu loved soaking baths, and she also found soaking made her feel much better. Even though they did exercises every day, once busy, they couldn’t manage anything else. Fortunately, they could take regular baths, which relaxed not only the body but also the mind. Zhang Yu was surprised to find a bathtub here, and she nodded eagerly, "I want to." "A relaxing bath daily feels really good." With the heating at home, it was even more comfortable to bathe. Zhang Yu instructed Zhao Lei to put away the things they brought, "By the way, if you have time, invite the grandparents over for a meal." With the Xiao Family elders here, as a junior, Zhang Yu definitely wanted to treat them to a meal. "Alright." Xiao Min knew Zhang Yu wasn’t the type to pretend, and it was indeed meant sincerely. Zhang Yu quickly got acquainted with the surroundings, like how there were wild rabbits on the surrounding hills. Although it was snowing, setting a trap in the snow could still catch rabbits. Of course, there was also fishing in the river. Though the catch wasn’t plentiful, there were still some fish. "We’ll keep the fish, so after Xiao Min gives birth, she can have some good nourishment." As for rabbit meat, Zhang Yu would cook nourishing meals for the pregnant, and as for the rabbit fur, she certainly wouldn’t hesitate to skin it. "Make a vest and knee warmers for the old man." Even with heating inside, there was still occasional need to go outside. "If there’s more, make some rabbit fur quilts for the two children." Zhang Yu initially thought that with the stationed troops, there wouldn’t be much wildlife on the mountains. To her surprise, there were quite a few wild animals, and she even caught wild pheasants. Although she wasn’t sure why the pheasants were still out in this season, it didn’t matter. The important thing was making chicken soup. If they were in the Capital City, even a trip to the black market could yield some eggs, but here, that was out of the question. Even though Zhao Lei mentioned that after the baby was born, the leadership would provide some subsidies, Zhang Yu knew she couldn’t rely heavily on it. The supplies here had to be transported from outside, and the convoy that picked her up was on a grocery run. Zhang Yu still planned for self-sufficiency, ensuring that they would have adequate supplies prepared to prevent panic when the time came. Fortunately, with her efforts, by the time Xiao Min gave birth, she had gathered everything they needed, finally allowing Zhang Yu to breathe a sigh of relief.