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Jing Jing stepped into the kitchen, humming to herself as she opened the refrigerator. Spotting a bag of Bloomsdale Long Standing Spinach, she pulled it out with a cheerful smile. Bao Bao deserved a little entertainment, and so, with playful enthusiasm, she launched into a song.
"I’m bringing home my baby, Bumblebee. Won’t my mommy be so proud of me? I’m bringing home my baby, Bumblebee—tickle, tickle!"
She giggled as she tickled her baby bump, earning a soft kick in return. “Oh, you’re so cute!”
Still singing, she turned to the sink, filling it with water to soak the spinach.
"I’m cleaning up my baby, Bumblebee. Won’t my mommy be so proud of me? I’m cleaning up my baby, Bumblebee…"
Her melody trailed off into a sharp, startled exclamation. "Ewww … Yuck!"
Yu Tu glanced up from his computer at the sudden outburst, his lips twitching as he took in the sight, his wife holding up a limp, rotting strand of spinach between two fingers, her expression somewhere between amused and mildly horrified.
A chuckle rumbled in his chest as a thought struck him. He could picture it so clearly, Jing Jing standing in their future nursery, singing the exact same song, only this time holding up a diaper instead of wilted spinach.
Jing Jing wrinkled her nose in disgust and quickly tossed the wilted strand of spinach onto the counter, as if it were contaminated. She wiped her fingers on a paper towel, shuddering slightly at the thought of touching something so unappetizing.
Yu Tu chuckled, already anticipating the inevitable comparison. He stood from his desk and approached her from behind, wrapping an arm gently around her waist. Leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss against her cheek.
“You won’t be doing that when you’re cleaning up after our baby, will you?” he murmured, amusement lacing his words.
Jing Jing froze for a second before turning her head slightly, giving him a mock glare. “Don’t remind me,” she huffed, though the warmth in her eyes betrayed the smile she was fighting.
Yu Tu squeezed her waist reassuringly, his expression soft. “It’s all part of the journey.”
She sighed, shaking her head as she glanced at the discarded spinach. “Fine, but I’m still washing my hands, twice.”
Yu Tu laughed. “And how did our baby turn from a rabbit to a bumblebee?”
Jing Jing shot him a playful look as she rinsed off the rest of the spinach. “Bao Bao has many forms,” she said matter-of-factly. “A rabbit when I want to cuddle, a bumblebee when I want to sing, and maybe a little dragon if Bao Bao inherits your temper.”
Yu Tu raised an eyebrow, amused. “My temper?”
She gave him a knowing smile. “You do have your moments. And don’t think I haven’t noticed how protective you’ve become lately again, following me around like a shadow, double-checking everything I eat, making sure I’m resting enough.”
Yu Tu leaned against the counter, folding his arms. “That’s called being a responsible husband.”
Jing Jing scoffed, drying her hands. “Responsible? You made me switch pillows last week because you read somewhere that my neck needed more support.”
“That’s just good physics,” Yu Tu defended, but his smirk betrayed him.
She laughed, shaking her head before turning back to the spinach. “Well, whatever Bao Bao turns out to be, a rabbit, a bumblebee, or a dragon, Bao Bao will be loved.” Her voice softened. “Even though I still wonder if I’ll be a good mother.”
Yu Tu’s response was immediate, though his tone remained teasing. “Of course you will! You’ve come a long way since we got married. I don’t even need to buy breakfast anymore, because now you can make hard-boiled eggs, soft-boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and even over-medium eggs!”
Jing Jing shot him a look. “That’s hardly enough to feed a baby.”
“Well,” Yu Tu smirked, “your muffins are getting softer and easier to bite.”
Jing Jing chuckled, thinking back to the so-called muffins she had attempted the day before. “They still require a bite, then a pull, and then chew them properly,” she admitted.
Yu Tu’s grin widened. “Proves baking is indeed rocket science.” Then, with a playful glint in his eyes, he added, “By the time Bao Bao is old enough to have opinions on food, you’ll have mastered the art.”
Jing Jing narrowed her eyes slightly, trying to decipher his meaning. Is he thinking it would take me that long to learn how to make muffins from scratch?
Seeing the flicker of thought in her expression, Yu Tu quickly amended. “Because you’re so smart, I know you’ll succeed in whatever you set your mind to. And Bao Bao will be spoiled with all the different variety of muffins you’ll make.”
“Of course!” A small smile escaped her as she continued washing the spinach, leaf by leaf. “And what exactly did I do to make you so confident about that?”
Yu Tu leaned against the counter, his mind drifting back to the early days of their marriage, the time when all his white clothes mysteriously turned pink because she hadn’t known to separate the colors. His lips curled into a smirk.
“Well,” he said, amusement flickering in his gaze, “the fact that I no longer wear pink undergarments and pink pajamas speaks volumes.”
Jing Jing gasped slightly, before bursting into laughter. “Oh my goodness, I nearly forgot about that!” She shook her head, recalling his horror when he pulled his clothes out of the laundry that day. “I really did turn you into a walking cherry blossom, didn’t I?”
Yu Tu chuckled, reaching out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “And now, look at you, handling spinach leaf by leaf like a pro.”
Jing Jing sniffed dramatically. “Growth.”
Yu Tu smiled warmly, watching her as she continued her meticulous task. Yes, this is growth, he thought. And soon, she would embrace an even greater role with the same unwavering dedication, the same warmth, and the same love she’d shown all along.
One week after Mid-Autumn Festival, Jing Jing sat across from Yu Tu at the dinner table, absently stirring the soup in her bowl. As she took a sip, a familiar thought surfaced, it was an echo from her childhood. She chuckled, shaking her head.
“You know, my grandma used to always tell me not to listen to my mom.”
Yu Tu glanced up from his meal, amused. “Really? That sounds dangerous.”
Jing Jing smirked. “She’d say, ‘Your mother is too strict, don’t listen to her!’ And of course, I’d nod and pretend to agree. But in reality, I did exactly what my mom told me anyway.”
Yu Tu chuckled. “Sounds like your grandma wanted to be your favorite, and to spoil you.”
“Obviously,” Jing Jing said with a playful roll of her eyes. She set down her spoon and leaned forward. “Do you think your mom will do the same with our child? Will she tell Bao Bao not to listen to me?”
Yu Tu thought for a moment before laughing softly. “No, I don’t think she would. She adores you too much!”
Jing Jing raised a curious brow. “Really? Now that I think about it, I think all grandmothers do that.”
With a knowing smirk, he leaned back in his chair. “I have a feeling she’ll tell Bao Bao not to listen to me instead.”
Jing Jing burst into laughter, nearly knocking her chopsticks off the table. “Oh, that is so true! Your mom adores you, but she never lets you off easy.”
"Yeah, especially now that she has her ideal daughter-in-law," Yu Tu sighed dramatically, taking another bite of his food. He shook his head as if in deep resignation. "It’s a tough life."
Jing Jing smirked, watching him feign defeat. With a playful nudge, she teased. "Poor Chief Engineer Yu, outranked by his own mother."
Yu Tu sighed again, resting his chopsticks on the edge of his plate. "First my mother, next our child. At this rate, I might as well accept my fate."
Jing Jing laughed, amused by his theatrics. "It’s okay, as long as you remember that I rank higher than all of them."
Yu Tu raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Oh? So now I’m third in command?"
"No, fifth," she corrected smugly, picking up her soup spoon. "You’re forgetting Bao Bao’s future stuffed animal army."
Yu Tu let out an exaggerated sigh, placing a hand dramatically over his heart. “That’s it. I demand formal renegotiation! I refuse to accept these rankings without a fair vote.”
Jing Jing raised an eyebrow, amused. “A vote? Between whom? Me, Bao Bao, and the stuffed animals?”
Yu Tu nodded solemnly. “Precisely. I expect equal representation in this household.”
Jing Jing laughed, shaking her head. “I hate to break it to you, but you’re already outnumbered.”
Yu Tu sighed dramatically, shaking his head. “What is becoming of my life? Outranked by our own child.”
Jing Jing laughed, leaning back in her chair. “Well, get used to it. Soon, you won’t even be in charge of your own sleep schedule.”
Yu Tu shot her a look, but amusement flickered in his eyes.
They shared a knowing glance, the reality sinking in. Yes, parenthood would bring new dynamics, new challenges, and plenty of unexpected moments; but as long as they faced it together, they knew they could handle anything.
The next morning, Jing Jing sat on the couch, resting her hands lightly on her belly as Madam Ling and Xiao Zhu arrived. Xiao Zhu wasted no time.
“We need to settle on a baby shower date,” she announced, sitting down beside Jing Jing with a determined expression. “Pei Pei has been nagging us about it for weeks!”
Madam Ling chuckled as she set down a small bag of snacks on the coffee table. “You know her, once she has an idea, she won’t let it go.”
Jing Jing sighed, amused. “Yes, I can certainly picture that.”
Yu Tu, seated beside his wife, nodded knowingly. “And she won’t stop until it is set in stone, either.”
“So,” Madam Ling said, turning her attention to Jing Jing and Yu Tu, “have you two decided on a date?”
Jing Jing glanced at Yu Tu before answering. “Maybe October 25th? I have an appointment on Friday, the 26th, and the crib is being delivered on Saturday, the 27th.”
Yu Tu nodded in agreement, but when he looked up at Madam Ling and Xiao Zhu, they both had puzzled expressions.
“I have to be in Xian from October 15th to 22nd and won’t be back until the 23rd,” he added.
Xiao Zhu did a quick calculation in her head, glancing at Jing Jing’s belly before her eyebrows lifted. “Wow, October 25th? That’s cutting it close!”
“Well,” Jing Jing said with a small smile, and pulled out her pregnancy app. “I’ll be 34 weeks along, so there’s plenty of time before the due date.”
Madam Ling nodded thoughtfully. “Then Thursday, October 25th seems like a good day.”
Yu Tu chuckled, shaking his head lightly. “Let’s hope Pei Pei agrees.”
“She’ll have to. That’s final.” Jing Jing threw in her weight, patting her belly. “If she’s still thinking about being Bao Bao’s godmother, she better not complain.”
Xiao Zhu smirked. “Then I’ll relay the message and make sure she doesn’t try to push it earlier. I’ll also let her know you haven’t finalized who will be Bao Bao’s godmother yet.”
Jing Jing rolled her eyes playfully, but before she could respond, Yu Tu leaned forward. “My friend, Zhai Liang, will be in Shanghai on the 24th with his wife and son, so October 25th really does sound like the best day.”
Madam Ling raised a brow. “What about your parents? Do we need to arrange transportation for them to get here?”
Yu Tu shook his head. “No, they’re all coming before I leave for Xian and staying until the baby is born.”
Jing Jing turned to him in surprise. “They are? Wait, they’re staying that long?”
The room filled with chuckles at her stunned expression, and Xiao Zhu laughed. “You’re not going to try to get rid of them again this time, are you?”
Jing Jing let out a slow breath. “I guess it wouldn’t make sense to send them back for a few weeks … there’s a chance the baby might come early.”
Jing Jing stared at the ultrasound screen, her doctor’s words still echoing in her mind. Bao Bao was developing ahead of schedule, meaning her carefully planned timeline might need a serious adjustment.
By the time she got home, her heart pounded with excitement and nerves. Without hesitation, she dialed Yu Tu’s number.
It only rang twice before he picked up. “Hey, everything okay?”
Jing Jing barely gave him time to finish. “Bao Bao is coming early!” she exclaimed, breathless.
There was a pause, as if Yu Tu’s brain needed an extra second to process what she’d just said. “Wait, what?”
“The doctor says I’m actually at week 34, not 32!” Jing Jing rushed on. “Which means Bao Bao could arrive two weeks earlier than we expected!”
Yu Tu, ever the engineer, quickly did the mental math. “That means the week of October 22 …” His voice suddenly halted. “Oh no.”
Jing Jing laughed at his realization. “Yes, Mr. Chief Engineer, right smack in the middle of your Xian trip.”
Yu Tu let out a deep exhale, already recalculating everything in his mind. “I need to talk to my supervisor.”
“You might want to call Pei Pei as well. She’s about to lose her baby shower plans.” Jing Jing grinned despite the chaos swirling in her mind.
Yu Tu sighed, but there was a hint of amused surrender in his tone. “Somehow, I knew Bao Bao would have his own timeline.”
“Of course he does. He’s our Bao Bao.”
As the weight of it all settled in, Yu Tu’s voice grew warm. “How are you feeling?”
Jing Jing took a slow breath, gazing down at her belly, feeling a flutter of anticipation. “Honestly? Excited. Nervous. But mostly ready.”
Yu Tu smiled on the other end of the call. “Then I’ll be ready too.”
=====
Still buzzing from the assumed week 32 doctor’s visit, Jing Jing sat at the dining table, replaying the news in her mind. It had been a surreal moment, with her parents and Yu Tu’s parents all sitting beside her in the doctor’s office while she learned Bao Bao was actually further along than expected, with Yu Tu’s absence, her mother had taken on the role of asking careful, detailed questions while his mother squeezed her hand reassuringly.
The next day, she had called Madam Ling and Xiao Zhu over with the intention of discussing the baby shower. Over a warm pot of tea, Jing Jing’s mother shook her head firmly. “The doctor may say one thing, but experience tells me otherwise, first babies tend to take their time.”
As they settled into conversation, Pei Pei’s face popped up on the screen, joining them via WeChat Video Call. “I heard there’s a debate about Bao Bao’s arrival,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Let me guess, you all think he’s going to be late?”
Madam Ling chuckled. “Exactly. Jing Jing was always the last to come on stage, always letting others go first. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bao Bao follows the same pattern and arrives in the final week instead.”
Jing Jing let out a soft laugh at the thought. “So you’re saying my baby is just as dramatic as I am?”
Her mother smirked knowingly. “Well, he’s yours, isn’t he?”
Jing Jing raised an eyebrow playfully. “Eh? Who says Bao Bao is a boy?”
Yu Tu’s mother chuckled. “Well, she’s yours too, isn’t she?”
Laughter bubbled around the room. Then Pei Pei voice came in from the laptop.
“Have you had Braxton hicks at all?”
Jing Jing shook her head. “No—not even a twinge.”
Pei Pei waved a hand dismissively. “Then there’s no problem. If there were signs of labor approaching, that’d be different. But since there aren’t, we should go ahead with the shower as planned. Besides, all the invites have been sent and they all RSVP. Except Chen Xue, her husband will pick her up from the airport at four in the afternoon. So they should get to your home by dinner time.”
Jing Jing’s father, sitting nearby, rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “What if the baby comes early?”
Madam Ling scoffed lightly, pouring herself more tea. “First babies don’t usually arrive ahead of schedule. If anything, they prefer to take their time.”
A collective nod of agreement swept around the table. The matter was settled. October 25th would be the day, and nothing, not even Bao Bao was going to change that.
=====
Laughter bubbled around the room as everyone was really glad they had all agreed to stick with the planned date, October 25th. Little did they know; Bao Bao was about to make the grand entrance.
Jing Jing sat back, smiling as she watched the celebration, her hands resting lightly on her belly. Yu Tu was nearby, indulging in a conversation with Zhai Liang and Guan Zai about parenting theories; though he had yet to realize how soon he’d be putting them into practice.
Then, suddenly, a sharp sensation.
Jing Jing gasped softly, her fingers instinctively gripping the arm of the couch. A moment later, a rush of warmth spread across her legs, her heartbeat quickening as realization struck.
She froze. For a second, she simply stared ahead, her mind racing to process what had just happened. This wasn’t a drill.
Xiao Zhu, who had been leaning in to get some more dessert from the coffee table, glanced up at Jing Jing’s expression. "Uh, Jing Jing … what’s wrong?"
Jing Jing’s gaze flickered downward. She swallowed hard, pressing a steadying hand to her belly before whispering, "I think my water just broke."
Silence.
For half a second, no one reacted. Then…
Pei Pei shrieked and jumped to her feet. "Oh my! Oh my … BAO BAO IS COMING!"
The entire room erupted into chaos.
Xiao Zhu jumped up, nearly knocking over the coffee table, then grabbed a pillow; despite having no idea why she did that. Madam Ling, calm but clearly stunned, reached for Jing Jing’s hand to help her up, as if expecting to feel the contractions herself.
Yu Tu, who had just been explaining swaddling techniques, turned mid-sentence and froze. His jaw slackened, the confident logic that usually guided him evaporating in an instant.
“What?” He blinked, his normally sharp mind momentarily short-circuiting.
Beside him, Guan Zai reacted quickly, giving him a firm pat on the back, as if trying to jump-start his mental processor.
Jing Jing gave him a look; half exasperated, half amused. "Didn’t you hear what Pei Pei just said?"
Yu Tu stared at her. Then at the wet spot on the couch. Then his eyes widened.
"Oh." His brain restarted. "Oh!"
Then he sprang into action, immediately pulling out his phone. “We need to get to the hospital … now. No, I need to call the doctor … now. No, wait … we need to - ”
Before he could finish, Zhai Liang grabbed his phone, wagging a finger at him. “You’re about to start an emergency checklist, aren’t you? Probably going to analyze contraction timing like a rocket launch.”
Beside him, Guan Zai nodded sagely. “Just let the professionals do their job. And you, you need to breathe. Go to your wife and stay by her side.”
Yu Tu exhaled sharply, steadying himself. Then, realizing the futility of fighting them, he snatched back his phone, pulling up his contact list. “Fine. But I do need to call the doctor.”
More commotion erupted. Pei Pei darted around, herding guests while Xiao Zhu called out instructions to the two grandmothers, urging them to grab the hospital bag she had helped Jing Jing pack last week.
The grandmothers sprang into action, frantically searching everywhere as if the hospital bag had mysteriously vanished into thin air. In their flurry, they enlisted their husbands, who dutifully looked under tables, behind chairs, and even inside a kitchen cabinet; as if somehow, the bag had decided to play hide-and-seek.
They rushed back and forth, resembling headless chickens caught in a whirlwind of misplaced urgency, their voices overlapping with hurried instructions and exasperated mutterings.
It wasn’t until Shen Jing’s voice cut through the chaos that the confusion came to an abrupt halt.
“I found it! Front door closet!” she called, holding up the very bag that Jing Jing had neatly placed there all along.
Madam Ling grabbed Yu Tu’s arm, steadying him. "Breathe. You’re supposed to be the calm one here."
Yu Tu exhaled sharply, nodding, though his grip tightened around his phone, still processing the reality unfolding before him.
Then he turned to Jing Jing, his hand warm and firm against hers. "You okay?"
Jing Jing, despite everything, grinned, taking a slow, measured breath. "I suppose now is a bad time to mention I was actually thinking about having dessert first?"
Yu Tu managed to laugh; though breathless, overwhelmed, and utterly in awe of her.
And just like that, they were rushing out the door, surrounded by friends, family, and a whirlwind of emotions.
As they hurried toward the elevator that would take them to the underground parking, Jing Jing suddenly glanced over her shoulder, taking in the parade of frantic relatives and friends trailing behind her. Despite the chaos, a mischievous glint flickered in her eyes. She raised an arm, voice clear and full of amusement. “Yoo-hoo! Bao Bao is coming!”
Pei Pei nearly tripped over her own feet, Xiao Zhu let out a giggling groan, and Madam Ling shook her head, though there was an unmistakable smile tugging at her lips.
Even Yu Tu, frazzled yet focused, let out a short laugh, glancing down at his wife with pure adoration.