After Ning Anmiao reluctantly uttered the word "thank you", she picked up the spoon and finished the bowl of soup expressionlessly, leaving not a single bit of residue.
To be honest, it tasted pretty good.
"You're so good," Lu Yan said with a slight curve of his lips as he watched her obediently finish the soup. "What reward do you want?"
Rarely hearing the word "reward", Ning Anmiao's eyes lit up. Her mind raced as she thought about what she wanted.
She wanted to play on her phone for half an hour more before going to bed, and she also wanted an upgrade in her diet. Under Lu Yan's supervision recently, she hadn't had anything cold for ages...
"I want to..."
"Only one thing," Lu Yan interrupted her before she could finish, looking quite self - satisfied. "Greedy kids don't get rewards."
Ning Anmiao: "..."
She quit.
She stood up angrily, gave him a fierce glare, then stormed into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
Lu Yan was clearly bullying her!
She plopped down on the bed and took out her phone to make a complaint call.
It had only been a few days since they got married, but she had to endure the man's temper all day long. She was unhappy. Just like other aggrieved young brides, she wanted to go back to her parents' home!
However, after the call was connected, she realized she had miscalculated.
It turned out that since the day the examination results came out, Lu Yan had reported Ning Anmiao's physical condition to her parents exactly as it was.
Naturally, she couldn't hide the fact that she had a deficiency of qi and blood.
"Miaomiao, just listen to Lu Yan. He's doing this for your own good, okay?" Bai Jiaying's gentle voice came through the phone receiver.
Ning Anmiao was about to argue when Bai Jiaying continued slowly and calmly, "You've been spoiled by your father and me since you were a child. You don't take anything seriously. Have you read the examination report?"
Ning Anmiao pursed her lips and didn't say a word for a moment.
When the examination report came out, she had taken a quick look at it. Besides the deficiency of qi and blood, there were also several other physical examination data that didn't meet the standard, but she didn't take it to heart.
Since she chose to study design, staying up all night had been a common occurrence during her college years. Sometimes, when she got used to being busy, she would just have a hasty meal. Her body had already developed some chronic problems.
After she married Lu Yan, due to the constant sarcasm from Lu's mother and the mental pressure, she also had a poor appetite, and her overall physical condition hadn't been properly adjusted.
However, all that was in the past. Ning Anmiao was a positive young girl. Now that her relationship with Lu Yan was getting better and better, she had almost forgotten all those past events.
She didn't care about her own physical condition, but those who loved her did.
"You've never suffered when you were young. You've been tossing around because you thought you were in good health. When you reach my age, you'll regret it," Bai Jiaying said.
Ning Anmiao didn't take it seriously. "The pace of life is fast nowadays. Everyone has some minor ailments."
Bai Jiaying smiled. "You don't know how lucky you are. Among young people nowadays, who else can be as concerned about your physical condition as Xiao Lu? The delicious meals he cooks for you are all for your sake."
Ning Anmiao wanted to explain that Lu Yan did it so that she could get pregnant easily, but a sudden remark from Bai Jiaying made her stop.
"Also, I was too hasty last time when I urged you and Xiao Lu to have a child. Later, I thought it over and decided to put this matter aside for now."
Ning Anmiao was confused.
Seeing that she was silent, Bai Jiaying asked doubtfully, "Haven't you and Xiao Lu talked about the matter of having a child?"
...
After hanging up the phone with her mother, Ning Anmiao quietly walked out of the bedroom. Lu Yan was still sitting on the chair at the dining table. He turned around when he heard the noise behind him.
"Are you not angry anymore?"
Lu Yan's eyes were as calm as ever, filled with affection and tenderness for her.
Ning Anmiao didn't answer him. She sat down opposite him seriously. Her soft voice came across the table. "Lu Yan, don't you want to have a child?"
Her straightforwardness made Lu Yan pause for a moment.
Lu Yan guessed that they must have talked about this matter.
He was silent for a long time. There was a rare hesitation in his eyes as he looked at her. "Miaomiao, it's not that I don't want a child."
"I just haven't figured out how I should play the role of a father."
As he said these words, Lu Yan's eyes were filled with extremely complex emotions.
Ning Anmiao was stunned.
Lu Yan was a child lacking in emotional experience. He had endured his mother's mental pressure since childhood and lacked his father's care. It was reasonable that he was a bit timid when it came to family affection.
Lu Yan knew that his growth environment was unhealthy. Since he had never experienced a normal family atmosphere, he didn't know how to deal with a child who would call him "daddy".
He would be at a loss.
Regarding the new life that would inherit his bloodline, he felt more at a loss and confused than excited and expectant.
Moreover, the pain and suffering a woman might endure during pregnancy, as well as the unexpected situations and dangers during childbirth, were enough to dispel his thoughts about having a child.
So, in fact, he was more afraid of having a child than Ning Anmiao.
Ning Anmiao looked at Lu Yan's somewhat profound expression and knew that he really had some resistance to this matter.
She and Lu Yan might be two extremes.
Ning Anmiao had undoubtedly grown up bathed in family affection. Her sentimentality and tenderness mostly came from the influence of her family.
It was easy to see the shadows of Ning Zhijing and Bai Jiaying from Ning Anmiao.
Parents' words and deeds, as well as their influence, could greatly affect what kind of person a child would become.
But Lu Yan was different.
He had built his own life step by step, with blood and sweat.
"If it's not for the sake of having a child, why do you still make me eat all these?"
Ning Anmiao knew this topic was a bit heavy, so she smiled and changed the subject, pointing at the still - warm food on the table. "If this goes on, people will think I'm in confinement."
Lu Yan didn't argue much. He just nodded and gave in a bit. "Okay, I'll make some changes."
He had just reflected on it. Although these foods were good for her health, eating them every day might have the opposite effect. He had originally planned to adjust the frequency and make some sweet foods that she usually liked.
After all, besides her health, Miaomiao's mood was equally important.
Seeing him give in, Ning Anmiao rolled her eyes and wanted to push her luck. "Can I go to bed a bit later tonight..."
"You must go to bed before 10 p.m. every night. There's no room for negotiation," Lu Yan squinted his eyes and said in a deep and serious voice without leaving any room for her. "Your current workload doesn't require you to stay up late."
His tone was very tough, just like a superior giving orders to a subordinate.
Ning Anmiao lowered her eyes resignedly. "Okay, I got it."