Sneaky Snacking

"Umm..." Yueyue sat on Jada's bed, tilting her little head, her expression becoming troubled.

Jada noticed immediately and asked curiously, "Yueyue, what's wrong? Is something bothering you?"

"I'm just thinking..." Yueyue frowned, looking at Jada's belly. "How did the baby get into Mommy's belly?"

She had been curious about this for a while. How did the baby end up in Mommy's belly? Since the baby wouldn't come out for another ten months, how did it eat in the meantime?

Could it be...

An image suddenly appeared in Yueyue's mind. A baby lying in Mommy's belly, opening its mouth, eating the food Mommy chewed.

Eww~~

The thought made Yueyue feel nauseous, and she made a face like she was about to throw up.

Ren and Jada saw her expression and, though they didn't know exactly what she was thinking, they could tell Yueyue had gotten it wrong.

"Don't let your imagination run wild. You'll understand when you're older," Ren said, tapping her little head.

Being a parent can be quite troublesome. Kids are very curious, but some things aren't appropriate for them to know at their age. Even if you explain, they might not understand.

But Yueyue was unhappy with Ren's response!

"I'm already grown up!" she pouted, flexing her arms to show off her "muscles." "I'm in elementary school now! The teacher said I'm a big kid!"

"Sure, but you still need to get a bit older," Ren said, patting her head to calm her down.

"How much older? As old as Mommy? Isn't that too... ouch, ouch, ouch."

Before she could finish, Jada gently pinched Yueyue's cheek, smiling but with a hint of menace. "What were you about to say about Mommy?"

"Nothing!!" Yueyue's survival instinct kicked in. Her eyes darted around, and then she placed her hands on Jada's belly. "Um, baby, come out soon. Big sister has lots of yummy food and fun toys for you~~"

Most importantly, when you come out, you'll share the pain of Daddy and Mommy's attention. It won't just be me getting my cheeks pinched!

Of course, Yueyue didn't say the last part out loud.

Seeing her daughter's antics, Jada's face was full of warmth. Her hand instinctively rested on her belly too.

She could feel the presence of the baby inside, sensing the life growing within her.

She had felt this before, years ago. But now, it felt different because...

Jada glanced at Ren beside her and then at Yueyue by the bed. Her smile widened, and she felt a deeper sense of security.

This time, she wasn't alone.

But just then, Yueyue suddenly jumped up and looked at Ren. "Daddy, it's time to help me with my homework. But I left it in the car. Come help me get it!"

"Homework?" Ren was puzzled for a moment, then understood. "Oh, right. I'll help you get it. You wait in your room."

"!!!" Yueyue's eyes widened. "No, I'll go with you!!"

Jada watched the father and daughter argue about who should get the homework, feeling confused. Something seemed off.

Usually, Yueyue hated doing homework, and Ren disliked helping her with it.

Why were they so eager today?

"Are you two hiding something from me?" Jada narrowed her eyes at them.

Her words made them stop arguing and look at her in unison, replying, "No, nothing at all~~"

"Yueyue, you usually hate doing homework," Jada pointed out, then turned to Ren. "And you, you hate helping her."

"That's because..." Ren's eyes darted around. "If I don't help, you'll have to. But now that you're pregnant, I should take over. We can't have you getting too stressed. Stress can be bad for the baby."

Yueyue nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes. I need to set a good example for my little brother or sister. It's what Daddy calls pre-natal education!"

"Hmm, that makes sense." Jada found their reasons plausible and nodded, correcting Yueyue's terminology. "Alright, you can go."

To her, even if they were hiding something, it shouldn't be anything serious. Just going to the car was harmless.

"Let's go."

The father and daughter exchanged a glance, grinning, and dashed out.

After a while, Jada checked the time and frowned.

It shouldn't take this long to get homework from the car, right?

Maybe I should check?

With that thought, Jada got up and headed towards the garage.

Meanwhile, in the garage, Ren and Yueyue sat in the back seat, munching on snacks.

"Daddy, you're so sneaky!" Yueyue's mouth was greasy from the barbecue. She looked at Ren disapprovingly. "You wanted to eat all the barbecue by yourself, didn't you?"

Thinking of that, Yueyue felt annoyed.

"No way. I was going to bring it to your room so we could eat it together," Ren denied, though he had briefly considered it. He remained calm, denying Yueyue's accusation.

Then he took a bite of his lamb skewer.

This past period had been tough for him.

Since Jada would get nauseous from certain smells, their meals had been bland. He had to sneakily eat his favorite foods, like this barbecue he picked up while fetching Yueyue from school.

"Hmph, fine~" Yueyue huffed, then pouted. "But the barbecue is a bit cold."

"Well, better cold than none at all!"

"Sigh!" Father and daughter sighed in unison.

"What are you two doing?" Just then, a familiar voice made them look up, dropping their skewers.

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