After dinner, the four of them gathered around the dining table and talked about children for a long time.
Lily Howard had bought Sarah heaps of maternity and baby products. Buying these things now was really premature, but according to Lily: she just couldnât help herself.
Before nine oâclock, Lily coaxed Sarah to go to sleep, claiming it was for the good of the baby in her belly.
Sarah listened to Lily obediently, and the two of them sweetly headed back to their room to rest.
Purple Summers picked up a childâs plush toy, found it novel, and wondered: Does everyone with a baby become like this? A shopping maniac for maternity and baby products?
In her past two lifetimes, she had never had children, not that she regretted it; she was merely curious.
Alexander Summers watched her from the side and asked with a smile, âDo you want to experience it?â
âExperience what?â Purple was puzzled.
Alexander said, âExperience what itâs like to have a child.â
Purple, hearing this response, felt completely unenthused, disdainfully rolled her eyes at Alexander, and couldnât even be bothered to scold him.
Alexander took the plush toy from her hands, smiled, and stuffed it into Purpleâs clothes, patting the bulge that formed, âThere, now experience it.â
Purple: ââ¦â
âWhatâs wrong?â Alexander earnestly scrutinized Purple, teasingly said, âYou seem a bit disappointed. Did you think I was actually going to get you pregnant?â
Purple pulled the stuffed toy out of her clothes and angrily threw it at Alexanderâs face, âBoring!â
She turned and went upstairs.
Alexander picked up the toy, quickly caught up to her with his long strides, and grabbing her hand said, âPurple, although we canât have kids just yet, we should start planning for it. Starting today, we need to quit smoking and drinking so we can have a beautiful and healthy princess.â
He always talked about having daughters, three of them, in fact.
But Purple wanted to have a boy.
It wasnât out of any gender preference, but because she felt that womenâs lives are especially difficult in this world.
Perhaps menâs lives are difficult too?
â¦Forget it, she was a woman; she couldnât empathize with men.
Purple shook off Alexanderâs hand with a little force, but not enough to break free.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
Her cheeks flushed, her tone proud, âUp to you, quit if you want to.â
âYou need to quit too,â Alexander reminded her, âFrom now on, no more drinking, stay away from places with chemical pollution, and use your phone less, it has radiation.â
Purple said irritably, âItâs too much trouble; I wonât have any!â
âItâs not a hassle,â Alexander coaxed her up the stairs, âyou just need to lie thereâ¦â
â¦
The night air in May was cool, filled with the faint, fresh scent of grass and trees.
Jade Carlson lay in bed with an indescribable feeling of restlessness inside her, clawing at her insides so she couldnât sleep.
She sat up, drank a big glass of water, but still couldnât calm down.
The irritability made it impossible for her to focus or think clearly. Jade found it unbearable, thinking to herself: Just one would do, just one⦠Itâs fineâ¦
She glanced at her phone; it showed 11:20 PM.
Everyone should be asleep by this time, right?
Jade opened her closet, reached into the pile of clothes, and after a moment, pulled out two cigarettes.
Nathaniel Summers smoked, but he wasnât one to keep track of how many cigarettes he had left in the pack; when Jade went in and out of his bedroom and study to clean, the cigarette pack was just lying on the table.
Sheâd always take one or two without anyone noticing.
Holding the cigarettes, Jade told herself: Itâs okay, just one.
She couldnât find a lighter in her room, which she found strange, suddenly recalling that Evelyn Willard had come to the Summers Family house today. Could it be that Evelyn had taken her lighter?
After all, Evelyn herself was an addictâ¦
Jade grew even more restless.
Enduring the discomfort, she went to Evelynâs room.
Evelyn wasnât asleep; seeing Jade come in, she slightly furrowed her brows and asked, âWhy arenât you asleep yet?â