Chapter 409 - Watermelon And Lolly

Being first- time parents was tough, especially when neither Halia nor Jackson had their mothers around to share knowledge and experience. Fortunately, Aunt Lily stepped in at this time to guide them.

After Emma Wu was sent to prison, Jack Wu divorced her and officially married Aunt Lily, making her his one and only wife. Even though Aunt Lily had given birth to Jaclyn and stuck by Father Wu's side for decades, their relationship had never been official on paper due to the law. But now, she was officially Jackson and Emerson's stepmother. Thus, she saw Halia as her daughter-in-law and Laurie as her granddaughter.

Aunt Lily was an open-minded woman. When she first discovered that her daughter, Jaclyn, was in a relationship with a woman, she was quite surprised. But she quickly accepted it; especially after she did a few video calls with the couple and saw how well they took care of each other. Of course, as a mother, she did have a few concerns for her daughter, including marriage and children. 

But due to living away from home for most of her life, Jaclyn was mature and understood herself well, so she told her mother straightforwardly that she was not getting married and not having children; her relationship was not defined by these two things and her love for Mia was not going to be any less without it. Aunt Lily respected her decision. But deep down, she actually dreamed about having a grandchild.

So, when Halia and Jackson gave birth, she immediately treated the child as her own grandchild and offered to help. For the first month, Halia and Laurie followed the tradition of a one-month confinement period and did not leave their apartment. This was a tradition for the mother to recover from giving birth and also for the fragile baby to adjust to the world. During this time, outsiders were asked to refrain from visiting and only immediate family saw the baby, so Aunt Lily was the only person apart from Jackson that Halia saw for an entire month. As a part of the traditions, Halia was told to avoid cold weather and wind. So, even though it was summer, Aunt Lily made sure that she was always wrapped in clothing and no part of her body was exposed to the elements. It was a bit difficult at first, but Halia understood that these traditions were a part of her culture and Aunt Lily was doing it because she genuinely cared about her.

In the blink of an eye, one month passed.

It was tradition to host a one-month party for a new baby. Not only was it a chance for friends and family to officially meet the newborn, but it was also an opportunity for them to bless it with good luck and health.

Due to Halia's 'secret room' in the apartment, they could not host the party at home. Instead, they returned to the Wu Family Mansion.

Halia wanted to keep the party small and intimate, so only her closest friends and family arrived. This included Natalie's family and Halia's father who flew in from Guiyang City.

As Natalie arrived at the luxurious mansion, she was also holding a baby in her arms. She had given birth while Halia was away and her child was a couple of months older than Laurie.

When Pumpkin saw Halia, he ran straight up to her and wrapped his arms around her leg. "Auntie Haili, can I see your baby?" he asked.

Halia glanced down at the little boy and smiled. She then leaned over and showed the little girl in her arms to him.

As soon as Pumpkin saw the baby, his eyes lit up, "Is it a girl? Are girl babies different to boy babies?"

Pumpkin was asking this because Natalie had given birth to another boy. For a little while, Natalie thought she was having a girl because the ultrasound was unclear, so Pumpkin thought he was getting a sister. But it turned out to be a brother, so Pumpkin was extremely curious how different a sister would have been.

"Baby Nicholas cries a lot. Sometimes, I can't even sleep at night. I gave him the nickname Watermelon because he seems to be made out of water. Does your baby cry a lot too, Auntie Haili?" Pumpkin asked with a frustrated pout.

Halia laughed and patted the little boy on the head, "Dear, all babies cry. It's their way of communicating because they can't talk yet. You cried a lot too when you were a baby."

Pumpkin scratched the back of his head with embarrassment, "Did I?"

Halia nodded her head, "Yes, that's why you need to treat your Mommy well and help her around the house. She went through a lot to raise you. Now you understand how difficult it was."

Pumpkin immediately nodded his head and turned around just as Natalie caught up.

"Mommy, you've been working hard. Let me introduce Watermelon to Auntie Haili's baby," he said as he stretched out his arms.

Natalie smiled and gently placed the baby in his brother's arms. Of course, she kept one hand underneath the entire time to make sure he was safe.

"By the way, Auntie Haili, what's your baby's name?" Pumpkin asked as he leaned over and looked at the little girl.

"Her name is Laurie," Halia replied with a smile.

Pumpkin's eye lit up and a big grin appeared on his face, "Lolly? I like lollies!"

Natalie chuckled and tried to correct her son, but Halia pulled her back and laughed, "He can call her Lolly if he wants. That's a pretty sweet nickname."

Natalie smiled and leaned over to whisper in her friend's ear, "Yes, that's a pretty sweet nickname for his future sister-in-law."

She then winked, "Don't forget about the conversation that we had in Korea!"

Halia looked at her best friend in confusion but quickly realized what she was referring to. Future sister-in-law? Conversation in Korea? That was right, on the day that she revealed her pregnancy to Natalie, Natalie had suggested that their kids get married if they gave birth to different genders...

And now, she had given birth to a daughter while Natalie gave birth to a son...

But...wasn't that just a joke...?