Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Seeing his father lost in thought and not saying a word, Ji Xiaozhuo, not wanting to be left out, wiggled his chubby body and climbed from Ji Yan’s belly to his chest, his little hands touching the stubble on Ji Yan’s chin as he asked, “Daddy, how many days will you be staying at home this time?”
Ji Yan held him up so he wouldn’t fall off, “Daddy will be staying at home for five days this time.”
“Wow— five days!” Ji Xiaozhuo’s eyes lit up. Five days was a lot of time for Ji Yan. Ji Xiaozhuo had never spent so many days with his father before, so he was almost overjoyed. He hurriedly asked the question he cared about most: “Daddy, Daddy, will you take me to play?”
Ji Yan chuckled, his expression gentler than anyone else’s, “Okay, Daddy will take you to play. Aren’t you going on vacation? I’ll take you when you’re on vacation.”
“Great! I want to go to the amusement park and the ocean world. A lot of people in my kindergarten have been there.” Although Ji Xiaozhuo didn’t seem envious of the other children on the surface, he actually really wanted to go to these places with his parents.
“Okay, let’s go.” Because he didn’t have time, and because Tang Tang had never cared before, the little guy had never been to these places that children love to play. Since he finally had time this time, how could Ji Yan refuse?
“Yay—” Ji Xiaozhuo happily rolled around on Ji Yan like a caterpillar, and while rolling, he continued to ask like a chatterbox, “Then Daddy, will you take me to school tomorrow?”
“Of course, Daddy will drive you there tomorrow.”
Ji Xiaozhuo quickly stopped rolling around, arched his chubby little body up to Ji Yan’s face and said, “And Mommy too, Daddy, you and Mommy will take me to school together, and then pick me up together. Don’t leave Mommy behind, otherwise Mommy will cry if she can’t see me.” Mommy can’t live without him.
Ji Yan: “……..Okay.”
The thought of his parents seeing him off tomorrow made the little guy so excited. Feeling that his father wasn’t a good fit, he simply rolled off Ji Yan and started rolling around on the bed until he was tired. Then he swung his chubby little legs, humming a song, though no one could understand what he was singing.
Ji Yan suddenly noticed that Ji Xiaozhuo was much happier since returning. While he was livelier around him than others, he had never been this cheerful. Was it because of Tang Tang’s change?
Ji Yan suddenly felt that perhaps not divorcing Tang Tang in the past few years was the right thing to do; Ji Xiaozhuo had finally received the motherly love he longed for.
….
The next day, Ji Yan woke up promptly at six o’clock. He glanced at Ji Xiaozhuo; the little guy was fast asleep, sprawled out on his belly. Ji Yan covered his tummy, tiptoed into the bathroom to wash up, and then put on his sportswear to go downstairs for a run. But as soon as he opened the door, he saw Tang Tang coming out of the room.
Tang Tang was startled to see Ji Yan. “You, why are you up so early?”
Ji Yan hadn’t expected her to be up so early either. He nodded to her. “I’m going for a run.”
“Oh, I’ll make breakfast. Do you have anything you like? I’ll make it for you.”
Ji Yan wanted to suggest buying something from outside, but he swallowed the words and said, “Anything is fine. Xiao Zhuo and I aren’t picky.”
“Hmm… okay, I’ll make some meat porridge, steam some buns, and make some fried dumplings. Baby loves fried dumplings.”
Ji Yan nodded, suddenly unsure of what else to say, so he opened the door and went for a run.
“Phew—” Tang Tang only dared to pat her chest and exhale after the door closed. Actually, her composure just now was all an act. She still subconsciously felt nervous when she saw him, but she just didn’t want him to notice.
Sigh… she always felt ashamed in front of him.
Tang Tang touched her face, turned around, and went back into the room, looking at herself in the mirror again.
Although she knew she looked ugly the first time she saw it, looking at herself now, she suddenly felt— even uglier.
The bruises on her face hadn’t faded much, and paired with her sallow complexion, it looked particularly terrifying. Not only that, after so many days, her face still looked like a skeleton, without any sign of weight gain. What was even more devastating was that her long hair was like dry straw, the kind that could catch fire at any moment. How could she possibly look so awful? She really didn’t know how the original owner of this body had ruined her face.
She diligently washed her face and took care of her skin every day, so why couldn’t she look even a little bit better? Just thinking about facing her baby’s father with this ugly face made her want to cover her face. It was amazing that her husband could talk to her without batting an eye. Sigh, with his wife so ugly, it really felt like he was at a disadvantage.
Was there any way to make herself look better? At least not so ugly!
After racking her brains for a long time without coming up with a solution, Tang Tang sighed in frustration and resigned herself to returning to the kitchen to cook. Since she no longer had her beauty, she could only prove herself with her domestic skills; she still had her merits, right?
Ji Yan had a big appetite, and Tang Tang had roughly estimated his appetite, so she made twice the usual amount of breakfast. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t finish it all, but she couldn’t let her baby’s father go hungry.
The timing was perfect; just as Tang Tang finished making breakfast, she heard a noise at the door. Peeking in, she saw Ji Yan walking in, sweat dripping from his hair. His T-shirt was soaked and clung to his body, highlighting his toned abs and pectoral muscles. He exuded a powerful aura that inexplicably made her blush.
Tang Tang hurriedly looked away, not daring to look at him any longer. Trying hard to steady her racing heart, she said, “Y-you’re back! I’ve made breakfast. It’ll be ready to eat in just a moment.”
Ji Yan responded with a quiet “Mm” and headed straight toward the rooms. “I’m going to take a shower and wake Ji Xiaozhuo up while I’m at it.”
“Okay.”
Tang Tang patted her warm cheeks, trying to calm herself down. She carried the breakfast dishes out of the kitchen one by one, first filling three bowls with porridge, then carefully setting out the chopsticks and spoons. Once everything was ready, she sat down and waited for the father and son to come out.
Ji Yan was quick. Before long, he came out, practically dragging the little fellow along by the hand. The little guy’s eyes were still half-closed. He had been so excited the previous night that he couldn’t fall asleep, and now he stubbornly refused to get out of bed. In the end, Ji Yan had to give him a few smacks on the bottom to get him up.
However, the food Tang Tang had prepared was simply too tempting. As soon as the little fellow caught its delicious aroma, his eyes gradually widened, and all traces of sleepiness vanished in the face of such delicious food.
“Waaah! Mommy, there are baozi and dumplings! I love these!”
With a quick whoosh, Ji Xiaozhuo hopped onto his chair and cheered at the sight of all the delicious food on the table.
Tang Tang placed his favorite dumplings in front of him, saying, “Then you have to eat your fill.”
“No problem!” The little guy even threw in an English phrase, and immediately grabbed a fried dumpling and stuffed it into his mouth, his eyes squinting as he ate, like he was filming a food commercial. He even gave Tang Tang a thumbs up, saying, “Mommy, it’s really delicious!”
Tang Tang was flattered by the little guy’s praise and almost beamed with joy.
Ji Yan silently lowered his head and ate quickly. He had to admit that her cooking skills were indeed very good, you could even say they were excellent. Even though he wasn’t usually one to pay much attention to food, he couldn’t stop eating at this moment.
Finally, Tang Tang ate a bowl of porridge, a steamed bun, and a fried dumpling, while Ji Xiaozhuo ate a bowl of porridge, a steamed bun, and two fried dumplings. The rest went straight into Ji Yan’s stomach, leaving not a single scrap.
Not only was Ji Xiaozhuo burping and clutching his stomach in his chair, but Ji Yan had also unusually overeaten. Seeing this, Ji Xiaozhuo secretly whispered in Ji Yan’s ear when Tang Tang wasn’t looking, “Daddy, isn’t Mommy’s cooking delicious?” His little voice was full of pride.
Ji Yan paused, then gave a soft “Mmm,” unable to lie.
“Mommy is the best!” Ji Xiaozhuo exclaimed proudly, immediately adding, “Then you have to come back often, okay? That way you can eat Mommy’s delicious cooking more often!”
The little one wanted to use food to lure his father back more often.
How could Ji Yan not see through this little thought? So his heart softened, and he patted the boy’s head, agreeing, “Okay, Daddy will try to come back more often.” He knew the little guy was reluctant to let him leave and wanted to see him more often, but he was a soldier with inescapable responsibilities. He couldn’t be by his child’s side like an ordinary father, and he felt guilty about that.
If only he could go with the soldier… Ji Yan immediately abandoned the idea.
After breakfast, the little guy, carrying his little backpack, called to Tang Tang, “Mommy, come quick! Daddy’s taking me to school today. Let’s ride in Daddy’s car! Daddy’s car is so big!” The little guy gestured a huge circle with his short arms.
Tang Tang looked at Ji Yan uncertainly, wondering if he would consider taking her along, since her legs weren’t very strong and she would be a burden.
Ji Yan nodded to her, “Let’s go together.”
Tang Tang was overjoyed and immediately went to the door to change her shoes, even faster than the little guy, afraid that Ji Yan would change his mind.
Ji Yan’s car was an SUV, indeed spacious, but it had one drawback: the chassis was too high, so high that Tang Tang’s injured leg couldn’t be lifted up.
Tang Tang was on the verge of tears, trying several times without success, her face contorted in embarrassment.
After Ji Yan lifted Ji Xiaozhuo into the back seat, he saw Tang Tang struggling to climb up, her bottom sticking out, looking rather comical.
After a few seconds, Ji Yan cleared his throat, walked over to Tang Tang, put an arm around her waist, and with a swift movement, lifted her up, as easily as he had lifted Ji Xiaozhuo.
Tang Tang was startled, and after realizing what had just happened, her face flushed involuntarily, feeling like it was on fire. This was the first time a man had ever lifted her, and she tried to remain calm, but her heart was pounding in her chest.
Ji Xiaozhuo worriedly touched Tang Tang’s forehead with his little hand, “Mommy, are you sick? Why is your face so red?”
Tang Tang’s face flushed a little more, so she covered her face and said, “Mommy isn’t sick, Mommy is just too hot.”
“Really? Then let me fan you.” The little guy immediately fanned Tang Tang with his little hands, working very hard.
Tang Tang bit her lip and secretly glanced at Ji Yan in the driver’s seat. Seeing that he didn’t seem to care about what she and the little guy were talking about, she breathed a sigh of relief and took the little guy’s chubby hand, “Okay, okay, Mommy isn’t hot anymore, thank you baby.”
Only after confirming that Mommy was really not hot anymore did Ji Xiaozhuo let go of her hand.
Upon arriving at the kindergarten, Tang Tang and Ji Yan handed the little one over to the teacher, promising to pick him up after school before leaving. As they drove home, Ji Yan asked, “Is there anything you need to buy? We can buy it and take it home.” The little one had told him last night about the difficulties they faced when they went grocery shopping together. He knew their struggles without even seeing it firsthand, and since he was home, he figured he should help them buy the groceries.
“There’s no food in the fridge, we need to go buy some,” Tang Tang said without hesitation, as it was too difficult for her to manage on her own.
Ji Yan nodded, driving directly to the mall’s underground parking lot and taking Tang Tang into the underground supermarket. To match Tang Tang’s pace, he deliberately slowed his own, his long legs moving at a snail’s pace.
Tang Tang watched, increasingly impressed by Ji Yan’s thoughtfulness and care. This man was now her husband; the thought filled Tang Tang with sweet warmth.
This time, Tang Tang specifically bought a lot of meat— chicken, duck, fish, beef, and pork. She had already noticed that Ji Yan liked meat but wasn’t interested in vegetables, just like Ji Xiaozhuo.
After buying the groceries, Tang Tang also replenished the household supplies they were missing. Before she knew it, she had filled a whole shopping cart, taking two large bags to fill. Tang Tang reached for one of the bags, but Ji Yan stopped her. “You can’t carry it, I’ll do it.” With that, he carried one bag in each hand and walked out, as if the bags were weightless.
Tang Tang unconsciously recalled the last time they went grocery shopping. Back then, the mother and son struggled to carry a large bag, returning home drenched in sweat. The little guy had said he wished his father were here. Now that his father was really here, she realized how wonderful it was to have him.
“Brother Ji Yan—”
Just as Tang Tang was secretly smiling, a woman’s voice interrupted her thoughts.
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