Translator: Dj2203
Editor: Dj2203
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Tang Tang smiled apologetically at the little guy, “Mommy has something important to do right now, I’ll give you a massage tomorrow, okay?”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s pout deepened, and he accused her aggrievedly, “Mommy, you’re biased! You love Daddy more!”
“No, no, Mommy isn’t biased. Mommy has something very important to do right now.” Having been accused of such a serious offense, Tang Tang couldn’t accept it.
“But Mommy, I’ll have insomnia if you don’t give me a foot massage, and babies won’t grow tall if they don’t sleep well.”
Insomnia was already on her mind, Tang Tang felt that a foot massage was inevitable for the little guy tonight. She thought for a moment, then blinked at Ji Yan, half-pleading and half-whining, and said, “Honey, can you give the baby a foot massage tonight, okay?”
She definitely wouldn’t have asked him like this before, but somehow, ever since she learned why he was angry last night, she suddenly dared to be so affectionate. She felt he wouldn’t refuse her.
Sure enough, Ji Yan looked at her for a few seconds, making sure she wasn’t joking, and finally nodded, even though he didn’t know anything about foot massage.
“Thank you, honey!” Tang Tang smiled sweetly at him, then looked at the little guy, “Baby, how about Daddy gives you a massage tonight? You won’t have insomnia if he does.”
Ji Xiaozhuo wanted to refuse without thinking; he wanted his sweet, gentle mother!
Before Ji Xiaozhuo could shake his head in refusal, Ji Yan grabbed him and held his chubby little foot in his palm. “Daddy will massage you tonight, don’t bother Mommy while she’s doing her work.”
Ji Xiaozhuo looked at his father reluctantly, his eyes full of distrust. “Daddy, can you do it?”
Ji Yan was silent for a moment, and under Tang Tang’s trusting gaze, he said something that even he himself didn’t quite believe, “Yes.”
Ji Xiaozhuo didn’t really want his father to massage him, but the situation didn’t allow him to refuse. He was a perceptive person, so he could only reluctantly agree, his little foot sticking up: “Okay then.”
The little chubby boy’s reluctant expression made people want to punch him.
Ji Yan pinched the little guy’s toes with his fingers and started massaging him like Tang Tang usually did. But after only the first press, the little guy cried out and pouted, complaining, “Daddy, you’re too strong! Be gentler!”
Ji Yan had to lighten his pressure before pressing again, but this time the little guy giggled, “Daddy, it’s too light! It tickles! Be stronger!”
Ji Yan adjusted his pressure again, but the little guy was never satisfied. It would be strange if Ji Yan couldn’t tell that this chubby guy was up to something tonight.
Ji Yan withdrew his hand, grabbed the chubby boy, and pulled him off the bed, ordering, “Ji Zizhuo, since you can’t sleep, then give me a set of military boxing! After you’re done, come up to sleep, and I guarantee you won’t have insomnia.”
Ji Zizhuo was dumbfounded, realizing he had dug his own grave, and immediately yawned, saying, “Actually, I can sleep now, I don’t need to do the boxing.”
Ji Yan was unyielding, “You still have to do the boxing, and you can only sleep after you’re done.”
“Why?”
“Because I noticed you’ve gained weight again, you need to lose weight.”
This is a classic case of the devil being one foot tall and the saint ten feet tall[1]. Ji Xiaozhuo pinched his belly in frustration and anger, making a final stand: “No, I haven’t gained any weight!”
Ji Yan pointed to the scale Tang Tang had placed in the corner. “Go, get the scale and weigh yourself. If you haven’t gained weight, you don’t have to do boxing tonight. If you have, you’ll have to do a set every night before you can sleep.”
Things were getting serious. Ji Xiaozhuo glanced quickly at the scale, a hint of uncertainty flashing in his eyes, then secretly looked at Tang Tang.
Tang Tang immediately looked down at her phone, pretending to be busy.
Seeing that his mother wasn’t coming to his rescue, Ji Xiaozhuo wrinkled his nose, somewhat reluctant to step on the scale, but backing down now would be too embarrassing for a man. So, he gritted his teeth, took a deep breath to deflate his belly, then grabbed the scale and stood on it with a death-defying resolve.
Ji Yan glanced at the scale; the large number “40” was displayed on it.
“Heh, Ji Xiaozhuo, look at yourself, do you even remember how much you weighed last week?”
Ji Xiaozhuo stared incredulously at the numbers on the scale, utterly heartbroken. He covered his head, shook his head, and murmured in disbelief, “How could this happen?”
Tang Tang understood the little guy’s sadness at this moment, because she felt the same despair and sorrow every time she stepped on the scale. So, she silently walked over, picked him up from the scale, patted his head, kissed his forehead, and comforted him, “It’s okay, baby. When you grow up, you’ll be tall and thin like Daddy. Being chubby now is just temporary.”
These words comforted the little guy a bit, and he buried his head in Tang Tang’s belly, rubbing against her affectionately.
A hint of a smile flashed in Ji Yan’s eyes, but the punishment for the little guy was not cancelled. “Alright, Ji Xiaozhuo, a man keeps his word. Now what should we do?”
Ji Xiaozhuo silently pulled his head out of his mother’s belly, then silently walked to the center of the room. Suddenly, he shouted, and the next second he was practicing military boxing, stretching his arms and kicking his legs. Every move was very standard and powerful.
This was the first time Tang Tang had seen the little guy boxing, and she was surprised at how well he did. She couldn’t help but tug at Ji Yan’s sleeve, “Honey, baby’s amazing!”
Ji Yan watched Ji Xiaozhuo’s movements, his eyes also flashing with satisfaction. Although chubby, he was a surprisingly agile little guy.
Ji Xiaozhuo boxed for nearly twenty minutes before stopping, his forehead covered in sweat, clearly exhausted.
Tang Tang quickly wiped his sweat with a handkerchief and kissed his little face, “Baby, you did a great job! So cool!”
The little guy’s eyes sparkled, and he secretly glanced at Ji Yan out of the corner of his eye, but said, “Oh, it’s nothing special, just average.”
Ji Yan nodded slightly to the little guy, “Not bad.”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s lips curled up slightly, extremely proud.
Tang Tang suppressed a laugh and took the little guy into the bathroom for another bath. Perhaps because he was tired from boxing, the little guy fell asleep while bathing, even snoring softly.
I don’t know who said they had insomnia…
Tang Tang mustered all her strength to carry the little one out of the bathroom, but because she was too weak, she tripped and almost fell flat on her face. Luckily, Ji Yan was quick and caught them in time, otherwise, a disaster would have occurred tonight.
However, despite all the noise, the little one didn’t wake up, which showed he was sleeping soundly.
Tang Tang felt a little embarrassed and said guiltily, “Honey, it’s my fault for not being strong enough. I’ll be more careful in the future.”
Seeing her pitiful look, Ji Yan unconsciously shifted the blame to Ji Xiaozhuo, “It’s because Ji Xiaozhuo is too fat.”
Tang Tang decided to speak up for Ji Xiaozhuo, “Honey, don’t say the baby is fat in the future. Baby is chubby now, but he definitely won’t be fat in the future. He looks like you, and he’ll be like you in the future.”
Ji Yan nodded, “I know.” Because he was also chubby like Ji Xiaozhuo when he was a child, and started to grow taller after starting school.
“Huh? You know? Didn’t you think the baby was too fat?”
Ji Yan shook his head. “Boxing isn’t for him to lose weight, it’s to strengthen his body and help him grow taller. So from now on, he has to do a set of boxing every night before bed. Even if I’m not there, you have to supervise him. Can you do that?”
Tang Tang realized she had misunderstood, so she firmly promised, “I will definitely supervise the baby, don’t worry, honey.”
Ji Yan nodded, then looked at her. Her limbs, so thin they looked like they could be easily broken, made him frown involuntarily.
Tang Tang’s heart tightened under his gaze, and she stammered, “Honey, why…why are you looking at me like that?”
“Tang Tang, your health is too poor. Eat more at every meal.”
Tang Tang didn’t know what to do with her hands and feet. “I… I’m already trying to gain weight, really, I’ve already gained six pounds, and I’ll gain even more!”
Ji Yan didn’t notice that she had gained weight, but a healthy body isn’t just about gaining weight. Tang Tang’s weakness was internal; she needed exercise.
“Just eating isn’t enough. From now on, you’ll take Ji Xiaozhuo downstairs to the exercise field to run every morning. You and Ji Xiaozhuo will each run five laps.”
“What?” Tang Tang felt like she’d been struck by lightning.
“Your physique is too weak. You need to exercise. Once your physique improves, you’ll naturally gain weight. There are many people exercising at the training field downstairs every morning. You and Ji Xiaozhuo can go too. Can you do that?”
Tang Tang shook her head frantically in her heart, but outwardly she only dared to nod, “I can do it.”
Ji Yan was satisfied and reached out to turn off the light. “Go to sleep. I’ll wake you and Xiao Zhuo up to run tomorrow morning.”
Tang Tang’s inner voice was almost crying her eyes out. She couldn’t imagine how desperate Ji Xiaozhuo would be when he heard this news tomorrow morning.
Baby, Mommy is sorry. Mommy has dragged you down with me.
At this moment, no one in the room knew that in the dark living room, a pair of eyes were fixed on the door of the master bedroom, staring at it all night long.
Tang Tang was awakened by a deep, calling voice. She struggled to open her eyes, and the first thing she saw was Ji Yan’s strikingly handsome face.
“Husband?”
“Tang Tang, get up and go for a run.”
Tang Tang blinked, and it took her a while to remember that her husband had mentioned going for a run last night. She immediately wilted, but still obediently got up. She couldn’t disobey her husband.
Seeing that Tang Tang was awake, Ji Yan scooped up Ji Xiaozhuo, who was fast asleep, and patted his little bottom as he led him to the bathroom: “Ji Xiaozhuo, get up!”
Ji Xiaozhuo hadn’t been woken up by the call, but he was forced to wake up when Ji Yan started washing his face with cold water.
“Ugh— Daddy, is it raining?”
“No, it’s you who needs to get up.”
Ji Xiaozhuo barely opened his eyes, and seeing his father washing his face, he was bewildered. “Daddy, why are you washing my face?”
“Because you have to get up and go downstairs for a run with Mommy.”
“…”
The air suddenly became quiet.
Three minutes later, a desperate cry, like that of a small animal, came from the bathroom: “Why—?”
Tang Tang covered her face outside.
Ten minutes later, Tang Tang and Ji Xiaozhuo, dressed in their running clothes, appeared together at the training ground downstairs in the compound, along with Gu Yanran.
Ji Yan had come back after his morning training to call them. He had to leave after bringing the mother and son here, and before leaving, he worriedly reminded them, “You two have to run well. Each of you must run five laps. I’ll check when I get back tonight.”
Tang Tang and Ji Xiaozhuo obediently nodded.
Gu Yanran smiled at Ji Yan and said, “Brother Ji Yan, I also want to do my morning training. Don’t worry, I’ll run with Xiao Zhuo and the others.”
Gu Yanran was also a soldier, and Ji Yan trusted her self-discipline, so he nodded and strode away.
Once Ji Yan had completely disappeared, Gu Yanran waved to Tang Tang and Ji Xiaozhuo, “Let’s go, let’s start running. The early bird catches the worm, so a morning run is very important.”
Tang Tang and Ji Xiaozhuo exchanged a glance, and resignedly began to run.
Gu Yanran ran alongside the two, deliberately slowing her pace as if she were walking. Tang Tang, on the other hand, was running at a snail’s pace, panting heavily, even slower than Ji Xiaozhuo’s short legs, requiring Ji Xiaozhuo to encourage her along the way.
Tang Tang felt quite ashamed.
“Tang Tang, it seems you don’t exercise much,” Gu Yanran said as they ran.
Tang Tang nodded, panting, “Yes, I… I’ve never run before.”
Gu Yanran frowned, hesitating, “You can’t do that. Ji Yan likes healthy, active women. I remember he dislikes women who are weak and frail. That’s why I’ve run five kilometers every day since middle school. You know, before middle school, I got out of breath after just a few steps, even worse than you.”
So her husband likes healthy, active women. Then she definitely couldn’t do it. No wonder her husband made her run every day…
Tang Tang tried her best to start running, gritting her teeth, “I… I’ll run every day from now on.”
Gu Yanran smiled. Gu Yanran patted Tang Tang on the shoulder encouragingly, “Then you have to keep it up! The Ji family is a military family, and everyone in the Ji family, regardless of gender, needs to be physically strong. Especially Grandpa Ji, he likes girls who are spirited and capable. He even said before that Ji Yan’s wife had to be a soldier. It’s quite unexpected that Ji Yan didn’t marry a soldier in the end.”
Tang Tang’s brows furrowed unconsciously. Gu Yanran’s words sparked many questions in her mind, but she didn’t ask. She didn’t know why Gu Yanran would say these things, but her intuition was always accurate. She felt that Gu Yanran didn’t seem to like her that much, and that her words weren’t well-intentioned.
Tang Tang remained silent, focusing on her run.
Gu Yanran thought Tang Tang would press for answers, but to her surprise, she didn’t ask anything. Gu Yanran raised an eyebrow and also remained silent.
After finishing the run, Gu Yanran went directly to the military base to organize physical examinations, while Tang Tang took Ji Xiaozhuo home.
Tang Tang held the little one’s hand, realizing she’d never heard him mention his great-grandfather before. This seemed a bit odd; a great-grandfather should dote on his great-grandson, so why hadn’t he ever contacted him?
“Baby, do you know your great-grandfather?”
Ji Xiaozhuo’s eyes widened slightly, a mixture of surprise and wariness. “Mommy, why are you asking about my great-grandfather?”
Tang Tang was increasingly certain something was amiss, so she asked, “Mommy’s very curious. Mommy has never met your great-grandfather. Why has he never contacted us? Does he not like us?”
Ji Xiaozhuo lowered his head in silence, his hands twisting together in a conflicted manner.
This little guy definitely knows something. Tang Tang kissed his little cheek. “Baby, can’t you tell Mommy?”
Ji Xiaozhuo frowned, thinking for a long time before whispering in Tang Tang’s ear, “Mommy, I’ll tell you, but you can’t tell Daddy, okay? Otherwise, Daddy will be unhappy. And Great-Grandpa won’t allow me to tell you either.”
Tang Tang made a vow, “Mommy promises.”
Ji Xiaozhuo looked around to make sure no one was nearby before saying, “Actually, I did secretly meet with Great-Grandpa, but Daddy doesn’t know. Great-Grandpa told me not to tell Daddy. It’s a secret between Great-Grandpa and me. Mommy, I think Daddy and Great-Grandpa had a fight, and they haven’t made up yet.”
“Oh, I see…” Tang Tang bit her lip, deep in thought. She felt Ji Xiaozhuo’s guess was right. If her husband and grandfather did have a conflict, and the two had stopped seeing each other, that would explain why she hadn’t heard anything about Grandpa for so many days and hadn’t been in contact with him.
But why did the two stop seeing each other? Was it because her husband married a woman Grandpa didn’t like? Then Grandpa probably wouldn’t like her now either.
Yes, a man as outstanding as her husband deserves only a woman who is beautiful, capable, and from a good family. Someone like her, lacking looks, talent, and family background, is indeed unworthy. If it were her, she wouldn’t want her grandson to marry someone like that either.
Tang Tang suddenly wanted to sigh. Luckily, she had her little darling Ji Xiaozhuo, which gave her some confidence. If it weren’t for this little darling, she would definitely have been divorced.
She was now a classic example of someone who gains status through her son.
However, despite her many doubts, Tang Tang didn’t ask Ji Yan a single question. Since he hadn’t told her, he definitely didn’t want her to know. What if she asked rashly and upset him? She’d better pretend she didn’t know.
In the following days, Gu Yanran never appeared again, and Tang Tang didn’t know if she had left the army. But she chose not to ask either. Every day, besides running and exercising, she buried herself in sewing, practically neglecting to eat or sleep. Finally, she finished it before Grandma Zhuo’s birthday banquet.
The author has something to say:
A normal three-year-old child should weigh around 30 pounds, so you can imagine how chubby our little Ji Xiaozhuo is!
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[1] It means that no matter how big or troublesome evil (the devil/temptation/adversity) may seem, righteousness, virtue, or goodness is ultimately much greater and stronger.
