A lil something for the weekend<3
I also noticed I pushed ch30 to the wrong novel. Sorry guys, it’s now fixed.
Shen Yan and Tang Dou knocked several times but got no response, so they simply pushed the door open. As soon as they entered, they saw the little one curled up in bed, along with Shen Lin, all gangly limbs, fast asleep, having stolen his little brother’s blanket to cover himself. Shen Yan gritted his teeth. Behind him, Tang Dou rushed to the bedside in one swift move and grabbed a small blanket from the little sofa to quickly cover the little one. Back on Yunshui Street, the little one used to wake up early. Now, the commotion in the room had already stirred him from sleep.
Tang Dou sprang into action, quickly rubbing the little one’s cold hands and feet to warm them up. As the little one was about to fully wake, he softly called his name: “Youyou.”
“…Mmm,” the little one opened his eyes, his long lashes fluttering. “Brother Xiao Tang.”
In the early morning, the little one’s voice was soft and sweet. Seeing a familiar face, he reached out for a hug. Tang Dou picked him up, felt that the little one was still a bit cold, cast a disapproving glance at the deeply sleeping Shen Lin, wrapped the small blanket around Su Youli, and paced around the room with him. Tang Dou didn’t dare scold anyone, but Shen Yan had no such reservations. He smacked his brother on the forehead, jolting Shen Lin upright in bed.
“Ge, why’d you hit me!” Shen Lin was bleary-eyed, rubbing his head.
“Look at what you did! You’re grown, yet you still steal Youyou’s blanket. If Youyou catches a cold, I won’t let you off!”
Shen Yan threw another pillow at his forehead.
Steal the blanket? Had he… stolen Youyou’s blanket yesterday!
Shen Lin sat up, clutching the Stitch-themed thin blanket covering him, holding his head in his hands, letting out a mournful groan. What had he done last night!!! Youyou had been taken by Tang Dou to the walk-in closet to pick out clothes. Shen Yan crossed his arms and declared Shen Lin’s punishment from on high.
“You’re not sleeping with Youyou anymore.”
“What gives you the right?” Shen Lin jumped up on the bed.
Shen Yan pointed at the blanket. “Because you stole the blanket, and your sleeping posture is unspeakably bad.”
He was afraid Shen Lin might crush the three-year-old in his sleep. Shen Lin felt wronged. He hadn’t meant to steal Youyou’s blanket. At first, when he was soothing Youyou to sleep, he had clearly…
Regardless, he had stolen Youyou’s blanket. He was used to sleeping alone. Some habits were really hard to break all at once. In the walk-in closet, the little one, having picked out his clothes, was held by Brother Xiao Tang, still wrapped in the blanket.
As soon as the little one was near the bed, Shen Lin slid over on his knees. “I’m sorry, Youyou! Brother really didn’t mean to steal your blanket!”
Brother Xiao Tang quietly rolled his eyes, took the blanket off the little one, and set it aside. The little one could already dress himself, though he was a bit slow with the buttons on his pajamas.
“It’s okay, Brother,” Su Youli said.
Shen Lin was deeply moved. Not wanting to disturb the little one’s concentration on the buttons, he turned to ask his elder brother, “Then who’s going to sleep with Youyou from now on?”
Su Youli’s little ears perked up.
Shen Yan replied matter-of-factly with a hum: “Me, of course.”
The little one, who had just unbuttoned and changed into his clothes, turned his head at the sound, blinking his big eyes.
“Is that okay, Youyou?” Shen Yan smiled gently, looking at the little one.
Su Youli stared at him earnestly for a long moment, then crawled over and sat beside Shen Lin. He was having a bit of trouble recognizing whether the person in front of him was really his eldest brother. In the little one’s memory, his eldest brother was a fairy, wearing long robes, with big sleeves, and long hair…
“Youyou doesn’t recognize Eldest Brother anymore?”
Seeing his hesitant little expression, Shen Yan crouched down in front of him. Su Youli shook his head. He recognized his eldest brother.
But, but…
“Eldest Brother cut his hair?”
Shen Yan explained with a smile, “Yesterday, your big brother was filming a movie. That was a wig.”
Su Youli nodded, not entirely sure if he understood.
—
Time in Beicheng passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Su Youli had been with the Shen family for a week. The three Shen men all had their own commitments: work, school, and filming. So, the person Youyou was closest to became Brother Xiao Tang, who spent every day with him. Ever since he learned that Brother Xiao Tang’s name was Tang Dou (Sugar Bean), he liked this brother with the sweet-sounding name even more. In the garden, Xiao Tang was helping the little one identify plants.
Tang Dou held the lovingly handmade book in his hands. Whenever the little one saw a plant he didn’t recognize, he would call out loudly, “Brother Xiao Tang!”
Basic introductions to many plants could be found in this book. Tang Dou had worked with many children since his undergraduate days. A child’s world was clean and pure, filled with the most beautiful things. Su Youli was such a child. Though only three, he already displayed greater focus than his peers. He was quiet, well-behaved, and knew how to express himself. Sometimes, he would get so absorbed in one thing that he couldn’t respond to external distractions, lost in his own world.
“Three years old shows the adult.” Tang Dou looked at the little one’s furrowed brows, thinking he really might be suited for scientific research someday.
“Brother Xiao Tang, I feel itchy.” The little one tugged at Tang Dou’s sleeve.
Tang Dou quickly moved his hand away from his face. The little one’s cheeks were fair and tender, and the corners of his eyes were a bit red. Although he had sprayed Su Youli with mosquito repellent before entering the garden, and the garden was professionally maintained daily to be free of harmful plants and bugs, there was always a chance.
Tang Dou picked up the little one with one arm and swiftly carried him back inside. After applying the child-friendly ointment to the little one’s face and confirming that the little one had simply rubbed his eyes with muddy hands, Tang Dou finally relaxed.
“Eyes are very delicate. You mustn’t rub them with dirty hands in the future, okay?”
The little one knew he had caused trouble for Brother Xiao Tang and obediently replied, “I understand, Brother Xiao Tang.”
Su Youli’s nap time was very regular. Tang Dou was sitting by the bedside reading a storybook to Youyou when he heard a loud rumbling noise outside. This land belonged to the Shen Group. After it was developed into a villa area, the Shen family naturally kept the majority for their own residence, with some villas also sold. The distance between each villa was generous enough to avoid disturbing one another. Tang Dou initially thought it was the usual maintenance staff working on the villa grounds. Su Youli rubbed his eyes, his drowsiness already very apparent.
The rumbling outside still hadn’t stopped. Didn’t they know it was the little young master’s nap time?
Tang Dou sent a message to the butler, asking him to have the workers come later. Lack of sleep could stunt a child’s growth, and Youyou was already a bit shorter than his peers. The butler quickly replied. It wasn’t the Shen family’s staff working. Someone was moving into the villa across the way.
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