Double update to make up for the long wait.
Shen Lin dramatically recounted what had happened when they went to Nancheng. He used very flowery, complimentary language to praise the two uncles’ noble characters of great love, selfless dedication, and asking for nothing in return. Chu Ying understood. Putting herself in their shoes, if she had raised a child and reached the point where she had to send him away, she probably wouldn’t have taken the money either. Having raised a non-biological child so well, Chu Ying felt that Youyou’s two foster fathers loved him no less than she did.
“I do have some connections abroad. Since they won’t take money, find a way to cover the costs of their treatment and surgeries. If there are items that can’t be waived, secretly pay for them. Isn’t that fine?”
Chu Lan crossed her arms and looked around. Unsurprisingly, she saw the admiring gazes of her two nephews. The Shen family had no involvement in the medical field. Apart from money, they really couldn’t offer much else. But Su Siwen and Qin Kun were stubborn; that one million had been given quietly by Shen Minyan. Everyone agreed with this plan.
…
During the meeting, the family took turns praising Su Siwen and Qin Kun. Even Chu Lan, who usually had high standards, had to admit that these two young men were indeed very, very good people. At the end of the meeting, despite the hopeful looks from her two sons, Chu Ying still stated that she wouldn’t come back to live, but she would visit her sons every week.
The three Shen men sitting on their chairs looked pitiful, no matter how you looked at them. In the garden, the little guy, tired from walking with Yuanzi, sat on a bench, holding a Stitch sippy cup and slurping. After rehydrating, the little guy’s sleepiness arrived right on time.
The wind blew. The little guy blinked a few times, opened his little mouth in a yawn, and then very skillfully took Brother Xiao Tang’s hand. Tang Dou was experienced in taking care of him. With a “heave ho,” he lifted the little guy off the ground and tapped his delicate little nose.
“Who do you want to nap with today, Youyou?”
The names Dad, Big Brother, Second Brother, and Brother Xiao Tang scrolled through his mind. After careful consideration, Su Youli held up one finger: “Mom! Youyou wants to nap with Mom!”
Chu Ying was, of course, very willing to nap with him. The little guy was very happy. He took his mother’s hand and headed for the stairs. But then his dark, bright eyes turned, and his little body twisted in another direction. “Mom, let’s take the elevator.”
Chu Ying’s heart melted. How did she deserve such an adorable little one? The reason the little guy was so thoughtful, of course, was because of Little Dad. Su Siwen had bad legs. He couldn’t stand or walk for long periods, and climbing stairs was naturally out of the question. Qin Kun had installed a stairlift in their small building, allowing him to go up and down freely.
After returning to Beicheng, the little guy firmly remembered Uncle Kun Kun’s words. He diligently and actively climbed the stairs every day for exercise. He had never used the elevator at home. After getting out of the elevator, they quickly reached the children’s room on the second floor.
Chu Ying was very familiar with the layout of the house. The room the little guy was staying in now was one she and Shen Minyan had designed together back then. Chu Ying had been convinced she was having a daughter. She had tried to paint the walls and ceiling pink, setting up the crib and all the room’s furnishings according to a little princess’s configuration.
Shen Minyan thought it over and, in the end, couldn’t resist offering a piece of advice. “If it really turns out to be a little boy, and he sees that his mom and dad painted his whole room pink, he might be upset and think his parents don’t like him.”
So they compromised and chose an egg-yolk yellow—a color suitable for either gender. Chu Ying hadn’t set foot in this children’s room for over three years. The once-empty space was now almost entirely filled to the brim with the little guy’s things. A household staff member brought Chu Ying a change of clothes. After she changed and sat down on the edge of the bed, she still felt a bit dazed.
It all felt like a dream. The two small pillows at the head of the bed were clearly hand-sewn. Chu Ying picked one up and looked at it. The stitching was tight and dense. In the upper right corner was embroidered “Su Youli,” and in the lower left corner was a small cartoon tree. The pillow was very soft, and its scent matched the little guy’s own smell—you could tell just by sniffing it that this was something he used every day.
Meanwhile, little Su Youli was standing in front of his small mirror, carefully combing his little curls. Today was going to be the first time Mom slept with him! He had to make his hair look super handsome. After washing his hands and face and brushing his hair, the little guy walked out in his little slippers. Mom had already changed into her pajamas and was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for him. The little guy felt a bit shy, twisting the hem of his shirt into two little triangles in his hands.
Seeing the shy, bashful little one, Chu Ying put down the pillow and waved him over. “Youyou, come on, time to sleep!”
That was just how the little guy was—as soon as his mom smiled at him, he forgot everything else. He immediately trotted over and snuggled up next to Chu Ying.
“Should Mom carry you into bed?” Chu Ying bent down, ready to help.
But the little guy just gave his little curls a cool flick, got his hands and feet ready, and started climbing onto the bed himself. As he climbed, he grunted with effort, “Mom, Youyou can get into bed all by himself!”
There was a thick carpet on the floor, so even if he fell, it wouldn’t hurt. Chu Ying decided not to interfere. His little body used all its strength, his little bottom wiggling back and forth. In no time at all, he had made it onto the bed. Su Youli climbed into the bed and under the covers, pulled his little blanket up to cover himself, and looked at his mom, who was still sitting there motionless. He reached out his little arm and patted the spot next to him, signaling for Chu Ying to lie down beside him.
The little guy under the covers was clearly excited. His carefully styled hair was already a bit messy, and a single cowlick on top of his head wobbled with his movements. Chu Ying could see no trace of the shyness she’d worried about. In fact, the little guy’s attitude toward her could almost be called eager.
“Mom?”
Urged on by him, Chu Ying lifted the covers and lay down beside him. The blankets were soft, and the bed carried a warm, milky scent; the smell of a little child. Actually, it was the scent of Su Youli’s baby wash, shampoo, and baby lotion. Once Mom was lying next to him, the little guy didn’t feel sleepy anymore. He turned over and looked at her with bright, sparkling eyes. It was strange. Even though this was their first meeting, he already liked his mom so much.
“Youyou, should Mom tell you a story?” Chu Ying offered, seeing that he wasn’t sleepy.
Su Youli nodded. He was a child who really liked bedtime stories. Chu Ying turned on her side, wrapped her arm around him, and spoke in a very soft voice:
“One day, Mother Duck took her ducklings to play in the middle of the pond. The little tadpoles saw the ducklings swimming along with their mother, and they started to miss their own mother. The tadpoles asked each other, but none of them knew where their mother was.”
The little guy in her arms was captivated by the story. He wriggled closer, nestling into Chu Ying’s embrace, pressing his soft little body against her.
“Mom, where are the little tadpoles going to find their mother?” he asked.
They absolutely had to find her.
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