Alix had stayed back. Though it was a big day for the couple, she couldn’t muster up the courage to just join the party at the hospital as if it was nothing. Instead, she chose to look after the sleeping kids. As she was dozing off on her chair, she felt a tug on her knee and she looked down.
Ailun was rubbing his sleepy eyes with bed hair pointing in all directions.
"Pastry aunt..." he yawned once. "Where is Uncle Jin and Uncle Nian?"
"Hospital."
He blinked once.
"Your brother or sister is going to be born today."
His eyes went wide and he took a step back frozen. "M-My brother or sis-"
"Sshh. Others are sleeping."
Ailun frantically waved his arms. "I want to go too!! I want to et my brother or sister too! Why did nobody take ...?" He was on the verge of crying.
"You were sleeping. It’s not the end of the world. They will be back."
If Alix was right then Ai would stay the night at the hospital for post delivery monitoring and then return tomorrow.
"But how can the big brother not be there! I want to see the baby too!" He pleaded with his watery eyes.
"Tomorrow," she remained firm.
His shoulders hung low with disappointnt. He pouted and climbed on her lap. "Hmph, I won’t talk to you, pastry aunt!"
She arched her brow. "Yet you got comfortable on my lap."
He threw himself on her chest and murmured. "Nobody loves ...They left just like that..."
"You would have been a sleepyhead at the hospital too."
"I-I won’t have!"
She snorted.
It was around three hours later that she got a ssage from Jin. But it was a picture.
A picture of the newborn baby snuggling beside Ai with tears in her eyes. It was followed by Jin’s short ssage.
’My hunch was right.’
Alix stared at the baby who looked the size of her palm. She slowly broke her gaze and poked Ailun, who was concentrating on reading a book, still unmoved on Alix’s lap. She showed him the picture.
"That’s your sister."
Ailun’s eyes widened.
"My sister!?"
The other kids were finally awake from their sweet nap and swiftly huddled around Alix. Ailun proudly showed the picture to his troop.
"It’s my baby sister!"
The kids gasped at once.
"She is so small!" Aang couldn’t believe it.
"Why her eyes closed?" Yina was puzzled.
"She is sleeping," Alix answered.
"Why she so white?" Taio asked.
"That’s the blanket. She is huddled up in a blanket."
"How will she move if she is huddled up so much!" Taio held a grave concern.
"Newborns pretty much sleep all day anyway," she shrugged.
Ailun’s shoulders further went down. "I want to see her..."
"She should be here tomorrow."
But Alix saw how challenging it would be to control their enthusiasm until the next day. They looked ready to spring out of the villa if not put on a leash.
She slightly tilted her head. "But you have more important work to do here than in the hospital."
The kids looked at her, puzzled. Ailun pursed his lips. "What is more important than being with my sister?"
Such a dedicated brother...
"Your sister arrived a little earlier than expected so I believe your parents’ room is not adequately ordered to welco her. You have an important task to decorate the room and especially the crib. They shouldn’t welco your sister in a ssy room."
Ailun gasped with realization. "No ssy room!"
The other trio earnestly bobbed their heads. The eagerness to go to the hospital flew away in an instant and the kids ca to a decision.
"Let’s decorate Mom and Dad’s room!"
"Yay!"
—
Jin returned to a practically empty villa with silence floating in the living room.
Is she asleep?
He climbed up the stairs and walked along the corridor when he realized so light and noises seeping out of Jun and Ai’s room. Curious, he peeked into it through the slightly ajar door. To his surprise, Alix was diligently working to hang a toy chi in the crib while the kids were spread out across the room, busy with their own colorful artwork.
Alix was very focused on the task at hand as she stared at the crib with squinted eyes. Apparently, she moved the toy chi half an inch to the side, after which she looked satisfied.
"Uncle!!!"
Alix froze like a statue and her expression turned into a grimace. Jin could hear the click of her tongue even at that distance. As he entered, Ailun rushed to him with sparkling eyes.
"Uncle, uncle!! You saw my sister!?"
Jin brightened and lifted his nephew in his arms. "Yes! She is the cutest little pie! Bro, Dad, Grandpa are all over her. Grandma had to practically pull them back. Everybody had made such a huge crowd that the nurse had to co and scold us...It was just like the ti when Yina was born. Too much hyperactivity."
"When will Mom and Dad co back?" He eagerly asked.
He chuckled. "Tomorrow. Your mother and sister will be monitored tonight and tomorrow, they will be free to return."
The kids exclaid with happiness.
"By the way, what were you all doing here?"
Aang bead. "Pastry aunt said we have very important work to do. To decorate Uncle and Aunt’s room for our little sister’s welco!"
"Oh."
He glanced at her once and then looked back at them with a smile. "Continue with your important work. I won’t disturb you."
They bobbed their heads.
Jin slowly walked towards Alix and stopped in front of her.
"I was just keeping Ailun busy or he would have ran to the hospital himself," she plainly said.
"I didn’t ask anything."
"One must be a fool to think that eyes don’t speak. Don’t misunderstand my actions," she held a sour look.
"You are giving every reason to misunderstand if you would so diligently decorate the crib with minute attention."
She threw him a glare and his joyful expression only irked her.
"Why did you co back? Weren’t you supposed to be at the hospital?"
"There are more than enough people to look after them. How could I have left my wife alone here?"
"I was actually appreciating the alone ti."
His brow twitched.
She began to leave when he held her wrist and gently pulled her back. She frowned with displeasure.
"There will be a welco party for my niece in a few days. Close family and friends for the get together."
"Oh. Nice," she shrugged.
He stared at her. "Zhou Ai wishes you to be there too."
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