"Don’t get too worked up, be careful not to hurt your health," Zhao Chun advised. "Yanyan is still a child."
"Just because he’s a child, does that an he can run away from ho?" Tian Sangsang retorted. "It’s because I’ve been too good to him, that’s why he’s beco so reckless. If I keep spoiling him, he’ll grow up to be just like his father—a heartless jerk."
Why is she doing all this anyway? Why does everyone disregard how she feels?
Leave when he says he’ll leave, run away from ho when he says he’ll run away from ho!
Zhao Chun started to raise his hand but then let it drop.
He didn’t try to persuade her any further. Quietly, he took food to ng Shuyan’s room, but the little one still refused to eat.
By dinnerti, the little guy still hadn’t co out.
This ti, not only Zhao Chun but even Tian Sangsang beca anxious, though she didn’t show it.
"Yanyan hasn’t eaten all day. Leaving him hungry isn’t a solution—the child’s stomach can’t handle it," Zhao Chun said carefully, sneaking a glance at her stormy face.
Tian Sangsang remained unmoved: "..."
Dinner was rice noodles, not stir-fried but served in soup, with plenty of seasonings and garnishes, fragrant and enticing. Just like noodles, they wouldn’t taste good once cold.
Zhao Chun quietly scooped a bowl and handed it to her, along with a pair of chopsticks.
"Yanyan already knows he was wrong. He’s just being stubborn with you. If you go and comfort him a little..." Zhao Chun’s black eyes glimred knowingly, as he understood her sharp tongue but soft heart. "These days, we truly have been neglecting him."
With tear-filled eyes, Tian Sangsang shot him a sideways glance. "You just keep spoiling him."
Zhao Chun shrugged innocently and chuckled. Ha, who’s the one doing the spoiling here?
Children are a parents’ karmic debt.
Tian Sangsang, with complicated emotions, pushed the bedroom door open. It wasn’t locked. ng Shuyan was sitting on the bed, sobbing, his fluffy hair a ssy nest of tangles. Upon seeing her enter, he hurriedly lay down and pulled the covers over himself, hiding entirely.
Placing the noodles on the small bedside table, Tian Sangsang focused her gaze on the lump under the quilt. "Yanyan."
"Aren’t you feeling stifled?" She reached out to tug the blanket down, easily pulling it away to reveal her son’s tear-stained face, the remnants of dried tears marking his tender cheeks. His eyes were swollen to peach-like proportions.
Her eyes imdiately grew moist. Tian Sangsang bent down and scooped him up into her arms. He resisted by squirming twice but quickly stopped, sitting there with his head drooped and lips pouted.
"Hungry?" Tian Sangsang asked softly.
The little guy said nothing.
"Do you know why Mom ca in to bring you food?"
ng Shuyan’s damp lashes fluttered, his breathing catching.
Tian Sangsang gazed tenderly at his pitifully small side profile. "Mom doesn’t want you to starve to death. Because you’re Mom’s son, Mom concedes."
ng Shuyan abruptly turned his little head, looking at her with surprise.
"Mom has conceded. So, will you admit you’re wrong?" Tian Sangsang placed her hand atop his head, covering his crown gently. "Will you still run away from ho in the future? Or will you continue not listening to Mom? If you really don’t want to listen to Mom, just tell directly. In that case, Mom won’t bother with you anymore, and will just focus on your little brother, okay?"
The little guy wailed and threw himself into her arms. "Mom, please don’t stop caring about !"
"Ahh." Tian Sangsang embraced his soft little body, planting a kiss on his hair. His small figure nestled completely in her hold, cradled fully. This feeling—it’s the feeling of having a son.
"I was wrong, I’m sorry," ng Shuyan sobbed into her embrace. "Mom, I promise I won’t do it again. I won’t make you angry anymore."
Tian Sangsang released him, brushing his hair and pulling out a tissue to wipe his face. "You’ve cried yourself into a little kitten. Mom knows, admitting your mistakes and correcting them makes you a good child."
As she used the tissue to clean the tear streaks on his face, his cheeks, red from crying, were tender and flushed.
She looked at him and softly explained, "Mom doesn’t love you any less. Mom loves you and also loves your little brother. You’re his older brother, and you should love him too. He’s so little, he doesn’t have a dad—he needs soone to care for him."
"You two are brothers. You need to support each other, do you understand?"
With an unsure nod, ng Shuyan replied in his soft, squishy voice, "I won’t call him a little rascal anymore."
Tian Sangsang felt sowhat comforted. One day, he would grow to love his brother wholeheartedly, just as they did. For now, he simply hadn’t yet grasped what it ant to be a big brother.
A big brother is like a father.
"Co on, eat. You must be hungry, right?" The rice noodles were still warm as Tian Sangsang fed him bite by bite.
ng Shuyan ate the warm bowl of rice noodles, feeling a warmth spread in his heart.
Tian Sangsang added, "Later, you need to apologize to Chun Zisu. He was really scared today."
"Okay, Mom," ng Shuyan solemnly promised.
**
The storm passed quickly, and the ho was soon lively again. Unfortunately, ng Shuyan still showed no sign of warmth or closeness toward Little Tangyuan—neither cold nor fond.
They seed more like strangers than brothers.
One evening after dinner, Zhao Chun abruptly stood up.
ng Shuyan jumped in fright. "Chun Zisu..."
"Yanyan, it’s nothing, you keep eating."
After saying this, Zhao Chun quickly burst out, "Sangsang, you’ll have to take care of Little Tangyuan today! Sothing urgent has co up, I really can’t spare the ti!"
Tian Sangsang replied calmly, "Alright then."
"Wait no, I need to go to the shop too! Today...!!!"
Before she could finish, Zhao Chun had already disappeared like a gust of wind.
"What now? I have to go to the factory today and then the shop, plus we’re stocking new inventory—I simply can’t spare ti. Where should I leave Little Tangyuan?" She cupped her chin, murmuring to herself, staring directly at ng Shuyan with bright eyes.
Quietly eating his dinner, ng Shuyan shuddered slightly.
"Yanyan," Tian Sangsang said with a sweet, wide smile.
ng Shuyan blinked and looked up woodenly. "Mom?"
"Here’s the thing—Mom needs to leave, or else I’ll be late for work. Your little brother is entrusted to your care today. You don’t have to worry too much about him, just do your own thing. If he gets hungry, give him his bottle of milk. It’s already prepared and sitting on the table."
"Huh?" ng Shuyan’s face fell, his brows knitting into the shape of a fuzzy caterpillar. "Mom, aren’t you the boss? Why are you scared of being late?" That thought flashed through his mind but was left unsaid. Before he managed to voice it, Mom sohow produced a bag out of nowhere and vanished like the wind.
Short-legged ng Shuyan ran after her to the door. The courtyard was empty, with nothing but the whistling cold wind.
Rubbing his little hands together, he thought, "So cold."
Heading back to the living room, he looked over at the cradle. His expression turned into one of great distress and frustration.
The feeling... sigh! Indescribable!!
Not far away, two figures lurked near the wall.
Nervously, Zhao Chun asked, "Sangsang, do you think this will work?"
Confidently, Tian Sangsang waved her hand. "It has to work, whether it works or not."
"Now it depends on whether Little Tangyuan can lt his big brother’s ice-cold heart!"
Worriedly, Zhao Chun frowned. "I’m still uneasy. They’re both kids. Combined, their ages only add up to six. I think I should go back down to take care of them."
Tian Sangsang grabbed his sleeve. "What’s ant to happen will happen. Dare to try going down there?"
Zhao Chun protested gloomily, "But isn’t us eavesdropping from this far too distant? We can’t hear anything, nor see clearly."
Tian Sangsang sighed. "You think I want it this way? Yanyan’s little ears aren’t ordinary—they’re ridiculously sharp. If we get too close, he’ll hear us." She cockily raised her eyebrows and pulled sothing out from her bag. "Here, a telescope. I specifically positioned the cradle to line up perfectly with the window. The view from here is just right."
Amazed, Zhao Chun touched it with curiosity, disbelief sparkling in his eyes. "Where did you get a telescope?"
Tian Sangsang snorted in response. "Not telling you~"
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