Lu Zhishen had visited neighboring cities and even traveled abroad. He honestly told Yu Qianran about his experiences, earning a look of admiration in return.
Yu Qianran’s eyes curved into crescents as he said enviously, “Shenshen is so amazing. I’ve never been anywhere like that.”
Lu Zhishen proudly patted his chest and confidently made a promise: “It’s okay. When I grow up and earn lots of money, I’ll take Ranran to travel all over the world.”
“Growing up takes a really, really long time,” Yu Qianran said, counting on his fingers and recalling his mother’s words that one only becomes an adult at eighteen. “There are still fourteen years to go, and Ranran is only four years old.”
Ah, he really wished he could grow up faster so he could travel the world with Shenshen.
“It is a bit long, but only when we grow up can we stop going to school,” Lu Zhishen tilted his head, thinking about the thirteen more years of studying ahead of him, and suddenly felt a wave of despair.
Yu Qianran nodded in agreement. “Yeah, going to school is so annoying.”
Kindergarten wasn’t good, no one there liked him.
Lu Zhishen hugged Yu Qianran tightly and said, “I really wish I could grow up faster.”
“Mm-hmm,” Yu Qianran yawned, his eyelids too heavy to keep open, his voice drowsy and almost dismissive.
“Ranran?” Lu Zhishen looked up to see Ranran with his eyes closed, still mumbling softly. He gently shifted his body closer, slowly closing his own eyes.
…
In the evening, the door to Ranran’s bedroom was quietly opened a crack, and a figure tiptoed toward the bed.
On the bed, the two little friends were forehead to forehead. The slightly older Shenshen held Ranran tightly in his arms, the two children clinging to each other like twin flowers.
Gu Kexin’s gaze softened as she gently pulled the blanket up a little for the children before quietly slipping out of the bedroom.
Walking across the floor bathed in the evening sunlight, Gu Kexin stopped Aunt Wang, who was bringing out dinner. “Please keep the dinner warm in the pot for now. We can heat it up again when the children wake up.”
Aunt Wang replied, “Yes, ma’am.”
It was the first time Yu Qianran had slept until six in the afternoon. By then, the curtains blocked the view outside the window. He yawned twice in a row, rubbing his eyes with one hand, still reluctant to open them.
So sleepy… he wanted to sleep a little longer.
No, he had to get up and eat.
Sitting on the bed, Yu Qianran felt as if two little figures were fighting in his mind, neither gaining the upper hand.
“Ranran?” Lu Zhishen’s groggy voice interrupted Yu Qianran’s thoughts. “You woke up so early.” He pushed himself up to sit, his eyes half-open.
Yu Qianran’s beautiful eyes opened, now clear and alert. He turned his head and said softly, “Good afternoon, Shenshen.”
He added, “I’ll go wash my face first. You can get up in a bit.”
Lu Zhishen hummed in response, smoothly slipping back into the warm, soft blanket.
Little Yu Qianran tiptoed into the bathroom, slowly pressing down the door handle and closing the door without a sound.
After finishing all this, he let out a sigh of relief, stepped onto a small stool, picked up his toothbrush cup, and filled it with warm water to rinse his mouth.
In the mirror, the beautiful child had long, upturned eyelashes, amber-brown eyes that were clear and pure, a high nose bridge, utterly adorable.
He turned around, grabbed a soft towel, soaked it in the sink filled with water, and with nimble little fingers, scrubbed it before lifting it up and wringing it out with all his might. He then buried his face in it, rubbing vigorously.
Yu Qianran looked at himself in the mirror, rubbing his cheeks and muttering, “Ranran is very clean.”
Outside the door, Lu Zhishen’s gentle knocking could be heard. “Ranran, can I come in?”
Yu Qianran hopped off the small stool. “Mm-hmm, I’m all done.”
The bathroom door swung open, and the light from the room flooded in.
Yu Qianran exclaimed, “Shenshen, you opened the curtains, it’s so dark in here.”
Wait, it wasn’t this dark when I got up and opened the curtains before.
Yu Qianran looked at Lu Zhishen and asked softly, “What time is it?”
Lu Zhishen wore a smartwatch on his wrist, so there was no need to go out and check the clock. He lowered his head, lit up the screen, and read the time aloud: “It’s 6:18 PM.”
Yu Qianran: “…”
Oh no, oh no. Did I sleep too long? Will Mom scold Ranran?
Ranran doesn’t want Shenshen to see me getting scolded.
“Huh?” Lu Zhishen watched as Yu Qianran dashed out and opened the bedroom door. “Ranran, where are you going?”
Yu Qianran hurriedly replied, “Wait for me, I’ll be right back, okay?”
He only ran a short distance before stopping, patting his chest, and taking a deep breath before heading downstairs to find his mom.
“Mom?”
Yu Qianran called out as he walked, glancing around.
Gu Kexin happened to be coming in from outside and saw the anxious Yu Qianran. Worried, she approached him. “What’s wrong, Ranran?”
Yu Qianran lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Mom. Ranran woke up late today.”
Gu Kexin paused, feeling both heartache and amusement.
“What are you apologizing for? Ranran didn’t do anything wrong,” she said, reaching out to gently ruffle Yu Qianran’s hair in reassurance. “This is Ranran’s home. Ranran can sleep as long as he wants. Mom will never scold Ranran.”
Yu Qianran looked up, confused, and repeated what other children had once told him: “Huh? But other kids said that sleeping in makes Mom angry.”
Gu Kexin stopped her hand. Finally understanding why Ranran had apologized, she smiled and said, “Mom is Ranran’s mom, not anyone else’s.”
“Are you hungry? Come eat.”
“A little,” Yu Qianran’s attention quickly shifted. “Shenshen is up too. Ranran will wait for Shenshen.”
Gu Kexin replied fondly, “Okay, whatever Ranran says.”
After dinner, Lu Zhishen reluctantly held Yu Qianran’s hand.
“Are you really not coming to my house?” he asked, unwilling to give up.
Yu Qianran shook his head and refused. “Shenshen, you should go home now. If you don’t go back soon, your mom will get angry again.”
He wanted to stay home and play with his mom tonight, so he had to firmly decline Shenshen’s invitation.
Lu Zhishen pouted. “I have class late tomorrow and won’t be able to come over in the evening.”
Ji Nuan had given Lu Zhishen a break today, but since they had overslept this afternoon, tomorrow’s schedule would have to make up for the missed lessons.
Lu Zhishen wished he were Ranran’s older brother, that way, he could play with Ranran every day without having to attend classes.
Yu Qianran blinked, acknowledging this. “We’ll see each other the day after tomorrow.”
Seeing his last attempt fail, Lu Zhishen let out a resigned sigh and said goodbye.
Only after watching Lu Zhishen’s figure disappear through the doorway did Yu Qianran turn back and toddle off to find Gu Kexin.
Gu Kexin was sitting on the living room sofa, carefully looking through a sketchbook.
“Mom,” Yu Qianran threw himself onto Gu Kexin, looking up at her with bright eyes. “I want to go somewhere else to play too.”
Gu Kexin set the sketchbook aside, lifted Yu Qianran onto her lap, and asked softly, “Where does Ranran want to go?”
She was surprised that Ranran had suddenly brought up something he’d never mentioned before, but her expression remained as calm as ever.
“I want to see the ocean,” Yu Qianran said openly. “Shenshen wants to go too.”
Gu Kexin asked, “Why does Ranran suddenly want to see the ocean?”
Yu Qianran stood with his hands clasped behind his back, a hint of envy in his expression, his voice soft and sweet: “Because Jiajia is going for her birthday.”
Gu Kexin confirmed again and again: “Does Ranran really want to go?”
“Mhm, mhm,” Yu Qianran nodded vigorously, his face full of determination. “Ranran has never been to other cities before. Shenshen and the others have been to so many places. Is it because Ranran isn’t healthy enough to go?”
He spoke the last sentence very softly, afraid that his mother would feel sad if she heard.
Ranran also wanted to have a strong body like Shenshen’s, so that Mom wouldn’t have to worry about him so much. Ranran also wanted to be able to travel far with his mom and dad, just like Shenshen and the others.
“I’m sorry, Ranran. Mom was careless before.” Gu Kexin gently pinched Yu Qianran’s smooth cheek, her heart aching. “Mom will talk to Dad about it tonight, okay?”
Yu Qianran’s eyes lit up like two light bulbs, his tone unable to hide his delight: “Then I can go play at the beach!”
Gu Kexin curved her lips: “Yes, yes, yes.”
Yu Qianran was so excited that he scrambled up, placed his hands on Gu Kexin’s shoulders, and planted a firm kiss on her cheek, his eyes brimming with joy. “Ranran loves Mom the most.”
“This side too.” Gu Kexin turned her head, presenting the unkissed cheek to Yu Qianran.
“Mwah~”
Yu Qianran generously gave another kiss.
Having gotten the answer he wanted, Yu Qianran eagerly sent a message to Lu Zhishen.
[Shenshen]: That’s great! I told my mom too.
[Shenshen]: She said she knows. Usually when she says that, it means she agrees!
Yu Qianran was curious and asked Shenshen why.
[Shenshen]: Because every time I want something, she answers like that, and then I get it!
Yu Qianran pondered thoughtfully, then looked up to observe his own mother.
It seemed like Mom never said the same thing every time. How could Ranran quickly figure it out?
Sometimes Mom teased Ranran, and Ranran couldn’t even tell.
Yu Qianran felt a little troubled.
However, his worries didn’t last long. That evening, the man who had been working overtime stepped through the front door and first greeted his wife affectionately.
Yu Zeyan’s slender fingers gently tapped Yu Qianran’s nose as he asked softly, “Ranran, are you still enjoying learning to draw lately?”
“Yes.” Yu Qianran pretended to be angry, covering his nose with both hands and tilting his head back to avoid Yu Zeyan’s touch.
Yu Zeyan’s interest was piqued. “Can Dad take a look?”
Yu Qianran pouted, a little annoyed. “They’re in Ranran’s study. Dad can go look by himself.”
Yu Zeyan bent down and scooped Yu Qianran into his arms. Startled, Yu Qianran wrapped his arms tightly around his father’s neck. Yu Zeyan chuckled softly, “Little artist Ranran won’t give Dad a tour?”
“Bad Dad, always picking on Ranran’s nose.” Yu Qianran huffed and turned his head, presenting the back of his head to Yu Zeyan.
A flicker of amusement shone in Yu Zeyan’s eyes as he held Yu Qianran securely with one arm and walked while saying, “Our Ranran is just too adorable. Dad can’t help it.”
Hearing the praise, Yu Qianran’s round eyes darted around before he reluctantly turned back.
He muttered loudly, “If Dad buys me some cookies, Ranran can be friends with Dad again.”
Yu Qianran’s expression practically spelled out the words “buy them for me” as he stared eagerly at Yu Zeyan.
“No.” Yu Zeyan refused firmly.
Eating too many cookies wasn’t healthy. He believed Ranran was a good boy, but a child’s resistance to snacks was often zero.
“Then I want to go to the beach with Shenshen.” Yu Qianran changed her request, and even brought up Gu Kexin to ensure Yu Zeyan would agree. “Mom already said yes.”
Yu Zeyan looked surprised for a moment but quickly regained his composure.
“Alright.” Since his wife had already agreed, he had no reason to object.
Yu Qianran flashed a triumphant little smile, acting proud. “Ranran forgives Daddy now, but next time you can’t pinch Ranran’s nose.”