“Ning’er was quite a clever little rascal when he first learned to speak.”
Shen Wenzhao walked side by side with Su Tian. An’an had cried so fiercely that he had fallen asleep in Su Tian’s arms. Earlier, when Li Hongyue tried to carry him inside to sleep, he had nearly woken up crying again.
“But when I first met An’an, he was already unwilling to speak.” Su Tian’s brows knitted slightly.
“Mm.” At the mention of this, Shen Wenzhao felt a trace of guilt. “It was our negligence. At that time, the residence encountered some troubles. Ning’er’s father and I were both entangled in urgent matters. His mother’s health was weakened after giving birth and she had been recuperating. The nanny who was supposed to care for Ning’er was instructed by others to do some harmful things to him. By the time we noticed something was wrong, he had already…”
“And how do you explain An’an going missing?” Su Tian’s expression darkened. Her tone carried unmistakable reproach.
Her An’an was still so small—yet he had already endured such devastating experiences.
Shen Wenzhao faltered slightly. “This time… he went with his mother to offer prayers. On the return journey, they were attacked and lost contact with the family.”
Su Tian fell silent.
Shen Wenzhao could sense the heaviness in her restraint, yet he did not know how to continue. Anything he said now would sound like an excuse.
“I’m sorry.” Shen Wenzhao parted his lips. In the end, all his complicated emotions condensed into those two words.
A faint smile curved at Su Tian’s lips, but it did not reach her eyes. “How could I possibly deserve an apology from Young Master Shen? Instead of saying sorry, you might as well think about what to do next.”
“Chi-la—”
Su Tian tossed a handful of garlic shoots into the wok and flipped it skillfully several times.
“Tian-jie, that Young Master Shen is sitting at the diagonal table again,” Su Wenzu whispered, sneakily lifting the curtain.
Su Tian lowered her eyes.
The fifth day.
Since their last long conversation, Shen Wenzhao had come to the shop every day. He would order a few dishes and sit by the window facing that particular table—just positioned so he could see An’an through the window.
Using a spoon to scrape along the edge of the wok, Su Tian handed the stir-fried shredded pork with garlic shoots to Su Wenzu, untied her apron, and followed him out of the kitchen.
“My grandmother has something to attend to tomorrow. There’ll be no one to watch An’an.”
Shen Wenzhao lifted his head. As he listened, his dark eyes slowly lit up with unconcealed delight.
Su Tian met his gaze unexpectedly. That bright look made her inexplicably flustered. Her tone grew slightly unnatural.
“If you… if you’re busy, then forget it. I just see you running here every day, sitting for the whole day. I thought you must have too much free time.”
After saying that, she turned and hurried back into the kitchen.
A short while later, Su Wenzu stuck his head in. “Hey, he’s gone. Asked me to pass you a message—said he’ll come on time tomorrow.” He grinned mischievously. “What did you say to him?”
“Mind your own business. Tell Grandma to rest well at home tomorrow. Someone’s taken the job.”