Chen Shu looked at Yuanyuan, her eyes full of undisguised affection. Then she turned to Lu Wanwan: “Wanwan, you’ve raised Tuantuan and Yuanyuan so well.”
As a mother, Chen Shu naturally wanted the children Xiaobao interacted with to be good as well.
Aunt Zhang was also very happy for Lu Wanwan. She adored the twins—rosy lips, bright teeth, truly adorable. She had never seen more beautiful children.
Zhou Yushen sat upright, eating quietly. He didn’t speak much, but he was quite impressed by Lu Wanwan’s unassuming yet unyielding way of standing up to Fang Anqian, and her refusal to be wronged.
After the meal, Lu Wanwan helped Aunt Zhang clean the table.
Xiaobao woke up hungry, and Chen Shu quickly took the bowl from Lu Wanwan, urging her: “Go feed Xiaobao. I’ll help Aunt Zhang with the cleanup.”
Lu Wanwan went to the room to feed Xiaobao. Tuantuan and Yuanyuan wanted to wait for their mother in the living room. Yuanyuan, walking slowly, lagged behind.
Fang Anqian, carrying washed fruit and eager to have more time with Zhou Yushen, didn’t see Yuanyuan and accidentally bumped into her. She immediately pushed the girl away disdainfully and hissed under her breath:
“You little brat, can’t you watch where you’re going?”
Zhou Yushen saw Tuantuan approaching and noticed Yuanyuan was missing. When he walked over, he caught Fang Anqian pushing her and his expression darkened. He strode up sharply:
“Yuanyuan, what happened?”
Fang Anqian turned pale, frozen, unsure if Zhou Yushen had heard her words.
“If you dare tell, I won’t let your mom work here,” she hurriedly threatened Yuanyuan, then picked a grape from the fruit plate and offered it to her, smiling as if she were kind and gentle: “Yuanyuan, eat some fruit, it’s sweet.”
Terrified, Yuanyuan shook her small hand behind her back, tears welling up, and looked at Zhou Yushen.
He picked Yuanyuan up, his sharp gaze fixing on Fang Anqian: “Comrade Fang, Yuanyuan is still little. Isn’t pushing her a bit too much?”
“Shen-ge, I…”
Zhou Yushen didn’t give Fang Anqian a chance to argue. He said firmly: “Meal’s finished, I won’t see you out.”
Though he had always been straightforward with Fang Anqian, he had never been this blunt. Her face flushed with anger, and tears of frustration almost fell.
She couldn’t bear to stay any longer. Clutching her bag, she left crying, secretly hoping Zhou Yushen would chase after her to console her.
Unfortunately, Zhou Yushen didn’t spare her a glance. Carrying Yuanyuan, he went to the living room, treated her scraped arm, turned on the TV, and found a cartoon for them to watch together.
When Chen Shu came out of the kitchen, she saw this scene and couldn’t help teasing:
“I never realized Yushen liked kids so much. Looks like it’s time to find him a wife.”
Aunt Zhang laughed in agreement: “Yes, when the twins first came, he was a bit reserved. It was only when Captain Zhou gave them White Rabbit candies that they warmed up. He was very patient, even telling them stories.”
Chen Shu didn’t notice Fang Anqian and found it odd. Fang Anqian had saved a piece of cake specifically for Yushen but hadn’t given it to him. Had her feelings for her younger uncle faded?
She asked Zhou Yushen: “Has Anqian left?”
“Yes, she left with her bag just now.”
Chen Shu didn’t think much of it. Later that evening, when she called her husband Zhou Shuguo, she mentioned her younger brother-in-law:
“Yushen was very attentive to the nanny’s children today. He even specifically picked up the nanny for Xiaobao. Keep an eye out in the army’s arts troupe for any suitable matchmaking prospects.”
Zhou Shuguo was a little surprised. He remembered his brother as naturally aloof and wild. Suddenly, he recalled something and curiously asked his wife:
“Your friend, Fang… wasn’t she chasing Yushen?”
“She was very eager before, but Yushen wasn’t interested. I think she’s backing off a bit. If they were meant to be, it would’ve happened already. Anyway, just keep an eye out.”
“All right. I’ll let you know if I find a suitable candidate. Now, let me hear our baby’s voice—I’ve missed him so much.”
Chen Shu felt a pang of jealousy thinking about her son, but knowing her husband was often away with the army, she let it go.
At that moment, Lu Wanwan returned to the east wing after finishing the laundry and saw Zhou Yushen in the room. She was a little surprised.
His tall figure dominated the small room, with the two little ones snuggled close—it looked strangely harmonious.
Tuantuan proudly held up a toy wooden gun: “Mom, this is a gift from Uncle.”
“And this one’s for Yuanyuan.”
Yuanyuan held her cloth doll, her cheeks flushed with joy. It was the first time she’d seen such a beautiful doll. She planned to sleep with it tonight.
Lu Wanwan clearly saw that these two gifts were not cheap. She reached for her bag, intending to give money to Zhou Yushen.
He caught her intention, raised an eyebrow, and spoke firmly: “These are gifts for Tuantuan and Yuanyuan from me—a little token among three friends. Comrade Lu, you’re not going to interfere with this too, are you?”
Caught, Lu Wanwan froze, stopped reaching for her money, and pretended to organize things naturally. She turned to the children: “Did you thank the big friend who gave you gifts?”
“Thank you, Uncle.”
“Thank you, Susu, for scaring the bad person and helping Yuanyuan.”
Yuanyuan raised her arm to report to Lu Wanwan: “Auntie bumped me, it hurt, Auntie bad, Uncle put on medicine, okay.”
Soon, Lu Wanwan understood what had happened: Fang Anqian had bumped into Yuanyuan, Zhou Yushen had treated her arm, and then chased Fang Anqian away.
She looked at her daughter’s slightly reddened arm with concern and thanked him:
“Thank you, Captain Zhou, for taking care of them.”
“You’re welcome. They shouldn’t be wronged in the Zhou household,” he replied.
It was late. Zhou Yushen put his hands in his pockets and stood to leave: “I’m going to rest. You all should sleep early too.”
With the door closing behind him, only the mother and her two children remained.
Lu Wanwan began teaching the twins: “Tuantuan, Yuanyuan, you must be polite. Auntie Fang isn’t a bad person; she probably bumped into Yuanyuan by accident.”
Tuantuan, more sensitive to adult emotions, pursed his lips and complained: “She doesn’t like me and Yuanyuan.”
“We can’t make everyone like us. Everyone has their preferences. Just like Tuantuan likes guns and Yuanyuan likes flowers and dolls. Just because she doesn’t like you doesn’t mean you’re bad, understand?”
“Yes, whether she likes us or not doesn’t matter. As long as Mom and Uncle Zhou like us, it’s fine.”
“Yuanyuan likes Mom and Tuantuan, Susu too.”
From behind the door, Zhou Yushen, about to leave, overheard their conversation and once again gained a new respect for Lu Wanwan.