Li Moyi stood with one hand on his hip, his handsome face serious, as if facing a monumental problem.
Oh, if Li Mobi being pushed into matchmaking was like climbing a mountain of knives, then his current task of babysitting felt like being dropped into a pot of boiling oil!
All he wanted was a full night of sleep, yet he was being tormented endlessly by a tiny little bundle.
He was already trying very hard to restrain himself from treating her like a mischievous little kid.
Just wait until she’s a bit older—he’d deal with her properly then!
“Shan…Shan?” Wanwan tilted her head and called out when he didn’t move.
Li Moyi closed his eyes and stepped out to find the servants.
Fortunately, Old Madam Li seemed to have anticipated that he might not handle the little one well. After he left, she sent Liu Ma and Wang Ma over to help care for Wanwan’s daily needs.
“One of you helps her bathe, the other fetch her change of clothes, and… bring all her daily necessities too.”
“Yes, Third Young Master.”
Both women moved quickly and soon had Wanwan taken care of.
Meanwhile, Li Moyi finished his own washing and emerged from the bathroom feeling refreshed, as if his soul had been cleansed.
Wanwan, lying on the bed, immediately sat up when she saw him, her big curious eyes blinking: “Third Brother, can you tell stories?”
Perhaps because she had slept so well the afternoon before, the little girl showed no signs of being tired.
Li Moyi grimaced, realizing he would endure days of this constant chatter; his temples throbbed.
“I can’t.”
“Oh…okay.” Wanwan’s face fell slightly. She lay back down, awkwardly spreading her little quilt.
At that moment, she suddenly missed her eldest brother. When he lulled her to sleep, he would tell her stories.
“What would you like to hear?” Li Moyi noticed the small picture books that Wang Ma had brought over and picked one up.
Wanwan’s dark eyes lit up instantly: “I want to hear the story of Snow White! Can you tell it, Third Brother?”
Li Moyi flipped the book to the Snow White page and lay on the bed, the sweet smell of the little one at his pillow lulling him into drowsiness.
“Once upon a time, there was a king who had a daughter named Snow White…”
Wanwan waited eagerly for the story, but after just two sentences, Third Brother went silent. She turned her head and saw Li Moyi had closed his eyes and fallen asleep with the picture book in hand.
For three-and-a-half-year-old Wanwan, this was her first taste of helplessness. She rested her small chin on her hands and sighed like an old soul.
She carefully placed Li Moyi’s book on the pillow and tried to pull back his quilt.
But his quilt was far too large; after struggling, she could not move it. Reluctantly, she shared her own small quilt, covering half of him.
Before sleep, she even patted his black hair gently.
“Third Brother, sleep well. With me here, the big dinosaur won’t come scare you.”
…
That night.
Thick clouds gathered densely overhead, dark and oppressive.
Li Mobi stepped out of Old Madam Li’s room, looked at the sky, and smiled helplessly.
Even if he behaved well in front of the elders, he had known this day would come.
Did he blame their decisions? No.
He only blamed fate. It had given so many people distant, unattainable things, while constantly reminding him that everything he did was for others.
Everything he had done had merely been making clothes for someone else.
As the rain fell, his beautiful eyes shimmered with frustration, which was eventually suppressed beneath the heavy clouds, until the last ray of light dimmed and disappeared without a trace.
…
The next morning, after the rain, little sparrows chirped energetically on the branches.
Li Moyi’s courtyard had not been this lively for years—like a desolate land suddenly welcoming the vitality of spring.
Wanwan opened her eyes to the birds’ songs, seeing Third Brother still asleep. She rubbed her eyes and got dressed on her own.
Just as she began to climb past his legs, ready to descend, a strong arm scooped her back up.
Li Mobi opened his eyes; his black phoenix-like gaze carried traces of laziness, his voice at the cusp of changing with puberty, sometimes clear like a bird, sometimes deeper, trembling like plucked strings, youthful and vibrant.
“Where are you going?”
“To the bathroom.”
Li Mobi released her. Having finally slept a full, uninterrupted night, he was reluctant to leave the pillow, basking in the lingering comfort.
Seeing Liu Ma and Wang Ma outside to watch her, he let her go alone.
However, Li Mobi had slept too deeply and didn’t know that after last night’s heavy rain, the maids had gone back to the main house, leaving no one to guide her.
Wanwan, unfamiliar with the yard, wandered a bit, instinctively heading toward Old Madam Li’s courtyard. She carefully avoided puddles along the way, keeping her dress dry.
Unfortunately, this left her lost.
After waiting a long while with no servant in sight, and her face full of frustration, ready to cry, a pair of strong hands lifted her.
“Little one, why are you out here alone so early? Didn’t your Third Brother take care of you?” Li Mobi frowned.
Seeing him, Wanwan felt as if she had found a savior. She hugged his neck, pressing her small head against his shoulder, her tiny lips pouting adorably.
“Wanwan needs to go to the bathroom, can’t hold it.”
Li Mobi raised an eyebrow, realizing she had lost her way looking for the toilet, and hurriedly led her to the nearest one.
“You can go by yourself, Second Brother is a boy, can’t go with you.”
Wanwan nodded, waddling inside on her little legs.
Li Mobi glanced at his watch. Time was tight, and the place was remote—normally no one would come by. He couldn’t leave her alone, so he patiently waited until she returned.
“Do you want to go to Third Brother’s place, or find Grandma?” Li Mobi asked, holding her.
Wanwan hesitated to answer, but when she noticed how neatly Second Brother was dressed, and how fragrant he smelled, she became distracted. She decided: playing with Second Brother was just as good.
“Wanwan isn’t going anywhere, wants to stay with Second Brother!”