Since the two children had nearly had an accident, Ning Wanwan felt she couldn’t keep it from the Jiang couple.
By the time the group returned to the Shen residence, Jiang Zheng and Xu Shu were already waiting at the entrance to the old mansion.
“Xianxian, are you okay?” As soon as Xu Shu saw her daughter, she rushed over, took her by the hand, and examined her from head to toe. Only after confirming she wasn’t injured did she breathe a sigh of relief.
“Mom and Dad, I’m fine!” Jiang Xian looked full of energy, showing no signs of having just survived a kidnapping.
“Huh? What’s wrong with your teeth?” Seeing that their daughter was indeed unharmed, the two finally put their minds completely at ease, though they also noticed the little girl’s lisp.
Once they figured out what was going on, they weren’t sure whether to scold her for being so bold or laugh at her bravado. But thinking of how the two children had just narrowly escaped danger, they couldn’t bring themselves to reprimand her.
“Is Yan Yan okay?” Hearing that Shen Yan had even been slapped, Xu Shu gently stroked his head with concern and asked.
Ning Wanwan glanced at her son; Shen Yan’s little face was already swollen. However, they had stopped by the hospital before heading home, and the doctor said it wasn’t serious—just apply an ice pack at home, and the swelling would go down in a couple of days.
Still shaken by the ordeal, Xu Shu looked down at her daughter and said, “Xianxian, shall we go home with Mom and Dad?” The little girl had been out for several days now; it was time for her to go home.
The little girl had missed her mom and dad earlier, but now that she’d seen them, she didn’t want to go back. She cast a reluctant glance in Shen Yan’s direction and asked Xu Shu, “Mom, can I stay a few more days?”
“Don’t you want Mom and Dad anymore, Xianxian?” Xu Shu asked, feigning sadness.
Of course she wanted her mom and dad, but she didn’t want to leave Yan Yan either.
The little girl was torn.
If only Yan Yan weren’t moving away.
“Can I stay one more day? Just one more day, okay?” The little girl tugged at Xu Shu’s sleeve, looking up at her with pleading eyes. Her soft voice made it impossible to refuse her.
Xu Shu relented. “All right, you can stay one more day—just one. Mom and Dad will come pick you up tomorrow.”
“Thank you, Mom and Dad. You’re the best.” The little girl couldn’t help but plant a kiss on each of Xu Shu and Jiang Zheng’s cheeks.
And just like that, they were both won over.
After Xu Shu and Jiang Zheng left, Ning Wanwan led Shen Yan and Jiang Xian into the house.
Worried that the two little ones might be scared tonight, Ning Wanwan had originally planned to stay and sleep with them.
But to her surprise, both of them said they didn’t need her to.
After Ning Wanwan left, the two little ones lay on the bed with their heads touching.
Jiang Xian suddenly sat up and looked at Shen Yan’s swollen little face. “Yan Yan, does it hurt?”
Shen Yan: “It doesn’t hurt.”
“You’re lying,” the little girl said, not believing him.
It’s all swollen—it must hurt.
It hurt a lot when her bottom was spanked until it swelled up before.
“I’ll blow on it for you!” The little girl suddenly remembered something, leaned in close, and blew gently on his face twice.
Shen Yan felt a tickling sensation on his face, as if the pain had truly gone away.
After blowing on him, Jiang Xian cupped his face with her small hands, pressed her forehead against his, and said in a soft, sweet voice, “The pain goes away.”
Shen Yan’s face flushed slightly, and even the tips of his ears turned a shade of pink.
It was the first time anyone had comforted him like this.
He liked it.
Jiang Xian lifted her little face to look at him and asked, “Yan Yan, are you feeling better?”
“Mm!” Shen Yan tried his best to put on a serious face.
“I knew blowing on it would work,” Jiang Xian grinned, revealing a dark, gaping hole where her tooth was missing.
“Your tooth? Does it still hurt?” Shen Yan frowned.
“It doesn’t hurt anymore.” Jiang Xian shook her head. Then, as if remembering something, she quickly clamped her little mouth shut. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and after a moment, she asked in a soft voice, “Do I look really ugly right now?”
Shen Yan: “You don’t look ugly.”
Jiang Xian couldn’t help but grin again, but she quickly pursed her lips the moment she smiled.
“Xianxian!” Shen Yan called out to her.
“Hmm?”
Shen Yan’s expression suddenly turned serious as he looked at her. “From now on, you’re not allowed to bite people when you’re fighting.”
“Why not?” Jiang Xian blinked.
Shen Yan scowled and said, “It’s filthy!
“Alright then!” Jiang Xian replied obediently.
“You can’t bite dogs either,” Shen Yan added.
Earlier, the family dog had run out to fight and lost. Jiang Xian had rushed over to help and clamped her teeth down on the other dog’s ear, refusing to let go.
Ever since then, whenever that dog saw her, it would tuck its tail between its legs and run away.
Humans are so cruel!
“I know!” Jiang Xian widened her eyes, but in the end, she hung her little head and nodded.
Warm yellow light fell on their faces.
Shen Yan reached down and felt the pillow beneath him; hidden inside was a tooth he’d picked up that night.
The six-year-old boy’s eyes gradually darkened and hardened as he silently vowed to himself—
From now on, he would protect her.
No one would ever bully her.
No one!
“Sigh—”
The tiny figure sat on the steps by the door, hands propping up her chin, gazing at the neighboring courtyard as she sighed for the hundred-and-first time.
“Woof!”
“Croak—”
Beside her, a dog and a frog joined in, making sounds to match hers.
Xu Shu walked out of the courtyard and, seeing this scene, couldn’t help but laugh. “Missing Yan Yan again?”
The little girl looked up at Xu Shu with a pout. “When is Yan Yan coming back?”
Xu Shu smiled. “School starts in a week. Then you’ll be able to see each other every day.”
Jiang Xian began counting down the days on her fingers.
One day, two days…
Finally, the day school started arrived.
As soon as the new semester began, Jiang Xian and Shen Yan were enrolled in the same school.
Shen Yan had just stepped out of the car when he saw a figure charging toward him like a little cannonball.
“Yan Yan.”
The little boy stumbled back two steps before regaining his balance.
Jiang Xian wrapped her little arms around him, her chubby face beaming with joy at seeing him, her eyes sparkling: “Yan Yan, I finally get to see you! I missed you so much. Did you miss me?”
Shen Yan said nothing, merely responding with a silent “Mm-hmm.”
He missed her too.
A flicker of emotion crossed the little boy’s eyes, and a dark thought rose in his heart: he wanted to take her home and hide her away, so they would never be apart.
Ever since Jiang Xian had been brought home, Shen Yan hadn’t said a word, but behind the scenes, he’d caused no end of trouble.
One moment he’d “accidentally” smash Ning Wanwan’s favorite set of porcelain; the next, he’d “unintentionally” feed to death the dragon fish Shen Song’an had gone to great lengths to have imported from abroad. Even the garden of orchids the old man had planted with his own hands didn’t escape unscathed.
And every now and then, one or two of the family’s antique calligraphy and paintings would get damaged.
Without a word, he’d turned the old mansion into a complete chaos.
The whole family felt like their hearts were about to give out.
Finally, with no other options left, even Old Master Shen stepped in, ordering the couple to find a way to stop the boy from causing trouble.
His precious collection simply couldn’t withstand such turmoil.
The couple had no better solution—they couldn’t exactly storm into someone else’s home and snatch their child away. In the end, they had no choice but to pull some strings and force the school to start the semester half a month early.
Only then did the boy finally settle down.