“Tap tap”
“Mommy, are you awake?”
Just as Ye Shuang was lost in self-deprecating thoughts, the bedroom door was gently knocked, followed by Ji Li’s voice—no longer deliberately formal but tender and childlike—coming through.
Although most of the sound was muffled, the bedroom was quiet enough for Ye Shuang to clearly hear the anticipation and worry in Ji Li’s milky voice.
“I’m awake…”
Ye Shuang slightly opened her mouth, attempting to respond to the child outside.
But as soon as the words left her lips, she realized her voice had become unusually hoarse from last night’s high fever. The faint sound seemed as if it could be blown away by a mere breeze, almost equivalent to not speaking at all.
Left with no choice, she closed her mouth, resignedly sat up from the bed, and dragged her still weak and limp body toward the door.
“Mommy doesn’t seem to be awake yet. Is she still not feeling well?”
Ji Li pressed his little ear tightly against the door, straining to hear any movement inside, but after a long while, he still hadn’t heard the gentle response he was longing for.
Feeling somewhat dejected, his small body crouched on the floor, leaning against the door panel as he murmured softly.
“Then, then we’ll wait here for Mommy to wake up. We won’t make noise.”
Ji Zhou imitated his older brother, his chubby little hands tightly covering his small mouth. Surprisingly, the little bear plush toy that usually never left his side was absent today.
His milky voice carried a heartbreaking sense of maturity.
Ye Shuang had originally intended to open the door directly, but the moment her hand grasped the doorknob, she overheard the two little dumplings’ utterly adorable discussion.
Their tender, childish words were like the warmest spring sunlight, shining directly into her heart, making her unable to suppress a heartfelt smile.
Worried that suddenly opening the door might startle the two little ones, she gently tapped on the door instead.
“It’s Mommy!”
Hearing the knocking sound, Ji Li and Ji Zhou sprang up like two startled kittens, their eyes wide and round, full of anticipation as they looked toward the door.
“Click.”
With a crisp sound, the door slowly opened, revealing their most beautiful, gentle, and lovely mother.
Ye Shuang leaned against the door, looking down to meet the two little ones’ sparkling eyes, a gentle smile blooming on her face.
“Sorry, my little darlings. Mommy’s throat isn’t feeling well, so can Mommy speak less today?”
Ye Shuang handed her phone to the two children, then quickly typed what she wanted to say and clicked the voice playback function.
With her genuinely frail and delicate health, Ye Shuang felt it was absolutely necessary for her to be cautious.
What if speaking just one extra sentence caused her throat to become inflamed…
Heh, she’d rather find a block of tofu to knock herself out with.
“Mmhmm, okay, okay, that’s fine, Mommy don’t talk anymore.”
The two little dumplings lifted their tender little faces, looking at Ye Shuang with expressions full of worry and heartache.
Then, like two most loyal little soldiers, each of them proactively took one of Ye Shuang’s hands, earnestly attempting to support their mother.
Seeing the little dumplings’ filial gesture, Ye Shuang momentarily considered refusing.
After all, the two little ones were too short—this kind of supporting posture was really not friendly to her back at all.
However, when she met the milk dumplings’ large, moist eyes—clear as pristine lake water—the words of refusal instantly caught in her throat.
Shamefully suppressing the urge to reject them, she allowed the two little ones to hold her hands.
But after just two steps of walking hunched over, Ye Shuang felt a sharp ache in her lower back.
She decisively and deftly withdrew her hands, and under the milk dumplings’ full of grievance gazes, she supported her waist with one hand, her expression calm and composed as she said:
“Mommy is too tall, my little darlings. You’re still small now. When you grow up and have more strength, you can support Mommy then, okay?”
“Okaaay.”
The disappointment in Ji Li and Ji Zhou’s eyes instantly transformed into soaring determination upon hearing this.
Exchanging a glance, they seemed to have reached some all-out decision:
Today, they must eat one extra piece of carrot to grow taller quickly, so they could gain the strength to support Mommy sooner.
When breakfast time arrived and they saw the bright red carrots on their small plates,
Ji Li and Ji Zhou gripped their tiny forks, staring down at the carrot pieces with a hint of hesitation and regret in their eyes.
But remembering their recent promise and Mommy’s expectant gaze, they mustered their courage.
Ji Li was the first to spear a piece of carrot and carefully place it in his mouth.
Almost simultaneously, Ji Zhou also put a piece of carrot into his mouth, and likewise, their adorable chubby faces instantly scrunched up.
Carrots are so yucky.
Though Ji Li somewhat regretted his earlier “bold declaration” about eating an extra piece of carrot today, he prided himself on being a little man of his word. Even though the carrot tasted truly awful, he forced himself to swallow it.
Then, with immense determination, Ji Li picked up a second piece of carrot.
Beside him, Ji Zhou, who was naturally a bit more delicate, was now “suffering terribly” from the carrot in his mouth.
The carrot felt as if it were covered in tiny needles; each chew made him scrunch up his little face like a bun’s folds in extreme discomfort.
He secretly tried several times to spit out the carrot in his mouth, but each time, unfortunately, Ye Shuang happened to see him.
When Ji Zhou saw Mommy’s somewhat pale face and her moist, slightly “sad” eyes, he felt a wave of guilt.
Helpless, he could only reluctantly compromise, furrowing his brow and swallowing the carrot with great reluctance.
After the milk dumplings’ “painful” breakfast, the sunlight was just right, and the breeze was gentle.
In a good mood, Ye Shuang felt quite spirited and decided to accompany the two little ones to play on the manor’s lawn.
Since both milk dumplings had suffered considerable grievances yesterday and the show was officially premiering tomorrow,
Ye Shuang simply had the Old Butler ask for leave from school for the two milk dumplings.
This break was also a good opportunity to let her cheap husband sort out their family business.
“Wahaha! So fun!”
“Mommy, look!”
Ye Shuang, wearing a comfortable long dress with a thin blanket casually draped over her, reclined halfway on a lounge chair in the center of the lawn.
Squinting slightly, she contentedly watched not far away: one blue dumpling-like Ji Li and one soft yellow dumpling-like Ji Zhou.
They were playing joyfully, calling out to her from time to time.
It must be said, these two little ones were as exquisitely beautiful as porcelain dolls, with plump little bodies so adorable they seemed like personified snow puffs.
At this moment, they were holding water hoses, hopping and skipping across the lawn. Water droplets shimmered with rainbow colors under the sunlight, reflecting off their rosy little cheeks – unbearably cute.
If only Ye Shuang weren’t still feeling weak and lacking strength throughout her body.
And she was also worried about potential heatstroke under the blazing sun, the risk of fever returning if she accidentally got wet, or the possibility of tripping while running around.
Otherwise, she would have long cast aside her dignity and run to play with the two little dumplings like a child herself.
Ah~ Is this the beautiful retired life of having children, leisure, and wealth?
Ye Shuang secretly marveled in her heart – such moments truly make one want to indulge in this decadent bliss.