Chapter 259 - 256: Return to the Capital City
"Yes, Mommy misses your little brother and Daddy too!" Zhou Lian said softly with a smile, looking at her daughter’s impish expression. ’I really do miss them.’ She never thought that in just two or three days, she would experience what the ancients called being sick with longing.
Her little face scrunched up, Nuonuo said glumly, "Then what should we do? They won’t be back for several more hours!"
"It’s okay. How about Mommy teaches you the Er Ya?" Zhou Lian said, looking at Nuonuo on a sudden whim. ’My daughter is so smart, she should be able to understand it!’
After a moment’s pause, Nuonuo studied Zhou Lian carefully and said softly, "If you say so." ’The Er Ya? Has Mommy gone silly from missing Daddy? What is she thinking, asking a second-grader, a little girl of only seven or eight, to read the Er Ya? Although... I can probably understand most of it. Oh well, I’ll just go along with it.’
Zhou Lian got up and went to the bookshelf. Instead of taking the ancient book, she grabbed her own handwritten copy. Returning to the sofa, she sat next to Nuonuo, gently opened the book, and began explaining it, word by word.
Nuonuo’s eyes lit up at the sight of the elegant calligraphy that filled the pages. It was her mother’s handwritten copy. She took a deep breath, centered herself, and listened quietly to Zhou Lian’s explanation.
Sister Fang stood outside the study window, watching the mother and daughter inside—one teaching, the other learning. She smiled and shook her head. ’I was worried they’d be sad and miserable thinking about the father and son coming home today. Well, this is much better.’
Time tends to fly when you’re truly focused on something. By the time Yanyan came running in from the outer courtyard shouting, "Mommy, Sister, we’re back!" Zhou Lian and Nuonuo finally looked up from the book. After a moment of dazed confusion, they exchanged a glance and instantly shot up to head outside.
"Sister, Sister, I’m back!" Seeing Nuonuo dash out of the study, Yanyan shouted excitedly and ran toward her.
Seeing her son charging toward Nuonuo like a little cannonball, Zhou Lian didn’t have time to think. She rushed forward and knelt on the ground to steady her daughter. Otherwise, the force of her son’s impact would have sent his sister flying!
Having parked the car, Li Xiu entered the inner courtyard a step behind and saw his wife hugging their daughter and son. He couldn’t help but feel his lip twitch. ’That little rascal must have tackled his sister again. My wife is probably hugging them so tightly because she’s afraid they’ll fall. That has to be it! Right? Maybe... probably... I think!’
"Bao’er, I’m back!" Feeling a little jealous of his own son and daughter, Li Xiu called out loudly to Zhou Lian. ’Now all she can see are those two little monsters. She’s completely forgotten about me!’
Lifting her head, Zhou Lian looked at Li Xiu as he walked toward her, backlit by the light. His features were handsome and clear, and his eyes were filled with a watery tenderness. Zhou Lian felt herself blush unconsciously. There was something so captivating about his eyes that she couldn’t help but gaze straight into their depths. In those beautiful, large eyes, she saw an adoration and gentleness written just for her, making it impossible for her to look away.
Walking over to his wife and two kids, Li Xiu crouched down and gently patted Nuonuo and Yanyan on their little heads. "Go find Sister Fang in the kitchen," he said softly. "See what delicious things she’s making for dinner tonight!"
Yanyan was still young, and the mere mention of delicious food was enough to get him on his feet, pulling Nuonuo toward the kitchen to find Sister Fang. Nuonuo, however, was not only smart but had an even higher emotional intelligence. Acting like a little adult, she glanced at her father, who had been ignored since he got back, then at her mother, who was staring intently at him. She sighed softly and said, "Okay. Yanyan, walk slowly. Sister will go with you to find Aunt Fang!"
Lost in Li Xiu’s gaze, Zhou Lian didn’t notice. But Li Xiu was sharp. His lips twitched as he chose to ignore his devilishly clever seven-year-old daughter. Once he saw the two children enter the kitchen out of the corner of his eye, he gently swept Zhou Lian into his arms and carried her into the study. ’It’s been three days since I’ve seen my Bao’er. I’ve missed her like crazy!’
Just holding each other quietly, they both felt whole again, the emptiness of the past three days filled. After a long moment, Li Xiu let out a soft laugh. ’So this is what they call the quiet bliss of a good life.’ Holding the most important person in the world in his arms, hearing the cheerful chatter of his two children from the kitchen... all the people he cared about most were right here with him, safe, healthy, and happy. What more could a person ask for in life?
"What are you laughing at?" Zhou Lian asked languidly, nestled in Li Xiu’s arms.
He lowered his head and kissed her shimmering eyes. Looking down at Zhou Lian with a loving smile, he said tenderly, "I just feel so happy, so blessed. Holding my Bao’er feels like I’m holding the entire world."
A blush quickly spread across Zhou Lian’s pretty face. Even though they had been a married couple for two lifetimes, she still wasn’t used to Li Xiu’s endless, creative teasing.
"Bao’er, how are you still so shy? We’ve been a couple for two lifetimes. Besides, I haven’t even said anything yet, and you’re already blushing like this. What if I were to..."
𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺
She quickly reached out and covered Li Xiu’s mouth. He had whispered that last part in her ear, and now Zhou Lian, who was crimson from head to toe, glared at him with a mix of frustration and flustered anger. ’This man is truly insufferable! He knows exactly what he’s doing, and he deliberately provokes me every single time!’
Knowing he couldn’t actually do anything right now, Li Xiu took a deep breath to steady himself and calm the stirring in his body. He gently pulled her hand away from his mouth and said softly, "Alright, alright, alright. My fault, Bao’er. I won’t tease you anymore."
The couple cuddled on the sofa for a while longer before Li Xiu helped Zhou Lian up. It was getting dark. He walked Zhou Lian to the kitchen, saw that Sister Fang was almost done with dinner, and after a quick word with his wife, he went to unload the car. The trunk was completely full, as was the entire back seat!
Watching Li Xiu haul a huge pile of things into the house, Zhou Lian raised an eyebrow at him. ’Are we moving, or are we moving?’
"First Aunt and Third Aunt loaded them into the car this morning. I don’t even know what all of this is. I couldn’t stop them," Li Xiu said helplessly, looking at the large pile of things on the floor.
After dinner and a short playtime with the two children, they had Sister Fang take them to bed. Li Xiu and Zhou Lian stood sighing at the mountain of things covering the dining room floor. ’Did First Aunt and Third Aunt pack a whole year’s worth of rations for us?’ It was all food: flour, sweet potatoes, millet, sorghum, soybeans, mung beans, peanuts, and potatoes, not to mention dried chilies, dried green beans, dried eggplant...
Staple grains from the fields, dried vegetables from the garden—it seemed like they had packed nearly everything that could be grown back home. Zhou Lian was touched. She couldn’t deny that part of it was because Li Xiu had established himself in the Capital City and could help his younger siblings and cousins back home. But more important was the sheer thoughtfulness of it all. You couldn’t be so meticulous and thorough without genuine affection. To be honest, not even her own parents—let alone Li Xiu’s—had ever packed things for her with such care.
"Jin Chen," Zhou Lian said softly, looking at all the things on the floor, "let’s treat First Uncle and Aunt, and Third Uncle and Aunt with the same love and respect we give our own parents." It wasn’t about the items themselves, but the immense kindness they represented.